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

POP/ROCK

Where’s the Spice?: The Spice Girls--under media scrutiny because of disappointing sales for their second album, “Spiceworld”--were booed off the stage in Barcelona Thursday after refusing to allow photographs during the performance. The British quintet were in Spain to receive a Premio Onda award for their contributions to music. On Friday, they declared themselves “stronger than ever--Girl Power” while meeting Italian reporters in Rome. Those reporters focused on rumors--which the singers denied--that the group was splitting up, with “Baby Spice” Emma Bunton likely to go first. Although the group’s debut album has sold 19 million copies worldwide, the follow-up sold only 83,000 copies during its first week in U.S. stores last week, landing at No. 8 on the pop chart. The group will have a chance to boost its sales, however, when the UPN network airs “Spice Girls: Too Much Is Never Enough,” a one-hour special, on Dec. 2. The group is also slated to perform on the Billboard Music Awards Dec. 8 on Fox.

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Weiland Giving Shelter: Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland is expected to preview his new solo material when he performs at Sunset Boulevard’s Roxy Theater Nov. 24 in the seventh annual “Gimme Shelter” acoustic benefit concert. Additional scheduled performers include Michael Penn, Lili Haydn, John Doe, Peter Himmelman, Nil Lara and Chris Stills. Tickets are $25; proceeds go to the Teen Parenting and Child Care Project.

MOVIES

Muslim Sentiments: Sri Lanka’s Muslim lawmakers are protesting the filming in their country of a five-part BBC series based on Salman Rushdie’s prize-winning novel, “Midnight’s Children.” In a letter to Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the lawmakers noted that the filming has been denied in both India and Pakistan because of fears that it would anger Muslims. “At this juncture, permitting this film to be shot on location here would be seen as a total disregard for the sentiments of a section of the citizens of this country,” the letter said. Indian-born Rushdie became a household name after being made the target of a death order by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini after allegedly blaspheming Islam in “The Satanic Verses.”

TELEVISION

Here and Gone: NBC’s first-year comedy “Union Square” aired Thursday without the character of struggling playwright Michael (Michael Landes), who was absent without explanation. An NBC spokeswoman said Friday that Landes has left the cast to pursue other opportunities. Because the show’s episodes are not being played in sequence, Landes will appear in several more installments, including next week’s. When those shows have played, viewers will be given an explanation of where the character has gone.

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‘Bella’ Boycott?: The Washington-based National Italian American Foundation is calling for a boycott of CBS’ miniseries “Bella Mafia,” which airs Sunday and Tuesday nights (see review, F18). “When Hollywood runs out of original ideas, it resurrects the Italian-American-as-gangster stereotype, which denigrates the nation’s fifth-largest ethnic group,” the organization said. “Viewers should send a strong message to the networks that they are tired of this kind of negative programming.” CBS’ response Friday: “We believe ‘Bella Mafia’ is four hours of entertaining television. We hope viewers will watch and judge for themselves.”

QUICK TAKES

Renoir’s 1888 painting “Baigneuse” (The Bather) sold for $20.9 million at Sotheby’s New York auction house Thursday night, more than double its pre-sale estimate. . . . Actress Elisabeth Shue (“Leaving Las Vegas”) and her director husband, Davis Guggenheim, welcomed their first child--son Miles William Guggenheim--on Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. . . . Julia Roberts will team with Hugh Grant in an as-yet untitled romantic comedy for PolyGram Films. Filming is set to begin in April. . . . Oprah Winfrey has donated $1.2 million in proceeds from her new home video, “Oprah: Make the Connection,” to the charity A Better Chance. Earlier this week, Winfrey also donated $1 million to Atlanta’s Morehouse College, to be used for scholarships. . . . Hootie and the Blowfish have settled a $150-million lawsuit by music promoter Henry Neuman, who claimed he discovered the band in 1991 and then was ousted when Hootie hit it big with the 1994 album “Cracked Rear View.” Terms were not disclosed. . . . A coalition of children’s and parents’ organizations have written to NBC President Bob Wright and Bob Johnson, head of cable’s BET, asking them to reconsider their decision not to carry the augmented, content-based TV ratings guidelines being carried by all the other TV networks. The letter was signed by the National PTA, the National Education Assn., the Center for Media Education, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups.