STAGE

Ms. Smith Goes to Washington: Actress-playwright Anna Deavere Smith, whose last one-woman show chronicled the Los Angeles riots and their aftermath, has begun a six-month residency at Washington’s Arena Stage to develop a new performance piece exploring the image of the American presidency as created by the White House press corps. “On the Road: The Search for American Character” will also delve into the effect of the presidency’s image on the national character. As part of her research, Smith plans to spend time with the White House press corps to get a first-hand look at whether the press simply reports a President’s words and deeds or if it uses a “spin” to aggressively shape the public’s perception.

PEOPLE WATCH

Crosby Hospitalized: Singer-guitarist David Crosby was in fair condition Friday at UCLA Medical Center, where he was admitted for liver failure. The 53-year-old Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young member was evaluated for a liver transplant at UCLA several weeks ago and “recently experienced a moderate decline in his condition,” according to a statement released by the hospital. The Dumont-UCLA Transplant Center operates the largest liver transplant program in the western United States.

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Rourke KO’s Furniture: Looks like Hollywood actor and sometime boxer Mickey Rourke wins the celebrity room-trashing sweepstakes. Rourke’s total at New York’s posh Plaza Hotel was $20,000, said owner Donald Trump, noting that the $5,000-a-night suite was so damaged Thursday that it had to be closed to guests for repairs. A source in Trump’s office said Rourke was banned from the Plaza for life. No charges were filed, but Rourke should expect a bill. Rourke had been staying at the hotel for about three weeks, and was seen this week at the city’s fashion shows, where his former wife, actress and model Carre Otis, is appearing on the runways. Earlier this year, Rourke pleaded not guilty to charges of spousal abuse after allegedly striking Otis in Los Angeles.

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Bashing His Own Job: It appears that Branford Marsalis’ upcoming indefinite leave of absence from the “Tonight Show” is not as amicable as originally reported. In the upcoming issue of BAM magazine, the bandleader and saxophonist says the job is “not my idea of wonderful musical creativity. We play the music exactly the way (the producers) want, but we’re laughing the whole time.” Marsalis also says that his on-screen chemistry with Jay Leno will never rival David Letterman and Paul Shaffer’s because “I’m not the kind of person that’s gonna kiss Jay’s ass and say everything he does is right.”

TELEVISION

Political Programming: Lots of options are on tap for political programming junkies as election time nears. On Sunday at 2 p.m., cable’s Comedy Central will offer a five-hour marathon of political parodies culled from such shows as “Saturday Night Live,” “Politically Incorrect,” “Short Attention Span Theater” and the Harry Shearer-hosted special “You Don’t Know Dick.” Also on Sunday, the 1993 Academy Award-nominated documentary “The War Room,” detailing the inner workings of President Clinton’s campaign, has its TV premiere at 9 p.m. on cable’s Disney Channel. On Tuesday, NBC’s “Frasier” offers an Election Day-themed episode in which Martin Crane (John Mahoney) appears in a commercial for a congressional candidate whom his sons, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Niles (David Hyde Pierce), deem politically incorrect. In retaliation, Frasier begins working for the rival candidate’s campaign. Also on Tuesday, ABC News will provide the first-ever interactive national election-night coverage on America Online from 4 to 8 p.m. Included will be live election results and exclusive commentary from ABC correspondents, including Cokie Roberts and Jeff Greenfield.

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‘Taxi’ Marathon: The late 1970s sitcom “Taxi” launched the careers of several notable Hollywood actors, including Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner and Christopher Lloyd. Starting Sunday at 8:30 p.m., cable’s Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite will air all 114 of the show’s episodes in a weeklong marathon. Following the marathon, which coincides with New York City’s “Taxi Appreciation Week,” the show will air two episodes nightly Mondays through Fridays at 10.

QUICK TAKES

Andrew Lloyd Webber has formally requested L.A. Superior Court Judge Michael Berg to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Faye Dunaway in August after she got the boot from Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard.” Lloyd Webber’s attorney summarized the composer’s response by describing Dunaway’s charges as “utterly baseless” and contending that the lawsuit is “an attempt to squeeze (Lloyd Webber) to give her a bunch of money.” . . . NBC has ordered seven more episodes of its critically acclaimed drama series “Homicide: Life on the Street,” bringing the series order to 20 episodes. . . . NBC News’ weekend “Today” program will originate from Los Angeles’ KNBC Channel 4 today and Sunday. . . . Actor Charlton Heston is offering $1,000 for the person who comes up with the best name for his autobiography. Entries should be sent to Charlton Heston Name My Autobiography Contest, 8730 Sunset Blvd., Sixth Floor, Los Angeles, Calif. 90069.