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

TELEVISION

‘Wing’ Takes Off: NBC’s Emmy-winning drama “The West Wing,” starring Martin Sheen, launched its second year in spectacular fashion Wednesday, with an average of roughly 25 million people viewing the two-hour premiere, a nearly 50% increase over the show’s previous ratings high. NBC also had reason to be encouraged by its new Aaron Spelling soap “Titans,” which debuted with a respectable 11.6 million viewers opposite “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (19 million). An estimated 16.6 million people watched the Country Music Awards on CBS.

‘Bachelor’ Bother: A contestant from this week’s “Sexiest Bachelor in America” Fox special is threatening to sue over being denied a shot at the $100,000 prize. Anthony Cyr of Michigan told “Inside Edition” he was disqualified minutes before the taping because of an “application for protection” order filed by an ex-girlfriend--a charge that set off red flags at Fox after the negative publicity surrounding its last pageant, “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?” Cyr maintains that the order was never issued and that his ex-girlfriend told the producers as much. The network said Cyr failed to disclose the information, “raising concerns about Mr. Cyr’s suitability.” Fox added that Cyr was afforded the same compensation as other non-finalists.

POP/ROCK

Rap Suit: Sean “Puffy” Combs’ former driver has filed a $3-million lawsuit claiming the rap mogul’s bodyguard forced him to run red lights after a nightclub shooting in December. Wardel Fenderson, 40, claims in the suit that he picked up Combs, actress Jennifer Lopez and bodyguard Anthony Jones outside the Manhattan club where three people had been shot. Fenderson alleges that as the group fled in Combs’ SUV, Jones grabbed the steering wheel and screamed at Fenderson “not to stop and to continue driving,” despite police orders to pull over. Prosecutors say someone threw a handgun out a window while the vehicle sped through 11 red lights. The SUV eventually was stopped by police barricades, and another gun was allegedly found on the floor. Combs and Jones have been charged with gun possession and bribery, the latter charge for allegedly offering Fenderson $50,000 and a diamond ring if he would claim the gun in the car was his. Rapper Jamal “Shyne” Barrow, 20, who had entered the club with Combs and Lopez, has been charged with attempted murder in the shootings.

No Intervention Intended: Responding to a Dallas Morning News report that the Drug Enforcement Administration and Houston police dropped an investigation into Rap-A-Lot Records and its owner, James A. Prince, after a letter she wrote to Atty. Gen. Janet Reno, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) told The Times late Wednesday that the letter was merely a request for an investigation into alleged police civil rights abuse and was not intended to “intervene” with the DEA probe. “Mr. Prince believes that he is being harassed and intimidated by the DEA officials in . . . Houston because of their assumption regarding the legitimacy of his business finances,” Waters wrote in the 1999 letter. Walters said that Prince came to her because he “felt his life was being threatened.” The Dallas paper also reported, meanwhile, that the case’s lead agent has since been transferred to a desk job.

QUICK TAKES

Tina Sinatra tells CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday that her father told her he did indeed get the Mafia to help deliver the union vote to elect John F. Kennedy as president in 1960. She also says for the first time that Frank Sinatra was secretly working for the CIA, as some sort of “courier,” though Sinatra never told her what he transported for the agency. . . . Jennifer Lopez, who drew the world’s attention in her baring floral Versace dress at this year’s Grammy Awards, will receive the Versace Award at the Oct. 20 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. The annual honor recognizes “the person who best continues to represent the boundless energy, infinite creativity and fearlessness” of the late designer Gianni Versace. . . . Mary Tyler Moore will receive the Ms. Wonderful Award from Cedars-Sinai’s Thalians Mental Health Center on Saturday at the Century Plaza Hotel. Debbie Reynolds, Ruta Lee, Dick Van Dyke, Ed Asner, Rose Marie and Betty White are among those set to take part in the tribute, which will honor Moore for her work on behalf of juvenile diabetes and animal welfare. . . . Valerie Harper is offering striking commercial actors free tickets to the Tuesday and Wednesday preview performances of her one-woman, multi-character play “All Under Heaven.” Striking actors, who must be current Screen Actors Guild members, can call the Ivar Theatre’s box office today through Sunday to reserve the tickets, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis. . . . Singer Juan Gabriel will be honored at a Los Angeles City Council meeting today, with the council and Mayor Richard Riordan declaring Saturday “Juan Gabriel Day.” Gabriel performs tonight through Sunday at the House of Blues. . . . Director Spike Lee and his “Bamboozled” cast members, Tommy Davidson, Jada Pinkett Smith and Michael Rapaport, will be guests tonight on ABC’s “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher” to discuss the film’s satirical look at the TV industry. . . . Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist and Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell have declared October “Grand Ole Opry Month” in honor of the Opry’s 75th birthday. Five special Opry birthday performances will be held in Nashville next Friday and Oct. 14, with scheduled performers including Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Travis Tritt and Trisha Yearwood. . . . The L.A. Weekly has issued an apology for running an advertisement promoting “Mr. Wong,” an animated Internet series (on Icebox.com) that has offended many in the Asian American community. The paper said it would donate money received from the ad to the Asian Pacific American Legal Center.