LOOSE LIPS SINK . . .

ABC’s 12-hour miniseries “Amerika,” now in production in Toronto, is about a community living under the thumb of a dictatorship--in this case, the Soviet Union, after it takes us over.

Or that might describe the production itself. The crew has been muzzled and cast members have been required to sign a sort of loyalty oath that they won’t talk about the plot to the media.

One actor’s agent called it “very unusual.”

ABC spokesman Bob Wright called it “routine--some of the biggest film makers in the world do it.”

No interviews--and no press releases either. Wright said it has nothing to do with potential controversy--the miniseries has been portrayed by some as a right-wing answer to ABC’s nuke disaster movie, “The Day After.” Rather, it’s because “Amerika” won’t air until next February.

“We consider it a very original story,” said Wright, “and we don’t want to give it away a year in advance. They (cast members) understand entirely that it doesn’t serve our purpose to do publicity now.”

But Wright clarified that “you can’t tell Kris Kristofferson (who stars with Robert Urich) not to talk to the press, but (the stars) have agreed not to talk about the story. The (document) was designed to prevent lesser actors from trickling away information about the picture.”