As millions flock to Washington for the inauguration, many of us prefer (or were forced) to stay at home and not be part of the mad rush of people that will surely cause all of the highways around D.C. and the surrounding states to be jam-packed with people and cars (I’ve had enough with the crowding during the Olympics to last a lifetime). But just because you’re not on the scene doesn’t mean you can’t be with the scene!

There are plenty of other people around who didn’t make the trek to D.C., so have a party! It may be last minute, but there is still plenty of time to gather your friends and a little patriotism together for a killer Proud to be An American bash.

Here are some fun ways for you to celebrate being in American – red, white, and blue style.

Decorate: Now is the perfect time to whip out your old Fourth of July gear and host the best inauguration-watching party ever! Turn your living room into an American flag: blow up balloons, hang  flags on the wall, spread a red tablecloth and set out little blue napkins.

Costumes: Aren’t costume parties the best? Encourage your guests to dress up as their favorite political figure and award to the best-dressed and best-impersonation (cigar, anyone?) with an American favorite: a 30 pack of cheap beer.

FOOD! You can take the easy route with some red, white and blue foods, like watermelon, blueberries and cottage cheese, or you can whip up something patriotic:

• Name foods after fun themes such as “Campaign Trail Mix,” “Sloppy Joe Bidens,” “Barack of Ribs,” “Chicken Right Wings,” or, my personal favorite, “Lipstick Pigs In A Blanket.”
• Make some RW&B Popsicles. Just get any type of juice in all three colors (I like using kool-aid) and some dixie cups and popsicle sticks. Pour the red juice into each cup to about 1/3 full, then freeze until it’s almost frozen but still a little slushy. Insert a popsicle stick into the middle, then pour the white juice in until it’s 2/3 full. Freeze it again, then add the blue juice. Freeze one more time, peel the cups off, and – voila! – patriotism on a stick.
• Want to be more like Obama? Make chili, one of his favorite foods!

Play Some Games: Baseball isn’t called America’s pastime for nothing. Go outside (bundled in scarves and thick jackets, I hope) and toss a few around. I’m sure you could figure out a way to turn that into a drinking game. If baseball isn’t your thing, go shoot some hoops. Instead of playing Horse, though, make it a game of Donkey. Or Obama. Or See Ya Later, Bush! Or, if it’s too cold out, just play a game of  Obama Speech Bingo. Our bet’s on the word “change” getting the most chips.

American Karaoke: Sure, karaoke is usually reserved for Meatloaf and The Outfield, but this is a God Bless America party! Break out the old American faves like Yankee Doodle and God Bless America. Beyonce may have had to perform in front of billions of people, including the president, but you just have to sing in front of your friends, so belt it out shamelessly.

Watch a Movie: Throw in an old American action flick, like The Patriot, Saving Private Ryan, or Black Hawk Down. (Because nothing says I Love America quite like Josh Hartnett. Mmmm.) Or, if you want laughter instead of tears, watch some hilarious youtube videos of past presidents. Shoes not included.

Be proud and celebrate being an American on this great day in U.S. history. You betcha I sure am.

For the last few months, every Monday I’ve highlighted a star who I believe epitomizes style, whether because she takes risks and sets trends, or because she puts together simple ensembles that perfectly highlight her assets. In honor of the new year, I thought we should take a trip down fashion memory lane and see some of 2008′s best dressed stars. These ladies are all style icons of our time for different reasons and I’d jump at the opportunity to invade their closets any day. (To see more of these ladies’ perfect fashion choices, click on their pictures!)

1. Anne Hathaway:

Anne’s a new one on best dressed lists this year; in the past she was never really a stand out when it came to fashion/style, but ever since her break up with that loser bf of hers, she’s been shining as bright as can be. Anne makes fashion choices that are edgy yet classic and the gir knows how to play up her beauty. She’s been a great example for women all over the globe that you can come out of a bad relationship better than before, and for that alone she gets major props.

2. Rihanna:

Rihanna is probably the edgiest star on my list. She has a style that’s all her own and she owns it. Even her edgy hair cut has been an inspiration this year. She wears bright colors, interesting cuts, and always looks smokin’. There’s a reason Rihanna was the first person I chose to be a Style Idol; she tells young women that it’s possible to play up your personal, unique style, to make it look fabulous and to have fun doing it.

