Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa said yesterday he has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and will cancel all his concerts for six months to receive treatment.

Ozawa, an icon in the classical music world, said the cancer was spotted after a regular medical checkup late last year.

"I am perfectly fine right now. I have no problems drinking or eating," the 74-year-old maestro said at a news conference in Tokyo. A doctor who accompanied Ozawa said the cancer is in an early stage.

Ozawa is currently chief conductor of the Vienna State Opera. He took the post in 2002, and his tenure is set to expire in June.

Before the Vienna opera, the Japanese conductor served 29 years as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

DIRECTORS GUILD NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

The science-fiction blockbuster "Avatar" has earned James Cameron his latest nomination for the top honor from the Directors Guild of America.

Cameron won the guild prize 12 years ago for "Titanic." Also nominated are Kathryn Bigelow for the Iraq War drama "The Hurt Locker"; Lee Daniels for the Harlem teen tale "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"; Jason Reitman for the recession-era story "Up in the Air"; and Quentin Tarantino for the World War II hit "Inglourious Basterds."

Like the Golden Globes on Jan. 17, the awards put Cameron up against ex-wife Bigelow, a first-time Directors Guild nominee.

Directors Guild picks usually are a good reflection of how the category will fare at the Academy Awards.

GETTY MUSEUM DIRECTOR RESIGNING

The director who presided over the J. Paul Getty Museum during some of its most tumultuous and exciting times said yesterday he is resigning at the end of the month.

Michael Brand, an acclaimed expert in Indian art, has directed the museum since December 2005.

He took over the Getty when it was immersed in an embarrassing international scandal, with the governments of Italy and Greece accusing it of acquiring scores of valuable art objects stolen from their countries.

The J. Paul Getty Trust also was just weeks away from reopening Getty Villa, an architectural wonder in the hills overlooking Malibu that underwent a $275 million renovation.

REEVES PATERNITY SUIT TOSSED OUT OF COURT

A paternity suit launched by a Canadian woman seeking $2.8 million from actor Keanu Reeves was thrown out of court yesterday.

Karen Sala claimed she had a sexual relationship with Reeves during and after her marriage and that they lived together. Reeves denies ever having met the woman.

Ontario Judge Fred Graham said any trial would be "a waste of limited judicial resources," after Sala disputed DNA proving Reeves was not the father.