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

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Animated Howard: Radio shock jock Howard Stern will executive produce and provide the lead voice for UPN’s “Doomsday,” a 13-episode animated science-fiction comedy slated to premiere in fall 2000. The series follows a family’s journey in a motor home across a post-apocalyptic America; Stern will be the voice of the family dog, Orinthal.

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Democrats to Honor Beatty: Warren Beatty, who has mused of late about a possible political run, will be honored by the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action on Sept. 29 when he receives the group’s annual Eleanor Roosevelt Award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. “Warren Beatty has spoken up continually on the problem of big money in politics, which is the subject of his brilliant film ‘Bulworth,’ ” said the group’s president.

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Latino Funding: The Corp. for Public Broadcasting plans to announce shortly that the Latino Public Broadcasting Project, headed by actor Edward James Olmos, will receive more than $940,000 for fiscal 2000 to manage the development, production and distribution of public TV programs produced by and about Latinos. CPB selected Olmos’ group from among five competing organizations, including the L.A.-based National Hispanic Media Coalition and the Washington-based National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, co-founded by actor Jimmy Smits. Olmos’ group replaces the Los Angeles-based National Latino Communications Center, which lost its funding amid charges of fiscal mismanagement. When the formal agreement is reached, Latino Public Broadcasting Project becomes one of five minority consortia supported by CPB.

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Asian Diversity Push: Actor George Takei, best known for his role as Mr. Sulu on “Star Trek,” has joined several Asian American organizations in calling for more diversity on television. Takei announced Tuesday that he, the theater group East West Players, the National Pacific American Legal Consortium and other groups are circulating “The Whitewashing of Network Television Must End,” a petition demanding that the networks “immediately adopt policies ensuring that actors of color be sought out to play any role that is not of necessity racially or ethnically specific.” “Why do the networks continue to present the lie that Asian Americans don’t exist?” Takei said. The groups have also joined a larger national coalition, headed by the NAACP, that’s demanding more diversity in network television.

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Pop Chart: The Dixie Chicks’ “Fly” is No. 1 on the nation’s album chart for the second week with 204,000 copies sold. The Backstreet Boys’ “Millennium” sold 182,000 units to take the No. 2 spot, while Christina Aguilera, Santana and Kid Rock round out the Top 5, according to SoundScan.