NEW TEEN AND ?TWEEN? idol, Justin Bieber, is this season?s Lady Gaga. ?Not that he comes across like the ga-ga-galloping diva of punk and funk (they?re different as night from day), but because like her, he established himself as a full-blown multimedia phenomenon in seemingly no time at all.

Last year, he was practically a nobody?now, he?s the cool cat?s whiskers, spawning a number of similarly young and fresh-faced clones. Unlike his instant imitators, however, Justin looks like he?s going to last for more than just a season or two.

We got zapped by this bolt from the blue after we caught his latest performance stint on NBC?s popular ?Today? morning show last week. Before that, we would see him do one-song stints on various TV shows, and he came across as frisky, eager-to-please, but bland and forgettable.

Long telecast

On the ?Today? show, however, Justin sang a suite of five songs in the course of the long telecast, so he really had to work hard for his 15 minutes of fame.

?And, what do you know? He was able to reveal heretofore unseen and unappreciated facets to his person and talent that indicated why so many thousands of largely adolescent and teen female fans were going so, well, gaga over him.

First illumination: Despite his being the show biz flavor of the month, Justin can sing. His voice isn?t amazing, but it?s more than serviceable?albeit less striking than David Archuleta?s in tone and projection.

Homework

Second, he?s no slouch in ?selling? a song through energetic performance, giving each number everything he?s got. Third, he does his homework. On the ?Today? show, he knew just the right thing to say and had obviously rehearsed all of his moves, so his performance came off as a focused and unified whole.

True, being a teen and tween idol isn?t rocket science, but it takes more than just being really young and cute as a puppy. Justin is that?and more.

And, the preparation and packaging have resulted in the winning combination that?s already generating major buzz for this new show biz sensation who?s heating up teens all over the globe?not with the enervating signs of global warming, but with the temperature-raising excitement?and even frenzy?of Justin Bieber Fever.

Aside from Justin, other really young comers are making their bid for ?sudden? stardom this season, like Will Smith?s son and heir, Jaden. His time to shine is coming this month, with the imminent showing of the new ?The Karate Kid? on cineplexes all over the world.

Like Justin, Jaden is alarmingly young. But, he too is ready for his crack at stardom, since he?s been ?training? with his dad for some two years now, first by being introduced in the 2008 drama, ?The Pursuit of Happyness,? in which he played a small but attention-calling role as his dad?s screen character?s son.

Jaden did surprisingly well in his ?introducing? role, making his handlers realize that, with some martial arts training, he would be ready for the big test that the new take on ?The Karate Kid? is turning out to be.

Justin and Jaden?they?re both ?ready for world domination.? The big question is, are we ready for even younger new stars to come? They?re just waiting in the wings!