Aaron Carter - Aaron's Party (Come Get It)

"My stuff will never be lame," says Aaron Carter. Thanks, kid, but we'll be the judge of that. Truth be told, the 12-year-old Carter, brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter (which might have a little something to do with Aaron's rapid ascent in the world of kid pop), has talent. In this DVD package (essentially a showcase for five videos from his third album, with some behind-the- scenes filler), he displays an appealing personality, a face guaranteed to make the girls swoon, a flotilla of makeup artists, wardrobe people, and other handlers, some nifty dance moves, and a rap style that's... well, it's at least as hip as any other white suburban 12-year-old's. And his repertoire, while not exactly groundbreaking, does take a couple of surprising turns, especially in the form of "Iko Iko," the New Orleans standard (written in the '50s and a hit for the Dixie Cups in the '60s). Also included are "I Want Candy" (the Bo Diddley-beat-heavy Strangeloves hit), and the nursery rhyme-like "Clapping Song" (once covered by the immortal Pia Zadora, among many others).

All in all, it's good clean fun--except for the fact that there's something unsettling, creepy even, about watching a prepubescent kid bust moves, rap about "old school" (kindergarten, maybe?), and throw down the "yo"-speak without a trace of self-consciousness. Sure, Michael Jackson and Donny Osmond were polished youngsters too, but they also had a certain innocence that's almost totally lacking here. Case in point: included in the disc's extra features is a trivia game that tells you not only what Aaron's favorite food, color, and Beanie Baby are, but also what kind of motorcycle he rides as well as the title of his mom's new book. Precocious? That doesn't even begin to cover it. --Sam Graham