But Can It Hit the High Note?

Fox-TV has a peculiar situation on its hands. Its 90210-with-an-edge show, The Heights, has spawned a song — ''How Do You Talk to an Angel?'' — that has rocketed into the top 10 of the pop charts. But the show routinely logs in near the bottom of the ratings. Heights star Shawn Thompson, who plays heartthrob J.T. (and sings on the single with costar James Walters), doesn't understand how the ratings work. ''Every place we go it's a mob scene,'' says Thompson. ''James and I did a personal appearance in Philadelphia and there were like 5,000 girls screaming. I guess we can't be doing as badly as everyone thinks.''

''We don't have any illusions about how far the music can take us,'' says Sandy Grushow, an executive VP of the Fox Entertainment Group. ''While a couple million teenagers can translate into a hit record, they can't necessarily translate into a hit TV show. They can translate into future growth, however. And we're finding our optimism there.''

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