Channing Tatum, Ripping Off His Clothes, And His Memories?

"I CAN'T say I'm crazy about romantic vampires. To me the vampire is simply an evil monster," says horror and fantasy author Brian Lumley.

WELL, JUST because "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" hasn't exactly electrified the box office, that doesn't mean the perennial genre is staked. In fact, Viggo Mortensen has been offered the lead as Dracula in "The Last Voyage of the Demeter." This plot is culled from the middle of Bram Stoker's famous book, about the Count's terrible (for the crew) travel by sea, from Transylvania to England. The film will be directed by Neil Marshall, a man who is well known for horror films such as "Dog Soldiers" and "The Descent."

Viggo will be a vigorous, sexy-looking Dracula if he accepts the role. But I doubt he'll be romantic. It's only when Count Dracula arrives in England that he goes bonkers for some of London's prim, swan-necked maidens.

• IF YOU ever become a star in Hollywood, and write about your pre-show biz life, be prepared--anybody you ever worked with, or passed on the street, will claim your storyas their story.

That's what's happening to Channing Tatum. He'll soon be appearing onscreen in the movie "Magic Mike." This is a tale based on his own teenage experiences as a stripper.

• IT ESCAPED my attention that Monday was the third anniversary of the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. Farrah--who had been battling cancer-- had died early on June 25, and the media was just beginning to react and pay tribute to her, when the news came of Jackson's overdose. Farrah was pretty much pushed to the side in the sensation of Michael's shocking passing.

I remember Michael as the sweet, shy 19-year-old I met during the filming of "The Wiz." He seemed a bit too shy and sheltered, but he was charming. (I suspected some of his innocence might have been "self-protective," but stars sometimes do that. I sat by Michael awhile at the Neverland dinner after he'd given Elizabeth Taylor away to Larry Fortensky in 1991. He still seemed to be the same hesitant Michael although he was more "got up" than the bride. Then I observed him in L.A. at Elizabeth's famed 65th birthday party fundraiser for AIDS in 1997. By the time I went to his 2001 Madison Square Garden concert and after party, he seemed "ruined" in so many ways. At the Liza Minnelli-David Gest wedding in 2002, he appeared with Elizabeth "onstage" during the church wedding ceremony and he fizzled out at the terrific after party in a Wall Street Bank. That night, he refused to really perform though --or perhaps because - so many superstars were giving themselves joyfully.

The saddest part of his death was its tragic inevitability. Farrah Fawcett I knew much better. Mostly through correspondence and phone calls. This darling girl never failed to thank me for a positive review or a sensible take on some of the tumultuous events of her life. In almost every note or call, she referenced her parents--she missed them, was on her way to visit, had just come from visiting, and they were so grateful I was on their little girl's side. She also called with news, which was rare. Her soft voice was exactly as it was onscreen.

• AS SOME of you know, there's a Lifetime TV movie being readied about the infamous Casey Anthony case--the Florida mother accused (and acquitted) of murdering herlittle girl. The role of Casey has been recast several times. But one important character has not been cast--TV's dark angel of vengeance, Nancy Grace. Nancy never let up on this case and the producers feel she is vital to any telling of the story. (She is either loved or loathed by her public.)