NEWS LITE : R.E.M. TO DRUM UP A NEW SOUND.

With drummer Bill Berry out of the band, the remaining members of R.E.M. may replace him with . . . nothing.

``Coincidentally, I've been using drum loops and '70s drum machines, making demos that way,'' guitarist Peter Buck told Rolling Stone magazine in its Dec. 11 issue. ``Some of the experiments are very suitable to where we're going.''

Where are the band's three remaining members going? To San Francisco in the spring, they say, where they will bring 40 new songs to start work on their next album. The record should be in stores around Christmas 1998.

``It's gonna work in a different way,'' promises R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe. ``That's the challenge for me, Peter and (bassist) Mike (Mills).''

Berry - who suffered a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 1995 - announced his departure in late October after 17 years with the band known for hits like ``Losing My Religion'' and ``Everybody Hurts.'' Buck says that the drummer's departure is not the end of the world.

``We respond well to challenge,'' he says. ``This is not a tragedy. Bosnia is a tragedy. This is someone making a decision we have to respect.''

Dancer collapses, taking a breather

``Lord of the Dance'' Michael Flatley was recuperating in an Aussie hospital Friday after collapsing on tour. Flatley was taken to St. Andrew's Hospital after falling ill with bronchial asthma at the Brisbane Entertainment Center on Thursday. His opening show ended abruptly and 15 minutes early. A hospital spokeswoman said he was ``very much alive and well and kicking.'' Flatley succumbed to a viral infection after touring for 18 months without a break, promoter Harley Medcalf said. Medcalf said the American-born Irish dancer, who had appeared less boisterous than usual during the performance, collapsed backstage. The rest of the four-show Brisbane season was canceled.

Boxing helped actor Rourke redefine self

Tough-guy actor Mickey Rourke credits his brief professional boxing career for paving the way to his acting comeback.

``When that bell rings you've got to be right there mentally and physically. There's no asking for a second take.''

He said the discipline gave him self-respect and self-esteem, adding: ``I was able to take that same code back to the acting.''

He compiled a 9-0-2 record as a light heavyweight, with bouts in Japan, Argentina, Spain and the United States. In the process, he has shattered a cheekbone and suffered short-term neurological damage.

``I'd fight in front of 20-, 30-, 40,000 people and it would be a terrifying experience because most of them came to see me lose,'' said Rourke, whose films include ``The Pope of Greenwich Village,'' ``Body Heat,'' ``Diner,'' ``Barfly'' and ``9-1/2 Weeks.''

Quints' parents await new addition

After taking fertility treatments to have quintuplets, Marcella Quezada didn't think she would get pregnant again.

Surprise!

With the quints now 2 years old, Marcella and Ramon Quezada are expecting baby No. 6.

``It's hard enough with five,'' Marcella Quezada said.

Samantha, already named, won't have the hand-me-down selection one would expect because Mom got rid of her three sisters' outgrown clothes. Needing fertility drugs once, she didn't think she could have children without them.

``I had thought about maybe having another one when they were older,'' she said. ``I wanted it to be like you see on TV and commercials, where the mother is taking her time with the baby in the bath or something.

``There's no way it'll be like that now. It'll always be rush, rush, rush.''

On Thanksgiving, Quezada rushed home after a half-day managing a fast-food restaurant in Ventura, an hour's drive from her home in West Hills. It was her last working day until the baby is born Dec. 16.

Ramon Quezada watched the kids at home with one of the two baby sitters, who cost a total of $1,400 a month.

Then came the Thanksgiving meal, delivered by the leaders of Girl Scout Troop 506 from Van Nuys. With all the commotion, the kids showed why their age is called the ``terrible 2s.''

Andrew managed to get hold of a hacksaw, a carving knife and a glass bottle of grape juice before his parents could stop him. Raymond tossed a book at one of his sisters and threw a temper tantrum, scattering plastic plates.

The three girls aren't so rowdy, their mother said. In fact, Kimberly cleaned up behind her brothers.

When the kids were finally in bed, Mom and Dad got to have some dinner. The dining-room table was moved out to make room for the new baby, so the grown-ups had to hunch around the tiny kids' table.

``It's tough,'' Marcella Quezada said.

OFFBEAT: Studio fights for right to teach nude

A dance studio found one way to keep students interested: nude teachers.

At the Silver Spurs Dance Studios in Florida, the Achy Breaky Heart and the Water Melon Slide were taught by instructors dressed in cowboy boots, spurs and nothing else.

Unfortunately, the teaching style also brought the attention of town officials, who passed an ordinance that pulled the business's license.

Now Silver Spurs wants a federal judge to override the town ordinance.

U.S. Magistrate David Baker did not immediately rule on Silver Spurs' request. But he said Tuesday he is concerned about a Palm Shores ordinance used to shut down the dance studio in 1995, saying it's too vague and gives town leaders too much power.

``This ordinance isn't careful. The town has a right to pull a permit on anybody it wants to put out of business,'' Baker said.

The 1981 ordinance allows the town 10 miles north of Melbourne to yank the business license of any establishment that officials think violates the health, safety and welfare of the community.

Town attorney Michael Kahn said the town isn't targeting any type of business.

He said the reason Silver Spurs lost its license because it jeopardized the town's welfare by committing fraud on its application - specifically, not informing the town that its dancers would be teaching in the buff.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1) FLATLEY

(2) Ho-ho-ho, please give dough

Sidewalk Santas ring bells Friday to kick off Volunteers of America's 95th fund-raising season in New York City. The Santas collect money for the group's Hope and Heart program, which last year fed nearly 6,000 needy people during the holidays.

Associated Press