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

CLASSICAL MUSIC

A Hall With Many Names: A $15-million gift to the Walt Disney Concert Hall project from the Ralphs/Food 4 Less Foundation and one of its top executives, Ron Burkle, will be used to build the hall’s auditorium, to be named the Ron Burkle-Ralphs/Food 4 Less Auditorium. A $10-million gift last month from the Arco Foundation will be used to build a lecture and performance space adjacent to the main lobby, which will be named Arco Hall. The name of the entire building will remain the Walt Disney Concert Hall. If all fund-raising goals are met by a June 1998 target, the 2,380-seat concert hall is scheduled to open in 2001.

MOVIES

New AFI Fest Head: The American Film Institute has named Jon Fitzgerald as director of the annual AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival. Fitzgerald is the co-founder and former executive director of Utah’s Slamdance Film Festival, billed as an alternative to Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival. Fitzgerald succeeds Gary McVey, who recently left AFI to become director of the American Cinema Foundation. The 11th annual AFI Los Angeles Film Festival is scheduled for Oct. 23-Nov. 1.

TELEVISION

They Really Like Him: CBS has renewed the freshman comedy “Everybody Loves Raymond” for next season, with a full 22-episode order. The series, starring comic Ray Romano, originally aired on Fridays but has seen its ratings improve since it moved to Mondays following “Cosby.” The program is produced by David Letterman’s company. . . . Also renewed for next season is NBC’s new drama “Profiler.” The Saturday night series has placed 81st in season-to-date ratings.

Changing Coasts: Former Clinton press secretary Dee Dee Myers will leave CNBC’s Washington-based talk show “Equal Time” on April 25 to relocate to Los Angeles to join fiance Todd Purdum, who is Los Angeles bureau chief for the New York Times. However, Myers will continue as a “regular contributor” to CNBC. Meanwhile, the network is searching for a new co-host to join Bay Buchanan on “Equal Time.”

POP/ROCK

‘Pop’ Go the Tickets: Ticket sales for U2’s North American “PopMart” tour, which kicks off April 25 in Las Vegas, have already grossed $70 million, a company working with the tour’s promoter announced Thursday. A total of 1.5 million tickets have been sold for the 42 stadium shows in 35 cities. Fifteen of those dates, including Las Vegas, Oakland and two each in Boston, Toronto, Chicago and New York, are already sold out, Toronto-based STEP Entertainment Services said. That dollar figure already tops U2’s hugely successful “Zoo TV” tour in 1992, which took in $67 million and ranks No. 6 on Pollstar’s list of all-time top-grossing concert tours. However, the ’92 tour, while bringing less revenue, actually sold a good deal more tickets--1.8 million stadium tickets and another 525,000 seats in smaller arenas during 74 shows in 42 cities. Locally, concert-goers have already bought 55,000 of the 70,000 seats available for U2’s June 21 Coliseum show; in San Diego, about 60% of the 45,000 April 28 seats at Jack Murphy Stadium have been sold, a STEP spokeswoman said.

ART

Up for Grabs: The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will auction Claude Monet’s “The Seine at Argenteuil” at Christie’s New York on May 14 because “it doesn’t fit” with the museum’s collection of 20th century art, the museum said. The Impressionist painting of the Seine is expected to fetch between $5 million and $7 million, and the museum plans to use the proceeds to purchase post-World War II works for its collection.

LACE Leaderless Again: Brian Karl, executive director of Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, has resigned to pursue projects in writing and film. Karl joined the multidisciplinary art center in Hollywood only 20 months ago, following a lengthy search for a leader. Arwen Sheppard-Staros, director of development, will serve as acting director of LACE during a search for Karl’s successor.

QUICK TAKES

Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton has signed on to direct “Aunt Avis,” a music video for the Georgia-based quintet Widespread Panic. Filming will take place this month in Thornton’s home state of Arkansas. Thornton previously directed the group’s 1991 long-form video “Live From the Georgia Theater.” . . . The latest House of Blues nightclub, in Myrtle Beach, Fla., will open May 4 with performances by the Blues Brothers and “Godfather of Soul” James Brown. . . . Actor Rod Steiger, who turns 72 on Monday, got an early birthday present Thursday when he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 7080 Hollywood Blvd. . . . The Los Angeles Urban League honored actor Denzel Washington at the Century Plaza Hotel Thursday night for his “commitment to community on and off the screen.” . . . Glen Ballard, who co-wrote and produced Alanis Morissette’s 12.2 million copy selling album “Jagged Little Pill,” has been named songwriter of the year by the National Academy of Songwriters. He will receive his award May 21 at the Palace in Hollywood. . . . Comedian Tracey Ullman will be feted by Harvard Lampoon on Monday when she receives the humor magazine’s Golden Bathrobe Award and the Elmer Award for Comedy. . . . Santa Ana’s Crazy Horse Steak House & Saloon has been named country nightclub of the year by the Academy of Country Music. It is the Orange County club’s eighth win in the category.