PRODUCER SINGING PRAISES OF CARUSO : THE BIG-SCREEN SCENE.

Byline: Mailyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Paul Haggis, one of the executive producers of David Caruso's new series, admits he was worried - real worried - about working with one of TV's most high-profile prodigal sons.

Haggis, who's writing and producing Caruso's soon-due ``Michael Hayes'' CBS drama about a U.S. attorney, has worked a lot with Caruso's former ``NYPD Blue'' producer, Steven Bochco, and the Bochco team. And, he says, ``When I told them I was doing this show, I got a lot of comments like, `You're in for it now,' and `Look out!'

``I went in with a feeling of dread. ... Then I met with David for three, four hours. And I left the meeting believing I could work with him,'' says Haggis, who gave us last season's acclaimed ``EZ Streets.''

Even at that, Haggis confesses, ``We got off to a bumpy start, David and I. Creative differences, different interpretations of characters and scripts. I think David was understandably nervous about how he would return to TV, and he wanted everything right. But things have worked out and settled down.''

And, Haggis says, the difficulties that beset him now have nothing to do with his star. They have to do with coming in late on the ``Hayes'' team, working without his usual staff - and without much time to write scripts ahead.

With all the liabilities, why did Haggis take on the fledgling show? Well, for one thing, he says, he owed CBS chieftain Les Moonves a favor. ``He put on a show I thought would never ever make it on television, `EZ Streets,' and when he asked me to come in on this, it seemed only right.''

With Demi Moore's ``G.I. Jane'' having opened better in the marketplace than predicted, it's full speed ahead on the next joint venture by director Ridley Scott and screenwriter David Twohy: ``Cry Havoc,'' a contemporary thriller with supernatural overtones. The project - which Scott is expected to do after he directs the November-starting Arnold Schwarzenegger picture, ``I Am Legend'' - could go into production as early as next summer. Twohy also has a directing project ahead, the sci-fi epic ``Nightfall,'' which he wrote and will begin making in Australia early next year.

``Ridley and I are still speaking to each other after `G.I. Jane,' which is not always the case with a writer and a director,'' notes Twohy with a laugh. He tells us ``Cry Havoc'' came about after Scott told him he'd always wanted to do a supernatural story - and sent Twohy prospects, from scripts in need of rewriting to old BBC movies that could potentially be remade. Twohy finally told Scott, ``Give me a week, and I'll come up with something original.'' And he did.

Hello, again

Carroll Baker has no explanation for the upturn in her professional fortunes of late. The actress, who exploded on the movie scene in the '50s (with features including ``Baby Doll'' and ``The Big Country'') has gone from near-invisibility to roles in several major productions. The latter include Michael Douglas' big-screen ``The Game'' and CBS' Oct. 5 ``Heart Full of Rain'' with Richard Crenna. Notes Baker, ``This business is so mysterious. Years go by, and there's nothing. Then, suddenly you're in demand again.'' She adds, ``They do seem to be writing more parts for more women past 30.''

She just finished the independent feature ``Nowhere to Go,'' with recent Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste, which Baker calls ``a feast for me as an actress. I play a wonderful Italian mother, full of spirit'' - a part she particularly relishes, having lived in Italy for several years. And she's being honored with a retrospective at the Breckenridge (Colo.) Festival of Film on Sept. 20.

How `Strange'

Among the celebrities who'll be popping up on the syndicated ``Strange Universe'' series this week with their views of the paranormal are Jeff Foxworthy and Cybill Shepherd. Asked about her experiences with the unexplained, Cybill responds, ``I had sex with an alien last night, actually - it was really good.'' When Foxworthy is asked the strangest thing that's ever happened to him, he notes, ``I come from the South, and we're really used to seeing UFOs, and we still believe Elvis is alive, so none of that stuff is strange to us.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1) David Caruso

Bumpy start

(2) Carroll Baker

Career upturn

(3) Cybill Shepherd

She's UFO-friendly