THE PICKETT LINE [BR] Rhythm-and-blues great Wilson Pickett doesn't want to wait until the midnight hour of his life before retiring. Pickett, 50, whose music is featured prominently in the movie The Commitments, says, "I don't want to be out there like Sammy Davis Jr., working till the end. I don't want to be 65 and still working. There are youngsters coming up. The old farts should get on out of the way. I would like to retire with a good image, a good I rack record and money in my pocket." [P] A DISCOURAGING WORD [BR] Diane Ladd, who costars with daughter Laura Dern in the new film Rambling Rose, said she used to think she didn't want her daughter to follow in her professional footsteps. "Before she started acting, Laura [LB]then 11[RB] said to me, 'Mother, you encourage people to use their gifts, what about your own children?' " says Ladd, 54. "She said, 'If I were a piano player, would you tie my hands behind my back and not let me play until I was 18?' I said, 'Well, no.' And then she told me, 'Well, let me try, and if I don't have it, I'll go on and study law or medicine or be a housewife.' I finally gave up and [LB]yelling[RB] said, 'Okay!" And she's certainly shown me." [P] SALLY WANTS TO KNOW [BR] Intrepid talk show hostess Sally Jessy Raphaël asks three questions of people who are under consideration for a job on her show: "Did you ever read Nancy Drew? Do you know who Rumpole is? And who is the creator of Hercule Poirot?" Those who answer correctly, or at least recognize the names, get to move on to more substantive discussions. Raphaël, 50-plus, defends her rather unorthodox hiring style, saying, "In order to find people for my show, you have to be a good detective. If [LB]the job applicants[RB] are good detectives, I can make them good television people." [P] SQUEEZE PLAY [BR] Although he is portraying ex—Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Sam Malone for his 10th season on the NBC hit series Cheers, Ted Danson is no baseball fan. "I've never set foot in Fenway Park," says Danson, 43. "I wouldn't know [LB]Red Sox ace[RB] Roger Clemens from Samuel Clemens. I have nothing against baseball—it's cool—but basketball is my game. When [LB]batting star[RB] Wade Boggs appeared on the show, the writers had to explain he was a player on the Red Sox. I'm so dumb about baseball that, unlike Roseanne Barr [Arnold), I had to be taught how to grab my groin. But I've discovered groin grabbing is a great way to get close-ups. Whenever I grab my groin, the cameraman instantly pans up to my face." [P]