THE BUZZ.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Hope rocks: Tonic, whose current single ``You Wanted More'' is featured in the hit comedy ``American Pie,'' will perform Thursday as part of a benefit concert in honor of School of Fish singer Josh Clayton-Felt, who recently died of cancer.

The Rock for Hope show at the Beverly Center's Hard Rock Cafe will also feature Santa Barbara rockers Dishwalla and former members of School of Fish.

``We are honored to be involved with Rock for Hope's fund-raising efforts and are thrilled to perform in Josh's name,'' said Tonic singer Emerson Hart. ``The songwriting community has lost a great writer and a great friend. He will be missed.''

Clayton was co-founder, co-writer and singer for School of Fish, which recorded for Capitol in the early `90s. The band's self-titled debut featured the track ``Three Strange Days,'' once the most highly requested song on alternative rock radio KROQ-FM (106.7).

The Hard Rock is at 8600 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. Doors open at 7 p.m. Thursday, and tickets are $10. Information: [phone], Ext. 6193.

--Live TV: Richard Dreyfuss is in talks with George Clooney's Maysville Pictures to co-star as the commander-in-chief in Clooney's live TV remounting of ``Fail-Safe,'' set to air in April on CBS. If a deal is struck, Dreyfuss would be stepping into the role tackled by Henry Fonda in Sidney Lumet's 1964 Cold War classic about a nuclear near-miss. In addition to Clooney, cast members include Brian Dennehy and Noah Wyle. ``Fail-Safe,'' Clooney's ambitious attempt to revisit the golden age of live TV drama, is set to air April 9 following CBS' coverage of the Masters golf tournament. Stephen Frears is on board as director.

--Freedom fighters: UPN is close to sealing a deal with Warner Bros. Television for a pilot of a martial arts-driven drama to be executive produced by Joel Silver. The show is tentatively titled ``Freedom.'' Other details about the project are sketchy. Silver went 0-2 this season as an executive producer of UPN's short-lived action-drama ``The Strip'' and Fox's much-hyped comedy ``Action.'' But UPN, with its testosterone-driven programming aimed at young men, is eager to be in business with Silver, producer of the ``Lethal Weapon'' series and other action feature blockbusters.

--Malcolm on top: Fox has given a 16-episode pickup to its new sitcom ``Malcolm in the Middle.'' ``Malcolm'' blew out of the box in its Jan. 9 premiere as the highest-rated sitcom to hit Fox in 10 years as well as notching the strongest debut of a comedy on any network during the past two seasons. The pickup calls for three more ``Malcolm'' episodes for this season and a minimum of 13 for the 2000-01 season.

--Street beat: ``The Beat'' is on at UPN. The network has scheduled the premiere of the anticipated Barry Levinson-Tom Fontana (``Homicide: Life on the Street,'' ``Oz'') cop drama for March 21. Fontana wrote and Levinson directed the pilot. ``The Beat'' follows the life of two patrol partners in New York City. The series will settle in the 9 p.m. Tuesday slot, sending low-rated ``Shasta'' and ``Dilbert'' to the bench.

--Designing moves: NBC has signed a major deal with designer Ralph Lauren to form Ralph Lauren Media. Conspiracy theorists are invited to suggest ways this latest bit of synergy might affect NBC's ``Friends,'' which has already featured Lauren in a cameo as Rachel's boss.