TV & RADIOA Different Take: Roseanne’s spokesman...

TV & RADIO

A Different Take: Roseanne’s spokesman confirmed Friday that she is planning to produce a Hanukkah-themed special, which will air this year on ABC. While the details are still undecided, rest assured that Roseanne’s recognition of the Jewish holiday--which this year runs from Nov. 28-Dec. 5--will offer a definite alternative to the usual seasonal fare.

LEGAL FILE

He Can Afford It: A federal civil court jury Friday found that Bill Cosby touched and shoved a New York photographer who sued the entertainer for allegedly roughing him up at a benefit at which Cosby’s wife was being honored. But the jury also said that the photographer was 90% responsible for the incident, awarding “nominal damages” of $1 for each charge of assault and battery. With Cosby 10% responsible, he’s liable for 20 cents. Dick Corkery, a photographer with the New York Daily News, hailed the award as “a victory,” even though he had originally sought $3 million in damages. “All along I felt like David fighting Goliath,” he added. Cosby was not in court when the jury announced its verdict.

* Rapper Enters Plea: Oakland gangsta rapper Lawrence Lee Thomas (a.k.a. Pooh Man), whose lyrics portray the violence of inner-city neighborhoods, pleaded not guilty this week to four counts of felony armed robbery and three counts of aggravated assault in connection with an armed takeover robbery at a Walgreen’s drug store in Berkeley. Thomas, who received acclaim for his role as a drug dealer in the 1993 film “Menace II Society,” was scheduled to release his fifth album, “ain’t no love,” this week. Two of his albums have sold nearly 100,000 copies each.

MOVIES

Marketplace to Host Film Fest: A film festival spotlighting African American, Caribbean and African filmmakers will be held for the first time this year as part of the African Marketplace and Cultural Faire, an annual event held at Rancho Cienega Park featuring arts and crafts displays, food, music, dance and storytelling performances. A number of short films will be screened each day of the festival, which takes place Aug. 20-21 and 27-28, as well as Sept. 3-5. Among the works to be screened: “Why Colors,” an anti-gang violence comedy whose stars include rappers Ice T and Flavor Flav; “And the Children Shall Lead,” starring actor Danny Glover and set during the civil rights movement in Mississippi in 1964, and “Dreadlocks and the Three Bears,” a reinvention of the classic children’s tale with a Caribbean twist.

THE ARTS

‘Three Graces’ Decision Expected: A long-extended effort by the J. Paul Getty Museum to buy the neo-classical sculpture “The Three Graces” by Antonio Canova will reach a decisive point this weekend in London. In 1989, the Getty agreed to purchase the marble sculpture for 7.6 million pounds sterling (about $12.6 million) from a private party, but the necessary export license has been repeatedly deferred to allow London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to match the Getty’s price and purchase the artwork for its own collection, thereby keeping the sculpture in England. An export license deferral expired Friday, when the British museum had raised a total of 4.7 million pounds toward the acquisition. British trade authorities are expected to reassess the situation over the weekend and announce their decision early next week. Sian Evans,a press officer for the British museum, suggested three scenarios: An export license could be granted, clearing the way for the Getty to get the sculpture; the deferral could be extended to allow more time for British fund-raising; or a wealthy third party could step in and contribute the 2.9-million pound short-fall. “The third possibility may not sound likely,” Evans said, “but stranger things have happened.”

POP/ROCK

Georgia on Her Mind: Trisha Yearwood will help out the folks back home in Georgia with a concert to benefit flood victims. The country singer, who’s from Monticello, Ga., will headline the Aug. 14 show, her agent said Friday. Proceeds will go to the Red Cross, which estimates it will spend $17 million helping flood victims in Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

QUICK TAKES

KCBS-TV sports broadcaster Jim Hill will serve as honorary spokesman for the Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks. . . . TV’s “Odd Couple,” Tony Randall and Jack Klugman, will reflect on their movie counterparts, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, when they host the classic 1968 film “The Odd Couple” Aug. 17 on TNT’s “Our Favorite Movies.” . . . Cable’s Comedy Central on Tuesday and Wednesday will look back at Richard Nixon’s resignation speech on the 20th anniversary of the event with “You Don’t Know Dick: The Comedy Mind of Richard M. Nixon,” hosted by humorist/Nixon expert Harry Shearer. . . . The Hollywood Bowl Museum will host a round-table discussion, “The Orchestra Remembers,” with past and current members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic today at 1:30 p.m.