Almost famous: Shoppers play the videogame Rock Band at the MTV Store in midtown Manhattan
Photograph by Timothy Fadek—Polaris for Newsweek.

There are few things that strike fear into the hearts of holiday shoppers as effectively as trying to shop for videogames. Many grown-ups aren’t particularly knowledgeable about games, which means that they regularly run the risk of buying a game that the recipient either doesn’t want or already owns. On top of that, sometimes buying just a stand-alone disc- or cartridge-based game doesn’t feel like a big-enough gesture (the box is so small!). Fortunately, there are a number of hardware-based gaming options that, depending on your budget, definitely make a statement about just how much you care.

Two of the hottest options are the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock bundle ($80 to $100, PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii; redoctane.com) and Rock Band ($170, Xbox 360 and PS3; rockbandstore.com). The original Guitar Hero was a surprise smash in 2005; Guitar Hero III continues the tradition of challenging players to match button presses on the included faux guitar with the matching on-screen icons. Just strapping on the guitar is enough to make you feel like a rock star, but letting your fingers fly across the buttons and tilting the neck up to trigger “star power” and drive your fans wild completes the dream.

Rock Band, however, cranks the fantasy up a notch by adding drums and a microphone to the mix (it also supports a second guitar for that special bassist in your life). The guitarists strum, the drummer drums, the singer warbles—think karaoke, but it detects what key you’re singing in—and it all adds up to one fantastic experience. At first, you’ll probably be using the overdrive power-up to save other band members from failing out and taking your entire band with them. But once you get the hang of it, overdrive becomes the nitrous that boosts your well-oiled machine to arena-rattling heights as you and your mates go on a virtual tour from Boston to Reykjavik and a slew of points in between.

If you’re shopping for someone who’d rather just sing than play mock instruments, consider the Ceramic White PlayStation 2 bundle ($150; gamestop.com). It includes Sony’s ubiquitous seven-year-old console, a pair of microphones and a copy of SingStar Pop, a slick karaoke game that includes both music videos and songs by such performers as Alicia Keys, Rihanna, U2 and Gorillaz. And for those who’d prefer to dance, Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution is available for multiple consoles, including Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the darn-near-impossible-to-find Wii ($70, Wii; bestbuy.com). What’s unique about the Wii version is that it not only makes use of the dance pad for your toe-tapping moves, but also the Wii remote and nunchuck for a variety of upper-body gestures.

You may find it next to impossible to persuade the Xbox 360 owner you’re shopping for to put down his or her copy of Halo 3 long enough to open up presents, or even bathe. But when less-trigger-happy friends come over, Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action ($60, Xbox 360; amazon.com) should entertain them without any digital bloodletting. Complete with four wireless game-show-style buzzers, it’s the videogame version of the popular DVD trivia series, with this one focusing on movie-related questions. There’s also Buzz! The Mega Quiz ($30, PS2; target.com), whose questions extend beyond movies to music, TV and sports, and Buzz! Junior Jungle Party ($30, PS2), targeted toward kids. And we’ll throw in a final stocking stuffer: the Wii Zapper ($25, Wii; circuitcity.com), a shotgun-shaped housing for a Wii remote and nunchuk that includes Link’s Crossbow Training. If you think of holiday shopping as a game, we hope we’ve given you the cheat codes you need to win.

Instead of hiding from your aunt’s optical zoom this holiday season, why not flaunt what you’ve got? Three pros offer tips for looking great in family photos.

Practice makes perfect. Try out different expressions in the privacy of your bathroom mirror, says Jonathan Becker, a contributing photographer for Vanity Fair. If you know what works best, then you’ll look confident—and natural— in pictures.

By Tara Weingarten
When a Little Goes a Long Way

You wouldn’t know it, but this scrappy little hatch costs about the same as an entry-level Mercedes-Benz. The snob appeal is all under the hood—in its taut, high-performance suspension and all-wheel-drive traction. Enthusiasts thrill to the R32’s quick acceleration and sharp steering. Just 5,000 will be produced.

The odd ingredients appearing on the labels of ecofriendly fitness apparel—from corn to soy and coconuts—may cause consumers to wonder whether they should wear or eat their shirt. What can these products do for the environment? The Base3 Long Sleeve Zip, a thermal top made for cold-weather exercise, contains 92 percent Ingeo, a corn-based fiber. Supporters say it can be composted when worn out, though corn farming’s intensive water use takes away a kernel of sweetness ($98; nau.com). Marmot’s Midweight Long Sleeve Zip for women contains Cocona, a fiber made from coconut shells. The fabric traps odors, and it uses a waste product of the coconut-growing industry ($49.95; marmot .com). Recent media reports have questioned whether the Vitasea fabric from Lululemon Athletica (lululemon .com) really contains seaweed, but the company stands by its products. Before buying any newfangled shirt, remember: the most ecofriendly garments are the ones you already own.

Rent “Interview.” No film sounds more obnoxious than having Sienna Miller play a version of herself opposite Steve Buscemi as a journalist. But this tale of a celebrity profile gone wrong comes off quite right, and the twisted ending would be at home on the cover of Us Weekly.

Read “Red,” edited by Amy Goldwasser ($21.95). In this eclectic essay collection, teenage girls write poignantly and humorously about such things as nearly losing a sibling in the Asian tsunami, the perils of growing up with Jewish hair and the joys of rock climbing.