THE BUZZ.

Byline: - Daily News Wire Services

Can `Ellen' be more gay?: Despite recent comments from its out-of-the-closet star, Ellen DeGeneres, that she'd like to tone down the lesbian focus in her ABC sitcom, ``Ellen'' is about to ratchet up the homosexuality quotient in its Feb. 25 episode.

Indeed, the show is titled, ``It's a Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay World.''

The premise? After sniffing a heavy dose of insecticide, Spence (Jeremy Piven) wakes up in a world where homosexuality is the norm. Joe (David Anthony Higgins) is in love with him, and Paige (Joely Fisher) has tattoos and a buzz cut. Openly gay actor Harvey Fierstein also will appear on the show.

Last spring, DeGeneres and her producers agreed to have her character, Ellen Morgan, reveal she was a lesbian. At the same time, DeGeneres revealed she, too, was gay.

The critically praised episode was watched by 42 million viewers. However, this season, as the show has continued focusing on Ellen's new gay life, ratings have dropped.

Last month, ABC Entertainment president Jamie Tarses told TV critics that a decision had not been made on the show's future, but said the network was not pleased with its performance this season.

In fact, ABC is giving ``Ellen'' a six-week breather starting March 11, filling its 9:30 p.m. Wednesday slot with the new midseason comedy ``Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place,'' about a trio of 20-somethings.

One `ER' star hesitates over $1 mil: The original stars of NBC's smash hit ``ER'' - like the show's staff and crew before them - just got a piece of the historic renegotiation deal made by Warner Bros. TV.

But at least one of the five may not be willing to take the bonus.

Warner Bros. Television president Tony Jonas gave a $1 million check Thursday morning to each of the medical drama's original five stars - Anthony Edwards, Julianna Margulies, Noah Wyle, George Clooney and Eriq La Salle - studio insiders said. Some of the newer cast members received lesser bonuses.

At least one of the stars was hesitant about taking the money because it could impact the actor's future negotiating leverage with the show - though Jonas was insistent the money came with no strings attached.

The ``ER'' bonuses come only weeks after NBC agreed to pay Warners a record $13 million per episode for the series. That deal runs through the 2000-01 season.

At the same time, NBC and Columbia TriStar Television are trying to persuade stars like Helen Hunt of ``Mad About You'' to come back. Sources say the actress - who could get an Academy Award nomination for her work in ``As Good as It Gets'' - may be asking for $1 million per episode. Columbia TriStar and possibly NBC, however, may be only willing to pay no more than $600,000, sources said.

The ``ER'' actor, it seems, would rather pass on a $1 million, no-strings-attached bonus in hopes of an even bigger paycheck down the road.

Welles finally gets `director's cut': Universal Studios will create a ``director's edition'' of Orson Welles' classic film ``Touch of Evil'' that will be based on a recently discovered 58-page memo written in 1957 by the late writer-director.

Universal's specialty label, October Films, will re-release the new version of ``Touch of Evil,'' probably this fall, after which it is certain to become a collector's item in both video and laser-disc versions.

Universal execs declined comment, but sources said that the studio hopes to premiere the director's edition at either the Cannes or Deauville film festival.

It would certainly be fitting to relaunch ``Touch of Evil'' on French soil, for Welles' classic film has always been much more appreciated in France than in the United States.

Welles scholars count ``Touch of Evil'' among his greatest works. The film had a profound influence in Europe and especially France, where it ran for a year on its initial release and is generally credited with being one of the inspirations for the New Wave.

Yet Welles himself was removed from the picture by Universal during postproduction and never allowed to cut the film the way he wanted.

Recently, prompted by film historians, former Universal chairman Lew Wasserman produced a memo Welles authored in December 1957, detailing 47 specific changes he wanted made to the film - changes that involved the continuity of cuts and music cues.

Universal has now committed to making all changes possible to ``Touch of Evil,'' using the memo as a guide. Two former Oscar winners, film and sound editor Walter Murch and sound designer Bill Varney, are currently reassembling this never-before-seen cut ``Touch of Evil'' with the assistance of film historian and Welles scholar Rick Schmidlin, who will produce the ``director's edition.''

``Every single request by Welles (in his memo) makes this a stronger picture,'' Schmidlin said from the editing room in the San Francisco Bay Area. ``The way his cuts punctuate the scenes give them different emotions, and the story unfolds in a much more coherent way.''

`Just Shoot Me' passes test: After enjoying its highest ratings ever Thursday, ``Just Shoot Me'' will finish out the year among ``Friends,'' ``Seinfeld'' and ``ER.''

NBC announced the sitcom will take over ``Union Square's'' Thursday time slot Feb. 26. Thursday's performance was apparently proof enough for NBC, with a special run of ``Just Shoot Me'' at 8:30 p.m. earning its best rating.

In other scheduling announcements from NBC, the veteran comedy ``NewsRadio'' makes a return trip to Wednesdays - this time at 8 p.m. - beginning March 18, giving up its 8:30 p.m. Tuesday time slot to the new comedy ``For Your Love,'' bowing March 17. Also on Tuesdays will be the debut of ``Lateline'' in ``Just Shoot Me's'' old 9:30 p.m. time slot, beginning March 17.

On Mondays starting March 9, ``House Rules'' fills the 8:30 p.m. time slot of the shelved ``Fired Up.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1) Ellen DeGeneres

``Ellen''

(2) David Spade

``Just Shoot Me''

Box: The weekend's top 10