WHICH WAY WILL HE ROLL? COMEDY WRITERS WONDER HOW EDGY OSCAR HOST CHRIS ROCK CAN BE.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

Robin Williams recalls a Grammys ceremony a few years back during which Chris Rock - this year's Oscars host - followed an award-winning hip-hop group onto the stage. The winners had unleashed an expletive-laden speech and threatened to ``tell it right now, throw it down right now.''

``And (Rock) came up right after and said, 'I bet Martin Luther King Jr. is very proud,' '' recalls Williams, noting that the event fell on King's birthday.

``He's so bright and he can adjust fine,'' continues Williams. ``I'm glad they gave (the Oscars) to him. It's kind of a (gutsy) move. And I know they're worried: 'Chris, what are you going to do?' ''

Rock may or may not have pulled that snappy little Grammys reaction remark out of his own brain. If anything untoward happens during tonight's Oscars telecast, he won't be flying solo. A team of no fewer than 12 writers will be waiting in the wings to brainstorm responses to anything that happens on stage.

Those same dozen writers have been working with Rock to develop the comedian's opening remarks - whatever form they will take - and between-presentation interludes. In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, Rock has been playing comedy clubs, trying out new material.

Known for his political and frequently racially charged humor on ``Saturday Night Live'' and ``The Chris Rock Show,'' the Brooklyn-born comedian, 40, already has kicked up a certain amount of controversy with some pre-Oscars interviews during which he has appeared to liberally chomp the academy hand that gave him the assignment in the first place. Rock recently told Entertainment Weekly that the only time he watched the Academy Awards was when black actors were nominated and called the notion of giving awards for art ``idiotic.''

With no blockbusters up for best picture and without election-year fervor to spark political witticisms, which way will Rock go? Does an edgy Rock make for a livelier show? Or does a dulled-down Rock alienate absolutely nobody, cement his status as a host for future years and maybe gain new appreciation as a potential movie star from anyone who sat through his recent debacles ``Head of State'' or ``Down to Earth''?

Trish Baker, a writer on the UPN show ``Eve,'' is predicting a hosting train wreck - in part because the movies themselves won't provide enough fodder and in part because Rock's trademark humor could potentially raise academy members' hackles.

``You can't go out there and say, 'I'm not that afraid of Al-Qaida. I'm afraid of Al-Cracker,' '' says Baker, whose other credits include ``Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'' and ``The Osbournes.'' ``All over America, you'll hear click, click, click. People will not sit still for that.

``I don't wish him ill. I really don't. He's one of these guys that desperately wants to be part of the machine,'' she adds. ``Yet he turns around and fires shots at all of us. It's a weird dichotomy.''

Still, would anybody buy a race-free Chris Rock? Asked to supply a zinger or two for Rock's opening monologue, Baker came up with the following:

``How inspiring to be a part of an Oscar telecast that looks like America. The Mexicans are parking the limos, Asian accountants counted the ballots, and there's a rich black guy on stage complaining about white oppression.''

Brian McKim, editor and publisher of sheckymagazine.com, a site for stand-up comedians, has read reports that Rock has been dusting off abortion jokes from his 2001 Carnegie Hall show, which he could rework to direct at the Oscar-nominated film ``Vera Drake.'' And how would that play to a worldwide audience?

Probably not so hot, says Ed Driscoll, who has been part of Billy Crystal's writing team for four Oscar shows.

``I'm not so sure I'd be inclined to do (abortion jokes),'' says Driscoll, who, last year, saw his casual dressing-room quip about ``The Passion of the Christ'' make it onto the show. ``You only have so much time for jokes, and with something that controversial, unless you have a line that you think is - pardon the expression - 'killer,' you should probably stay away.''

Similarly, McKim doesn't expect Rock to tread the razor's - and censors' - edge and suspects that the spark-generating comments in Entertainment Weekly were probably a publicity-generating plot hatched by Rock and the academy.

What kind of jokes would McKim steer Rock toward if he had the comedian's ear?

``I'd say, 'Go and hire yourself the best writers you can and write Oscars-specific material, particularly pertaining to the films that were nominated or the films that were in the news in 2004,' '' says McKinn. ``And I believe that's what he has done. He's smart in that regard. You don't get as far as he's gotten as fast as he has without busting your hump.''

Multiple Emmy winner Buz Kohan is one of three writers who, year after year, writes Oscars-show copy for presenters and, occasionally, even an acceptance speech or two. Having watched the likes of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg, Kohan predicts a strong night for Rock at the Oscars.

A good early sign, according to Kohan: Rock has asked for merely eight minutes for his opening monologue.

``Some of them say, 'I can't even say hello in 10 minutes,' '' says Kohan, who has written for the Oscars for 18 years. ``Regardless of what he said in any article, he does respect the event and is honored to be chosen to do this. It's a rough line to walk for him when you've built your reputation in a certain way.''

``The idea that you might offend someone is kind of a given,'' says Williams. ``In the first three minutes, we'll know. It's like you're a rodeo pony. You know if you'll have the open field or not.''

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

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(1 -- cover -- color) Will the Oscars ROCK?

(2) Though quick on his feet, Chris Rock's usual stand-up persona might not play as well with Academy Awards viewers.

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