Hollywood has its tour busses. Miami, its tour boats. Witness the gleaming, double-decker number gliding across Biscayne Bay on a recent 85-degree winter day, cutting as close as it can to pop singer Gloria Estefan’s house on aptly named Star Island.

"Oh, hi!" Gloria calls out. She waves vigorously to the sightseers. The boat’s horn toots twice. Everyone on board rushes toward the railing to wave back.

"Hi, hi," she calls again.

Out of sight, Gloria rolls her eyes, then leans forward and, in a husky, sincere voice, says, "There are seven different tour boats. They run three to four times a day." She shrugs. "It’s okay though. I enjoy it. It’s a wonderful thing. How could you not like people liking you?"

For sure, they do. Gloria’s latest album, a lush tribute to her Cuban roots called Mi Tierra (My Homeland), sold more than three million copies in six months. Entirely in Spanish, it earned raves in the mainstream press and hit the charts higher than any of her five previous albums.

Mi Tierra is just the latest in a series of dizzying musical and image changes Gloria has made effortlessly over the years, from disco sensation (Conga) to chart-topping pop balladeer (Anything for You) to comeback inspiration (Coming Out of the Dark). In the rough-and-tumble music world, Gloria stands out as part of a select group of female pop singers who write their own number-one hits.

HOME SWEET HOME
She tips back on her high, high heels ("no comment" on the exact heel height), bending her knees slightly. Her legs tense under faded jeans, which are jauntily frayed in just the right places, like a teenager’s. She’s petite, five-feet-two-inches tall, but moves with the grace and strength of a ballet dancer

"Some people seek fame for fame’s sake – to be famous," Gloria, 36, says, reflecting on success. "That’s maybe for the wrong reason. The way I approached my career is that it was a hobby that blossomed, and I’ve actually been fortunate to make money at it, a lot of money."

We are in the backyard of her Spanish-style mansion, which is set within paths of gray tile made of fossilized brain coral and other marine life cut from the floor of the Florida keys. A spiral staircase curves from a bedroom to the swimming pool, where a motorized waterfall splashes. Palm trees brush the terra-cotta roof tiles.

Next door, a cleared lot waits for building to begin on an entertainment-guest cottage complex. Across the street, a house that Gloria and husband Emilio bought for his parents is being renovated.

In interviews, celebrities almost always describe their current situation as the happiest time of their life. Gloria Estefan talks that way today. But given her miraculous return from a near-paralyzing bus accident four years ago, it seems neither clichéd nor exaggerated.

"The accident really made me realize that, even though I’m not a religious person in a dogmatic sense, spiritually is the core of my being – doing good and putting other people first."

Recovery, she adds was a humbling, but not astonishing experience. "I wasn’t surprised because I was on the inside of my body. I’ve always been a quick healer; that’s part of my constitution. But I also had so many prayers coming my way, I could physically feel them around me. It was a presence that is hard to describe."

"There was so much positive energy around me, so many good things. If you tap into that, how could you not heal yourself and how could you not have a healing thing happen to you?"

SECRETS OF HER SUCCESS
Relentless media attention after the accident catapulted Gloria to superstardom. It was almost as if nearly losing her made everyone appreciate her delicacy, her sex appeal and her talent.

Fans flooded her with 33,000-plus telegrams, letters and postcards. Then President George Bush called the hospital – twice. Celebrities, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Madonna to Jon Bon Jovi, sent flowers. Asked to explain such broad appeal, rock n’ roll legend Dick Clark simply said, "She is just a kind, down-to-earth, lovely lady."

But it’s more. For one thing, there’s the riches-to-rags-to-riches tale of how Gloria was born into prosperity in Cuba, and, at age two, fled with family to Miami to escape communism and start over. There’s the high-profile charity work. And there’s her image – not just shapely and sexy but square and old-fashioned. Fifteen years ago she married Emilio, her "first and only boyfriend," who discovered her as a shy and pudgy teenager. Their 13-year-old son, Nayib, meaning "good person" in Lebanese, lives up to his name, his proud mom says. The trio share their house with a parrot named Coco; two wallabies, Conga and Bongo; and five Dalmatians – Ricky and Lucy (as in Ricardo), Redford (as in Robert), Holly and Tiny Tim.