3. Leighton Meester:

Leighton is another new comer on the fashion scene, but she’s come in with a bang. Known for her preppy Upper East Side look on Gossip Girl, on the red carpet and out & about, Leighton has a fun, flirty style that utilizes classic designers but puts a young & modern twist on their classic styles. Leighton is a gorgeous gal who knows just how to play up her fresh-faced good looks and her beautiful body.

4. Michelle Obama:

This has been a huge year for politics and for the Obamas and Michelle Obama has been in the epicenter of that, not only for her devotion to her family and her husband’s campaign and her calm and cool demeanor, but also for her keen fashion sense. She’s been touted as the Jackie O of our generation and what she plans to wear on inauguration night is the talk of the town. There is no denying that she consistently looks put-together and stylish, but also professional and well-suited to be the President’s wife. She’s also won praise for the fact that many of her fashion choices are in an affordable price range and easily accessible to the average American woman. I must admit that I, too, am eager to see what she dons on January 20th.

5. Heidi Klum:

Last but not least is Heidi Klum. Though she hasn’t been on my Style Idol list (yet), she is constantly photographed looking absolutely gorgeous and glam. Heidi not only has an amazing body for anyone, let alone a mom of 3 (!), she’s got a look about her that is stunning, but has a girl-next-door air that still makes her likable; she is the woman women want to be. She comes across as fun and funny, yet she always looks polished and stylish. It’s no wonder she hosts one of the top fashion shows on television; her personal style, whether in jeans and a tank or a gorgeous John Galliano gown, is one us mere mortals can only hope to obtain.

Who do you think was best dressed this year?

There are lots of great reasons to vote. Here are just a few of the biggest and baddest:

1. Exercise your right: There are people in this world who don’t have the right to vote. We do, and that is something we should not take for granted. We are so fortunate to be able to have a say in who leads us, what laws get passed and the future of our country. Being that we are college students, this election effects us the most as we will be the people getting jobs, making changes and moving this country forward. We must not sit back and let other people decide our future!

2. Free donuts: Wear your “I Voted” sticker into a neighborhood Krispy Kreme and get a special election themed donut free!

3. Free coffee: Take that free donut and head to the Bucks where you can get a free tall coffee just for casting your vote. The perfect (free) breakfast.

4. Free ice cream: Go vote early so you can get some free Ben and Jerry’s from 5-8.

5. Free sex toys: Those who vote deserve a little pleasure, so head to Babeland to pick up your free Silver Bullet mini vibrator. This thing totally puts the OH! in Obama.

Seriously, if you don’t care about the future of this country (what is wrong with you!?), then at least vote for the free food. I mean, free Starbucks?! That’s gotta be worth something.

Not gonna lie: the past 6-8 months have been really exciting. All this campaigning and debating and Sarah Palin-ing has been really freaking awesome. People are getting involved in politics like never before and it is just really fun to watch it all unfold. But, I can’t say that I am not a wee bit happy to see it all ending in 5 short days.

Let’s look forward to November 4th. Here is a list of pros and cons of the end of election season:

Pro: No more campaign commercials

Con: More time for these kinds of commercials

Pro: No more funny skits on SNL

Con: Unless McCain and Palin win

Pro: We will be done with the Bush administration

Con: I think I just broke a nail (that’s all I could think of)

Pro: No more “experts” on every damn channel predicting how things are going to go in the election

Con: 24 hour news shows will have to be filled with other less interesting crap

Pro: No more interruptions during Deal or No Deal for a 30 minute commercial.

Con: No more excuses to eat baked goods (“I’m supporting my candidate!”)

Pro: No more hearing about Joe the Plumber, Joe Sixpack, or any other Joe.

Con: Those guys were the closest things I’ve had to a relationship in a really long time (besides Joe I-Can’t-Last-More-Than-40-Seconds).

Pro: We will have a new president!

Con: We will still have a seriously crappy economic situation, a war with Iraq, and other really huge issues to deal with. Oh, and we still have to go to class on Election Day.

The other thing that paralyzed me, and that made me think it wouldn’t matter if I voted even in the presidential election, was the electoral college. I’m from good old Massachusetts — you know, the first state to legalize gay marriage, the so-blue-we-don’t-even- see-the-color-red state, the most liberal state in the union. There is never a contest about who wins our state’s votes. In fact, the politicians don’t even try; in the last election, I didn’t see a single presidential campaign ad.

