FIRST THE SHOW ... NOW THE COMEDY ACT; SEINFELD GIVES OLD ROUTINES ONE LAST AIRING.

Byline: Rob Lowman Daily News Entertainment Editor

During a press conference Tuesday, Jerry Seinfeld was asked what it was like to end the run of his hit comedy series.

``Do you ever take a dog into the park and take his leash off, and he kind of looks up at you for a second and then just bolts like a maniac?'' he asked. ``Something like that.''

Seinfeld has vowed that he won't do another TV series, but before he bolts off again, he is going to perform, one final time, the stand-up comedy act he developed throughout his career.

Tonight, Seinfeld is going to bury the act with a live HBO special called ``I'm Telling You for the Last Time.'' (It's tape delayed on the West Coast.)

The comedian has vowed that after tonight's performance he would ``never do any of these jokes again,'' and said he plans to start working on an all-new act, though it may take eight months to a year, ``depending on how hard I work.''

In the last few weeks, Seinfeld has been polishing his show on a tour that has taken him to the likes of Iceland, Australia, England, Kansas City and Des Moines. He made an unpublicized appearance at the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach a few weeks ago. On Wednesday, he began a 10-performance run at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway that ends with tonight's show.

As for why he decided to tour rather than take some time off, Seinfeld said it was much more appealing than the usual vacation.

``To be in front of an audience is the most fun I can have,'' he said. ``I've been on beaches. I've been on boats. It's pleasant, but it's not really a lot of fun.''

Seinfeld is clearly enjoying himself on this tour,and performing before his hometown crowd in New York City is especially rewarding.

``New York audiences have always been the best for me, because humor is really a New York invention, as far as I'm concerned,'' he said.

Seinfeld isn't likely to pull any surprises tonight, though reports say the material varies slightly from show to show. He is at heart a Borscht Belt-style stand-up comedian who polishes his material to a brilliant shine; his strength is wry, witty observations. You'll see no wild, raw improv antics a la Robin Williams. Neither will he go into a prolonged character, as Billy Crystal or Whoopi Goldberg do in their acts.

Seinfeld is most comfortable being himself. He did, as you remember, play a character for nine years named Jerry Seinfeld on his hit series. The comedian's schtick, for the most part, is his puzzlement and amusement over the absurdities of modern life. And his look at the end of a joke, which combines a slight bewilderment at the ridiculousness of a situation along with a bit of smug superiority because he's aware of it, is what endears him to audiences who feel the same way. (``Oh yeah,'' you're thinking as you're laughing, ``I noticed that.'')

The reviews of the tour and the Broadway performances have been mostly positive. And even if the material is likely to be familiar to fans, it isn't likely to stop anyone from laughing. One Midwest critic started off by carping that a better title for the concert would be ``Don't Stop Me If You've Heard This One,'' but throughout the rest of the review repeated a lot of the show's jokes (we won't do that) and talked about how much the audience enjoyed itself.

Makes sense. ``Seinfeld'' reruns in syndication do handsomely. Good jokes, after all, are hard to find, which makes tonight's show, if Seinfeld keeps his promise, a keeper for anyone with a VCR. (It will be repeated at 9:30 p.m. Sept. 12.) For those of you who don't, the material will also be included on his upcoming Universal Records album of the same name.

Oh, by the way, one of the people watching those syndicated reruns is Seinfeld himself.

``I thought they were very funny, the ones that I saw,'' he said. ``I found them very, very entertaining. I was upset that the show went off the air when I saw them.''

Here's Jerry on ...

... whether people who are paying $1,500 to scalpers to see the show are getting a good deal: If you have $1,500 to spend on a ticket, you are beyond ``good deal.''

... his early influences: Bill Cosby's ``Why Is There Air?'' I would say, probably made me want to be a comedian more than anything else. That album, I played it over and over, and I literally wore it out. And I knew every word, and made sure everybody else I knew, knew every word of it. I still have every Bill Cosby album. And, Robert Klein, ``Child of the '50s.''

... the ideal woman: The ideal woman? Well ... well, there's just so many of you here that fit the bill, it's hard to choose. The ideal woman. It's, they ... they all seem ideal, that's the problem.

... his Broadway debut: It's gigantic. This is great. The Great White Way, which I think is politically incorrect.

... Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky: This whole thing about did they lie about it, of course, everybody lies about sex. People lie during sex, so why wouldn't they lie about sex? Truth in sex is not going to happen. Let's give up on that dream.

THE FACTS

The show: ``Jerry Seinfeld: I'm Telling You for the Last Time.''

Where: HBO.

When: 9 tonight (repeated 9:30 p.m. Sept. 12).

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: Jerry Seinfeld: ``New York audiences have always been the best for me, because humor is really a New York invention, as far as I'm concerned.''

J. Emilio Flores/The New York Times

Box: Here's Jerry on ... (See Text)