Today is Iowa Caucus day! It’s more important than almost anything else happening today (unless Beyoncé finally pops) and we want you to know exactly what’s going on. I mean, today’s outcome could determine who will run against Obama and who could be our next president.

While we could put together a cutesy little gallery telling you which of the Republican candidates looks best topless, we think you’re smarter than that. We think you want real news, right? That’s why we’ve put together a list of the blogs that know exactly what’s happening in Iowa and can explain it to you in a way that you’ll understand.

A minute by minute guide to what’s going down in Iowa today (Politico)

Who is winning the expectations game (Buzzfeed)

Live updates from the caucus (Huffington Post)

A live Twitter feed giving you all the latest news (CNN)

Election news from our most conservative reporters (Fox News)

So go read up on the latest news and then come back here and tell us who you think is going to win and why.

While I’m sitting here in Splitsville mending my heart with candy corn and Halloween M&Ms, let’s take a look at some less-depressing recent hot topics.

-It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and one CC reader wants you to know the disease isn’t restricted to older women.  Check yo self, ladies.

-We told you how to score Blake Lively’s look for less.  Because shopping always makes us feel better! Especially when that shopping puts money back in our pockets.

-With Halloween only a couple weeks away, we wondered if our favorite holiday breeds sexism.  Those sexy kitten, nurse, and maid outfits sure are revealing, after all…

-We found that some bitches are crazy, even outside the TV.  Do you know how to spot a real-life Gossip Girl?

-If you’re out of college with a slightly out of focus post-grad path, you’re not alone.  Stop hyperventilating, start embracing.

-How accepting are you really?

-Ugh, Blue Books. Just writing about them gives us anxiety.

-We swear we’re never too old to wear pigtails, lick the bowl, and do these other childhood favorites.

-From poopin’ in private to creative culinary solutions, Columbus may have found America, but we’ve got the 411 on the best college discoveries.

- And, not that you should need one, but we gave you 5 reasons to get out there and vote on November 2nd. Do it.

The Inauguration of our 44th president is on tomorrow, and frankly I can’t remember anyone ever really caring about this ceremonial aspect of an election. Until this year.

And, wow, do they care.

D.C is “poppin’ off,” as the kids say. People have been partying all week, and will continue all week. What seems like the entire world is flocking to DC and my campus is on security lock-down, since GW is only 4 blocks from the White House. A huge, free concert with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Beyonce to Bono was held on the National Mall on yesterday to celebrate. There are legit balls, as in Cinderella balls, to honor this man. Even the Metro tickets have Obama on them. Signs, posters, and more port-o-potties than you can fathom are popping up all over the city. This is big.

It is all strangely reminiscent of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy accidentally crushes the Wicked Witch with her house, and all the little munchkins are crazy happy. Ding, Dong, the witch is dead Bush is gone!

As much as I like partying (and Bruce Springsteen!), as much as I want to see Bush retreat to Crawford and stay there forever, this event is really about Obama. Not too long ago, only about 40 years back, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to a sea of people (down the street from my dorm building!) about a dream he had, in which his children would be judged “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This was a time, as we all know, when a black person was given less rights than a white person. A black person would not be allowed to eat in certain segregated restaurants, let alone become the leader of the free world. And just one hundred years before that, that same person would not have even had freedom. I know these are heavy issues, but it is so amazing that Dr. King’s prophecy has literally fulfilled itself in the same city of his famous dream’s inception.

Whether or not you voted for Obama (or own multiple Obama tees from Urban, like me), you can appreciate that this year America did something absolutely incredible. People with a belief, a cause and a whole lot of hope, rallied behind a single man and accomplished something I honestly did not think could happen.

During this Inauguration time, I encourage you to celebrate and party hard or whatever, because this is a great time to be an American, but also take this day to seriously reflect on the nation in which you live and what it is capable of. I am proud, and I think it is safe to assume Martin Luther King Junior would agree.

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.

“Reality” Dating Shows - Now that Flavor Flav has finally hung up his clock and gone off the air, there are about thirty shows taking his place, and they’re spreading like cockroaches. Tila Tequila, the ‘Ikki Twins,’ and others are taking over Vh1 and MTV mercilessly, swamping our televisions with drunken fights (actually funny to watch), and pointless drama. Who makes their boyfriends/girlfriends eat nasty pig parts and do bizarre things in the name of love? These loveless actors do. Some dating shows range from the creepy (Date My Mom) to the outright postmortem (The Bachelor), but either way, they all need to go.

