‘Gear’ shift

History Channel is in seri ous talks with BBC Worldwide Productions to produce a US version of the popular British car show “Top Gear.” History would produce 10-12 episodes of the series, accord ing to jalopnik.com.

NBC taped a “Top Gear” pilot in 2008, hosted by Adam Carolla, but yanked the show over fears it might offend car advertisers (the British show is often snarky about cars — and the people who drive them).

History could shift its focus to “after-market” car adver tisers (tires, etc.) if the car companies voiced enough displeasure, sources say.

Carolla won’t host the new show if the deal goes through. He was contacted and was in terested, but is shooting an NBC pilot and wasn’t avail able, sources told me.

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Nick’s “Yo Gabba Gabba” seems to have attained a cer tain celebrity cachet among the kiddie set. Guest stars Weezer, Anthony Bourdain, Solange Knowles, Fred Armi sen and Marissa Jaret Winokur, among oth ers, are lined up for “YGG’s” third season, premiering March 8 (10:30 a.m.). Recurring guest stars Biz Markie and Mark Mothersbaugh also return.

Jackie Martling, meanwhile, will guest star on tonight’s sea son finale of TNT’s “Leverage” (Timothy Hutton).

And The CW has renewed “The Vampire Diaries,” “Top Model,” “Gossip Girl,” “90210” and “Supernatural” for next season.

Last, but not least:

* Fashion Week: Gail Simmons (“Top Chef”) and Nina Garcia (“Project Runway”) in the Mercedes Benz Star Lounge . . . Ex-TV series writer Thomas Sawyer’s novel, “No Place to Run,” named Best Fic tion Book/ 2009 by the Ameri can Book Readers Association . . . Selita Ebanks getting Biolustre treatment (Ricardo Rojas Salon) . . . Happy (belated) birthday to NBC’s Mike McCarley.