Angelina smiles! (Oh wait…that’s not the news.)

My Christmas dreams have already come true.

What happened to Rihanna!?

Drunk guys will hump anyone….

How do Blake Lively’s boobs do that?

Fergie’s SNL meltdown.

An NYU student was found dead at the library this morning.

Some celebs did it all wrong on Halloween.

Is there a J.Lo sex tape coming?

Angelina Jolie needs a cookie.

Kirstie Alley tries another weight loss idea.

Kim Kardashian gets a fist to the face.

Best. Hollywood couple. Ever?

Michael Buble is a pot-head.

Your daily delicious dose of RPatz.

The 10 worst drug store shampoos.

I knew Angelina wasn’t perfect.

Pick up a dude this Halloween weekend!

Making a great book into a movie is often the kiss of death. Fans of the book criticize the movie to no end, critics shame the director for fouling such a work of art, etc, etc. Everyone and everything surrounding a book-to-movie production seems very, well, dramatic. And unsuccessful. However, there are a few movies out there that got it all right, enhancing the book and even telling the story even better than the book itself.

And this is coming from a self-proclaimed reading snob.

I’ve created a list of my top 4 books made into movies. Granted, I have not seen every movie ever made that is based on a book, but I think I have a pretty good base to choose from. Let me know if you agree or add your own to the list

#4. Lord of the Rings Trilogy

I know that I’m probably going to get flack for this one from the hard-core fans, but making “The Lord of the Rings” novels into movies was not only one of the best financial decisions ever made (raking in a cool BILLION on ticket sales and rentals alone), but also a smart pop culture move. Before the movies, the books and whole “culture” of LOTR were fairly underground; some people read the books in school, but other than that, they weren’t terribly popular. And I’d like to think I know why.

I tried to read the books. I barely got through the first one and had to give up. I’m not a detail person so I found several pages describing the movement of grass in a valley to be WAY too much. But then I saw the movie – which obviously eliminated all that need for boring description – and it. was. awesome. The story, the drama, the imagination that went into coming up with all those characters and details. Good move with the movie, LOTR people. A good move, indeed.

#3. Girl, Interrupted

“Girl, Interrupted” is actually an autobiography. Susanna Kaysen was committed to a mental institution in 1967 because reality had become too “dense.” Susanna was certainly not crazy, so her account of her 2 year stay makes for a super interesting read. However, the visual is so much more compelling. You can read about the interesting characters she encounters all you like, but when you actually see them there is a much greater impact. Matched with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder’s superb acting skills (critically acclaimed, in fact!), the story just takes flight. I found myself to be much more attached to and affected by the movie compared to the book. Some things you just have to see for yourself, I guess!

#2. The Bourne Trilogy

After I realized that the Jason Bourne movies were actually based on action novels, I rushed to the library to pick up “The Bourne Identity.” I was shocked at the size of it: a whopping 544 pages! Needless to say I less-than-quickly read through it and was left wanting more. The movies were so action-packed and kept me on the edge of my seat and the books fell a little bit flat. Perhaps this was because I had already seen the movie, but I really feel like the book is a bit of overkill. For example, the first 60 or so pages explain how a Frenchman found Jason floating in the middle of the ocean and nursed him back to health on an island. In the movie, that same part took about 30 seconds to explain. I just found that the screenwriters did a really good job of cutting out the unnecessary junk in the book and making a really streamlined, fast-paced thriller (as all action books and movies should be).

#1. The Notebook

Originally written by Nicholas Sparks, “The Notebook” was a best-selling novel. But despite how well it did as a book, the movie just blows it out of the water. I won’t give away too much plot for those 3 people on earth who haven’t seen it, but basically, it revolves around the epic love story of Allie and Noah. From their humble beginnings as teenagers, to a rough time where they almost lose each other due to family problems, to them as seniors, the movie encompasses their entire lives together.

The film is heartfelt and tells the story so perfectly, jumping between the past to the present. The cast was perfect and everything from the script to the scenes to the superb acting just draws the viewer into the story. I’m typically not a crier, but I cry every. time. I watch this movie. It truly is book-to-movie perfection.

