Faces to Watch in ’95 : We’re Counting on Them : TELEVISION

Some of them you know. Some you don’t. But the following artists, entertainers and executives have one thing in common: We’re counting on each to mae a significant impact or difference in their respective fields this year. Sure, there will be thers who make a splash, but after we talked with dozens of people who work in entertainment and the arts, these were the names mentioned most often. You might say that Jim Carrey was a face to watch in ‘94, and you would be right. But, based on “Ace Ventura,” “The Mask,” and “Dumb and Dumber,” Carrey’s ’95 should bear watching. Another pair of familiar faces--Jay Leno and David Letterman--appear on our list. Why? Haven’t we looked at these guys enough? Well, truth be told, how do you know what’s going to happen to them this year? Fame can be sooooo fleeting.

Vanessa Bell Calloway

Vanessa Bell Calloway has acted in TV pilots disregarded by every network. “They were all black comedies, black sitcoms. That’s what the industry prefers,” she said.

When Calloway did “Under One Roof,” a CBS pilot about a multi-generational family, it also missed the fall season cut.

“They felt that this just wasn’t interesting enough--to see black families (in a drama),” said Calloway, who has had roles in soaps (“All My Children”), in movies (“Coming to America”) and on the stage (“Dreamgirls”).

In June, the pilot received a standing ovation after a Black Filmmaker Foundation screening and Calloway’s friends wrote letters to CBS. The network ordered six episodes for mid-season--though CBS vigorously maintains it always believed in the show.

Either way, Calloway was happy: “What the black community was saying was, ‘If this isn’t good enough for you, then what is?’ ”