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

MOVIES

Remembering Jimmy Stewart: A permanent tribute to Jimmy Stewart, who would have turned 90 today, will be unveiled today at 9:30 a.m. at Griffith Park. The tribute will consist of an American flag on a 25-foot pole, accompanied by a plaque remembering Stewart, who died in July 1997, as a “great American whose humanity touched us all through his work as one of the favorite actors of our time.” The annual Jimmy Stewart Relay Marathon, which benefits Saint John’s Health Center, is held at Griffith Park each year. Today’s ceremonies will be attended by two of the actor’s children, Kelly Stewart Harcourt and Michael McLean.

Leo’s Killer Paycheck: “Titanic” star Leonardo DiCaprio will reportedly earn a staggering $21-million paycheck for his next film, “American Psycho,” about a Wall Street banker who turns serial killer. Filming on the $40-million film is expected to begin in New York this fall.

SINATRA WATCH

Six Months in His Life: CBS will remember Frank Sinatra by showing “Sinatra: Living With the Legend,” a 1965 CBS News special that will air for the first time in 33 years on Thursday at 10 p.m. on “48 Hours.” Described as “the most intimate profile of Sinatra ever captured on film,” the program was made after Sinatra agreed to let Walter Cronkite and CBS News follow him around for six months. A private funeral Mass for Sinatra, who died Thursday after suffering a heart attack, is scheduled for today at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills.

Whither the Estate?: Sinatra’s widow, Barbara, will inherit his real estate--including a Malibu beach house and a Beverly Hills estate--while his three children will get the entertainer’s lucrative music catalog, a source close to the family said. Sinatra’s children--Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina--already owned their father’s share of revenue from Reprise Records songs, but will now also take control of his work on the Sony and Capitol labels, the source said. Sinatra’s lawyer, Harvey Silbert, said that he planned to file the will in Los Angeles Superior Court sometime this week, but said most of Sinatra’s estate was apportioned in a private living trust the entertainer set up years ago. Silbert said that Sinatra’s heirs know what is in the trust, but don’t know the contents of the actual will. Meanwhile, the New York Post, quoting a former Sinatra assistant, has reported that Sinatra left $70 million to $150 million to help abused children, a favorite cause of his wife’s.

TELEVISION

Animated Life After ‘Seinfeld’: Jason Alexander (George) and Wayne Knight (Newman) are among 22 “Seinfeld” regulars and guest stars who will voice characters for “Disney’s Hercules,” a new animated TV series debuting on ABC’s Saturday morning schedule in September. Other voice cast members include Patrick Warburton (Puddy) and Jerry Stiller and Estelle Harris (George’s parents). They will join several voice actors returning from the “Hercules” film, including Tate Donovan. . . . Meanwhile, HBO has set the date and place for “Jerry Seinfeld Live: I’m Telling You for the Last Time,” the comedian’s stand-up special. The pay cable network will broadcast the show from Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre on Aug. 9.

THE ARTS

Duke to Leave Getty: Leilani Lattin Duke, who has directed the Getty Education Institute for the Arts since its inception in 1983, is stepping down June 30 to pursue other professional opportunities. Duke joined the staff of the J. Paul Getty Trust in 1981 after holding administrative posts in the California Confederation of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. She worked with Harold M. Williams, then president of the trust, to develop the Getty’s mission and a new approach to teaching art.

QUICK TAKES

King World Productions has signed comedian Martin Short to host a daily syndicated variety-talk show to premiere in the fall of 1999. . . . The “Murphy Brown” finale on CBS won its time slot with an average of 17.4 million viewers Monday night, the series’ highest rating since September 1996. By comparison, rival 9-10 p.m. show “Ally McBeal,” on Fox, drew 14.4 million viewers. . . . Actress Diahann Carroll, 61, revealed Tuesday that she is battling breast cancer. Carroll’s spokesman said that she recently underwent surgery for the removal of a “very small cancerous growth . . . in its earliest stages.” The spokesman added that Carroll will undergo six weeks of radiation treatment, and that doctors “expect a full and complete recovery.” . . . Elton John, who recently severed ties with his longtime manager, has announced plans to establish his own management company, Elton John Management Ltd. . . . Motown Records founder Berry Gordy received the first ASCAP American Legend Award Monday night during ceremonies at the Beverly Hilton hotel. The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers also named Diane Warren (“Unbreak My Heart,” “How Do I Live?”) its songwriter of the year for an unprecedented fourth time. . . . Actor Michael Rapaport (“Mighty Aphrodite,” “Beautiful Girls”) pleaded guilty in New York Monday to harassing his former girlfriend, actress Lili Taylor (“Mystic Pizza,” “I Shot Andy Warhol”), after their breakup a year ago. He was given a conditional discharge and ordered to see a therapist. . . . Actor Nicolas Cage received UCLA’s 10th annual Spencer Tracy Award on Tuesday for his “outstanding screen performances and professional achievement in the field of drama.”