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

TELEVISION

New ‘ER’ Doc: Maria Bello, last seen alongside Scott Bakula in the short-lived CBS series “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” is joining the cast of NBC’s “ER” next season. She will play Dr. Anna Del Amico, a pediatric fellow specializing in emergency medicine, a career path similar to that of Dr. Doug Ross, played by George Clooney. Bello’s character was introduced last month in the medical drama’s final three episodes. “ER” lost one of its key female stars this year with the departure of Sherry Stringfeld, who played Dr. Susan Lewis.

Battling Colon Cancer: Jay Monahan, an MSNBC legal analyst and the husband of “Today” anchor Katie Couric, was scheduled to undergo surgery for colon cancer Friday at an undisclosed New York hospital. MSNBC said that the prognosis for Monahan, 41, is “excellent” and he is expected to return to work “in a few weeks.” Couric, meanwhile, is on leave from NBC’s “Today” until June 16. The couple, who married in 1989, have two daughters, ages 5 and 1.

MOVIES

Sheen Sentenced: Charlie Sheen was sentenced to two years probation, with a one-year suspended jail term, after pleading no contest Friday to a misdemeanor battery charge for a Dec. 20 attack on his then-girlfriend. According to court papers, Sheen knocked Brittany Ashland to the floor of his Agoura Hills home, leaving her bloodied and briefly unconscious. Sheen was also ordered Friday to pay $2,800 in fines, perform 300 hours of community service, attend counseling and stay away from Ashland. A July 1 hearing was set on whether to award the victim further restitution. After sentencing, Sheen told Malibu Municipal Court Judge Lawrence Mira: “I feel this is very fair, and I’m grateful. . . . You will not see me back in this courtroom.”

POP/ROCK

Lollapalooza Preview: Perry Farrell and his band Porno for Pyros will perform at “Club Lollapalooza,” billed as a “sneak preview” of the coming Lollapalooza festival complete with “ambience attractions” such as artwork and environmental displays, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Palace in Hollywood. Also performing will be Failure, Jeremy Toback and others. This year’s Lollapalooza tour kicks off June 25 in West Palm Beach, Fla., and comes to Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on Aug. 17.

‘One-Hit Wonders’: Remember Amii Stewart’s “Knock On Wood” and Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight”? How about Vicki Sue Robinson’s “Turn the Beat Around” and Looking Glass’ “Brandy”? Now, can you think of other songs by the above-mentioned groups? Rhino Records is betting that answer is no, with the release of “VH1 8-Track Flashback: The One-Hit Wonders,” a compilation album culled from the popular cable TV series. Among other songs to be included on the album, due to hit stores Aug. 19: “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks, “Put Your Hand in the Hand” by Ocean and “Rock On” by David Essex.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Performance Today Winners: “Byron Janis Plays Chopin,” the first recording in 34 years from the pianist who has debilitating arthritis in both hands, has won the prestigious critics’ choice category of NPR’s Performance Today Awards given by the public radio classical music program. Among other categories, John Rockwell, artistic director of the Lincoln Center Festival, beat out L.A. Philharmonic music director Esa-Pekka Salonen as player of the year, and Yoel Levi and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s “Michael Torke: Javelin” prevailed over Salonen and the L.A. Phil’s “Herrmann: Film Music” for the New Horizon Award. The latter honor recognizes recordings that “demonstrate potential to reach a newer, younger audience.”

QUICK TAKES

Starting this morning at 7, New York’s Tibetan Freedom Concert will be cybercast at https://www.sonicnet.com. Today’s lineup includes U2, Patti Smith, Sonic Youth, A Tribe Called Quest and the Foo Fighters; Sunday’s roster includes Alanis Morissette, Blur, the Beastie Boys, and Michael Stipe and Mike Mills of R.E.M. . . . Tickets for the fifth annual KROQ Weenie Roast, featuring 14 bands June 14 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, go on sale at 9 a.m. today at the Irvine Meadows box office and all L.A. and Orange County Tower Records, Blockbuster Music and Ritmo Latino outlets. . . . Rick Danko, bassist for Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the Band, faces trial in Tokyo July 2 on charges of smuggling and possessing heroin during a Japan tour, Japanese officials said Friday. Danko, 53, is accused of having a parcel containing 1.25 grams of heroin, divided into small packages and hidden inside magazines, shipped to him from the United States. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison. . . . Carl Perkins, the “Father of Rockabilly,” is scheduled to undergo a procedure at a Nashville hospital Monday to clear a blocked carotid artery, the main artery leading to the brain. The blockage is located only a few inches from the brain and could deplete the brain of oxygen if left unattended, doctors said. . . . Mia Farrow and Sam Waterston will star in “Miracle at Midnight,” an installment of ABC’s upcoming Sunday movie series “Wonderful World of Disney” about a Danish family who risk their lives to save Jewish countrymen from the Nazis. . . . Court TV will launch “Legal Cafe,” a live, 6-8 a.m. weekday series that will answer viewers’ legal questions, on July 14. Questions can be posed via live call-ins, the Internet and fax.