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.

Jackie Guerra

Whether you watch daytime talk shows or prime-time sitcoms, chances are good you’ll find Jackie Guerra on TV this year: The 28-year-old comic has a deal with Columbia Television to do one of each.

Guerra, who became a stand-up in 1992 after working on various political campaigns (“I’ve worked for more losers--I cleaned out my closet and found these ‘Latinos for Dukakis’ T-shirts!”), previously appeared on “Comedy Compadres,” but after a turn in an episode of “Dave’s World,” the offers poured in.

Her sitcom is set to air on WB, the new Warner Bros. network, and don’t look for her talk show to focus on lurid lifestyles.

“I was watching ‘Jerry Springer,’ and the whole show was fistfights,” she says. “That’s not what I see myself devoting my life to.”