TV & RADIOIs a Kiss Still a...

TV & RADIO

Is a Kiss Still a Kiss?: The much-debated “Roseanne” episode that centers around a kiss between two female characters will air March 1, but how the kiss will be depicted is another story. Carsey-Werner, the producers of the show, and ABC are still in discussions about the controversial smack between Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Arnold) and friend Sharon (Mariel Hemingway) in a gay bar. ABC said that the episode will air with “a parental discretion warning.” In a description of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” episode, ABC said, “Roseanne feels pretty smug and cool--until overwhelmed by a surprisingly affectionate encounter.” Executive producers Roseanne and Tom Arnold have complained that ABC has balked at airing the kiss between the two women.

‘Homicide’ Shows Signs of Life: NBC took the first step to bring Barry Levinson’s acclaimed “Homicide: Life on the Street” back to the airwaves next fall. The network has ordered scripts and picked up options on primary cast members--with the exception of Jon Polito--for the gritty crime drama with a checkered ratings history. But Reeves Entertainment, the production company that produced “Homicide,” is no longer in existence. So NBC still must strike a deal with the company that assumed Reeves’ assets, as well as Reeves’ parent company. “We are hopeful that these discussions will be successful and that ‘Homicide’ will be a part of NBC’s fall schedule,” NBC said in a statement.

Bruce, Crummey at KFI: Tammy Bruce, president of the National Organization for Women’s L.A. chapter, will host a general issues show on KFI-AM radio (640) Saturdays and Sundays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Bruce believes that she is the only openly gay woman to host a mainstream talk show. She had been filling in at the station since August. . . . Also at KFI, talk-show host Joe Crummey, who underwent surgery to remove a benign brain tumor Jan. 31, returns to the airwaves this Saturday and Sunday for his regular 3-5 p.m. shift. “I just want to let everybody know that I survived and I’m OK,” Crummey said.

PEOPLE WATCH

Taylor to Have Hip Replaced: Actress Elizabeth Taylor, struggling with painful arthritis, is scheduled to undergo hip replacement surgery next month. Taylor, 61, suffers from osteoarthritis, a condition in which the cartilage in the hip wears out and the bones grind together. The surgery is expected to require that Taylor be hospitalized from five to seven days, followed by a recovery period of eight weeks on crutches or a walker before she can progress to a cane. Complete recovery could take a year or two.

Midler Testifies; Raye Hospitalized: Bette Midler told a Los Angeles Superior Court jury that she saw only one draft of comedian Martha Raye’s life story before making the movie “For the Boys,” and that the film was based more on her own life than it was on Raye’s. Midler’s testimony came Wednesday in the trial over Raye’s lawsuit, which accuses Midler, her All Girls Productions company and 20th Century Fox of basing “For the Boys” on a screen treatment that Raye co-wrote and offered to Midler for $1 million. Meanwhile, Raye missed Wednesday’s proceedings because she was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for pneumonia. No release date was scheduled. Raye, 77, has suffered a series of health setbacks in recent years.

MOVIES

Oscar Watch: This year’s Oscars are getting a new look. On Thursday, producer Gilbert Cates unveiled a model of the set, which has been given a bolder, more contemporary look. Production designer Roy Christopher, who has received Emmy nominations for his seven past Oscar presentations, designed the stage for the March 21 event, which takes place at the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. His set is highlighted by an elegant asymmetrical floor design that features five lighted 16- to 20-foot-tall cones containing Oscar statuettes.

Santa Barbara Slate: The Ninth Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, featuring more than 100 feature-length and short films, opens March 4 with the world premiere of the comedic drama “Healer,” directed by John Thomas. The festival, which runs through March 13, features nine world premieres and six U.S. premieres, plus special events including “A Salute to Buddy Rogers.” Among the additional world premieres are “. . . and the earth did not swallow him,” based on the late Chicano writer Tomas Rivera’s prize-winning novel; “Chuppa: The Wedding Canopy,” about a couple who are finally married in the Jewish tradition 50 years after surviving the Holocaust, and “Trading Mom,” starring Sissy Spacek and Maureen Stapleton.

QUICK TAKES

The Canadian sketch comedy troupe the Kids in the Hall have signed a deal with Paramount Pictures for its first major movie, to be produced by Lorne Michaels of “Saturday Night Live” fame. The five-man troupe’s fifth and final season of late-night TV begins in March on CBS and Comedy Central. . . . The Samuel Goldwyn Co. has acquired worldwide rights to “What Happened Was . . .,” the directorial debut from actor Tom Noonan. The film was the only double winner at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, capturing both the Grand Jury Prize and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting award. Goldwyn plans a fall 1994 release.