TELEVISIONSinatra Can’t Punch Out ‘ER’: Frank Sinatra’s...

TELEVISION

Sinatra Can’t Punch Out ‘ER’: Frank Sinatra’s star-studded 80th birthday gala earned respectable second-place ratings for ABC Thursday night, but it proved no match for NBC’s powerhouse Thursday lineup. “Sinatra: 80 Years My Way” drew an average of nearly 9.5 million viewing homes during its 9-11 p.m. broadcast, about 16% of the available viewing audience and a considerable improvement over ABC’s performance with movie specials in recent weeks. But Sinatra was still walloped by NBC, which grabbed a 32% share of the audience for “Seinfeld” at 9 p.m., 28% for “Caroline in the City” at 9:30 and 39%, or 23.1 million viewing homes, for the indomitable “ER” at 10 p.m. Still, Ol’ Blue Eyes topped CBS’ rerun of “Murder, She Wrote” (10% share) and “48 Hours” (9%), and Fox’s “New York Undercover” (11%).

KCET Drive Tops ’94 Figures: KCET-TV Channel 28 brought in $900,767 and 11,583 membership pledges during the station’s 15-day December on-air fund-raising drive, which ended Wednesday night. The campaign was a shade better than last year’s 14-day drive that raised $808,000 and got 11,238 pledges. “In terms of on-air membership goals, we’re doing very well,” a KCET spokeswoman said.

MOVIES

Uneasy Rider: Actor Dennis Hopper is suing his “Easy Rider” co-star, Peter Fonda, for a larger cut of the profits from the ‘60s motorcycle rebel classic. Hopper co-wrote (with Fonda) and directed the movie and went on to stardom while Fonda’s career fizzled. Fonda’s Pando Co., which marketed the film, paid Hopper only 33% of the proceeds, the Los Angeles lawsuit charges, adding that Fonda’s actions were “wanton, oppressive and malicious and motivated by ill will toward Hopper.” Hopper wants 41% of the $40 million to $70 million “Easy Rider” has earned since 1969. Fonda has no comment on the suit, his spokeswoman said Friday.

Stone’s ‘Nixon’ Tour: Oliver Stone’s “Nixon” opens Wednesday, and that same night the director and key members of his production team, including “Nixon” producer Clayton Townsend and production designer Victor Kempster, will speak at the Pacific Design Center’s Center Green Theater in an installment of the Independent Feature Project/West’s “Independent Focus: Directors on Directing.” The 7:30 p.m. program will be moderated by Janet Yang, president of Stone’s Ixtlan production company. Tickets are $30 (reservations: [310] 392-8832). Meanwhile, Stone holds an online chat Tuesday to discuss “Nixon.” The hourlong chat on America Online’s Odeon site starts at 6 p.m. and originates from New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

POP/ROCK

Life in the Cash Lane: The Eagles, who grossed almost $80 million in concert revenue in 1994, grossed another $63.3 million in 58 North American concerts this year during the second leg of their tour, topping the concert industry trade magazine Pollstar’s list of 1995 performers. Although the biggest of the year, the Eagles’ 1995 figures didn’t come close to matching last year’s leader, the Rolling Stones, whose “Voodoo Lounge” tour grossed $121.2 million in North America. Other top 10 acts from 1995, according to Pollstar: Boyz II Men ($43.2 million in 134 shows), R.E.M. ($38.7 million in 81 shows), the Grateful Dead ($33.5 million in 45 shows), the reunion of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant ($33.4 million in 68 shows), Van Halen ($32.7 million in 94 shows), Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ($27.5 million in 89 shows), Reba McEntire ($27.4 million in 101 shows), Elton John ($22.5 million in 41 shows) and John’s pairing with Billy Joel ($22 million in 12 shows). The Dead likely would have challenged the Eagles for the top spot, but a scheduled fall tour was canceled after the August death of leader Jerry Garcia.

Blues Benefit: Longtime L.A. blues club Babe’s & Ricky’s, which is being forced out of its 31-year home at 5259 S. Central Ave. due to expansion plans by the building’s owner, will hold a benefit on Sunday from 2-7 p.m. at the Mirage, 11344 Crenshaw Blvd., Inglewood, to raise money for the club’s relocation. Scheduled performers include Joe Kincaid & the Soul Brothers and Bill Clark & Mighty Balls of Fire. Tickets are $10.

QUICK TAKES

Country singer Doug Stone was listed in serious but stable condition in a Nashville hospital on Friday after suffering a mild heart attack at a restaurant Thursday. His spokeswoman said he was expected to remain in the hospital about five days. Stone, 38, had quadruple bypass surgery three years ago. . . . Michael Jackson’s medical team said Friday that the pop star’s gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems are functioning normally and that his “clinical condition is virtually back to his pre-viral level.” In a statement, the doctors also said they had urged him to refrain from work until January. Meanwhile, the New York Post on Friday quoted one of his doctors, Dr. Allan Metzger of Los Angeles, as saying that Jackson was just “15 minutes” from death when a viral infection caused him to collapse during a rehearsal in New York Dec. 6. . . . Filmmaker James Cameron (“The Terminator,” “Aliens,” “True Lies”) has signed an expanded five-year deal with 20th Century Fox, continuing an 11-year relationship with the studio. The pact calls for Cameron to write, produce and direct major motion pictures, as well as to develop and produce TV programming and lower-budgeted movies.