POP PERON MADONNA SAYS SHE GREW INTO `EVITA' FILM ROLE -- AND MOTHERHOOD.(PREVIEW)

Byline: LOUIS B. PARKS Houston Chronicle

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. -- Madonna sits across the table, hands in her lap, shoulders hunched, as though she would like to wrap up inside herself and hide.

During an interview, she emerges from this shell a bit, growing more animated. But the initial impression persists: She would rather be doing something else, anything else, than facing a long day of questions.

Some of the questions -- the ones she obviously enjoys the most -- are about her career-boosting performance in the stunning new musical, ``Evita.'' To be eligible for this year's Oscars, the film opened Christmas Day in Los Angeles and New York; it opens Friday in the Capital Region.

But many more questions are about Madonna herself. How do you feel about this? Why did you do that? What's it like to be Madonna, pop cultural icon? And tell us all about that new …