The Buzz : Today’s News, Tomorrow’s Television : MTV offers a double dose of the Jackson, Lifetime will recycle NBC movies and PBS celebrates Mozart

SERIES

The weekly half-hour series “Network Earth,” scheduled to debut Sept. 9 on TBS,will investigate major environmental issues and offer solutions. The show features an interactive computer network for viewers to create an environmental public forum and announce ecological activities taking place around the country.

Nickelodeon has begun production on a second season of the acclaimed young children’s series “Eureeka’s Castle.” The 35 one-hour segments will introduce new inhabitants of the castle and feature 21 original songs written and arranged by composer Peter Lurye.

On Disney Channel, the long-running “Kids Inc.,” a half-hour musical situationcomedy for children, has been renewed for 15 new episodes.

MOVIES

NBC has announced that the Lifetime Network has been granted exclusive cable rights for nine of NBC’s made-for-television movies for a period of one year. The movies are: “Abduction of Kari Swenson,” “Assault and Matrimony,” “Blue Deville,” “Child Saver,” “Convicted: A Mother’s Story,” “A Father’s Homecoming,” “Rage of Angels: The Story Continues,” “Take My Daughters, Please” and “Mothers, Daughters and Lovers.”

Lou Gossett Jr. stars as a black man in the South who befriends a young white girl played by Sara Gilbert in the Lifetime cable movie “Sudie and Simpson,” premiering in September. Also on Lifetime, Lori Singer plays a mountain climber whose spirit makes up for her inexperience in “Storm and Sorrow,” set for November. The drama is based on events in 1974 when, to further international relations, the U.S.S.R. invited climbing teams from all over the world to scale the Russian Pamirs.

SPECIALS

Teen pop star Debbie Gibson has agreed to co-host the syndicated “Earth ‘90: Children and the Environment” from its U.S. site at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The international telecast on June 2 will also be hosted by John Denver in Tokyo and Olivia Newton-John in Paris. Guests include Soviet composer Alexander Gradsky, Austrian pop star Falco, Canada’s Jeff Healey Band and Japanese composer Kitaro.

“The Second International Rock Awards” will be broadcast June 6 on ABC from the69th Battalion State Armory in New York City. The live awards show will feature performances by Eric Clapton, recipient of the Living Legend Award; David Bowie; Melissa Etheridge, and Sam Kinison. Presenters will include Laurie Anderson, Adam Ant, Ed Begley Jr., Christie Brinkley, Gary Busey, Bo Diddley, Buster Poindexter, Paul Shaffer and Patty Smyth.

On “Janet Jackson Saturday” June 9, MTV will devote four hours to a special featuring a Jackson interview, music videos and exclusive coverage of her first concert tour, “Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990.” And the next day? What else, but “Michael Jackson Sunday,” with more interviews, videos and concert footage of big brother.

“Paul Simon: Solo,” a Disney Channel special premiering June 10, paints an intimate portrait of the singer-songwriter through his words and music. The one-hour rockumentary examines Simon’s career, his early days with Simon and Garfunkel and his contemporary work on albums such as Graceland.

The Mostly Mozart Orchestra, with music director Gerard Schwarz and pianist Alicia de Larrocha, will celebrate the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on PBS in a “Live From Lincoln Center” concert on July 11. “A Mostly Mozart Festival” will include a concert version of “The Impresario,” Mozart’s rarely performed one-act comic opera.

Glenn Close will narrate “The Divine Greta Garbo,” a one-hour tribute to the late actress on TNT. The special follows the alluring star from her early years as the daughter of a street sweeper in Stockholm to her star contract with MGM to her later reclusive years. Air dates have not been set.

NEWS

Jane Pauley will anchor the NBC News special, “The Secret Race: The East German Sports Machine,” on June 13, her second prime-time special since leaving “Today.” Pauley peers behind the toppled Berlin Wall to examine the rise and fall of East Germany’s athletic prowess, the secrets of its training system and the scientific methods employed to create some of world’s best athletes.

SPECIAL REPORTS

Ever wonder what the top devotional programs are? A recently released Nielsen Report found that Robert Schuller’s “Hour of Power” led all devotional programs with an average audience of 1.1 million households. The rest of the Top 10 were “World Tomorrow,” “Oral Roberts,” “Kenneth Copeland,” “Dr. James Kennedy,” “Jimmy Swaggart,” “Larry Jones,” “Old Time Gospel Hour,” “In Touch” and “It Is Written.”

SOAP OPERAS

Roscoe Born, who left NBC’s “Santa Barbara” several weeks ago, signed a new contract with the show and will be reprising his former role of Robert Barr around mid-June. Also on “Santa Barbara,” Nicolas Coster, who played Lionel Lockridge, will return to the show sometime this month.

Doug Sloane has taken over the role of Jeff, Nan’s boyfriend, on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless.” Doug Wert, who created the role, left to have surgery on some damaged chest muscles. Daytime newcomer Victoria Rowell, who had a recurring role on “The Cosby Show,” has joined the show as a street-wise young woman named Drucilla. And “The Young and the Restless” has replaced long-time cast member Marguerite Ray, who played Mamie Johnson, with Victoria Redd.