If there�s one thing that�s starting to get on our nerves a bit these days here at the Video Video corral, it�s the recent outbreak of what�s commonly known in music video circles as �Celebrity Cameoitis.� Now we admit that symptoms of a pending epidemic have been showing up with increasing regularity of late, and we confess to being as guilty as the next party for not paying enough attention to the warning signs. We�ve recently seen, after all, the following: a) People sticking their girlfriends, fiances, and wives in their videos to show how much they loved them (say, Christie Brinkley making hoof marks in the cement in Billy Joel�s �Uptown Girl� or Julianne Philips calling Brucie home from baseball practice in �Glory Days�); b) People sticking innocent famous people who just happen to be related to somebody in the band, or their manager, or their agent, or their agent�s agent, in their videos to help �give the kids� careers a push� (Milton Berle wandering about as if in a fog in various Ratt videos); and c) People hiring one or two actual, honest-togoodness-treading-the-boardsand-tripping-the-light-fantastic actor/actress types to make sure we all realize that what we�re watching has been worked on by real �professionals� (Brad �Cuckoo�s Nest� Dourif in Toto�s �Stranger In Town,� Kay �Hubba Hubba� Lenz in Rod Stewart�s �Infatuation�).

Still, we can�t honestly say that anything in video history past could have prepared us for �Ambition,� the latest from guitar hero Jeff Beck. Let�s put it this way: �Ambition� is the Love Boat of rock videos. The �concept� here is that an open audition is being held for the lead vocalist spot on Beck�s recording of the song, and so we have ole Jeff, in front of his customary wall�s worth of amplifiers, playing guitar while a variety of �show biz hopefuls� sing along to the record. You want a (pardon the expression) motley crew? How�s this: Donnie Osmond, Phil Alvin, Parker Stevenson, Herb Alpert, the black ventriloquist whose dummy is named Lester, Marilyn McCoo, the guy from America who doesn�t sound like Neil Young, Herve Ville...Herve Velli...Herve Vielli...the little guy who yelled �Boss! De Plane!� on Fantasy Island, and, in a nonsinging role, Dr. Joyce Brothers. And I�m sure I�ve left out seven or eight more utterly irrelevant �personalities.