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

TELEVISION

Presidential ‘Sightings’?: It appears that someone with clout at the White House is an avid science-fiction fan. A vice president at cable’s USA Networks got a call Friday from Tom Smiley, the White House’s branch chief of communications for Camp David, to ascertain how both the White House and Camp David could get access to USA’s growing Sci-Fi Channel, which carries such programs as “The Twilight Zone,” “Sightings” and “V.” Smiley was assured that Washington’s District Cablevision, which serves the White House, will begin carrying the channel later this month. But Camp David, which is not wired for cable, was a different matter, so USA Chairwoman Kay Koplovitz agreed to unscramble Sci-Fi’s signal, allowing officials at Camp David to begin watching the other-worldly fare as early as Monday. Will a presidential visit to Nevada’s mysterious Area 51 be next?

Latinos and News Coverage: Latino actors and comedians, responding to studies showing that only 2% of prime-time characters are Latinos, have long been striving to beef up their presentation on entertainment television. But now comes word that Latinos are also severely underrepresented in TV news coverage. According to a new study presented at this week’s annual National Assn. of Hispanic Journalists conference, only 1% of network news coverage focuses on Latinos or issues related to Latinos, even though the group composes 10% of the U.S. population. And based on a study of the 1995 evening newscasts of ABC, CBS and NBC, 85% of stories that do cover Latinos fall into four largely negative categories--crime, immigration, affirmative action and welfare. “Latinos are symbolically annihilated in terms of their representation in network news stories,” said the study’s co-author, Rod Carveth. “They are seen only occasionally, and then in roles of illegal aliens, welfare recipients, criminals and workers receiving ‘undeserved’ benefits of affirmative action.”

More News on KCOP: KCOP-TV Channel 13, which recently returned to a full hour of news at 10 p.m., will expand its news operations even further when it adds a live 3:30 p.m. weekday newscast in September. Also in September, the station will add a national news program from UPN Network owner Chris-Craft Industries at 11 a.m. on weekdays. The local station--which has consistently trailed the three competing newscasts at 10 p.m.--will thus be airing 2 1/2 hours of news per day in the fall, up from a half-hour less than a year ago.

MOVIES

‘Killers’ Copycat?: A Louisiana convenience store clerk has sued director Oliver Stone, claiming his 1994 film “Natural Born Killers,” about a couple who embark on a three-week killing spree, incited two teenagers to go on a robbery-shooting spree that left her paralyzed. Sarah Edmondson, who is accused of shooting clerk Patsy Ann Byers while robbing a Time Saver store in Ponchatoula in March 1995, has told authorities that she and Benjamin Darras, both 19, watched the movie before taking a trip. Darras is charged with a killing in Mississippi the day before. Stone spokesman Stephen Rivers said that the filmmaker had not yet seen the suit, but said: “The idea that you can treat a creative work as a defective product--like a bad car or something--is ludicrous.”

DANCE

Gotta Dance: Little Tokyo’s Japanese American Cultural and Community Center and the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts have been jointly named as one of 12 hub sites for the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, a multiyear initiative aiming to support the creation and distribution of contemporary dance works in America. The nationwide hub sites--which also include such venues as Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center, the Colorado Dance Festival and San Francisco Performances--were selected for being active in the development of new dance work.

POP/ROCK

Weenie Roast Goes Live: For the first time, radio station KROQ-FM (106.7) will broadcast live from its annual Weenie Roast concert today at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. The broadcast begins at noon, featuring highlights from both main stage bands and from a side stage focusing on local music. Starting at 5 p.m., the station will air main stage performances--by bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Everclear and No Doubt--live in their entirety. A “special appearance” by the reunited KISS, in the group’s first full-scale performance in more than 15 years, is not expected to be broadcast live, due to licensing problems.

QUICK TAKES

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Neil Simon will receive the UCLA Medal, the university’s highest honor, during today’s on-campus commencement ceremonies for the School of Theater. . . . “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer is scheduled to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at baseball’s All-Star Game at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium July 9. The game will be broadcast on NBC. . . . New York City Ballet’s first couple have a new baby girl. Principal dancer Darci Kistler gave birth to Talicia Tove Martins at a New York hospital late Tuesday. The child is the first for Kistler and the second for her husband, artistic director Peter Martins. Martins’ older son, Nilas Martins, is a principal dancer with the company.