WORLD NEWSBritish Honors: Rock guitarist Eric Clapton...

WORLD NEWS

British Honors: Rock guitarist Eric Clapton and film producer David Puttnam were among 1,000 people receiving New Years’ honors from Queen Elizabeth for their contributions to British life. Among others included on the “New Year Honors List,” were “Four Weddings and a Funeral” screenwriter Richard Curtis and “Absolutely Fabulous” star Joanna Lumley. The honors--knighthoods, peerages and medals--are awarded twice a year, at New Year’s and on the Queen’s official birthday in June. The awards--given to both public figures and private citizens--are determined by the British government.

British Honors, Part II: Bruce Springsteen’s 20-year-old anthem “Born to Run” beat Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” as the “Greatest Song of All Time” in a poll of British music experts from The Times of London and the BBC’s pop radio station. In a statement, Springsteen said he was pleased with the honor, but dubious whether any single song should be judged the greatest.

Banned in Cairo: A Cairo court has banned the screening of a film by Egyptian director Youssef Chahine, saying the movie breaks Islam’s taboo on the depiction of apostles by telling the story of the prophet Joseph. “The Emigrant,” an Egyptian-French production set in Pharaonic times, is about a young man who goes to Egypt to learn agriculture and escape persecution by his seven brothers. The story resembles accounts in the Koran and the Bible.

JAZZ

Tribute: Singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown have been added to a Jan. 10 all-star tribute to jazz queen Ella Fitzgerald at the Universal Amphitheater. Other scheduled performers include actors Sharon Stone and Lou Gossett Jr. and singers Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Patti La Belle, Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, Smokey Robinson, Mel Torme, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. The tribute benefits the Minority AIDS Foundation; tickets are available through Universal and Ticketmaster.

TELEVISION

Lotsa Talk: Barbara Walters fans now have lots of opportunities to catch their hero in action. Lifetime Television today begins airing seven weekly installments of “Barbara Walters: Interviews of a Lifetime,” featuring highlights from Walters’ past interview specials. The program will air weekdays at 11 a.m., Friday nights at 8, and Sunday nights at 11. Interview subjects this week include Jerry Seinfeld, Lucille Ball, Delta Burke and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Also starting today, Lifetime brings back repeats of three critically acclaimed shows: “The Tracey Ullman Show,” including the original “Simpsons” segments, weekdays at 11:30 a.m.; the Jamie Lee Curtis-Richard Lewis comedy “Anything but Love,” Monday through Thursday nights at 1:30 a.m., and the HBO series “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” on Fridays at 1:30 a.m.

Weight Loss Aid: Just in time to help with those New Year’s resolutions, NBC News’ “Today” show this morning begins airing “Take It Off TODAY,” a 28-day weight-loss program developed by Dr. Art Ulene in collaboration with the Obesity Management Program at George Washington University School of Medicine. Each day’s segment includes an assignment involving food selection, activity and self-monitoring. “Take It Off TODAY” will air Monday through Friday during the last hour of “Today.”

QUICK TAKES

Actor Michael Goorjian, who won an Emmy for his portrayal of an autistic youth in the TV movie “David’s Mother,” will join Fox’s “Party of Five” later this month in an extended guest stint as Julia’s (Neve Campbell) new love interest. . . . Actor Robert Vaughn, who played Napoleon Solo in “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” returns to TV in the CBS soap opera “As the World Turns,” starting Jan. 18. His character is “a sharp-shooting, high-powered attorney.”