The It List

Jason Priestley
The Graduate

Age: 27 Why him?: While all others around him on Beverly Hills, 90210 have changed coifs (and fundamental personality traits) over the years, this Upstanding Young Man with the cute-guy eyes has clung to his Uncle Brandon-style principles and Grease-style 'do. But Priestley, a former child star from Canada, is the even keel around which the more mercurial characters in Fox's long-running Gen-X hit drama can bob, float, and even flounder. (This past season — the seventh! — the show picked up a small gust of renewed energy as the gang prepared to graduate from college.) In fact, so solid a player is he that Priestley received a 90210 producer credential in 1995; he has directed 14 episodes; and next season he bumps up to executive producer status. His eye for good hiatus-project material has matured too, and a sense of humor about his persona may lead to a happy post-Beverly Hills career path: In Love and Death on Long Island, a witty indie movie that got a good reception at Cannes this year, Priestley charms in a knowing performance as the kind of B-movie pinup fodder, teen division, in which his fame resides. How he does it: No big angst, no Method warm-ups for Priestley, who, when not on the set, has become serious about race-car driving. ''It's easy to fall in and out of character,'' he says. ''I just need to sit for a minute and focus.'' More recently, Priestley has focused on darkening Brandon's worldview. ''He's much more cynical than he used to be,'' the actor says of his creation. ''As a young guy, he's been through a lot.'' Creative crutch: ''Coffee is very important to everything,'' says Priestley. What's next: Another season of 90210. A possible Stateside release for Love and Death. And he's recently completed scenes in the indie comedy Hacks, with Stephen Rea and Illeana Douglas.

The Midas Director
James Burrows

Age: 56 Why him?: The sitcom director with the golden touch (Cheers, Taxi, Frasier, Friends), Burrows will helm a slew of shows this coming season. How he does it: With nearly 25 years' experience, Burrows could direct sitcoms with his eyes closed — and he does! ''He doesn't watch,'' says NBC Entertainment prez Warren Littlefield of Burrows' style. ''He listens. It's like he's directing radio.'' A nervous pacer, Burrows also never sits while working, choosing instead to roam back and forth while chomping on his trademark wad of gum. What's next: As usual he'll hop from show to show, focusing on NBC's new Thursday sitcom Union Square (and from an early peek, it could use him).

Guerilla Comic
Chris Rock

Age: 32 Why him?: Part Richard Pryor, part Bill Hicks, he's one of our most bitingly honest comedians. How he does it: ''I choose topics that aren't really funny — like abortion and taxes.'' Creative crutch: Jots down ideas on cardboard from underwear packages. What's next: A Hyperion book titled Rock This! due in October.

Oprah Winfrey
Rosie O'Donnell
Queens for All Days