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

DANCE

Do a Little Dance: The Music Center Operating Co. on Monday announced that it has entered into a long-term agreement with impresario James A. Doolittle and the Southern California Theatre Assn. to present an annual dance season at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles. Along with continuing to present dance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Doolittle and his organization will schedule the first dance performances at the Ahmanson Theatre, where a renovation in 1994 included stage modifications to make the facility suitable for dance. While dates have not been announced, the programs start in June and will include the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet’s new “Blue Suede Shoes,” based on the life of Elvis Presley; Houston Ballet’s “Dracula”; American Ballet Theatre’s “Cinderella”; and the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago at the Pavilion, and Ballet Folklorico de Mexico at the Ahmanson.

TELEVISION

‘X-Files,’ the Movie: Fox is planning a potentially unprecedented move with its top-rated series “The X-Files”: a cliffhanger at the end of next season that would carry over into a feature film released the following summer. Series creator Chris Carter said Monday that he is writing the movie, which would have to be filmed this summer and would dovetail all the events of the 1997-98 TV season. Carter also indicated that next season, the show’s fifth, may be his last. Stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have signed contracts extending beyond that, but Carter will complete his obligation to the series next year.

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Martha’s Big Move: Martha Stewart, the mentor of lifestyle, has decided it’s time to set up house at another network. Stewart revealed this week that she is leaving NBC’s top-rated “Today” show for CBS’ ratings-challenged “This Morning.” It’s just a coincidence that she leaves “Today” after Bryant Gumbel quit as host, said Stewart, who contributed cooking and household hint segments twice a month to “Today.” She’ll be on CBS once a week starting Feb. 11. “I do have heart pangs about it, because I’ve made friends there,” she said. “For economic reasons and strategic reasons, it’s a very much more favorable move and situation for me.” CBS’ syndication arm, Eyemark, is distributing Stewart’s new six-days-a-week show about household hints starting in September. The program will follow “This Morning” in most of the country.

THEATER

Mr. Hwang Goes to Washington: “Golden Child,” the new play by David Hwang, will head to the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., when it closes at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa next month. It will open in Washington on March 1 for a limited run of four to five weeks. Producer Ben Mordecai said he hopes to take the show to Broadway after that in time for the Tony Awards. “We want to build the momentum in Washington to take it to New York,” says David Emmes, producing artistic director at SCR, which is part of the producing team with Mordecai and the Joseph Papp Public Theater off Broadway, where “Golden Child” had its first showing in November. Emmes said the decision was reached over the weekend.

LEGAL FILE

Dogg Victory: A Superior Court judge in Los Angeles Monday threw out an assault and battery civil lawsuit against Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre and others after the plaintiff’s lawyer admitted that his client is nowhere to be found. Lawyers for the rappers moved for “terminating sanctions” against David Ruffin, claiming he had “abandoned this case” by missing a settlement conference and several depositions late last year. Ruffin lawyer Farhad Novian filed a response to the motion, asking for additional time to “locate” his client. But after a short hearing, Superior Court Judge John Shook granted the defendants’ motion and dismissed the case. Ruffin filed the lawsuit in 1994, claiming the rappers and several members of their entourage beat him during the filming of a music video and again a few days later. Snoop Doggy Dogg’s real name is Calvin Broadus and Dr. Dre’s is Andre Young.

QUICK TAKES

Here’s lickin’ at you, kid. Humphrey Bogart will get a postage stamp in his “Big Sleep” likeness in June. Bogart is the third entry in the Postal Service’s Legends of Hollywood stamp series, following Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. . . . Universal Studios Home Video Monday announced the March 25 release of its fully restored, remastered “Vertigo,” which won critical acclaim last year in a big-screen revival. Suggested retail: $20. . . . “General Hospital” stars Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) and Jon Lindstrom (Kevin Collins) and former “GH” star Kin Shriner have been signed to head the cast of “GH2,” the working title of the new ABC soap that begins airing June 2. . . . MTV announced Monday it will return to the scene of last year’s “Spring Break” location programming. Taping is scheduled on the white-sand beaches of Panama City, Fla., from March 13-18. . . . The Sci-Fi Channel tonight begins showing the virtual reality series “VR.5,” which first aired on Fox in 1995. Three never-before-seen episodes will air on Jan. 21, March 25 and April 1.