Janet Jackson

Janet JacksonThe Velvet Rope (Virgin 44762)In club culture, the velvet rope is the line that marks off the private spaces in which the famous can be themselves without worrying about what the public thinks. So when Janet Jackson invites her audience behind "The Velvet Rope," what she's really offering is a chance to see her as she really is. What she reveals may be more than some fans want to know -- as a sexual adventurer, Jackson examines everything from bondage to bisexuality -- but she's not trying to be shocking or sensational.

To the rest of the world, the months between Sept. 21 and Dec. 21 constitute fall. For the recording industry, however, that time is considered the Christmas Rush. It's when CD stores move the most product, and when major labels try their hardest to improve their profit picture.This year is no exception. Big new albums are already out by Fleetwood Mac, Mariah Carey and Puff Daddy, and there's more the way. Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson,Jane's Addiction, L.L. Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, Shania Twain, Babyface, Barbra Streisand and Metallica are just a few of the acts who will be vying for the top of the pops in the coming months.

Remember the days of "Thriller" when record executives would hyperventilate at the thought of signing Michael Jackson to a contract?No longer.If you throw out any votes he may have received from representatives of his Sony Music family, Mr. Jackson didn't get enough support to finish among the first 20 artists in a Los Angeles Times Sunday Calendar poll to determine the hottest recording properties in the United States.How bad was Mr. Jackson's showing?Consider this: Mr. Jackson even finished third among artists with the same surname -- far, far behind his sister Janet Jackson and country star Alan Jackson.

Design of a Decade: 1986-1996Janet Jackson (A&M 31454 0399)Ever found yourself looking into a familiar face and suddenly see it differently? That's the unexpected effect generated by the wall-to-wall Janet Jackson hits on "Design of a Decade: 1986-1996." We all know these songs, from the growling, bass-driven groove of "Control" to the synth-spiked exoticism of her current hit, "Runaway." Heard individually, as songs on the radio or clips on MTV, they seem slick, catchy, charismatic, a perfect reflection of Jackson's own well-polished persona.

New York -- "I LOVE IT!" shrieks Ricki Lake, preening before a full-length mirror in a simple, tailored black pants suit. "So what do you think?""You look great," soothes designer Todd Oldham, who is getting the talk show host ready for a television awards ceremony. He nips in the waistline an inch and piles her hair on her head in a sexy tumble of curls festooned with colorful rhinestone barettes. "What we don't want is to do some heap of beads like all the soap opera ladies wear. Because the suit is so elegant, you can go for it with the hair.

Aerosmith may have been the home audience's favorite, winning the Viewer's Choice Award along with the ones for Best Video of the Year and Best Group Video, but it was R.E.M. that came away the big winner at last night's MTV Video Music Awards, taking home four of the coveted Spaceman Trophies.Too bad they were all technical awards: Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography and Breakthrough Video. Big whoop, huh?But that was the kind of evening it was. Even though the annual awards show is usually one of the most amusing and unpredictable awards shows on TV, last night's broadcast was hardly a blue-ribbon show.

Dani Knight wants everyone to know that dancing is not a racial thing, it's a rhythm thing.Ms. Knight, 24, and her partner and friend Jeffrey McDonald, 27, own Knight Moves: Studio of the Arts at 695 Hanover Pike in Hampstead. The studio offers what may seem like an unlikely combination of classes: hip-hop dancing, line dancing, aerobics and martial arts."Martial arts is nothing but a dance," said Mr. McDonald. "It's choreographed fitness."Hip-hop dancing is usually perceived as the dancing style of young African-Americans.

It's shaping up as a winner of a winter for singer Toni Braxton.On Monday, the Severn native was a double victor at the American Music Awards, toting off trophies for favorite new soul-R&B artist and favorite new adult contemporary artist.That may only be the beginning, too, as Braxton is up for twoGrammy awards, including Best New Artist.It's hard to say whether Braxton's success at the American Music Awards (which are voted on by a random sampling of pop music fans) will affect her chances at the Grammys (which are voted on by qualified members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences)

"What's on TV tonight?" "Not much. It's New Year's Eve."* "Picket Fences." (10-11 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- There are two sides to the "Fences" tonight -- or, at least, two episodes of "Picket Fences" on view. Beginning tonight, CBS is using the late-night slot to repeat some of "Picket Fences" creator David E. Kelley's favorite episodes. In prime time, there's a repeat from just a few weeks ago, the superb one about the potential of a "virgin birth" in Rome, Wis, Then, in late night, comes last year's holiday episode, one that takes on the still-current controversy about religious pageantry on public (as in school)

LANDOVER -- Does she or doesn't she?When that question first entered the pop lexicon, it came as a query about hair coloring. But in today's post-MTV world of singing, dancing superstars -- the Janet Jacksons, Paula Abduls and Madonnas of the world -- what the phrase now asks, has to do with singing. "Does she or doesn't she use tapes instead of singing live?"Well, in the case of Janet Jackson, only her sound man knows for sure. But judging from her performance at the USAir Arena last night, it's clear that Jackson hasn't let the demands of contemporary choreography keep her from handling the singing herself.