Fan Wail

HEALTH WATCH Pamela Anderson's best defense against her incurable hepatitis C: her ''twisted sense of humor.'' So she says in an interview in Jane magazine's June/July issue. ''Like, when I found out I had hepatitis, I wanted to make bikinis with pictures of livers on them and give the money to the Liver Foundation.'' The 34-year-old actress notes that she's had the potentially fatal disease for years and says she is not dying anytime soon. ''Now I have people coming out of the deli hugging me because they think I'm dying. I tell them, 'I'm not dying. I'm fine. But if you wanna give me a free sandwich, go ahead!''' Um, that's not why they're hugging you, Pam....

Creed singer Scott Stapp acknowledged to MTV News on Thursday that he'd been deliberately cryptic about the injuries he suffered in a car accident last month that led the band to cancel the current leg of its tour. He'd walked away from the April 19 crash, in which his SUV was rear-ended at 60 miles an hour on an Orlando highway. Police had reported no injuries since he chose not to check himself into the hospital because ''I was trying to avoid the press.'' But a house call from his private doctor and a subsequent MRI scan revealed that he had suffered a concussion when his head hit the windshield, and had injured his spine, suffering one bulging disc in his neck and one crushed disc in his lower back. The discs should heal with rest, physical therapy, and exercise, but Stapp continues to suffer frequent headaches that have made touring impossible. ''Hopefully and prayerfully, within two or three months, maybe even sooner, we can resume the tour we were about to take. But under these circumstances we had to look at my long-term health.''

BABY TALK Call him a little Angel, or a son of a Son of the Beach. He's Jaden Rayne Boreanaz, born to ''Angel'' bloodsucker David Boreanaz and ''Son of the Beach'' lifeguard Jaime Bergman on Wednesday morning in Los Angeles. It's the first child for Boreanaz, 31, and Bergman, 26, who married last Thanksgiving.

LEGAL BRIEF There are several ways TV exposure can help nab crime suspects. One is via a story on ''America's Most Wanted,'' which will celebrate its anticipated 700th capture on Saturday's episode. Another is to voluntarily appear on camera on a major network newsmagazine to discuss the sensational Hollywood murder case of the moment, whose victim is your sister. That's what happened to Joseph Bakley, who appeared on ''20/20'' last week to discuss Bonny Bakley's murder, for which her husband, actor Robert Blake, has been charged. Turns out Bakley, whose sister Blake's lawyer has painted as a grifter, has his own record -- the state of Florida said he'd been a fugitive since 1993 on a parole violation, having served time on drug and grand theft charges. Florida authorities saw Bakley's interview, conducted in San Diego, and had police in the California city track him down and arrest him. He's waived his right to fight extradition and will be sent back to Florida within a month, the San Diego district attorney's office says.