UNIVERSAL HONORS THREE-PEAT WITH TICKET DEAL.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

Universal Studios Hollywood is going to the hoop with a special deal for Lakers fans.

The promotion allows those wearing the purple and gold of the reigning three-time NBA champions to buy one ticket and get one free, any weekday through June 28. The offer is good only with the purchase of regular-priced admission tickets: $45 for those 10 and older; $35 for ages 3 to 9.

Universal Studios is billed as the world's largest movie studio and theme park, with attractions that include Animal Planet Live, the Nickelodeon Blast Zone, the Jurassic Park ride, Special Effects Stages and the new ``Spider-Man Rocks'' show.

Information: [phone]; www.universalstudios.com.

A SHEER THING: CBS is slipping into something comfortable - it hopes.

The network and lingerie maker Victoria's Secret have signed a deal to create a prime-time special to air this fall, a CBS spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

Word about the CBS special, reported by TVGuide.com, comes after ABC aired a similar special last November to mixed results.

The show was slammed by some critics for being little more than soft porn, and some viewers complained to the FCC. The FCC decided ABC had broken no rules with the show.

Still, because of ABC's experience, the special is sure to stir some controversy - along with decent ratings.

What makes any potential downside easy to take is Victoria's Secret's willingness to help front the production costs.

Much of the bill for ABC's special - estimated at $5 million - was paid by the lingerie company, according to TV Guide.

CBS is expected to push up the production values from what aired a year ago, including big-name musical guests and a host.

The program also will be pumped by CBS' sister companies MTV, VH1 and TNN.

CBS' Victoria's Secret special will air during the November sweeps, a quarterly period from which ratings are used to set advertising rates.

PHONE-A-LAWYER: A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit claiming ABC discriminates against disabled people who want to become contestants on ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.''

A lower-court judge had concluded that the Americans With Disabilities Act isn't broad enough to cover the process of qualifying by touch-tone telephone.

But the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta decided Tuesday that the lawsuit contained a valid claim that the touch-tone system violates the ADA.

Disability rights advocates sued the network and the show's producer for using a telephone system that excludes hearing-impaired people and those who can't operate touch-tone phones.

Calls for comment to the network, its lawyers and the group that sued, Miami's Center for Independent Living, were not immediately returned Wednesday.