DISHING DIRT OVER THE INTERNET; ON-LINE GOSSIPS DIG DEEP FOR GOODS ON RICH, FAMOUS.

Byline: P.J. Huffstutter Daily News Staff Writer

The Nelson Aspen fan club gathers at 6:15 a.m. every Thursday at the Courtyard Club. This loyal group of women gather at this chic health spa to take Aspen's spinning class, sweat, pant and listen to his Hollywood insider dish.

Aspen, the Microsoft Network's answer to Robin Leach, pedals furiously in front of his class. The women struggle to keep up, the sweat streaking their pink faces and dripping on their multicarat diamond wedding rings.

But they still have enough energy to ask who . . . gasp, wheeze . . . did he see . . . huff, puff . . . this week?

``I sat between Carol Lynley and Roddy McDowall at a screening of `The Poseidon Adventure,' '' Aspen said. ``And let me tell you, she looked faaaabulous. I'm going to wage a one-man campaign to revive her career. I swear!''

Move over Mr. Showbiz, here comes Nelson. Each week, this on-line celebrity talk-show host interviews some of Hollywood's A-list (Jeff Goldblum) and, um, not-so-A-list (Pat Boone) in front of hundreds of netizens. Think of a keyboard-wielding Steve Kmetko preaching the E! Entertainment ethos: All fluff and dish, all the time.

Like an outtake from ``Mystery Science Theater 3000,'' Aspen and his guests recline in their studio chairs, pick a television show to mock and toss random barbs at the 50-inch screen. ``Melrose Place'' is an Aspen favorite. But the new ``Cosby'' show will do.

``I am so devastated that `Savannah' is off the air,'' Aspen said. ``The big skirts. The empty martini glasses. The Southern accents. I loved it.''

As Aspen and his guest chat, nearby typists record and post each word in a chat area. The text scrolls up the screen, while a steady stream of images flicker in an adjacent window. Audience members ``watching'' the show can join the conversation by typing in a comment or question at any time.

Only a part of the MSN revamp, ``Nelson's World'' marks one the earliest efforts to create televisionlike programming for the personal computer. MSN, the third largest on-line service, launched its second season in April, with 14 shows on the service's six channels. Other offerings include ``Almost TV,'' an improvisational comedy show that plays off of pop culture; ``Watercooler,'' which discusses job-related issues; ``Disney's Daily Blast,'' which offers games, stories and news for kids ages 3 to 12; and ``Project: Wildfire,'' which talks about unexplained phenomena.

Like TV, these shows must pull in a dedicated - and large - audience during their 13-week run. If not, they're canceled and other offerings will take their place.

``Nelson's World'' producer Harold Goldes notes that Aspen regularly draws between 100 and 200 viewers per show.

``I can't really say how many people are needed for a show to make it or not,'' said Bob Bejan, executive producer for MSN worldwide. ``It's got to be an audience that advertisers want to attract.''

Aspen insists his show grabs that elusive consumer - people like himself, who are young and single with disposable income.

A struggling thespian in the '80s, Aspen landed parts on daytime soap operas - ``I was washed off in a flood in one of them'' - before leaving the spotlight for a career as an aerobics instructor. He spent several years teaching in the United States and England, where he says he worked with Princess Diana's private trainer on dance and aerobic moves.

``Through that, I was interviewed by one of the British morning breakfast shows,'' Aspen said. ``The people at the BBC saw me and asked me to become one of their celebrity reporters.''

He continued the gig when he moved back to Los Angeles in 1992, and worked on such segments as ``Fitness for Pets with Betty White'' and ``Working Out with the Stars of `The Young and the Restless.' ''

Soon after, he began to cover Hollywood insider gossip for tabloid television shows ``Hard Copy'' and ``Inside Edition.''

``It's not like they call me up at 3 a.m. and send me out to dig through people's trash cans,'' he said. ``I just gossip. I do have to keep up my standards, after all.''

PG-rated gossip is exactly what Microsoft Networks pays him to do several times a week. Tucked in a nondescript building about a mile from the beach, the MSN studios reside in the heart of Santa Monica's new media hub.

It's a cold room, an artificial space filled with machines and geek speak, where the only shock of color comes from posters that sport the MSN pixelized finger logo.

But step inside the studio's center, where ``Nelson's World'' broadcasts live, and the ambience heats up. It's 10 minutes before ``Nelson's World'' starts and the evening's guest - Ruby Wax, a talk-show host and script editor of the British comedy series ``Absolutely Fabulous'' - is late. Really late.

Staff members race to make sure everything's prepared, from the script to the delicately decorated trays of finger-sandwiches. Aspen sips a glass of water and watches the clock, an enormous digital beast silently ticking off the seconds until showtime.

It's now three minutes until the start time. No Ruby Wax. The typists start to fret, as does Harold Goldes, the show's producer.

Aspen shrugs and gets ready to chat solo. Stalling for time, he chats with the audience about the latest TV shows and mourns the lack of new ``Melrose Place'' episodes.

Thirty minutes later, Wax finally arrives. ``I don't have to look good, do I?'' she peevishly asks Aspen, as the studio crew directs her to a nearby seat. ``I just don't feel like I look very good right now.''

Aspen rolls his eyes before comforting his tardy guest.

``They can't see you, Ruby,'' he explains. ``We're not like `Rosie' or Dave or Leno. Here, all they can do is admire your words.''

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5 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) On-line talk show host Nelson Aspen, left, gets chummy with celebrity guest Pat Boone.

Terri Thuente/Daily News

(2-5--Color) No captions (Internet screens from Nelson's World)