Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen: Our First Video

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the adorable and extremely wealthy 7-year-old identical twins who share the role of Michelle Tanner on ABC's long-running hit sitcom "Full House," sing and perform in seven music videos made from songs off their two audio releases "Brother for Sale" and "I Am the Cute One." Two of the songs--"Identical Twins" and "Mom's Song"--are from their earlier Mother's Day Special, while "Brother for Sale," a clever and imaginative ode to sibling rivalry with some nifty special effects, aired on Nickelodeon to pump sales of the twins' "Brother for Sale" cassette/CD. The four other songs on Our First Video are simple, nice-looking, but low-budget music videos that never approach the style of "Brother for Sale." Of these, only one really stands out--"One Buffalo, Two Buffali"--a witty paean to creative play with the English language. Beyond the blandness, I didn't much like the box jacket's assertion that the twins' introductions to the music videos give viewers "a rare glimpse of their lives behind the camera," since the twins are: a) most definitely in front of the camera, and b) reciting dialogue that was scripted by adults down to the last syllable. Too, viewers are treated to a major hawking of Mary-Kate and Ashley's other audio and book products. Sure to be popular, Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen: Our First Video is lightweight fare more interested in sales than quality. Purchase according to demand. (Available from most distributors.)