- Facebook continues to make headlines (with its new Deals offerings. Yeah, the site looks like a knockoff of Groupon or Living Social, but it comes with one thing those sites don’t have — Facebook Groups and an audience inclined to sharing about their lives, including their purchases. In other social net news, your Friendster account — if you still have one — will be wiped out on May 31 as the site attempts to transform itself into a new entertainment destination) (Fast Company) (Ars Technica) (ReadWriteWeb)

- Technology 4 A Better World (is a campaign rewarding teens who come up with innovative ways to use technology to solve social problems. 50 teams will be supplied with the technology they need to implement their plans to improve the world, thanks to Best Buy)

- As BBM instant messaging (gains in popularity — particularly with youth overseas — texting is declining) (Engadget)

- Lindsay Lohan gives her first post-sentencing interview to Jay Leno tonight (saying she’s learned from her mistakes and, with focus, will be able to “achieve what she wants to achieve.” Sounds like someone has the rehab lingo down pat! But seriously, she sounds pretty mature) (USA Today)

- ‘Jersey Shore’ actually sounds smart (when put in 19th century costumes and spoken by the Broadway actors of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance Of Being Earnest.” Weekly Reader is presenting a modernized version of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” taking on cyber bullying. It’s being “acted out” by high schoolers on Facebook over the next two days) (PopWatch) (Mashable)

- And for your viral video fix (check out “Double Dream Feet,” the much anticipated sequel to “Double Dream Hands”!) (BuzzFeed)

- College computer geeks (can now get a degree in app development from Rasmussen University. Just another sign how critical a role mobile devices will play in the future. And perhaps this will keep students from dropping out of school to pursue their tech dreams) (All Things Digital) (Gawker)

- Webby award nominees (were announced yesterday and include Justin Bieber for his takeover of Funny Or Die, Angry Birds for best mobile game, and Arcade Fire for their video for “We Used To Wait”) (Reuters)

- Britney Spears scored (yet another Billboard #1 with her “Femme Fatale” album, due in part to a social buying strategy a la Groupon. A former Billboard chart topper, Green Day’s “American Idiot,” will become a movie based on the Broadway play, which ends its run April 24) (Mashable) (MTV)

- MySpace’s revenue slump (continues with the site expecting just over $100 million in revenues for the year ending June 2011, which doesn’t come anywhere near covering its operating costs of $275 million. In other social media news, Facebook has been bested by Vevo in video viewership) (TechCrunch) (Nielsen)

- Can’t make it to Coachella this weekend? (You can still see performances by The Black Keys, The National, Interpol and Mumford and Sons from the [non-muddy] comfort of your own home via YouTube) (Paste)

- Disney star Ashley Tisdale (poses nude for Allure to make the point that she’s not the little girl that everyone thinks she is. This just as Disney is releasing High School Musical spinoff Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure on DVD. Maybe the 25-year-old should stop playing teenagers if she doesn’t want people to think she’s a teenager rather than posing nude? In other grown-up former Disney star news, Lindsay Lohan may be returning to the big screen in the John Gotti biopic Gotti: Three Generations) (BuzzFeed) (Cynopsis) (Hollywood Reporter)

- Should we worry about (teens getting “Facebook depression” or is cyberbullying not as bad as regular bullying? On another note, here’s a teen’s take on the meaning of “friend” in the real world vs. the online world) (CBS News) (Double X) (Social Times)

- Abercrombie Kids succumbs to pressure (and removes the push-up style bikini that was available from it’s website. Many parents and media outlets wondered what the retailer was thinking making such clothing available for its 7-14-year-old shoppers) (Ms. Twixt) (Racked)

- How do publishers get boys (to read? A little dash of humor, a la Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants certainly helps) (GalleyCat)

- Three quarters of British college students (fear they will be unemployed upon graduation, raising new questions about exactly what a college degree is worth) (Daily Telegraph)

- Warner Bros adds (five more movies to it’s Facebook streaming offerings, including two Harry Potter films and Inception. Facebook may become the next Netflix if a few more studios get on board) (Deadline Hollywood)

- Young adults stand up (in defense of Planned Parenthood funding with a campaign called “I Have Sex” in an attempt to force legislators into realizing that eliminating financial support for the organization won’t eliminate teenage sex) (PSFK)

- Lindsay Lohan’s most recent legal activity (has nothing to do with drinking, drugs, or theft. She is planning to drop her last name to simply go by Lindsay. We consider this further proof that everyone still wants to be just like Madonna) (New York Daily News)

