NEWS LITE : DOLE AGE JOKES COULD BACKFIRE.

Bob Dole, smarting over late-night pokes at his age by Jay Leno and David Letterman, issued the Gary Hart challenge to both - follow me around. ``If they would just get on board the plane, stay with us for a week, they wouldn't be able to do the night shows,'' said the GOP presidential candidate-apparent.

The Leno camp is interested. ``It sounds like a lot of fun,'' a spokeswoman said. ``And if we could work it out, Jay would love to do it.'' NBC honchos are looking into how equal-time regulations would affect the idea.

Letterman's people would only say they're ``aware of the challenge.''

Some recent zingers - Letterman: ``This guy is so old, when he divorced his first wife, she got the cave.'' Leno: ``The Republican slogan is `Vote for Dole: The Loss Could Kill Him.' ''

Dole adds that he's a fan of the comedians: ``I've been on both their programs. They're both very good, both very funny.''

Hollywood's twist on science Is ``Twister'' a realistic portrayal of what tornado-chasing scientists like Joshua Wurman do?

``By Hollywood standards - and that's a big caveat - I didn't think it was that scientifically bad,'' Wurman said Thursday by cellular phone, as he and University of Oklahoma colleagues chased tornadoes in south-central South Dakota.

In the movie, the characters ``drive around like we do, looking for tornadoes.'' But does the film exaggerate?

``They get close to four tornadoes in one day, and we're lucky if we get four tornadoes in a season,'' Wurman said. ``And we certainly don't drive into them. We stay a mile away.''

Yet, the film's computer simulations of the inside of tornadoes were mostly realistic, the scientist says.

``I look at it this way - if I were a lion expert, I would have been horrified by `Born Free,' '' Wurman said. ``But if you're not, it's a pretty good lion movie.''

Married once, divorced twice?

The David Justice-Halle Berry divorce trial may turn into a road show.

A Superior Court judge in Georgia has refused Berry's request to dismiss the Atlanta Brave's divorce case. Justice filed for divorce April 26, two weeks after Berry filed in California.

Unless Justice's lawyers are successful in getting the California case dismissed, the divorce may have to be worked out in both states.

Justice wants to keep the case in Georgia because its divorce laws call for equitable division of property. California law considers all of a couple's assets to be community property.

Justice, 30, and Berry, 27, married in 1993 and separated earlier this year.

Pitt ponies up for kid museum

Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to a science museum for children in his hometown.

The Discovery Center, a hands-on interactive museum in Springfield, Mo., must raise $1.3 million by June 30 to secure a $550,000 foundation grant. Without the grant, the center's full-time opening could be delayed for years.

``He was wanting to do something to help kids and was based on education and when this opportunity came about, he felt this was it,'' Doug Pitt, the actor's brother, said Wednesday.

Doug Pitt owns a computer business in Springfield; his brother is a 1982 graduate of Springfield's Kickapoo High School.

`Independence Day' will kick off early

Twentieth Century Fox announced Thursday that it is pushing up the nationwide release date for ``Independence Day'' by one day, to July 2.

Many locations will hold special ``around-the-clock'' screenings of the film beginning that evening.

Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman star in the movie, which was made by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, the creative team behind 1994's ``Stargate.''

The film takes a look at what begins as an ordinary summer weekend around the globe, until the arrival of a force of incredible magnitude turns it into a literally earth-shattering three days.

Sweet temptation for smokers City transit officials are hoping chocolates will work where no smoking laws failed: in the Paris subways.

Paris Regional Transit Authority agents began handing out bonbons last month in hopes of persuading smokers to wait until they're above ground to light up.

Smoking is forbidden in the Paris subway system, with violators subject to $20 fines. The laws are difficult to enforce in Paris, where smoking remains extremely popular.

Few smokers dare light up in the cars themselves, but many ignore the no smoking signs on platforms and underground shopping concourses.

The transit authority hopes its friendly offer of a chocolate candy will get smokers to stop and clear the corridors of their choking haze.

Nationwide, roughly one in two French men and one in three women smoke.

`Independence Day' will kick off early

Twentieth Century Fox announced Thursday that it is pushing up the nationwide release date for ``Independence Day'' by one day, to July 2.

Many locations will hold special ``around-the-clock'' screenings of the film beginning that evening.

Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman star in the movie, which was made by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, the creative team behind 1994's ``Stargate.''

The film takes a look at what begins as an ordinary summer weekend around the globe, until the arrival of a force of incredible magnitude turns it into a literally earth-shattering three days.

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

Photo: (1) Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt run from an oncomi ng tornado in ``Twister.''

(2-4) The candidate from Kansas has challenged talk-show hosts to keep up with him.