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

MOVIES

Manning ‘Titanic’ Sales: The movie won’t set sail until Christmas, but advance tickets for director James Cameron’s “Titanic” are already on sale at one theater chain. Encino-based Mann Theaters said it is the earliest advance ticket sale in memory and is based on anticipated public interest. Among the movie houses already selling tickets are the Chinese in Hollywood, the Village in Westwood and theaters in Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Tarzana, Ventura, Valencia, Glendale, Puente Hills, Torrance, Culver City, Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica. “This is a function of the level of interest in this film,” said Rich Given, Mann’s executive marketing director, noting that earlier this year the chain sold advance tickets to the blockbusters “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and the “Star Wars” trilogy.

THE ARTS

Ms. Smith Goes to Harvard: Playwright Anna Deavere Smith will lead a new Harvard think tank devoted to socially conscious art. Called the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, the center will explore “ways in which the arts can enhance public discussion of vital social issues” and will link artists with scholars, civic leaders, journalists and others “to investigate the link between artistic creativity and the civic realm.” Noting that the idea for the institute originated with Smith and has been in development since 1993, Harvard University President Neil L. Rudenstine said of Smith: “Her art is educational in the best sense. It challenges us to think hard and talk openly about how we differ and what we have in common. We’re very pleased that she’ll be bringing her many voices to Harvard.” The institute will convene in the summers, with the aim of developing up to four independent art projects each year. Applications will be accepted from artists working in theater, dance, music, fine arts, film and video.

TELEVISION

I Want My Own MTV: MTV Networks has announced a plan to segregate its programming into various musical styles, with seven new digital cable channels--dubbed “The Suite From MTV and VH1”--to debut in July. The new pay service, which will be offered in addition to the MTV and VH1 basic cable channels, will aim to “offer increased music choice” by allowing viewers to choose a specific musical genre. The seven channels will include “M2,” a “free-form music channel”; “MTV Ritmo,” featuring Latin-flavored offerings; “MTV Indie,” with rap, techno and college music from independent labels; “MTV Rocks,” featuring hard rock and heavy metal; “VH1 Smooth,” offering jazz, new age and adult contemporary music; “VH1 Soul”; and “VH1 Country.”

POP/ROCK

Knight’s Time Extended: Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight, sent to state prison earlier this year for probation violations, on Monday was ordered to serve an additional six months of federal jail time in relation to the violations. Knight was locked up about a year ago after getting into a fight at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand on Sept. 7, 1996. The fight occurred just hours before rapper Tupac Shakur was fatally shot while riding in Knight’s car. Although sentenced to nine years in state prison, Knight--who had been on parole for a 1994 federal firearms trafficking arrest and had been given an earlier suspended sentence on assault charges--will likely serve only half of that time because of good behavior. He’s expected to be transferred to federal lockup in about 3 1/2 years.

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Coolio Continues Tour: Tommy Boy Records said rapper Coolio is continuing with his overseas concert tour after being freed on bail in Germany, where he was arrested along with seven companions for allegedly stealing $2,000 in clothing from a Stuttgart boutique. Coolio also faces a possible assault charge for allegedly striking the owner of the shop. Coolio’s German manager said the incident last Thursday resulted from a misunderstanding caused when a clothing company promised free outfits to Coolio and his group.

QUICK TAKES

Former New York Times pop music critic Robert Palmer, 52, died in New York last Thursday of complications from liver disease. Palmer had been on a liver transplant waiting list since Sept. 30. A frequent contributor to Rolling Stone, he had also done occasional freelance articles for the Los Angeles Times. . . . Pianist Andre Watts, who is recovering from pneumonia, has postponed his “Celebrity Recital” at the Music Center, previously scheduled for Dec. 1, to Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. The all-Schubert program will remain the same. . . . Forty-four countries--five more than last year--have submitted best foreign-language film entries for the 70th annual Academy Awards, the motion picture academy said. Four are first-time entrants: Congo, Luxembourg, South Africa and Ukraine. . . . NBC has picked up its freshman Fred Savage series, “Working,” for the rest of the season and has ordered seven additional episodes of its second-year Sharon Lawrence comedy, “Fired Up,” bringing that series’ season total to 20 episodes--just two shy of a full season. . . . Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer of the Cranberries, missed having a Thanksgiving baby by a few days when her first child, son Taylor Baxter Burton, was born in Toronto Sunday. . . . A woman who made headlines by harassing David Letterman for years was declared incompetent for trial this week on a charge that she stalked former astronaut Story Musgrave. A Florida judge said that she wanted to send Margaret Mary Ray to a mental hospital but could not do so because the stalking charge is a misdemeanor. Instead, Ray will remain in jail and be treated there until her next court hearing at the beginning of the year. . . . Merrill Ashley, a female principal dancer who retired from New York City Ballet Tuesday after 31 years with the company, was incorrectly identified in Tuesday’s Morning Report.