IN THE PINK FILM, FASHION, TV ADS - THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT FOR BEYONCE.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Writer

It's Beyonce week, but then, when isn't it?

When we're not seeing the gorgeous Ms. Knowles in L'Oreal ads, fashion spreads or cavorting with boyfriend Jay-Z all over the media, it's hard to go a day without hearing her powerful voice, either on a solo track or with her just-retired group Destiny's Child, piped from somewhere.

But this really is Beyonce week. She's up for six Grammy Awards on Wednesday (three with Destiny's Child), and her latest movie, a revival of ``The Pink Panther,'' hits theaters Friday. And it was announced Wednesday that Destiny's Child will reunite one last time to sing the national anthem at the 55th NBA All-Star game in their native Houston on Feb. 19.

Ubiquitous as her stardom may be, though, Knowles gives the term diva a good name. Accessible and polite, she seems as unaffected as a person can be by extraordinary success in music, a burgeoning film career and being universally considered one of the era's great beauties.

And don't just take an enchanted reporter's word for it.

``I had directed Beyonce when she was 16, in a television series called 'The Famous Jett Jackson' on the Disney Channel,'' says ``Pink Panther'' director Shawn Levy. ``Destiny's Child were my guest stars in an episode, and at that absurdly young age, Beyonce was ridiculously poised, modest and just emerging.

``She's now massively more famous but pretty unchanged, I'd say, in her humility,'' adds Levy, who cast Knowles as international singing star Xania opposite Steve Martin's bumbling French detective Inspector Clouseau.

``I found her really easy to direct both times. When she comes to the set, you really don't have a sense of the machinery that surrounds her. She comes with someone to do her makeup and a very, very big bodyguard. I felt like Beyonce seemed to enjoy having only to worry about being an actress during the hours when she was on set. She may have had to do a show that night, or shoot a L'Oreal commercial, or a Tommy Hilfiger photo shoot, but directing her was easy. I told her how I wanted it, and she did it. If I changed my mind, I'd tell her that, and she was responsive and totally game.''

For her part, Knowles says the ``Panther'' assignment was no major strain.

``All I had to do was not laugh and wear great clothes!'' the 24-year-old performer, decked out in a pretty great pink halter dress and Jimmy Choos, says, shrugging.

Well, that and try to seduce Clouseau, who typically turns the sexy scene into a slapstick calamity.

``Well, I'm kinda like that onstage ... um, I'm very much so like that on stage!'' laughingly says the churchgoing, ``Naughty Girl'' singer. ``But I'm not like that in real life. It's a character, so it's a part of the acting.''

That acting, Knowles admits, is getting more demanding. While ``Panther'' was a three-week lark in New York and Paris, she's currently focusing on six concentrated months of filming ``Dreamgirls,'' the movie version of the Broadway musical about a Supremes-like girl group. Knowles, of course, plays glamour-puss Deena Jones, but she insists that the character is very different from Beyonce. And although there is much singing in the movie, Knowles says that the role requires a far wider dramatic range than previous movie jobs such as ``Austin Powers in Goldmember'' and ``The Fighting Temptations.''

``Acting is the biggest challenge right now - I'm learning something completely new - but it's definitely the most exciting thing, too,'' Knowles says of her many creative activities, business endeavors and charitable initiatives, which include helping victims of Hurricane Katrina who have been displaced to her hometown of Houston.

She quickly adds, however, that nothing is harder than the pop music grind.

``As soon as I start writing another album, I'm just as scared. It doesn't matter how many albums and how many No. 1 songs I've been a part of, it's not guaranteed. Music is really way harder than the movies. You can be good in a movie that's not successful, and they don't hold it against you. But even if you sound good on a record and it's not a hit, then it's over - and you don't have many chances to get another record.''

That sounds like overdramatizing from someone whose group has sold some 40 million recordings, already owns eight Grammys and armloads of other music awards, and is the first African-American woman to be named pop songwriter of the year by ASCAP - the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

On the other hand, maybe she just has the hype-drenched nature of show-biz accolades in healthy perspective, even as the prospect of a more crowded mantel looms.

``I don't have my awards - they're at my mother's house,'' Knowles reveals. ``It's nice to get recognized, especially when it's from other artists that you respect. But now, I think it's more important for me to grow as a singer and songwriter and performer.

``But I can't lie and say that it doesn't feel good, especially when we win the awards where they do those great packages and you can see all of the things that you did that year. Otherwise, it's all like one day, it's definitely a blur. That's more rewarding than the award, just being able to see all of your accomplishments put together.''

