IN THE KNOW / A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD

With its new film “On the Line” starring two members of the heartthrob pop group ‘N Sync, one might think that Miramax Films would be flooding theaters this Friday with a few thousand prints, trying to tap into the teen demographic for its new music-driven, youth-oriented romantic comedy.

But no. Miramax, following a pattern that proved successful earlier this year with “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “The Others,” has decided to release “On the Line” in only about 950 theaters. Why the limited-release pattern, especially on a teen film? Well, the studio has only to look at the 20th Century Fox’s release last month of Mariah Carey’s film debut, “Glitter.”

Opened on 1,202 screens, it grossed only $2.4 million on its maiden weekend and bombed. But beyond that, Miramax believes it has targeted the theaters where they say most of the quintet’s fans are located.

“We’ve done some research and really targeted where ‘N Sync has sales and popularity,” a Miramax spokesman said. “Targeting specific theaters results in much more efficient returns than going out wide.”

Inspired by a short film called “On the L,” the new Miramax release stars ‘N Sync’s Lance Bass as a shy Chicagoan who meets a girl (Emmanuelle Chriqui) on the “L” train, fails to get her number, and then has to track her down with the help of his buddies, including fellow Sync-er Joey Fatone.

Music, of course, drives the film. Jive Records has released a soundtrack that includes Bass, Fatone, Mandy Moore, Christian Burns from BB Mak and True Vibe. Bass and Fatone are just the latest pop stars going multimedia. Rapper Eminem, for example, is set to star alongside Kim Basinger in a film by Curtis Hanson, who directed the critically acclaimed 1997 police drama “L.A. Confidential.” And Britney Spears is also reportedly eyeing various movie projects.

Spears, it should be noted, is managed by Johnny Wright, who also manages ‘N Sync and is listed in the credits of “On the Line” as an executive producer. Will Smith, Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley and the Beatles all proved that pop singers can make the difficult transition from stage to big screen, but Hollywood is also littered with vocalists who are able to sell out arenas but not movie houses--witness Madonna, whose latest film with Rupert Everett, “The Next Best Thing,” made only $15 million domestically.

Little for ABC to Be Thankful For

ABC once branded its Friday-night lineup “TGIF,” as in “Thank God It’s Friday,” but it’s hard to imagine the network is thankful for its performance on Friday or most other nights as this juncture.

Continuing a string of scheduling changes, ABC has pulled “The Mole II” from Fridays, with the Radio Music Awards to fill the void this week and a new ABC News magazine, “America 24/7,” taking over the 8 p.m. hour beginning Nov. 2.

The assumption is that recent events have resulted in a heightened appetite for news. In fact, with ABC chiming in, there will be a newsmagazine on at 8, 9 and 10 p.m. on Friday nights. ABC is also hoping a bigger audience at 8 p.m. will help prop up the rest of its Friday lineup, which consists of the new drama “Thieves” and “Once and Again.”

Still, with so many holes in ABC’s schedule, some wonder if such program shuffling amounts to rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship. Another stunt, meanwhile, involves repeating the 90-minute pilot for “Alias” next Tuesday, which will serve the dual purpose of boosting exposure for the Sunday-night show while filling an hour that’s been occupied by the struggling “Bob Patterson” and “Philly.”

Kid Rock Looks to Keep on Rolling

Kid Rock’s career may or may not extend forever, but the Detroit rap-rocker’s new single appears poised to keep it going for a while.

“Forever” arrives at radio stations today, the first single from his forthcoming album “Cocky,” slated for Nov. 20 release. “It’s terrific,” says Jeff Pollack, a leading radio consultant. “It fits the mood of the country perfectly, plus it’s very hooky, it has good lyrics and it’s a real attitude song, as you would expect” from the often outrageous performer.

Is that enough to rekindle interest in the Kid among radio programmers and the public? After his hugely successful 1998 album “Devil Without a Cause,” which has sold 7.5 million copies in the U.S., Kid Rock, whose real name is Bob Ritchie, lost steam by putting out “The History of Rock” album. It consisted of material he’d recorded in the early and mid-1990s before breaking through to mass success with “Devil” and its hits “Bawitdaba” and “Cowboy.” ’The History of Rock” has sold a little less than one-third the “Devil” total. “Obviously [the anticipation level] is not what it was a couple of years ago,” says Pollack. “But I certainly think people are interested in hearing it.”

Working in Kid’s favor: the continued popularity of hard-edged music at rock radio. “The whole rap-rock thing continues to flourish, and he’s right in the middle of it,” says Pollack.