So why bother voting? My vote amounts to a spit in the wind, and as long as we’re not talking about national popular vote as an option, things are going to stay that way. Still, though, I felt a renewed urge to cast my vote this year, because more than ever it seems like a year when a tremendous amount is at stake. Like hundreds of millions of others, I’ve seen my country slowly going down the tubes in the past eight years. It’s gotten a lot harder to be proud of my country, and I see the ideals it stands for increasingly obscured by smoke.

That’s when I found out that several states — including my college’s state of New Jersey — have voted to pledge their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular election. Hot damn, my vote counts for one vote again! It’s a very exciting and rebellious move on the part of several states who are tired of only Ohio and Pennsylvania getting all the love.

So I registered!

And you should too. For all you college students out there, register for an absentee ballot the next time you’re in your hometown, or you can register to vote in your college’s state as long as you have a resident address there. College democratic and republican organizations are eager to register young voters, so they often have booths up in public spaces on campus to help you get registered (and are always giving away free stuff!). Go to that extra effort to be a first-timer and you’ll feel invested in your country’s politics and future to a whole new degree.

So for those of you who feel apathetic the way I did, I urge you to reconsider this year. There’s just too much at stake to sit idly by — and this time, your vote just might make a heck of a difference.

In today’s Photoshoped world, it’s hard to tell which buzz-worthy pictures are fake, and which ones are actual hilarious moments caught by a camera…

We’re sincerely hoping this one is legit.

If you support Barack Obama but think you’re too poor to donate any amount to his campaign that would make a difference, think again.

Until today (9/19) at midnight, the campaign has a matching donation program set up. That means that anything you donate is automatically doubled by some other kind soul. If you’d like, you can send that person a thank-you message after you make your donation.

So if Obama’s your man, now’s the time to show it with a little green! Here is the explanation and donation page.

[Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons.]

I digress.

Anyway, the democrats got all pissy and whiney about the ad and made some comments that didn’t do anything to help the situation, but I’m sure they’re still whining about it, not being productive, you know, the usual. I didn’t really see the problem with the ad, mainly because I was psyched about Paris Hilton being president.

I’m not really wild about either candidate, so I’m going to have to say we all write-in Paris Hilton for president for 2008. Mostly, because who couldn’t do a better job than what’s his name? Also, because she would hopefully implement some great policies that would bring this country out of it’s depressing state.

She’s a perfect representative for America. She has tons of super sweet connections with people, even if the majority of her network is people she’s given blow jobs to. She’s concerned with appearances and does not approve of anything “not hot,” like terrorism, hate crimes, animal cruelty and flannel. She doesn’t seem to care about either the Democrat or Republican party, but she does party, thus making her the perfect middle ground this country needs.

I’d start tuning into C-SPAN if she passed a law that mandated everyone in the House of Representatives to bring a tiny pursedog or other cute animal to every meeting. I’d watch her speeches, even if most of them were interrupted by her answering text messaged on her bedazzled BlackBerry. I’d even watch her speeches if they were filmed in Night Vision!

Maybe John “I Just Wet My Depends” McCain has a solid point. Maybe all this country needs is a little hotness. So, who’s with me?

“Hilton ’08: Yes, We CAN, bitch! Loves it!”

MTV

Surprisingly enough, the cast and crew actually appear to have some talent. Lawson reportedly worked with Clint Eastwood on “Letters from Iwo Jima,” and one cast member has acted on “The West Wing.”

All this begs the question of… why? The movie’s site makes it clear that the cast and crew support Obama, but maybe they could’ve donated a few thousand to his campaign instead of making a movie that depicts him as a singing killer of vampires.

On the other hand, I have to admit that this will grab people’s attention more than a drop in Obama’s campaign bucket would. MTV asks the question “Is all publicity really good publicity?” but I don’t think that’s the issue. In fact, I think the real question here is: why does Obama’s persona lend itself so well to multimedia inspirations?

I’m not gonna lie. When I was undecided about whom to vote for in the primaries, Obama Girl and her famous video made me first sit up and actually take notice of the canidate she was singing about. Hey, I can’t help it if the song is catchy! And now that I’ve actually found out more about Obama, I’m a supporter all the way (and I really can’t get the freaking song out of my head).

So, maybe the question about “Barackula” shouldn’t be why, but why not? If it gets a few more voters who have a penchant for vampires, Harvard, coeds, or musicals to give a longer look to Obama and what he stands for, then I’m all for it.