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

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.

Mike De Luca

Some of the biggest deals in Hollywood are being hammered out by Mike De Luca, head of production at New Line Cinema. Whether spending $4 million on a Shane Black spec script or $17 million on Jim Carrey to star in “Dumb and Dumber” and a sequel to “The Mask,” De Luca’s aggressive dealmaking has caught everyone’s attention.

New Line was once known for “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies, but that all changed when Ted Turner bought the company in 1993; since then, De Luca has forged some of the town’s biggest deals, landing Marlon Brando to star in the upcoming “Don Juan de Marco” and Julia Roberts for 1996’s “The Women.”

At 28, De Luca has the look of a street-smart rebel, and he is just as likely to arrive at work astride a Harley-Davidson as in a Mercedes. He also writes screenplays; his latest, “In the Mouth of Madness,” was directed by John Carpenter and will be released by New Line this year.