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

POP/ROCK

Mac Attack: Fleetwood Mac kicked off its reunion tour Wednesday with a two-hour, 26-song show that drew an appreciative crowd of about 20,000 to the Meadows Music Theatre in Hartford, Conn. Drawing mostly on its ‘70s catalog of hits, the group’s “Rumours”-era lineup--Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood--”sounded splendid and seemed genuinely touched by the reception,” wrote the Hartford Courant’s Roger Catlin. “Caution and holding back seemed the essence of the show, but the reward came in general technical excellence.” The tour, which continues tonight in Boston, reaches the Southland next month for sold-out shows Oct. 17-19 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre and Oct. 24 at the Hollywood Bowl.

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Twain’s Return: Country music diva Shania Twain, whose 1995 debut album, “The Woman in Me,” is nearing the 10-million mark in U.S. sales, will release her follow-up, “Come On Over,” on Nov. 4, in time for the critical holiday sales rush. Twain will perform the album’s first single, “Love Gets Me Every Time,” during the Country Music Assn. Awards airing Wednesday on CBS.

TV & MOVIES

Moving to Drama: Arsenio Hall, who failed to click with audiences last season in ABC’s short-lived comedy “Arsenio,” is trying his hand at a TV drama. Hall, best known for his groundbreaking late-night talk show, has signed with 20th Century Fox Television to make a pilot for CBS. Specifics about the project were unavailable, but sources said the drama would also have a great deal of comedy and would allow Hall to take on different characters as he did in the film “Coming to America.” Sources described the premise as “ ‘Midnight Run’ meets ’48 HRS.’ ”

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Travolta in Washington: Actor John Travolta addressed Washington lawmakers Thursday about the treatment of Scientologists in Germany. Travolta and other speakers--who called the treatment a form of religious discrimination and persecution--appeared before the congressional Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, a bipartisan human rights panel. Travolta--whose films have been the target of German boycott attempts because of his Scientology affiliation--said he aimed to “lend a voice to . . . [German Scientologists] whose rights as human beings and citizens are being trampled.”

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News Bulletins: CBS News, hurt by its slow reporting the night of Princess Diana’s death, is creating a new 24-hour “bulletin center” staffed with correspondents and technicians in an effort to speed its response to breaking news. In addition, more CBS executives will have the authority to break in for news reports, CBS said. While its rivals were reporting on the Aug. 30 crash, CBS struggled for more than an hour to find someone to go on the air. ABC made similar changes after a poor performance reporting the early morning bombing at the Atlanta Olympics last year.

THE ARTS

Les Awards Bessies: The 13th annual Bessies--formerly titled the New York Dance and Performance Awards--were handed out in New York Wednesday night with two of the honors going to “Les Enfants Terribles,” the experimental dance-opera spectacle coming to the Wiltern Theatre on Oct. 24 and 25. Choreographer Susan Marshall and composer Philip Glass picked up a “choreographer/creator” award for the piece, which is based on the works of French artist Jean Cocteau. And Kasia Walicka-Maimone won a visual design award for the same work. Among the evening’s other honorees were Mikhail Baryshnikov, who won a special citation for his artistic direction of the White Oak Project.

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‘Mr. Fox’ Goes to the Opera: The L.A. Opera will premiere a new American opera, “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” at the Music Center in December 1998. Based on Roald Dahl’s children’s fable of the same name, it will be composed by Tobias Picker, with a libretto by Donald Sturrock. Picker called it “an opera for ages 5 through 105.” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” first published in 1970, tells the story of a wily fox who must outwit three mean farmers to feed and protect his family. Dahl’s other stories include “James and the Giant Peach.”

QUICK TAKES

Cable’s Turner Classic Movies will pay tribute to actor-comedian Red Skelton, who died Wednesday, with a 24-hour film slate starting at 3 a.m. Saturday. Among the titles: “Excuse My Dust” (1951), “Bathing Beauty” (1944), “I Dood It” (1943) and “Watch the Birdie” (1951). . . . Cable’s E! Entertainment will pay tribute to slain fashion designer Gianni Versace on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. as part of “Videofashion! Weekly.” The half-hour tribute repeats Thursday at 9 a.m. . . . Former KABC-TV Channel 7 anchor Lisa McRee is faring no better in the ratings than her “Good Morning America” predecessor, Joan Lunden. For the week of Sept. 8--McRee’s debut on the national morning show--”GMA” drew an average of 3.9 million viewers, while NBC’s ratings leader, “Today” averaged 5.6 million. . . . “Wiseguy” star Ken Wahl, 40, married Playboy model Shane Barbi, 33, in Las Vegas Wednesday. Barbi said that Wahl had finished a court-ordered, live-in alcohol rehabilitation program the previous day. . . . Recent Emmy-winner Kristen Johnston (“3rd Rock From the Sun”) will hold an online chat today at noon at https://www.eonline.com/Chat.