SIBLING-BLING THE MARY-KATE AND ASHLEY MONEYMAKING MACHINE TURNS A CORNER WITH 'NEW YORK MINUTE'.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Writer

Most teenagers lack self-confidence. Most teenagers have not earned personal fortunes of $150 million like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have. Apiece, that is.

This probably goes a long way toward explaining why the Olsens sound utterly assured as the twin actors/corporate tycoons make the promotional rounds for their new movie, ``New York Minute.'' But it doesn't seem like the entire explanation.

``It's not about making money,'' says Mary-Kate. ``That number just shows that we've been working for 17 years, maybe.''

``We've worked for everything that we have earned,'' adds Ashley, who despite popular perception does not always finish her sister's sentences (they deny possessing anything like twin ESP, too). ``It's because we have an audience, and kids do respect and like what we're doing. In a way, it's like a back-and-forth. We make stuff to entertain people, and in return they buy our stuff.''

And how. The Olsens have been working steadily for practically all of their nearly 18 years. They started, at 9 months, by sharing the role of adorable ``Full House'' moppet Michelle Tanner for eight seasons. Then, as co-owners of Dualstar Entertainment, the twins produced and starred in 47 straight-to-video movies and have overseen their own lines of clothing, dolls, books, cosmetics and you-name-it that kindergarten- to-tweenage girls have been scarfing up worldwide. In all, their enterprises accounted for nearly $1 billion in sales last year alone.

Of course, Mary-Kate and Ashley won't become actual presidents of Dualstar until their June 13 birthday (they've also made Robert Thorne, the CEO of their 80-employee company, very wealthy). But they've been acting like bosses since they were declared Hollywood's youngest producers in 1992.

The Olsen juggernaut 

How hands-on are the young executives?

``Of course, with 47 categories, there are gonna be things that slip by,'' Ashley says in reference to their vast product line. ``That's just what happens when you're dealing with mass production. But we try to keep things in the line that we approve of. Even if we wouldn't wear an item that we know our fan base will enjoy, we'll put it out there for our fans.''

Such is the Olsens' businesslike presentation. They speak in a well-rehearsed manner that sounds crafted to achieve maximum positive spin ... and allows for little spontaneity. Although the ultra-petite sisters look more girlish than on the verge of adulthood, they tend to come off as poster children for the old all-work-and-no-play adage.

But they still have their childish sides, according to ``New York Minute'' director Dennie Gordon.

``They're consummate professionals,'' she says. ``But once you get to know them and they let their hair down, they're still little girls at heart. They love to crack up and play practical jokes. You forget, but they are 17, and I always loved it when I could bring out the 17-year-old in them.''

Not that she tried doing that too often.

``They've been around this business longer than I've been in it,'' Gordon adds. ``People underestimate them because they're 17. But I always say you underestimate these two at your peril, because they really know their audience and they have very strong opinions.''

Raised between divorced parents Dave and Jarnette's households (there is an older brother and younger sister, as well as two half-siblings from their father's second marriage), the Olsens claim that they had enough time for fun growing up - and not just in front of cameras for their popular line of Mary-Kate and Ashley party videos.

Almost 18

``We were never forced to do anything,'' says Ashley. ``Everything was always a lot of fun. And we always got dances off, or birthday parties. We always made sure that those dates that were important to us, we always got the opportunity to experience those things.''

``Now we're 17, almost 18, and we're comfortable making fun of ourselves and poking fun at the countdown 'til we're 18,'' Mary-Kate adds.

She's referring to the reportedly thousands of Internet sites clocking down the hours and days until the twins officially become women. But what the boys think of that isn't nearly as important to Olsen Inc. as to how their female fans respond to Mary-Kate and Ashley's inevitable maturing.

``New York Minute'' has been carefully designed to ease that transition. Though not their first big screen test - that was the 1995 flop ``It Takes Two'' - it's a more crucial attempt to establish the sister act's long-term viability.

