`BECKER' LURES DANSON BACK TO TV.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Ted Danson is revving up for an August production start on ``Becker,'' the series in which he's to star for CBS - which will, he says, likely debut in January.

The former ``Cheers'' star, stained by the experience of his defunct ``Ink'' series with his wife, Mary Steenburgen, says he had no intention of returning to weekly television. He says when ``Becker'' was first mentioned to him ``I definitely said, `No. No way. I'm through. Thank you. Had a wonderful run.' - I said that literally and with great certainty. And then in walked this script. And now, I'm so excited about it, I'm amazed myself.''

Danson describes the forthcoming series as ``very serious and dark and very funny - about a guy who is really, really good at being a doctor and really bad at being a human being.'' The half-hour show ``reads like an hour drama,'' says Danson, who already has filmed the pilot installment in which he interacts with a charming, young boy who is stricken with AIDS.

Meanwhile, Danson just finished playing a role in filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan's ``Mumford.'' The actor says, ``I only have one scene, but it's really funny and wonderful. I play a low-grade, evil schmuck who is a bad father and husband.''

Marshaling their art

Jackie Chan and David Carradine are talking about making a movie together. Carradine, who forever will be linked to ``Kung Fu'' thanks to his series of the '70s and '90s, met with the world's most popular martial arts movie star recently in Hong Kong, where Carradine interviewed Chan for a television documentary tracing the history of martial arts. After a few minutes of, er, chop talk, ``we totally lost the interviewer-interviewee format and it became a conversation between two guys who related to each other,'' David says.

Carradine has a full plate of activities even without a Chan project. He's just begun his ``Tai Chi Workout for Beginners'' and ``Chi Kung Beginners' Workout'' tapes.

He's playing with his new band at L.A.'s Mint on Thursday nights this month. And he has a bunch of projects in the works with his bride of four months, Marina Anderson.

Marina acts and directs, and the couple, together since 1995, want to work as a duo. ``If we can work together, we'll never be lonesome.''

Tripping the light fan-tango

Now that ``A tango a day keeps the Prozac away'' has become the mantra of the jet set, and tango teachers are flying in from Buenos Aires to teach Yankees the suave steps of the seductive dance - filmmakers are taking notice. And a gaggle of colorful projects themed around the passionate dance is on the way. For instance ...

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired Carlos Saura's ``Tango,'' a vivid tale that brings together some of the world's greatest dancers. Columbia Pictures soon will release ``Dance With Me,'' a pulsating romantic ballroom musical - featuring some terrific tango Terpsichore - starring Vanessa L. Williams and Latin American song-star Chayanne. The hot, new filmmaking team of Geisler Roberdeau will highlight tango tempos in ballroom scenes taking place in decadent '30s Berlin in the erotic thriller ``The White Hotel.'' Tango aficionado Robert Duvall is readying his script about the tango underworld in Argentina. Broadway musical producer Manny Fox is prepping a major bio-pic on the world's most-celebrated tango crooner, the late Carlos Gardel. And this is only the tip of the tango.

With reports by Stephanie DuBois.

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4 Photos

Photo: (1--2) Martial arts aficionados Jackie Chan, left, and David Carradine are talking about making a movie together.

(3) ``I'm amazed myself,'' says Ted Danson of ``Becker.''

(4) Vanessa L. Williams steps into ``Dance With Me.''