`LOVE AND ACTION' BESET BY BEHIND-THE-SCENES BATTLES.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

It's been almost a year since Jason Alexander, Kathleen Turner, Regina King and Courtney B. Vance shot the film, ``Love and Action.'' Since then, a behind-the-scenes drama has had the flick suspended in post-production hell.

Says King, ``Prosperity Pictures has been disrespectful to the director, Dwayne Johnson Cochran, and his work, and to the actors and their contributions. Dwayne wrote it, and it was his first feature film, and what we shot we felt wonderful about - but they're not even allowing Dwayne to edit the picture.''

The actress, who collected an NAACP Image Award for her work as Will Smith's wife in ``Enemy of the State, adds that the ``Love and Action'' cast was ``called back to do reshoots'' because the producers decided after the film was wrapped that ``they wanted to do a different type of movie. It's a romantic comedy, and they wanted to make it look like a serious love story.''

King, who stars opposite Marlee Matlin in Lifetime's Sept. 13th ``Where the Truth Lies'' telepic, says the ``Love and Action'' actors are all firmly in Cochran's corner. ``Now, it's kind of to the point that if the film's not going to come out right, everyone involved - other than the film company - feels like they'd rather it not come out at all. There are too many chiefs, not enough Indians.''

Contacted about the matter, Prosperity Pictures' head of worldwide marketing, Stephan Manpearl, noted that the film will be unveiled at the Toronto Film Festival and insisted, ``We're all in sync with what's being presented.'' Asked if it will be the director's cut, he responded, ``It's a cut of the film that is a collaborative effort.''

Staying power?

Some industry naysayers have been busy predicting dire futures for the careers of today's crop of late-teens and early-20s talents - saying they'll be has-beens before 30, they'll never succeed outside teen movies and so on.

Kevin Williamson, the writer-director-producer responsible for launching a collection of those young actors via his movie hits and ``Dawson's Creek'' series, believes some young names will prove to have enduring star power.

``James Van Der Beek is doing very well. I hear he's really wonderful in his new movie (``Texas Rangers''),'' says Williamson. ``And Katie Holmes - lovely, statuesque, she's maturing into a woman nicely. Her talent will push her into adult roles. She may disappear for a while, go to college, and then, come back - go the Jodie Foster route. That wouldn't surprise me.''

Katie co-stars with Marisa Coughlan in Williamson's ``Teaching Mrs. Tingle,'' which is doing disappointing business at the box office. But Williamson considers both young actresses ``the real deal.''

Fly guy

Treat Williams takes off for his first flight with the Blue Angels in Rochester, N.Y., today. The veteran pilot, who stars in the USA network's Sept. 14-15 ``Journey to the Center of the Earth'' miniseries, notes that the famed aerobatic group ``occasionally takes well-known civilians along. It's sort of a trade-off. The Navy gets some publicity, and the guest gets to go very, very fast.''

Williams likes to do aerobatic piloting himself and co-owns a World War II T-6 training plane that he likes to fly for fun. Asked about a startling newspaper report that he doesn't wear a parachute, Treat responds, ``Bulls---! Everyone who does aerobatics always wears a parachute. You'd be very foolish not to.'' To put it mildly.

Star maker

Barbara Taylor Bradford's got quite an eye for unknown Irish actors. In the early '80s, she handpicked Liam Neeson for her Emmy-nominated ``A Woman of Substance'' miniseries.

Now, with her blessings, dishy Dublin thespian Paudge Behan, son of the late, great Irish playwright Brendan Behan, is co-starring with Janine Turner in ``Barbara Taylor Bradford's ``A Secret Affair,'' which has been shooting in Venice. He plays a dashing war correspondent who meets the love of his life during a few days R&R from the Kosovo warfront.

Who's who?

Up-and-comer Maggie Lawson and Kathie Lee Gifford are getting ready to star in an ABC/Disney telepic called ``Cover Girl.'' The tale has two teen beauties, both played by Lawson, who are dead ringers for one another, switching places. One is a typical high-school coed, the other a glamorous model.

With reports by Stephanie DuBois.

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3 Photos

Photo: (1) KING

(2) VAN DER BEEK

(3) WILLIAMS