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

TELEVISION

KTLA Rift: The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Los Angeles, has filed a formal age discrimination grievance against KTLA-TV on behalf of several of the station’s top news anchors and reporters, including “KTLA Morning News” anchors Carlos Amezcua and Barbara Beck, and evening co-anchor Terry Anzur. The union declined to release details about the complaint, saying only that the case was in the early stages of litigation. Reporters named in the complaint included Willa Sandmeyer, Warren Wilson and Ed Arnold. KTLA executives declined comment.

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‘Seinfeld’ Spinoff?: Phil Morris, who played fast-talking attorney Jackie Chiles on NBC’s “Seinfeld” and currently appears as the same character in Honda TV ads, said Thursday that he is talking about doing a spinoff series in which he would star as Chiles. Castle Rock Television, which produced “Seinfeld,” has secured the blessings of co-creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David and is now looking for a writer to develop the show, which has not yet been pitched to specific networks.

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CBS Orders Mob Drama: Two months after saying “Falcone,” a Mafia-themed dramatic series based on the movie “Donnie Brasco,” was left off its fall schedule partly due to concerns about violence, CBS has ordered the program as a mid-season replacement. The network has given the go-ahead for nine episodes of the series--which stars Jason Gedrick, who appeared in another CBS project with a Mafia theme, “The Last Don”--but plans to tone down two violent sequences in the pilot. Separately, the WB’s season finale of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”--also delayed due to the media violence furor in the wake of the school shootings at Colorado’s Columbine High School--drew an average of 6.5 million viewers Tuesday, tying for the second-highest-rated episode of the season.

POP/ROCK

No ‘Submarine’ Voyage: Picture yourself in a boat on a river? The surviving Beatles would rather not, despite a barrage of rumors following British press reports that Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr plan to reunite to sing “Yellow Submarine” while floating down Liverpool’s Mersey River in a colorful craft suggested by the song’s title. “Complete rubbish, total fiction, ridiculous,” says a McCartney spokesman. The reports come amid growing hoopla for “Yellow Submarine Day,” Aug. 30 in the Beatles’ hometown. A restored version of the group’s 1968 animated film of the same name (including previously cut footage) will premiere at the festival, which also features 180 bands playing Beatles music.

ART

Weekly LACMA Family Days: Thanks to a $1-million donation from museum board Chairman Wally Weisman and his wife, Sheila, the L.A. County Museum of Art is increasing its Sunday Family Days events from monthly to weekly, starting this weekend. To commemorate the donation, the events--which typically feature live performances, hands-on art projects, interactive storytelling and guided gallery tours--will be renamed Sheila and Wally Weisman Family Sundays.

QUICK TAKES

It’s VH1 that will premiere the unedited version of Chris Isaak’s “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing”--the first video from Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut”--tonight at 9. Thursday’s Morning Report incorrectly said the premiere would be on MTV. . . . Shock rocker Marilyn Manson is finishing a script and album for a New Line Cinema feature called “Holy Wood” that he describes as “a parable about man’s desire to destroy himself in a world where violence is a religion and everyone is a star.” . . . . Rocker Tommy Lee passed a court progress hearing Thursday, with Malibu Judge Lawrence Mira congratulating him on reconciling with Pamela Anderson Lee after serving jail time for hitting her. Mira also lifted a requirement that had prohibited Lee from performing in venues where alcohol is sold. . . . “The Blair Witch Project” filmmakers Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick will be at Landmark’s NuArt Theatre in West Los Angeles tonight to introduce the film’s 7:30, 9:45 and midnight screenings. . . . The Mark Taper Forum has added a benefit performance of Al Pacino’s sold-out stage show, “Hughie,” on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Proceeds will go to the Actors’ Fund of America, which provides counseling, financial and other assistance to entertainment industry professionals nationwide. Tickets are $31 and $40 and are available through the charity only at (323) 933-9244, Ext. 33; or (323) 654-0467.