Two co-stars missing from 'Everybody Loves Raymond'

LOS ANGELES (AP) Laughter and two co-stars were missing from the set of CBS' ``Everybody Loves Raymond.''

While Brad Garrett held out for more money, Patricia Heaton's illness delayed the start of production on the sitcom's season premiere.

Work on the first episode was pushed back a week to next Monday, network spokesman Chris Ender said Wednesday. The series' eighth season will begin airing as scheduled on Sept. 22, he said.

Heaton, who plays the wife of series star Ray Romano, was absent from the set Monday because she was ``under the weather'' and had seen a doctor, Ender said. He did not specify her illness.

Garrett, who told the network he wouldn't work until negotiations opened on a new contract, was written out of the first episode. He plays Romano's brother.

In a statement, CBS lauded Garrett's talent and said it has negotiated new contracts twice with him in the past four years.

``It's unfortunate that he is not honoring his contract,'' the network said.

The network's refusal to discuss a new deal was criticized by Garrett's representatives at Raw Talent, who compared his salary to that earned by Romano reportedly about $1.8 million an episode.

``Brad earns less than 10 percent of Ray's salary and is the lowest paid member of a grossly underpaid supporting cast,'' according to the statement released Tuesday by Raw Talent.

Their client won't back down, the company told Daily Variety: ``If we don't come to a fair deal, we feel comfortable walking away.''

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)