By Belinda Luscombe

PEARLS OF LAUGHTER

What would induce LIZ TAYLOR, reclusive movie goddess and divorce-decree collector (she filed for a seventh last week), to appear in four sitcoms in a row airing on Feb. 26? What would persuade her to pose for photos with the stars of the shows, JEAN SMART of High Society, FRAN DRESCHER of The Nanny, CANDICE BERGEN of Murphy Brown, MARY MCDONNELL of Society and NANCY MCKEON of Can't Hurry Love, some of whom are barely household names? Actually, just a nice request and a substantial donation to Taylor's aids charity, AmFAR. (A CBS staff member who used to live next door to Taylor's assistant helped.) "We thought it was such a long shot," says Maddy Horne, CBs VP of current programming. "But she said the idea was charming." CBS wanted a story line about jewelry that carried through the shows, and Liz, no fool, proposed Black Pearls, the name of her latest perfume.

SEEN & HEARD

He's a warrior and a big softie. At Ronald Reagan's 85th birthday party, Colin Powell heard the orchestra strike up the Reagans' favorite song, the Gershwins' Our Love Is Here to Stay, and sang it for Nancy. "Rich baritone," said bandleader Murray Korda.

After print, why not TV? Newt Gingrich taped an appearance on Murphy Brown and then posed for photos just like a real star. "I'm not going to paint or sing in the near future," Gingrich says, but he'd like to do more guest spots. Maybe a cameo on The X-Files?

MAYBE IT WAS PARIS ...

After months of strenuously denying any romantic attachment, gore-auteur QUENTIN TARANTINO and Mighty Aphrodite star MIRA SORVINO have given in. Love has blossomed just in time for Valentine's Day-and the announcement of the Academy Awards, for one of which Sorvino is highly likely to be nominated and Tarantino equally likely not to be. The couple, currently in Paris for her publicity tour, share an interest in Chinese films, but for different reasons: he likes the violence, she studied East Asian languages and civilization at Harvard.

DARE TO EAT A PEACH?

Celebrities, yes. Portly fruit-loving professional bridge players, no. Jane Bronstein was the focus of a lot of DAVID LETTERMAN's attention last September after she was filmed vigorously eating a peach at the U.S. Open. The Late Show aired the clip of the "seductive temptress" often, and put it on the Times Square Jumbotron with the caption if this is you...call now! Instead Letterman heard from her lawyer. He stopped showing the tape, but wouldn't pay damages. So Bronstein, who suffers from a thyroid condition, is taking Letterman to court for invasion of privacy. Does Dick Assman, another Letterman fave, know about this?