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

MOVIES & TV

Cannes Trouble: China has banned director Zhang Yimou’s “Keep Cool” from competing at this month’s Cannes Film Festival, industry sources said Wednesday. There was no official explanation for the ban. Sources said the film’s makers could still probably send the film to Cannes through “other channels,” but Zhang, who could not be reached, is said to be undecided on the matter. Sending the film would risk the ire of officials who have already approved the film for screening in China. In 1994, Chinese censors punished Zhang for sending “To Live” to Cannes without their permission, mandating that all his future films be entirely funded and produced in China.

Role Models: Girls are offered positive role models by the media but also receive “stereotypical messages” about appearance, relationships and careers, according to a study commissioned by the advocacy group Children Now. Researchers--who analyzed media outlets including TV, movies, music videos and advertising--found that women are likely to be shown talking about the opposite sex while men are more apt to discuss success and be shown working. Also, 46% of women on TV and 39% in movies were deemed to be “thin or very thin,” as opposed to just 16% and 4% of men.

Summer Fare: Fox said about 40% of its programming will be original this summer, including “Roar,” a Monday night “Braveheart”-style medieval drama. Other new fare includes a prime-time half-hour version of late-night’s “Mad TV,” paired on Monday nights with the British talk/comedy series “The Ruby Wax Show,” and “Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?,” a Sunday series hosted by James Brolin.

QUICK TAKES

After telling The Times last week that they were done with their analysis, police on Wednesday confiscated the bullet-riddled door of the rented GMC Suburban in which Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down, saying they needed it for evidence. Budget Rent-A-Car of Beverly Hills had planned to auction the door and give the money to charity, but Budget co-owner Corky Rice said Wednesday that police told him they could need the door for up to six years. Rice now plans to sell the rest of the vehicle privately (with a new door). . . . Actor Martin Sheen was one of eight people arrested Tuesday after they blocked the entrance of a strawberry ranch in a United Farm Workers protest in Watsonville, Calif. The protesters were cited and released. . . . Memorabilia donated by No Doubt, Melissa Etheridge, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and others will be sold today through Sunday at the annual Real Radio 97.1 (KLSX) silent auction at the Directors Guild in Hollywood. Proceeds go to the recording academy’s MusiCares Foundation.