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

TELEVISION

Cable Positive: More than 280 cable networks and systems have signed on to air AIDS-related programming and public service announcements on Monday as part of “Cable Positive,” the cable industry’s annual observance of World AIDS Day. Scheduled programming highlights include a rebroadcast of “George Michael’s Concert of Hope,” a benefit for two AIDS charities that was attended by the late Princess Diana and included performances by k.d. lang and David Bowie, at 10:30 p.m. on the Disney Channel; “LifeStories: Families in Crisis,” about an 11-year-old with AIDS, at 7 p.m. on HBO; and rebroadcasts of the movies “The Ryan White Story” and “And the Band Played On,” airing Sunday at noon and 2 p.m., respectively, on Lifetime Television. In addition, all program hosts on the Game Show Network will wear red ribbons on Monday, and Ovation--the Arts Network will run AIDS-related programming through the week, including tributes to artists affected by AIDS, such as the late dancer Rudolf Nureyev and the late painter Keith Haring.

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PBS Funding: The Corp. for Public Broadcasting has earmarked nearly $5 million to be spent on 18 new and continuing PBS projects, including “American Lives,” a five-part Ken Burns series profiling important figures in American history. Other funded projects include “Plaza Sesamo,” a Spanish-language version of “Sesame Street”; “Yours for a Song: The Women of Tin Pan Alley,” a 60-minute documentary on female songwriters from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s; and the animated children’s series “Arthur.” . . . In other PBS news, the six-hour miniseries “Liberty! The American Revolution” averaged a 5% share of the TV-watching audience on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights. Although falling short of the blockbuster 14% audience share for Ken Burns’ “The Civil War,” the miniseries still ranked 39% above PBS’ season-to-date average in overnight ratings.

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Singing for UNICEF: Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Shawn Colvin, Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams and comedian Chris Rock are set to perform in “A Gift of Song,” an all-star benefit concert for the U.S. Committee for UNICEF that airs live on cable’s TNT on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. Others scheduled to perform at the event at New York’s Beacon Theatre include Mary Chapin Carpenter, Aaron Neville, the Bacon Brothers, Aaliyah, Simply Red, Diane Warren and actress Sarah Jessica Parker. All the participating artists have pledged the copyright to one of their songs to UNICEF so that the organization will receive longtime royalties.

STAGE

This American Reading: National Public Radio’s Ira Glass will present a special live and in-person edition of his Peabody Award-winning radio show, “This American Life,” at UCLA’s Veteran’s Wadsworth Theatre on Dec. 14 at 2 and 7 p.m. The show--which will be taped for airing on KCRW-FM (89.9) on Dec. 20 at 10 a.m.--will be called “A Very Special David Sedaris Christmas.” Author Sedaris (NPR’s “Santaland Diaries”) and other celebrities will read stories from Sedaris’ latest book, “Holidays on Ice.” Tickets are $21.50.

MOVIES

Looking for Big Screen Rewards: Believing that it has an Academy Award-worthy program on hand, the cable television network American Movie Classics has postponed its scheduled Dec. 16 airing of “Frank Capra’s American Dream,” a 90-minute documentary about the filmmaker’s life. Oscar rules stipulate that movies submitted for academy consideration cannot be televised during the nominations process. The documentary had an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run in Santa Monica in September.

MUSIC

Passing on the Art Form: Traditional Cambodian musician Yinn Ponn, leader of the Long Beach-based Pin Peat orchestra, and Nigerian Frances Awe, a leader of the percussion style known as the “talking drum,” are among six recipients of the first Durfee Music Fellowships, a new program that aims to ensure a new generation of musical artists. The fellowships, administered by the Santa Monica-based Durfee Foundation, will award about $22,500 per year to each of the six master musicians so that they can teach promising young students for free. Additional fellowship recipients are Cuban conga player Francisco Aguabella; Souhael Kaspar, an acclaimed performer on Near Eastern percussion instruments including the Egyptian Tablah; R&B; and jazz saxophonist Cecil James “Big Jay” McNeely; and Lakshmi Shankar, sister-in-law of legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar and a star Indian-style vocal performer in her own right.

QUICK TAKES

NBC will air a special hourlong “3rd Rock From the Sun” following the Super Bowl on Jan. 25. . . . Cable’s Showtime and MTV will simultaneously broadcast one of U2’s “Pop Mart” concerts, from Mexico City, next Wednesday at 11 p.m. . . . NBC is planning a TV movie based on the story of Lisa Lambert, whose 1996 murder conviction in Pennsylvania was later overturned by an appellate court that--in a precedent-setting move--barred the state from retrying the case. The Lambert story was extensively profiled in a recent Los Angeles Times article.