Daily News from New York, New York • 15

Mm MimcIId fighting far 'Law (Meir7 etective John Munch wants to move to New York. The "Homicide" character, made famous over the last seven seasons by Rich-I I ard Belzer, is close to joining the burgeoning cast of NBC's "Law Order." "John Munch is moving from Baltimore where "Homicide" was set to New York," said a delighted Belzer at the Friars Club party celebrating the publication of his new book, "UFOs, JFK and Elvis." The Munch character, as Belzer explained it, will become a regular on the new "Law Order" Monday-night spin-off, "Special Vic tims Unit," and also will make appearances on "Law l-rJlTPIsSIi I Flfjll Order." "For a character to go on like this is amazing," said Belzer, who was joined at the party by the likes of Jerry Orbach, Danny Aiello, Tony Roberts, Paul Shaffer and Gilbert Gottfried. "I couldn't be happier." "Law" producer Dick Wolf says the matter is in negotiations and that he, too, wants to make it happen. "I've known Richard for a long time and worked with him," Wolf said. "I would love to continue to work with Richard.

Richard is optimistic. RICHARD CORKERY DAJLY NEWS Couples Therapy: Claire Danes and Jason Lee interrupted their canoodling long enough to smile for cameras at the movie premiere of Desert Blue" Tuesday night Not so Darius Rucker. The Hootie the Blowfish star performed extended mouth-to-mouth on Beth Leonard at the "Supernatural" record party thrown by Arista boss CDve Davis for Carlos Santana at the Central Park Boathouse. as we are, that this will happen. Happy for his friend Belzer though he is, "Homicide" executive producer Tom Fon-tana said he wasn't thrilled that NBC swiftly canceled his series without allowing him to do a final episode.

'St. Elsewhere' ended, 'Gunsmoke' ended," Fontana said. "I wish we could have written a final episode of I would have liked to see the show go for another year. I could have terrorized NBC for another season. I'm not happy the show isn't coming back." Of course, weep not for Fontana.

He has plenty of projects in the works. On July 4, his new basketball-based series, "Hoop Life," debuts on Showtime. On July 14, his brutal prison drama, "Oz," returns to HBO. And UPN recently gave him a midseason commitment for "The Beat," set around two young New York City cops. Watching Belzer schmooze some of his other guests, including Bud Friedman and Alan King, Fontana was reminded that the last "Homicide" scene involving John Munch had him saying, "I swung before she threw the ball." "Munch went out as a premature ejacula-tor," Fontana said.

"It was a fitting end to his character." Your move. Dick Wolf. VEEP'S BIPARTISAN SUPPORTER Yes, politicians like to have all their bases covered. But it can't come as good news to Al Gore that one of his most ardent supporters, Motion Picture Association of .1 "Homicide" star Richard Belzer is ki negotiations to bring his char act ei; Detective John Mutch, to law Ordejf Island," he said. "I wanted traction and acceleration.

Clive understood immediately." The result of that is Santana's album "Supernatural" (featuring such guest artists as Dave Matthews, Lauryn Hill, Eric Clapton, Everlast, Wyctef Jean and Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20), which is due out later this month. "It didn't want this to be a tribute album," Davis said. He needn't worry. It's not. TEXAS' BELLES Call it a sexy shootout.

Three women were up for the role of a Mexican damsel who is kidnaped by bandits in Dimension Films' new "Texas Rangers," a Western co-starring James Van Der Beek and Dylan McDermott. They were French supermodel Laetitia Casta; Mexican pop singer Patricia Manterola, who regularly appears in "Angeles," the "Charlie's Angels" of Latin America, and Leonor Varela, star of the ABC miniser-ies "Cleopatra." Guess who got it? If you answered Casta or Manterola, as Warner Wolf might say, "You lost!" Varela left yesterday to join the cast in Calgary, where they're making a movie that's supposed to be set in Texas. Don't you just love show business? about the crack and the whores," Lee joked Tuesday night. Lee and Danes couldn't take their hands off each other when he and his band played at the premiere party for "Desert Blue" at the Jeollado sushi restaurant in the East Village ELTON JOHN flew to Laramie, on Tuesday to perform for 15,000 who remembered Matthew Shepard, the gay college student who was tied to a fence and left to die last October. "I felt it was my duty as a gay man to do as Dylan Thomas i said, 'Do not go gently into the I wanted to do a concert 1 in his memory in Laramie, America chief Jack Valentl, is hosting a breakfast tomorrow for Arizona Sen.

John McCain, a Republican presidential hopeful. The get-together, which will be at the L.A. show-business stronghold Morton's, was organized by Val-enti to introduce McCain to Hollywood big shots. Val-enti was unavailable for comment. SANTANA'S 2ND COMING Carlos Santana is back and he has his wife and Cllve Davis to thank for it.

The way the great rock guitarist tells it, he ended his long association with Columbia Records in 1991 and was in "the quicksand" after a short stint with Island Records. Then, in 1995, his wife urged him to participate in a documentary being made about Davis, the man who first signed Santana in 1968, when the exec ran Columbia Records. "My wife said to me, 'Be nice to him; maybe he can help Santana recounted for me Tuesday at the Boathouse in Central Park after his VH1 taping of "Hard Rock Live." Davis sure did help. In February, Davis signed Santana to Arista, announcing the deal at his annual pre-Grammy Awards party. And Santana sure seemed happy to be reunited with Davis.

"I had no traction at Sunday in New Jersey. He was partying with Stephen Dorff and art dealer Tony Shafrazi at Lot 61 the next night. NEW GOURMET magazine editor Ruth Reichl would seem to know more about a suckling pig than a Harley hog. But that didn't stop her from donning a leather jacket and jumping on a motorcycle in front of the Conde Nast building yesterday. Reichl and Gourmet publisher Gina Sanders joined 50 bikers from the Brooklyn chapter of the Harley Davidson Owners Club, who shouted "We're the leaders of the pack!" and roared uptown to a Central Park Softball game.

With Marcus Baram and Marc S. Malkin i where he should still be i LENNY KRAVITZ obviously has recovered after collapsing from heat exhaustion at his concert a CD.