Eliza Dushku

They were summoned to a West Hollywood photo studio at 7:30 on a recent Saturday morning, and come they did — 11 celebrities strong from as many TV shows on six separate networks, all airing this fall on a small screen near you.

The occasion: an exclusive USA WEEKEND group photo shoot. We selected this crop of current and future stars as the hottest faces of the new TV season and invited each to participate in the picture that appears on pages 12 and 13; three were asked to pose for the cover.

Of course, it takes a village to pull off such a star-stuffed picture — or at least loads of hairstylists, makeup artists and racks of designer clothes supplied just for the occasion. Not to mention assorted publicists, significant others, kids and pets in attendance.

After six hours, a single dressing room, a lunch of mahi-mahi and brownies, and plenty of confabbing among the 11, it was over in a flash, so to speak.

Here are highlights from our photo shoot of the ruling small-screen Class of Fall ’04:

Most Likely to Succeed: Vanessa Ferlito, 26, is starring on this season’s best bet: CBS’ "CSI: NY," the third installment of the hit franchise. But that isn’t the only reason we’re sure she’ll go far. Having made a splash last season on "24," Ferlito, who’s on our cover, oozes star quality and effortless cool. She spent a few hours in the hair and makeup chair chatting and laughing as a stylist put her long hair in rollers and applied just the right amount of gloss to her full, pouty mouth. ("Not too much," she cautioned. "People always go over the top with my lips.")

Class Clown: Cute Christopher Gorham of NBC’s "Medical Investigation," another of our cover stars, was the day’s cutup. The first thing Gorham, 30, did when he arrived was fold himself into a pretzel beneath a clear plastic bubble chair. "I have two little kids," he explained with a laugh. "I can’t help myself."

Big Man on Campus: Taye Diggs, 32, held court for most of the day on a big, comfy couch near the set as stars stopped by to catch up with or introduce themselves to the Broadway-turned-movie-turned-TV star (he’s the lead in the new UPN legal dramedy, "Kevin Hill"). The admiration was mutual. Gorham was clearly excited when his fellow cover boy revealed he’d enjoyed Gorham’s stints on the now-canceled shows "Felicity" and "Jake 2.0."

Most Prepared: Eva Longoria, 29, who wins the award for sexiest suburban homemaker of the season — and maybe ever — on ABC’s campy new drama "Desperate Housewives," arrived with pal Colin Blake, the hunky 19-year-old aspiring actor from MTV’s "The Assistant;" her fluffy dog, Jinxy; and a full complement of her own slinky gowns. "I’m so tiny," she explained, "stylists never seem to have clothes that fit me."

Biggest "Awww" Factor: Omar Epps, 31 — taking a break from his big-screen work (up next is "Alfie," with Jude Law) to star in Fox’s new medical drama, "House" — arrived with fiancée Keisha Spivey, 32, a singer for the girl group Total, and two little daughters in tow. The baby, K’mari Mae, 6 weeks new, slept through most of the day’s frenzy. But 5-year-old Aiyanna was hoisted onto a box by our photographer, Robert Sebree, to help shoot some of the pictures. Family was a theme for the day. Danny Pino, 30, of CBS’ "Cold Case," brought wife Lily, 30, his real-life love interest since junior high.

Best Girlie-Girl Moment: Eliza Dushku, 23, star of Fox’s supernatural series "Tru Calling," and Marsha Thomason, 28, of NBC’s high-rolling "Las Vegas," met sitting side by side as each got her hair done by our stylists and instantly bonded over (what else?) celebrity gossip. The two giggled and dished as Dushku read juicy bits about Martha Stewart and Halle Berry from Star magazine. "It’s a Saturday morning fluff fest. Like cartoons for grown-ups," Dushku laughed.

Most Fabulous Transformation: Hilarie Burton, who at 22 plays a love-torn teen on the WB’s returning "One Tree Hill," arrived in standard-issue black jeans and tight black T-shirt but an hour or so later reappeared, poured into a blue jersey dress and mile-high heels, an ensemble not suitable for mere mortals. Matt Long, 24, of the WB’s "Jack & Bobby", will make an equally impressive transformation this fall when he morphs into a teenager himself on the politically minded new drama. "I’m ready," he told us.

Best Sport: Ian Somerhalder, 25, he of the brooding eyes and model looks, traveled the farthest. He raced over to the studio straight from a red-eye flight from Hawaii, where he’s shooting his new ABC series, "Lost," about plane crash survivors. The minute the photo session ended, he dashed back to the airport. "I wouldn’t have missed this," he said with a grin.