- The ‘Project Runway’ effect (design shows and pop culture exposure inspire young fashionistas to set their sights on a wider range of careers in the fashion industry. Also high end designer Ungaro hires Lindsay Lohan as Creative Director. And Anna Sui for Target’s “Gossip Girl” inspired line debuts on September 13) (New York Times, reg. required) (Los Angeles Times)

- The next generation of tennis stars (Melanie Oudin and fellow teen Caroline Wozniacki pump new life into the sport’s fanbase after turning heads at the U.S. Open. Also Cablevision “MSG Varsity” launches a multiplatform high school sports network in the tri-state area) (New York Times, reg. required) (Newsday)

- Is Ellen right for ‘Idol’ (as Paula Abdul’s replacement? Fans are mixed.) (Entertainment Weekly) (MTV News)

- Rixty names Alan Miller (as strategic advisor and Head of Publisher Relations for the youth-targeted online payment service. Also Susan Marshall from SMS answer service ChaCha on ways marketers can add value to mobile marketing towards teens And a study shows Millennials open to opt-in email marketing) (Virtual World News) (MediaPost, reg. required) (BusinessStrata)

- YWCA launches ‘Own It’ (a national grassroots campaign that invites Generation Y women, ages 18-30, to engage in community service on behalf of women) (DelawareOnline)

- ACLU settles lawsuit over a high school production of ‘Rent’ (that led to students threatening the lead actress over Facebook. The OC School District has since agreed to provide harassment and discrimination prevention training for students) (Los Angles Times, reg. required)

- It’s not easy being teen (NewScientist takes a historical and scientific look at humans’ uniquely fraught passage through adolescence) (via The Frisky)

- Poll finds 3 out of 4 kids don’t wash their hands (after using the restroom. Troubling. Also college cases of swine flu continue to spread) (Reuters) (Los Angeles Times, reg. required)

- Comfort foods vary by generation (with Boomers leaning towards classic fare, Gen X towards commercial and Y-ers going slightly healthier. Also Millennials prefer web chat for customer support) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Travolution)

- YouTube viral wedding video (spurs online sales of a year-old single from Chris Brown. Plus Viacom sets hopes on “The Beatles: Rock Band” after recent setbacks) (New York Times, reg. required) (WSJ)

- Green tweens (the 2009 winners for International Young Eco-Heroes are profiled. And Nat Geo Kids holds a contest to Guess the Denim Count of jeans collected to break the world record. Also savvy students raise environmental awareness and activism on campus) (Mother Nature Network) (Reuters)

-  Glenn Martin, DDS (debuts on Nick at Nite this August. Plus MTV adds  “Gone Too Far,” a documentary series about young adults struggling with substance abuse, to its lineup. And Jezebel has a first look at stills from Disney’s Rapunzel) (Worldscreen)

- Sears on Facebook (helps college students get “Campus Ready” in a new back-to-school campaign. Meanwhile Disney star Selena Gomez  helps shill for Sears’ tween line.  Plus  eMarketer says most BTS shopping will take place in stores, not online) (Crain’s) (Cynopsis Kids)

- Teen Vogue Handbook (comes to bookstores this October. Plus Lindsay Lohan and Fab Sugar invite aspiring designers to submit their legging designs) (Fab Sugar)

- Parents in the passenger seat (are the key to teens driving safely, according to a new study. To which Geico responds with a parent-teen driving contracts. Meanwhile others tackle safety issue by tagging “newly licensed drivers”) (The Auto Channel) (CNN)

- Teens cluster according to weight (and share similar eating habits.) (BBC)

- Virtual world Build-A-Bearville (plays a more important role as sales dip at the physical stores. Also the divide between social media campaigns that get it, and those that don’t) (Virtual Worlds News) (CNET News.com)

American iDol

- Generation OMG (New York Times’ in-depth exploration of how the recession will shape today’s youth draws parallels to the Great Depression and asks whether a new “Silent Generation” is on the rise. Plus, according to TRU millennials are making drastic cuts to their spending. And yet, the teen apparel market continues to flourish with stores like Hot Topic and Aeropostale coming out on top) (New York Times, reg. required) (Marketing VOX) (AP)

- Jay Asher’s ‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ (Motoko Rich spotlights the hard-hitting novel about teen suicide and its path to the bestseller list. Also, Dakota Fanning vamps it up as Jane in the upcoming “Twilight” sequel) (New York Times, reg. required) (Entertainment Weekly)

- YouTube says YouCan’t (in the UK, blocking “premium” music videos after a licensing conflict. Meanwhile in Australia YouTube becomes YouTube U when a professor encourages absent students to view his lectures online) (ars technica) (ReadWriteWeb)

