M A S H

An audience of 51.1 million tuned in last night to the finale of NBC's Friends, making it the second most watched show of the year behind the Super Bowl, which was seen on CBS by about 90 million viewers. That's a big audience for the episode that ended with Ross and Rachel in each others' arms, but it set no records. The finale of M*A*S*H on CBS was seen by 105 million viewers in 1983 - the biggest audience for a final episode in network history. Cheers and Seinfeld, two far more groundbreaking sitcoms, also had larger audiences for their finales.

JILLY'S, 1012 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville. Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday noon to 10 p.m. Phone: 653-9029.In an old episode of "M*A*S*H," Hawkeye (Alan Alda) goes to great lengths to ship to Korea an order of barbecued ribs from a Chicago eatery. Remember? He never gets to eat them, but the show perfectly illustrates the true rib lover's sometimes insatiable addiction.There's something about the tangy, sweet taste of a good ribs sauce.

Ring Lardner Jr., 85, the last surviving member of the Hollywood Ten, a group of screenwriters who were jailed and blacklisted during the McCarthy era in the 1950s, died of cancer Tuesday at his home in New York City. His satirical screenplays earned him two Academy Awards, but he was best known for his refusal to tell the House Un-American Activities Committee if he had ever been a Communist. He was a Communist but held that his political views were none of the government's business. Mr. Lardner, with Michael Kanin, won an Oscar for best original screenplay in 1942 for "Woman of the Year," starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

Robert Altman, whose inventiveness and independence revolutionized American moviemaking, has died at 81 of complications from cancer. In March, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded the maverick director an honorary Oscar for his iconoclastic career. He never stopped directing at peak form. In the spring, he released his last movie, A Prairie Home Companion, a lyric valentine to performers of lost radio arts. Although Mr. Altman's films could express cynicism and rage, he was "a major humanist and just a great, great American guy in his candor and his warmth," said director and friend Jonathan Demme.

Footage from local filmmakers Scott Kecken and Joy Lusco's documentary-in-progress on Baltimore's famed a-rabs, the horse-and-wagon produce sellers that have long been a fixture of this city, will be screened next Friday as part of a fund-raiser for the project. The evening, dubbed "Let's Wrap It Up," will also feature screenings of Kecken's first film, "Beans and Bullets," a "political western" he made at age 18; the duo's first collaborative effort, "SoWeBohemian," an experimental documentary on the annual Sowebo Arts Festival; and "Louisville," the pair's award-winning short film starring Andre Braugher of "Homicide: Life On the Street."

A few interesting observations from the ratings wars, as Baltimoreans try to decide which they prefer, UPN (WUTB, Channel 24) or WB (WNUV, Channel 54).* Ratings suggest not all UPN fans have followed their shows from WNUV to WUTB -- not surprising, since WUTB didn't even exist until last month.For example, the Jan. 13 episode of "Moesha," on WNUV, earned a 7.1 rating, while the Feb 3 episode, on WUTB, collected a 2.9. The Jan. 14 episode of "Star Trek: Voyager," airing on WNUV, landed a 5.4 rating, compared with 4.0 for the Feb. 4 episode on WUTB.

A full two hours of daily Disney animation, the return of furry alien "ALF," daytime double features of "The Andy Griffith Show" and "M*A*S*H," and first-time evening reruns of "Perfect Strangers" and "Amen" highlight fall syndicated fare on local stations WBFF-Channel 45 and WNUV-Channel 54. Here is a quick rundown on the rival weekday lineups (with weekend schedules in tomorrow's Media Monitor):* Channel 45: As of today, morning hours (following early-hour children's programming) include reruns, beginning at 10, of "Too Close for Comfort," "All In the Family" and back-to-back editions of the venerable "Andy Griffith Show."

It happens only rarely - a television show popular enough to anchor 85 million people to their sofas for an hour. But to the delight of advertisers, and General Electric Co.'s NBC, that's how many people are expected to tune in to the finale of the hit Friends on May 6. The show is commanding $2 million for 30 seconds of commercial time, setting a record for a non-Super Bowl broadcast. That is four times the $500,000 cost for commercial time on a normal episode of Friends. The National Football League's Super Bowl has long been the holy grail of advertising.

PERNELL ROBERTS , 81 Actor on 'Bonanza,' 'Trapper John' Pernell Roberts, a versatile actor best remembered for his portrayal of the handsome, eldest Cartwright son on the classic television Western "Bonanza" and later as the lead character in the medical drama "Trapper John, M.D.," died Sunday of cancer at his Malibu, Calif., home. Mr. Roberts became a star as Adam Cartwright, the heir apparent of the fictional Ponderosa ranch, a role he filled from the show's debut in 1959 until 1965, when he left the cast despite the series' immense popularity.

VANITY Fair, Rolling Stone, Life -- move over. "Bubba Magazine," which says it will define the culture President Clinton will foster, has hit the racks. One article highlights notable places along the Little Rock-to-Washington corridor; another profiles first mother Virginia Kelley. Editor Dean King says the 300,000-copy first issue sold out in many bookstores around the country.No word, however, on frequency of publication.* * *WHAT does this tell us about American society? Of the 10 most-watched television programs in broadcast history, eight of them are football games -- the Superbowl contests of 1993, 1991, 1989, 1987, 1986, 1985, 1983 and 1982.