HOT TIPS : MAKING SMALL TALK.

Ga-ga and goo-goo may sound like baby talk to you and me, but in the new film ``Baby Geniuses,'' which opens nationwide Friday, there's some real dialogue going on between those babbling babies. We don't know for sure, but they could be making small talk about the soft-as-a-baby's bottom line, meaning, of course, the merchandise tie-ins.

First, there's the clothes all those cuddly little darlings are wearing. Every single baby is wearing clothes designed by Baby Guess? - including the little tuxedo ensemble worn by Sly, the top-hatted ringleader of the baby geniuses.

According to Guess? spokesman Michel Benasra, more than 4,000 garments were made (sometimes 40 sets of the same item) for the film, and half of the designs are available at Baby Guess? stores.

For those families without their own baby geniuses to dress or talk to, Toy Biz Inc. has created ``Baby Geniuses'' dolls. Dolls who follow the seen-and-not-heard rule include Bean Pals character dolls (think of Beanie Babies) and plush toys with a suction cup for the car window called Stick-Em-Up dolls; each priced at $6.99. For parents who want two-way conversations, there's the newborn-size Electronic Talking ``Baby Geniuses'' doll, which talks at the pull of a string and is priced at $19.99. All of the dolls are available at KB Toy Stores.

- Barbara De Witt

Finding a wealth of information

Snap out of it! Daydreaming about what you'd do if you were rolling in dough won't get you anywhere. Learning how to become rich is a different matter.

Ginie Sayles thinks she's got it down to a science. The consultant to celebrities and the rich turned her financial life around. She relied on welfare and a student loan to get through college; now she's married to a Texas oil man. And she wants to spread the wealth.

In ``How to Meet the Rich: For Business, Friendship, or Romance'' (Berkley Trade; $14), due in stores March 15, Sayles discusses everything from how to find rich clients for your business to understanding the love patterns of the rich.

Of course, there's a caveat at the end of her book: Money doesn't always lead to happiness.

Daydreaming might be just as effective.

- Betty Kwong

All that glitters ... is in your hair

That glitter goo we saw at the Oscars last year is gone, and frankly, my dear, rhinestone barrettes are becoming passe (unless they're dragonflies). What's new for show-offy types is Mellies Sparkles, a handful of crystals that stick to your hair with a tiny bit of Velcro. Designed by UCLA student Melody Kulp, the crystals can be scattered throughout your hair or as a flashy accent on a single strand. And since celebs such as Alanis Morissette, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lara Flynn Boyle are fans, you'll be in good company.

Mellies Sparkles are packaged in fruit-shaped compacts with the colors corresponding to the fruit, such as red crystals in a red velvety strawberry. They're priced at $25 to $40 (depending on the number and size of crystals) at Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom at the Westside Pavilion and beauty supply stores.

- Barbara De Witt

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3 Photos

Photo: (1--2) The upcoming ``Baby Geniuses'' movie is spawning a flood of merchandise, including Stick-Em-Up dolls for your car window.

(3) no caption (Mellies Sparkles)