Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation’s press.

MOVIES

Back in the Director’s Chair: Christopher Reeve, who recently made his directorial debut with HBO’s TV movie “In the Gloaming,” met over the weekend with Rysher Entertainment’s Keith Samples and producer David Kirkpatrick to discuss directing a feature-length film for Rysher called “Tell Me True.” The movie, slated to begin shooting in April, is a modern-day fable/love story about a court reporter who knows when people are lying. “We had agreed to make the movie prior to Chris’ accident,” Kirkpatrick said of the 1995 accident that left Reeve paralyzed. “A week later, he fell from the horse. We sent him a telegram essentially saying that we would make the movie with him. He often talks about it as being a hope for a future that didn’t seem to exist to him at that moment in time. Then, about six months ago, he said he was ready.” Samples and Kirkpatrick will produce the film, which will be cast early next year.

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What’s in a Name?: Universal Pictures has decided to drop the contested title “The Day of the Jackal” from a movie currently filming in London starring Bruce Willis and Richard Gere. Loosely based on the 1973 film of the same name, the studio had recently received entreaties from Fred Zinnemann, the original film’s director, to refrain from using the title for the new project. The film, which will be released in the second half of 1997, remains without a name for now and is being referred to as “The Untitled Jackal Project,” a Universal spokesman said. In the new movie, Gere plays a hit man contracted by the Russian mafia to kill the U.S. president. In the 1973 film, also distributed by Universal, the killer was targeting French President Charles de Gaulle.

JAZZ/MUSIC

Jon Gordon Wins Monk Prize: New York alto saxophonist Jon Gordon is the winner of the 10th Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, held Monday at Washington’s Kennedy Performing Arts Center. Gordon will receive $20,000 (half will go directly toward his musical studies), plus dramatically enhanced visibility in the jazz world. The prestigious event, which has produced such past winners as saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Jacky Terrasson, will be broadcast in December on ABC.

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Bowling ‘Em Over: Principal Conductor John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra should feel at home when they make their South American debut this week. That’s because they will be performing outdoors in a specially constructed stage complete with a replica of the Hollywood Bowl’s famous shell. The three-concert Brazilian tour--focusing on music from Hollywood movies and Broadway musicals--starts tonight with a free show on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach.

TV/RADIO

Just Prove It: Walter Cronkite, weighing in on David Brinkley’s much-publicized election night barbs against President Clinton, said he’s disappointed that Brinkley subsequently apologized. Instead, Cronkite said that Brinkley, as a seasoned commentator, was entitled to air his opinions and should have used the mishap (he apparently thought the microphone was turned off) to put Clinton on the spot. Brinkley, Cronkite said, should have said something like: “Mr. President, you know now that I think you’re boring. You’ve got 10 minutes to prove me wrong.”

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Spring Training: NBC said it will introduce two new shows to its top-rated Thursday lineup as “spring tryouts” in January and March. Candidates for those coveted time periods include the Tea Leoni comedy “The Naked Truth,” which was seen last season on ABC. Speculation is that NBC will give “Suddenly Susan” or “The Single Guy” a rest (possibly moving the latter to a different night) so it can launch new programs following “Friends” and “Seinfeld.”

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‘Little’ Cosby Stories: Bill Cosby has written a series of six children’s books to be published next year by Scholastic’s Cartwheel Books, with illustrations by L.A. artist Varnette P. Honeywood. Targeting beginning readers, ages 7 to 10, Cosby’s “Little Bill” stories are said to take on subjects including honesty, kindness, courage, creativity, family and friendship.

HOLIDAY CHEER

Gobble-Gobble It Up: For the 18th year, Hollywood’s Laugh Factory will serve free Thanksgiving and Christmas Day dinners to struggling and/or lonely comics and others in the entertainment community. Turkey with all the trimmings--accompanied by on-stage comedy--will be served starting at 1 p.m. each day. Advance reservations are required.

QUICK TAKES

Former “Hill Street Blues” star Daniel J. Travanti is joining Showtime’s drama “Poltergeist: The Legacy,” which starts its second season in March. . . . Cable’s Comedy Central begins showing reruns of Michael Moore’s defunct hourlong network series “TV Nation”--edited into half-hour episodes--on Monday. The program will be seen Mondays-Thursdays at 7:30 and 11 p.m., and Sundays at 9 a.m. . . . Carlos Santana will be honored for his musical innovation when he receives the special Century Award during the 1996 Billboard Music Awards, airing Dec. 4 on Fox.

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Quotable: “Somebody finally cast me right. They took advantage of all this makeup for once.” --Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Bakker) speaking on today’s “Entertainment Tonight” about her upcoming guest role on “The Drew Carey Show”--playing Mimi’s (Kathy Kinney) mother.