New on the tube

Popstars Airs: 8 p.m. Fridays, WB (Channel 62) Stars: Dozens of ambitious young women and various industry types who will decide their fates. In brief: Media giant Time Warner is using this show "to create the next all-girl supergroup," marrying its TV network (WB) and record label (Warner Music) in a virtual remake of ABC's boy-band search show "Making the Band." But is it any good? Imagine a Discovery channel special in which 20 singers warble variations on Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You." Now imagine watching it for an hour. Despite the obvious possibilities for compelling story lines (hundreds of women tried out for the band in six cities last year), the first hour of "Popstars" is remarkably tedious. Suspense is nonexistent, as when the ever-present narrator tells us that one hopeful, interrupting a move and coming to the audition with her loaded U-Haul, "will have to decide whether to put her move and her life on hold." Let's see, a six-figure record deal or $374 worth of used furniture and CDs - life is so cruel. Is it a survivor? The WB is counting on its large base of female teen viewers to rescue "Popstars" from the same fate as "Making the Band" (a ratings bummer moved to summer). Gary & Mike Airs: 7 p.m. Fridays, UPN (Channel 29) Stars: The voices of Christopher Moynihan and Harland Williams and the Claymation of Will Vinton Studios ("The PJs"). In brief: Two clay pals explore the seedy underbelly of America in an endless road trip. Gary is a prim geek, Mike a grubby horn dog. But both have one important thing in common: They're completely clueless. In the first two episodes, Gary unwittingly ruins the career of a high-powered woman, while Mike stumbles into sex with two women, including a Supreme Court justice. But is it any good? UPN has tastefully paired this show with "Celebrity Deathmatch" at 7:30 p.m. That's the execrable MTV export in which Claymated likenesses of famous people torture and mutilate each other (for example, "Gwyneth Paltrow" is sliced in half by an angry "Winona Ryder"). Pretty rough stuff to be feeding the preteens who watch UPN. Of course, TV executives insist that kids have no trouble telling such grim fantasies from life's realities. Really? Then let's see a "Gary & Mike" episode in which the boys accidentally turn CBS into a porno channel, sending UPN-CBS-MTV chief Sumner Redstone to rot in jail. All in fun, right? Is it a survivor? The network that brings you the WWF thinks this show is a perfect fit for its audience. Sadly, it may be right. @ART CAPTION:Scene from the auditions @ART:Photo (color) @ART CREDIT:GREG SCHWARTZ/The WB >>>