TELEVISIONMoriarty Claims ‘Blacklist’: Outspoken actor Michael Moriarty,...

TELEVISION

Moriarty Claims ‘Blacklist’: Outspoken actor Michael Moriarty, who left NBC’s “Law & Order” last year after a much-publicized spat with U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno over her efforts to reduce TV violence, on Wednesday took out a full-page ad in the trade paper Daily Variety charging that he is “now a blacklisted actor” because of his opposition to Reno. In the ad, Moriarty calls America a “police state” and writes: “I left my job in protest. I must now leave my country.” He also says, “As a result of the bombing in Oklahoma, people like myself . . . are already on a list of suspected or ‘unwitting’ accessories. Other candidates for that list are: Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern (and) Michael Reagan.” Moriarty also appeals for donations to support his protests.

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Desi Winners: “NYPD Blue” star Jimmy Smits was named favorite TV actor and “Melrose Place” resident Daphne Zuniga took favorite TV actress honors at Monday night’s fifth annual Latino-themed Desi Entertainment Awards, held at the Palace in Hollywood. The evening included special tributes to slain tejano singing star Selena--who was awarded three trophies including song and album of the year and favorite female performer in the Spanish-language pop categories--and the late actor Raul Julia, who took honors for favorite performance in a TV movie for HBO’s “The Burning Season.” Among other winners, Los Lobos was selected best English-language pop group, singer Jon Secada won in both the male pop performer and album categories, “I Like It Like That” was picked as favorite film, Andy Garcia (“When a Man Loves a Woman”) won best film actor, and Cameron Diaz (“The Mask”) and Rosie Perez (“It Could Happen to You”) tied for favorite film actress.

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More O.J. Ratings: The launching Tuesday night of a multi-part series showing exclusive footage from the wedding of O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown didn’t spark a ratings bonanza for the syndicated tabloid show “Hard Copy” on KCBS-TV. The show only attracted a 9% share of the available audience with a 5.1 rating (each local rating point is equivalent to 49,362 homes). The show has averaged a 6.0 rating and 11% audience share.

THE ARTS

‘Distinguished Artists’: Tenor Placido Domingo, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein and Judith Jamison, the Alvin Ailey Dance Company’s artistic director and choreographer, are among the five artists picked to receive the Music Center’s 1995 Distinguished Artists Awards, selected by Club 100, a group of community leaders active at the Music Center. The additional recipients are film and television writer-director-producer Garry Marshall, and Paul Salamunovich, music director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The awards will be presented on May 17 at the Four Seasons Hotel.

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NEA Grants: The National Endowment for the Arts today will announce more than $59 million in second-quarter arts grants. Among the local recipients: The L.A. Philharmonic Assn. ($236,400), L.A. Chamber Orchestra Society ($70,000), L.A. County Museum of Art ($68,000), Japanese American Cultural and Community Center ($50,000), Social and Public Art Resource Center ($45,000) and the Museum of Contemporary Art ($20,000).

POP/ROCK

Before They Were Stones: The earliest known recording of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards belting out R&B; numbers at a teen-age jam session a year before the Rolling Stones was formed could fetch $89,000 at a London auction May 25, Christie’s said Wednesday. The 30-minute tape, made in 1961, includes 13 tracks, with Jagger on vocals and Richards on guitar. The unidentified owner was a school friend of Jagger who borrowed his parents’ tape recorder for the session.

QUICK TAKES

“On the Waterfront,” the Broadway stage version of the 1950s film classic, will close Sunday after a weeklong run and a loss of more than $2.5 million. Several principals, including the director and two leading actors, had already left the trouble-plagued production. And at the show’s final preview performance last Sunday, Jerry Grayson, who plays a minor role, suffered a heart attack on stage. The show opened with Grayson’s understudy playing the part. . . . Fox Children’s Network will broadcast a public service special for kids on Saturday morning called “Talkin’ It Out With John Walsh,” designed to explore issues surrounding the Oklahoma City bombing from a child’s point of view. The 30-minute, commercial-free special will be introduced by the cast of “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.” . . . As expected, Dee Dee Myers, former White House press secretary for President Clinton, was named Wednesday as the co-host of CNBC’s “Equal Time,” joining Republican host Mary Matalin, starting on May 22.. . . Dreamwerks Production Group, a Florida-based company that promotes films and conventions, has sued Hollywood’s “dream team” for $25 million, saying that Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen stole its name when they founded DreamWorks SKG.