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

MOVIES & TV

Oh, Ted, Can You See?: Media mogul Ted Turner took the stage as an Independence Day statesman Friday and called for a national vote on replacing the “Star-Spangled Banner” with a less “warlike” anthem. Turner, who received the annual Philadelphia Liberty Medal for his founding of television news channel CNN International, urged in an energetic, free-form speech that “America the Beautiful” be adopted as the U.S. national anthem now that much of the world is free of armed conflict. “Now the whole Western Hemisphere is at peace, most of the world’s at peace. It’s time to change with the times because brotherhood is a lot more important than military force, and that’s what ‘America the Beautiful’ is all about,” he said. Turner and CNN International were the ninth recipients of the $100,000 Liberty Medal, awarded annually to recognize contributions to the founding principles of the United States.

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Triumphant Tale: Scott Hicks, who received an Oscar nomination for directing the story of pianist David Helfgott’s mental breakdown and comeback in “Shine,” will take on another success-over-illness story in his next film. As part of his deal with DreamWorks SKG, Hicks will direct the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, whose career as editor of the French Elle was cut short by a rare paralytic condition known as “locked-in syndrome.” With only his left eyelid to communicate, Bauby refused to surrender to his affliction, and the movie will be based on his autobiography, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Ron Bass (“Rain Man,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding”) will write the screenplay.

ART

Fake Van Goghs?: Scholarly studies have found that more than 100 paintings and drawings by Vincent Van Gogh--art worth millions of dollars--may be fakes, according to the Art Newspaper, a London-based journal. The alleged fakes include one of the Dutch master’s famous “Sunflowers” series, sold by auctioneer Christie’s to a Japanese firm in 1987 for $39.5 million, and two self-portraits, including one owned by New York’s Metropolitan Museum. The journal said two other works, “The Garden at Auvers” and “The Arlesienne,” may also be fakes, along with a portrait of Dr. Gachet, the physician who cared for the troubled artist before his suicide in 1890. That work hangs in Paris’ Musee d’Orsay. Claims about the sunflowers painting brought a swift response from Christie’s. “We have seen the story and there is no reason to question the authenticity of the picture,” said a statement from the auction house. Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, whose still-life painting of a wine bottle and cheese has been questioned by a German art historian, was also skeptical. “These works have been declared fakes on the basis of very shaky provenance. They should not be a reason to put a question mark against them,” said Sjraar van Heugpen, curator of paintings and drawings.

POP MUSIC

Ash Grove Woes: The Ash Grove, the legendary ‘60s L.A. music club that was revived on the Santa Monica Pier last summer, has received an ultimatum from the city of Santa Monica concerning the venue’s past-due rent. On July 1, the city gave the club 10 days to pay $44,000 in rent or face closure. The city claims the venue is 11 months behind in its $4,000-a-month rent. Club managers issued a statement that they have “every intention of meeting our financial obligation to the city and we expect to be here for a very long time.” On Friday, Ash Grove owner Ed Pearl said he expected the matter to be resolved as soon as Tuesday.

RADIO

Mauceri’s Musical Mind: John Mauceri, principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl, has added radio host to his resume. His program, “Music on My Mind,” will air Sundays from 6 to 7 p.m. on classical station KKGO-FM (105.1), starting this weekend. A wide range of 20th century music will be showcased. In addition to his Hollywood Bowl duties, Mauceri is music director of the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy.

QUICK TAKES

Norm Crosby, Jay Leno, Bill Maher, Shelley Berman and Richard Lewis are among the comics set to perform at Melrose Avenue’s Improv on July 15 in an 8 p.m. benefit for Sally Marr. Marr, 90, mother of the late comic Lenny Bruce, has been beset with medical expenses following open-heart surgery. Tickets are $100. . . . A touring production of “Singin’ in the Rain” that had been scheduled for Pasadena Civic Auditorium next week has been canceled for unspecified reasons. Refunds will be issued at the point of purchase. . . . Ron Rifkin has replaced Barry Newman in the cast of Neil Simon’s “Proposals,” which opens July 16 at the Ahmanson Theatre. The Ahmanson said the replacement was necessitated by “mutual artistic differences.” . . . Martin Landau has joined the cast of the as-yet untitled “X-Files” movie in the role of Mr. Farber, 20th Century Fox announced this week. The film is being written and produced by Chris Carter, who created the television series, and directed by Rob Bowman. Fox will release the movie next summer.