NBC has set aside its entire prime-time...

NBC has set aside its entire prime-time schedule on May 16 for Bob Hope to celebrate both his 85th birthday and his 50th anniversary of working for the network. Joining in the three-hour program will be Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, Dorothy Lamour, Lucille Ball, George Burns, Milton Berle and Betty White, among others.

John Ritter and David Frost will host “ABC Presents a Royal Gala,” a 90-minute special taped at the London Palladium before Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The show, to air May 25, features performances by Elton John, James Taylor, Phil Collins, Amy Grant, Art Garfunkel, Belinda Carlisle and the Miami Sound Machine.

The Los Angeles Raiders are scheduled for two appearances on ABC’s “Monday Night Football” next season, while the L.A. Rams will be seen once. The Raiders will be seen in action against Denver on Sept. 26 and against Seattle on Nov. 28. ABC will cover the Rams-Bears game on Dec. 5.

Actor Don Johnson (“Miami Vice”) turns producer on “Flipside,” a pilot for NBC about a rock star (Trevor Eve) who gives up touring to raise his three children. Also on board as producers are Neal Israel, co-writer of “Police Academy,” and Amy Heckerling, director of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

Larry Drake, seen intermittently during the first two seasons of “L.A. Law” as the mentally handicapped errand boy Benny, will be featured as a regular on the NBC series next season. The sensitive depiction of Benny recently earned the show a commendation from the California Assn. for Retarded Citizens of the United States.

James B. Sikking and Dorothy Lyman are starring in a TV movie for the Disney Channel, “Ollie Hopnoodle’s Haven of Bliss.” It’s written and narrated by Jean Shepherd. The story concerns a 14-year-old boy (Jerry O’Connell) whose family sets out in search of the perfect vacation.

Kate Jackson, who previously has starred in the series “The Rookies,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” is trying for another. She’s making a pilot for NBC based on the movie “Baby Boom.” It’s about a career woman who unexpectedly finds herself caring for a child after a relative dies.