Yeah, that's me. As Octomom. Never. Having. Sex. Again.

I have a good life: a job I love, a closet full of fantastic clothes, and some pretty rad friends and family. But even with all that I am always wondering what it would be like to trade places with someone else for a day.

Like my friend Amy – I’ve always wanted to know what it is like to have big boobs and a teeny, tiny waist. Or Octomom – spending a single day with 14 kids will teach me not to skip the condom when I’m in the heat of the moment. Or pretty much any celebrity with oodles of money and people bowing down to them wherever they go.

I’m pretty sure everyone – no matter how content – would give anything (even that coveted slice of drunken late-night pizza) to be someone else for one day. So this week I asked the CollegeCandy writers which celebrity they’d want to trade places with.

Who do you wanna be?

Thu – USC: I’d be Oprah and give away houses this time.

Kayla – California State University, Sacramento: Maybe I would be Heidi Montag. It might be nice to not have to use my brain for one day.

Kathryn – University of Wisconsin-Madison: I would want to trade places with Renee Zellweger. ONLY because she’s reportedly dating Bradley Cooper. Yum.

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley: Jennifer Aniston.  She’s hot and, let’s face it, everybody secretly roots for Team Aniston.

Brithny – Duke: Michelle Obama! ‘Cause then I’d be First Lady, have an awesome family (and cute dog), and tons of fabulous clothes.

Elise – Stanford: I’d be Padma Lakshmi -  total fox, AND she gets to sample all the deliciousness on Top Chef.

Cristina – Michigan State:  I’d have to say Chloe Sevigny.  She dresses like a boss and is so weird she’s cool.

Jill – University of Wisconsin: I want to trade places with whoever is dating Jason Segel. He’s funny, he’s tall and have you seen the full frontal nudity in Forgetting Sarah Marshall?

Desiree – Columbia University: I’d love to be Christina Hendricks, the woman who plays Joan Holloway on Mad Men. She’s really hot right now but not hot in a let’s-wait-to-see-how-she-screws-up-next way. Beauty, brains, sharp tongue, and she gets to raid the wardrobe closet!

Brittany – University of Richmond: I think I would be Brooke Hogan or Lady Gaga for a day. That way I can settle the age old man/woman debate. It would be for the greater good of society. I am philanthropic in that way.

Carly – Grinnell: This is a toughie, but I think I would love to be J.K. Rowling for a day so I could see what it’s like in her mind.

Ricki – University of Michigan: I need to be Heidi Klum.  I can speak in a cool accent, walk down the Victoria’s Secret runway, and discover if she actually is human since she is always working and has four kids and a hot hubby.

Kari – Florida State:  I would trade places with Robert Pattinson for the day, for three reasons and three reasons only. 1) Stare at myself naked in the mirror for a few hours, 2) Get drunk and chain smoke at the Chateau Marmont for no reason, 3) Make out with/ declare my love for Kristen Stewart in the most public way possible, just to see if I could beat Obama’s magazine cover record.

Ness – Sheridan: I would be Paris Hilton. Just to figure out why the hell she thinks she’s famous.

Elizabeth – University of Missouri: Rachel Zoe – I don’t know if she actually counts, but I would love to be able to wear anything in her closet for a day. Oh, and have Brad, aka the cutest guy on the planet, as my assistant.

John – UConn: Emma Watson is going to be a freshman at Brown, and I’m going to be a senior at UConn. I’d trade places with her in a heartbeat. Oh, to be a young girl again!

Mandy – Hofstra: I’d like to switch places with Jenna Dewan so I can do the nasty with Channing Tatum. Multiple times.

Sara C – Fordham: I would want to be Usain Bolt, the sprinter from Jamaica who just broke his own world record in the 100m dash (9.58 seconds, which translates to about 24 mph). How sick must it feel to be able to run that fast?!?

Sarabeth – University of Texas: Angelina Jolie. Save the world, take care of some adorable kids, AND sleep with Brad Pitt? Count me in.

Maddie – Tufts: Gisele. It’s pretty self explanatory. Plus I’ve always wanted to wear those Victoria’s Secret wings!

