Gossip Girl: I’m proud of the writers of this show for making some sort of reasonable denouement to the ridiculous things they put their characters through this season: Georgina got conveniently sent off to a reform school, everyone broke up, and they not-so-subtly planted the seeds for new couples.

I spent the hour deciding who I would rather want to be: Blair or Vanessa. Once Blair got on the plane with a smoking hot corporate flacky, my doubts were crushed.

How I Met Your Mother: Was anyone else a little disappointed by this episode? I mean, come on people, it’s the season finale, and I laughed out loud maybe twice. Proposal blah blah blah, car accident, whatever. The only thing that made me happy was Barney’s epiphany in full body cast. Robin and Barney as a couple would be the best combination ever.

American Idol: Some guy named David Cook won. Good for him. I didn’t watch a minute of this season, other than the clips of Andrew Lloyd Webber creepily coaching the male contestants.

So You Think You Can Dance: I’m so glad my favorite summer show has taken the void left after The Office ended. However, the audition episodes are my least favorite part of the whole thing. The only person that really wowed me last night was this guy. HOLY CRAP. Is he even human?

Ugly Betty: Another season finale. Jeez. Once again, not super impressed. I think I’m going to stop watching this show soon, it’s just getting repetitive and boring. I loved the Naomi Campbell jabs though, and the gayest softball game ever. Wonder if those people actually worked at Elle? Or maybe I just want the sad people in publishing to get their fifteen minutes of glory.

Grey’s Anatomy: Sometimes I think Grey’s Anatomy is ridiculous and over-dramatic and tedious. However, last night I was mollified into watching by a friend. And while the concrete storyline was SO far-fetched, I cried like a little baby when those two teenagers were saying goodbye to each other. That was some good writing right there.

Thoughts about last week’s season finales? Leave ‘em below. And stay tuned next week for a preview of the summer TV schedule.

* Renewals for shows I love: How I Met Your Mother and Reaper. YAY! People, this is good comedy right here. If you aren’t already tuning in, you should be.

*Speaking of How I Met Your Mother, the websites mentioned on this week’s episode are real and functioning. You can buy set pieces and items from Lily’s ridiculously cute wardrobe at this auction site. All proceeds go to the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. In addition, www.GuyForcesHisWifeToDressInAGarbageBagForTheNextThreeYears.com is not only the longest URL ever, it is bizarre and wonderful. Details like this make me love this show.

*Season finales are upon us, with Scrubs and 30 Rock ending last week, and the majority of other shows finishing up this week. And while I mourn the passing of some of my favorites, I’m distracted by the awesomeness that I’m sure The Office will deliver this Thursday. My predictions? Cliffhangers galore: including a Dwight/Angela coupling behind Andy’s back, Jan using a possibly fake pregnancy to reel Michael back in, and a Jim/Pam proposal. Too far fetched? Maybe. But if I’m right you’ll bow down to my fabulous and mystical clairvoyance. Post your own predictions in the comments!

*In other wonderful Office related news, Steve Carell is hosting the SNL season finale this weekend! However, because I can’t have anything go smoothly in my life, this episode will also be Amy Poehler’s last. WHY!? Kristen Wiig can’t hold up this show on her own, woman! Screw the pregnancy! STAY WITH MEEEEE…..I’m sorry about that. I have an unhealthy adoration for Amy Poehler. But can you blame me?

*To smother my sorrow, I’m going to re-immerse myself in the new season of So You Think You Can Dance, which premiers in two weeks! My favorite thing about this show? Figuring out which male contestants are straight, gay, or hopelessly closeted. (Hint: it’s usually one of the last two.) But if you tune in for the spectacular dancing, more power to ya!

To finish, I give you this wonderful clip from our friends over at the Best Week Ever blog:

Best Week Ever – Montage Of Our Favorite Sweeps Week Moments

For me, that journey home was pretty long: 1330.45 miles, if we’re being exact. And after two weeks at home, and that initial joyful reunion with my friends from high school, I am suffering from a major case of reverse homesickness.

During my first semester of school, all I wanted to do was go back to Florida, transfer to a school where academics are often neglected for tanning and water sports, despite the fact that I had come to Boston to get away from such a scenario. Nonetheless, I was ready to throw in the towel and head back home.

Second semester, however, I really began to find my footing at school, and I had a wonderful time. I did well in all my classes, fell into a groove that enabled me to balance my academic goals with some semblance of a social life, and participated in our school’s spring musical. My last night in Boston was the night of our cast party, which was not short on the debauchery or tearful goodbyes.

Suffice it to say, when I arrived home, I was feeling a little morose. I wasn’t going to see anyone from Boston until September! And now, as a couple weeks have passed and it’s getting stiflingly hot here, I miss Boston and my school friends like nobody’s business. I’ve even come to miss the simplicity of my tiny freshman double, the greasy food at our dining hall, even the drunken frat boys screaming outside my window at 3 in the morning on a Thursday night…I could go on, but I’ll spare you.

So, partly for my sanity, and partly for yours, I’m come up with a few ways to avoid, or at least diminish, that reverse homesickness.

1. Get a job/volunteer: Now, I know the majority of you will do this anyway, but seriously, it has basically saved me these past couple days. A job, no matter how miserable it is, will keep you from sitting at home all day, looking longingly at pictures of your college exploits on Facebook for hours straight. And, if it is miserable, it will give you something to focus on besides your missing friends and school life.

2. Reconnect with old friends from high school: You know you haven’t kept in touch with people this year. Not everyone, at least. Your best friends got some calls and a lot of emails and such, but some of your other friends probably got completely neglected. Now is the time to call them up and plan something to catch up. And if you’re both suffering from reverse homesickness, you can commiserate together.

3. Keep in touch…but not too much: Facebook is a great invention. You and your school friends can check in periodically, just to keep that connection established and to keep up with each other’s lives. Don’t, however, neglect everything to talk for hours on the phone to various friends from school. You both have lives to live, and this dependency is NOT healthy. I’m speaking from experience here people, just trust me.

4. Just have a good summer! It’s really as simple as that. If you’re dynamic, and make your summer amazing, it will be easier to not focus so much on how you miss everything about your school. Go

The dress’s print is interesting and unique without being too avant garde. I really love the cardigan, because it keeps the mini-ness of the dress from looking too trampy. The shoes and the purse just set the dress off perfectly.

Now, let’s look at the original cost of this look. The dress is Missoni, and similar dresses retail for about $2,000. The cardigan looks very similar to this Autumn Cashmere cardigan, which originally retailed for $144. The shoes are Christian Louboutin Patent d’Orsay wedges and they clock in at $645. Finally, that adorable little clutch looks pretty similar to this Hobo International Patent Clutch, which would set you back about $138. This brings our grand total to $2,927! A bit pricey for a little summer outfit.

So let’s break it all down and find these pieces in a price range you can afford.

Now, that dress is very unique, and something that is pretty difficult to replicate. If you’re willing to splurge a little, this dress (pictured on the left) still has that unique print and a similar silhouette, but it is a bit expensive at $72. Another option, definitely the budget option, is still summery, and about the same length as the original dress, but it has a very different print and silhouette. However, the price is right at $29. I would advocate saving up a bit and purchasing the dress on the left, remember investment pieces are a staple of any girl’s wardrobe, and you know you’re going to be wearing that dress all summer.

For the cardigan, I sincerely hope you already have one, considering you can wear it with basically everything. This one from Old Navy is a great basic, and it’s a steal at $19.50. This one is particularly versatile because it’s very lightweight, so you can wear it all summer. Bonus — it comes in nine colors, so I would definitely recommend picking up a few.

And now we move to the duplicates of the ridiculously expensive accessories. This clutch from eBags is really cute and has some structural details that I really love, plus it’s on sale right now for $28.80. Another option is this yellow clutch from Forever 21, it’s a little more understated and it’s definitely a bargain at $8.80.

The shoes are pretty dressy, and I like these wedges from Payless because they definitely look a lot like the original Louboutins, but they are more casual and probably easier to wear. Also, they are only $22.99. The white will also prove to be a bit more versatile because of the print on the upper, as well as the cork heel.

So our total for the budget version of the outfit (with the price of the more expensive dress and clutch) is $143.28. What is amazing about this is that price is basically 5% of the original outfit’s price.

Wow. Maybe Cameron should shop around a bit next time.

Yes, I’m aware not everyone can rock the shiny, skin-tight leggings look with confidence, but in this color, with a longer tunic, it can actually be pretty slimming.

So first, let’s look at an approximation of how much this would have cost with the original designer pieces. Now I’m just guessing here, but the leggings are probably Matthew Williamson Metallic Leggings, original retail price $230. The cardigan looks like this Edun Mine Sleeveless Cardigan ($155), and the gold loafers look similar to these Gucci leather “Britt” loafers ($440). The Chanel logo necklace probably retails around $500, so let’s say this original look cost around $1,325.

One of my favorite things in the world is finding cheap versions of designer pieces. It makes me feel like I cheated the system, and as ridiculous as it sounds, makes me feel more confident in my clothing. So I scoured the internet and found some cheaper alternatives for y’all.

First, we have this adorable racer-back sleeveless cardigan. The Gap has a similar one in navy, for $39.50. I actually like the navy better with this particular outfit, because it helps transition the entire look into a lighter, more spring-y look.

These leggings from American Apparel actually look exactly the same as the ones in the original outfit. At $34, they’re pretty pricey for leggings, but they’re an investment piece…you don’t really need more than one pair of these, and I think they’re going to get pretty big this year, so you’re ahead of the curve.

I really love the metallic gold loafers in this outfit, but they might not be everybody’s cup of tea. These slide moccasins from Target are a little more understated, but still echo the vibe of Blake’s loafers in the original outfit. Even better, they’re a steal at $17.99, and they are also great shoes for spring.

In the original outfit Blake is wearing a long Chanel logo necklace to add a little sparkle. Most of us can’t afford this, and it’s even less appealing if you’re not a label addict. I think a suitably cheap and adorable replacement would be this skeleton key necklace from Fred Flare, for only $12.

So our total, for the entire outfit, comes out to $103.49! That’s less than 10% the total of the original outfit. See how much better you feel about buying it all now? Happy shopping!

I really don’t have a huge problem with that…cliche as it sounds, there hasn’t been anyone yet that I would even consider worthy of my “sacred gift”, as my Catholic school teacher called it. Nor am I saving myself for marriage. It’s crossed my mind, being raised in a pretty conservative family, but I’m not going to lie and say that if the right person and situation were to arrive….well, you know.

No, I’m fine with being a virgin. It’s other people that seem to have a problem with it. It’s not that my friends ridicule me for it or anything, but there is a certain awkwardness whenever the topic of sexual conquests and such comes up in conversation. I’ve tried to tell them a thousand times that it’s totally fine to talk about sex around me, I do know what it is and the mechanics involved. I guess they feel like they’re making me feel naive or something ridiculous like that.

It’s also pretty annoying the assumptions that people make about me when it comes up in conversation. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve been at a party and somehow the topic of sex comes up (as it often does at college parties), and I am met with horrified stares when I nonchalantly utter the words, “No, I’m a virgin.”

You would think that I’d told them my dog just died. People have actually tried to console me, saying things like, “Oh, it’ll happen for you eventually. Don’t worry about it!” Are you kidding me?

So, I guess I just want to debunk a few myths about virgins:

1. I don’t spend all day pining to FINALLY have sex.

2. I will not sleep with the first person who offers.

3. I am not Amish/Mormon/Southern Baptist/member of an anti-sex cult (although all of those are perfectly valid reasons for someone to remain a virgin…except possibly that last one).

4. I do know what sex is, and how it works.

5. Talking about sex doesn’t make me uncomfortable.

6. Just because I haven’t had sex doesn’t mean I’m not having fun.

So in the future, non-virgins, try to understand where I’m coming from.

I mean, lest ye forget, you were all virgins once too!

So when I found out that Britney Spears had been cast on my second favorite sitcom (behind The Office), How I Met Your Mother, I was a little perturbed to say the least.

How I Met Your Mother has succumbed to stunt casting before, giving guest spots to stars like Mandy Moore, Enrique Inglesias, and in one episode, Heidi Klum and a bevy of Victoria’s Secret models. However, these cameos were mainly a way to try and reign in more viewers, as HIMYM has often had low ratings, despite the inherent hilarity of the show.

But now the makers of the show have gone too far. I try to avoid Britney Spears columns like the plague, considering that I really don’t like voluntarily hearing about a person’s psychological meltdown. Schadenfreude really isn’t my thing. So when I saw the headline announcing this guest spot, I was thisclose to skipping over the article entirely. Imagine my horror when I realized the sitcom gig in the headline was referring to my beloved, pure, funny, and original How I Met Your Mother.

So now I just wait in horror for next Monday. The reports from the set seem to be…positive, I guess. And I believe that any scene with Neil Patrick Harris as Barney can be hilarious, even if Britney is in there sucking up all the funny. So fans of HIMYM, keep your fingers crossed for zero to minimal southern accent, bad comedic timing, and inane references to Britney’s former glory.

If anyone can salvage something from the wreckage of Britney Spears’ current situation, let’s hope that the writers and actors of How I Met Your Mother can do it. And considering that the show almost didn’t get renewed for another season, I guess I’m willing to let the gazillion or so new viewers tune in just to see Britney speak in coherent sentences…as long as it keeps How I Met Your Mother on the air as long as possible.

So I’ve compiled a list of really great and easy ways to contribute to some incredibly worthy causes. Bonus: they’re all things you can do easily on your laptop at any time!

Free Rice: This handy little tool not only helps feed the hungry by donating rice to the United Nations World Food Program, it can also improve your vocabulary! Just answer as many vocabulary questions as you wish, and for each one you answer correctly, the advertisers on the page donate 20 grains of rice to the WFP. The questions increase in difficulty for each correct answer, and so does the amount of rice donated. It’s a win-win!

The Million Faces Petition: The ‘Million Faces’ is a visual petition – a way for you to show your concern about the spread of arms. The campaign focuses on promoting an international treaty covering arms transfers – the Arms Trade Treaty – which will stop arms being sold to those likely to misuse them. All you have to do is submit your name and email, then upload a photo, and join the over half a million photos already posted, including celebrities like Greenday, Slash, and Michael Moore.

Tribes and Nations: Want to find a unique present? How about this beautiful necklace for 25 dollars? And it becomes even better when the recipient finds out that the money made from the purchase goes to Umtha, a organization in Cape Town, Africa, which provides training and employment for previously disadvantaged women, many of whom are single mothers or HIV-positive.

(Lil) Green Patch: So you know basically live on Facebook. Don’t try to deny it. Now you won’t have to feel so guilty while clicking through all of your crush’s photos, as long as you add the (Lil) Green Patch application. Plant flowers, play games, and send your friends flowers as much as you like-because each time you do, the application’s advertisers donates to organizations like the Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre program.

This is where working at the Disney park becomes some people’s dream. Some girls, deluded as they may be, are completely validated by having some balding old man tell them that they look even the slightest like Sleeping Beauty. I am not one of those girls, but I am a “cast member” at Disney World (that’s the special term Disney made up so their employees would buy into their spread-the-magic BS).

Up until I left for school this year, I was a dancer in various stage shows at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and believe me, it is not always the happiest place on Earth. Dancing around in 105 degree heat, pumping my arms and lip-syncing about how we’re all in this together?!

Not my idea of a good time.

Now that I’m transferring back to Florida, I’m reapplying, but this time…this time I’ve made what could turn out to be a big mistake. I’m applying as a “face character” — or, as you non-brainwashed Disney fiends would call it — a princess.

So stay tuned….because I’m going to show you the dirty side of Disney. The creepy, backwards, sometimes offensive, always shockingly hilarious side of Disney. And you can all live vicariously through my quest to become a Disney princess.

While some girls are applying to live out their dreams, I’m applying for the pay raise. Hey, I’d settle for an ugly stepsister….as long as they’re on the same pay scale.

Yes, we all know the supposed heart-throbs of our generation: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, blah blah blah blah. But aren’t there girls out there who yearn for a pair of boys with adorable accents, mad guitar skills, and who are also downright hilarious? If you answered no to that question, you need a wake up call, and here it is.

These two rather adorable boys are called Flight of the Conchords, and last Sunday they won a Grammy for best comedy album for their debut effort, The Distant Future.

They are, in their own words, “New Zealand’s 4th most popular folk/comedy duo“, and their songs are wonderfully quirky and insanely funny. In addition, they star in probably what is the most original show on television, called, you guessed it: Flight of the Conchords.

They star as slightly fictionalized versions of themselves, a folk duo from New Zealand trying to make it big in New York City. What makes this show unique, however, is the duo’s tendency to randomly burst out into song…about completely random topics.

If you need to be further convinced, please take a moment to watch this clip from their HBO show. A little backstory for you-the duo are about to be mugged by some street thugs in New York City, and they decide to be completely intimidating (and adorable) by beginning a rap battle.

The Hiphopopotamus and The Rhymenoceros

So get yourself ready to see a lot more of the Conchords in 2008: their first full-length CD is coming out in April, and their show on HBO got renewed for a second season. To get caught up, check out the first season of their show on DVD. I promise you, you won’t regret it.

(Editor’s note: For an additional burst of hilarity, check out this oldie but goodie FOTC clip, “Most Beautiful Girl in the Room“. I like the part about “kababs”. Mostly because their accents allow them to rhyme “cab” with “kabob“)