- More young adults choosing partners from similar backgrounds (the latest U.S. census shows a decline in the rates of children of immigrants marrying outside their ethnicity, in particular among the Hispanic and Asian populations. Plus, the evolving definition of bicultural for Hispanic youth) (Washington Post, reg. required) (Ad Age, reg. required)

- Fake tan a la Lohan (the ever-entrepreneurial Lindsay Lohan launches her own brand of self-tanner. Plus, Publisher’s Weekly discovers a fun series of posts by Blaze Danielle that designs looks for fictional characters like Nancy Drew, Ramona Quimby and the like. Plus, Melissa Walker’s latest installment of Cover Stories takes a closer look at Lisa Yee’s “Absolutely Maybe”) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Melissa Walker: The Blog)

- Does your moral compass guide you online? (a study from the University of Michigan looks at seventh-graders’ responses to questions about the acceptability of “virtual” actions versus their offline equivalents. Also, an interesting series of charts quantify how Facebook friendships are maintained and whether social sites actually expand your social network) (Wall Street Journal) (Overstated)

- daughters.com’ (New Girl Moon Media launches a new site for parents of teens and tweens. Plus RocketOn sets up virtual stores on sites across the web for all your avatar’s virtual needs)

- Should Chris Brown be up for a Kids’ Choice Award? (Entertainment Weekly asks the poignant question of whether the former tween idol should even remain in the running for the award after being charged for with felony assault last week. And Brown and Rhianna plan to record a duet – so unsettling) (Entertainment Weekly) (E! Online)

- The harsh realities of life as a homeless youth (in New York City may get harsher with imminent budget cuts. Plus, TIME reports that 1 in 50 kids are homeless in America today) (New York Times, reg. required)

- MTV and Hearst present virtual ‘Seventeen’ (hoping to lure those precious teen readers back into the fold, the December/January issue of the mag will introduce a new virtual world component. Plus you can now find virtual Justin Timberlake and Elvis swag in Gaia Online) (Mediaweek)

- Are millennials good workers with bad online habits? (According to a recent survey of IT professionals, Gen Y employees are regarded positively at the office, but their “fearless” approach to the web is cause for concern. Also UK research on how to keep Y-ers happy at work (itbusiness.ca) (Times UK)

- Lots of good college student data… (like more college students are blogging from Anderson Analytics GenX2Z study) (Tom H. C. Anderson)

- China Youth Watch (posts its ’08-09 trends)

- Lindsay hearts MySpace (and she’s listed the reasons why. Also an interesting post on Next Great Thing about minority groups and social networking) (NY Daily News)

- A younger crew takes over the Sunday news (the long-running newscast will now be hosted by two anchors under the age of 45. Obama’s influence?) (Politico)

- More stereotypical sex stats (the same study that says arts girls are the most sexually active on campus, reports that male science students are the least. Thanks Andrea!) (Current TV)

- Young, female and British (in a section dedicated to feminism in the UK today, a feature profiles a diverse assortment of twentysomethings) (The Guardian)

- A new program teaches parents (how their kids use media. Common Sense Media announces it will provide free educational courses that will address parents’ concerns and questions) (Cynopsis Kids)

- Young Hollywood talks about their faith (on YouTube. Very interesting!)

- Allykazz launches a music channel (with help from Miranda Cosgrove)

- Will the real Kanye please stand up (the prolific blogger claims that his Twitter namesake is not actually him) (Rolling Stone)

“‘Star Trek’ captain William Shatner’s ‘Fixes Burgers at Warp Speed’; Olympic soccer gold medal winner Mia Hamm’s ‘Worthy of Gold’; and ex-football player and commentator Terry Bradshaw’s ‘Served at the Immaculate Reception,’ referring to his famous pass in 1972 to Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Franco Harris.” (Zap2it.com)

A portion of the proceeds go to each celeb’s designated charity.

“Nobody cared about my life when I was Lindsay Lohan’s age!” says Dunst, who is the “Mean Girls” star’s senior by only four years. “I feel really protective of a lot of these girls … I feel bad that [Lindsay]‘s getting photographed in that way, that people are probably always wanting her to be sexy. It’s hard for a young girl not to have any privacy. I’m finding it difficult as a 22-year-old.”

Hmm. I have a feeling Lindsay doesn’t mind all that much and I also have a feeling if Kirsten’s chest was nearly as um ehanced, she probably would have gotten similar attention. “Joan of Arcadia’s” Amber Tamblyn is also featured in the issue as well as in USA Today’s preview puff piece about season two of the Emmy-nominated show.

Related (sort of):

I just couldn’t give another separate post to Lindsay Lohan today, but Defamer is reporting the Variety headline that she now may be worth $7 million a movie or $3.5 million a breast.