Blair turning heads at WB

GOOD MORNING: Linda Blair is trying to turn some (financial) heads around at WB. Footage of her from the 1973 "Exorcist" is being used in trailers for "Exorcist: The Beginning," bowing this week. Blair and her manager Brian Holt claim WB will only pay her $93x3 (that's the $93 daily rate from that time, multiplied by three, per SAG rules). "I am astounded and mortified," Blair told me, with Holt confirming conversations with WB and with SAG re the amount of the payment. Blair is now talking to attorneys. She says, "I was shocked to see my image and hear my voice and I'm certain the public thinks I'm in it. I want to work and it's hard to get past this image." She recently worked in a comedy, "Hitters" with Clint Thomas, but admits, "I don't work enough." So she devotes her energies to the non-profit World Heart Foundation, for animal and human welfare ... I spoke to Guy McElwaine, president of Morgan Creek, which made "The Exorcist: The Beginning" and he allows of the use of Blair in the trailers: "I'm sorry she's upset; I like Linda. The clip is a 'heritage' use -- paying respect." Morgan Creek only finished the film last week and is readying 3,100 prints to bow Friday (with a preem tomorrow, Wednesday). Morgan Creek starts its three-pic pact with Universal Sept. 9 with "Two for the Money," starring Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey and Renee Russo.

JACK NICHOLSON ASSURES US he'll be back courtside at the Laker games next season, despite the change in cast of characters. "Remember, it's entertainment," he says in a quiet mood, and asks us to "look at the cast" upcoming. "You don't have to win everything," he says (a statement hardly reflecting some of his comedic courtside complaints). Nicholson, now in a mellow mood and enjoying his vacation after 3½ years sans stop, claims he isn't even reading anything, laughing, "When I'm off, I'm off -- and besides reading would mean working." He recently wrote a tribute to friend and neighbor Marlon Brando for Rolling Stone. He mused to me, "He did pretty good with the cards he was dealt. There's no need to be sad about the big fellows and he wasn't sentimental about death. But I am," he admitted. "It's the Irish in me." Nicholson, who was a political activist in the 1972campaigns, is keeping a low profile in overt support this time out -- although we had a lengthy discussion about several issues, including the environment, alternative energy and terrorism ("about which I've always been paranoid," he admitted). "If I were 30 again, I'd start agitating" ... I didn't read him Leonardo DiCaprio's remarks when he appeared at the John Kerry rally in Portland last week. DiCaprio said, "I consider myself an environmentalist and a staunch environmentalist supporter. That issue alone and a multitude of others make this election is too important to sit out." He noted the two simultaneous storms in Florida, warning, "The fact is our climate is changing, our weather patterns are changing; global warming is real" ... Jon Bon Jovi also appeared at that rally, having winged up (in his own plane) from looping "National Lampoon's 'The Trouble With Frank' " that day, returning at 5 p.m. to continue on the Arthur Hiller-directed film until midnight. Monday, Hiller addressed the City of L.A.'s Cultural Affairs Council on the importance of arts in the education of children. On Oct. 2, Hiller hies to Toronto to receive Canada's DGA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Declare Yourself, founded by Norman Lear, is named the "hot movement" in Rolling Stone's annual Hot List ... Following a couple of radio-phone interviews, Ben Affleck is taking time off politics this week -- to start writing a new script ...Rob Reiner has also taken time off politicking this week to work on the script of the untitled WB pic staring Jennifer Aniston, for which he's taking over reins from Ted Griffin; Reiner starts directing Wednesday ... "Jib-Jab" creators Greg & Evan Spiridellis, who created "Grumpy Santa" as a Hyperion book, are now readying the feature animated version of "Santa." Jim Meskimen who voiced Bush, Kerry and Clinton on "Jib-Jab," will have a role in "Santa," but the lead role is an 8-year-old who wants to take over Christmas ... Carl Reiner is also writing the animated feature version of his book, "Tell Me a Scary Story -- But Not Too Scary," while penning his next novel, "Nnnnn." Wife Estelle is recording her album "Grown-Up Songs For Kids." And their daughter Annie is in Chicago to ready her play, "The Family Gold," to star Harold Gould at the Victory Garden Theater, bowing Sept. 20 ... Patricia Barry will play the title role in "Martha Mitchell Speaks," a staging of a new play by Jodi Rothe, set for Aug. 28-30 by the Women Center Stage in N.Y. during the GOP convention. Daniela Varone and Dorothea Petrie codirect the project, in development with an eye for a B'way staging ... "Living in TV Land's" summer original, airing Aug. 18, shows Dick Van Patten betting with fellow track aficionados Jack Klugman and Tim Conway, Patten vs. Alan Thicke on tennis and in a classic poker match against cast members of "The Brady Bunch," "Taxi," "WKRP in Cincinnati," "Barney Miller", "Soap" and "The Love Boat." The series is produced by Windmill Entertainment, headed by Van Patten's daughter-in-law Nancy Valen and Craig J. Nevius and Marta Anderson ... Norm Crosby entertains the Intl. Assn. of Firefighters Convention in Boston, Aug. 19 ... Congrats to Patty Duke who gets her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today. Sons Sean Astin and Mac Astin will toast their mom ... Meryl Streep presents the N.Y. Film Fest's Berthe Meka Award to Mike Nichols Sept. 23 for "Angels in America." Meka is the African AIDS activist.