An online poll recently ranked country music icon Reba McEntire somewhere between June Cleaver and Angelina Jolie on a list of America's favorite celebrity moms. Add this honor to her other achievements--a string of platinum albums, 33 number-one songs, a popular TV sitcom, two books, the role of Annie Oakley in Broadway's Annie Get Your Gun, and the voice of Betsy the cow in Hollywood's Charlotte's Web--and you've got a snapshot of a diverse career that has spanned three decades. Her key to professional longevity is simple: "You've got to keep reinventing yourself," she advises.

The girl is everywhere. Never one to rust on her laurels, this month Reba releases her 31st CD and prepares to unveil her latest line of signature clothes, luxury sheets, pillows, and comforters. On the drawing board is a collection of designer towels. Cell phones offer Reba ring tones; and Reba baseball caps, teddy bears, and key chains are just a keystroke away on her website (Reba.com).

Los Angeles remains the center of all this activity, at least until son Shelby, 17, finishes high school and heads for college either in Texas or Tennessee. Until then, Reba's concert tours keep her in touch with fans and double as working vacations for the family. Shelby pitches in as part of the road crew and works alongside his dad, Narvel Blackstock, Reba's husband and manager. They travel with her to venues that range from glitzy resorts in Atlantic City to down-home state fairs in places like Minot, North Dakota. "We're a great team," says Reba. "We're home for two days and then we go out for ten. There's so little time…we cram as much as we can into every minute of the day."

The Post caught up with Reba on a recent Thursday morning as she was preparing to fly from California to Connecticut for another sold-out performance. In spite of the early hour and hectic schedule, she was candid, smart, and witty.

Post: Back in 1996, you held the record for having the most lavish arena tour on the road--40 tons of equipment schlepping across the country in 16 trucks, 7 buses and a jet. Your new show is a lot simpler. What gives? Is this all part of reinventing yourself?

Reba: Totally. Every year we used to redo our tour, which meant new costumes, lighting, staging, and all sorts of gimmicks. We've done shows where I've changed clothes 15 times a night, entered the stage in a taxicab, flown over the arena in an airplane, and risen up through the floor in an elevator. It was amazing, all the stuff we thought of. Our fans loved it, and would come away from a performance saying, "Man, what are they going to do next?" But after Annie Get Your Gun and after six years of the Reba TV show, I wanted to do something different--once again reinventing myself--and get back to a simpler way of entertaining. Instead of being so busy changing costumes, I wanted to stay out there on stage with the audience and talk to them. So, this tour is more conversational; it's telling stories that go along with the songs.

Post: Your new album, Reba Duets, pairs you with 11 of country music's biggest names. One of them, Kelly Clarkson, has become your close friend. She's 25, you're 52, yet you seem to have a lot in common. What makes your friendship click?

Reba: I don't know why, but Kelly and I have really hit it off. I first met her after she won American Idol, and the show's producers asked her to name a person she always admired as a singer, She chose me. I was working on the set of the Reba show at the time, and she came over, and we went into a sound studio and rehearsed a song together. That weekend I flew to Las Vegas, and we taped the song as part of a sort of American Idol finale. Now we hang out together. There's a group of girls--southern girls like Kelly--here in Los Angeles who all get along really well. They include me, even though I'm not a young chick anymore. We go out to eat, take vacations together, and just have a wonderful time, Maybe it's because I'm from Oklahoma and Kelly and my husband are both from Burleson, Texas…whatever the reason, we have a blast together.

Post: Speaking of Texas, in your TV show you played a single mom raising three kids in Houston. How close was the fictitious Reba Hart to the real Reba McEntire?

Reba: I think Reba Hart became more like Reba McEntire as the series evolved. We used to have discussions as we developed the shows. Someone might ask, "Would Reba Hart do that?" and I'd say, "Maybe Reba Hart would, but Reba McEntire definitely wouldn't because it sends a bad message to parents." A lot of times those opinions would go into the script. I don't know if we succeeded In teaching anybody anything, but we were trying to say, "Hey, guys, this is the way you really ought to handle a problem like this." I remember how much I learned about parenting from watching Andy Griffith and Opie on the old Andy Griffith show. I think when entertainers are in the public eye, they have a responsibility to help people out in normal, everyday situations.

Post: As a real-life mom, how would you describe your parenting style? Are you strict with Shelby?

Reba: I'm reasonable…but in a way. I am strict. I think the best lesson Narvel and I have taught Shelby Is not to lie. That's been a rule since he was five years old. Now if Shelby does something wrong, he usually comes to us and says, "Look, this is what I've done. I messed up, and I won't do it again, and I respect the punishment I'm going to get. So, here are the keys to my car!"

Post: When you were Shelby's age, you were very athletic--track, basketball, cheerleading, rodeoing. What kind of fitness program do you follow these days?

Reba: I get a good cardio workout onstage. Here at the house I've got a Pilates machine that Narvel gave me for Christmas. On the road I go to Pilates places, and I do a lot of walking. Staying active mentally and physically is very important. Board games are great; they make you think. Otherwise you can get real sluggish. As for food, I love to eat! We just went on a cruise, and I ate to my heart's content. Luckily it was a French ship, and the portions were small and the food was fresh. After ten days I was afraid I was going to have to wear a muumuu for my shows, but I came back home and had gained only three pounds. I desperately try to stay away from Junk foods and packaged foods.

Post: In your book Comfort from a Country Quilt, you advise readers in find what they're best at and then stick with it. Of all the things you've done professionally, what do you think you are best at?

Reba: Hmmm. I can do a little bit of everything, but I'm not equally good at it all. For example, I don't think I'm a great singer. I've got 10 or 15 people I could name right now that I think are a lot better singers than I am. Probably the one thing that I'm good at is portraying the emotion and heartfelt sentiment that the songwriter meant for a song to have, When I sing something that really touches me, it can make people cry. [laughs] Sometimes I don't know if my singing is that bad or if it's just a real sad song.

Post: You've recently put your name on a collection of women's clothing and a line of decorator items for the home. How much input do you have on those products?

Reba: One-hundred percent. I have a team in New York City that puts together sketches and samples. Then Narvel and I sit down, and I'll pick out the fabrics, the designs, the trims…right down to the buttons and lace. When the clothes are made up, they come back to me and I try them on. We develop probably 25 outfits; then I narrow them down to 18, and we do more fittings. The whole process has so many different stages before we get a final product. Even then I'm still malting notes so we can continue to improve. I read our sales reports and hear comments from our sales associates. I don't want to be responsible for any product with my name on it that I didn't have total participation in.

Post: You've always made time for charity work. You're a spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity, and you raise money for Reba's Ranch House for families of critically ill patients. How do you decide which causes to support?

Reba: They have in touch my heart. I have to know that the money goes to where it needs to go. For example. Smile Train is a great organization. I was flabbergasted to learn that every donation goes immediately to children with cleft palates to cover the necessary surgeries.

Post: You seem to succeed at everything you do. Just so our readers know that you've had your share of disappointments, recall for us a failure.

Reba: That's easy. I always wanted to be the world champion barrel racer in a rodeo, but I was never good enough, I think it was God's way of saying, "Reba, get off the homes and get back to singing. I gave you the voice, now use it!" And then there's songwriting. I try to write songs, but I can never finish them. I have to rely on friends to help me. Again, I think that's God's way of saying, "You're not supposed to do things by yourself, Reba; you're supposed to be a team player." That's what I love about working with Narvel, my family, my band, and my crew. It's a team effort, and it keeps me grounded. I can't do it all by myself. I'm not supposed to. and I know it.