SLAVES OF MTV

Trendsetter Tama Janowitz (Slaves of New York) is at it again: This time the novelist is attempting to lure pop-cult fans away from the tube and into the bookstore with a 40-second video for her new novel, The Male Cross-Dresser Support Group, due next month. Written and directed by the author, the vid-ad, paid for by publisher Crown and Absolut Vodka, abbreviates the story of Pamela (played by former B-52 Cindy Wilson) and her bevy of cross-dressing friends. While Justify My Love it's not, it is a teaser the author will bring to talk shows she's scheduled to visit, including Late Night With David Letterman and Joan Rivers. ''We're living in a time where people don't read,'' Janowitz says, as rationale for the tubular move.