J.Lo's mom: `I don't see her often'

First, In Touch magazine reported that Jennifer Lopez is expecting, now the New York Daily News is saying the diva and her mom, Guadalupe, are on the outs.

When they tried to check out the story, they went up to Guadalupe's home in Westchester, N.Y.

"I didn't hear about it," she said coolly to the paper about the prospect of a grandchild. "You know more than I do. I don't talk to her very often. I don't see her often." A report claimed Guadalupe preferred J.Lo's ex-fiance Ben Affleck over current husband Marc Anthony. Anthony's reps have denied the latest pregnancy report, and Jennifer's rep declined to discuss it. Stay tuned.

>WIRE REPORTS

A place for country tunesmiths to call home

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has plenty of big names, from Hank Williams Sr. to Bob Dylan to Dolly Parton. And now, finally, it has a home.The Hall of Fame will share space in a historic Music Row building with students enrolled in a new songwriting major at Belmont University, officials with the hall, the university and the Mike Curb Family Foundation said Thursday.

"I've been a member for many years," said Parton, 61, who attended the announcement. "It's nice to know now we have a home." Mike Curb, chairman of Curb Records, told Parton: "You exemplify what every songwriter would dream of being."

"I'm never going to retire. I'm a gypsy at heart," Parton said. "I hope I fall dead right there on stage during a song - hopefully one I've written."

>WIRE REPORTS

Mariah's savings plan

Mariah Carey said it only made sense to work for the Save the Music Foundation because music saved her.

"Music has always been my saving grace," said Carey, accepting her award at the foundation's 10th anniversary gala Thursday night at Lincoln Center.

"Like everyone growing up, my life wasn't easy," said Carey. "I don't always like to talk about it in great detail, but music saved my life literally. Writing songs and singing is so therapeutic for me."

The Save the Music Foundation, which donates instruments to public schools and helps fund music education programs, honored Carey, President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and former VH1 president John Sykes, who launched the foundation in 1997.

President Clinton, who accepted the award for both himself and his wife, who was at a debate in Iowa that night, said, "I don't think I would have become president of the United States if I did not have the gift of school music when I was a boy."

Before the ceremony, Carey said she was very excited about her new album, which she says will be very "modern-sounding."

>WIRE REPORTS

It's anybody's `Dancing' game

"I could give you a good argument for any of the contestants to end up winning," says soon-to-be "Dancing with the Stars" contestant Cameron Mathison. Referring to the former Spice Girl and the current Cheetah Girl of the contest that launches Monday, he notes, "Melanie Brown just came off `Rent,' and can dance up a storm. Sabrina (Bryan) is really talented. That driver (two time Indy 500 champ Helio Castroneves) is supposed to be good ... "

As for his own chances, the hunky Mathison - who's juggling his daunting "All My Children" work schedule in New York with "Dancing" duties in Los Angeles - figures the loyal daytime TV audience is "going to help me out a little bit. Kelly Monaco initiated the daytime fans in watching `Dancing With the Stars.' I also have to keep up my end as well. I'm getting better," says the former McGill University basketball player.

>BECK-SMITH/HOLLYWOOD