TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG ... THAT IS THE QUESTION FOR CELEBRITIES (AND THEIR PUBLICISTS).

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

In the beginning there was fan mail, and form letters sent in reply with autographed (possibly even genuine) glossy photos, and it was good enough.

These days more and more stars of television, movies and music are using Web logs, better-known as blogs, to interact with fans. They can post personal photos, vent on headlines, quell rumors and pour their hearts out. And they can do it all from an office, home or whatever far-flung location they find themselves in while filming or playing concerts.

It's a clear improvement over the days when studio underlings or personal assistants suffered a thousand paper cuts in an effort to keep up a celebrity's image with public contact.

But with a few clicks, a blog can undo years of work by publicists who have formed a celebrity's image and keep it polished with all the right interviews and personal appearances.

Veteran publicist Carol Marshall, whose clients at her eponymous public relations firm include Jimmy Smits, Peter Jackson and Shohreh Aghdashloo, says she has not interfered with a client's desire to blog, but she would have some advice if asked.

``My first question would be, what is your purpose for doing it? If their motivation is to get themselves exposure, I wouldn't recommend it, because that's just antics.

``If you're looking to spread the word about a charity, or have something to say about a cause that's important to you, then I say go for it.''

The experts at about.com say what sets a blog apart from an ordinary Web site is frequent updates, personal insights and links to other sites. The copy should be peppered with first-person pronouns.

The best blogs, they say, bear the clear voice of the celebrity author, not some support staffer. It's a time commitment not everyone can keep, what with work itself and promotional appearances.

``I'm amazed that people have time to write them and other people have time to read them,'' Marshall said.

Celebrity bloggers have included Alyssa Milano, Anna Kournikova, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Melanie Griffith and Michael Moore. In addition to their devout fans, readers of celebrity blogs include other bloggers (which sometimes makes for a circuitous Google search) and mainstream entertainment journalists looking for nuggets from the stars themselves rather than via personal or corporate publicists.

Pete Townshend used a blog to respond to his arrest for accessing child pornography on the Internet. (Authorities concluded it was research, as he claimed.) Britney Spears' pregnancy announcement and several celebs' political statements have gone from their blogs straight to People magazine and ``Entertainment Tonight.''

A veteran of publicity power shop PMK/HBH, Marshall recalled her first job at Solters Roskin Friedman, where publicists had to come up with five items a day to feed to gossip and entertainment columnists to ensure their clients' names were in ink.

``These are the new columns,'' she said.

Stars who blog may be motivated by a desire to present themselves honestly, without all the packaging by agents, managers and other professional handlers.

``Some people would view it as taking control back into their own hands,'' Marshall said. ``I don't think it always works out that way because some people just put their feet in their mouths.''

Isn't that the hope of many fans who read celebrity blogs?

Valerie Kuklenski, [phone]

valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com

WHAT YOU'LL FIND

Here is what some celebs are writing about:

JEFF BRIDGES: He gets an A for the personal touch. The whole thing is handwritten and hand drawn, even the scribbly link buttons. Kind of feels like peeking over Bridges' shoulder while he doodles, and you can't get much more personal than that. It includes first-person updates on his film projects, a chat room for fan responses, information on his End Hunger Network charity, photos he has shot, promotional pushes for his recent movies on DVD and his mom, Dorothy's, memoir. (Hey, he's gotta make a buck now and then.) www.jeffbridges.com.

ROSIE O'DONNELL: The home page of her popular TV talk show has morphed into her own free-form poetry on various subjects. Once you get used to the e.e. cummings style of no capitalization and rare punctuation, she rewards visitors with nearly daily updates. Subjects range from Broadway news to her family of four kids to politics and social issues. Look for occasional pearls of wisdom such as ``life without a tv show is hard.'' www.rosie.com.

BRITNEY SPEARS: Pregnancy seems to have distracted the pop queen from regularly updating the ``stream of consciousness'' area of her official Web site. In a March 30 posting, she complained about ``false tabloids'' such as Star, In Touch and US Weekly. In the ``dog's crib'' area, she posts snapshots of her Chihuahua, Lily, in various states of overdress with gushy commentary, a habit one hopes will be cured by motherhood. www.britneyspears.com.

Spears detractors may want to check out a ``Fetus Spears'' blog launched by an uncredited writer on March 29, two weeks before Spears announced her pregnancy but while rumors of such were swirling in the previously mentioned tabloids. The ``fetus'' complains about its mother's singing, speculates about whether it will be given sunglasses at delivery to better cope with all the cameras, and calls for a match against Fetus Garner, the Jennifer Garner/Ben Affleck babe-to-be. http://www.liquidgeneration.com/blog/fetusblog/blogger.html.<WIL WHEATON: The former child and teen star who made his name in the film ``Stand by Me'' and the TV series ``Star Trek: The Next Generation'' is still a working actor and a proud geek to boot. His blog is deeply personal with lots of insights on his home life with wife Anne and stepsons Nolan and Ryan, his political concerns, his work as a writer and, more recently, a rather graphic description of his sinus infection symptoms. (Apology accepted.) Wheaton updates daily - sometimes a few times a day - offering often compelling reading for non-geeks and non-Trekkers. www.wilwheaton.net.

DAVE BARRY: The syndicated humorist's newspaper columns already are bloggish in nature, with references to his misadventures at home and at work, so Barry uses his blog most often to link to other writings that strike him as interesting or funny. This week, one link delivered a video jigsaw puzzle of a sky diver. There is the occasional personal note, though, such as his admonition to the news media to pull back on the Deep Throat coverage, lest it merge somehow with all the ink spilled on the Runaway Bride and result in a morphed story of ``The Runaway Throat or Deep Bride.'' weblog.herald.com/column/davebarry.

BARBRA STREISAND: Within the actor/director/diva's Web site are links to ``statements'' and ``truth alerts.'' ``Statements'' are the text of speeches she has delivered or others' words she has found inspiring, generally on politics. ``Truth alerts'' is where she sticks a pin in whatever reportage she has found about herself that is inaccurate. Should be updated more frequently if she wants site traffic. Look for this high-profile patron of the Democratic Party to get busy with statements in the months leading to the 2006 midterm elections. www.barbrastreisand.com.

JAMIE OLIVER: Food Network's ``Naked Chef'' bares his soul in the ``Jamie's Diary,'' section of his site, which recently picked up a Webby Award for best celebrity/fan site. He journals from the road, posts recipes of his own and gives readers a way to share theirs as well. www.jamieoliver.com.

AL ROKER: The affable TV weatherman and author expounds on family vacations and other personal tales in his journal. He took a break from journaling for a couple of months but returned Monday with snapshots of and high praise for the ``smokin' '' performance by the Black Eyed Peas on ``The Today Show.'' www.alroker.com/journal.cfm.

WILLIAM SHATNER: In the appropriately titled ``Bill's Space'' section of his site, the ``Star Trek'' and ``Boston Legal'' star gushes in various entries about his guest-star Emmy last fall and his Golden Globe in January. He even has an entry with a Q&A with Denny Crain, his ``Boston Legal'' alter ego, with emphasis on the word ego. No question that Shatner himself is the author of these writings. He should post more often. www.williamshatner.com.

- V.K.

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) BLOG World

Now even celebs are weighing in

(2 -- 4) no caption (Web Sites)

(5) WHEATON

(6) Jamie's Diary

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WHAT YOU'LL FIND (see text)