QUICK TAKES - March 29, 1996

A smiling David Letterman told his “Late Show” audience Wednesday night that this week’s Academy Awards telecast had dipped in the ratings. Then, putting his hand to his ear, he quipped, “Do I hear the phone ringing?” His 1994 stint as host garnered a 32.5 rating, the largest since 1983. Monday’s edition, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, got a 30.3, lowest since 1992. . . . After only two airings, ABC has pulled its Friday night comedy “Aliens in the Family.” The 9 p.m. show, which was getting clobbered in the ratings by both Fox’s “The X-Files” and “Dateline NBC,” will be replaced this week by a “Family Matters” repeat. A repeat of the hourlong “America’s Funniest Home Videos: Kids and Animals” will air April 5, and “Step by Step” will fill the slot on April 12. . . . Morgan Creek, which produced the current Sharon Stone remake of “Diabolique,” said Wednesday that it has settled a rights dispute with the widow of Henri-Georges Clouzot, who directed the original 1955 thriller “Les Diaboliques.” Settlement terms were not disclosed.