NEWS LITE : JUSTICE RIPS TV'S INFLUENCE ON KIDS.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas doesn't mince words when it comes to television.

``Suppose I told you there was a monster who latched onto your head and sucked out your brains,'' he told 50 students at a Denver elementary school on Thursday. ``What is that monster?''

The youngsters replied: ``TV!'' ``Play Station!''

When Thomas asked what they should do with their TVs, one boy said, ``Throw them in a Dumpster!''

During his televised confirmation hearings, lawmakers grilled Thomas after former co-worker Anita Hill accused him of sexual harassment. Thomas called the process a ``high-tech lynching'' and denied the accusations.

Machines store pocket library

Imagine holding 10 books in the palm of your hand - and being able to read them in the dark.

That's the idea behind an electronic book unveiled Friday.

Once the stuff of science fiction, Rocket eBook packs in 4,000 pages of text and graphics - or about 10 average novels - into a paperback-size, 22-ounce device that sells for $499.

It may seem sacrilege to would-be Jack Kerouacs crossing the country with a dog-eared copy of ``On The Road'' stuffed in the back pocket. But a half-dozen other companies are developing their own versions of machines that would let people download novels through the Internet.

SoftBook Press of Menlo Park, Calif., is marketing a 3-pound, $599 device holding up to 100,000 pages, targeting mostly corporate clients. And Everybook Inc. of Middletown, Pa., is producing a 4-pounder; at $1,500, it could hold a half million pages when available next year.

``If you can get on to the Web, you can buy a book - instantly,'' said Martin Eberhard, chief executive officer of NuvoMedia, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company that makes the eBook.

He introduced the plastic, high-tech tablet at the Barnes & Noble flagship store in New York. The giant bookseller is making electronic titles for the eBook available online for downloading onto a personal computer. It takes two to five minutes to download a book, which will cost $18 to $25.

There are no freight charges, no warehouses, no out-of-print books. Plus, it can be read anywhere.

``It's hard to replace getting comfortable on the living room sofa with a paperback,'' admits Eberhard. ``But when I get into bed, and my wife says, The light's going off, dude! - I can turn on the electronic book.''

As long as the battery lasts. The electronic book can run out of power after about 20 hours.

`Pfeiffer' off UPN lineup for sweeps week

The United Paramount Network has pulled ``The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer'' off the air - but only temporarily.

The sitcom that has drawn the ire of many African-American activists for its humorous portrayal of the era of slavery will be taken off the UPN's schedule during November sweeps, the important ratings period that begins Thursday and ends Nov. 25.

The show will remain in production during its absence from TV screens.

The revamped Monday lineup for UPN (KCOP, Channel 13) will feature new episodes of ``Malcolm & Eddie'' at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., ``Guys Like Us'' will air at 8:30 p.m. and ``DiResta'' moves to 9:30 p.m.

Stiller's dad helped him handle LSD trip

You're 16. You've just dropped two tabs of acid. The visions are ripping through your head, so what do you do?

You're a Ben Stiller person if you said, ``Call your parents.''

Years ago, a drug-addled young Stiller caught up with his parents, comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, as they filmed an episode of ``The Love Boat.''

``I was scared, and I didn't know who to talk to,'' the actor told Rolling Stone. ``I didn't have that many close friends in high school. Luckily, my dad was really open.''

How did Dad handle things?

``I said, first, that I didn't want him to feel guilty,'' the elder Stiller said. ``I also had to explain to him that his mind was OK. He was so concerned. It was one of the closest places we've ever been together.''

The younger Stiller stars as an out-of-control heroin addict in ``Permanent Midnight'' and an angst-ridden adolescent who gets his penis caught in his zipper in ``There's Something About Mary.''

Depardieu may be stripped of honor

Gerard Depardieu could lose his Legion of Honor award because of drunk driving, and that's just fine with him.

Officials of the Grande Chancellerie, which oversees distribution of the award, said the procedure to punish the film star is under way.

Depardieu was convicted of driving drunk on his motorcycle in May. He was fined $1,600. His driver's license was suspended for 15 months.

According to the Grande Chancellerie's code, members of the Legion of Honor convicted by a court of committing a dishonorable act can be censured, suspended or excluded from the elite group.

``I would be happy to turn it in,'' said Depardieu, the star of ``Cyrano de Bergerac'' and ``Green Card.''

OVERHEARD

``He is a warrior of peace. I mean, he doesn't stop.''

- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Referring to President Clinton and his efforts at mediating a settlement during Middle East talks.

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

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos

PHOTO (1) Solo circumnavigator 

Karen Thorndike, 56, eases her 36-foot sloop Amelia into a Seattle dock Friday after a two-year solo round-the-world voyage that began when she left San Diego in August 1996.

Barry Sweet/Associated Press

(2) The Rocket eBook holds the equivalent of 10 novels of text in the size of one paperback.

Suzanne Tobias/Associated Press

(3) THOMAS

(4) STILLER

(5) DEPARDIEU