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

PEOPLE

Heston Fights Cancer: Charlton Heston is battling prostate cancer but says he is on the road to recovery after weeks of intense radiation treatments. “It’s not totally gone but it’s on the path to it,” the 75-year-old actor said Friday from his home in the Santa Monica Mountains. “Happily, I seemed to have survived. It’s very good news.” He said he found out about the cancer during his annual checkup and prostate screening in June. Doctors agreed to let Heston, who is active in politics and is president of the National Rifle Assn., postpone radiation treatment until after the November election so he could stump for Republican candidates and continue shooting a film. Heston underwent the treatment for six to seven weeks, finishing last month.

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Berle Recovering From Stroke: Milton Berle is taking it easy as he recuperates from what his doctors say was a mild stroke last month. “The doctors say I had a mild stroke, but I don’t feel it,” Berle, 90, said from his Century City home on New Year’s Eve. “I have no fear of anything, and I’m gonna have a terrific new year.” The stroke Dec. 5 mostly affected Berle’s sight, said his wife, Lorna. “I’ve been working too hard,” explained Berle. “So I’ve got to take it easy now. The doctors said to cool it, don’t work so hard.”

MOVIES

Benigni Retrospective: Several films highlighting the talents of Italian writer-director-actor Roberto Benigni--whose “Life Is Beautiful” is frequently mentioned as an Oscar hopeful--will be screened Wednesday-Jan. 14 at the Landmark Cecchi Gori Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. “ ‘Beyond Beautiful’: The Films of Roberto Benigni,” will include “Johnny Stecchino” (1991) and “The Monster” (1994), as well as his rarely seen pairing with Walter Matthau in “Little Devil” (1988). Also screened will be “Nothing Left to Do but Cry” (1984), in which Benigni shared writing, directing and acting roles with Massimo Troisi (“Il Postino”); Federico Fellini’s final film, “The Voice of the Moon” (1989), in which Benigni played the lead; and two Jim Jarmusch films in which Benigni co-starred, “Down by Law” (1986) and “Night on Earth” (1991). A percentage of proceeds from the series, presented by director Martin Scorsese, will benefit restoration efforts by the nonprofit Film Foundation.

TELEVISION

Van Gogh Documentary: So you don’t want to battle the crowds to see “Van Gogh’s Van Goghs” when it opens Jan. 17 at the L.A. County Museum of Art? Or you’re planning to see it, but you’re also curious about how it was presented in Washington? Well, the Washington PBS station, WETA, is at work on an hourlong documentary featuring a guided tour of the exhibition’s recent stop at the National Gallery. The documentary, filmed in the new high-definition television technology, examines the various stages of Van Gogh’s career and also profiles Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, which owns the works in the exhibition. Because editing on the film has just begun, PBS has not yet set an air date. The LACMA show, however, runs until April 4.

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The Early Years: The Museum of Television & Radio will screen “Woody Allen’s Television Days,” a two-part series exploring the early development of Allen’s comedic and writing skills, from Jan. 15 to March 21. Included will be highlights from some of Allen’s most memorable performances on variety shows and late-night talk shows, as well as his own 1969 network program, “The Woody Allen Special.” Allen began his TV work in the late 1950s, writing sketches for Sid Caesar and “The Garry Moore Show.” The screening series will encompass two programs, “Sketches and Kvetches,” running Jan. 15 to Feb. 18, and “Tell It Again, Woody,” from Feb. 19 to March 21.

QUICK TAKES

KABC-AM (790) talk-radio host Larry Elder has signed a new four-year contract with the station. Known as “the sage from South-Central,” Elder is heard weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. . . . Pop singer Amy Grant, who began her career in contemporary Christian music in the late 1970s, has announced her separation from her husband of 16 years, Christian music artist Gary Chapman, who hosts “Prime Time Country” on cable’s Nashville Network. The couple have three children. . . . Two former QVC hosts who were ultimately let go by the network have sued the shopping channel, saying it discriminated against minority hosts by relegating them to less-desirable overnight shifts and paying them less. Victor Velez, who is Latino, and Gwen Owens, who is black, are seeking $100 million in their New York federal court suit. A QVC spokeswoman denied the charges, noting that a recent prime-time program about Harley-Davidson motorcycles had a black host.