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

POP/ROCK

Back to the Garden: The first large-scale concerts with major-name talent at the site of the original Woodstock since the original Woodstock 29 years ago will be held Aug. 14 and 15, commemorating the anniversary of those “three days of peace and music.” Joni Mitchell--who didn’t make it to Woodstock but wrote a much-loved song about it--is expected to be announced as one of the headliners today, as is Stevie Nicks (who also did not appear at the 1969 event) along with several acts that did perform at the famed gathering. Going under the title “A Day in the Garden” (the name “Woodstock” is owned by the producers of the original show, who also oversaw Woodstock ’94 at another site), this is the first event at the old Yasgur farm property since it was purchased by businessman Alan Gerry, who reportedly has plans to build a Branson, Mo.-type destination for the Woodstock generation.

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Pearl Jam Hits the Road: A capacity crowd of about 10,000 greeted Pearl Jam on Sunday at the Canyons in Park City, Utah, on the second date of the Seattle band’s much-anticipated North American tour. A reviewer for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City declared the show a triumph, calling it a “great, dynamic . . . performance.” A day earlier, Pearl Jam kicked off the tour in front of a crowd of 22,000 in Missoula, Mont., home of bassist Jeff Ament. The Missoulian newspaper described the opening concert as “a 1-hour 45-minute spectacle replete with a gorgeous light show [and] a selection of songs spanning the group’s eight years.” The tour reaches the Cox Arena in San Diego on July 10 and the Great Western Forum on July 13-14.

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Mayfield Has Leg Amputated: Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Curtis Mayfield, who has been a quadriplegic since a stage lighting tower fell on him during a 1990 concert, underwent surgery last week to have his right leg amputated below the knee, a spokeswoman for Warner Bros. Records said Monday. Fans can write to the singer-songwriter in care of the Sussex Group, 707 Lake Cook Road, Suite 100, Deerfield, Ill. 60015.

MUSIC

‘The Peony Pavilion’ in Limbo: “The Peony Pavilion,” centerpiece of next month’s Lincoln Center Festival 98, remains in limbo, its sets and costumes prevented from leaving China by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture. Nigel Redden, director of the Lincoln Center Festival, traveled to China on Saturday to meet with Chinese officials. Over the weekend, the New York Times reported, Shanghai newspapers criticized the director of the U.S.-sponsored production, Chinese emigre Chen Shi-Zheng, saying his interpretation of the 400-year-old opera pandered to “foreigners’ biased and prejudiced view of China.” “Within reason, the director has indicated his willingness to make changes,” Nat Leventhal, Lincoln Center president, said Monday. “But it’s not a simple question of, if you change these four things then you can go.” According to Leventhal, sets and costumes must leave Shanghai by Thursday in order to open the opera on schedule July 7 in New York. “We knew there might be issues,” he continued, “but Lincoln Center paid for ‘The Peony Pavilion.’ It never occurred to us that we couldn’t get possession.”

ART

Visual Artist Awards: The Pasadena-based Flintridge Foundation has honored 12 Los Angeles- and San Francisco-based artists with its inaugural Visual Artists Awards. Recipients were chosen from more than 650 West Coast applicants whose careers span a minimum of 20 years. Grants totaling $300,000 will be awarded to Southern Californians Chris Burden, John Divola, Noah Purifoy, Nancy Rubins and Betye Saar. The Northern California honorees are Lynne Hershman, David Ireland, Tom Marioni, Ron Nagle, Mark Thompson, Carlos Villa and Al Wong.

PEOPLE WATCH

Seeing Stars: “The Simpsons,” Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Newhart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Wesley Snipes, Jane Seymour, Alex Trebek, Reba McEntire, newsman Jess Marlow and the late Patsy Cline are among those slated to get stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year. Other Class of ’99 star recipients include Dennis Franz, Robert Vaughn, James Woods, Michele Lee, Buffalo Bob Smith, Alabama, Freddy Fender, John Fogerty, Charley Pride, Keely Smith, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

QUICK TAKES

The U.S. premiere of Adrian Lyne’s controversial film “Lolita,” which will air on cable’s Showtime in August after failing to find a willing theatrical distributor, will take place July 15 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills; proceeds will benefit the American Civil Liberties Union. Tickets are $100-$1,000, available through the ACLU. . . . The Fox Family Channel, which premieres on cable Aug. 15, is developing “Michael Jordan: The Untold Story of an American Hero,” a dramatic movie scheduled to debut in early 1999. A nationwide casting search is underway to find an actor with “good looks, charisma and an ability to shoot a 30-footer” to play the title role.