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

TV & MOVIES

Zahn Moves to Fox News Channel: Paula Zahn is leaving CBS News for the Fox News Channel, where she will anchor the evening newscast, “The Fox Report,” as well as one hour of daytime news, effective March 1. Zahn, who spent six years as co-host of “CBS This Morning,” most recently anchored the Saturday edition of the “CBS Evening News.”

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Bilingual Producer: Actress Salma Hayek has signed a two-year contract with Sony to create television shows in both Spanish (for Telemundo) and English (for Columbia TriStar TV). Through her production company, Ventanarosa, Hayek is already active in developing feature films but the Sony deal marks her first foray into television production (as of now, she has no plans to star in any of the TV series). Hayak is currently preparing to play the late Mexican painter Frida Kahlo for a film biography for Ventanarosa.

STAGE

Rosie-Less Tonys: Rosie O’Donnell said Thursday that she will not host the annual Tony Awards telecast this spring as she has done for the past two years. Significantly higher ratings for those shows has been largely attributed to her presence as emcee as well to the plugs she gave nominees on her daily talk show in weeks leading up to the event. “She’s taking her [talk] show on the road in May, and unless they can find a way to clone her, she just can’t be there for the rehearsals that will be necessary,” said Jennifer Glaisek, O’Donnell’s spokesperson. O’Donnell will host this year’s Grammy Awards, however.

Mancini Replaces Moreno: Rita Moreno has pulled out of her March 11-13 concerts at the Orange County Performing Arts Center because of scheduling conflicts with filming of her HBO television series, “Oz.” She’ll be replaced by Monica Mancini, daughter of the late film composer Henry Mancini. The dates are part of the center’s Cabaret Club Series held in 299-seat Founders Hall; tickets go on sale Feb. 14.

La Jolla Additions: La Jolla Playhouse has announced the remaining three plays for its 1999 season: the West Coast premiere of Regina Taylor’s “Oo-Bla-Dee,” about an all-female African American jazz band just after World War II (May 18-June 10); the world premiere of Chay Yew’s “Wonderland,” about a struggling Asian American family; and Charlayne Woodard’s “Pretty Fire,” described as a “celebration of the African American family” (July 23-Aug. 29). Previously announced Playhouse productions are “Loot” (June 8-July 11), the musical “Jane Eyre” (July 13-Aug. 29) and Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth” (Oct. 12-Nov. 14).

POP/ROCK

Weiland Staying Clean: Stone Temple Pilots’ singer Scott Weiland--who has weathered several drug arrests--has been ordered to return to court for a March 26 progress hearing after an arrest last Friday for alleged probation violations. Weiland had been placed in temporary police custody after his rehab director told a judge that the singer hadn’t been complying with the program’s rules. However, the judge reinstated Weiland to the outpatient program after his probation officer testified Wednesday that the singer’s drug tests had come back “clean.”

QUICK TAKES

Due to record ticket sales, the UCLA/James A. Doolittle Theatre has extended “Art”--the Tony-winning play starring Alan Alda, Victor Garber and Alfred Molina--for an additional week, to March 21. . . . Husband-and-wife comedy team Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara will have a joint TV appearance when Meara guest-stars on the Feb. 8 episode of Stiller’s CBS series, “King of Queens.” The couple’s daughter, Amy Stiller, will also appear. . . . NBC’s “Lateline,” which has been airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m., will go off the air for the February sweeps, but will return March 16 in the Tuesday 8:30 p.m. time slot, temporarily displacing “NewsRadio.” . . . Ticketmaster, long a cash-only operation for in-person sales, is finally beginning to accept credit cards at retail locations. Although Los Angeles is not one of the initial markets to accept plastic, all L.A. outlets are expected to be fully charge-ready by the end of the year. . . . Nickelodeon’s season premiere Monday of “The Rugrats”--the first episode to follow the hit “Rugrats Movie” in November--scored the highest rating in the cable network’s history, with one-third of all children watching television at the time tuning in, according to A.C. Nielsen ratings results.