AUTISM SAGA CAPTURES SPIELBERG'S ATTENTION.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Steven Spielberg might wind up directing a film that deals with autism after all.

The director, for whom 1988's ``Rain Man'' was developed - before Barry Levinson signed on to helm the Academy Award-winning Dustin Hoffman-Tom Cruise feature - is now closely watching the development of ``Newport.'' It's the real-life saga of Jerry Newport and Mary Meinel, who connected, fell in love and married - though both suffer from the form of autism known as Asperger's syndrome.

``Rain Man'' screenwriter Ron Bass, who sold Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG a pitch for ``Newport'' for close to $2 million in May, reports that he and partner Robert Lawrence already have had a series of meetings with the Newports. ``They're high-functioning, charming, fascinating people,'' he says. He also says their story ``will be fictionalized'' somewhat, and there'll probably be a new title.

``Jerry Newport never knew what his condition was until he saw `Rain Man,' '' adds Bass, who notes that Newport, like Dustin Hoffman's character, is a genius with numbers. ``He saw Dustin and said, `That's me.' Then he went to UCLA and he was effectively diagnosed for the first time in his life.'' Meinel, an artist and composer, appears in a semi-regular, nonspeaking role - complete with blue makeup and shaved head - on ``Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.''

Bass notes that Spielberg has long been interested in the ``set of issues and problems'' that face autistics. Now ``Newport'' is on the master filmmaker's short list of potential directorial projects, and Robin Williams already has expressed interest in playing Jerry Newport.

From the inside looking out: Elizabeth Hurley - a k a the woman who put up with Hugh Grant's escapade - will be joining Mike Myers on his ``Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' comedy, which now has an Aug. 5 start date in L.A. ``Austin Powers,'' which the ``Wayne's World'' star wrote himself, has Myers as a '60s playboy and part-time secret agent who gets cryogenically frozen - and is thawed out in the politically correct '90s, to thwart the nefarious Dr. Evil. Hurley plays the beauty who captures Austin's heart.

Blade runners: Who could forget that nasty black eye given the sport of figure skating by Tonya Harding and the attack on Nancy Kerrigan - and how Russian sweetheart Oksana Baiul, unscathed by ``skategate,'' came out above it all and won the Olympic gold medal. Well, now Oksana's getting into the fray, in a manner of speaking.

She's set to play a fictional world champion figure skater named Tatiana Petrova in a forthcoming ``Diagnosis: Murder'' episode, a character who - whoa! - gets clubbed by the ex-boyfriend of a very bad sport of a rival. In the ``Diagnosis'' story, more complications ensue. (Something about a thrown ice skate, but we won't give it away.)

Strangely enough, a casting notice for the mean rival skater specifies that it would be good if the actress involved was proficient enough on the ice to be seen skating out of a rink. Say, is Tonya working? Just a thought. Filming starts Aug. 2.

Wolf bites: Wow, did Michael DeLorenzo and Malik Yoba pick the wrong producer to fool with! Apparently, the two ``New York Undercover'' actors, who failed to report for the start of series production this week, while demanding raises and perks, failed to consider the track record of boss Dick Wolf. That's Dick Wolf, whose ``Law & Order'' series stands as a testament to the fact that a good show's ongoing popularity is not contingent on its cast remaining the same. That's Dick Wolf who summarily excused former ``Law'' co-star Chris Noth after five years when he thought it was time for a change. That's Dick Wolf who has a reputation for not suffering any sort of foolishness from his actors.

DeLorenzo and Yoba might have guessed that Wolf would respond exactly as he did - with an ultimatum that the actors had to return to work pronto or be off the show, along with a statement calling for an end to the industry ``virus'' of out-of-orbit salaries.

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Photo: Steven Spielberg

Eye on ``Newport''