Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck keep forgetting they’re no longer a couple.

At Tuesday’s election-night party at Elaine’s, the pair tried to sit on opposite sides of a table. But, ’round midnight, Affleck couldn’t keep himself from sitting down next to the actress.

First came an animated conversation, then the two started sharing under-the-table caresses. Their nuzzling was interrupted only when the campaign coverage on the wide-screen TV right next to them was interrupted by a commercial for their new movie, ‘Bounce.’ The off-screen couple then sat transfixed as they watched their on-screen characters kiss and emote. Finally they blinked and seemed to remember the election.

Both of them had spent Monday getting out the vote for Gore and Lieberman. Paltrow, who’s in talks to play a pleasantly plump woman in ‘Shallow Hal,’ the next comedy from the Farrelly brothers (‘There’s Something About Mary’), did 20 radio phone interviews. Affleck flew down with Robert De Niro and Glenn Close for a Gore rally in Miami Beach.

Said Affleck on Tuesday, as Florida went first to Gore and then to Bush: ‘I was saying earlier that I delivered Florida. I guess not.’

WHAT ABOUT ROB?

Black Rob lives. Rumors swirling around town had Puffy Combs’ protege pegged for dead. But the rapper’s not six feet under, insists his lawyer, Jay Quatrini, who reached Rob by seance. (Just kidding.) ‘I don’t know where (this rumor) is coming from,’ said Quatrini. ‘It’s so weird. He was in my office yesterday. He’s been in California recording an album.’

Perhaps he was ducking yet another charge that he is a deadbeat dad. Melissa Boscia, a 21-year old gymnastics instructor from Westchester, is alleging that Rob is the father of her 14-month old daughter, Kayli Alexa, and he refuses to take care of her. ‘Trust me when I tell you that he’s giving me nothing,’ Boscia tells us. ‘Absolutely nothing, not even a phone call on her birthday, Christmas, nothing. He hasn’t seen my daughter since she was 7 months old.’

Boscia claims she and Rob had a one-night stand after the two met at Club NYC Booms in the Bronx. ‘He was there for most of the pregnancy. Then he became ‘Black Rob’ and he didn’t want to be a daddy.’

Quatrini maintains that Rob is more than willing to pay support ? if the child is his. ‘If paternity is established, then he will make the arrangements and do the right thing.’

Those of you who have been faithfully following our series on Rob’s paternity saga may remember that the mother of his 1-year-old son, Anita Speller, contacted us with a similar mama-drama last month. But according to Quatrini, the rapper is now up to date on child support payments owed to Speller, which Speller confirms.

‘My problems been taken care of,’ she tells us. Boscia ‘is on her own.’

SAUL’S SELF-RELIANCE

Humbled mogul Saul Steinberg continues his sell-off. The cash-strapped kingpin of Reliance Insurance sold his Park Ave. 34-room penthouse for $35 million last year. Now it looks like he and wife, Gayfryd, are ready to unload their seaside estate in the Hamptons, Long Island’s tony seaside community. Real estate sources say the couple has quietly listed the Quogue house for $16 million. Gayfryd may be having trouble parting with the manse (sumptuously decorated by the late Mark Hampton) and its memories of ’80s excess. One potential buyer who toured the grounds swore he saw her peeking from behind a curtain.

Garth in Divorce Country

Garth Brooks’ marriage is headed for the morgue. The 38-year-old country superstar filed for divorce Tuesday in Nashville from Sandy, his wife of 14 years. Divorce documents chalked the split up to ‘irreconcilable differences’ and revealed that the couple have been separated since March.

Brooks announced his semi-retirement late last month in favor of spending more time with his three daughters. He says he’ll probably cut at least one more album and do a show or two before hanging it up for good.

PRINCE’S VAULTING AMBITION

Looks like Prince will be following Bruce Springsteen and Elton John down into the oldies-but-goodies vault.

Insiders tell us that, like the Boss and Sir Elton, the artist formerly known as The Artist will do a ‘classics’ tour.

With promotional help from basketball-legend-turned-theater-mogul, Magic Johnson, Prince is said to be hitting the road at the start of next year ? performing hits like ‘When You Were Mine,’ ‘Party Up,’ ‘1999,’ ‘Little Red Corvette’ and ‘When Doves Cry.’

And if you really want to get nostalgic about his 42-year-old purpleness, check out his high school ‘fro in US Weekly’s ‘Family Album’ double-issue, which features photos of celebs before they were famous.

GETTING HIS JOLIES

Billy Bob Thornton says he likes to keep wife Angelina Jolie ‘close to’ him ? by wearing her undies.

The actor, quoted on IMDB.com, says he had an embarrassing experience at his gym when other exercisers noticed panties peeking out from his sweats.

‘I thought they were hidden, but some guy kept looking at me strange,’ he said. ‘Finally, I said, ‘They’re my wife’s.’ I don’t think it’s strange at all.’

Thornton also says he wears Jolie’s skivvies ‘to the set some days.’

OUTKAST-ING THEIR VOTE

The presidential election wasn’t the only tight race going on Tuesday. Rap group Outkast and our man about town Jay-Z, were duking it out to see who would grab the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts.

In a contest almost as close as the Gore-Bush battle for Florida, Jay-Z squeaked out a victory. But L.A. Reid, Arista’s new head honcho ? and Outkast’s surrogate campaign manager ? wasn’t sweating the second-place finish. ‘This race is not about the first week,’ says Reid. ‘It’s ultimately about where the album ends up. And this is Outkast’s time.’

SURVEILLANCE

Christopher Meloni, who plays gay inmate Chris Keller on HBO’s ‘Oz,’ is to join Nathan Lane, Molly Ringwald and Ru Paul for the Nov. 16 premiere of Showtime’s ‘Queer as Folk.’

French chefs banded together to support Alain Ducasse, famed Gallic restaurateur whose Essex House eatery has been fricasseed by critics. Among those toasting his book, ‘Harvesting Excellence,’ were Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud, Jean Georges Vongerichten and Andre Soltner.