NEWS LITE : DAVID DUCHOVNY `X-FILES' LAWSUIT.

``The X-Files'' star David Duchovny is suing the show's producer, 20th Century Fox Film Corp., claiming Fox gave its own stations sweetheart deals on ``X-Files'' reruns.

The suit, filed Thursday in Santa Monica Superior Court, claims Fox breached Duchovny's contract and paid ``X-Files'' creator Chris Carter more than $34 million and promised him a new series to keep him quiet about the deal.

The suit did not specify damages.

Fox sold the series to its own broadcast network, Fox Broadcasting Co., and its own cable network, FX Cable Network. Syndication rights were sold to its own group of stations, Fox Television Stations. The lawsuit contends that Fox should have sold the series to the highest bidder.

Fox said in a news release that it would not comment. A message left at Carter's office Friday was not immediately returned.

Gingrich's girlfriend allegedly long-term

Divorce lawyers for the estranged wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich have won permission to question a woman Gingrich reportedly has been seeing.

An order signed Thursday by Cobb County, Ga., Superior Court Judge Dorothy Robinson allows Marianne Gingrich's attorneys to take a deposition from Callista Bisek.

Published reports say Gingrich, 53, and Bisek, a 33-year-old aide to the House Agriculture Committee, have been seeing each other for years.

Marianne Gingrich's lawyer, John Mayoue, declined to say whether she thought her husband was involved in a relationship with Bisek before Gingrich filed for divorce July 29.

``I can tell you that she thought that they had a very sound marriage, right up until this unexpected demand for divorce,'' he said. ``And I can also tell you that Marianne is prepared to thoroughly investigate Mr. Gingrich's personal life as well as his business activities.''

Now Mick, Jerry truly not married

Rock legend Mick Jagger's ``marriage that never was'' with Texan model Jerry Hall was declared null and void by a London High Court judge on Friday.

Neither partner in one of the entertainment world's most glamorous and tempestuous relationships was in court for the legal ending to the affair that lasted 22 stormy years.

In her statement to the court, Hall fired back at Jagger's claim that their Hindu wedding on the Indonesian island of Bali in 1991 was not recognized under British law. ``The marriage ceremony bore, so far as I was aware, all the usual hallmarks of a wedding,'' she said.

``The ceremony was lengthy and complicated and was preceded by what I believed was a ceremonial conversion into the Hindu faith.''

Air Force drops A-bomb jewelry

The gift shop of the National Atomic Museum at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., has stopped selling silver earring replicas of the A-bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A Japanese anti-nuclear group had protested the jewelry.

Martin on new film, Murphy, self

Funny guy Steve Martin may have played ``The Jerk'' on screen, but in real life he remains one of Hollywood's consistent class acts. He has done it all, from stand-up to ``Saturday Night Live'' to movie stardom to screenwriting. He reflects upon his career for E! Online while managing not to strangle the interviewer for mentioning the phrase ``wild 'n' crazy guy.''

On ``Bowfinger'' co-star Eddie Murphy: ``You know, the part was actually written for a white actor. . . . Then Brian Grazer, the producer, said, `What about Eddie Murphy?' I thought it was a fantastic idea, because I knew Eddie would make the character so energetic. So Kit Ramsey became a black action star.''

On no-names giving him scripts: ``I've been eating at a restaurant and had a script dropped on the table. And you want to treat it with respect because you think, What if that was me?''

On whether he'll do stand-up again: ``No, never. . . . You have to be on the road for a year. And who wants to go on the road for a year? I've got a dog!''

Any regrets? ``After `Sgt. Bilko,' I just hated myself - and by the way, I'm not criticizing the movie. I just thought, What am I doing?''

Miss America Pageant to streamline talent spots

Dissatisfied with the caliber of its contestants' talent routines, the Miss America Pageant is cutting back on the number of performances included on the television show.

Traditionally, all 10 semifinalists have performed solo talent segments as part of the contest. This year, only five will, and they will be backed by professional dancers and musicians.

The idea is to improve the telecast and boost its ratings, which have plummeted in recent years, pageant CEO Robert Beck told The Press of Atlantic City, N.J., in a story published Friday.

Viewers get bored watching the amateur talent routines, Beck said.

``Thirty or 40 years ago, there was no other choice. You watched us or flipped to one or two other stations. Today, you can flip to 20 or 30 stations and find great entertainment,'' he said. The 79th annual Miss America Pageant is Sept. 18.

News Lite is compiled by Karen Duffy from Daily News staff and wire reports.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

Photo: (1) Tribute to a legend

Janet Leigh gestures in front of the infamous ``Psycho'' house at the back lot of Universal Studios on Friday morning in celebration of Alfred Hitchcock's 100th birthday and Amazon.com's Hitchcock site.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News

(2) DUCHOVNY

(3) JAGGER

(4) MARTIN