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

TELEVISION

Following ‘Friends’?: In a contract holdout, Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo, stars of the Fox cop drama “New York Undercover,” didn’t show up to begin filming the show’s third season this week as scheduled. Producers say the pair gave no warning of the plan, then asked for salary increases, more creative input and other perks. In light of the current “Friends” cast dispute, “Undercover” producer Dick Wolf referred to “a virus” spreading in the entertainment industry, with actors and their agents harboring unrealistic expectations of what studios can pay them. “We had 100 people standing on a sound stage and these guys didn’t show,” Wolf said, adding that “Friends” will at least make money in syndication, while his show hasn’t been sold into that market yet and is operating at a deficit. A representative for DeLorenzo said the actor indicated his desire to direct episodes of the series and “was prepared to report to work this week, only to find that production executives were not interested in discussing his future [creative] growth.” Yoba’s agent couldn’t be reached. “New York Undercover” is one of TV’s highest-rated shows in black and Latino homes despite marginal ratings in overall households. A spokeswoman at Universal Television, which produces the show, said the studio is hopeful the matter can be quickly resolved.

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Governors Emmys: “Erase the Hate,” a public affairs campaign on cable’s USA Network, and a $40-million project to communicate true Native American stories on Turner Entertainment Group networks including TNT, TBS and CNN, have been named recipients of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ 1996 Governors Awards. The awards, to be presented during the non-televised portion of the 1996 Emmys, honor work that “stands out with immediacy of current achievement.” Last year’s Governors Emmy went to PBS.

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Casting News: Swoosie Kurtz, whose NBC drama “Sisters” finished its run this season, will join the new fall Monday night Fox series “Party Girl.” Kurtz will play a New York librarian who tries to instill responsibility in her party-girl goddaughter (Christine Taylor). . . . Bill Brochtrup, who portrayed gay office assistant John on ABC’s “NYPD Blue,” will play the same character on a different network and show in September, co-starring in the new CBS comedy “Public Morals.” Both shows are set in and around New York’s police department and are produced by Steven Bochco Productions. . . . CBS has picked up four new series for midseason: the dramas “Orleans,” starring Larry Hagman as a powerful judge, and “Feds,” with Blair Brown as a U.S. attorney; and the comedies “Life . . . and Stuff,” starring Rick Reynolds and Pam Dawber as a married couple with two young sons, and “Temporarily Yours,” set in an employment agency and starring Debi Mazar and Joanna Gleason.

LEGAL FILE

Jackson Victory: A federal judge has thrown out all but one claim against Michael Jackson in a lawsuit over the failure of the “Jackson Family Honors” TV show, saying the pop star couldn’t be held personally liable for the actions of the Jackson family’s company, Jackson Communications Inc., which helped plan the event. Production company Smith-Hemion had claimed it was Jackson’s fault the charity show lost money--the special was originally delayed two months because Jackson was sick, and when it was held in February 1994, Jackson made only a brief appearance. The only claim that remains against Jackson is whether he had promised Smith-Hemion that he would perform at the show. A trial is scheduled to begin next week.

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Morgan Plea Entered: A not guilty plea has been entered on behalf of Harry Morgan, the Emmy-winning actor who played Col. Sherman Potter on “MASH,” to misdemeanor charges he beat his 70-year-old wife. The charges against Morgan, 81, resulted from a July 2 incident in which officers responding to a 911 call in Brentwood found a distraught Barbara Morgan inside the couple’s house with an injured left foot, a small cut near her right eye and a bruised arm. She told officers she was hurt when a quarrel with her husband turned violent. Trial was set for Aug. 26.

POP/ROCK

Pumpkins Update: The Smashing Pumpkins’ North American tour, suspended after the July 12 overdose death of keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin, will resume with scheduled concerts starting Aug. 12 in Vancouver. Shows scheduled for Aug. 21 at the Forum and Aug. 23 at the Pond of Anaheim remain unaffected, while a second Anaheim date has been added on Aug. 24, with tickets going on sale Saturday. The band has not yet announced the replacement for fired drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, who was with Melvoin when he died and was himself arrested on drug-related charges.

QUICK TAKES

Funnyman Jim Carrey popped the question to his longtime girlfriend, actress Lauren Holly, on Sunday night as the two walked in the fog along San Francisco’s Presidio park, a spokesman for Holly’s upcoming film, “A Smile Like Yours,” said, noting that Holly flashed her diamond engagement ring Monday on the movie’s set. No wedding date has been announced. . . . Film director Steven Spielberg on Tuesday received a $1-million federal grant to continue his Shoah project to document eyewitness accounts of Nazi Holocaust survivors. . . . Organizers report that almost 25,000 moviegoers--a 20% increase over last year--attended Outfest ‘96: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, which concluded its 10-day run Sunday at the Directors Guild of America. Grand Jury Awards went to “Celestial Clockwork,” “Shinjuku Boys” and “Stonewall” screenwriter Rikki Beadle Blair. . . . Recently displaced “CBS This Morning” co-anchor Harry Smith has new assignments at the network. He’ll substitute-anchor for Charles Osgood on “CBS News Sunday Morning,” contribute a regular feature to “The CBS Evening News” and work on documentaries, starting with a “CBS Reports” on the middle class that will air Aug. 8. . . . R&B; chanteuse Toni Braxton and instrumentalist Kenny G will co-headline a national concert tour beginning Sept. 13 in Atlantic City. The tour stops Oct. 18 at Hollywood Bowl and Oct. 19 at the Pond of Anaheim.