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

THE ARTS

National Medal Declined: Feminist poet Adrienne Rich, 68, has rejected a National Medal for the Arts to protest U.S. government policies that she believes are widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots. “The radical disparities of wealth and power in America are widening at a devastating rate,” Rich, the author of 22 books, wrote in a letter declining the award. “A president cannot meaningfully honor certain token artists while the people at large are so dishonored.” President Clinton had selected Rich and 11 other not-yet announced 1997 recipients on the recommendation of the National Endowment for the Arts. Winners will meet the president in White House ceremonies in January. In 1992, author Wallace Stegner and composer Stephen Sondheim declined the honor because of censorship battles within the NEA; Sondheim, however, accepted the honor in 1996.

POP/ROCK

Hear What I Play, Not What I Say: With his first album of original songs in seven years due in late September, Bob Dylan is sending out advance word that his fans ought to pay attention to the music, not just the lyrics. Of the collection, titled “Time Out of Mind” and produced by Dylan and Daniel Lanois, the legendary songwriter says in a statement released by Columbia Records: “We talked about these songs and how they should sound long before we recorded them. As for listeners, some people . . . extrapolate only the lyrics from the music. But in this case, the music itself has just as far-reaching effect, and it was meant to be that way. It’s definitely a performance record instead of a poetic literary type of thing. You can feel it rather than think about it.” Dylan, who canceled a European tour in May because of a heart infection, is scheduled to resume touring next month in the U.S.

Reorganization Efforts: The Ash Grove music club, faced with a Thursday deadline to pay $44,000 in back rent or be closed by the city of Santa Monica, has canceled its weekend shows through the end of the month and temporarily suspended regular bookings while it sorts out financial problems that have plagued the nightspot since its reopening on the Santa Monica Pier last July. Club managers are hopeful that a new ownership group will be in place by midweek and that the club will resume regular bookings in August. The historic club, which served as the center of Los Angeles’ highly influential folk music scene when it was in West Hollywood from the late ‘50s until a fire closed it in 1973, is 11 months behind on its $4,000-a-month rent and last week was delivered a pay-or-quit notice from the city.

TV & RADIO

Taking Kids to the Moon: Pathfinder on Mars. Extraterrestrials in the movies. “Sesame Street” in space. That’s right, in the PBS children’s staple’s first concentrated exploration of a science topic, a 19-week story line will take Oscar the Grouch’s pet worm, Slimey, to the moon. And he won’t be alone--the mission’s crew of five worms--chosen by determining who can hang on to a spinning chair the longest--will be ethnically diverse, so to speak, with Japanese and Italian worms along for the ride. “We know that children are fascinated and they’re eager to learn more about space travel,” said Rosemarie Truglio, the show’s research director. And, Truglio noted, those kids have a lot to learn: Surveys of “Sesame Street” viewers show many believe they can reach the moon by plane or helicopter, or by climbing on Jack’s beanstalk.

An Open Book: KCRW-FM (89.9) debuts “L.A. Aloud: Actors Read Literature of Los Angeles,” Sunday at 7 p.m. on “KCRW Playhouse.” Created for the L.A. Public Library by Louise Steinman and produced by Johanna Cooper, the three-week series will include actors such as Elliott Gould and Adam Arkin interpreting works by writers including Tennessee Williams and Charles Bukowski. Sunday’s program features Gould’s reading of an excerpt from Bukowski’s “Hollywood” and Miriam Margolyes’ reading of Kate Braverman’s “Autumn Constellations.”

QUICK TAKES

Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, whose legendary substance abuse will be depicted in a coming movie starring Johnny Depp, cited medical reasons Thursday to be excused from serving as a juror in the Colorado drunken driving case against country singer John Denver. Denver, who pleaded guilty to a driving-while-impaired charge in 1993, is on trial on a separate 1994 drunken driving charge. Thompson escaped drunken driving charges himself in a plea bargain last April. . . . Crooner Barry Manilow has agreed to donate $5,000 to the American Tinnitus Assn., which battles hearing disorders, to settle a suit by an Arizona appeals judge who claimed a 1993 Manilow concert damaged his hearing. The judge, Philip Espinosa, 44, said that loud music at the concert left him in “miserable condition” with a constant and permanent screeching in his ears. . . . Talk-show host Maureen O’Boyle, whose “In Person” show was canceled by Warner Bros. Television, will begin anchor duties on Warner Bros.’ “Extra” on Monday, replacing Libby Weaver. O’Boyle previously was a senior correspondent and weekend anchor for “Extra” from 1995-96. . . . NBC is trumpeting tonight’s “Saturday Night Live” as the show’s 1,000th broadcast in the late-night time period. However, even that milestone can’t escape the summer rerun doldrums: The episode, hosted by original “SNL” cast member Chevy Chase, is a repeat from February. The show has, however, aired 426 original “live” episodes since its 1975 premiere.