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

POP/ROCK

Pop Chart: “The Aftermath,” Dr. Dre’s first album on his new label, has entered the national album sales charts at No. 6, flanked by two former labelmates from Death Row Records: Snoop Doggy Dogg, whose “Tha Doggfather” is at No. 4, and Tupac Shakur, whose posthumous “Don Killuminati--The 7 Day Theory” is at No. 7. Bush’s “Razorblade Suitcase” is No. 1 for the second week in a row, having sold about 200,000 copies last week, followed closely by No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom,” which sold almost 198,000 copies, according to SoundScan. Whitney Houston’s “The Preacher’s Wife” soundtrack came in at No. 12. The nation’s top-selling single, for the sixth week in a row, was Blackstreet’s “No Diggity.”

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More Drug Discussions: Rapper Chuck D, fired Aerosmith manager Tim Collins and Blind Melon manager Chris Jones were among those on a panel of music executives, managers, attorneys and drug counselors who led a symposium in New York Wednesday on combating drug use in the music industry. The session, convened by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences’ MusiCares program, followed two meetings in Los Angeles aimed at developing intervention, rehabilitation and after-care programs for musicians and others with drug problems. Wednesday’s session was said by attendees to have been less contentious than the L.A. meetings. Among the issues addressed was the perception that drugs spur creativity, to which former Three Dog Night singer and MusiCares board member Chuck Negron responded: “What if to write a hit song you had to get cancer? Would you do that? The price is too high.”

TELEVISION

More Ratings Plan Criticism: The Recreational Software Advisory Council, which provides advisory ratings systems for computer games and Internet Web pages, has joined those critical of the pending TV-ratings system, which is expected to be age-based. “The decision to implement an age-based system denies consumers the ability to make an informed choice when determining what TV entertainment is appropriate for their children,” Stephen Balkam, executive director of RSAC, said in a statement Wednesday. Using information from computer-game makers, RSAC creates game ratings that are numerical and include information about violence and nudity.

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Programming Notes: ABC will aim to attract viewers for “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,” which moves to the network’s late-night schedule Jan. 6, by airing “Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” an hourlong, prime-time special composed of highlights from “PI’s” four seasons on cable’s Comedy Central. “Greatest Hits” will air Jan. 1. . . . ABC will bring back its Monday night movies when the “Monday Night Football” season ends, starting Dec. 30 with “Intersection” starring Richard Gere and Sharon Stone. . . . CBS has announced plans to revamp its Saturday morning schedule in the fall, with three hours of educational-informational programming for children and a two-hour “CBS News Saturday Morning” broadcast for grown-ups. . . . The UPN Network will begin showing “Francine Pascal’s ‘Sweet Valley High,’ ” a half-hour series based on the popular series of young adult novels, next fall as part of a new hour of teen programming. UPN will show both new and repeat episodes of “Sweet Valley High,” previously seen in syndication.

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And in Cabledom: Three new prime-time series will premiere on the USA Network in January: “Lost on Earth” on Saturdays, a comedy starring Tim Conlon as a struggling newscaster demoted to hosting a kids’ puppet show; “Claude’s Crib” on Sundays, a comedy about a single landlord presiding over a diverse group of tenants; and “La Femme Nikita” on Mondays, an action-drama series inspired by the French film. USA says that its 1997 schedule will average nine-and-a-half hours of original programming each week that, the network notes, will surpass the original output of both fledgling broadcast networks, UPN and WB. . . . “How’d They Do That?,” a short-lived CBS series, will return in January with new episodes on the Learning Channel. Pat O’Brien and Wendy Walsh are the hosts.

MOVIES

Fellini, Ferrara--Ferrara, Fellini: American director Abel Ferrara (“The Driller Killer,” “Bad Lieutenant”) has announced plans for a remake of Federico Fellini’s classic Italian movie “La Dolce Vita,” from 1960. Ferrara, who announced the project during an Italian film festival on the isle of Capri, said his film would feature Marcello Mastroianni, who starred as the suave reporter hero in the original. Mastroianni will play a cameo role as the hero’s father. No timetable for the project was announced but Ferrara said he already has begun working on the screenplay.

QUICK TAKES

Jonathan Schmitz, 26, a “Jenny Jones Show” guest convicted earlier this month of second-degree murder in the shooting death of another guest on the show, was sentenced by a Michigan judge Wednesday to 25 to 50 years in prison. Schmitz shot Scott Amedure, 32, after Amedure revealed during the taping that he had a crush on Schmitz. Schmitz had claimed he was “ambushed” by the show, which had failed to tell him his secret admirer was gay. . . . Michael Jackson--the broadcaster, that is--will celebrate his 30th anniversary at talk radio station KABC-AM (790) by hosting a live show today from 9-11:45 a.m. from the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills. Scheduled guests include Dick Clark, Casey Kasem and film critic Roger Ebert. . . . Sherry Lansing, chairman of Paramount Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, on Wednesday became the first woman to be honored by the Foundation of the Motion Picture Pioneers as its Pioneer of the Year. Previous recipients include Adolph Zukor and Jack Valenti.