NOTEBOOK
By KATHLEEN ADAMS, MELISSA AUGUST, CHARLOTTE FALTERMAYER, JANICE M. HOROWITZ, LINA LOFARO, JEFFERY C. RUBIN AND ALAIN L. SANDERS
WHAT'S IN THE STARS FOR THE STARS IN 1997
What talk-show host will get hitched? What movie star will be in the White House? Some predictions from seers in the new book The 100 Top Psychics in America:
OPRAH WINFREY She'll receive an on-air declaration of love from Stedman. A double-wedding with Madonna? --George Roman
RONALD REAGAN Back at the ranch, he'll recover slightly when a cure for Alzheimer's is discovered. --Jim Hecker
CHRISTOPHER REEVE He'll be nominated, and confirmed, for a position in Clinton's second Cabinet. --George Withers
PRINCESS DI She'll get her own American TV talk show but will have to compete against fellow gay divorce Fergie. --Wendy!
JOHN F. KENNEDY JR. Single women everywhere will breathe a sigh of relief when he divorces Carolyn Bessette. --Susan Shaw
BOB DOLE There's no place like home, but he'll lose his in Russell, Kansas, to a giant twister. --Shawn Robbins
WINNERS & LOSERS
A ROUNDUP OF 1996'S GOOD, BAD AND UGLY
MIS-STEAK OF THE YEAR: Britain's mad-cow disease, which gave John Major's government the shakes
WINDSOR OF DISCONTENT AWARD: Princess Diana, stripped of "Her Royal Highness" after her divorce
SEE DESPOT RUN AWARD: Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia, besieged by protesters
TRAGIC HEROINE OF THE YEAR: Widowed skater and best-selling memoirist Ekaterina Gordeeva
COMMUNIST INFILTRATOR OF THE YEAR: Tickle Me Elmo--made in the People's Republic of China
GREEK GIFT-GETTER OF THE YEAR: George Stephanopoulos leaves D.C., wins lucrative book contract, college post and network-news job
STARR WITNESS OF THE YEAR: First Lady Hillary Clinton, who gave testimony in the Whitewater investigation
ALTER-ITO AWARD: The sterner Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki of the second O.J. trial
SICK MAN OF THE YEAR (EUROPE):Boris Yeltsin
SICK MAN OF THE YEAR (AFRICA): Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire
SICK MAN OF THE DECADE (ASIA): Deng Xiaoping of China
NICE GUY FINISHING FIRST, AT LAST: After more than 30 years in baseball, New York Yankee manager Joe Torre wins World Series
BAD GUY FINISHING FIRST, ALAS: Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus is voted near dictatorial powers
THE BOURSE WHISPERER AWARD: Alan Greenspan, for sending tremors through world stock markets
MOTHER OF THE YEAR: Jackie Onassis, whose posthumous auction helped pump up a surprisingly small estate
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT'S KICK-IN-THE-COJONES AWARD: Boutros Boutros-Ghali
BEST SECRET OF THE YEAR: John F. Kennedy and Carolyn Bessette's wedding
WORST SECRET OF THE YEAR: The identity of Anonymous (Joe Klein)
THE TOES AND TOAST AWARD: Two-timing, bipartisan political adviser Dick Morris, who now works for neither party
JEWELL IN THE CROWN AWARD: Louis Freeh and the FBI for Atlanta and other fumbles
DOG OWNER OF THE YEAR: Marge Schott, who tried to make a kennel of the Cincinnati Reds
CLERICAL TEMP OF THE YEAR: White House factotum Craig ("Who hired this guy?") Livingstone, of Filegate
HAPPY TALKER OF THE YEAR: Rosie O'Donnell, whose cackle is making even Oprah nervous
MIRACLE OF LOURDES OF 1996: Bringing up baby and Evita, Madonna gets a new lease on her career
MOUSE WHO SOURED AWARD: Michael Ovitz, who, tired of being the eighth dwarf, left the Magic Kingdom
INCOMPATIBLE COUPLE OF THE YEAR: Yasser Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu, with more battles in sight and no legal divorce available
LOCAL HEROES ANNE LUSK, 48; STOWE, VERMONT; founder of Single Volunteers
Turned off by personal ads, dating services and blind dates, the single mother of two wanted to find a more meaningful way for the unattached to meet. In July she started SV, whose 125 members get to know one another while doing tough charity work--including clearing trails, cooking at halfway houses and building Habitat for Humanity homes. Says Lusk: "All pretenses of appearance are gone. There is no rejection in volunteerism."
ELLIOTT PORTNOY, 31; WASHINGTON; attorney
In 1992 Portnoy founded K.E.E.N. (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now). The weekly program pairs volunteer coaches with mentally and physically handicapped athletes for activities such as tennis, soccer and basketball. It has served more than 150 children with the help of 400 volunteers. Says Portnoy: "Some parents act as round-the-clock caregivers. One mother told me she wanted to watch a session because 'it's the first time I've ever seen anyone enjoy being with my child.'"
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
KURT WALDHEIM, 78; VIENNA, AUSTRIA; Former U.N. Secretary-General
In 1987 the Justice Department concluded that Waldheim had been a Nazi intelligence officer during World War II and barred him from entering the U.S. Nevertheless, Waldheim, who served as U.N. chief from 1972 to 1982, is continuing efforts to clear his name. In The Answer, an autobiography published in June, he writes, "I did what was necessary to survive the day, the system, the war--no more, no less." He concedes that hiding his war record was a mistake but blames American Jews for his placement on the U.S. "watch list" of war criminals. He retired in 1992, following a six-year term as Austria's President--during which he was shunned by world leaders. An active grandfather of three, Waldheim now enjoys cycling, sailing and cross-country skiing, and international affairs remains an abiding interest. Recently, he openly criticized U.S. opposition to the re-election of U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.