ABC'S SELA APPROVAL

By Ursula Reel and Jessie Graham --
She's hot and Barbara's not.

That's why Sela Ward has bumped Barbara Walters from her coveted Friday night time slot, according to TV-industry analysts.

The change is also what viewers apparently want, based on an informal online poll of Post readers that found Ward, 44, the near-unanimous favorite over Walters, 69.

ABC believes the sexy Southern belle's series "Once and Again" will appeal to 18-to-49-year-olds - the demographic all networks target to build viewership and ad revenue.

So the network is replacing Walters' "20/20" with Ward's critically acclaimed series next fall on Fridays at 10 p.m.

"ABC has so few shows that deliver well in young women," said Paul Schulman, president of the New York office of Adanswers PHD, a company that buys advertising space for networks.

In "Once and Again," Ward plays steamy mom Lily Manning opposite Billy Campbell's Rick Sammler.

"The chemistry between the two leads is incredible," said Schulman. "It's a beautifully written show - some of the most beautiful writing on TV."

The show won Ward her second Best Actress Emmy. But in its Wednesday-night slot, the show's ratings have dragged.

The move to Fridays is an effort to solidify its popularity with its youthful audience by having the show slotted after "Thieves," a "Moonlighting" wannabe that also targets young viewers.

Ward's broad appeal could be enough to keep them coming back.

As other actresses fret about aging, Ward has capitalized on playing strong, unabashedly sexual women entering their prime.

"My 40s just seem to be a magic time for me," Ward recently told People magazine. "I just feel ripe and juicy, like a piece of fruit that's delicious."

Ward may be ripe now, but she's hardly a late bloomer.

She was voted most beautiful at her Meridian, Miss., high school and homecoming queen at the University of Alabama.

The curvy 5-foot-7 brunette took up acting in 1983 after a six-year stint as a model.

While her career blossomed she still had time for two children - Austin, 7, and Anabella, 3 - with her venture capitalist and restaurateur husband Howard Sherman.

Ward scored her first Emmy as brazen alcoholic Teddy in NBC's "Sisters," played Harrison Ford's murdered wife in "The Fugitive," and won acclaim for her portrayal of newscaster Jessica Savitch in Lifetime's "Almost Golden."__N.Y. Post (May 27, 2001)