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

TELEVISION

Survey Says . . . The first-year series “Any Day Now” and “Sports Night” ranked highest among dramas and comedies in the first survey of the new season taken by Viewers for Quality Television. The former is a Lifetime cable drama about the friendship of two women; the latter is an ABC comedy set behind the scenes of a cable TV sports show. Other new programs that fared well in the survey are “Felicity” (WB), “Cupid” (ABC) and “Will & Grace” (NBC).

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Ill ‘Wind’ Blows: NBC’s new Bo Derek drama “Wind on Water” got overwhelmed by the opening game of the World Series on Saturday, finishing a distant third in its time period. The network fared somewhat better Friday with the premiere of “Trinity.” The new drama from “ER” producer John Wells drew 9.8 million viewers, good enough for second in its time slot, ahead of another new drama, CBS’ “Buddy Faro,” and Fox’s “Millennium.”

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Kid Power: Nickelodeon will rebuild 10 parks across the country in response to the millions of phone calls made during Saturday’s broadcast of its “Big Help-a-Thon 5.” The cable channel also will hit the road next year to rally continued support for volunteerism.

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Dare to ‘Dream’: “Dream Maker,” a one-hour syndicated daytime program hosted by Richard Simmons for executive producer Vin Di Bona (“America’s Funniest Home Videos”), will air on KTLA-TV and other Tribune Entertainment Co. stations next fall. Simmons describes the show, to be taped before a studio audience in Las Vegas, as an “opportunity to grant wishes and fulfill dreams.” The motivational exercise enthusiast previously hosted daytime’s “The Richard Simmons Show.”

PEOPLE

Seeing Red: “A Salute to Red Skelton,” a retrospective and panel discussion featuring actors, writers and producers who worked with the comedian, will be held at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in North Hollywood. Jamie Farr will moderate the event, which is open to the public for a $15 admission. ATAS members are free. Esther Williams, Betty Garrett, June Foray, writer Sherwood Schwartz and producer George Schlatter are scheduled to appear.

THE ARTS

Cultural Conference: William J. Ivey, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, will deliver the keynote address regarding technology and culture in the new millennium at “Communicating Culture,” a two-day international conference taking place Thursday and Friday at the Getty Center. Members of the public can participate in question-and-answer sessions, via video teleconference, at the Los Angeles County Public Library in Norwalk and the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills, but reservations must be made by calling (310) 440-6880.

AWARDS

Take ‘Five’: The creators, cast and writers of the Fox TV series “Party of Five” will receive the “Good Grief” award for dealing with the characters’ grief in an honest and dignified manner. The honor will be accorded at a dinner to be held Wednesday at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel by Our House, a nonprofit organization providing support for people who have lost loved ones. For ticket information, call (310) 559-9334.

QUICK TAKES

Gloria Estefan has landed her first feature film role opposite Meryl Streep in the Miramax film “50 Violins,” about a woman who taught violin to children in East Harlem. . . . “Loveline” co-hosts Dr. Drew and Adam Corolla will sign copies of their book “Groping and Coping With Life and Love” tonight at 7:30 at Book Soup in West Hollywood. . . . KABC-TV is among the major market stations that have renewed “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for two years through the 2001-2002 season. Winfrey recently announced she would host and produce the top-rated talk show through 2002. . . . Jay Leno, Betty White, Gregory Hines, Martin Landau and Forest Whitaker will present the Distinguished Artist Awards to Kirk Douglas, Jerry Herman, Ann Reinking, Lalo Schifrin and Garth Brooks at the Music Center’s 17th annual event on Nov. 4. . . . MTV has announced a yearlong campaign, which begins in January, aimed at raising awareness and providing solutions to youth violence in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education.