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

TV & RADIO

Advertisers Staying Put: Last week’s much-talked-about TV Guide story reporting that the title character of ABC’s “Ellen” (Ellen DeGeneres) may come out as a lesbian this season has apparently not affected the show’s advertising. ABC said no advertisers have defected since the report, and spokesmen for Microsoft and Intel, both current advertisers, said they would continue with their ads regardless of plot developments. Other advertisers, including JC Penney, Toyota, Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola, said they would await developments before deciding whether to change their plans. The Rev. Donald Wildmon, a frequent critic of television programming and head of the American Family Assn., has threatened to boycott the show’s advertisers if “Ellen” does indeed come out of the closet. But advertising buyers say that although some sponsors may avoid the show if the sexual orientation story line develops, they suspect ABC could find others to step in.

More ’60 Minutes’: Radio station KNX-AM (1070) is expanding on its simulcast of CBS’ “60 Minutes” by launching a new on-line Internet chat immediately following the Sunday broadcast that will allow viewers nationwide to discuss the show’s topics. Called “60 More Minutes,” the weekly 8 p.m. Sunday chat can be accessed at www.60moreminutes.com. The site is “hosted” by KNX’s Fred Bergendorff, who will ask and answer questions and conduct on-the-spot opinion polls related to the broadcast.

Winfrey’s Counseling: Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey has sent $43,000 to a rural Mississippi boarding school so it can hire a social worker. Although most students at the historically black Piney Woods Country Life School are from poor families, about 98% of the school’s graduates go to college, officials said. “I felt that the kids needed a counselor and I’m doing it for as long as it works,” Winfrey said, noting that she learned of Piney Woods, which is located about 100 miles south of where Winfrey grew up in Kosciusko, on a 1992 “60 Minutes” report.

POP/ROCK

Hendrix Celebration Delayed: A New York City festival honoring the late Jimi Hendrix that was scheduled for next month has been postponed until the spring to coincide with the re-release of the guitarist’s classic albums. The rocker’s father, Al Hendrix, said the rescheduling will make for “an even greater celebration of Jimi’s life and music.” The festival had been planned for Oct. 11-20, ending with an all-star concert at Madison Square Garden. New dates have not yet been announced.

Heads Talk It Out: Former Talking Heads leader David Byrne has dropped a lawsuit attempting to prevent former band mates Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison from performing under the name the Heads. The trio has recorded an album with a series of guest vocalists. Titled “No Talking Just Head,” it will be released Oct. 8 by MCA Records. Byrne’s suit had aimed to halt the release, but his attorney, Jeffrey C. Slade, says that Byrne agreed to allow the others to use the name after they worked out several disputes that have festered since the band stopped performing in the late ‘80s. Among the new agreements: Byrne will oversee plans for Talking Heads reissues and anthologies. “This is a group that over time learned that it really couldn’t work together,” Slade said. “Now . . . they can all go separate ways to do what they need to do to continue their careers.”

MOVIES

Latino Fare: Director Alfonso Arau (“Like Water for Chocolate,” “A Walk in the Clouds”) is among the panelists scheduled for the upcoming Latino Independent Filmmaking Conference, scheduled for Oct. 18 and 19 at the Sheraton Universal hotel. Honorary chairs of the event, which will include film screenings and panels with top industry professionals, are “Mi Familia” director Gregory Nava and “Selena” star Jennifer Lopez.

QUICK TAKES

NBC has renewed the drama “Law & Order” for an eighth season, extending through May 1998. The show’s seventh-season premiere aired Wednesday, introducing new cast member Carey Lowell. Nearly every role on the series has turned over--in some cases more than once--since the Emmy-nominated program premiered in 1990. . . . Game show host Chuck Woolery, 56, is scheduled to undergo triple bypass heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday. Guest hosts will fill in for Woolery on his current program--the Family Channel talk show “Home & Family.” . . . A Los Angeles jury has ordered actress Loni Anderson to pay $565,000 in compensatory damages to infomercial host Nancy Nelson, ruling that Anderson acted with fraud, oppression or malice when she refused to do a National Enquirer interview to promote a “Loni” skin care line, which had been required as part of the actress’ deal for the product. The jury begins deliberating on punitive damages on Wednesday. . . . San Francisco Ballet will hold auditions Sept. 29 and 30 for the roles of the young Clara and Prince, along with 160 other youngster and adult roles for the company’s scheduled Dec. 12-24 “Nutcracker” performances at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Auditions will be held at Le Studio, 100 W. Villa St., Pasadena, (818) 792-4616. . . . Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will hold free open rehearsals on Monday at 7 p.m. at Wilshire United Methodist Church, 4350 Wilshire Blvd.