AT PEACE WITH AMA, BROOKS STEPS UP PARTICIPATION.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Remember the flap last year when Garth Brooks declined to accept the Artist of the Year statuette at the American Music Awards because, he said, he thought Hootie & the Blowfish deserved it? Well, it's American Music Awards time again Monday, and the country megastar is preparing to narrate a special segment of the show, a tribute to female artists who made a great musical impact in '96.

Did Brooks and the AMA bury the hatchet?

There was no hatchet to bury, according to Brooks, who'll be celebrating the work of divas ranging from Whitney Houston to Alanis Morissette! to Shania Twain in his segment. Brooks says he actually made it known that he would be happy to present, or even be put back into consideration for the AMA's artist of the year award - but, surprise - the category has been deleted.

Meanwhile, Brooks reveals that his current sell-out concert tour is stretching from its originally planned two years to well over three - as stops in many U.S. cities have been lengthened and additional shows added to meet ticket demand. ``We had to push back the world tour from this year. ... Our North America dates are already spilling into summer of '98,'' he says. Brooks, who once threatened to quit the road if it kept him away from his wife and children, has been traveling with family in tow. ``It's perfect with the kids the ages they are,'' he says of his daughters, who range from 6 months to 4 years. ``Obviously, things will have to change as they get older.''

Stacking the deck

Robert Stack will be back in character as Eliot Ness Sunday - in a Pepsi Cola commercial to air during the Super Bowl. ``It'll either be very funny or I'll make a bloomin' fool out of myself,'' says the veteran actor. He details that the spot ``is a little bit like `Airplane!' - really weird. It's about people trying to steal Pepsi, and Eliot Ness warns them, `It could happen to you - fight back!' And then you see these Pepsi cans with two handles so people can't steal them from you.''

Stack, who counts the hit ``Airplane!'' among his many screen credits, recalls that when he was asked to do the 1980 film, ``With its off-the-wall script I thought it was nuts to do - but it made a bloody fortune. Now there's `Beavis and Butt-head' - I'm one of the voices. I don't really understand it. It's a generational thing. But it's been breaking records.''

Now in his eighth year of hosting ``Unsolved Mysteries,'' Stack observes that he doesn't need ratings to tell him the show continues to do well. ``When you're going through an airport and you're on a successful show, people want your autograph. When the show isn't successful, they ignore you - you get your own luggage.''

The videoland view

Ben Vereen is heading into weekly series territory. He's been tapped to play the father of LeVar Burton in Burton's fall-debuting ``Daddy's Little Girl'' series. Burton, who hosts the History Channel special for the 20th anniversary of ``Roots'' airing in conjunction with the rebroadcast of the miniseries Feb. 23-28, says he'll be playing a single dad with an 11-year-old daughter in the forthcoming UPN sitcom that he created and will exec-produce. Expect the generations to clash.

Taking over the reins

``Brotherly Love'' star Joey Lawrence is set to make his directing debut on the WB comedy series Feb. 9. In the episode titled ``The Comet,'' Matt (Matthew Lawrence) falls for a girl visiting from out of town. When the girl's grandfather won't allow the two to go on a date, they secretly have a romantic rooftop picnic the night a comet appears. Joey is also working on the follow-up album to his 1992 CD. He expects to have the disc in record stores this winter.

Our town

Director Tim Burton, Lisa Marie, George Clooney, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Malcolm McDowell, Carol Kane and the entire cast of ``Pearl'' are expected to turn out for ``Pearl'' co-star Lucy Liu on Feb. 3 - when the actress and artist debuts her mixed-media photography art exhibit in Venice. Clooney and Anthony Edwards are among the celebrities who have purchased artwork from Liu, who recently completed a recurring role on ``ER'' as a woman whose child dies of AIDS.

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Photo: Garth Brooks

To narrate special segment