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

POP/ROCK

Pistol Problems: The Sex Pistols, the punk rock legends of the 1970s, played in public for the first time in 18 years Friday near Helsinki but threatened to leave the stage in the face of a barrage of plastic bottles thrown at them. “Stop, stop, stop,” singer Johnny Rotten, dressed in silver, shouted at an audience of 15,000 who were reveling at a summer festival. The young audience appeared unimpressed with the punk stars and was more interested in the local band Leningrad Cowboys and the U.S. group Bad Religion. The British band managed to complete its hourlong set, including the anti-royalist “God Save the Queen,” banned in Britain when it was first released. The Finnish concert was the first in a reunion world tour that took the Sex Pistols to London Sunday and will make stops at other European cities and the United States.

TELEVISION

On Tap From PBS: PBS announced a slate of new programs covering a range of topics from art to history to cooking at its annual meeting in San Francisco during the weekend. “I’ll Make Me a World,” a six-hour miniseries, will examine 20th century African American art. PBS will also offer two more “Wallace and Gromit” Claymation adventures--”A Close Shave” and “A Grand Day Out.” “The Voyage of the Matthew” is a miniseries that re-creates the story of British explorer John Cabot. “The Viking Saga,” a two-hour special, will tell the tale of the Viking explorers. In “Stephen Hawking’s Universe,” scientist Hawking explores the origins of the universe. “Battlefield III: Vietnam” will review the battles of the Vietnam War from a tactical standpoint. Julia Child will host a new series, “Baking With Julia,” in which renowned pastry chefs and bakers demonstrate how to make their goodies. In another series for foodies, “The Americas’ Family Kitchen,” host Vertamae Grosvenor will investigate the mix of cuisines that influence Creole cooking.

New Programming Chief: In other news from the PBS annual meeting, Kathy Quattrone was named PBS’ new executive vice president and chief programming executive. Quattrone, a 20-year public television veteran who most recently has been PBS’ senior vice president for programming, will be responsible for all programming distributed nationally under the PBS name. PBS Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Robert Ottenhoff has served as the acting chief programming executive since Jennifer Lawson left the post in February 1995.

LEGAL FILE

The Price Wasn’t Right: Both sides in game-show host Bob Barker’s libel lawsuit against a former “The Price Is Right” model emerged Friday in Los Angeles after a closed settlement conference without a deal, lawyers said. The judge in the case imposed a gag order. Barker, 73, last year sued Holly Hallstrom, 43, who said in interviews that Barker fired her after 19 years because she was fat. Barker claims that Hallstrom resigned on her own. Another model on the game show, Dian Parkinson, dropped a lawsuit last April that accused Barker of forcing her to have sex with him while she worked on the show. Barker said the two had consensual sex.

Rapper Arrested: Rapper Trevant Hardson of the Pharcyde was arrested and accused of trying to get on a plane from Japan to Hawaii with 17 rounds of handgun ammunition. Airport metal detectors found the .38-caliber bullets in a bag Hardson was carrying at Kansai International Airport near Osaka, police said. Hardson said he inadvertently brought the cartridge of bullets in his bag from his home in the United States. The Pharcyde had just finished a tour of four Japanese cities. Hardson is suspected of violating Japan’s sword and firearm control law, which is punishable by up to three years in prison and a $2,800 fine.

STAGE

99-Seater: The Antaeus Company, which had used an affiliation with the Mark Taper Forum (including a production of “The Wood Demon” there in 1994) to try to establish a major classical repertory company on an Actors’ Equity contract, is instead becoming a 99-seat company that will operate on Equity’s 99 Seat Theater Plan. Antaeus has leased a warehouse at 4916 Vineland Ave. in North Hollywood for conversion into the 99-seat New Place Theatre, where the company plans to do classics in repertory beginning in 1997. Meanwhile, the company will open “Of Mice and Men” at the nearby Ventura Court Theatre on July 6. Antaeus will continue to use Taper facilities for readings and rehearsals.

QUICK TAKES

Singer Michael Bolton will perform at the Greek Theatre on Sept. 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and at the Pond of Anaheim on Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Greek Theatre’s box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. . . . Basketball star Shaquille O’Neal will star in the Warner Bros. action-adventure movie “Steel,” based on the popular DC Comics character of the same name.