FINDING CULTURE Many Metallica fans have complained that the band is softening its thrash-metal sound. Well, wait until they get a load of this: The metalheads are reportedly planning three shows with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in April. Metallica are working on the concerts with conductor and composer Michael Kamen, who has scored over 60 films including "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "Lethal Weapon." Kamen arranged the strings for the band's 1991 tune "Nothing Else Matters."
LONG BOMB The ratings for ABC's "Monday Night Football" this season were the lowest in the broadcast's 29-year history, with an 8 percent drop from last year. NFL games on CBS and Fox did far better, and ABC's plummet was attributed to an abnormally large number of blowout games that didn't excite viewers. The Monday matchups had an average victory margin of 15.6 points, while the league's spread average is 11.2 points.
BOOKED Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello are celebrating the end-of- LAWSUIT Massive Attack is being sued by classic rocker Manfred Mann, who claims that the Brit trip-hoppers use two bars from Mann's Earth Band's 1971 tune "Tribute" in their new song "Black Milk." Mann, who filed in a British court, is looking for $168,000 for copyright infringement and additional damages for the "flagrancy" of the thievery.
CASTING David Bowie will host the new season of Showtime's supernatural series "The Hunger." Bowie, who will introduce each episode, appeared in the 1983 vampire film that inspired the show.
OBITUARY Bryan MacLean of the 1960s rock band Love died Christmas Day of a heart attack at age 52. MacLean wrote the psychedelic band's biggest hit, "Alone Again Or."
