‘Lois & Clark’ Doesn’t Get Seal of Approval

How the mighty have fallen. “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” once considered a moderate hit, has been bumped this Saturday because ABC thinks it can do bigger ratings with the girl-meets-seal kids movie “Andre.” The series hasn’t exactly taken off this season, averaging less than 10 million viewers a week, compared to the average 18 million who tuned in two years ago. Competing with “Touched by an Angel” and “3rd Rock From the Sun,” Sundays turned out to be the Nielsen equivalent of Kryptonite, and results have been even worse since the show moved to Saturday, with only 6 million people tuning in. ABC previously renewed the series for next season but then sought to back out of that deal, asking if the production company, Warner Bros. Television, might transfer the commitment to another show. The studio, however, wants to do a fifth year of “Lois & Clark,” which is popular internationally and has sold reruns to cable network TNT. Both ABC and Warner Bros. declined comment, but as of now the studio is holding fast to bringing the program back. “Lois & Clark’s” remaining episodes this season will air in May, but ABC may not make clear whether “Superman” will fly again until the network announces next fall’s prime-time lineup on May 19.

Slayings Inspire a Gangsta Rap Summit

Look for details to begin emerging this week about the summit being called by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to address the violent world of gangsta rap. Michael Greene, president and CEO of the 13,000-member academy, and Quincy Jones, one of pop music’s most respected and influential figures, announced two weeks ago that they would invite artists, executives and others in the hip-hop field to a closed-door meeting to discuss everything from violence to the content of the music. The move came in the wake of the gangland-style slayings of popular rappers Tupac Shakur last September in Las Vegas and Notorious B.I.G. last month in Los Angeles. But, according to an informal Times poll, record labels have been slow to commit to the summit and are reluctant to discuss it publicly, taking a wait-and-see attitude before agreeing to participate. “We are very supportive of any solutions or suggestions that will help create a positive atmosphere in our genre,” said Bryan Turner, founder and CEO of Priority Records. “And once we see the agenda and hear who’s participating in the summit, we will commit at that time.”

The Only Thing to Fear Is a Losing Bid

Sotheby’s will offer an enticing opportunity to aficionados of art and--more to the point--lifestyles of the rich and famous as 30 paintings from the late ambassador Pamela Harriman’s residence in Paris go on view at the auction house’s Beverly Hills showroom, 9665 Wilshire Blvd., Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Friday, 3 p.m.-5 p.m. All the pieces displayed will be offered for sale May 19-21 in New York at an auction of 1,150 artworks, furniture, decorations, books, wine and memorabilia of Harriman’s father-in-law, Sir Winston Churchill. Paintings in the Southern California preview include American artist John Singer Sargent’s “Staircase in Capri” (valued at $750,000 to $1 million), French painter Georges Seurat’s “Hommes Enfoncant Des Pieux, Bucherons” ($600,000 to $800,000) and a still life, “Jug With Bottles” ($30,000 to $40,000) by Churchill, who was an amateur artist. Information: (310) 274-0340.

Suit Against Pamela Lee Going to Court

Opening statements are set to begin today in a lawsuit against Pamela Anderson Lee, who is being sued by a film producer who alleges the former “Baywatch” actress reneged on a verbal contract and dropped out of a movie he was making at the last minute. Ben Efraim and his production company, the Private Movie Co., filed suit against Lee in 1995 regarding the movie “Hello, She Lied,” contending that she made a verbal commitment to take the role in 1994, then broke her contract. Efraim said he believes that Lee’s popularity overseas would have helped the movie make millions in the foreign market and that ancillary sales of the final version of the film, which starred Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kathy Ireland and aired on Showtime, fizzled without Lee as a star. Lee’s lawyers maintain that the actress never signed a contract or finalized a deal. Lee says she refused to appear in the film because she did not receive script approval or control over her nude scenes. Lee, Ireland and Efraim are all expected to testify at the five-day non-jury trial. Court TV will air live coverage of the trial beginning today at 1:30 p.m.