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

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.

Dave Chappelle

At 21, many aspiring comedians are nervously taking a first crack at club talent nights. But at that age, Dave Chappelle is a club vet with seven years stand-up experience behind him. His passion for stand-up is as powerful as ever, but his club status changed with his last birthday.

“When I first started out,” the Washington native recalls, “I was doing open-mike nights after school, and my mother had to come with me or the club wouldn’t let me in. Now, thank the Lord, I am of age. My mother doesn’t have to come along anymore. I can finally start meeting women after shows.”

His mom’s chaperon work will pay off big this year, though. Chappelle and comic Jim Breuer will be introduced as characters on “Home Improvement” this spring and are expected to spin-off into their own, as-yet-untitled show for ABC in the fall.

“Comedy’s my first love, so the time really has been flying,” Chappelle says of his blossoming career. “It seems like yesterday that I was just starting out. As a matter of fact, it was yesterday.”