Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation’s press.

POP/ROCK

Still No. 1 but Slipping: Pearl Jam’s “No Code” was the nation’s top-selling album for the second consecutive week, but the latest collection from the Seattle rock band is not moving as briskly as retailers had expected. The album sold about 146,000 copies during its second week in stores, down considerably from the previous week, when it sold nearly 367,000 units, according to SoundScan. The band’s last two albums, 1993’s “Vs.” and 1994’s “Vitalogy,” each posted first-week sales of more than 870,000 copies. Rounding out the Top 5: Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You” (122,000 copies sold), Outkast’s “ATLiens” (114,000), Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” (108,000) and LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue” (71,000). While Morissette may have slipped to No. 4, she has now tied Whitney Houston for having the best-selling album ever by a female solo artist, with 12 million albums now shipped to stores, the Recording Industry Assn. of America said Wednesday.

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Bluegrass Goodbyes: An estimated 1,500 mourners attended a 75-minute funeral service at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium Wednesday for the “father of bluegrass,” Bill Monroe, who died Monday at the age of 84. Vince Gill, Marty Stuart and Ricky Skaggs began the service at the former home of the Grand Ole Opry by singing “Working on a Building,” and Emmylou Harris joined them for a bluegrass rendition of “Wayfaring Stranger.” Monroe’s mandolin was set on a pedestal in the center spotlight during the services. Monroe will be buried today in his hometown of Rosine, Ky.

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Hold On, Lawyers Coming: The publisher of the classic 1960s song “Soul Man,” a No. 2 pop hit in 1967 for Sam and Dave, has written the Bob Dole presidential campaign asking that it stop using the song to promote the candidate. “He has taken the song ‘Soul Man’ and, without permission, changed the lyrics to ‘Dole Man,’ ” a spokeswoman for Rondor Music International said, adding that the song’s writers, Isaac Hayes and David Porter, “are not happy” with Dole’s use of the tune. The spokeswoman, who said that Rondor had given the Dole campaign until Friday to resolve the problem, said that the Dole/Kemp campaign could be liable for statutory damages of $100,000 for each unauthorized use of the composition, plus legal costs. In published reports, a Dole spokesman said that it was Sam and Dave’s Sam Moore who modified and produced the “Dole Man” tune for the campaign. “We’re just trying to have some fun and it looks like some lawyers are just trying to get some fees,” he said. The dispute isn’t the first time that Republicans have clashed with the pop world: In 1984, Ronald Reagan praised Bruce Springsteen’s “message of hope” in a reelection speech in New Jersey, prompting Springsteen to respond bitterly (for the record, Springsteen also refused to endorse Reagan’s democratic challenger, Walter Mondale, who also used the rocker’s name in a campaign speech).

TELEVISION

Speaking of the Campaign: The Fox network says that President Clinton and challenger Dole have accepted Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch’s offer of free pre-election air time and will participate in a series of 10 one-minute “Voices of the People” spots during which they will respond to issue-related questions posed by independent polling and research questions. The spots will all run in prime time, with the first tentatively scheduled to begin appearing next week, Fox said. In addition, Fox will provide a one-hour prime-time forum for direct statements from the candidates on election eve. . . . In other political happenings, a bipartisan group led by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, both Republicans, will extol family values on television today when they host a Washington reception for “Touched by an Angel” producer Martha Williamson.

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New Road Show: In a new twist on taking the show on the road, CBS’ “The Late Show With David Letterman” will try something new for the all-important November ratings “sweeps” period: visiting four cities on consecutive Fridays. While talk-show hosts have often garnered strong ratings by taking their show on the road for weeklong stands in cities including Las Vegas, Letterman will visit Boston on Nov. 1, Washington on Nov. 8, Chicago on Nov. 15 and Miami on Nov. 22. Each show will feature local celebrities as well as remotes taped in each city.

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Fashion Nods: Who is the “most fashionable” recording artist of 1996? Viewers of cable’s VH1 will be able to choose, via a 900 number to be announced on air, between Bryan Adams, Toni Braxton, Elton John, Tony Rich and singer Shirley Manson of Garbage. The “viewers’ choice” award joins nine other categories for the 1996 “VH1 Fashion Awards,” taking place Oct. 24 at the Theater at New York’s Madison Square Garden (the broadcast airs the following night on VH1). Other nominees announced Wednesday include Courtney Love, Madonna, Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sharon Stone (best personal style--female) and George Clooney, David Letterman, Brad Pitt, Dennis Rodman and Will Smith (best personal style--male).

QUICK TAKES

Divorced Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson will make her late-night TV debut Nov. 18 on CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman.” . . . Los Angeles architects Frank O. Gehry and Eric Owen Moss are among the 42 architects and firms invited to participate in the exhibition “Sensing the Future: The Architect as Seismograph,” at the Sixth Venice Biennale for Architecture, Sept. 15-Nov. 17 in Venice, Italy. . . . Actor Jan-Michael Vincent, who broke his neck in an Aug. 26 car wreck, was upgraded from serious to fair condition Wednesday at Mission Viejo’s Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center. . . . “Homicide: Life on the Street” star Andre Braugher, who was up for two Emmys at last weekend’s awards, said on the syndicated show “Day & Date” Wednesday that he plans to leave the NBC series after two more seasons. . . . Los Angeles-based theater trio Culture Clash won a Bessie Award in New York this week for its production “Radio Mambo.”