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

TELEVISION

All Is Forgiven: David Letterman--who’s been merciless in lampooning the HBO movie “The Late Shift,” which chronicled “The Tonight Show” succession battle--says he harbors no ill will toward the network. Letterman, who is producing an HBO comedy series, “The High Life,” lauded the service for airing a program that wouldn’t have had a future on a broadcast network. At a press conference touting the show Thursday, Letterman had nothing but praise for HBO, while reiterating that “The Late Shift” is “the single biggest waste of film since my tryout for ‘Evita.’ ”

The Son Also Sets: Jon Paul “J.P.” Steuer, who plays the title character’s son Quentin on ABC’s “Grace Under Fire,” won’t return for the show’s fourth season, his agent confirmed. Sources have indicated his exit stems from differences with series star Brett Butler, though Carsey-Werner, which produces the comedy, attributed the change to Steuer’s desire to pursue other opportunities. The producers will cast a replacement, as they did with the role of Becky when Lecy Goranson left “Roseanne.” The 12-year-old Steuer--who joined “Grace” after the pilot episode--also has appeared in the movie “Little Giants” and on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

In Harmony: Mark Harmon has committed to joining the cast of CBS’ “Chicago Hope,” playing a physician. Negotiations between the actor and producers had dragged on for months, but the deal was completed late this week.

Staying Busy: Just over a year after the horseback riding accident that left him paralyzed, Christopher Reeve has narrated an HBO documentary, “Without Pity,” that will air in September, is preparing to direct a movie for the pay-service and will appear in a CBS movie. He’s also working on a book. Speaking to film critics Thursday, Reeve said all the activity is good therapy. “To be active, to have projects . . . is very important to my well-being,” he said.

MOVIES

Film at Bergamot: Santa Monica’s arts complex, Bergamot Station, will host an outdoor screening of “City Without Jews,” an award-winning Austrian film, on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. The controversial film--silent with English subtitles--is based on the novel of the same name by Hugo Bettauer. It was released in 1924 and restored in 1991 by the Austrian Film Archive. The movie was presented last year at New York’s Jewish Museum and this is the first West Coast screening. All original versions of the film were thought to have been destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.

Listening In: Disney’s animated hit “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” will be described for the blind and vision-impaired today and Sunday in screenings at the Century Theater 8 in North Hollywood. The process known as TheatreVision enables moviegoers to wear a headset offering a descriptive narration of the film that fits in between the on-screen dialogue and sound effects, thereby never intruding upon the story.

ART

Strong Impressions: An exhibition of paintings from one of the most important collections of Impressionist art outside France opens today in the Hague. “From Monet to Matisse,” a selection of 60 canvases from Moscow’s Pushkin Museum, is expected to draw nearly half a million visitors during its three-month run. “The exhibition aims to give an impression of all the big masters in the Pushkin’s collection of 19th and early 20th century French art . . . its most popular and crowded section,” the Russian museum’s director Irina Antonova said. While isolated works have been loaned abroad in the past, the current exhibition, which comes to the Netherlands from Milan, is the biggest to travel since 1992. Divided over six loosely themed sections, it features works by Monet, Degas, Cezanne, Gauguin, Vuillard, Bonnard and Picasso, among others.

Words to Live By: A dictionary that once belonged to Lawrence of Arabia was sold for $10,880 to a private collector Thursday, auctioneers at Sotheby’s said. British soldier T.E. Lawrence used the copy of the Student’s Arabic-English Dictionary while he was in Cairo during the period leading up to the Arab revolt against the Turks in 1916 in which he played a vital part. British Middle East specialist Peter Hopkirk bought the book for $45 from a London bookseller 20 years ago.

PEOPLE WATCH

Cruise Control: Tom Cruise will pick up the 11th annual American Cinematheque Award at the Moving Picture Ball on Sept. 21 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The award honors a prominent box-office star or director, and the evening’s proceeds benefit the operation of the nonprofit film exhibition organization.

Payback Time: Finally, some good news for Kathie Lee Gifford. As you recall, the co-star of “Live With Regis & Kathie Lee” came under fire this year with revelations that some New York City sweatshop workers had not been paid for making 50,000 blouses that carried her label. On Thursday, Labor Secretary Robert Reich said that the workers have been paid their back wages. Reich said 45 workers of the now-defunct Seo Fashions will receive a total of $19,623, an average of about $436 each. The money will come from Bonewco Fashions, a garment maker that subcontracted work to Seo. Bonewco also has agreed to pay $22,000 in fines for Seo’s violations, Reich said.