Schwarzenegger Plugs After-School

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Instead of promoting his new movie ``Collateral Damage'' _ which has been put on the back burner _ Arnold Schwarzenegger is talking about the importance of after-school programs.

Thursday, October 11th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Instead of promoting his new movie ``Collateral Damage'' _ which has been put on the back burner _ Arnold Schwarzenegger is talking about the importance of after-school programs.

Schwarzenegger plays a firefighter seeking revenge against terrorists who killed his family in the Warner Bros. film, which had been scheduled for release on Oct. 5. The release date has been pushed back out of concern that the film's story line would be too disturbing.

``I think that they are talking about having the movie come out sometime in February. I think there will be an appropriate time to see it,'' the 54-year-old actor said during a KTLA-TV interview.

Schwarzenegger, the father of four children, said he wants to help the estimated 15 million children without after-school programs.

``I am now able to sit here and do promotion for after-school programs, so the whole thing ended up being a positive in that regard,'' he said.

Schwarzenegger is national chairman of ``Lights on Afterschool!''

Some 3,500 local projects and more than 60 supporting sponsors will be turning on the lights in support of after-school programs.