"LOVE" IS HERE, AND NOW THEY'RE GONE

After three months of bickering over finances, Diana Ross has dumped founding member Mary Wilson--as well as Cindy Birdsong--in favor of her own version of the all-female pop group.

Ross is reportedly putting together a less-than-supreme package that includes onetime members Scherrie Payne and Linda Laurence--singers who joined the band after Ross left in 1969.

The "Return to Love Tour" will kick off sometime in June and run until September. Ross, who never sang with Payne and Laurence when she was a member of the successful troupe, was reportedly demanding a hefty $15-20 million paycheck for the reunion. Infighting began when she offered Wilson and Birdsong around $3 million each.

"When I asked for more money, they raised it slightly and when I said no, that was the end," Wilson told USA Today.

For her part, Wilson, who had the longest tenure of any Supreme, still hopes to be involved in the reunion. Birdsong remains mum on the hoopla.

In their heyday, The Supremes were the crown jewel of Motown Records, churning out five consecutive number-one hits in a one-year period, including "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Come See About Me" and "Back in My Arms Again."

Ross left the group in 1969 and was replaced by Jean Terrell; Wilson quit in 1976.The last time Ross appeared with Wilson and Birdsong was at the group's 1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

In a related story, Diana Ross is still threatening to declare war on Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region.