PEOPLE

By Belinda Luscombe

MAYBE SOME OF THEM STARTED TO FEEL CHEERFUL

It hasn't been a happy year for grunge fans. First Courtney Love gets herself all glammed up, and now this. The seminal Seattle rockers SOUNDGARDEN, one of the first bands to break out of the Northwest, have split up. The terse announcement from their record company gave no reason, not even the usual pat of "creative differences." While never as high-profile as Nirvana or Pearl Jam, the Grammy-winning band sold more than 20 million records. Down on the Upside, their last album, reached No. 2 on the charts. The band, which had recently finished touring, hadn't taken a summer off from one another since 1988. "I heard they were having heavy arguments and stuff at their [last] show, but I didn't believe it," Joey Ramone, no stranger to band-member infighting, told online service Addicted to Noise. "I thought they'd have to be nuts to break up now." Or just tired of all the angst.

SEEN & HEARD

The divorce of Kirstie Alley and Parker Stevenson has hit a snag even before it hits the court. Alley sued for divorce in Maine; Stevenson countersued in California. The difference is that in the Golden State the richer partner typically has to share more of her wealth. Alley maintains that the two vote, register their cars and pay taxes in Maine (where they adopted their two kids). Stevenson says they've lived in California since the '70s. He's seeking spousal support and joint custody.

Katharine Hepburn turns 90 next month, and there will be the usual round of parties and tell-all books to celebrate the event. One of them, An Affair to Remember by Christopher Andersen, tells the story of how J. Edgar Hoover wanted to blow open the secret affair between Hepburn and Spencer Tracy because of Hepburn's opposition to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Why didn't he? He was talked out of it by a young committee member: Richard Nixon.

SOME SMOKE, MUCH IRE

The road to publicity hell for WINONA RYDER was paved with others' good intentions. As part of the national Kick Butts Day, Molly Patterson, a student from Petaluma, California, decided she and her classmates would write an open letter to hometown girl Ryder asking her to stop smoking in movies. Before the letter was sent, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sensing a good way to spread its message, told the media about it. Ryder, who has lit up in four of her 18 movies (including Reality Bites, above) was horrified at the story and phoned Patterson at school. She also released a statement saying she doesn't advocate smoking, but the characters she plays "are not always perfect heroes."

WRITE OUT OF HOLLYWOOD

Does the couple that writes screenplays together stay together? While WILL SMITH and JADA PINKETT don't remind many people of Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, the two have collaborated on a screenplay that has been bought by Universal. Unlike many seasoned writers, they knocked out Love for Hire, a romantic comedy in which Smith will star, in just a couple of months. It's the story of a woman who asks a construction foreman to father her child. He agrees, for a fee, but later has reservations. Screenwriting is a new line on Smith's already very packed resume. He's a Grammy Award-winning rapper and TV star, and he and his writing partner have starred in several hit movies. The two don't do everything themselves, though. On big nights out, they reportedly consult with a stylist to make sure their ensembles are suitably coordinated.