`DONNIE BRASCO' A VIABLE CANDIDATE FOR OSCAR PUSH.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Mandalay Entertainment is determined that ``Donnie Brasco'' not be forgotten in the Oscar race. To remind press members who are putting together ``year's best'' polls, the company has sent out a costly gizmo with a recorder that spews out some of Johnny Depp's earthy dialogue from the picture, which was released in February.

``Brasco'' needs a promotion push because, as always, it's the features that were released late in the year that are generating the most talk about being Academy Award front-runners. Many have yet to be released to the public.

The unanimous choice among industry insiders we polled for Oscar standouts is James Cameron's $200 million ``Titanic.''

Then, there's Steven Spielberg's ``Amistad.'' No one we asked seemed to feel that the plagiarism lawsuit filed by author Barbara Chase-Riboud against those who made the picture will hurt its appeal. As one industry insider put it, ``There always seem to be lawsuits against pictures, and Spielberg's reputation is so sterling that I can't imagine this hurting him.''

John Krier, president of the firm Exhibitor Relations, feels the ``Amistad'' controversy could even help the box-office returns of the Spielberg film about the 1839 revolt of Africans captured to be sold as slaves. ``It's a highly competitive market, and it might heighten interest in the film. It's certainly making the name known.''

On the lighter side, Jim Brooks' upcoming ``As Good as It Gets'' seems to be just about as good as a comedy gets, with insiders predicting the film could even mean Oscar nominations - at least - for Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, plus Greg Kinnear for his role as a gay artist.

This could go down as the year of memorable gay roles. Kevin Kline will be high on the list for best actor as the teacher who's reluctantly outed in ``In & Out.'' And Kevin Spacey is in the running with his portrayal of a gay murder suspect in ``Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.''

``L.A. Confidential'' has also generated Oscar talk for Spacey. Matt Damon is drawing well-deserved kudos for ``Good Will Hunting,'' the little gem of a film he stars in and co-wrote with his buddy Ben Affleck. ``Eve's Bayou'' is a small picture that's gotten some big raves. So is ``Welcome to Sarajevo.'' And still to come is Martin Scorsese's saga of the Dalai Lama, ``Kundun.'' Also still to be seen is Daniel Day-Lewis' highly anticipated ``The Boxer.'' It doesn't open until Dec. 31.

The waiting game

Park Overall, who played the irrepressible nurse on ``Empty Nest,'' is facing the end of what she refers to as ``free money.'' She's been under contract to Disney since 1995 for a new series, and, as she puts it, ``It's the damnedest thing you ever saw. They give you free money for doing nothing. They haven't put together a show for me, and my deal expires next month.'' Still, the game isn't over yet. ``They are sending a writer over who's written for Roseanne and a bunch of other series, so maybe he'll come up with something for me,'' says Park.

Meanwhile, she is keeping busy. She plays Kirsten Dunst's mother in Lifetime's upcoming ``15 and Pregnant.'' And she co-stars with Veronica Cartwright and Freddie Prinze Jr. in ``Sparkler,'' which is drawing huzzahs on the film-festival circuit.

Park also has become an animal handler. She's acquired so many animals - four horses, five cats, five dogs and two goats - that she's bought a place in Agoura to house them all. But that's not her main residence. She still spends much of her time close to the action at her home in the hills of West Hollywood.

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3 Photos

Photo: (1) Johnny Depp

Dialogue part of promotion

(2) Steven Spielberg

Oscar talk

(3) Park Overall

Money for nothing