Alana – Boston University: I’d totally want to be Suri Cruise. She sits around all day, looks cute and gets to wear Burberry.

Lady Gaga is not a hermaphrodite, OK?

Is Facebook making us crazier?

Now that’s a Channing Tatum role I’d like to see…

Does Angelina Jolie EVER look bad?!

Designer shoes on the cheap.

Leighton Meester, what are you wearing?

A breastfeeding baby doll? Ew.

What does Lauren Conrad know about modeling?

Tim Tebow. Muscles. Sweat. Droooool.

Oklahoma really likes Angelina Jolie.

Is Penn State really the best party school?

Lay off the spray tan, Channing Tatum.

David Beckham refuses to pose with Angie?

5 skin goofs you might be making.

Why is Christian Bale so skinny!?

Those NYC Prep kids are totally effed.

Jon Gosselin’s girlfriend is really classy.

15 ways to Go Green on campus.

My favorite singer belting out my favorite MJ song? Heaven.

Will Angelina Jolie steal David Beckham, too?

And this is why we should never dance on bars.

5 hairstyles to beat that heat.

Looks like K-Fed is on Britney’s old diet plan.

Garnier launches a whole bunch of great products.

Girls with tattoos get a bad rap these days. They are associated with “don’t mess with me” bad ass chicks, trashy/skanky girls, and hippie-love-child wannabes. But I want a tattoo and I am none of those things.

I’ve been thinking long and hard about permanently tagging myself, but I can’t seem to commit to it. There is so much to consider, tattoos being permanent and all, and the last thing I want is to regret my decision. Or end up with 56 stars on my face.

On the one hand, I agree with Angelina Jolie when she said, “A tattoo is something permanent when you’ve made a self-discovery, or something you’ve come to a conclusion about…and a strong reminder to live fully in the moment.” At the same time, though, I also agree with my friend’s brother who said, “Imagine getting scrunch socks tattooed on your legs in the early 90’s. Would you want that there now?”

Touch, bro. Touche.

So, let’s break down the pros and cons of the tat.

It Will Be On You Forever

The bad: Obviously, a trademark of a tattoo is that it’s permanent, which is part of both its charm and its demise. I know a girl who got an enormous tattoo on her ribcage and half of her stomach. Let’s be real here, people are living pretty damn long these days, which means stupid adages to “live fast, die fun” will be stuck on their (considerably more flabby and wrinkly) torsos for just as long.

The good: Some tattoos are chosen simply for their permanence, such as getting your significant other permanently scrolled across your arm to proclaim your everlasting love (right Johnny Depp?), or for someone you lost, a part of your heritage, or something that means a lot to you. If placed in a strategic location, who cares if something important to you is on you forever? That’s the point!

It Will Generate Attention

The bad: Let’s face it, a lot of girls with tattoos are the same people who wear shirts that say “Drink Til He’s Cute” and will likely attempt a bar fight with you for looking at her man wrong. In other words: they want people to look at ‘em. Getting butterflies, flowers or dolphins inked in a visible location (i.e. lower back) is just begging guys to stare. And judge you.

The good: Nothing screams “I am spontaneous and interesting” like a well-positioned, unique and understated tattoo. Afterball, tattoos are like stories on your body, each having an inherent meaning. I know a guy who chased after this girl simply for her little Chinese character on her lower hip because she just seemed “so much cooler than the girls he was used to.”

It Is A Work Of Art

The bad: Apparently not all tattoo artists are on the same level. I know a few people who have received bad tattoos and deeply regret them. One girl got stars tattooed right above her vajay (I know – really poor decision…) and the guy doing them totally messed up (maybe because he was so close to her vajay). But even the best tattoos can bleed or fade, leaving your beautiful looking like more of an eyesore than eye candy.

The good: Gotta love that freedom of expression. What many people forget is that tattooing is one of the oldest and most widely practiced forms of artwork. Also, tattooing an original design onto your body is an unparalleled mode of expression and can be liberating. The uniqueness and value you and others assign to tattoos is the part that matters.