``The trickiest part was, how do we hold onto their core fan base, which I think starts as early as 6 yet includes girls that have grown up with them who are 18,'' says Gordon, who tried to pull a similar trick for Amanda Bynes with ``What a Girl Wants'' last year. ``Plus, how do you get the moms in, make it just titillating enough that they'll be calm with it. How do you make everybody happy? We didn't really know how far to push certain things.''

In the movie, Ashley plays Jane Ryan, a conservative Long Island A-student on her way to Columbia University to compete in a crucial scholarship speech competition. Mary-Kate is the class-cutting, punk- drummer sister Roxy, who also needs to get into Manhattan so she can get her band's demo tape to record executives at a music video shoot.

A movie for every demo

The polar-opposite sisters end up having all kinds of misadventures in the big city as they get mixed up with Asian software pirates, potential boyfriends and an overzealous truant officer. Such cooler-than-the-Olsens co-stars as Andy Richter, Eugene Levy and Jack Osbourne appear, the soundtrack is hard rock rather than teen pop, and Ashley teasingly comes thisclose to serious wardrobe malfunctions.

``The girls especially wanted that,'' Gordon reveals. ``Every time that we thought we were going to a place that you might call 'tween,' we took a radical left turn. We didn't want there to be anything tweeny about this movie. We didn't want there to be anything fairy taley about this movie. We all wanted it to be smart and sophisticated and as sharply edged as we could possibly dare and still be PG.''

``Having characters in there that everyone can relate to and enjoy, whether it's us or Eugene or Darrell Hammond or the cute boys or the dog,'' Ashley explains, ``it was about finding that place where everyone in the whole family could have something.''

``Every single way that we found to bring in more of an audience,'' Mary-Kate says, was the driving philosophy. Which is easy for her to say; Ashley's the one who had to fall out of the bath towel and have the naked- on-stage nightmare sequence.

``It was a little stressful,'' Ashley admits, finally displaying some adolescent self-consciousness. ``I don't really remember that time, I was just sort of thrown out there.''

``I mean, we were so tucked and pinned and stitched and taped that nothing was gonna happen,'' admonishes her sister, who got away with wearing nothing more revealing than a bathrobe.

But whether or not their next-step strategy works with ``New York Minute,'' the Olsens don't seem too overly concerned.

``You know, even if it didn't do well at the box-office, we've come out of this movie with so much more knowledge,'' Mary-Kate says. ``We've played producers almost our entire lives with everything else we've created, but when working on a feature and dealing with Warner Bros., other production companies and other details ... we definitely learned a lot.''

They'll take Manhattan

Learning is the current Olsen byword. They plan to attend New York University in the fall and are now in the process of turning two Lower Manhattan condominiums into one massive college dorm for themselves - at a reported price tag of $3.5 million.

``I don't think it's about living apart right now,'' Mary-Kate says. ``Turning 18 and going to college is about finding different interests and living on your own.''

Or their own, as the case may be. The girls admit that they've depended greatly on one another, personally as well as professionally, all of their lives.

``For our balance, it's always been with each other,'' says Mary-Kate. ``It's almost like your comfort zone never goes away - you never walk away from it. Sometimes that's scary for people, but we are comfort for each other. It's just that you can kinda come along with me.''

Which makes us wonder if they pass the most common test of sisterhood: Do Mary-Kate and Ashley ever get on each other's nerves?

``Yeah, we fight,'' Ashley confirms. ``But like in the movie, you learn from each other and you grow closer. I think what helps us not fight as much is that we have the same kind of goals and we come from the same place. We balance each other out. Usually, the things that I really care about, she's not as passionate toward. And if we do get in a big fight, it's usually something personal that we disagree on, and that's OK too.''

So the partnership stays healthy. But Ashley realizes that ``(we) can't really do twin movies forever.''

And they want to stop being called the Olsen Twins right now. Actually, Mary-Kate and Ashley say that they've been striving to be thought of as individuals for a number of years.

