News from the virtual world: -TAKE IT AWAY: Electronic Arts, the Borg collective of video-game publishers, wants to assimilate Take-Two Interactive. But Take-Two says it isn't interested - at least not until April 30, when its sure-to-be-a-blockbuster ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' goes on sale.

Musical games have long had their niche in the video-game industry. Fans of ''Dance Dance Revolution'' or ''Pump It Up'' like to show off their footwork; ''SingStar'' and ''Karaoke Revolution'' attract ''American Idol'' wannabes. Such games can be fun at parties and they've always had a devoted audience, but they never really attracted the masses.