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

TV & RADIO

KCET Troubles: KCET-TV Channel 28 was knocked off the air for just over two hours Monday night, its third transmission problem in less than a week. An equipment malfunction caused Monday’s outage--which occurred from 7:52 p.m. to 10:05 p.m., completely knocking out “Live From Lincoln Center: A Celebration of the American Musical,” which had been scheduled for 8-10 p.m. That program has now been rescheduled for Friday night at 10. A related transmitter problem had knocked the station out briefly on Sunday, from 7:27 p.m. to 7:41 p.m. “But now, the problem, we understand, is fixed,” a KCET spokeswoman said Tuesday. A two-hour interruption last Thursday afternoon, caused when a construction crew cut through some power lines, was not related to the two more recent problems.

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Adding Four: Howard Stern’s agent Don Buchwald reports that since Stern’s big-screen biopic “Private Parts” opened on March 7, four more radio stations have signed up to air his syndicated show, which will bring the shock jock’s total to 40. While he declined to name the stations, saying he didn’t want to preempt the local announcements, Buchwald said Tuesday that the stations--two in the South, one in Florida and one in the Midwest--will begin airing Stern’s show within 30 days. And another three outlets expressed interest last week, Buchwald said. However, Stern has a long way to go to catch up with Rush Limbaugh, who is heard on about 660 stations. Meanwhile “Private Parts” has taken in only about $40 million at the box office so far.

ART & ARCHITECTURE

Dallas Museum’s Prize: The nation’s most coveted private collection of modern and contemporary sculpture--amassed by Dallas shopping center mogul Raymond D. Nasher and valued at more than $50 million--has found a home at the Dallas Museum of Art. Working through the Nasher Foundation, the collector plans to establish a sculpture garden on a two-acre site next to the museum in downtown Dallas. The $32-million project, including the acquisition of land, extensive landscaping and a cafe, is scheduled for completion in 1999. Sculptures by Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin, Jean Dubuffet and many other artists will be displayed on a rotating basis.

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Embassy Project Delayed: Although government officials say they are going ahead with plans for the new American Embassy in Berlin, the much-trumpeted project’s Santa Monica-based architects, Moore Ruble Yudell, have said that the $120-million-to-$140-million project is on hold due to lack of funds. The new embassy had been expected to open at Pariser Platz (just east of the Brandenburg Gate) in 1999--when the German capital moves back to Berlin from Bonn. But sales of other American-owned properties in Germany--which were to have financed the new embassy--have been disappointing. The architects, who were awarded the project nearly a year ago, said they have done no work on it since then, and no construction start date is set.

POP/ROCK

Smokin’ Grooves Lineup: The House of Blues’ second annual Smokin’ Grooves Tour will play Los Angeles’ Universal Amphitheatre on July 30 with a lineup including George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars, Cypress Hill, Erykah Badu, the Roots and Foxy Brown. A second local date is also expected. The 35-city tour kicks off June 30 in Boston. Last year’s tour--with the Fugees, Cypress Hill, A Tribe Called Quest and others--drew positive reviews as the year’s only major rap tour with no violent incidents.

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Denied Entry: Senegalese singer-guitarist Ismael Lo, one of Africa’s most important crossover pop artists, has been refused entry into the United States by the U.S. Consulate in Paris. Scheduled for a promotional tour that included two Los Angeles in-store appearances this week at Virgin Megastore on Sunset and Borders Bookstore in Westwood, Lo was asked to file a waiver, which could take weeks to process. A Triloka Records spokesperson says it is not clear why the waiver was required, and, since Lo’s visa was due to expire before the waiver could be obtained, the tour has been canceled.

COMEDY

Nightly Laughs: The Improv on Tuesday began Internet video broadcasts direct from the comedy club’s Melrose Avenue stage. From 9-9:15 p.m. weeknights, comedy from the Improv will be broadcast live at https://www.aentv.com. In addition, some special events at the club will be carried in their entirety.

QUICK TAKES

“Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist,” directed and produced by Kirby Dick, was named best feature film in the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival’s first Audience Awards. . . . Rob Lowe hosts this week’s “Saturday Night Live” on NBC. The musical guest is British quintet the Spice Girls, who make their first live television performance. . . . NBC has renewed the Brooke Shields comedy “Suddenly Susan” for a full 22-episodes next year. . . . Barbara Walters will interview former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark on the May 9 edition of ABC News’ “20/20.” That’s the same day that Clark’s book about the case, “Without a Doubt,” hits stores. . . . Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris and Tim Gibbons will perform selections from the “Sling Blade” soundtrack, which Lanois composed, today from 5-7 p.m., at Hear Music on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade.