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

KUDOS

Honorary Oscar to Zaentz: Producer Saul Zaentz, who has won Oscars for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975) and “Amadeus” (1984), will receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award during the 69th annual Academy Awards on March 24. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Arthur Hiller said the Board of Governors selected Zaentz for “his generosity and great love for making films as much as his creative drive and talent.”

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Awards News: Nominees for funniest leading male performer in a television series for the 11th annual American Comedy Awards are: John Lithgow (“3rd Rock From the Sun”), Tim Allen (“Home Improvement”), Drew Carey ( “The Drew Carey Show”), Kelsey Grammer (“Frasier”) and Garry Shandling (“The Larry Sanders Show”). Contenders for funniest leading actress in a series are Jane Curtin (“3rd Rock”), Ellen DeGeneres (“Ellen”), Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”), Helen Hunt (“Mad About You”), Rosie O’Donnell (“The Rosie O’Donnell Show”) and Tracey Ullman (“Tracey Takes On . . . “). Nominees for funniest lead actress in a movie are Janeane Garofalo (“The Truth About Cats and Dogs”), Frances McDormand (“Fargo”) and Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler (all for “The First Wives Club”). Contenders for funniest movie actor: Albert Brooks (“Mother”), Steve Buscemi (“Fargo”), Eddie Murphy (“The Nutty Professor”) and Nathan Lane and Robin Williams (both for “The Birdcage”). The awards will be given Feb. 9 at the Shrine Exposition Center and broadcast Feb. 17 on ABC. And while most winners will be picked by industry professionals, the public can vote for its favorite stand-up comics via the World Wide Web (https://comedy central.com) or via a 900 number that will be given on cable’s Comedy Central during a special broadcast showcasing the nominees, premiering Jan. 28 and repeating several times through Feb. 5. The stand-up female nominees are Kathy Buckley, Diane Ford, Maryellen Hooper, Sheila Kay and Wendy Liebman; the stand-up males are Dave Attell, Will Durst, Dom Irrera, Craig Shoemaker and Bob Zany.

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And the First Golden Satellites Go to . . . : “Fargo” pulled off a hat trick Wednesday, winning best motion picture--drama, best actress in a drama and best director, at the first Golden Satellite Awards, presented by the International Press Academy in a direct challenge to the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.’s Golden Globe Awards (being given Sunday). Geoffrey Rush of “Shine” tied with James Woods of “Killer: A Journal of Murder” for best actor in a drama; the supporting drama acting prizes went to Courtney Love for “The People vs. Larry Flynt” and Armin Mueller-Stahl for “Shine.” In the musical or comedy movie categories, “Evita” was named best picture, “Emma’s” Gwyneth Paltrow won best actress, Debbie Reynolds was best supporting actress and Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. of “Jerry Maguire” took best actor and best supporting actor, respectively. Denmark’s “Breaking the Waves” was named best foreign film. Among other awards, presented at the Four Seasons Hotel, NBC’s “Gulliver’s Travels” was named best television miniseries or movie, Fox’s “The X-Files” won best television drama series and HBO’s “The Larry Sanders Show” won best comedy series. Christine Lahti of CBS’ “Chicago Hope” and “The X-Files’ s” David Duchovny picked up the best acting awards for drama series. Their comedy counterparts, John Lithgow and Jane Curtin, both came from NBC’s “3rd Rock From the Sun.” Rod Steiger was given a special award for outstanding artistic contribution to the entertainment industry.

POP/ROCK

Reigning Like a Lion King: No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom” is the nation’s top-selling album for the sixth week in a row, the longest consecutive chart-topping run since “The Lion King” soundtrack was No. 1 for nine straight weeks in the summer of 1994. According to SoundScan, about 156,000 copies of the No Doubt collection were sold during the seven-day period that ended Sunday, some 95,000 fewer than the previous week, but still easily outdistancing the No. 2 album, the “Romeo & Juliet” soundtrack (with 109,000 copies sold).

QUICK TAKES

A couple of classic TV stars will return soon to prime time in multiple-episode stints. Bea Arthur, star of “The Golden Girls” and “Maude,” will do a three-episode guest spot on CBS’ “Dave’s World,” playing the title character’s agent, while Mary Tyler Moore is scheduled for upcoming installments of “The Naked Truth.” Sources confirmed an upcoming TV Guide report that Moore will play Tea Leoni’s mother on the series, which premieres tonight on NBC after “Seinfeld.” Moore co-starred with Leoni in the movie “Flirting With Disaster.” . . . “The People vs. Larry Flynt” star Woody Harrelson invoked a 1st Amendment argument of his own Tuesday when he was arraigned in San Francisco on trespassing charges stemming from a logging protest in November when he and others scaled a tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, holding up traffic for hours. The actor, who was ordered to return to court Feb. 4, said he had a right to protest. . . . Pierce Brosnan and girlfriend Keely Shaye-Smith became parents of a new baby Bond--a boy named Dylan Thomas Brosnan--Monday in Los Angeles. . . . Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, announced another advertising venture Wednesday--she’s the new television spokeswoman for Weight Watchers.