ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT REPORTS FROM THE TIMES, NEWS SERVICES AND THE NATION’S PRESS.

TV & MOVIES

Cannes Slate: New films by American directors Jim Jarmusch (“Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samourai”), David Lynch (“The Straight Story”), Tim Robbins (“The Cradle Will Rock”) and John Sayles (“Limbo”) will compete for prizes with 17 others at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival taking place May 17-23. Among their rivals are the opening-night film “The Barber of Siberia,” by Oscar-winning Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov; the closing-night film “An Ideal Husband,” an Oscar Wilde adaptation from Brit Oliver Parker; and works by Canadian director Atom Egoyan (“Felicia’s Journey”), Brit Peter Greenaway (“8 1/2 Woman”) and Spain’s Pedro Almodovar (“Todo Sobre Mi Madre”). Out-of-competition Cannes screenings will include director Ron Howard’s “EDtv”; the soon-to-be-released Sean Connery vehicle “Entrapment,” directed by Jon Amiel; director and acclaimed playwright David Mamet’s “The Winslow Boy”; and films from directors Kevin Smith (“Dogma”) and Steven Soderbergh (“The Limey”).

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Lesbian Lives: Hollywood couple Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche will work with Sharon Stone on “If These Walls Could Talk 2,” an HBO movie examining the lesbian experience in America. DeGeneres is executive-producing the three-part film along with Suzanne and Jennifer Todd, who produced HBO’s first “If These Walls Could Talk,” which dealt with abortion issues. Filming is set to begin in May, with the movie to premiere in 2000. In one of three stories, DeGeneres and Stone will play a modern-day couple who conceive a child; Heche will write and direct. Commenting on the project, Stone said: “I am thrilled to work with the stunning team of Anne and Ellen, and I hope to glean a little something extra about comedy from these two experts.”

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Local Emmy Contenders: KTTV-TV was the big winner with Thursday’s announcement of nominations for the 51st annual Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards. The Fox owned-and-operated station scored 24 nods for its news and special programming, followed by KCBS-TV with 22, KCOP-TV with 17, KCAL-TV with 13, and KTLA-TV with 11. The awards will be presented June 5 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

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Hollywood Ageism: Notwithstanding such exceptions as Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep, a new Screen Actors Guild study has concluded that “women 40 and over are significantly underrepresented on television and in films.” In a review of 56,701 roles in 1998, the study found that two out of three SAG jobs went to performers under 40. However, the guild said, employment for older men was much greater than that for older women, with 37% of all male TV and film roles going to over-40 males, while only 24% of the female roles went to that age category. Among lead roles, only 21% of the females cast were over 40.

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Next Topic--Arrested Guests?: A Chicago city councilman is calling for the arrests of all “Jerry Springer Show” guests who get into fights on the Chicago-based show. “If they are committing batteries, assaults and other offenses, then why isn’t the police department taking appropriate action?” said Alderman Edward Burke, a former policeman. Burke has also proposed calling the off-duty police officers who provide the show’s security before the council’s Police and Fire Committee on charges of failing to enforce the law. A show spokeswoman had no comment.

PERFORMING ARTS

Spotlight Winners: Saxophonist Robert Elfman, 17, of West Los Angeles; dancer Ashley Ellis, 16, of Torrance; vocalist Krista Sherre Selico, 17, of Pasadena; violinist Wesley David Precourt, 15, of San Diego; dancer Adam Young, 17, of Riverside; and vocalist Tiffany Rosenquist, 17, of Redlands each won $5,000 scholarships at the Music Center’s Spotlight Awards on Tuesday night. The annual competition recognizes teens planning performing arts careers.

QUICK TAKES

Paramount Studios Television pulled the plug Thursday on two of its syndicated shows: the first-year talk show hosted by Howie Mandel and the 10-year-old newsmagazine “Hard Copy.” . . . Fox has renewed both “The Family Guy” and “Mad TV” for next season. . . . Diane Sawyer’s two-part ABC News interview with Dennis Rodman, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, will now air today on “Good Morning America” (7 a.m.) and on “20/20 Friday” (10 p.m.). . . . Monica Lewinsky is set to chat with Joe Crummey today at 7:40 a.m. on KABC-AM (790). . . . Alisa Fishbach has resigned as executive director of Theatre LA, the dominant organization of local theaters and theatrical producers, to devote full time to her theater management and production business. A search is on for her successor.