December 21, 1999

Young, sane woman in mental hospital. Meticulous portrait, with white-hot, Oscar-winning Jolie.

Article discusses success of Toronto Raptors basketball player Vince Carter; photo (M)

South Carolina primary has had central place in Republican politics since Ronald Reagan's victory in 1980, and this year is expecting pivotal fight between John McCain and George W Bush; McCain, surging in New Hampshire, likens strategy to D-Day, with South Carolina win as key to nomination; his military record plays well among South Carolina's many veterans and active military personnel; state vote also precedes multiple-primary days in far-flung states where Bush's organizational advantages could prove overwhelming if he is not weakened by then; photo (M)

Stephen Holden reviews Our Sinatra, musical revue featuring more than 50 songs associated with Frank Sinatra, at Blue Angel; performing are Eric Comstock, pianist and singer, and his vocal partners, Christopher Gines and Hilary Cole; photo (M)

News analysis of Russian elections which, while certainly democratic, resulted in millions of voters demonstrating their support for brutal war in Chechnya by voting for hawkish Prime Min Vladimir Putin; widespread support shown for war, and Putin's soaring popularity, not only reduces chance for political settlement in Chechnya, but also suggests broad shift in Russian public sentiment toward more nationalist, if pro-capitalist, stance; analyst Andrei Piontkovsky observes that democracy is no guarantee against 'nasty things'; Putin, former intelligence chief untainted by corruption charges, benefits from opinion that Chechnya is haven for terrorists and also from Russian hankering for strongman (M)