Daytime Drama

LEGAL BRIEFS Guess Adam Ant is no Goody Two Shoes. The '80s rocker was arrested Saturday night on assault and weapons charges after allegedly attacking another 40-something man and threatening to shoot him when he was barred from a private party at a London pub. The 47-year-old musician (real name: Stuart Goddard) was released on bail and must appear in court this Friday....

Art and life may be a little too closely intertwined for Jason Mewes, who played stoner Jay in ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' and four other Kevin Smith films. A New Jersey judge has issued a bench warrant for his arrest for missing a mandatory probation-violation hearing in December. Mewes had been sentenced to two years probation (as well as 200 hours of community service, a $1,000 fine, and suspension of his driver's license) on a drug possession charge after a February 2000 incident in which police found a stash of heroin and a hypodermic needle in his car during a traffic stop. The court allowed Mewes to serve out his sentence in California, but after several missed meetings with his California probation officer, the Monmouth County, New Jersey court scheduled the Dec. 14 hearing. Mewes' lawyer tells E! that neither he nor his client had been informed of that hearing and blamed a ''miscommunication'' between California and New Jersey probation officers. Meanwhile, the warrant remains in effect until Mewes turns himself in or is taken into custody.

HEALTH WATCH Singer Rosemary Clooney underwent successful lung cancer surgery at the Mayo Clinic on Friday and was said by doctors yesterday to be ''doing well,'' although she was listed in serious condition. The 73-year-old ''Come On-a My House'' singer, who has her annual checkups at the Minnesota clinic, was diagnosed with the disease on Thursday and had the upper lobe of her left lung removed the next day.

Best known these days as George Clooney's aunt, Rosemary Clooney was scheduled to appear at the Grammys in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, where she is to receive a lifetime achievement award (she's also nominated for best traditional pop vocal album for ''Sentimental Journey --The Girl Singer and Her New Big Band''). It's uncertain whether she'll be well enough to attend, but doctors say she should be released next week and ''are confident she will be able to resume her recording and performing career in near future.''

SOUND BITES The fat lady hasn't sung for the Grand Ole Opry. After weeks of protest by country fans, Gaylord Entertainment has backed down from its expressed intent to ax country music from Nashville's WSN-AM, home of the Opry broadcasts for more than seven decades, and replace it with a sports talk format. The station posted a $150 million loss last year, and a ratings-boosting format change might have booted the Opry to a less-widely-available FM station or off the air altogether. But as Gaylord CEO Colin Reed has discovered, ''WSM-AM is not a conventional radio station.'' He says, ''While we looked at alternatives that might have made sense for another AM station in another market, we concluded that WSM-AM is a gem that just needs some polishing. We want to keep the country format and build on its incredible heritage and the loyalty of its listeners.''