ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT REPORTS FROM THE TIMES, NEWS SERVICES AND THE NATION’S PRESS

POP / ROCK

The Gripe From Ipanema Helo Pinherio has enjoyed a robust celebrity for decades in her native Rio de Janeiro as the “tall and tan and young and lovely” woman who inspired the sultry classic “The Girl From Ipanema.” These days, though, she’s not smiling like the title character in the 1962 bossa nova classic. Pinherio, 54, has been sued by the families of the late songwriters Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes for “unduly using the works and images of the deceased.” Part of their complaint is a jewelry store Pinherio opened this year in Sa~o Paulo bearing the song’s title. The song’s fame also helped Pinherio launch her career as a model and soap opera star. It all began when De Moraes revealed, more than 30 years ago, that the then-teenage Pinherio was the inspiration for the international hit. Pinherio says she has registered the song name as a trademark and vowed to countersue the songwriters’ families.

J.Lo Answers Critics of Her Song

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez said Friday it’s hurtful that some critics are calling her racist for using an infamous epithet in her song “I’m Real.” A pair of New York DJs and a Los Angeles activist were among the small chorus of critics who had lashed out at Lopez for using the so-called “n-word” on a recent remix of the song that teams her with rapper Ja Rule. “For anyone to think or suggest that I’m racist is really absurd and hurtful to me,” the singer-actress said during an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show. “The use of the word in the song--it was actually written by Ja Rule--it was not meant to be hurtful to anybody.” The n-word is a staple term in the rap world but has been invoked almost exclusively by African American artists in the genre. Lopez, who is a New York native of Puerto Rican heritage, said she is dismissing criticism that a nonblack artist should not use the term as well. “I don’t want to give it too much energy. I’m here to perform for the fans and that’s what I’m going to do.” She performed the original version of “I’m Real” on “Today,” not the remixed version that includes the hot-button word.

TELEVISION

Woman Sues Don Johnson

Actor Don Johnson has been sued by a woman who says the “Miami Vice” and “Nash Bridges” star groped her and made lewd comments when they met at a San Francisco sushi bar. The woman, who is not named in the suit, claims she was dining with friends at Mas Sake and decided to introduce herself to the actor as a fan. The suit claims Johnson responded by accosting her. The alleged incident was investigated by prosecutors who decided in May not to pursue any criminal charges. The suit, filed Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages and claims sexual battery, assault and battery and emotional distress. Johnson’s lawyers have maintained that there is no merit to any of the accusations.

RADIO

The Sounds of War

Forget that “Pearl Harbor” movie. If you want to understand the anxious drama of Dec. 7, 1941, tune in at 9 tonight to “The Jack Benny Program” featured on the “Drama Hour” on KNX-AM (1070). This episode, originally broadcast in the hours after the Japanese bombing of Hawaii, is interrupted three times for news bulletins on “the bombing of Honolulu” and other developments. Between the news reports, Benny and his co-stars perform the skit “Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll.” The program will be repeated at 2 a.m. Sunday.

FILM

No Red Carpet for Renfro

Brad Renfro missed the Thursday premiere of his new film “Bully” to return to a Florida court to answer allegations that he has violated probation. The 18-year-old actor, who starred in “The Client” in 1994, appeared in a Ft. Lauderdale courtroom Wednesday and will be back in court Tuesday after undergoing drug and alcohol testing, according to court officials. “It’s about time for me to grow up, and these people gave me more than enough of a chance to grow up,” Renfro said of his regrets about getting in trouble again. Renfro was in court because of his May arrest in his native Knoxville, Tenn., on charges of underage drinking. He was already on two years’ probation stemming from a boat theft case in January. Authorities said Renfro and a friend tried to steal a 45-foot yacht from Holiday Harbor but failed to untie all the docking lines. The stern of the $175,000 boat was damaged in the botched crime and Renfro was also ordered to pay $4,000. Renfro had been in South Florida filming “Bully,” an adaptation of Jim Schutze’s book about the suburban murder of 20-year-old Bobby Kent in 1993. The movie opened in theaters Friday.

Toons Take Center Stage

The eighth World Animation Celebration, the biggest animation festival in North America, will begin Aug. 7 at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater, the Roosevelt Hotel and the Knitting Factory. The six-day event, which received 800 entries from 65 countries, opens with the premiere of Warner Bros.’ animated feature “Osmosis Jones,” starring Bill Murray. Walt Disney and Chuck Jones, among others, will be inducted as the first members of the Animation Hall of Fame--selected by industry professionals through balloting in Animation magazine. Nickelodeon, Fox, Pixar and MTV are expected to participate in the festivities. The genre, meanwhile, will get a further boost from changed Oscar rules this year. For the first time, animated features--not just shorts--will be up for consideration. They must be at least 70 minutes long and have a preponderance of animated characters, which puts “Shrek” and “Atlantis” in contention. And, under the revised regulations, animated films no longer have to compete against live-action features.

QUICK TAKES

Mariah Carey, Jane’s Addiction, TLC, Run-DMC and Billy Idol head an eclectic bill for a concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of MTV. The Aug. 1 show at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York will be aired on the West Coast at 8 p.m. on MTV and MTV2. . . . “Project Greenlight,” a 13-part documentary on the making of an independent film, will debut on HBO this December, while the new Mike Binder comedy series “The Mind of the Married Man” debuts on the channel on Sept. 11. . . . Arnold Schwarzenegger joined Nelson Mandela on Thursday as the former South African president returned to Robben Island, where he spent 18 of his 27 years as a prisoner of the apartheid regime. The actor and activist were teamed up to light a torch for the Special Olympics at the prison-turned-museum. . . . Jay Leno is having a change of scenery and watching an old home go down. “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” will debut a new set on Monday night’s installment but a bigger change in the host’s life is the scheduled razing of his childhood home in Massachusetts. Leno said Thursday he wouldn’t have sold the house to a developer if he knew it would be torn down.