Burden of proof

Jae-Ha Kim

This forum isn’t questioning whether William Kennedy Smith or Kobe Bryant are rapists. It’s about why people have been so hesitant to believe their accusers might be telling the truth. Audra Soulias says Smith raped her five years ago — and then had a consensual sexual relationship with her. Bryant — whose criminal case was dropped Wednesday because the accuser no longer wanted to participate in the proceedings — admitted to having sex with the young woman in Colorado, but insisted it was consensual.

Donnie Yen: Asians of change

Jae-Ha Kim

Jet Li. Jackie Chan. Donnie Yen. Quick. Which one of these action film stars grew up in the United States? Or, more appropriately, which one of these stars had to leave the United States before he could make a name for himself in Hollywood? That would be Yen. Sure, while he’s not as famous in the United States as either Li or Chan, he has a loyal following worldwide and an impressive resume of films — the best of which were made in Hong Kong.

Cut to the chase

Jae-Ha Kim

Every season, women shudder at the thought of what New York, Paris and Milan will conjure up for us to wear. When designers are feeling particularly cruel, they insist we wedge ourselves into jeans that ride so low they make the plumber’s-butt pants appear demure by comparison. Thank goodness this fall is all about lady-like glamor and comfort. Skirts are long and lean.  Pants are loose with wider legs. And dresses are delicate and figure-flattering.

French Lick

Jae-Ha Kim

Sports fans know of French Lick as the hometown of basketball legend Larry Bird. But during a period that lasted from the late 1800s to the 1950s, the small Midwestern city was as famous for its swanky visitors as its natural spring water. Pluto Water, as it was dubbed, wasn’t like the mineral water we’re accustomed to today. The sulfur-rich drink was more of a diuretic than a refreshing thirst quencher. Hence, its slogan: “When nature won’t, Pluto will.” Guests were encouraged to carry canes during their morning walks. When nature called — and apparently it called quite often after a glassful of Pluto Water — it was considered the polite thing to place your cane on the outhouse door to indicate it was occupied. It was rude in those days to knock on a bathroom door.

Game Zone: Catwoman, Splinter Cell, Karaoke Revolution

Jae-Ha Kim

“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

Jae-Ha Kim

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

Jae-Ha Kim

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

Jae-Ha Kim

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

Jae-Ha Kim

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.