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

POP/ROCK

Viper Gets Re-Fanged: The Viper Room, the Sunset Boulevard nightclub that’s been closed for interior renovations since mid-November, will hold a grand reopening bash Jan. 9, featuring a benefit acoustic performance by Courtney Love and her Hole bandmate guitarist Eric Erlandson. Meanwhile, the Johnny Depp-owned nightspot will resume its regular show schedule of mostly unsigned bands on Monday (despite the belated grand reopening date, the first actual performance at the spruced-up club was a New Year’s Eve show with Nancy Sinatra). A limited number of $200 tickets are available for the Love show, with proceeds going to the nonprofit yoga teaching organization Center for Living. While noting that most of the changes involved the decor, a club spokeswoman said the venue now looks “completely different” and is done in an Art Deco style, adding: “It’s no longer the black hole.”

MOVIES

Two Hooves Up: Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert will discuss their annual picks for the year’s 10 best movies on Sunday’s edition of their syndicated TV show (airing locally at 6:30 p.m. on KABC-TV). The two listed four films in common, but agreed on only one among their top three. Siskel chose the box-office flop “Babe: Pig in the City” as the year’s best film, followed by “The Thin Red Line,” “Pleasantville,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Shakespeare in Love,” “The Truman Show,” “Antz,” “Simon Birch,” “There’s Something About Mary” and “Waking Ned Devine.” Ebert’s list, meanwhile, was topped by the sci-fi thriller “Dark City,” followed by “Pleasantville,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “A Simple Plan,” “Happiness,” “Elizabeth,” “Babe: Pig in the City,” “Shakespeare in Love,” “Life Is Beautiful” and “Primary Colors.”

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Walk of Fame Repairs: Repairs on the Walk of Fame stars of Tom Hanks, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day and others will begin next week as part of a $250,000 renovation of the popular Hollywood sidewalk attraction. Several stars located on Vine Street have been damaged by tree roots and the rumbling of traffic; other stars whose plaques have been damaged include Shirley Temple, Tina Turner, Phyllis Diller and Andy Garcia. “We owe it to our honorees to keep their terrazzo trophy in pristine condition,” Hollywood’s honorary mayor, Johnny Grant, said. The renovation money will come from fees from the star dedication ceremonies and other fund-raising events.

RADIO

Lost Episode: If you attended the Dec. 20 taping of “This American Life” at UCLA’s Royce Hall and expected to hear it--as had been promoted--on KCRW-FM (89.9) on Saturday, you surely noticed the repeat that aired instead. The preempted program--titled “What Are You Lookin’ At?”--will now air Saturday at 10 a.m. The local taping ran longer than the show’s hourlong format, so the tapes went home with Ira Glass, producer and host of the Chicago-based show. An ensuing mix-up occurred in which a delivery company attempted to bring the tapes to KCRW at a time when the station’s offices were closed. Now the edited tapes are back in house. Featured on the program are author/performance artist Sandra Tsing Loh, sex-advice columnist Dan Savage, radio commentator and author Sarah Vowell and writer-performer David Rakoff.

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‘Drama Hour’ Lineup: KNX-AM (1070) will revise its popular “KNX Drama Hour” schedule for the new year, adding two series new to the station and bringing back three old favorites that were missing from recent schedules. The new 9-10 p.m. schedule, which begins tonight, features “The Lone Ranger” and “The Adventures of Phillip Marlowe” on Mondays; “Suspense” and “Tales of the Texas Rangers” on Tuesdays; “Escape” and “The Six Shooter” on Wednesdays; the new, hourlong “Lux Radio Theater” on Thursdays; “Gunsmoke” on Fridays; “The Jack Benny Show” and new addition “The Aldrich Family” on Saturdays; and “Dragnet” and “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” on Sundays.

THE ARTS

Funding Boosted: In a move rare in arts-funding circles, the California Arts Council has actually doubled the awards for 25 recently announced 1998-99 Artists Fellowships, granting an additional $2,500 per artist. The combined $5,000 award--made possible by an augmentation to the CAC’s annual budget allocation--marks the biggest fellowship grants awarded by the state arts agency in five years. This year’s fellowship awards went to visual artists. Local recipients include: sculptors Liz Harvey, Mara Loner and John W. Otterbridge; painters Bruce Richards and Linda Stark; photographers Jody Zellen, John Divola, Peter Reiss and Cindy Bernard; and printmaker Sam Erenberg.

TELEVISION

Chambers’ Legacy: KTLA-TV is honoring veteran journalist Stan Chambers with the creation of the annual Stan Chambers Journalism Awards program for Southern California high school seniors. Entrants must write a 125-words-or-less essay on “What Matters Most,” and applications must be received by KTLA by Feb. 12 (information: [213] 460-5882). Five winners will each receive a $1,000 scholarship and will be assisted in producing a video version of their essays in the KTLA newsroom. “Creating the Stan Chambers Journalism Awards is our way of saying thank-you to Stan for his work and devotion to his craft,” said KTLA General Manager John Reardon. “The high school students that will benefit from the scholarships and newsroom experience are the Stan Chambers of tomorrow.”