PEOPLE

By Belinda Luscombe

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY

Why, yes, that is Democratic jester AL FRANKEN in bed with would-be senatorial spouse and G.O.P. cheerleader ARIANNA HUFFINGTON. "This was Al's idea, of course," says Huffington of the publicity photo for Strange Bedfellows, the duo's planned Comedy Central spots from the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Franken, for his part, says he wants Huffington to help his credibility by doing all her coverage in a negligee. While Franken looks forward to offending "a few Republican delegates who don't have a sense of humor, who'll get mad at me," he may also slip into Stuart Smalley mode. "I'm going to reach for common ground. I'm going to show that a complete nut-case right-winger and I can get along."

LEARNING TO LITIGATE

There are those who use raw elbow grease to be valedictorian, and there are those who use elbow grease plus lawyer's fees. At New York City's Bayside High School graduation last week, PAIGE GOODMAN (top) and LISA CAMILLERI were named co-valedictorians. But Goodman, whose GPA is 0.05 point higher, found this unacceptable. "I'm senior-class president," Goodman told the New York Times. "I feel like I've been slapped in the face after I've done so much for the school." When the Board of Education said the two should share the honor, Goodman sued. An appellate court will hear the case this week. "They're both wonderful kids," says principal Harris Sarney. "I don't know what I'll do if I have to take the honor away."

SEEN & HEARD

Maybe 360 [degree] scissor kicks get boring after a while. Whatever the reason, Darcy LaPier, fourth wife of action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, has filed for divorce--again. The two were wed in 1994. She filed for divorce later that year but changed her mind.

How many accolades are enough? Candice Bergen, whose performance as Murphy Brown has won her five Emmys, counted herself out of the TV awards this year. "I think she decided to let the competition be among others," says her publicist. And what better excuse to skip the ceremony?

MY HOUSE IS YOUR HOUSE

Life after sainthood can be trying, if not bizarre. Consider the case of scruffy humanitarian BOB GELDOF. Not so long ago, he was beating big odds and bigger egos to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. Now he's just another celebrity with an absurd divorce settlement. PAULA YATES, Geldof's flamboyant wife of 10 years and the mother of his three children, is pregnant with the child of Michael Hutchence, lead singer of INXS. After bitter feuds over who would get what, it was decided that for now Yates would move back into Geldof's home and Geldof into Hutchence's. (The obvious solution, really.) Summoning up dignity outside of court, Geldof said, "There's a world outside where Paula and Bob's life is of no significance." He must want to get there soon.