Contents Kevin Costner who embodies the American hero onscreen, rides again in The Postman. But though the $20 million man may play it safe onscreen with star turns, Costner's private world betrays the wear and tear of life's trials.


Richard E. Grant: The actor, who has worked with Francis Ford Coppola and Robert Altman, offers a blow-by-blow account of his latest challenge: starring opposite England's fantastic five in Spice World.


Matt Damon and Ben Affleck: With their cowritten drama, Good Will Hunting, the actors are proving it's possible to keep their boyhood dreams alive.


The Boxer: Director Jim Sheridan, screenwriter Terry George and actor Daniel Day-Lewis unite in Ireland to make a story of love among the ruins of a troubles-torn land.


Hollywoodland: Playing with Flubber, James Bond's politically incorrect sex life, Hunter S. Thompson's deepest Fear, Alan Rickman's Winter break.


James L. Brooks:The veteran director of Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, and the upcoming As Good As It Gets talks about Jack Nicholson, dueling divas, and those dreaded test screenings.


Steven Spielberg navigated Amistad through language barriers, racial issues, and a well-publicized lawsuit.


The Avengers: Tailored suits, futuristic catsuits, and plush furniture - see how Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman are bringing the 1960s TV series back to the high life.


Ma Vie En Rose: The twelve-year-old star wants you to know he's just acting.


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Contents Gwyneth Paltrow: She has it all: undeniable talent, a highbrow acting pedigree, and a high-profile social life.


Propaganda Films operates much like finishing school: Brash young directors go in making commercials and music videos and emerge helming big-budget action movies.


Wrap Party: Premiere's annual wrap-up relives the year's highs, lows, and really low lows, separating what scored from what bored in 1997.


Tod Volpe: The art dealer who went up the Hollywood Hills and came down e felon.


Hollywoodland: Leonardo DiCaprio's Plum assignment, Ed Burns' secret first film, Howie Long weathers a Firestorm, and Julie Christie is still Glow-ing.


Two Girls And A Guy: James Toback explains why he wrote the script with Robert Downey Jr. in mind.


Oscar confidential: A special preview which ranks this year's contenders, from sure bets like Titanic to long shots like Tom Selleck.


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Contents The wild bunch: A new breed of young actors is making the leap to major-studio stardom after gaining a reputation in low-budget indies. Four of the most successful - Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke, Skeet Ulrich, and Vincent D'Onofrio - have joined forces in Richard Linklater's The Newton Boys, a western for the '90s set in the '20s.


Tall, Dark, and Ransom: Brimming with sick twists and a loaded plot, Suicide Kings casts Christopher Walken as a mafioso kidnapped by a bunch of Ivy Leaguers.


The Big Lebowski: Jeff Bridges documents with his camera the latest example of the Coen brothers' inspired lunacy.


Gina Gershon: A cultural field trip through Beverly Hills.


Behind the Oscar curtain: An exclusive behind-the-scenes report on 1997's broadcast.


In the works: Mel Gibson looks for Payback, Angela Bassett feels Groove-y, and Christian Slater does Very Bad Things.


Hollywoodland: How Old Friends became As Good As It Gets, a cross-dressing Drew Barrymore, B. Monkey's Asia Argento.


Bill Pullman reveals the quirky strategy that carries him from an Independence Day to such edgy projects as Zero Effect.


The Apostle: Faith, persistence, and a really good accountant helped Robert Duvall complete his dream project.


Chow Yun-Fat: To devotees who've followed his Hong Kong career, Asian superstar may be "the coolest man alive".


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Contents Special section - Oscar wild!: Actors, designers, and tireless publicists reveal the not-always-pretty details behind Oscar-night glamour. Premiere walks you through the entire evening, from your hair appointment to your speech to your dessert at the Governors Ball. William Goldman, the acclaimed screenwriter and pungent industry observer tells who sould win this year's Oscars and why. Also sixteen of the nation's foremost critics rate 100 releases from '97.


Primary Colors: Mike Nichols' film features an Oscar-caliber cast and a sparkling script by Elaine May, based on the best-selling novel about a Clintonesque presidential campaign.


Bright lights, Park city: What lit up Sundance this year? Here are the stories behind the best films, as well as intimate portraits of fresh faces and seasoned veterans.


Ice Cube: First a gangsta rapper, now a writer, director, actor, and producer as well.


Hollywoodland: The Mafia squeals to screenwriters, Titanic laughs last, and Steve Buscemi suffers.


Robert Towne: The legendary screenwriter (Chinatown, Shampoo) aims to get his directing career on track with a biopic about distance runner Steve Prefontaine.


Edward Burns: Lookin at his new woman-friendly drama, No Looking Back, working with Spielberg, and reporting of a romance with costar Lauren Holly.


The Man In The Iron Mask: Leonardo DiCaprio and his costars were busy with swaggering and swordplay, but they still managed to get in a good cry.


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Contents The contenter: After delivering a knockout performance in Boogie Nights, Mark Wahlberg is finally getting some respect: he has four new films on the way.


The Thin Red Line: A sneak peek at reclusive director Terrence Malick's return to the front with his star-studded, grenade-launching World War II drama.


The 1998 power list: 1.Michael Eisner, 2.Rupert Murdoch, 3.Summer Redstone, 4.Steven Spielberg, 5.Edgar Bronfman Jr., 6.Tom Cruise ...


Cool Britannia: Budding young English actresses Rachel Weisz, Anna Friel, and Catherine McCormack have a field day plowing around the set of The Land Girls.


The Exorcist: Writer Peter Biskind details the sexual escapades, professional rivalries, and personal crises that somehow managed to generate a horror classic. (Exclusive excerpt from his incendiary tellall about book about Hollywood in the '70s).


In the works: Nicolas Cage makes the Best example, Russell Crowe's on ice in Alaska, and Chris Tucker's in a Rush.


Apt Pupil: Director Bryan Singer's follow-up to The Usual Suspects involves a teenager's lesson in the meaning of the Holocaust. But when the makers asked some underage extras to strip for a shower scene, it set off a controversy that has erupted into lawsuits and ugly allegations.


The Butcher Boy: Director Neil Jordan tells how his unflinchingly dark comedy about a child's descent into madness, made the cut with Warner Bros.


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