Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation’s press.

GRANT WATCH

Whew, Hugh!: It’s a busy media week ahead for actor Hugh Grant, highlighted by his scheduled appearance Tuesday at 20th Century Fox’s premiere of his movie, “Nine Months,” at Cineplex Odeon/Century City. Of course, his appearance there and on a bunch of TV shows would barely have registered a blip on any screen prior to his June 27 arrest on charges of misdemeanor lewd conduct in Hollywood. Grant, whose fortunes soared with the 1994 romantic comedy “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” is set for arraignment July 18. Meanwhile, Mike Qualls, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, said that Grant will be ordered to take an HIV test--and an AIDS education class--if convicted of his encounter with alleged prostitute Stella Marie Thompson. The test for the virus that causes AIDS and the class are conditions of probation, Qualls said, and also required of convicted prostitutes. Now it turns out that Thompson, who was arrested with Grant and gave her name as Divine Brown, had two outstanding warrants--one for failing to give the court results of an HIV test ordered after two previous prostitution convictions.

TELEVISION

Libel Suit: Melissa Gilbert is suing the National Enquirer and her ex-husband for defamation after an article in the supermarket tabloid referred to the actress as “a deadbeat mother.” Gilbert, who played the role of wholesome, freckle-faced Laura Ingalls on “Little House on the Prairie” from 1974 to 1983 and recently portrayed a lawyer on last season’s NBC series “Sweet Justice,” also alleges invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress in her Los Angeles Superior Court complaint. No one for the Enquirer or Gilbert’s ex-husband, Bo Brinkman, could be reached for immediate comment. In the story, Brinkman accuses Gilbert of “ignoring” their 6-year-old son, Dakota, according to the lawsuit. She and her ex-husband have joint custody. A lawyer for Gilbert, 31, said she warned the Enquirer before the July 4 issue was published that the information about her client was false. “She’s being attacked for being a working mother and supporting her child,” lawyer Marcia Harris said. “She’s a good mother, and she loves her son, and it’s a painful thing to have these false statements made about her.” Gilbert married actor Bruce Boxleitner earlier this year, and is expecting her second child.

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Emmy Nominations On-Line: The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will launch its own World Wide Web site on the Internet July 20, President Richard H. Frank announced Thursday. The site will go on-line to coincide with the live announcements of nominations for the 47th annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

RADIO

KPCC Gets Talk Money: Public radio station KPCC-FM (89.3) has been awarded a $60,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support “Shades of L.A.: Conversations on the Nation’s Most Diverse Community,” a series of 13 two-hour programs that will be part of its “Air Talk” program.

ART

A Life in Media: The Library of Congress announced Friday its acquisition of the archives of the works of Gordon Parks. The collection will include Parks’ photographs, music, papers, films, recordings and drawings. James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress, said that Parks’ “generous gift” will be “a priceless legacy to the nation.” Parks said he donated his work to the library because “I wanted it all stored under one roof and a roof that I could respect.” The 82-year-old African American artist, who made his national reputation with photographic essays for Life magazine from 1948-69 and whose successful commercial films have included “Shaft” (1972), is also scheduled for his first major retrospective exhibition at Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1997.

POP/ROCK

Hornsby’s Free Tour: Bruce Hornsby will introduce his new CD, “Hot House,” with free summer concerts in some unusual spots, including Borders Books and Music stores. The tour begins July 21 with the grand opening of a new Borders store in Santa Monica.

QUICK TAKES

Mariette Hartley has been signed to follow Blythe Danner in A.R. Gurney’s Off Broadway play “Sylvia,” co-starring Sarah Jessica Parker and John Cunningham. The Emmy Award-winning actress segues into the role of Kate on Tuesday at Manhattan Theatre Club. . . . Actress Rita Moreno will be the subject of a tribute and roast July 20 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Emcee Bill Cosby will be joined by Alan Alda, Lloyd Bridges, Culture Clash, Jane Fonda, Burt Reynolds and others. . . . The once-married George Hamilton and Alana Stewart, who will have a nationally syndicated TV talk show debuting in September, have been named to head Los Angeles’ 1995-96 “Make-A-Wish” campaign drive and will promote the group that provides services to children with a terminal or life-threatening illness.