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

ENTERTAINMENT

Mr. Spielberg Goes to Washington: Steven Spielberg received the military’s highest civilian honor from Defense Secretary William Cohen at a Pentagon ceremony Wednesday. Spielberg was given the Distinguished Public Service Medal for sparking a surge of public support for U.S. armed forces through his Oscar-winning World War II epic, “Saving Private Ryan.” Spielberg was also to receive a second honor in Washington Wednesday, the previously announced Bicentennial Medal given by the Smithsonian Institution in recognition of his work promoting Holocaust remembrance.

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Carsey-Werner to Be Honored: The Museum of Television & Radio will honor sitcom producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner at its annual Los Angeles gala on Oct. 5. In announcing the honor, museum President Robert M. Batscha lauded the Carsey-Werner team--whose hits have included “The Cosby Show,” “Roseanne,” “Cybill” and “3rd Rock From the Sun”--as “two of television’s most creative and prolific producers” who “continually take risks in a genre they helped revive.” Last year’s honorees were Jerry Seinfeld and producer David E. Kelley.

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Family-Friendly Fare: The WB network is partnering with 11 major national advertisers--including AT&T;, General Motors, IBM, Procter & Gamble and Sears--on an initiative to develop new “wholesome and engaging” family-friendly prime-time series to begin airing in the fall of 2000. “We hope to create more program options that bring parents and children together,” said Andrea Alstrup, a Johnson & Johnson executive who’s co-chairing the Family Friendly Programming Forum overseeing the initiative. The advertisers have thus far allocated nearly $1 million for script development (the average script costs about $50,000 to $60,000), with WB programming executives to select the program’s potential writers as well as which scripts actually make it on to the pilot and/or series stage.

QUICK TAKES

Picking up on a recent media hot topic, the Screen Actors Guild has launched an advertising campaign urging more diverse casting on television. The first ad appeared in Wednesday’s Hollywood Reporter. The campaign aims to “convince industry insiders that diversity can improve their bottom line,” said Guild President Richard Masur, pointing out the success of TV dramas like “Law & Order,” “NYPD Blue” and “The Practice.” . . . The Backstreet Boys’ “Millennium” reclaims the No. 1 spot on the nation’s album charts this week as last week’s leader, Limp Bizkit’s “Significant Other,” falls to No. 2. “Millennium” has now topped 4.6 million copies sold since its May debut, making it the year’s best-selling release. . . . Cuban singer Albita has scheduled a last-minute engagement at the Conga Room (5361 Wilshire Blvd.) on Friday at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and $50.