Strike a Pose

Once again, pop culture's winds whisper Madonna. <br><br>Not only is she co-starring in The Next Best Thing, but in recent weeks she's been on the covers of both People and Good Housekeeping.<br><br>If

Wednesday, March 15th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Once again, pop culture's winds whisper Madonna.

Not only is she co-starring in The Next Best Thing, but in recent weeks she's been on the covers of both People and Good Housekeeping.

If Madonna on the cover of Good Housekeeping seems a strange stretch, then you've haven't been keeping up with Madonna Make-Overs. In which case, you may have found yourself staring at the magazine rack wondering "Who's that girl?"

Except, unlike that old Madonna song, what you would really be wondering is who's that woman. With the long, flouncy locks and pale pink lip gloss, she looks like the Charlie's Angel that time forgot.

Madonna is back with her latest look - a softer, '70s look designed to promote both her role as Rupert Everett's big-screen buddy and an even bigger role: motherhood. "I'm going to be the mother I never had," she declares on the cover of the March 13 People.

To the generations of audiences living in the Age of Madonna, she has existed as an evolution of images, a one-woman industry devoted to a single, endlessly recyclable product.

Outfits from her MTV pop-tart days - the lingerie-and-lace outfit from the "Like a Virgin'" video - were the show-stealing stars of a recent rock-garb exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And from the sexy-cool street look in Desperately Seeking Susan to the glamour-queen poses of Evita, everyone is familiar with the many faces of Madonna the (Wannabe) Movie Star.

But Mother Madonna is a new role - for her and us. The view so far? Madonna may have finally come up with an uninteresting image. As anyone who has seen The Next Best Thing can confirm, as an actress Madonna has two left feet. The star who exists as a series of acts can't act.

So the Mother Madonna look may last a bit longer the others. As co-star and close friend Rupert forecasts, Madonna and child are "going to be a fantastic drama unfolding over the next 20 years." And one sure to spawn spin-offs. Brace yourself for Granny Madonna.