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

POP/ROCK

Dole vs. Springsteen: The Bob Dole presidential campaign is at odds with the rock ‘n’ roll world again, and Bruce Springsteen, who clashed with Ronald Reagan in 1984, is again involved. The Dole bus blared Springsteen’s ‘80s anthem “Born in the USA” during a Monday rally in Neptune, N.J., prompting the rocker, who owns a nearby home, to fax the Asbury Park Press to “make clear that [the song] was used without my permission and I am not a supporter of the Republican ticket.” In 1984, Reagan also prompted a bitter response from Springsteen when he praised the rocker’s “message of hope” during a New Jersey reelection speech. The Dole camp, meanwhile, was criticized last month by the publisher of the classic 1960s song “Soul Man,” which claimed that he used the song without permission, changing the lyrics to “Dole Man.”

Still in Nirvana: Continuing their fascination with Nirvana some 2 1/2 years after the suicide of singer Kurt Cobain, rock fans made the group’s “From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah” the nation’s best-selling album last week. A collection of previously unreleased live recordings, “Wishkah” sold about 159,000 copies last week, according to SoundScan. That sales figure was considerably down, however, from the last Nirvana release, “Unplugged in New York,” which sold 311,000 during its first week in November 1994. The No. 2 album last week was “Aenima,” the second full-length album from the L.A. rock band Tool, selling 148,000 copies its first week in stores. Also debuting strong: Kenny G’s “The Moment,” in No. 4 with 106,000 copies sold.

STAGE

On Her Way to the ‘Forum’: Whoopi Goldberg will take a break from the movie biz by replacing Tony winner Nathan Lane as Pseudolus in Broadway’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” allowing Lane (“The Birdcage”) to return to work in the movies (he’ll film DreamWorks’ “Mousehunt”). “Forum” producer Roger Berlind said it will be determined during rehearsals whether Goldberg--the first woman to take on the role--will play Pseudolus as a man or a woman. Goldberg--who debuted in Broadway with a one-woman show in 1983 but has never before appeared in a Broadway book musical--is scheduled for a Feb. 11 to June 29 run.

TELEVISION

Hoax Gets by CNN, NBC: CNN and NBC were among the news organizations taken in by a “video” that purported to show a scantily dressed Princess Diana cavorting with a lover. Both networks on Tuesday aired portions of the tape, originally obtained by Rupert Murdoch’s London newspaper, the Sun. NBC aired footage on the “Today” show and on its MSNBC cable network, while CNN showed it on a TV monitor in the background of reports about how the footage was airing on British television. But the Sun announced Tuesday night that it had been “conned by cunning fraudsters,” forcing NBC and CNN to inform viewers of the hoax Wednesday. ABC, CBS and Murdoch’s new Fox News Channel did not air the phony footage.

Self-Criticism: CBS News President Andrew Hayward was scheduled to tell a nationwide gathering of news directors and executives at the L.A. Convention Center Wednesday night that daily practices of laziness, imitation and predictability in network newsrooms were largely responsible for a sharp decline in viewership. “It makes good business sense to take a hard look at ourselves and why we’re losing our voice in the national dialogue,” read an advance copy of Hayward’s speech, prepared for the keynote address at the Radio-Television News Director Assn.’s Edward R. Murrow Awards reception. Hayward planned to call the networks guilty of the Seven Daily Sins--Imitation, Predictability, Artificiality, Laziness, Oversimplification, Cynicism and Hype.

RADIO

Where Are the Listeners?: Despite a burst of publicity that preceded his July 9 arrival, New York shock-jock Don Imus fared poorly in his first at bat in the L.A./Orange County radio market. Arbitron ratings through Sept. 18 ranked his 5-10 a.m. KLAC-AM (570) broadcast 23rd in the key morning drive period with 1.6% of the audience. In the spring quarter prior to Imus’ arrival, KLAC’s morning show had a 2.4% share and ranked 16th.

Taming the Night: After a “fair number of complaints” from listeners about the combative style and offensive language of new nighttime host Phil Hendrie, KFI-AM (640) program director David Hall said Wednesday that such language “was never intended to be a part of the show” and will not continue. “The point of the show was about satire, not about nasty language.” But Hall, who likened the program to NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” declined any apology. Hendrie took over the 9 p.m.-midnight slot on Monday, replacing the talk-show host known as Mr. KFI. However, despite his previous announcement that Mr. KFI had left the station, Hall said Wednesday that Mr. KFI is still on board and that a new slot is being sought for him.

QUICK TAKES

The Museum of Television & Radio’s tribute to the 1966-71 series “That Girl,” scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at the Directors Guild of America, will go on as planned despite the death of series star Ted Bessell. Bessell, who died Sunday of a suspected heart attack, played Marlo Thomas’ boyfriend, Don Hollinger, on the ABC sitcom. Bessell had been set to appear with Thomas at the event. A museum spokesperson said that Thomas will lead a tribute to the actor. . . . About 14.5 million homes nationwide watched ABC’s “PrimeTime Live” Tuesday night, which included Diane Sawyer’s interview with former LAPD Det. Mark Fuhrman. The program topped the ratings at 10 p.m. with a 26% share of the audience, beating TV movies on CBS (15%) and NBC (11%).