MOVIESRoll ‘Em!: Turner Pictures announced Thursday its...

MOVIES

Roll ‘Em!: Turner Pictures announced Thursday its first slate of films since forming last year. The 16 upcoming movies--six of which are scheduled to start production next year--will include the talents of actors Denzel Washington, John Travolta and Chris Farley; directors Oliver Stone, Nora Ephron, Spike Lee and Christopher Guest; writers Michael Crichton, Pete Dexter and Caroline Thompson, and producers Marshall Herskovitz, Ed Zwick, Denise De Novi and Dawn Steele. Among the projects: “Michael” starring John Travolta as a sexy angel who smokes and drinks and smells like fresh-baked cookies; a remake of Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead,” directed by Stone; a hip retelling of the ‘60s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island” and a live-action feature version of “The Jetsons.” Turner executives Scott Sassa and Amy Pascal have spent just over a year developing a slate of movies that they hope will translate to eight releases yearly.

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Redford’s Story: Oscar-winning film star Robert Redford has finally agreed to an authorized biography, to be written by Irish writer Michael Feeney Callan and due to be published in November, 1996. Jeremy Trevathan, rights director at the British publishing company Macmillan, put rights to the project up for bid Thursday at the Frankfurt Book Fair, sparking a lively “rights shootout.” Trevathan said Redford gave 15 hours of interviews for the book, and that Callan, author of an earlier biography of actor Anthony Hopkins, also spoke to Redford’s family and many of his “Hollywood and political friends.”

MUSIC

San Diego Symphony Woes: The musically acclaimed but financially tenuous San Diego Symphony Orchestra needs to raise $1 million by month’s end or face closure, officials said Thursday. Just a week ago the needed figure was $2 million but contributions have already reached half that amount, according to board President Elsie Weston. “We are starting to have some hopes,” said musical director Yoav Talmi. Weston and Talmi blamed the symphony’s financial woes on disappointing attendance at the summer pops concerts and a lack of corporate support. The latter is a chronic problem for arts organizations in San Diego, which is often called a “branch-office town” without corporate headquarters. “If we lose our symphony orchestra,” said Weston, “San Diego will lose the heart of its cultural base.” This isn’t the first time the orchestra has faced silence--it lost the entire 1986-87 season due to a labor dispute.

TELEVISION

Environmental Honors: HBO’s “The Burning Season,” Fox TV’s drama “The X-Files” and Disney’s movie “Pocahontas” were among the honorees Thursday night at the fifth annual Environmental Media Awards, recognizing programs that “successfully raise environmental issues.” Additional winners of the awards, presented at the Beverly Hilton, included ABC’s “Dinosaurs” series, the Discovery Channel newsmagazine “Invention” and PBS’ “Web of Life: Exploring Biodiversity.” The Frank G. Wells Award honoring ongoing commitment to environmental issues was presented to Joshua Brand and John Falsey, co-creators of the defunct CBS series “Northern Exposure.”

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High-Elevation High Jinks: HBO on Thursday announced plans for its second annual U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, Feb. 28-March 3 in Aspen, Colo. The festival, a joint effort with the American Film Institute and Comedy Central, will include an AFI tribute to Steve Martin, a live “HBO Comedy Hour” starring Dennis Miller and the silver anniversary retrospective of award-winning cartoonist Garry Trudeau. The first festival, held last March, included an AFI tribute to Albert Brooks.

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New Series Updates: CBS said Thursday that it will air repeats of “Cybill” in the Monday 9:30 p.m. slot for two weeks, replacing the canceled “If Not for You.” Meanwhile, it looks as if the end is also near for two more new series--ABC’s Thursday night dramas “Charlie Grace,” with Mark Harmon, and “The Monroes,” starring William Devane. ABC announced Thursday that it was pulling the dramas Nov. 2 for the first week of the November sweeps, and will instead air the movie “Columbo: It’s All in the Game.” Such a move is usually a strong indication of lack of faith in a new series--and a harbinger that cancellation is imminent. In season-to-date rankings, “Charlie Grace” ranks 80th out of 114 network prime-time series, while “The Monroes” sits in 91st place. ABC had no comment Thursday on the shows’ future. . . . On CBS’ “The Courthouse,” Patricia Wettig, who plays the judge, is said to be leaving after the eighth episode due to “creative differences.”

POP/ROCK

Doggs in the House: The first song from the upcoming album by the controversial rap group Tha Dogg Pound is apparently off to a fast start on radio. A special version of “Respect” has been the most-requested song on KKBT-FM (92.3) since the station first played it last Friday, music director Mariama Snider said. The track, which is not available in stores, will be included on Tha Dogg Pound’s debut album, “Dogg Food,” scheduled for release Oct. 31 on Death Row/Interscope Records. Time Warner recently severed ties with the label following complaints that gangsta rap is a bad influence on young people. The album will now be distributed through Priority Records. . . . A new album by rapper Eazy-E, who died of complications of AIDS in March, is scheduled to be released Jan. 16 by Ruthless/Relativity Records. The album, “Str8 Off the Streetz of Muthaph***in’ Compton,” is a collection of 12 songs recorded by the rapper over the last four years.