Can He Even Beat Any Shows on WB?

A publicist for UPN good-naturedly chided us for making his network the butt of a ratings-related headline joke when the Republicans opened their convention two weeks ago. So, we’ve amended the headline for the Democrats’ turn--and they offer even less potential drama since President Clinton won’t be naming a running mate. (Insert your own joke here.) The 1996 conventions, in fact, could be the last to receive nightly coverage on all the broadcast networks, executives say. But, despite their journalistic concerns about these stage-managed events, ABC, CBS and NBC plan to give this week’s Democratic convention in Chicago essentially the same attention they gave the Republicans in San Diego. “The year 2000 will be a different story,” one network official said, “but we can’t suddenly change what we’re doing this year.” However, CNN President Tom Johnson does not agree with those who say that coverage should be cut back because there are no surprises. “These conventions--highly scripted or not--are part of the process of selecting the president of the United States. We’ll be there.” For the record, the highest rating garnered during the GOP convention was NBC’s coverage of Bob Dole’s acceptance speech on the final night. Its 5.6 rating was higher than any UPN or WB show that week, but it lost in its time slot to a repeat of “New York Undercover” on Fox.

Partying With the Parties, Part II

Speaking of the convention. . . . Remember how the Republicans used San Diego’s Planet Hollywood for several official receptions? Well, the movie-themed restaurant in Chicago is not being used for any such events by the Democrats (though a restaurant spokesman said that the Democratic National Committee has asked them to be on standby). Planet Hollywood is the site for Wednesday night’s fund-raiser for the Creative Coalition, but that’s a nonpartisan organization. (The coalition is hosting a Wednesday forum on “What Is the Entertainment Industry’s Responsibility to Not Offend Its Audience?”; panelists include TV producer Steven Bochco, film critic Michael Medved, rapper Chuck D. and former HBO executive Michael Fuchs.) Could Planet Hollywood’s shutout by the Democrats have anything to do with the fact that two of the restaurant’s celebrity owners--Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis--are avowed Republicans? Politics can’t be that petty, can it?

Laborious Releases on This Holiday

Movie fans flock to theaters on Memorial Day weekend, which has served as a launching pad for many of the biggest hits in Hollywood history. The same goes for the Fourth of July. And the long Thanksgiving weekend draws huge movie crowds despite heavy air travel, family festivities, football games and poor weather in many regions. In fact, just about every holiday weekend gives studios at least something to capitalize on, except one: Labor Day. This otherwise delightful three-day respite is a movie releaser’s hell, with up to 30% of students around the country already back in school, the remaining ones obsessing on having to go back--and everyone chasing those last, precious few days of pleasant weather. So, with a reduced market, studios tend to release films for which they have low expectations. Friday’s six arrivals include two major studio films that won’t be screened for critics--”The Stupids,” starring Tom Arnold, and “The Crow: City of Angels,” with Vincent Perez taking over for the late Brandon Lee. Most industry watchers point out that the holiday merely kicks off a problematic month--one that, beyond schools reopening, includes the launch of the fall TV season, the return of football, baseball pennant races and Jewish holidays. “It’s not the greatest time to open a picture,” said John Krier, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. “Studios tend to use September as a kind of throwaway month.” All of which helps explain why they didn’t call that big hit movie “Labor Day,” or “LD2.”

The ‘Mellon Collie’ Tour Resumes

The Smashing Pumpkins’ most recent album is titled “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness,” but the band is upbeat as the best-selling rock group resumes its North American tour Tuesday in Las Vegas with a new drummer and keyboardist. “The mood is up, up, up,” says Peter Mensch, who co-manages the Chicago-based band, led by Billy Corgan. “There were times when the band thought the darkness would never end, but there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. They are pumped to get back on stage.” The question that remains, however, is how the tragic events of recent months and the change of personnel affect the show’s mood and the band’s chemistry. The Pumpkins had just done 11 dates of what was shaping up as one of the year’s hottest tours (grossing almost $300,000 a night) when keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin died of a drug overdose July 12 in New York and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, who was allegedly with him at the time, was arrested on misdemeanor possession charges. The band subsequently fired Chamberlin. The musicians have been replaced by drummer Matt Walker and keyboardist Dave Flemoin. The band, which has spent much of the last month at home in Chicago recording B-sides for future singles and rehearsing with the new musicians, is expected to focus chiefly on songs from its last two, critically acclaimed albums on the remainder of the tour, which arrives in Southern California in December.