The ‘Affair’ Affair

There’s more fallout from Rob Lowe’s infatuation with videotape. Once again, Fox Broadcasting’s “A Current Affair”--which aired Lowe’s famed performance, nationally--is involved.

In its continuing coverage of the Lowe story, “Affair” broadcast a clip of talk-show host Arsenio Hall interviewing Judd Nelson about his pal Lowe’s best-known screen tryst. Trouble is, Paramount Television, which produces “The Arsenio Hall Show,” says it didn’t give Fox’s “Affair” permission to use the clip.

The story goes like this: Although Nelson appeared on Hall’s show to plug his upcoming pic, “Relentless,” the conversation quickly turned to Lowe. It was Judd for the defense all the way, as the Brat Packer told Hall, “It’s not like he held a gun to those girls’ heads.”

Enter “A Current Affair.” A show producer asked Nelson if they could use the clip and was turned down. The producer then called Paramount TV. What happened next depends on whom you talk to.

Paramount claims that “Affair” was told explicitly not to run the interview. But according to “Affair” managing editor Burt Kearns, he was still waiting for a response from the studio at air time--and so he decided to run the segment (on the Aug. 16 show).

Paramount has since demanded a $4,000 license fee--or it will file a copyright infringement suit. According to Kearns, the show will ante up. (“We’re going to pay it. They (Paramount) may not know it yet.”)