NERD LOOK IN, COUNTRY AND RAP MUSIC OUT FOR 1997.

Byline: Joe Wheelan Associated Press

The nerd look, cocktail parties, big hair for women and certified e-mail will be hot in 1997, but not country and rap music, casual Fridays and camp-outs, according to ``The American Forecaster Almanac 1997.''

Fashion-conscious women who feel uncomfortable with big hair may instead embrace short poufs while decking themselves out in laces, ruffles, bows and beads ala post-World War II. Their male counterparts more and more will gravitate toward a retro-'50s look, opting for ducktails, slick hair and sideburns. At the same time, goatees, a badge of grunge music devotees, will go mainstream, the Forecaster predicts.

The 14th annual compendium of trend predictions is by Denver author Kim Long, whose predictions are based on his perusal of hundreds of newspapers, magazines, trade journals, on-line databases, statistical data and public surveys.

In 1997, Cuba and Las Vegas will be high on the list of vacationers' destinations. Stay-at-homes may cut the grass with push mowers and learn to can and pickle. When they go out to eat, they will order the hot cuisines: traditional rural foods from France and Italy; ``fusion'' foods from the Mediterranean region; Caribbean foods; and traditional U.S. heartland fare.

The Forecaster says the nerd look has become an accepted fashion - from the goofy glasses down to the shapeless shoes, but sans the pocket protector.

Generation X'ers, who rediscovered the martini in recent years, now are leading the revival of the cocktail party, the social centerpiece of the 1950s and 1960s, the Forecaster said. Serving up traditional cocktails along with canapes and lounge music, the '90s cocktail party is pulling people away from nightclubs and brew pubs.

Certified e-mail will debut in 1997 with the entry of the U.S. Postal Service into the electronic messaging arena with a time and date stamp to verify e-mail delivery. Initial cost: 22 cents per e-mail.

Look for a sustained boom in ocean cruises and new interest in what has appealed to Europeans for years - ``wellness'' vacations that emphasize weight loss and healthful relaxation, the Forecaster said.

Long says hard cider, Asian street stall food and hash - once the domain of the culinarily impaired - will come into their own in 1997. Cake, enjoying a strong surge in popularity, will be downsized by bakers to appeal to singles and consumers looking for smaller portions and bargains.

Also on the hot list for 1997: pre-autographed books, poetry, parking meters that accept credit cards, watches that transfer data to computers, snowshoeing, backyard golf and professional miniature golf.

Mountain biking, in-line skating and windsurfing will lose their appeal.