Quick Takes: ‘Jersey Shore’s’ Snooki will still have a ball

MTV’s plan to put “Jersey Shore” star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi inside a ball to drop from the network’s Times Square headquarters on New Year’s Eve has been dropped after an objection by the group that oversees the world-famous celebration.

But Snooki will still drop in as part of “The MTV New Year’s Bash.” Her stunt has been relocated to Seaside Heights, N.J., according to Diane Stabley, borough clerk for the Jersey shore town made famous as the setting for MTV’s hit reality show. She said an MTV network crew was in town to pre-tape the spectacle Thursday night.

Snooki was sent packing earlier in the week by the Times Square Alliance, whose annual gala includes the century-old tradition of dropping its own illuminated ball at the stroke of midnight.

“It was never intended or requested for Snooki to be in the actual New Year’s Eve Ball in Times Square,” said Alice McGillion, the group’s spokeswoman. “The request to have her in a separate ball on a set-back roof came too late and was too impractical to fit in to our outdoor events.”

—Associated Press

IRS puts lien on Kilmer’s ranch

Val Kilmer owes nearly $500,000 in federal taxes, and a lien has been placed on the “Batman Forever” actor’s property, including a New Mexico ranch he’s trying to sell.

The Internal Revenue Service filed the lien in Santa Fe last month for an assessment balance of $498,165 for 2008 income taxes.

Kilmer has lived in New Mexico for two decades. He put his 5,300-acre Pecos River Ranch on the market for $33 million in 2009. It is now listed for sale at $18.5 million.

—Associated Press

L.A. Opera sets Hungarian work

Los Angeles Opera will present the 19th century Hungarian opera “Bánk bán” as part of the 2011-12 season. Composed by Ferenc Erkel in 1861, the opera is based on the play by József Katona and is set in the medieval court of King Endre II of Hungary and his wife, Queen Gertrud.

The L.A. production, which is said to be a U.S. premiere, was first reported by the Hungarian media and then confirmed by a spokesman for L.A. Opera, who said that more details will be announced in January.

The Hungarian reports stated that Plácido Domingo, who serves as general director of L.A. Opera, will conduct the performances. The announcement was made by Hungarian State Secretary of Culture Geza Szocs and Domingo, who was recently in Budapest.

—David Ng

The queen’s list includes Lennox

Sweet dreams are made of this for Annie Lennox, honored by Queen Elizabeth II in the monarch’s New Year list of awards.

The statuesque Scottish singer, who came to fame in the 1980s duo Eurythmics, was named an officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, for her work with charities fighting AIDS and poverty in Africa. She is an ambassador for development group Oxfam and founded the SING campaign to help women and children with HIV.

In other honors bestowed by the queen, theater grande dame Harriet Walter was made a real dame — the female equivalent of a knight — in recognition of a career that has ranged from the Royal Shakespeare Company to TV cop show “Law & Order: UK.”

Historian Antonia Fraser, biographer of Marie Antoinette and Mary, queen of Scots, also became a dame.

—Associated Press

Monheit makes a belated arrival

Santa Claus’ annual global circumnavigation from the North Pole is kid’s play compared to jazz diva Jane Monheit’s ordeal in getting a flight from New York to Los Angeles this week.

Monheit got snowed in on Christmas Eve at her parents’ Long Island home by the huge blizzard that coated the East Coast. As a result, she missed the Tuesday and Wednesday shows of her multi-night gig at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood.

After much wangling, Monheit managed to get on a Thursday morning flight to LAX, a publicist said.

Catalina founder-owner Catalina Popescu said that the two canceled shows would not be rescheduled, but the club would do its best to accommodate ticket holders at remaining performances this weekend.

—Reed Johnson

Springer ‘opera’ coming to O.C.

One of the more curious satires in recent memory, “Jerry Springer: The Opera” has entertained and befuddled theater audiences in London, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and other cities since premiering in 2003. Now the “opera” — actually a stage musical — will be making its much-belated Southern California debut in a production by the small Chance Theater in Orange County.

The Chance Theater said that “Jerry Springer: The Opera” will run July 1 to Aug. 7 as part of its 2011 season. The show is inspired by Springer’s lowbrow TV talk program.

—David Ng