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

TELEVISION

Independent Debates: Ross Perot may not be included in the official presidential debates, but he will still get his say--by appearing on post-debate editions of CNN’s “Larry King Live,” scheduled for Sunday and Oct. 16. The 90-minute CNN special will allow Perot and four other independent candidates to respond to the same questions asked of President Clinton and challenger Bob Dole. King will first interview Perot, then moderate a round-table discussion between Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, Libertarian Party candidate Harry Browne, Natural Law Party candidate John Hagelin and U.S. Taxpayers Party candidate Howard Phillips. CNN will also air an hourlong “Larry King Live” following the Oct. 9 vice presidential debate, with guests to include Perot running mate Pat Choate.

Feeling Blue: Former “NYPD Blue” star David Caruso really does have the blues now. The red-haired actor, who bolted from the hit ABC series in its second season to pursue a movie career that so far has been less than shining, wants to return to the small screen next season. He even has a series lined up--a Columbia TriStar Television drama in which he would play an attorney, and CBS has expressed some interest. But Caruso’s past may be catching up to him. Due to a clause in his “NYPD Blue” exit contract, Caruso cannot return to series television before 1998 without the approval of both ABC and “Blue” producer Steven Bochco. Executives for ABC, CBS, Columbia and Bochco either could not be reached or declined comment.

Eyeing Big Bird: CBS Entertainment will partner with “Sesame Street” producers the Children’s Television Workshop to jointly develop and produce children’s programming for CBS. The agreement calls for at least three half-hour Saturday morning series, with one of the shows to premiere next fall.

Warner-Universal Teaming: In a virtually unprecedented arrangement between two major studios, Warner Bros. and Universal will co-produce “Cloak & Dagger,” an upcoming ABC action series. The companies were brought together because of separate agreements with the producers involved: John McNamara, who co-created the Fox series “Profit,” now has ties to Warner Bros.; Sam Raimi has a deal with Universal, through which he produces the syndicated hits “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” and “Xena: Warrior Princess.” “Cloak & Dagger,” a high-tech action show reminiscent of the old spy series “The Avengers,” is expected to air later this season, although no casting has been set. The only previous case of two studios combining on a series also involved Universal and Warner Bros., brought together through filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton on the short-lived 1993 CBS animated program “Family Dog.”

STAGE

The Devil, You Say: With David Mamet added as co-writer and La Jolla Playhouse artistic director Michael Greif directing, “Randy Newman’s Faust”--last seen at La Jolla--opened at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre Monday to mixed reviews. The Chicago Tribune’s Richard Christensen found it “often giddily enjoyable” with “marvelously crafty performances” and an “incredibly rich score” but also “tired, tasteless jokes” and a tone that “confusingly veers all over the map.” Hedy Weiss of the Sun-Times was less pleased, calling it “a tired, middle-aged businessman’s anti-Faust” with “trite, predictable cynicism, childish indulgence and short-lived kitsch.”

POP/ROCK

Call Her the Natural Girl: She may go for hair dye, conical lingerie and staged effects, but when it comes to her child, Madonna wants to be Mother Nature. The Material Girl wants a natural childbirth, is taking birthing classes and may even have her baby, due around Oct. 15, at home, spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg says, adding that Madonna also plans to breast-feed her new daughter. Meanwhile, Rosenberg denies published reports that the “Evita” star had picked a name--Lola--saying that Madonna wants to actually see the baby first.

QUICK TAKES

Oscar-winning actress Sally Field will make her directorial debut on “The Christmas Tree,” an upcoming ABC holiday movie about an unlikely bond between a Rockefeller Center landscape architect and a convent-bound nun. Andrew McCarthy, Julie Harris and Trini Alvarado star. . . . Basketball star-turned-rapper Shaquille O’Neal is taking on yet another job--record company executive. He’s joined forces with Leonard Armato of Management Plus Enterprises and Interscope Records to launch T.W.Is.M. (The World Is Mine) Records. . . . Five reputed gangsters were sentenced in Tokyo Monday to four to six years in prison each for the 1992 knife attack on film director Juzo Itami (“Tampopo”), who angered the Japanese underworld with a movie showing how to fight mob extortion. Itami, 63, recovered. . . . Universal Studios will give free admission to its new Chamber of Chills attraction today to all who donate a pint of blood to Universal CityWalk’s “Dracula Blood Drive,” beginning at 3 p.m. . . . Director Robert Wilson will receive the $200,000 Lillian Gish Prize, established by the late actress to honor outstanding contributions to the arts, on Oct. 17 in New York. Past recipients include architect Frank Gehry.