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

TV & MOVIES

Probation Free: Saying Charlie Sheen has made “an enormous turnaround,” a judge on Monday terminated the actor’s probation 71 days early and wiped a misdemeanor battery conviction off his record. Citing Sheen’s upcoming job as Michael J. Fox’s replacement on ABC’s “Spin City,” Malibu Municipal Court Judge Lawrence Mira said Sheen, 34, has “a unique opportunity to be a role model” for youth. Three months ago, Mira had refused to end the actor’s probation (stemming from a misdemeanor battery conviction after a 1996 attack on Sheen’s then-girlfriend) because Sheen had violated the probation by taking illegal drugs. But on Monday, Mira said: “Everyone has their demons, and I believe you’re winning the battle but you haven’t won yet. Still, you’ve made an enormous turnaround in your life and career. You don’t need me anymore.” Sheen--who told a radio station Monday that “it’s nice to have a second chance”--had been scheduled to remain on probation until June 6.

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Censored Kiss: The “Ally McBeal” episode in which Calista Flockhart’s Ally kisses female colleague Ling, played by Lucy Liu, has been banned in Singapore. “The entire episode centers around alternative sexual explorations,” the Television Corp. of Singapore said Monday. “As a responsible broadcaster, we are very careful to monitor and take action against overtly sexy or alternative themes.” The episode in question drew the show’s largest U.S. audience when it aired on Fox in November. In Singapore, the American-made “Ally” is a top-rated show.

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Internet Shorts: Jim Henson Interactive has released the first of a planned series of new “MuppeToons” on the Web at https://www.muppetworld.com. . . . Director David Lynch (“The Straight Story,” “Blue Velvet”) is developing a series of animated shorts for the Internet, to debut this summer on https://www.shockwave.com. . . . Also signed to contribute animated features to Shockwave.com is TV producer James Brooks (“The Simpsons,” “Taxi”), who will provide 300 minutes of programming for the Web site. . . . The Internet venture being formed by director Ron Howard and DreamWorks partners Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen (https://www.pop.com) will include an online festival, “Popfest,” showcasing independently produced short films, animation and games. The site, which is currently accepting submissions for the festival, is expected to launch later this spring.

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At Least One Bond Remembers: Former James Bond star Roger Moore led the tributes Monday at a London memorial service for Desmond Llewelyn, who played the gadget-master Q in 17 Bond films. Moore said Llewelyn, who died in a car crash in December at age 85, was a “wonderful man” without whom no Bond film would have been complete. The four other 007 stars--Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan--did not attend the service.

ART

A Settlement Grows in Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Museum of Art and New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani agreed Monday to end their litigation over the “Sensation” exhibition, whose dung-decorated painting of the Virgin Mary was condemned as “sick stuff” by the mayor. He briefly cut off city funding to the museum and threatened to have it evicted from its building. Under the settlement, the museum will continue to get its $7-million-a-year city subsidy along with $5.8 million in capital funds--for improvements to its city-owned building--in the mayor’s upcoming budget. The museum said it was “extremely pleased” with the settlement, which also prohibits the city from any retaliation against the museum or its officials. The agreement comes two months after the “Sensation” exhibition, featuring the Saatchi collection of works of young British artists, completed its three-month run at the Brooklyn museum, drawing record crowds.

POP/ROCK

Wango Tickets: Tickets for KIIS-FM’s Wango Tango 2000 concert won’t be available through Ticketmaster--instead, they’ll be sold over the Web at https://www.tickets.com, with sales information available on the site beginning today. In addition to Marc Anthony, Lenny Kravitz, Enrique Iglesias and hosts ‘N Sync (the boy band will also perform, but won’t do a full concert set), scheduled acts include the Goo Goo Dolls, Sugar Ray, Jessica Simpson, Brian McKnight and Eiffel 65. And in what may be a tribute to a certain popular TV game show, five concertgoers will get a shot at becoming a millionaire; they’ll each get to pick from 300 bags of money that’ll be on the concert stage, one of which will contain $1 million in cash. The event will be held May 13 at Dodger Stadium.

QUICK TAKES

Dolly Parton is expanding her efforts in behalf of children’s literacy. The country music singer has announced that she’s raised $7 million to help expand to a national level her children’s reading program, Imagination Library. The program--funded by the singer’s nonprofit Dollywood Foundation--currently offers every child in her native Sevier County, Tenn., a book a month from birth until kindergarten. “Books were very special,” Parton said of her Tennessee childhood, “but they were very scarce.” . . . “Vatel,” British director Roland Joffe’s period film about the Duke of Conde’s valet, starring Gerard Depardieu and Uma Thurman, will open this year’s Cannes Film Festival with its world premiere on May 10. Joffe’s “The Mission” won Cannes’ coveted Palme d’Or prize in 1986. . . . Nathan Leventhal, president of New York’s Lincoln Center for 16 years, will leave his post at the end of the year but remain a member of the performing arts center’s board. Leventhal, 57, said he wanted to “enjoy some increased leisure time, while maintaining and expanding my portfolio of business and nonprofit activities.” . . . Veteran KABC-TV “Eyewitness News” reporter Mark Coogan will join KCBS next month as a reporter and substitute anchor. . . . CBS has scheduled its broadcast of “The American Film Institute Salute to Harrison Ford” for April 12 at 8 p.m.