ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT REPORTS FROM THE TIMES, NEWS SERVICES AND THE NATION’S PRESS.

TELEVISION

Sweeps Switches: NBC has pulled “Jesse” for the next two weeks, with “Friends” reruns to air in its place rather than risk letting the Christina Applegate sitcom be pummeled by ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The network has made several other last-minute changes to boost its ratings in the November sweeps, among them airing the James Bond movie “GoldenEye” Nov. 20, the same weekend the latest 007 film, “The World Is Not Enough,” is scheduled to open.

PEOPLE

Something to Talk About: Grammy Award-winning singer Bonnie Raitt, 50, and her husband, actor Michael O’Keefe, 44, are divorcing, according to a statement issued Tuesday by Raitt’s record company, Capitol Records. . . . Meanwhile, magician David Copperfield ended his silence over his breakup with supermodel Claudia Schiffer after a six-year engagement, stating that work got in the way of their relationship, but they remain friends.

MOVIES

No Decision Yet: Jodie Foster, distancing herself from comments reported in W magazine that were interpreted to mean she doesn’t want to appear in the sequel to “The Silence of the Lambs,” said Wednesday she hasn’t made a decision on the project yet. The magazine had said Foster objected to the way FBI agent Clarice Starling was portrayed in the novel “Hannibal,” which is being adapted for a motion picture. “I will make my decision based on a reading of the script, which has not been received,” Foster said through a spokeswoman.

POP/ROCK

All the Rage: Rage Against the Machine’s “The Battle of Los Angeles” entered the national album chart at No. 1, based on sales last week of 430,000--the highest first-week total for an album since the 635,000 registered by Limp Bizkit’s “Significant Other” in June. The rock collection was joined by three other debuts in the Top 5: Mariah Carey’s “Rainbow,” 323,000 copies; rapper Lil’ Wayne’s “Tha Block Is Hot,” 229,000 copies; and Jim Johnston’s “WWF--The Music--Vol. 4,” 215,000.

Artists of the Century: The Recording Industry Assn. of America, which has tracked the careers of artists since 1958, has announced its “Artists of the Century List.” The Beatles top the list with more than 106 million albums sold in the U.S. alone. Garth Brooks, with 89 million albums in the U.S., is the most successful male artist. Barbra Streisand, who has sold nearly 62 million albums, is the most successful female artist. With 26 million copies, the Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” is the century’s best-selling album, and Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997,” the top-selling single, with U.S. sales of 11 million copies.

QUICK TAKES

NBC’s “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” kicked off its week in Los Angeles with big local ratings, watched in about 245,000 Southland homes Tuesday night. That more than tripled the tune-in for CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman,” which begins an hour earlier, and quintupled viewing of time-period rival “Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn” on CBS. . . . The American Film Institute will salute funny films and film performers on “AFI’s 100 Years . . . 100 Laughs,” scheduled to air on CBS next June. Just as with two previous CBS telecasts--”AFI’s 100 Years . . . 100 Movies” and “AFI’s 100 Years . . . 100 Stars”--the three-hour special will present America’s funniest movies as chosen by members of the entertainment community. Cary Grant stars in 17 of the nominated films.