TELEVISION - April 29, 1997

A Dull ‘Shine’: The bad news continues for ABC, which experienced a major ratings disappointment Sunday with the opening part of its six-hour miniseries “The Shining.” The Stephen King adaptation attracted just 18% of the available audience in the more than 30 major cities monitored by Nielsen Media Research, finishing behind both the CBS movie “A Match Made in Heaven,” starring Olympia Dukakis, and Fox’s “The X-Files.” King’s last two miniseries, “The Stand” and “The Langoliers,” attracted 32% and 29% of viewers, respectively, on their first nights in 1994 and ‘95, also during the May ratings sweeps. “The Shining” continued Monday and concludes Thursday. ABC also sank to a historic low ratings-wise Saturday with the special “U2: A Year in Pop.” Meanwhile, Ellen DeGeneres’ interview on ABC’s “20/20” Friday was watched by 19.5 million people, the newsmagazine’s highest rating since Feb. 21.

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Captured: Accused child molester and killer Trent Stephen Fouts of Santa Ana was captured by Albuquerque police Friday, within minutes of being a subject of the NBC show “Unsolved Mysteries.” The network said the arrest marked the series’ 150th fugitive capture.

POP & ROCK

He’ll Be There: Michael Jackson will make a rare U.S. public appearance May 6 when he attends the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction dinner in Cleveland, where he’ll be honored with his brothers in the Jackson 5. The only living 1997 inductee who hasn’t confirmed attendance is Joni Mitchell. “Joni has been looking forward to attending the ceremony, but she may not be able to break away from the recording studio, where she is close to finishing a new album which hopefully will be released in the fall,” Mitchell’s spokesman said Monday. The other inductees are the Bee Gees; Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Parliament-Funkadelic; and the Rascals.

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Spiced Out: The British pop group Spice Girls has angered Maori leaders by performing the haka, the traditional war dance of New Zealand’s indigenous people. Only men are supposed to perform the haka. “It is not acceptable in our culture, and especially by girlie pop stars from another culture,” Joe Harawira, a member of Urban Maorian Authorities, was quoted Monday in a New Zealand newspaper. During a visit to Bali, Indonesia, Spice Girls twice performed a type of haka after two New Zealand rugby players offered to show them a version of the dance. Manager Bart Cools said the artists did not mean to mock Maori culture. “They absolutely did not want to anger anyone,” Cools said.

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Tori’s Cause: Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Rep. Susan Molinari (R-N.Y.) chair a reception today with other members of Congress to honor RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), America’s only nationwide hotline for sexual assault victims. Founded in 1994 with grants from Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group, RAINN operates the toll-free hotline, (800) 656-HOPE, in affiliation with a network of 628 rape crisis centers. Atlantic Records artist Tori Amos chairs RAINN’s advisory board. Congressional leaders will announce the launch of RAINN Day, when hundreds of radio stations and television outlets nationwide will join together in an awareness campaign about RAINN’s hotline. “Over the last three years, RAINN, without any help from the government, has helped more than 142,000 victims of sexual assault,” said Molinari, a member of RAINN’s advisory board. “RAINN is a superb example of what the private sector can do to help victims of violent crime.” Vicky Germaise, senior vice president of Atlantic Records, noted that “Tori was so moved by the fans who had come to her with stories of their own personal struggles with abuse that she wanted to do something that would make a real difference.”

MUSIC

Now Hear This: Marking the first online cybercast of a major symphony orchestra, N2K Entertainment hosts tonight’s performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra, live on the Internet through its Classical Insites music channel (www.classicalinsites.com). The concert begins at 5 p.m. Music director Wolfgang Sawallisch will lead the orchestra and guest pianist Alfred Brendel in a program of music by Rihm, Schumann and Brahms, which will be followed by a live online chat with Sawallisch on the Internet.

QUICK TAKES

Dolores Hope, Bob Hope’s wife, gets her own star next to her husband’s on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday, honoring her numerous appearances on stage and before U.S. troops. . . . “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas” will debut Nov. 11 as Walt Disney Home Video’s next all-new, made-for-video movie. It features four new songs and all the voices from the original “Beauty and the Beast” film, including Angela Lansbury, Robby Benson, Jerry Orbach and Paige O’Hara, and introduces new characters, played by Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters.