Who is Amanda? More importantly, what is she? A mild case of Amanda-monium swept Washington gossipers and Manhattan society as friends of just-divorced Gotham Socialite Amanda ("Ba") Burden offered theories as to why she and New York City Councilman Carter Burden--the quintessential Beautiful People of a few years back --had split. As usual in matters concerning the B.P., Women's Wear Daily was there first with the most gossip. "I wouldn't exactly call Amanda a walking example of Women's Liberation," Author Truman Capote told their reporters, "but I think she wanted to establish some identity for herself." Explained another friend: "Carter wasn't considerate of Amanda--one of those machismo things." What about the rumors of a romance with Teddy Kennedy, which the Senator has consistently denied? Those rumors are out-of-date, said a confidante, adding that Amanda "is now seeing a quiet older man who is more suited to her intellectually."

At a hotel in Vancouver, B.C., a pretty, trendy young brunette asked to be directed to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's room. Nothing doing, said the man at the reception desk. Insisting that she was Trudeau's wife, the lady argued and twice made elevator trips to the Prime Minister's floor, only to be turned away by security men. Finally an aide happened by, recognized her as Margaret Trudeau and escorted her posthaste into her husband's suite. "I've told security that anyone who comes to my hotel and looks reasonably like my wife, you can send her up," said the P.M. -

"I like to call it operetta," said Actress/Singer Edie Adams. "If I say opera I get scared." Scared or not, the blonde comedienne, who did takeoffs of Marilyn Monroe on her late husband Ernie Kovacs' TV show in the '50s and later made "Smoke Me" commercials for Muriel Cigars, was finally making her debut at the Seattle Opera. "I feel opera is my real voice," confessed Soprano Edie after her performance in the title role of Offenbach's La Perichole. "Just think of 72 people on the stage, all singing. Sometimes I feel I must have been born in the wrong century. Now the closet opera singer emerges."

"I think the season's begun," said Kitty Carlisle. "It looks as if everyone's back from the beach." So it seemed. Many of the returned vacationers packed into TV Interviewer Barbara Walters' Manhattan apartment for her 41st birthday party. Among the celebrators: Walter Cronkite, Jacqueline Susann and Phyllis Cerf, Bennett's widow, with her steady escort, former New York Mayor Robert Wagner. Then the door opened and in walked a man who introduced himself: "I'm Martha Mitchell's husband." "Yes, how well you look," said Radio-TV Announcer Ben Grauer to former Attorney General John Mitchell. Barely unpacked after her move from Washington, Martha Mitchell was warmly welcomed by some, though others in the mostly Democratic crowd muttered about her presence. Later she caused an excited flurry by asking if she could use the phone. It turned out, however, that Martha only wanted to ring up her chauffeur. -

On a barnstorming tour of Communist countries, Angela Davis turned up in Cuba last week as guest of honor at a rally commemorating the twelfth anniversary of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution. Over Havana radio, she declared: "One day, 90 miles from here, we will be building a socialist United States of America." Angela is planning to march onward to Chile, then home to the U.S. Meanwhile, to the surprise of no one, the regents of the University of California voted not to rehire her as an assistant professor of philosophy at U.C.L.A. "Her commitment is to something other than an academic career," explained U.C.L.A. Chancellor Charles E. Young. -

Sex in interplanetary space? Maybe --if astronauts plan to survive year-long jaunts without unsettling tensions, said NASA'S director of life sciences Dr. Charles Berry to a conference of Russian and American scientists in Nice. "For missions such as the Mars type, mixed crews must be seriously considered." Dr. Berry made clear that he was talking about "women who would be fully operational members of space crews, not only there for sex." His Russian counterpart, Professor Oleg Gazenko, did not commit himself. "A mere man would be advised to obtain the woman's point of view before pronouncing on such a subject," Gazenko said.

"What's the most important thing about swimming?" queried Bob Hope. "Not drowning," replied a man who ought to know: Olympic Champion Mark Spitz, who for an estimated $10,-000 fee, is making his show-biz debut on Hope's NBC show this week. Dried off and dressed, aided by Actress Julie Bennett, Spitz played a dentist--which, before the Olympics, he was studying at Indiana University to become. "I always go for the gold," he said after knocking out one of Hope's fillings. Swamped with offers for movies, TV, commercials and aquatic spectaculars, Spitz may get no closer to dentistry for a while. "I think he's got a real future in our business," said Hope approvingly.

"Broadway Joe" Namath, pro football's premier quarterback, turned in a pair of star performances recently. As the guest on television's Sesame Street, he met Big Bird, displayed his ability to count backwards from ten, then, for the kids on the show, he tossed the pigskin around. A day earlier, he had made an even more memorable appearance in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. Against the reputedly tough Colt defense, Namath completed 15 out of 28 passes for 496 yards and six touchdowns --one short of the National Football League record--in leading his New York Jets to a 44-34 victory.

Even considering the inflationary atmosphere in and around high-priced New York City, $237 is a lot to pay for a taxi ride. When British Tourist Mrs. Margaret Morgan, 71, landed at Kennedy Airport and took a cab 30 miles to Woodbridge, N.J., she was somewhat astonished at the driver's tab. But "he was a big fellow," said Mrs. Morgan, so she handed over all her money, borrowed another $150 from the cousin she was visiting to pay what should have been a $35 fare. Mrs. Morgan's story hit the newspapers, prompting help from a wholly unexpected source: Frank Sinatra. The singer sent Mrs. Morgan a check for $250 by personal messenger in apology for his countryman's greed. "When I visited England," explained Sinatra, "everyone treated me so well. I felt this was the least I could do."

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