Clearly, Gloria is relaxed here. "It’s a home," she says, lounging near a waist-high painted cow sculpture. "It should be laid-back because really, that’s the way I am."

MAKEOVER MAGIC
It wasn’t always so. Back in the '70s, when Emilio was trying to transform his Latin "bar mitzvah" band into a crossover sensation, Gloria was transforming herself for the spotlight: tweezing her single eyebrow into two thin, arched lines, losing about 40 pounds and reshaping her body into compact tautness. That makeover was early proof of the will she would draw on after the accident.

Today, two eight-inch titanium rods hold her spine in place. Her body still might reject them. There’s also a five-to ten-percent chance they will suddenly "pop." She can predict rain from a spot in her hip where doctors took a bone graft. But Gloria’s in the best shape ever, largely due to the physical therapy required for her rehabilitation.

Talk about change. The woman who once would embrace any new opportunity that came her way now says, "It’s no longer 'What does it do for the career?' but 'Is it worth the sacrifice?' " Imagine: She turned down the lead in film director Oliver Stone’s next project, Evita – a role Barbra Streisand supposedly lobbied for. Gloria wants to act, but not in such a privotal role. "Too much pressure," she explains. "It wouldn’t be enjoyable, let’s put it that way. Time suddenly seems very short, and enjoyable is a big factor in decision-making for me."

Besides, she wants a baby. ("If I don’t hurry, Nayib will beat me to it.") Gloria has even tried standing on her head after sex, hoping to help sperm and egg meet. "Emilio came in and freaked because of my back. I told him to calm down and just help hold my legs up there."

BALANCING ACT
One reason the Estefan marriage succeeds (despite repeated tabloid rumors of impending divorce) is that "he just spoils me rotten." Another is that they are opposites. "We balance each other out. He’s a real driven man. To him, lying in bed for the day is a waste of time. He has to have some productivity as a person. Me – I’m perfectly happy spending the day on the couch, guiltlessly."

The phone rings. "Hi monkey," she whispers. It’s Nayib. "How was school? Okay, but come home soon." A half-hour later, a lanky adolescent walks in, kisses her, plops down and begins building a burglar alarm for school from a bulb, battery and wires.

Despite Gloria’s choirgirl image, there’s a private, playful, even devilish side to her. To unwind, she composes parodies of her songs – most too raunchy to repeat. Then there are the mocking ones, such as I Got Mugged in the Park, a twist on Coming Out of the Dark, the hit that celebrated her recovery. Her sick humor, Gloria adds, led her to nix a toymaker’s plan to market a Gloria Estefan doll. "I kept thinking 'What would people do with these dolls? Bang them around to break their backs?' That’s the first thing I’d do."

She even makes light of an over-zealous fan who allegedly stalked her, scaring her enough to call the FBI. "Mauritzio is obsessed with me," she sighs. He now thinks that at Miami
talk-show host is Gloria, so he bothers that woman instead. "We were joking that we should get our picture taken together, so he could see that we’re two different people," she says, breaking into an impish grin that masks any feelings of vulnerability.

Suddenly serious, she adds, "The security system here is very good. The guard at the gate keeps a very good eye out for me. There’s always somebody at the house. In that way, I’m careful. I’m definitely not a person who is going to leave it to God. I mean, God will help, but only if I help myself."

GLORIA ON MOTHERHOOD

On the accident: "A few months later I found out Nayib had been harboring some guilty feelings because, apparently, he had been playing the children’s game step on a crack and break your mother’s back and somehow felt responsible. Of course, I explained to him that he was in no way responsible."

On values: "Children learn by example. If they see how you are to people, and they see you have a respect for other people, they’re that way."

On her fame: "The other day we made the grand mistake of having the movie-theater manager save us some seats because Nayib wanted to go to the movie on opening night. He took a girl. You can imagine the scene. So, he says, ‘Next time, I think we should take heralders and trumpeters to announce your entrance. Maybe that would be simpler.’ "

On parental pride: "On my last birthday, we were celebrating with family and friends when, suddenly, Nayib began playing the timbales [drums]. For the first time, he played publicly and I saw real natural talent in him and I was very proud."

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Ein riesengroßes Dankeschön an Amanda Warnock für das Zusenden dieser Zeitschrift!!! J
A big, big THANK YOU to Amanda Warnock that she send me this magazine!!! J

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