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/ iouibome m a snow that a sitcom hat trick: ?╟úEllen?╟Ñ f?║ ifeld* by way of *1 Love mm* lfiSpI Widely considered The tcom of the ?╟╓90s, tended to* -filled flippancy. And ?╟úEllen,?╟Ñ sidered The Taboo-Busting he|90s, tended toward sexu- stridency. However, ?╟úWill & >.m. Tuesdays, Channel 3), round the warm and wacky ye^sea a gay guy, a straight ir i?½ofy gay/straight pals, is e thit^ despite its cutting- igs that borrow from ?╟úSein- llen,?╟Ñ often embraces flat- ~ee buffoonery a la ?╟úLucy.?╟Ñ ly enough, mixing and om three TV originals makes ice?╟Ñ an original in itself. Its cs plus hammy hysterics oxicating blend of TV?╟╓s past that will hopefully signal its lany new shows in recent e treated the past as poison, d hellbent on abandoning s of sitcom conventions ?╟÷ of situation for which the ing out the baby with the as concocted ?╟÷ and the form for a new lumping its tradition of belly i audience more attuned to ry (?╟úSeinfeld?╟Ñ) and sexual lien?╟Ñ) than unguarded laugh- Lucy?╟Ñ). selected shows born of that ' winners, slavish over-reli- style is a mistake ?╟÷- one Grace?╟Ñ artfully avoids by ig that 1999-style topicality le comedy can zestfully co- 1 s marquee gay characters in lapstick/pratfall mode in- low-standard wink-wink- ironic posturing of the ?╟╓90s, e?╟Ñ proves that celebrating n?╟╓t negate the present, unny doesn?╟╓t denigrate ho- ebut last season, critics have low a sitcom with promi- racters ?╟÷ including one of ?╟÷ could dodge the moral >at murdered ?╟úEllen.?╟Ñ But study in sexual polemics, augh track. ?╟úWill & Grace?╟Ñ uum on entertainment, long way toward disarming g social critics. lere: This endorsement is in ist?╟╓s political activism ?╟÷ ring in a TV ad opposing a lot that upholds marriage between a man and a gay rights vibe is well- 1 in the set-up of the show g their ratings success only g their audience by shoving ?╟╓wood liberalism down our make your point every - don?╟╓t push it.) Still opulent and extravagant, ?╟ Folies Bergere?╟╓ celebrates the big Four-0 By Kimberley McGee LAS VEGAS SUN hey won?╟╓t go silently into the night. They still claim it with kicks and twirls in the longest- running production show on the Las Vegas Strip, ?╟úFolies Bergere?╟Ñ at the Tropicana hotel- casino. Saturday at the Tiffany Theatre the show celebrates 40 years of kickin?╟╓ it up for more than 15 million visi- tors. (A special closed-to-the-public performance, to be attended by former cast members, will be given by the current cast.) ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ graced the stage for the first time Dec. 11, 1959, in the Fountain Theatre at the Tropicana, now the high-limit slots area. The famous French review was brought over the Atlantic by Lou Walters, Barbara Wal- ters?╟╓ father. Originally the topless showgirls descended from the ceiling on carousel horses. It is rumored that the horses still rest in their stalls above the casino floor. The show has been the host of legends. Gene Kelly hammed it up for photographers with a handful of ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ ladies after a late show at the Fountain Theatre, which was once Sammy Davis Jr.?╟╓s digs. In the 1964 film ?╟úViva Las Vegas,?╟Ñ Elvis Presley used a few of the bright- light city babes from the ?╟úFolies?╟Ñ to set his soul on fire. The new musical was one of the earliest production shows to epitomize the classic Las Vegas showgirl. For- Rock Hall hat trick for Eric Clapton By Marc Pollack HOLLYWOOD REPORTER LOS ANGELES ?╟÷ Eric Clapton, Bon- nie Raitt, Earth, Wind & Fire and James Taylor head the 15th class of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Lovin?╟╓Spoonful and the Moon- glows were also voted in, making the Class of 2000 one of the smallest ever. The induc- tion ceremony will be March 6 at the Wal- dorf-Astoria in New York. Arista Records founder and president Clive Davis will be inducted in the nonper- former category. His induction comes as he and the owners of Arista Records ?╟÷ BMG Entertainment and its president and CEO Strauss Zelnick ?╟÷ are in a bitter and public feud over Davis?╟╓ employment contract, which expires June 30. Clapton becomes the first three-time inductee, joining the Hall as a solo artist after being elected a member of the Yard- birds in 1992 and Cream in 1993. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Emmy Page, Neil Young, David Crosby and Stephen Stills are among those who have been inducted twice. Clapton, Raitt, Taylor and the Spoonful were inducted in their first year of eligibili- ty. The Moonglows have been on the ballot for four years and Earth, Wind & Fire for two. See Hall, 2E