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

THE ARTS

New NEA Chief Approved: The Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved President Clinton’s nomination of William J. Ivey, director of the Country Music Foundation and an essayist on American music, as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Ivey replaces Jane Alexander, who has resumed her acting career.

Warhol, Diebenkorn Records: An Andy Warhol “Self Portrait” went for $2.42 million at a New York auction Tuesday, the most ever paid for one of the artist’s self-portraits. Among other items at the Christie’s sale was Richard Diebenkorn’s “Berkeley,” which also set a record for the artist. The work, which had been included in a Whitney Museum retrospective, fetched $1.81 million. The night’s top price went to Amedeo Modigliani’s “Woman in a Plaid Dress,” which sold for $5.39 million.

ENTERTAINMENT

Whither ‘Fear’ Ads?: ABC has reportedly nixed running ads for Universal Studios’ upcoming film “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” in which Johnny Depp portrays gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson during a drug-crazed binge. Chris Hikawa of ABC’s broadcast standards and practices division told USA Today that the decision came because Thompson’s book, upon which the movie is based, “glorifies drug use.” The film’s director, Terry Gilliam, said he was surprised by ABC’s decision because the network runs ads for other R-rated films, including ones about serial killers and other violent events. ABC said Wednesday it is reviewing material about the film.

Siskel Recuperating: Movie critic Gene Siskel, 52, is recuperating at a New York hospital from surgery for an unspecified growth on his brain. “People deal with these things successfully all the time, and not just in the movies,” Siskel said in a statement released by his wife. A spokeswoman for the critic’s syndicated TV show declined to reveal details about the nature of the surgery, but said doctors have given him a good prognosis. She said Siskel expects to resume taping the show when his TV partner, Roger Ebert, returns later this month from the Cannes Film Festival.

QUICK TAKES

KCAL-TV Channel 9 scored the station’s highest ratings in at least the last 20 years on Tuesday with the broadcast the L.A. Lakers’ final second-round game with the Seattle SuperSonics. Station officials said KCAL was the day’s top-rated station in Los Angeles. . . . A Sunday night show by Beck at Santa Ana’s Galaxy Concert Theatre sold out within 10 minutes after the show was announced Tuesday night on radio station KROQ-FM (106.7). . . . John Travolta, in Cannes for a screening of his Clinton-esque film “Primary Colors,” told reporters that the president must not have been too offended by his performance. Travolta said the White House has even asked the actor to do a reprise: “I was invited to come to a party as the president and do a speech with [the president],” Travolta said. “But I declined because I thought it was best to leave the character on screen and not do parties.”