Calling an end to Destiny's Child, the quartet-turned-trio she's fronted through various personnel changes since the age of 9, was also a step toward artistic growth, albeit one that's been made with a lot of trepidation and, it sounds like, more than a few tears.

``I think all of us were nervous and scared about it; I definitely know because we talked about it,'' says Knowles, who insists that she remains the best of friends with Child partners Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, the latter of whom has long been, and still is, essentially an adopted sister. ``All of us felt like we liked different types of music, and we now live in three different cities, and we've grown up. So it's just a natural thing that happens with people.''

Conversely, Knowles is working closer than ever with her mother, Tina, on a clothing line inspired by the seamstress-rich maternal side of her family. Most of the initial collection will be hitting stores soon, making February pretty much Beyonce month.

``We mix the '40s, which is my grandmother's generation, with the '70s, which is my mother's, and contemporary clothes,'' Beyonce says of the style from House of Dereon, which was named for her grandmother. ``So we have little touches of lace from the '40s and buttons from the '70s or whatever, and we mix all of those things together. It's really cool.''

Of course, Tina and her husband, Mathew Knowles, have been guiding their daughter's career since Beyonce began singing at the age of 4. Asked how she's managed to avoid the pitfalls so many child performers encounter later in life - and, well, how she turned out so dang nice, against what must be massive statistical odds - Knowles says, basically, don't believe the stereotype.

``For one, I wasn't pushed into it,'' she explains. ``I think I really was born with a gift, and I knew what I wanted at a young age. And I had great parents. People just expect my dad to be like Joe Jackson (father of king of pop Michael and siblings) and my mom to be like a stage mother, just because of past examples.

``And if that was the case, then I probably would be a different person. But obviously, I've had a very healthy childhood and happy memories, and I'm still very close with my family. And I know that my family is very important and a very big reason why I am still who I am.''

Only part of which, Beyonce Knowles insists, involves being one of the most beautiful, instantly recognized people on the planet.

``I do enjoy the glamorous side of it,'' she admits. ``I mean, I'm a woman, and I love fashion. I love dressing up - I love all of that. But ultimately, when I'm not working, I'm normal, regular. Like, I would prefer a day off more than some diamonds. That's just the honest-to-God truth.''

Bob Strauss, [phone]

bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com

Trailing the `Panther'

Judging from the early buzz surrounding the new Steve Martin-headlining version of ``The Pink Panther,'' the series is picking up just where it dismally left off in 1993. A quick recap:

The Pink Panther (1964): David Niven was the headliner, but Peter Sellers brought this rather thin farce to life, giving birth to a series that would consistently rely on the genius of its star to overcome weak material. Three stars

A Shot in the Dark (1964): Best entry in the series, with Sellers' Inspector Clouseau improbably maintaining his dignity in the face of one wacky blunder after another. Clouseau's near-miss encounters with a parade of would-be assassins is a comic marvel. Three and one half stars

The Return of the Pink Panther (1975): ``To Catch a Thief'' as pureed through Sellers' inventive mind. Three stars

The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976): Still funny, but beginning to feel more than a little familiar. Two and one half stars

Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978): The saga continues with more cringe-worthy puns, goofy disguises and silly slapstick. That it's the third entry in four years is obvious. The animated, opening-credits sequence alone takes up five minutes of the movie's slim running time. Two and one half stars

Trail of the Pink Panther (1982): Tribute or travesty? This collection of outtakes and unused sequences featuring Sellers, who died in 1980, is expertly assembled and, at the time, brought back fond memories. Now it feels pointless. Two stars

Curse of the Pink Panther (1983): Title says it all. Clouseau has disappeared; Ted Wass shoulders the sight-gag load. The effort is crushing in every sense.

Son of the Pink Panther (1993): Roberto Benigni plays Clouseau's son. Whereas Sellers kept Clouseau proud amid defeat, Benigni merely clowns, flailing and failing miserably. One star

- G.W.

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) BEYONCE

`Pink Panter' spot, multiple Grammy shot - and that's just this week for former Destiny's Child diva

(2) no caption (Beyonce Knowles)

Getty Images

(3) Beyonce Knowles co-stars with Steve Martin in ``The Pink Panther,'' opening Friday. She plays an international singing star; he plays the bumbling Inspector Clouseau.

(4) Peter Sellers inhabits the role of French detective Inspector Clouseau.

Box:

Trailing the `Panther' (see text)