February 28, 2000

Gary Shandling will appear at Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, as Museum of Television and Radio begins 17th annual William S Paley Television Festival; Mexican cellist Carlos Prieto will perform at Alice Tully Hall; National Gallery of Art to mount exhibition, Twentieth-Century American Art: The Ebsworth Collection; photo; Bridget Carpenter, whose play, The Fall, will have its first full production in May, wins first prize at 22d annual Susan Smith Blackburn Awards in London; prize honors women who have written outstanding works for English-speaking theater (M)

Anne Bernays article, part of Writers on Writing series, describes her experience in trying to teach writing to others; says almost anyone can write sentences and paragraphs that say what they want them to say clearly and concisely; says trick is to get people to think like a writer, step inside their character's skin and at same time remain outside circumstances writer has maneuverd them into; photo (M)

With 17 states holding primaries in the next nine days, the leading candidates are engaged in a feverish hopscotch of the nation. Page A13.

New York Knickerbockers defeat Philadelphia 76ers, 89-88; photo (M)

Republican presidential candidates Gov George W Bush and Sen John McCain are battling for California, biggest prize of all in presidential primaries as campaigns move to biggest states; fight has opened new fault lines in California that Republicans can ill afford; major subtext of struggle is who would be best equipped to regain White House by preventing Democrats from carrying what is must-win state in November; candidates are seeking votes of California party members who are older and whiter, and more dominated at grass-roots level by social conservatives than in 1980's, when pragmatic fiscal conservatism reigned; state at same time is younger, browner and more politically independent than decade ago; its striking economic recovery from severe recession helped make Pres Clinton more popular there than almost anywhere else; no Republican nominee has won state since former Pres George Bush in 1988; photos; chart (M)