Political Ignorance/Apathy – In the year of the historical election, political action was awesome and political apathy was absolutely the anti-cool. The worst of the worse were the nonpartisans who were both apathetic and uneducated about the election. Their “why should I bother to vote” statements were both inhibiting to the democratic tradition and simply irritating. Guaranteed to piss off people who were voting, the ‘Not Voting’ demographic drew on fallacies and the platforms that they didn’t really understand to prove why they weren’t going to vote. The election was basically a two horse race, but there were still other entries available as an alternate, so not voting at all was just not cool.

Guys in Girl Jeans – It’s creepy. It’s weird. It’s a guy shopping in the same section as you in PacSun. As you put down the pair of sunglasses you were looking at and openly stare, you realize he’s not just shopping for a shirt to give to his girlfriend. He’s holding three pairs of jeans in his hand, and there’s no girlfriend in sight. As you watch, he takes the jeans and starts walking to the dressing rooms. You are not witnessing a confused shopper. You’re witnessing the Girl Jean Phenomenon, a plague of 2008 pop culture, and a trend that needs to die on December 31st. Guys wearing our jeans is not cool or edgy. It’s just lame and, now, overplayed.

Saturday Night Live – Is it still going? It’s been in the process of becoming painfully unfunny in the years since Will Ferrell left, and now with the exit of Amy Poehler, we just need to euthanize it. A classic sketch show that began in 1975 with genuinely funny people, SNL has run over six hundred episodes of pure comedic bliss continuously for thirty-three years. As with all great series, though, the time has come to put SNL out of its misery before it becomes the kind of joke it used to make.

Churning Out Tween Pop Stars By The Dozen – If child enslavement was defined as being manufactured on a kids’ show and being shoved on the masses, Disney and Nickelodeon would be doing massive amounts of time in jail. The list of sugary sweet music artists includes, but definitely is not limited to The Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, Demi What’s-Her-Name, That Miranda Kid, and a host of others, few if any of whom have actual talent. But you wouldn’t know, because should you approach any method of media that is playing a song by them, you’ll be deafened instantly and hopelessly by the cacophony of shrieking that erupts. The Original Disney Channel Star, Hilary Duff, unfortunately started it all when she split from Disney in 2004 to pursue a solo career (which caused a big fuss, if I remember right). She was an original, at least for the Disney Channel. These cookie cutter kids? About as generic as it gets.

Agree or disagree? Think something else should have made the list? Voice your opinions below, and tell us what you think about the worst pop culture in 2008!

So this year, I’m making a New Year’s resolution to complete my entire list of New Year’s resolutions. And this means that I’ll either have to drastically improve my self-control, dedication and work ethic – not on the list – or I’ll have to drastically lower my expectations. Resolution #0 is to avoid anything that sounds like work, so here goes: the list of resolutions I know I can pull off.

Resolution #1: Stand around inside a gym regularly

I can’t understand why people think this one’s so hard – going to the gym, I’ve discovered, is easy; as long as I don’t hit a deer on the way, I can get there about nine out of ten attempts. And I’ve developed plenty of useful exercises to fill out an hour-long cardio workout: pressing buttons on the treadmill, switching my iPod playlist, going to the water fountain and estimating how many of me would fit in that guy’s biceps. I’ve planned a pretty good mat routine, too, but I don’t think I’ll be able to handle either the push-up or the modified (“girl”) push-up. Instead, I’ve developed the “modified girl push-up,” which is where I watch girls do push-ups.

Resolution #2: Spend less money on bad beer

I spent a lot of money on Keystone Light and Pabst Blue Ribbon last year. I could probably get around this by soldering my mouth shut or mailing my bank account to a Venezuelan drug cartel, but those are terribly inelegant solutions, I think. It’d be much more poetic to fulfill my resolution by spending more money on good beer. This one’s easy to keep, too, because once my account is dry, it’s impossible to buy any more Natural Light. It’ll just be me, my moral high ground, and several thousand cans of Guinness.

