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

TV & RADIO

Crossover Romance?: After seeing ratings improve on his least successful drama, “The Practice,” following last month’s high-profile crossover with the very popular “Ally McBeal,” series creator David E. Kelley is connecting his two shows once again. Although no “Ally” characters will appear on ABC’s “Practice” this time around, its star, Dylan McDermott, will return to Fox’s “Ally” for Monday’s series finale. This time, McDermott’s Bobby Donnell, who clashed with Calista Flockhart’s Ally on the first crossover, has romance on his mind.

*

Kermit TV: The Jim Henson Co. (creator of the Muppets) and Hallmark Entertainment announced plans Tuesday to launch the Kermit Channel, a 24-hour international pay channel featuring family programming from both companies. The channel will launch in September in Asia and Latin America; the companies also are pursuing cable ventures in the U.S. Among those who will oversee the new Colorado-based network is Margaret Loesch, the former head of Fox Children’s Network.

*

‘Invasion’ Animation: The WB network will premiere “Invasion America,” a science-fiction serial drama from DreamWorks TV Animation, as a two-night event on June 8 and 9. Billed as “the first animated drama series” on prime-time TV, the series will air for four weeks in “Dawson’s Creek’s” slot Tuesdays from 9-10 p.m., followed by a 90-minute season finale on July 5 at 7 p.m. The six-part series--about a 17-year-old destined to lead Earth’s defense in interplanetary war--includes voices from Leonard Nimoy, Edward Albert, Nora Dunn and Robert Urich.

*

Debate Coverage: KCBS-TV Channel 2 and KCET-TV Channel 28 are among those planning to air today’s gubernatorial debate featuring the four major candidates, Democrats Al Checchi, Gray Davis and Jane Harmon and Republican Dan Lungren. Both stations will air the debate--which is being held at the Los Angeles Times from 10:30 a.m.-noon--on tape delay, with KCBS’ coverage planned for 2-4 p.m., while KCET will air it from 7-9 p.m. on “Life & Times Tonight.” Meanwhile, radio station KNX-AM (1070) will run live debate coverage beginning at 10 a.m., while KCRW-FM (89.9) will air it at 1 p.m., followed at 2:30 p.m. by a half-hour of live analysis on “Left, Right & Center.”

*

Levinson Said to Direct Simpson Trial Story: Author Lawrence Schiller says Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson (“Rain Man,” “Wag the Dog”) has agreed to direct a TV movie version of Schiller and James Willwerth’s well-reviewed book “American Tragedy: The Uncensored Story of the Simpson Defense,” with Norman Mailer writing the screenplay. Schiller said that the film, which he hopes will air on ABC next May, deals mainly with the attorneys involved in the case, hence O.J. Simpson himself is not actually depicted in the movie. Schiller collaborated with Simpson on his jailhouse book, “I Want to Tell You.”

MOVIES

Protecting the Beast: TriStar Pictures is so worried about folks leaking early images from its “Godzilla” movie that it plans to subject members of the press to bag searches and metal detectors during Sunday’s media screenings. “We don’t want the creature revealed,” said a Columbia TriStar spokeswoman, referring to unprecedented wording on the screening invitation that says: “All types of camera / recording equipment and all photography / recording of this performance are strictly prohibited. All bags will be searched and all persons will be subject to metal detection survey before entrance is granted.”

POP/ROCK

Another Rap Controversy: The Simon Wiesenthal Center stopped short of calling for a boycott of a new Priority Records album by the L.A.-based rap group Concentration Camp, titled “Da Halocaust,” but strongly protested its arrival in record stores on Tuesday. Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the center, said it was “inappropriate” for the group and the label to “expropriate the language and symbolism of the worst crime of this century in order to sell a few more albums.” Bryan Turner, president and CEO of Priority, defended the album, saying: “As rap artists with their own view of the world, Concentration Camp is using the Holocaust figuratively as a metaphor for their personal experience growing up in an environment filled with hardship and suffering.” Turner said the album contained “no lyrical content . . . that is relevant in any way to the Nazi Holocaust.”

*

She’s Got What She Needs: Dionne Warwick will be joined by numerous pop and hip-hop stars in an L.A. recording studio this weekend to remake “What the World Needs Now” for a new album that will include several other new versions of Burt Bacharach-Hal David songs that Warwick made famous in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Among the others who have agreed to join her on the River North / Platinum Records project: Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown and rappers Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Big Daddy Kane.

QUICK TAKES

Monday’s season finale of the family drama “7th Heaven” was the most watched program in WB network history, with more than 9.3 million viewers tuning in. In Los Angeles, the show won its 8-9 p.m. time slot on KTLA-TV Channel 5. . . . CNN talk-show host Larry King has signed to stay at the network through 2002. The new contract will reportedly bring him nearly $7 million a year.