Red Tails

Jazmine Sullivan has always been ahead of schedule. "I came out of the womb singing," says the powerful-voiced 21-year-old rising star, who grew up in Strawberry Mansion. Yes, the Strawberry Mansion. Sullivan, who will open for Maxwell at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden tomorrow, currently has two hits from her debut album, Fearless, on the Top 10 Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop song chart - her breakout single, "Need U Bad," and revenge song of the year, "Bust Your Windows.

Movies Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close See Steven Rea's preview on H2. Haywire See Steven Rea's preview on H2. The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby Carl Colby profiles his father in this documentary. Red Tails See Steven Rea's preview on H2. Underworld Awakening Kate Beckinsale retuns for more bloody action as the vampire warrior Selene.   Reviewed by critics Carrie Rickey (C.R.)

Maybe it's the big, kid-friendly titles from Spielberg and Scorsese (three of 'em). Maybe it's Lisbeth Salander, all tattooed and pierced but speaking English this time. Or perhaps it's the mess of high-profile adaptations, remakes, and reboots. Whatever the reason, this holiday season seems a lot busier, and (gulp, dare we say?) more promising, than the similarly time-framed lineups of recent years. Traditionally, Hollywood and Indiewood save their prestige titles for these final months and weeks, when critics tally their lists, and Oscar buzzers buzz with forecasts for best picture, best actress, best performance by a terrier in a supporting role (Cosmo from Beginners ?

At boot camp, they endured snakes, mosquitoes, substandard housing, and intense physical training. In the South Pacific, they faced the Japanese. Yet, through World War II and beyond, these 19,000 black men also confronted segregation and racism to serve as U.S. Marines. They are the Montford Point Marines, named for the segregated facility where they were trained in North Carolina from 1942 until 1949. This spring, these first black Marines - about 400 who are still alive - will be honored at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center in Washington with the Congressional Gold Medal, the country's highest civilian honor for distinguished achievement.

In his nightmare, Russell Boynton is knee-deep in thick, black, oozing mud that is crawling with thousands of wiggling worms. He is counting them: Eleven-thousand-four-hundred-ninety-two . . . Eleven- thousand-four-hundred-ninety-three . . . Eleven-thousand-four-hundred- ninety-four . . . At fifteen thousand, the roar of an alarm clock snaps him awake. It's 4 a.m. and Boynton, though exhausted from his dream, has no time to dally. It's time to go to work. It's time to dig for worms.

Summertime, getaway time. A time to relax, head for the beach or the backyard, get some sun, take it easy. You'll need the right equipment, of course: a good paperback book, and maybe sunscreen. We can't think of anything else. Allow us to suggest some choice paperbacks to slip into that tote. (We'll leave the choice of sunscreen up to you.) The great Elmore Leonard takes a break from the petty criminals of Miami's South Beach and returns to his roots as a western writer with Cuba Libre (Dell, $7.50)

Dave Williams, the midget clown, is one happy guy. He smiles broadly as he walks with his mother around Coatesville's Ash Park, which is being transformed into a circus by a crew of workers in red coveralls. Williams is excited, and with good reason. For the first time in months, he will eat a home-cooked chicken dinner. He will talk and laugh with his parents. And he will sleep in a bed - his bed. "It sure beats sleeping in a trailer with six other clowns," he says. Five years ago, 4-foot-4 "Little Dave," as he is known in his makeup and floppy shoes, literally ran away from his Downingtown home to join the circus.