PEOPLE

By Belinda Luscombe

A BIT OF A FIT OVER PITT SPLIT

Just when it seemed like BRAD PITT and GWYNETH PALTROW were moving so smoothly into becoming one flesh that they even had the same haircut, they abruptly called it all off. His publicist released a statement confirming that one of the most publicly doting and doted upon couples was a twosome no more. "They've been split up for three weeks," says the spokeswoman. "Brad told me it wasn't over any one thing." What split the Pitts became the week's favorite guessing game, with answers ranging from new co-stars (Pitt is currently in New York City making Meet Joe Black) to suggestions that it's all a ploy designed to distract the press from what would have been the year's most ogled nuptials. Pitt already faced one unwelcome torrent of attention this month when it was revealed that Heinrich Harrer, the character he plays in Seven Years in Tibet, who is meant to be a good guy, went on to serve the Third Reich in real life. As for Duets, in which he was supposed to star with Paltrow and be directed by her dad Bruce--awkward as it sounds--his publicist says he will fulfill his obligations. After all, the show must go on.

SUNSET RIDER

RONALD REAGAN faced down his share of opponents, both foreign and domestic, onscreen and off, but there are some fights that even the strongest men can't win. While age and Alzheimer's are chipping away at the former President's mind and body, his spirit still responds to one of his first loves: horses. Perhaps taking heed of his own oft-quoted advice, "There's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse," Reagan, 86, recently made a rare public appearance at a polo match between Santa Monica and Brentwood, played at Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades, Calif. And although he had to be guided around by helpers, it was clear from the warm greetings he received that no matter what, nobody had forgotten him.

DAD HAS HIS DAY

Its popularity has critics baffled, but Butterfly Kisses is all set to become the Macarena of 1997. The song, a tribute from a father, BOB CARLISLE, to his daughter BROOKE on her 16th birthday, may be syrupy enough to serve with waffles, but it has touched enough people's hearts that the album has bounded up to the top position on the SoundScan album charts, where one normally expects to find discs by deceased hip-hop artists and Beatles anthologies. Carlisle, a Christian musician whose records have sold respectably for 20 years, has paid off his mortgage and bought a nicer vehicle. "As wonderful as this is," he says, "my life does not revolve around having a hit record. If it all went away, I'd sniffle for a couple of days, but that's all." Carlisle is now planning to write a song for his son Evan, 10. "We joke that I'll call it, Get Down off of That," he says.

SPIES LIKE THEM, AGAIN

For some, nobody will ever fill Emma Peel's leather bodysuit like Dame Diana Rigg. Still, UMA THURMAN is doing a creditable job. The Suit--a staple of the '60s British show The Avengers--is back again now that the show is being made into a feature film (a movie of a TV show! Why didn't anyone think of this before?!), with Thurman, RALPH FIENNES and Sean Connery. As for the old Avengers, they're perfectly happy. "Actors complain that their TV shows have not been good for them, but The Avengers has been great to me," says Patrick Macnee, 75, the original Steed, who has a cameo in the film and a 2.5% stake in the show. "And, thank goodness, Steed still carries an umbrella instead of a gun."

MADONNA DOES MEDICI

Between them, these two women have executed more image makeovers than many beauticians will in a lifetime. All on themselves--and all in the name of their art, of course. MADONNA, whose latest incarnation is Mother (and who has come under fire recently for, of all things, not having childproof window guards in her apartment), is the sole sponsor of an exhibition of works by CINDY SHERMAN, "Untitled Film Stills," which opens this week at New York City's Museum of Modern Art. Sherman photographs herself in a variety of guises, many of which evoke old Hollywood B-movies. No wonder Madonna is a fan. The two changelings met for the first time at a private reception at the museum. Both were in their really-happy-to-meet-you mode.

NEXT: NIKE SIGNS BABIES!

For many, getting any kind of job after high school is one of life's stiffest challenges. But for TRACY MCGRADY, 18, who finished school just a few days ago, that won't be a problem. Not only is he expected to be a first-round draft pick for the N.B.A.--he has already worked out for 10 teams--but Adidas, the athletics company that clearly has much more cash than patience, just signed him to an endorsement deal that could be worth $12 million over six years. All this before he has spent even one second in the N.B.A., let alone distinguished himself on the court. For the money, the 6-ft. 8-in. teenager will be expected to perform at a high level on the court as well as make TV commercials and store appearances. Still, it beats sweeping up at the local pizza joint.

SEEN & HEARD

Tom Lehrer, the laureate of light-hearted lyrics, has a new record out. Actually, it's an old record. He hasn't written any songs to record since 1965, he says, "because I didn't think of any funny ideas." When Rhino Records asked him if it could re-release his work, "I said, 'Hey, it's your money.'" He found the original tapes in an unopened box marked "1967" in his cellar. And will the part-time mathematics professor tour? "Why?" he asks. "Did hell freeze over?"

In a tale to gladden the hearts of all who fossick through local art fairs looking for forgotten gems, a work that Boston businessman Edward Puhl bought more than 30 years ago turned out to be Little Regatta, by Paul Klee. The bad news was that it had been stolen. Puhl, who discovered both facts while estate planning, returned it to its owner, the Phillips Collection in D.C.