``It's weird when people come up to you and say 'Are you an Olsen twin?' instead of saying 'Are you Mary-Kate or Ashley?' '' Ashley notes. ``I think it's a respect thing. You like to be called by your name.''

Professional separation, however, may prove more difficult than growing up.

``We've read scripts,'' Mary-Kate says tentatively. ``Right now, we're just focusing on school. I think we have the same goals in mind - we're not planning on all of a sudden separating. Hopefully, one day she can direct me in something, or I will direct her, or we'll produce a movie under our company's name. And you know what? Most likely we will do things separately, too.''

Bob Strauss, [phone]

bob.strauss(at)dailynews.com

Valley twins? Fer sure!

Having been born and lived their whole lives in the San Fernando Valley, we figured Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen would be happy to tell their hometown paper what their favorite local haunts and attractions were.

Admittedly, we weren't considering the havoc among fans that the outlandishly wealthy teen superstars can trigger wherever they go, making security, secrecy and bodyguards everyday facts of life.

``We're-not-gonna-tell-you,'' Ashley responds in a sing-song taunt. ''You'll find us there!''

``Mel's Diner was always, like, the Sunday spot,'' Mary-Kate says, trying to be helpful without spilling too much.

``We grew up in different parts of the Valley,'' Ashley, not wanting to be outdone by her sister, allows. ``Toluca Lake is nice.''

``There are a lot of beautiful places in the Valley,'' ripostes the sibling.

But even though they don't want you to find them, the Olsens sound sincere when they tell us that growing up here was wonderful ... even if they are pulling up stakes, soon after they graduate from Campbell Hall in North Hollywood next month, to attend New York University in the fall.

``I think the Valley is very quiet and very nice,'' Ashley says. ``We're moving to New York, so hopefully we'll get the other end of it.''

- B.S.

Who's who 

It's easy to tell the difference between twin teen media moguls Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Even if you're not their investment banker.

``After about five minutes, I could tell these two apart,'' says Dennie Gordon, director of their new movie, ``New York Minute.'' ``I think most people can. They have different color eyes, their personalities are so different, they have different height. They're really very different. And they're not identical, they're fraternal twins.''

If you still can't figure it out, though, here's a list of further dissimilarities.

MARY-KATE

AGE: 17, the younger of the two (by two minutes).

HAIR: Reddish brown (not natural).

VOICE: Deeper.

DATING: David Katzenberg, son of DreamWorks Studio partner Jeffrey Katzenberg.

COLLEGE PLANS: ``There's not really one thing specific that I want to study because I feel like I already know my major. I know my ultimate goal is to continue the production company and acting.''

ATTITUDE: More of a joker.

``Mary-Kate is the exuberant, outgoing, take-no-prisoners, spontaneously combustible chick who is always so out there, so brave and so confident,'' says Gordon. ``Mary-Kate's sort of a rocker, jeans-and-thong kind of a gal.''

ASHLEY

AGE: 17, the older of the two (by two minutes and some seconds).

HAIR: Golden blond (natural, as far as we know).

VOICE: Higher.

DATING: Matt Kaplan, quarterback on Columbia University's football team.

COLLEGE PLANS: ``I might want to study some psychology or philosophy. But I can't tell you specific classes that I'm going to take.''

ATTITUDE: Usually has a worried look on her face.

``Ashley is a little more introspective and oddly shy at times,'' Gordon observes. ``She'll, like, sit back and watch her sister in amazement. But when she does come out, she comes out with these surprising, cool zingers. She's very sophisticated.''

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) VALLEY GIRLS

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have grown up and are moving on to the Big Apple

Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

(2) You can definitely tell Ashley, left, and Mary-Kate Olsen apart in ``New York Minute.'' One is a conservative, straight-A student, the other a punk-rock drummer.

(3) Dennie Gordon, right, director of ``New York Minute,'' on Ashley and Mary-Kate

(4) no caption (Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen)

Box:

(1) Valley twins? Fer sure! (see text)

(2) Who's who (see text)