People

By Guy D. Garcia

Her gritty songs about lost affection and spiritual redemption earned rough- and-ready Tina Turner two 1985 Grammys, securing her crown as the comeback queen of rock 'n' roll. Next Turner's fans will get a chance to see her strut her tuff in Mad Max III, the Road Warrior sequel to be released this summer. For the latest installment of the adventure series, set in postapocalypse Australia, Turner, 46, plays Aunty Entity, the hardhearted ruler of a barbaric outpost known as Bartertown. No, love's got nothing to do with it; instead of falling for Swoon Symbol Mel Gibson, 29, Aunty becomes Mad Max's archenemy. Says the leggy singer: "I used to think I'd like to do Cleopatra, but now I really want to play tough women." Good grief, does this mean escalating beyond flinty Aunty in her chain-mail dress?