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

ART

Museum Merger?: A controversial campaign to merge Orange County’s two leading art museums into a higher-profile, financially stable Orange County Museum of Art is looking increasingly likely. Although the Laguna Art Museum’s 1,383 rank-and-file members have until Saturday to ratify or reject the merger with the Newport Harbor Art Museum, Laguna museum officials said Thursday that votes are running 60% in favor of consolidation--enough to guarantee approval. The merged museums would have their headquarters at the current Newport Harbor site in Fashion Island, with a satellite gallery at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, and the Laguna landmark museum building would remain open as a semiautonomous branch of the new institution. The agreement still awaits final approval by each museum, officials say, as well as approval by the state attorney general, which could happen within 60 days.

PEOPLE WATCH

Booking Hollywood: Comedian Dennis Miller, author of the current release “The Rants,” will appear at today’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at UCLA on a panel titled “From Being Funny to Writing Funny.” The 4 p.m. session in Room 39 of Haines Hall, moderated by editor Rob Weisbach, will also include producer-director Garry Marshall and writer Margo Kaufman. Another industry-related panel takes place Sunday when Janet Yang, president of Ixtlan (Oliver Stone’s production company), moderates a session on adaptations titled “Page to Screen--Like It or Not.” The panel, at 1:30 p.m. in Room 51 of Kinsey Hall, includes Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, whose novel “Home Free” is being developed as a TV movie by CBS, and Lynda La Plante, creator of PBS’ “Prime Suspect” series. The festival, featuring 50 panel sessions, readings, children’s events and more than 150 exhibitors’ booths, is free and open to the public. (A map of the UCLA campus and festival grounds is in today’s Part A.)

Magic for Dinner: Poof! Soon there will be a new restaurant with magician David Copperfield’s name on it. The illusionist announced plans to open David Copperfield’s Magic Underground, an eatery that will focus on magic, in New York City’s Times Square. Copperfield said the restaurant will be an “interactive entertainment experience” that will include images of the magician himself on a big screen leading guests through levitations and other tricks. It’s set to open in December.

TELEVISION

‘Inside Edition’ Appeals: The syndicators of “Inside Edition,” King World Productions, have appealed an unprecedented U.S. District Court ruling that ordered the show’s journalists to stop following two people as part of a story they were preparing on excessive salaries in the health care industry. Judge Raymond J. Broderick in Philadelphia ruled last week that an “Inside Edition” crew was “hounding, harassing, intimidating and frightening” the two executives. “Inside Edition’s” Steve Wilson and his crew secretly taped the subjects from a van. According to attorneys from King World, the legal clash brings up complicated issues concerning limits on undercover television reporting. King World attorney Dean Reigel said that the injunction had a “chilling effect” that tells journalists “you’re potentially in peril if you follow people to get their pictures. . . . It’s not clear what goes over the line.” The story on the health care executives is set to air on “Inside Edition” next week.

Disney and CBS: It looks as if Disney’s recent acquisition of Cap Cities/ABC doesn’t mean exclusive programming deals with that network. Walt Disney Television announced Friday it will produce four prime-time specials for another network--CBS. The first project, airing in May, will be “The Siskel & Ebert Interviews,” featuring film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert chatting with Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg and Meryl Streep. Next up will be two ice specials: “Beauty and the Beast: A Concert on Ice,” to air in November, featuring a cast of Olympic champions; and a Christmas special starring Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton. The fourth special has not yet been announced.

Little Injured: KCOP-TV Channel 13 anchor Tawny Little is expected to return to work sometime next week after suffering second degree burns to her face, neck and right arm a week ago when a double boiler in her kitchen exploded and drenched her with boiling water. Little received medical treatment and is recuperating at home from the burns, which are not expected to cause permanent damage.

QUICK TAKES

Mezzo-soprano Maria Ewing is “indisposed” and has canceled her Sunday night recital at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The recital will not be rescheduled; the Los Angeles Philharmonic will provide refunds. . . . David Geffen and DreamWorks Records have secured the rights for the original cast recording of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Rent.” Legendary producer Arif Mardin will lend his hand to the recording, which will be released this summer. The rock musical is currently in previews on Broadway after a successful off-Broadway run. . . . CBS’ sitcom “Good Company,” which was recently pulled and then reinstated, will air its sixth and final episode of the season on Monday at 9:30 p.m.