CONFESSED YOSEMITE MURDERER SEES TV MOVIE IN FUTURE.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Cary Stayner, the 37-year-old motel handyman who has confessed to the murders of four women at Yosemite National Park, has already made it known he'd like his story turned into a TV movie. Like it or not, it seems he certainly could get his wish - or the sick saga could even find its way to the big screen.

It turns out that author Dennis McDougal has been at work on a Ballantine book about the Yosemite murders for months - ``Awake Before Dawn,'' it's called - and McDougal is already getting Hollywood interest. In fact, one established producer at a major studio has notified McDougal an offer is being prepped for him now - even as he and a research assistant are ferreting out information in Merced.

McDougal, whose true crime books include ``Mother's Day,'' which is in its 20th printing, says he has no intention of writing ``a down-and-dirty account of all the sordid details. If you can really get to the bottom of a case like this, shed light on how and why it happened, that ameliorates the story a lot.''

The case of Stayner, brother of the late childhood kidnapping victim Steven Stayner - subject of the book and TV movie ``I Know My First Name Is Steven'' - could easily grow. His possible links to a couple of dozen unsolved California murders are being examined.

If you ask us ...

The hue and cry over Diane Sawyer's absence from her ABC News post during the days following the tragic death of JFK Jr. seems to this column to raise an issue that should have been addressed years ago. Now, media watchdogs are asking whether friendships between the Diane Sawyers of the world and the major figures they are supposed to cover allow them to report their beats accurately and dispassionately.

Let's face it, Sawyer - like Barbara Walters, Larry King and other celebrity journalists - has enjoyed being ``one of them'' for years. We recall Walters, who employed tough journalistic methods to achieve a breakthrough as a woman in the news ranks, telling this column in recent years that she now prides herself on making friends of the celebrities she interviews.

Should this be a reporter's goal? Can you objectively interview a person you'll take pains not to offend? We can only imagine the pain Diane must have felt over John Kennedy's death; he is so deeply grieved by even those who never met him. But what if the story Diane was supposed to cover involved a friend caught in a scandal, accused of wrongdoing? Would she have still stayed away from her post ``for personal reasons''?

Getting their kicks

Willie Nelson admits that his heavy touring schedule is tough on his life with wife, Annie and their 9- and 10-year-old sons. ``Once the boys were in school, they needed to stay home - while I needed to be on the road. They don't like it, and I'm not crazy about it, either,'' says the legendary music man, whose all-day Farm Aid '99 concert event is scheduled to be aired live via cable's Country Music Television on Sept. 12. However, they do have shared family interests they enjoy, he lets us know - including their training in tae kwon do.

``All of us now are working on black belts,'' says Nelson, who has been married thrice before. ``My idea was for us all to go in and test at the same time.'' Will that happen? ``I think so, unless my wife and two boys beat me there. I'm trying to hurry up and catch up with them. ... You know what they say, the family that kicks together sticks together.''

The sibling scene

Marissa Ribisi's sophomore screenwriting effort, ``Mail Room,'' is being targeted for a November production start. The twin sister of actor Giovanni Ribisi reports there's definitely a role in the Nu Image film for her sibling, whose credits include ``Saving Private Ryan.''

Giovanni also co-starred in ``Some Girl,'' Marissa's recent screenwriting debut, which won an award at the L.A. Film Festival. ``I want him to be in everything I do,'' she says, adding that her films are truly a family affair. ``My mom, Gay Ribisi, produces them.''

Marisa is currently shooting UPN's fall sitcom ``Grown Ups,'' in which she co-stars with Jaleel White and Dave Ruby. She says she may or may not play a role in ``Mail Room,'' depending on ``whether shooting conflicts with the show.''

With reports by Stephanie DuBois.

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4 Photos

Photo: (1) SAWYER

(2) WALTERS

(3) NELSON

(4) RIBISI