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

ART

Sotheby’s Sued Over ‘Stolen’ Art: Descendants of a Dutch couple who died in Holocaust concentration camps are suing Sotheby’s auction house to reclaim a valuable Renoir they say was stolen from them by Nazis during World War II. The family--which has produced sales and ownership papers they say prove “Appletree in Bloom” once belonged to Friedrich and Louise Guttmann--says that the painting was sold in 1969 by Sotheby’s predecessor, Parke-Bernet Galleries Inc., on behalf of a Lucienne Fribourg and the Fribourg Foundation. Sotheby’s has refused to disclose who bought the painting, which the family estimates is worth $1 million. A Sotheby’s spokesman declined to comment.

PEOPLE WATCH

New Hollywood Coupling?: “Godfather of Soul” James Brown surprised talk-show host Rolanda Watts on Tuesday by proposing to her during a taping of her “Rolanda” show. Watts, 37, has dated Brown, 68, casually since he appeared on her show last month and has maintained that he is an “uncle” figure and mentor, a show spokeswoman said. “I had no idea that the time I have been spending with James would take such a serious turn,” Watts said after the proposal, which she had not answered as of Wednesday.

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Legal Briefs: Michael Jackson says that he is not involved with the day-to-day running of his Neverland ranch near Solvang, but he does remember once telling workers there to smile and be “nice to the guests.” He testified via videotape Tuesday for a Santa Barbara lawsuit filed by five former ranch employees who say they were fired or forced to quit after cooperating in a grand jury probe into child molestation claims against the singer. No charges were ever filed against Jackson. . . . In the continuing legal battle over the ill-fated “Jackson Family Honors” TV special, an L.A. Superior Court judge has thrown out breach of contract claims against Michael Jackson. However, the court will still consider a claim that Jackson reneged on a promise to perform on the show, thus causing significant financial loss for the show’s producers, Smith-Hemion. . . . Brooke Shields and Andre Agassi have sued the Star and National Enquirer for $2 million claiming that articles last year about their relationship and about Shields’ eating habits were defamatory. A spokesman for the tabloids could not be reached.

QUICK TAKES

“The Single Guy”--the lowest-rated show on NBC’s blockbuster Thursday night lineup--will move to Wednesday nights at 8:30 starting March 26. . . . “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” star Melissa Joan Hart will chat on America Online at 4 p.m. today (keyword: ABC LIVE).