Game Zone: Catwoman, Splinter Cell, Karaoke Revolution

“I’ve been playing this game called ‘Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles’ a lot with my GameCube these past days. It’s actually the first game that lets you use the Game Boy Advance as a controller. It’s very nifty — you can use it to see maps, status, lists, and stuff like that while you play with other people. ” — Sebastien Lefebvre of Simple Plan, part of Saturday’s Warped Tour show at the Tweeter Center

Speaking with Simple Plan’s Chuck Comeau

Simple Plan have a simple idea — cut their tour short this summer and get back into the recording studio to work on their new album, which they hope to have out this fall. “We want to build something really great,” says drummer Chuck Comeau, 24. “We’re trying to capture who we are now and also record songs we won’t be tired of playing three years down the line. It’s really exciting.”

Orkney Islands

Refer to any of the 19,000 inhabitants of the Orkney Islands as a Scot, and he or she will politely inform you they are not Scots. They’re Orcadians. They may live just a few miles north of mainland Scotland, but these island dwellers are an entity unto themselves. Yes, they eat haggis and talk with accents as thick as the blood used in black pudding. But unlike residents of cosmopolitan Edinburgh and nouveau-chic Glasgow, Orcadians don’t revel in trendy nightlife or upscale boutiques catering to the rich and bored.

Jessica Simpson pulls out all the pop cliches

There were moments in Jessica Simpson’s concert that seemed to come straight out of a teen pop version of “This Is Spinal Tap.” Some, like the opening vignette where she pretended to lose her way from the dressing room to the stage, were intentional. But there were other moments, probably heartfelt ones, that instead came across as parody.

Not really a ‘wild one,’ childhood friend recalls

Growing up in north suburban Libertyville, Marlon Brando was well-liked by the neighborhood children. A polite teen with a kind heart, he was hardly the misunderstood rebel that he would later portray in “The Wild One” (1953). But he didn’t mind causing a bit of havoc during his years at Libertyville High School, which he attended as a freshman and sophomore, before his parents shipped him off to a Minnesota military academy.

Patience a virtue, but plastic surgery is faster

Back in my day, a trip to Europe was considered a nice graduation gift. Having your parents pay for your college education was even better. But these days, a growing number of parents are giving girls the gift of the breast augmentation for their Sweet 16 or high school graduation. In 2003, almost 4,000 girls 18 years old and younger had their breasts done. I don’t think this is exactly what feminists had in mind when they encouraged young women to aim higher.

We’ve gotta have it: The status of status symbols

It’s not enough these days to have a cool million in the bank and a house in the Hamptons. Now you need that something extra to make your neighbors really take notice. Not sure what to start acquiring first? Here are a few hints to help you get started: Hummer: Yes, we know they’re not the most stylish of cars, but everyone who’s anyone is all about this vehicle. Off-road or not, the ride isn’t as smooth as, say, a Mercedes. But dahling, luxury cars are so last year. And if you can pay to fill the tank, you’ve got even more cred.