Vanessa Bell Calloway

Vanessa Bell Calloway has discovered daytime soap opera fans never forget a face. During the last decade, Calloway has appeared on Broadway in "Dreamgirls," in which she played the stepsister; in feature films such as "Coming to America," and on numerous TV series including "L.A. Law," "Equal Justice" and, most recently, "Dream On." She is most recognized for her role as bad girl Yvonne Caldwell on ABC's daytime soap "All My Children."

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.

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.

Vanessa Bell Calloway has discovered daytime soap opera fans never forget a face. During the last decade, Calloway has appeared on Broadway in "Dreamgirls," in which she played the stepsister; in feature films such as "Coming to America," and on numerous TV series including "L.A. Law," "Equal Justice" and, most recently, "Dream On." She is most recognized for her role as bad girl Yvonne Caldwell on ABC's daytime soap "All My Children."

Isaac Hayes, Erykah Badu and Vanessa Bell Calloway will host a music-filled fund-raiser Sunday for the Jenesse Center, a women's and children's domestic violence shelter in South-Central Los Angeles. "Cafe Soul" begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Conga Room, 5364 Wilshire Blvd. The three hosts will perform along with R&B stars Ronnie Laws, Angela Bofill and Jon B. Tickets are $35 at the door. Information: (323) 938-2414.

"The Last Fall" is a modest, well-performed drama that asks, "What happens when a professional football player can no longer play football?" If, like the film's Kyle Bishop (a solid Lance Gross), he's a young, less-sought-after athlete short on savings, direction or career options, the situation can prove particularly crushing. But as they say, you can go home again, which is what Kyle, an undrafted free agent, does after being cut from his most recent team. Kyle's return to L.A., however, is a mixed bag: His divorced mother (Vanessa Bell Calloway)

Vanessa Bell-Calloway and Glynn Turman, known for their work in stage, film and TV, will perform a staged reading of Gus Edwards' romantic play "Louie and Ophelia," at the Lucy Florence Coffee House in Hollywood on March 14, 21 and 28 at 3 p.m. The fund-raising event launches the Lorraine Hansberry Literary Cabaret, a Sunday matinee series featuring plays by black playwrights, beginning with classic works from the noted Negro Ensemble Company.

When comedian Robin Harris died of a heart attack two years ago at age 36, he left behind a CD recording of a live performance in which he played himself, stuck with taking some obstreperous youngsters to an amusement park. Harris' "Bebe's Kids" (citywide), based on that tale, has now become the first animated theatrical feature with exclusively African-American characters as principals.

"I thought I could step right into a ready-made family," sighs Louie, a 48-year-old cook contemplating his turbulent romance with Ophelia, an outspoken divorced mother of two. "It isn't that easy." No, it isn't. And among the many virtues of Gus Edwards' charming two-character comedy, "Louie and Ophelia," is the fact that it honors that complexity through its thoughtful insights into contemporary relationships.

So rarely do African American characters gain access to prime-time drama series that their mere presence in one has you uncorking champagne. So here's toasting the CBS newcomer "Under One Roof," at the very least for creating a fissure in this near wall of whiteness.

Directed by choreographer Debbie Allen and centered around a famous Harlem nightclub of the '30s, "Stompin' at the Savoy" (Sunday at 9 p.m. on CBS, Channels 2 and 8) sounds like more of a musical than it turns out to be. It's too much staginess and not enough stomp. Still, a tremendously appealing, almost all-black ensemble cast nearly makes up in charm what the spottily melodramatic TV movie lacks in focus.

The Scene: Sunday night at Mann's Chinese Theatre, for the premiere of "Beverly Hills Cop III," starring Eddie Murphy as the lovable ninja cop from Detroit. Who needs Westec with this guy around? The Paramount Pictures release opens Wednesday. The party on the Paramount lot featured a street fair complete with Ferris wheel, ring toss, stuffed animals and a bandstand. So what if the streets were lined with New York brownstones and Madison Avenue storefronts?