TELEVISION - March 29, 1997

Citizen’s Arrestee: Hollywood police booked comedian Martin Lawrence, 31, on suspicion of misdemeanor battery early Friday following a citizen’s arrest after a scuffle at the La Cienega Boulevard nightclub the Gate. Officers had responded to a call from a man who alleged that Lawrence punched him in the face after the caller bumped into Lawrence on the dance floor. Police did not disclose the caller’s identity. Lawrence, who was released on his own recognizance, is scheduled for arraignment April 25. His publicist refused comment on the matter Friday. Lawrence has had other brushes with the law--including a much-publicized incident last May in which he ran screaming into traffic in Sherman Oaks and then scuffled with police as a result of what his doctor called exhaustion and dehydration. Then last August, he was arrested on suspicion of carrying a loaded gun in a suitcase at Burbank Airport. Meanwhile, Lawrence’s “Martin” co-star Tisha Campbell--who left the Fox series in January and filed a sexual harassment suit against Lawrence--returns to the series on the April 10 episode. Campbell resumed production on the show last week amid a statement that the parties had “resolved their differences.”

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KCET Pledge Results: Public-television station KCET-TV Channel 28 said Friday that its on-air fund-raising drive during March was down nearly 25% from one year ago. The station said its 23-day pitch for financial support from viewers produced about $1.25 million in pledges, compared to $1.66 million in March 1996. A station spokeswoman attributed the decline in part to the lack of a “breakout program” that racks up big donations, as “Riverdance,” “ ‘Les Miserables’ in Concert” and the “Three Tenors” telecasts have done in the past. Viewership remains strong, KCET said, but only one in 10 viewers is sending in money.

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Divorce Court: Former “Hardy Boy” Parker Stevenson has filed for divorce from his wife, actress Kirstie Alley, citing irreconcilable differences. Alley and Stevenson, who is seeking spousal support, were married in 1983 but separated last year. They have two children: William, 4, and Lillie, 2.

ART

Finding New Talent: The Museum of Contemporary Art and Citibank Private Bank have launched a new award for Southern California artists who have not had solo museum exhibitions. The annual Citibank Private Bank Emerging Artist Award will fund an exhibition of the winner’s work in MOCA’s “Focus Series,” accompanied by a catalog, and pay to purchase a piece for the museum’s permanent collection. Candidates will be nominated by a committee of curators, artists and collectors. The annual winner will be chosen by three MOCA staff members: Director Richard Koshalek, chief curator Paul Schimmel and curator Elizabeth A.T. Smith. The 1997 awardee will be announced in June, with an exhibition to follow in October.

POP/ROCK

A Super Heavy Funkster: “Godfather of Soul” James Brown thanked God and howled his trademark “I Feel Good!” after being honored by Georgia’s state Legislature Thursday. The House and Senate presented Brown, an Augusta, Ga., native, with a resolution proclaiming him “the minister of the new super heavy funk” who brought “a spark of energy and excitement to an otherwise listless U.S. music scene.” Brown’s visit apparently distracted the lawmakers, as some missed votes while standing in line to pose for photos with Brown. That caused Senate President Pro Tem Sonny Perdue to jokingly blame Brown when one measure fell short of passing: “This is the constitutional amendment that James Brown killed, and I don’t feel so good,” Perdue said.

QUICK TAKES

Thursday and Friday night’s New York preview performances of the multimillion-dollar stage production of “Titanic” were canceled because the replica of the famed ship wouldn’t sink. The musical is scheduled to open on Broadway April 23, provided the glitches are eliminated. . . . Cinemax will show best documentary short Oscar winner “Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien,” Jessica Yu’s story of a poet-journalist who has lived for four decades paralyzed in an iron lung, on May 22 and 30. Cinemax will also show “The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story,” an Oscar nominee for best documentary feature, on April 2. . . . The National Assn. of Black Owned Broadcasters gave its Lifetime Achievement Award Thursday to former “Today” show anchor Bryant Gumbel, who recently jumped ship to CBS News. The Washington-based group also honored director John Singleton, blues artist B.B. King, actor Samuel L. Jackson and U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles). . . . Actor-director Tim Robbins has stepped down as artistic director of the Actors’ Gang, the L.A. theater company he co-founded and helped finance with his movie earnings. He’ll remain on the Gang’s board, which has decided to postpone future full productions until 1998. . . . John Duncan, who has worked at album-oriented rock stations in cities including Kansas City and Milwaukee, has been named program director of KLOS-FM (95.9). He replaces influential program director Carey Curelop, who resigned in February after the station’s format changed to classic rock.