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

POP/ROCK

Kisses and Stings: “Detroit Rock City” may be one of the group’s biggest hits, but reunited ‘70s rock band KISS has chosen to “Rock and Roll All Night” in Southern California before officially kicking off its U.S. tour June 28 in Detroit. Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley will perform in makeup for the first time in recent memory at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on June 15 as the closing act for KROQ-FM’s (106.7) fourth annual Weenie Roast. Other acts confirmed so far for the KROQ concert are the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Everclear and Korn . . . . Sting has added two more Southland concert dates, one extending his Greek Theatre run on Aug. 24 (tickets are already on sale) and another on Aug. 30 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre (seats go on sale Sunday at noon).

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Another Jackson Suit: A former security guard for Michael Jackson has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the singer, claiming he was fired for exposing perjury that occurred in connection with a 1993-94 probe of child molestation allegations against the pop star. Jerome Johnson’s L.A. Superior Court suit also claims that he and other Jackson workers were pressured to lie to a grand jury during the investigation. No charges were ever filed, but Jackson reportedly reached a $15-million civil settlement with his 13-year-old accuser.

STAGE

Scott Stricken: Actor George C. Scott was scheduled to be back on stage Wednesday night after leaving his Broadway play, “Inherit the Wind,” in mid-performance Tuesday night. Scott, 68, had broken off his performance during a speech early in the second act, telling the Royale Theatre audience, “Excuse me. I have to leave.” The ailing actor, who was replaced by veteran actor Tony Randall in the performance, has been described as feeling tired; various reviews have remarked on Scott’s pallor. A spokeswoman for the production said that Scott, who has missed 11 performances since previews started Feb. 27, has not been to a doctor, but was resting at his hotel Wednesday afternoon. He had not eaten anything on Tuesday, she said, which was assumed to be the reason for his weakness.

MOVIES

Jesse Jackson’s Latest Campaign: The Rev. Jesse Jackson will continue his campaign against what he calls racism in Hollywood when he meets with several entertainment unions Monday to discuss an ethnic-based theatrical ratings system. Jackson said he wants to institute ratings to inform moviegoers of the portrayals of minorities in a particular film and of how many people of color were hired to work on each film. Spokespersons for Jackson said he could aim to establish such a system by Memorial Day weekend.

TV/RADIO

MSNBC Plans: NBC News anchors Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric, along with commentator Bill Moyers, will be regular, rotating hosts of a live, daily one-hour news and talk program for MSNBC, NBC’s upcoming all-news cable network. NBC also plans an hourly newscast in prime time on the new channel, which will launch in July. MSNBC is the first of several planned competitors to CNN from the broadcast networks. MSNBC also plans a daily talk show on new media and a show hosted by former ABC News correspondent John Hockenberry.

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Tales of Stern and Imus: Shock Jock Howard Stern was accosted in New York on Tuesday by a man who first sought Stern’s autograph and then threatened to kill him, police said. Stern’s limousine driver grabbed Samuel Callea, 33, before he could reach the self-proclaimed “King of All Media.” Police said they later found a stolen shotgun and four shells in the man’s car, and charged him with criminal trespass and illegal weapons possession. . . . Meanwhile, radio’s other bad boy, Don Imus, took another jab at Bill and Hillary Clinton in Las Vegas on Tuesday while being inducted into the National Assn. of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame. “I see the president and the first lady are not here--probably someplace testifying,” said Imus, who caused a stir last month when he joked in front of the Clintons about the president’s alleged affairs and his wife’s financial dealings.

QUICK TAKES

ABC said Wednesday that it would reschedule Friday’s planned broadcast of a “Muppets Tonight!” episode featuring actress Sandra Bullock and a parody of her movie 1994 “Speed.” The episode, postponed “out of respect” for the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing since it features a mad bomber who threatens to blow up the Muppets studio if the show’s ratings drop, will be replaced by a repeat of “Boy Meets World.” . . . Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill,” the nation’s top-selling album six of the last seven weeks, sold about 213,000 copies last week to hang onto its No. 1 position, according to SoundScan. Moving up one notch to No. 2 was the Fugees’ “The Score,” which sold about 175,000 copies. . . . Rosie O’Donnell is the latest comedian to sign a book deal. Warner Books plans a fall 1997 release of O’Donnell’s book, described as “part memoir, part commentary on the issues most important to her.”