PICTURE PERFECT

Let's dispense with the customary cliche about a picture being worth a thousand words and get right to the point: The photos in this week's special Style issue-including Matthew Rolston's cover shot of Drew Barrymore in a black-and-white jacket by Gianni Versace Couture, David Jensen's portrait of Tia Carrere wearing a Giorgio Armani pin-striped suit, Joshua Jordan's photo of Lady Kier Kirby in a four-foot-long hairpiece styled by Satoru Nagata-are some of the most stunning we've ever run. Much of the credit, of course, goes to the photographers and their celebrity models-but not all by any means. Entertainment Weekly's tireless photo editors every week assign dozens of talented and occasionally tempestuous photographers, dream up and set up dozens of photo situations, pick through thousands of contact sheets, and deal with control-crazed stars who sometimes demand photo approval and never get it. Along with EW's art department, they are the ones who make this-and all our issues-look sharp, lively, and beautiful. Picture editor Mary Dunn is leader of this dauntless little band. Born in South Carolina, a graduate of Sweet Briar, and an alumna of Time and People, she spends most of her days perched at her desk with a phone stuck to her ear, fielding calls from scores of photographers in the biz (''Mary, I just shot Sylvia Miles at a book signing! Ya interested?''). She also oversees the selection of every photo that appears in the magazine, from the cover to the Encore page. ''My staff is very adventuresome,'' she says. ''They're always open to new ideas, constantly exploring new ways to photograph celebrities. They keep me on my toes.'' Next in command is deputy picture editor Doris Brautigan, who supervises most of EW's cover shoots: ''The night before a shoot I have this nightmare that I arrive at the shoot and everybody has turned into circus performers and they are all slam dancing, and my photographer ignores me,'' she says. ''Yeah, it's stress.'' Brautigan also oversees photography for our movie features. Associate picture editor Ramiro A. Fernandez is particularly talented at glamorizing the up and coming in our Close-Up pages. He also works on special issues like this one and our annual Oscar photo collections. The assistant picture editors each take care of one department: Alice H. Babcock covers TV (recently she overdosed on Brady Bunch research and began answering her phone ''Alice Brady''), George Pitts does books (he has a knack for uncovering talented new photographers), Michele Romero handles music (and contributes an occasional review), Lisa A. Botos is in charge of News & Notes (from which she has developed a massive repertoire of cocktail party banter), and Polly J. Matthews is our photo woman in Los Angeles, where she spends her free time spotting celebs on the freeways. Free-lancers Elena Ashton (who was born in Moscow) and Mark Jacobson (who assigned this group portrait, shot in a photo booth) and administrative aide Michelle Perreault (who sorts out all those callers) complete the picture. ''I have the best staff in the business,'' says Dunn. You're holding the proof of that in your hands.

Michael J. Klingensmith, Publisher