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

Discord at New O’Keeffe Museum: Just 11 days after the opening of the much-heralded Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, N.M., its director has resigned, effective Aug. 15. “The time is right. I did what I came here to do,” was the only explanation Peter Hassrick offered Tuesday. Speculation in the arts community, however, is that Hassrick quit because, four months ago, the museum brought in a president to help manage it. Museum President Jay Cantor, who previously ran the American painting department and museum services at Christie’s auction house, admitted that only a few large, urban museums have both a president and a director and called his own hiring a “useful, temporary solution to an enormous amount of work.” Hassrick, meanwhile, denied that his decision was related to Cantor.

TV & RADIO

Remembering Robert Mitchum: Cable’s Turner Classic Movies will honor the late Robert Mitchum on what would have been his 80th birthday, Aug. 6, with a 24-hour marathon of his movies. In addition to such films as “The Angry Hills,” “Ryan’s Daughter,” “The Last Time I Saw Archie,” “Cape Fear” and “Five Card Stud,” the marathon, which begins at 9 a.m., will include Mitchum’s last TV interview, given last year for TCM’s “Private Screenings Series” program.

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KABC Protest: About 20 to 25 protesters picketed and held up banners outside the South La Cienega Boulevard offices of radio station KABC-AM (790) Tuesday morning to protest the station’s move of longtime weekday host Michael Jackson to a weekend spot. “This is just too important to give up,” said West L.A. businessman Alex Cota, who organized the protest. “Michael Jackson’s a class act.” Cota said the protest drew interest from passersby who have agreed to join in a future protest that Cota is planning outside the headquarters of Walt Disney Co. chief Michael Eisner (Disney is a corporate parent of KABC). KABC spokesman Bill Lennert said: “We don’t want to lose these folks as listeners. . . . Our response [to the protest] was to thank them and give them coffee and doughnuts. And to remind them that they can still listen to Michael Jackson on the weekends.”

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Goldman Takes the Mike: Fred Goldman began his weeklong audition Monday as a radio talk-show host, and almost immediately began berating the criminal justice system for not punishing the man he maintains killed his son. “I’m not sure I’m ready for this, but I guess I’m going to find out very quickly,” Goldman said as he launched his two-hour tryout on San Antonio station WOAI-AM. Seconds later, Goldman began talking about O.J. Simpson’s criminal and civil trials, saying: “Ron was murdered . . . by a man that walks the streets today a free man. . . . The criminal justice system [doesn’t] seem to be working.” Some listeners called in to praise Goldman for speaking out on victims’ rights, while others took him to task for his verbal attacks on Simpson. Goldman, whose tryout runs through Friday, is one of several people vying for the talk-show spot.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Music for the Children: Siberian-born violinist Maxim Vengerov, 22, has been named Honorary Envoy of Music by UNICEF, a post that the organization says will allow him to “bring the magic of his music to disadvantaged children all over the world.” Among upcoming duties, Vengerov--who has previously done UNICEF fund-raising concerts throughout Europe--will perform this fall for children in war-torn Sarajevo. Said Vengerov: “Sharing classical music with young people is perhaps the greatest responsibility of my life.”

POP/ROCK

Selena Style: A women’s clothing line bearing the name of slain tejano singer Selena will be unveiled in New York showrooms by early September and should be available to major department stores by next spring. “Selena’s lifelong dream was to have her clothing designs available in major department stores throughout the country,” said her sister, Suzette Quintanilla Arriaga. The Selena collection--inspired by Selena’s own fashion style--is being designed by Sandra Salcedo, whose self-titled dress and sportswear line made its debut last year.

QUICK TAKES

Three days before his big Central Park concert airs on HBO, Garth Brooks will answer questions on cable’s VH1 in “Garth Brooks: Town Hall Live,” Aug. 4 at 9 p.m. Fans can submit queries via e-mail at AskGarth@AOL.com. . . . Live Entertainment will re-release Patrick Swayze’s “Dirty Dancing” in theaters on Aug. 22 to mark the movie’s 10th anniversary. The independent film--produced on a budget of only $7 million--originally grossed more than $170 million worldwide. . . . For the first time in its four-year history, KTTV-TV Channel 11’s “Good Day L.A.” last week edged out its local competitor, KTLA-TV Channel 5’s “Morning News” in household ratings. . . . Disneyland will lose its last original employee on Thursday, when Bob Penfield, who has been at the Anaheim theme park since opening day in 1955, retires. Penfield, 60, began as a ride operator on the Fantasyland Carrousel and is now a construction field superintendent. . . . “Snow White: A Tale of Terror,” a dark retelling of the Grimm Brothers’ fable that had originally been planned for theaters, will premiere on cable’s Showtime Aug. 24 at 9 p.m. Sigourney Weaver and Sam Neill star.