The video, called "Erotica," debuted over the weekend. It's a musical and visual dud, but it's fueling Madonna's voracious hype machine with more controversy.

"Erotica" features Madonna decked out as a bondage queen and in various sadomasochistic poses with men and women.

The song has a familiar dance beat and is the first single from Madonna's upcoming album, scheduled to be released next Tuesday. She also has a new book of explicit photos coming out this month, called "Sex."

The video is filmed in grainy black-and-white and has the atmosphere of a soft porn movie.

"Erotica" has been banned by the national broadcast networks, and MTV will show it only after midnight. Also, it is the first video to come with an MTV warning tag.

Kurt Loder, an MTV newsman, warns viewers it contains suggestive S & M scenes.

"Some of you may find this offensive, and, if so, we suggest you turn off the TV or change the channel," Loder says.

The final few seconds of the video feature a nude Madonna, wearing high heels and hitchhiking in the middle of a Miami street. MTV has censored that scene by blacking out parts of Madonna's body.

Two years ago MTV banned Madonna's "Justify My Love" video because it contained nudity. The Box, a national music channel programmed by viewers, is running the new Madonna video.

Madonna's foray into whips and chains is another example of her video overkill. In the clip, she exchanges long kisses with men and women, uses her whip on people and then tops everything off by performing oral sex on a doll.

Will somebody please call Dan Quayle or Tipper Gore?

The controversy doesn't really matter because Madonna has hyped sex to the point of boredom and has become a caricature of herself.

The real joke is that the more Madonna tries to be sexy, the less appealing she becomes. The music is predictable, her act is a cliche, and the "Erotica" video is about as sexy as Ross Perot.

Can't wait to read the book.