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

MOVIES

‘Star Wars’ Museum Show: The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum will commemorate the 20th anniversary and re-release of George Lucas’ movie trilogy with “Star Wars: The Magic of Myth,” a yearlong exhibition examining how the films’ re-creation of ancient mythology has impacted world culture. Included in the comprehensive exhibition, scheduled to open at the Washington museum next November, will be more than 250 original props, models, costumes, characters and artwork used to create “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” It will be the first time many of the “Star Wars” artifacts, which have been stored in the Lucas Film archives, have been publicly displayed. An illustrated companion book will further explore the show’s mythological, historical and cultural themes. In 1992 the Smithsonian mounted a similar, yearlong exhibition focusing on another man-in-space entertainment phenomenon, “Star Trek.” That show drew nearly 900,000 visitors and had its own 300-member volunteer force to help the hundreds who lined up before the museum opened each day.

TELEVISION

‘Must-See TV’ Moves Into Times Square: NBC today will turn on its gigantic Astrovision video screen--a new Times Square attraction that will beam 18 hours a day of the network’s programming, including news, sports, weather and prime-time series. The roughly 34-foot-by-26-foot screen boasts 891 square feet of viewing space--bigger than the average New York apartment, a spokesman pointed out Thursday. Sponsored by Panasonic, the screen is located on the north face of One Times Square, the same New York building famous for its annual New Year’s Eve ball drop. The video screen--which in addition to NBC offerings will carry programs from New York’s NBC 4 and cable stations CNBC and MSNBC--will operate from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. However, there’ll be no audio feed, so all programs will be closed captioned.

KABC Anchor Shuffles: KABC-TV Channel 7 will have a couple of new anchors starting Jan. 6. Marc Brown, who already co-anchors the 6 p.m. newscast, will replace Steve Wolford on the 4 p.m. newscast, teaming with co-anchor Christine Lund. And Ellen Leyva will team with Gene Gleeson on the 5:30 and 6 a.m. broadcasts, replacing Alicia Lee. Both Wolford and Lee will remain with the station as reporters.

POP/ROCK

No Doubt Holds No. 1 Spot: No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom” is the nation’s top-selling album for the third straight week, SoundScan reported Thursday. The Orange County band’s collection sold 484,000 copies in the seven-day period that ended Sunday, bringing the album’s total sales to 3.9 million copies. Holiday shoppers boosted the week’s sales for the entire industry. “Tragic Kingdom,” for example, sold 155,000 more copies than in its previous week. Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You” sold 370,000 copies last week to place No. 2. In the high-profile soundtrack diva battle, Whitney Houston’s “The Preacher’s Wife” outsold Madonna’s “Evita,” with Houston selling 329,000 copies to take the No. 3 spot, while Madonna landed in 10th place with 210,000 copies sold (though “Evita” is a double-disc). R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” was the nation’s best-selling single for the second straight week.

STAGE

The ‘Rent’s’ on the Table: “Rent,” the blockbuster Broadway musical that comes to the Ahmanson Theatre in September, will bow on bookstore shelves in fully illustrated, hardcover form next June. The coffee-table book, to be released by William Morrow’s Rob Weisbach Books, will include the show’s full libretto as well as a biographical portrait of its writer, Jonathan Larson, who died on the eve of “Rent’s” debut last January.

QUICK TAKES

Former international ballet star Peter Schaufuss, who was briefly the artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet, will head the new 22-dancer Peter Schaufuss Ballet in Holstebro, Denmark, starting in July. . . . Fitness expert and video queen Denise Austin is getting a new TV show, “Denise Austin’s Daily Workout,” on cable’s Lifetime Television. The show premieres Jan. 6 and will be seen weekdays from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

Quotable: “I’d gone to the theater one night during the ’95 festival to see a few films--including ‘Shallow Grave’ and ‘The Basketball Diaries’--and I could barely eat for 24 hours because they were so loaded with violence.”

--Actor Robert Redford, talking in Interview magazine about how he believes the Sundance Film Festival, which he founded in 1981 to showcase independent films, is offering too much violent fare in an effort to sell tickets.