As 2008 draws to a close, those of us here at College Candy strive to provide you with a recap of the year in pop culture, poring over countless magazines and endless E! programs to get the full scoop of the year’s worst. In no particular order, we present to you our list of Pop Culture shiz that should forever stay in 2008.

The Pregnant Man – Thomas Beattie became the sensation of the world in April when he appeared on Oprah to defend his choice to have a child as a transgendered man. Sticking up for your beliefs? Awesome, and definitely commendable. Eventually turning into a fame slut and marketing out your second pregnancy? Not cool. Now pregnant with his second child, Beattie has already cemented a book deal on his experience and been interviewed a second time as a ‘Barbara Walters Exclusive.’ One child is a miracle. A second one immediately afterwards is a marketing scheme.

Batsh** Insane Celebrities Across The Media - Britney, Lindsey, and others: we’re talking to you. 2008 was the year of the mental millionaire, with the world playing a captive audience to the tragic, bizarre, and sometimes just eerie behavior of celebrities. We watched Britney Spears struggle to put her life back together after divorce, Lindsey Lohan battling various addictions, and Scarlett Johansson crossing the borderline into stalker-ish about Barack Obama. Here’s the real scoop: an estimated 57.7 million adults are suffering from a diagnosable mental illness in the United States alone. What makes these celebrities any different from these people who are suffering in private besides their income and the paparazzi that shadow them? Watching people suffer is definitely a trend that shouldn’t cross over into ‘09. Read More »

Happy Hanukkah, people!

In honor of the eight days of Hanukkah, we decided to do a tribute to our 8 favorite Hanukkah celebrators (also known as Jews). But then we decided that 8 just wasn’t enough; there are too many good ones! So, we upped it to eight Jews for each of the eight days.

Yes, it’s a lot of Jewish, but let’s be real – Hanukkah gets totally ignored this time of year, so we thought it would be nice to give a little shout-out to the people not dreaming of a white Christmas. You know, the ones dreaming of a little Mu Shu on Christmas eve. Click on any of our favorite Jews to see why we love em so much (and why anyone – Jew or non Jew – will love them too!). Read More »

Barbara Walters debuted her Top 10 Most Fascinating People of 2008 last night and I’ve got to be honest…some of her choices left us thinking “What. The. Eff?” Clearly the list was a marketing ploy, but this year’s list was uber transparent.

So we thought we’d whip up a little list of our own absurdly fascinating people. Enjoy!

Barbara chose:

Will Smith – He’s got that new movie coming out, Seven Pounds, and he…um, yea.

Flava Flav – What’s he been up to lately? Something fascinating, I’m sure. Read More »

According to Hollyscoop.com (and tons of other sites on the web today) Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the one reigning Republican on The View is getting wicked pissed that all the other loud-talking ladies on her show are always going after to her when it comes to politics.

It seems like Barbara Walters is even planning a “cool down meeting” to keep little Hasselbeck from jumping ship and heading over to Fox News.

I don’t really watch The View, but I can only imagine what it would be like to have Whoopie, Joy, that other lady, and Barbara Walters jumping down your throat every day. However, to be fair, whenever I turn the show on by accident, Hasselbeck is usually talking awfully loud about something that isn’t interesting.

So Josh Hartnett has a sex tape. God heard our prayers! What we wouldn’t give to see that thing…in IMAX. [Wipes drool off of desk.] Knowing this (and praying that we can one day watch it) got us thinking: what does one eat while watching a sex tape? Popcorn? Edible underwear?

Also, who else would we want to see starring in their very own sex tape?

Ed Westwick, fo sho.

The teacher from the new 90210.

Ourselves (for private viewing only…and the cellulite would have to be airbrushed).

Anyone, in fact, besides these people: Read More »

The View has finally announced that Whoopi Goldberg will be joining the daily gab-fest.Goldberg is set to stat the day after Labor Day. And apparently, Barbara Walters is still looking for a 5th host (Hey Babs- I am totally available!)

I must say, the first fifteen minutes of The View is always entertaining. Watching “Hot Topics” is like fast-forwarding a scene at my sorority house kitchen table to twenty-five years from now. Gossiping about stars, shouting over each other to be heard and not really caring (or listening to) what the other girls at the table have to say. It is great to know not much will change in my life between now and the year 2030 (and thanks to Botox, really, nothing will change!) Read More »

There’s just something about Regis Philbin, his demeanor, the look in his eye, the way he hunches over his high risen stool and leans into camera, peering relentlessly into the eyes of millions of American housewives and grandmothers. In truth, I can’t help but dislike him as Kelly Rippa chirps solemnly around set, over gesticulating her way into the stuff of a morning show legend. In the chair where Kathy Lee Gifford would ultimately rise and fall, how quickly we forget success when failure interferes with commercial advertising.

This is what daytime television is made of, predetermined banter spiked with personal ambiguity hidden behind the confides of little blue index cards. These types of hosts thrive mostly on conformity and the pleasing of the masses. Mostly they steer away from subversion preferring never to rock the boat. They are the “Murdoch worshipers”, living to please the peacock, look into the CBS eye and learn their ABC’s while minding their P‘s and Q‘s. These are “the Grains” of America‘s food pyramid. You should eat six ounces a day with at least half of them whole. Grains are the basis of a healthy diet. This may come as a surprise to you after years of being told to stay away from foods such as breads, rice, and cereal.

Though every host is in a sense looking to keep his or her position and maintain a relationship with a network it seems that there are a few using their timeslots as a platform to voice opinions, provide insight and increase social change. Oprah Winfrey for example changed the face of television by using her power to form a movement. Making a sincere effort to challenge the way Americans think and feel about the state of the world. Her book club increased literacy in America, her charities have save millions of lives, and her Angel Network has provided educational opportunities that were otherwise impossible for young students simply by collecting a country’s spare change. Read More »