"I'm not a star.  I'm a actor, and I happen to be working."

-JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT

In 1998, Love starred in a film about life, love, fun, friendship and dating in the critical acclaim motion picture:

"TELLING YOU"

....with future "Can't Hardly Wait" costar: Peter Facinelli, Dash Mihok, Mathew Lillard and Richard Libertini for Miramax Films (a Walt Disney Company).

ROBERT DeFRANCO wrote and directed this comedy-drama about two New Jerseyites who graduated from college only to operate the oven at Lombardo's Pizza. Phil (played by Peter Facinelli) and Dennis (played by Dash Mihok) soon realize that the guys they once laughed at have moved on -- while they have been left behind in Nowhere City. The movies debuted at the 1998 Hollywood Film Festival.

Future Mrs. Peter Facinelli, actress/director: JENNIE GARTH, veteran actor of The Howard acting Family and Ron's brother: CLINT HOWARD and "TOP GUN" star RICK ROSSOVICH all made appearances in the movie.

And things got better in 1998.

While Love was being an achiever, this teen comedy was about being an underachiever as the last day of high school is celebrated at this all the keg-party in Columbia Pictures' and producers, Betty Thomas (director of "HOWARD STERN PRIVATE PARTS") and Jenno Topping's:

"CAN'T HARDLY WAIT"
Click the title for the images

"Telling You" star PETER FACINELLI, 'Byrds' star SETH GREEN and Love reunited.

Also starring "THAT THING YOU DO" star: ETHAN EMBRY, future "SIX FEET UNDER" star LAUREN AMBROSE, and "DICK TRACY" star CHARLIE KORSMO. And a Barry Manilow song: "MANDY".

A young, aspiring writer named Preston (Embry) has been lusting after class beauty Amanda (Love) for four years of high school, but he's never had the nerve to tell her.

Now that they're about to graduate he's finally worked up the courage to write her a soul-baring love letter. At the raucous graduation keg party, Preston agonizes while Amanda's selfish jock ex-boyfriend tries to win her back, and delivering his love letter turns out to be more difficult than he ever imagined.

And Love appeared the music video, "CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU" performed by SMASHMOUTH for the "Can't Hardly Wait" motion picture soundtrack.

And just when Julie (Love) thought it was all over...the fisherman returned to remind Julie in the November 1998 film's sequel to "I Know.....",

"I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID
LAST SUMMER"

Julie and her friends win a trip to the Bahamas, what lies (and that's the key word, "lies") ahead for Julie and her friends was a win of revenge on Julie and her friends.

Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson reprised their roles from "I Know....." with new cast members: Brandy and Matthew Settle. Also one Elvis Presley's best friends, RED WEST appeared in the movie.

In 1999 Love was awarded the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for "Favorite Actress in a Horror Movie" for 'I Still Know' horror flick.

And the horror sequel gave way to Love's first love. Continuing her recording career with AOL's Time Warner's record divisions after her two record deal with Atlantic ended, Love recorded for Warner Bros. Records' 143 Records.

Jennifer Love Hewitt hosted NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in November of 1998. Actor Muse Watson made a surprise guest appearance on the late night comedy show as...well, you know.....performing with Love "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" made famous in 1976 by Elton John & Kiki Dee.

"A highlight of my career was working with Love. She is such a genuinely good person. I was guest starring on "Walker Texas Ranger" (starring Chuck Norris) when the SNL people called me and asked me to fly to New York because Love had requested me. When I got to New York and she saw me, she screamed and hugged me and made me feel like a million bucks. SNL people said the NBC phone lines lit up during the monologue for the first time. Usually they didn't light up until the sketches started. Since then, special guest surprises have become a regular thing on SNL. I will always be indebted to her for that. She truly is one of the best people I have ever met in my life."

-MUSE WATSON
The actor who played Ben Willis aka The Fisherman
from "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
and "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer"

The film producers asked Love to record a song for the 'I Still Know....." motion picture soundtrack titled:

"HOW DO I DEAL"

"How Do I Deal" was a big hit for Jennifer Love Hewitt and paved the way for "BareNaked".

Three days later after the broadcast premier of the "Party of Five" spin-off, Love was one of the stars and gave a great and different performance in a movie that was a cross between "That Thing You Do!" (starring Johnathon Schaech) and "Still Crazy". Love was a record executive (and a fan) rediscovering a 1980's (mythical) one hit wonder rock band reuniting for a wedding, in the TriStar Pictures/MGM comedy story of:

"THE SUBURBANS"

The new-wave band played by Craig Bierko, Will Ferrell, and the movie co-writers Tony Guma and Donal Lardner Ward (Ward directed the movie).

Father and son, and funny guys BEN & JERRY STILLER were the wacky record executives, and future "Judging Amy" star, AMY BRENNEMAN also co-starred.

In the early part of Love's career, dreaming of success in front of the camera was a dream come true, but now Love wanted to learn more behind the camera in the entertainment business hoping that someday her creative control in her acting, modeling, dancing and singing/songwriting career would expand to satisfied her fans as a producer, director and writer.

Despite that expansion, singing was her first love.

"The reason I wanted to do this show is because I don't ever want to not work with these people (Executive Producers: Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman). They're amazing and they made five years of my life absolutely incredible."

-JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT

But Love's popularity in the role of Sarah on PO5 prompted the PO5 producers/creators Amy Lippman and Christopher Keyser to make story changes in PO5, and keep Love. The producers suggested spinning off the Sarah character into a new drama TV series:

"TIME OF YOUR LIFE"

Left to right: Diego Serrano, Pauley Perrette, The Producer & Star,
Jennifer Garner, Johnathon Schaech, and Gina Rivera.

"The most unusual thing I have ever gotten from somebody is a letter from a guy who wrote to me 30 seconds before he died on death row.  It's one of my most prized possessions.  It's a beautiful letter of how I made him smiled.  I was the last person he wanted to say thank you to before his life ended."

-JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT

On January 9, 2000, Jennifer Love Hewitt was awarded from The People:

THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
for
New Female Actress in a Drama Series:
"Time of Your Life"

On February 5, 2000, Love was awarded

THE FUN~FEARLESS~FEMALE AWARD
for the year 2000

from Cosmopolitan Magazine, a Hearst Publication.

One time, Jennifer Love Hewitt sent three dozen pink roses to actress Gwyneth Paltrow the night before Paltrow won the Academy Award in 1999 for "Shakespeare in Love". Also attached to the roses was a 2 page letter written by Love on praising Paltrow as a role model and admiring Paltrow's work. Paltrow responded in a letter of thanks, and Love framed it, calling Paltrow's letter her favorite thing.

A year later, Paltow and Love met at the 2000 Golden Globes. Paltrow hugged and thanked Love for the flowers. Love thought she was going to have a heart attack.

"When I was ten years old and my friends were reading in school in their history books about all of those different places, I was traveling to those places.  And it's gotten better since."

-JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT