Are you an aspiring actress? Or maybe you just really liked The Devil Wears Prada? Either way, it’s totally acceptable to dream of becoming as fabulous as Meryl Streep. Well, now you can learn to be a great actress just like Miss Meryl, all thanks to Ellen DeGeneres. Watch as Ellen gives her audience an acting lesson, and look out for a guest appearance from Meryl herself.

After stumbling across Caitlin Crosby’s music online, I have to give a big shout out to the boys over at Google. Had it not been for their little idea in a garage so long ago, I may never have been introduced to this talented girl and her unique sound. A sound that I seriously can’t get enough of.

Caitlin isn’t like most artists out there right now. First of all, she writes her own music. And she’s really good at it. Her songs are full of thought and ideas that you don’t normally find in an MP3. They make you happy, they make you sing, and they make you think. She also happens to be an incredible role model for all women, making it her goal to get all of us to love ourselves as we are.

I’ve pretty much fallen head over heels for this girl, so I was jumping for joy when she agreed to sit down and share her story with CollegeCandy. Get to know her a little bit, listen to her music and you’ll be playing her songs on repeat, too.

5 questions we ask everyone:

1.    What is your most ridiculous college memory/most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
My old car braking down and having gang members help my girlfriends and I out. It was fun and scary at the same time. We took pictures. My mom still looses sleep over the story.

2.    Five things you can’t live without
Morning cafe’s/Coffee, Mac laptop, Bioelements face wash, iPhone, and my parents.

3.    What’s your motto/advice you live by?
The main purpose of life is to love people. Whatever that means to you.

4.    Your favorite song to belt out at the bar/in the car/for karaoke?
Baby Got Back.

5.    Ten years from now you will be….
Still making music and the world a better place!

5 Questions Just for Caitlin:

1.    Tell us about LoveYourFlawz.com. Why is that so important to you?
The LoveYourFlawz.com project is so important to me because I think the media – as far as certain beauty magazines etc – sends out negative messages and shows us unattainable images that leave most people feeling insecure. I wanted to help people see that it’s who they are on the inside that makes them beautiful & special, and that it’s the imperfections and unique quarks that make us unique and cool…

2.    What has been the biggest moment of your career thus far?
Mmmm, probably flying home from my first tour. It felt so good to travel around with lots of new responsibilities and get to experience that lifestyle.

3.    With all the other female artists out there, what sets you apart?
I think what sets me apart is that I didn’t want to make an album full of love songs. I really have strong opinions and passions about serious issues in our generation and put all of those elements into the songs.  Hopefully it will not blend in.

4.    Trust me, it does not. I’ve been playing your stuff on repeat for 3 weeks now. I think my neighbors hate me. But anyways….You’ve been in the Hollywood scene your whole life – why did you choose music over acting?
I prefer the music world and writing songs because I wasn’t fufilled by reading other peoples’ lines from scripts and going on auditions all the time. I feel 100% me and creative with music – more free.

5.  You definitely seem like someone who needs to be free, and it’s easy to see that in your style.  How would you describe it? And how can I do it without looking like a poser?
I love funky bright mis-matched, sparkly, overly accessorized stuff. I love vintage and cheap finds, as well as anything from Urban Outfitters. Can’t go wrong there. Oh and borrowing from friends is always fun too! Rock your personal style by having fun with how you mix and match.

Need an excuse? Try the economy.

What is the most stressful moment of a relationship?

Katy Perry shares her thoughts on marriage.

What’s your hangover cure?

Victoria Beckham is too busy for Ugly Betty.

Get that perfect sunkissed look for Spring.

We heard him say…he’s the voice of our generation?

New ladies are taking the reigns tonight on SNL.

Mariah wears holiday lingerie on her own.

Lindsay still likes dudes, and wants Sam to be okay with that.

Angelina giving up acting?

So hot right now: zipper booties!l

Will Spencer please STFU?!

Un-effable names for dudes.

The Peach Pit got a facelift (and an espresso machine), the popular blonde got a perm, and Shannon Doherty got kinda old and raggedy, but not much else changed from the days of the old 90210 and the new one. (Except the acting. That totes went downhill… and I am being generous.)

Even some of the token characters from the old/better days have been reincarnated for the 2008 watered-down version of the best show of all time.

Like David Silver, the dorky yet adorable techy guy who was always carrying a giant video camera around. His modern day doppelganger? Navid Shirazi, also a dorky yet adorable techy guy who always carries around a camera, only his is much sleeker.

And, yes, his name is Navid. As in David with one letter changed. Creative!

So, which one is cuter? My beloved Brian Austin Green, or the fresh, young Michael Steger?

Yeah, it seems that Ms. Lohan was at one point an actress. Wait…now I remember. Mean Girls. I loved that movie! Oh man. Remember that part at the end when the girls are all sharing secrets and that girl was like, “Most people think I’m lying about being a virgin because I prefer jumbo tampons, but I can’t help it if I have a heavy flow and a wide-set vagina!”

Ha! Classic.

But back to my point. Lindsay has returned to work! She has been spending a lot of time on the set of her new movie, Labor Pains, and the reps for the movie say that everything is going A-Ok. Last time I checked, no one in Hollywood would insure a Lohan movie because she’s so…er….she’s a hot mess. But, the peeps behind Labor Pains decided Lohan was a risk worth taking. According to People:

“We were a little bit reluctant to work with her,” Lati Grobman, one of the producers, tells PEOPLE. “But she’s been amazing. We took the chance. It’s good that we did. So far, so good.”

I know that everyone is claiming things are hunky-dory (yes, I just said that) over on the set, but seeing this ensemble Lindsay has put together I have serious doubts of her sobriety. Yes, I realize she has given up the leggings, but suede boots with high waisted/totally unflattering jean shorts just makes me questions a few things. She has to be using, right? Right?

The “problem” with Dakota Fanning, in my opinion, is that she’s a REAL actress who happens to still be very young. This, of course, shouldn’t be a problem, but because Dakota’s abilities often overpower her actual age, people have a hard time figuring out what to do with her.

Dakota has always been able to bring to life realities in characters that I sincerely doubt most other actresses her age–or even older–could do. However, her desire to do more than simple ‘sweet and innocent’ roles have caused some people to cringe.

Her much talked about film that will be released this summer, “Hounddog“, has had most of the acting community biting their lips since it first showed up at Sundance last year. The controversy surrounding this film has been building, and in case you haven’t already heard, here’s why:

Twelve year old Dakota Fanning has taken on a role in this film that is not at all unreal, despite how disturbing it may or may not be to posh families across the country. The story is about a girl who has survived abuse on many levels. She, like so many other young girls and boys, turns to music.

Dakota’s role is a difficult one. It calls for her to adopt the nerve shaking characteristics of a girl who has been raped. And this is where the trouble with the film really begins. Many people don’t like the idea of a girl so young playing a role like this.

But to condemn this film because of this is downright outlandish to me. To dismiss support for this project because of this particular content is not only to simultaneously limit the artistic freedoms that filmmakers are entitled to have, but it’s also to turn a blind eye to a reality. Young girls in this country are sexually abused regardless of how well Americans are able to sweep the fact under the rug. If any young actress out there can take on this role maturely; it is Dakota.

I DO understand why the entire atmosphere of this film makes so many people so uncomfortable. However, I don’t feel as though it is fair for us to punish a young actress for aspiring to do more with her talent than a Disney production.

What’s your view?