TODAY’S NEWS, TOMORROW’S TELEVISION : Two ABC series win Western awards; PBS engages in ghostwriting

The “Requiem For a Hero� episode of ABC’s “Young Riders� and “Cougar: Ghost of the Rockies,� the premiere presentation of “ABC’s World of Discovery,� have been named winners of 1991 Western Heritage Awards. The awards will be presented March 16 during ceremonies at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.

Emmy-winning actress Barbara Babcock of “Hill Street Blues� fame will guest on an upcoming episode of NBC’s comedy series “Wings,� as the ex-con mom of Joe and Brian Hackett (Timothy Daly and Steven Weber).

James Earl Jones hosts and narrates “Portrait of Castro’s Cuba,� airing April 7 at 4 p.m. on TBS. The two-hour documentary will focus on the island’s poor economic conditions.

Peter O’Toole plays an evil tyrant who becomes the guardian of a young heiress in “The Dark Angel,� a British thriller airing March 21 on PBS’ “Mystery!� series. Jane Lapotaire and Tim Woodward co-star.

Scheduled for PBS this fall is “Ghostwriter,� a reality-based, contemporary mystery-adventure series featuring a cast of youngsters who plot their way out of jeopardy and mysteries with the help of a secret teammate--a “Ghost� who can only communicate in print.

Throughout the year, the Arts & Entertainment Network is presenting vintage programs from the long-running series “Hallmark Hall of Fame.� Upcoming dramas include: “Lamp at Midnight,� “Victoria Regina,� “Give Us Barabbas!� and “Elizabeth the Queen.�

Scott Bakula, star of NBC’s “Quantum Leap,� has been honored by the Hollywood Radio and Television Society as its International Man/Woman of the Year in Broadcasting for 1990. The award will be presented to Bakula next month at a dinner at the Beverly Hilton.

Kevin Costner fans take note: ABC is presenting his hit 1988 film “Bull Durham� Feb. 24 at 9 p.m. In the rollicking, ribald comedy--which certainly will be edited for TV--Costner dances, not with wolves, but with Susan Sarandon to the strains of the Dominoes’ “60-Minute Man.�

Terrell Anthony, late of the daytime dramas “The Guiding Light� and “All My Children,� has been signed to NBC’s “Another World� to play a guy named Joe who knows about Kathleen’s whereabouts since her supposed death in a plane crash.

Stoney Jackson and Daniel Hugh Kelly are in Dade County, Fla., filming NBC’s newaction-adventure-fantasy series, “The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage.�

Produced by Stephen J. Cannell (“Wiseguy�), the series will premiere this seasonwith a two-hour pilot and continue with weekly one-hour episodes.

Award-winning actress Jill Clayburgh is set to star in “Life Lines,� NBC’sdrama based on the late actress Jill Ireland’s book about her battle with cancerand her discovery her adopted son is a drug addict.

“Life Lines� will be telecast later this season.