Resolution #3: Spend more time in Starbucks

Last year, I began to evolve into a Starbucksian. My eyesight is perfect, so I had mixed feelings when I discovered a tiny pair of thick-rimmed glasses actually growing on the bridge of my nose. But, you know, I think I’m going to roll with it, because I don’t mind the natural hair gel I’ve developed, and I appreciate how my stubble now stays at that “poetic bohemian” length.This means I need to devote more hours to my favorite coffee shop. I know, it’ll be tough, especially after I buy all that beer. But if drink enough Caramel Macchiatos, I think I’ll be able to grow a permanent zip-up turtleneck fleece; my skin’s already getting fuzzy. I’ve already got the Starbucks Gold Card; maybe I should see if I can upgrade to the Starbucks Platinum I.V. Convenience itself!

Resolution #4: Care less

The whole presidential election thing, man, that was a lot of caring. I cared about so many things. My heart grew three sizes and shone like a star. But as stars grow larger, they die, and so will my heart if I don’t give it a rest. I’m going to be strict about this: I’ll set up a Caring List, and plot my caring reductions over the course of the year. I’ll start by caring about big things, like “do I need a haircut yet” and “what’s for dinner tonight?” Hopefully, by March, I’ll be down to “can I sleep comfortably without moving the pizza boxes” and “do these count as pants.” By the end of the semester, I plan on caring solely about whether or not I am currently on fire.

Resolution #5: Make more awesome New Year’s Resolutions

Hey, these were pretty easy! 2009′s turning up roses already. I think I should brainstorm for next year, while I’m at it. How about having sex, playing video games and skipping class? Wasting time on the Internet? Taking fewer showers? The possibilities are endless – help me out, folks!

Meredith Viera embarrassed our cute Matt Lauer on national television.

Herbs aren’t always healthy, but we all knew that.

Disney has produced yet another child-craving-the-porn-star limelight.

Why do pretty women get everything? Even the writing jobs?

There are no more stores to enjoy, not even the electronics kind.

Try on this belt for size.

Hollywood is hogging all the babies, well just Angelina and Madonna.

Starbucks may be smarter than we thought.

Usher can turn me on any day.

This was a week for decisions. Major decisions. And boy, did we make them. We elected Barack Obama as the 44^th (and first African-American) President of the United States. And though we didn’t directly choose Michelle Obama (or any of the First Ladies), we did decide who’s hot and who’s not.  We chose between working out at the gym and at home, between babes and nerds, between trendy skirts and patterned leggings. On the relationship side of things, we decided to make the jump from friends to lovers, and subsequently from lovers back to friends. We learned that guys get off on porn (really?), and girls become more fertile by watching Sex and the City. We decided that you shouldn’t spend too much money on dating, and on the proper prep work for losing your v-card.

And now that it’s Friday, take a break from all the deliberations and enjoy the weekend!

It is one hell of an evening. It does not matter which candidate you supported today, we should all be proud of our country and ourselves. Not only did we elect the first black president in American history, but we came out in record numbers to do so.

Our demographic – the “apathetic young people” – stood up and made a choice. We campaigned, we were engaged like never before, and today we voted.

This country is in serious need of a change, and while both candidates were more than capable of bringing that change, Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States. I know I am not the only one who is excited for him to take office. And I know that his daughters, who are definitely stoked about getting that new puppy, aren’t the only ones excited for him to take office. This country as a whole is ready for Barack Obama.

I could feel it when I was watching the returns. I could feel it when the bar I was in erupted in cheers. I could feel it as I drove back to my house and heard people screaming on the streets.

Today was an awesome day and the next four years promise to be the same.

Is that really Kate Winslet?

Stay in the know! Track election results all day!

Your jeans are killing the environment!

It’s Heidi Klum’s turn to rock out with Guitar Hero.

Madonna’s fans are dangerous.

The GOP is trying to disqualify Iowa student ballots!

What did Lo and LC wear for Halloween?

More election day snacks and drinks for your party.

Shopping on a budget? Make a list.

Bush is so over the White House.

Who did Sarah Palin vote for? She’s not telling!

But, we in the youngest (and perhaps extremely influential) voting demographic also reserve our right to party! And after all the ballots are cast, tonight is shaping up to be the biggest party night in America. So after you’ve done your civic duty, grab your friends and get ready to watch the returns with these creative suggestions:

The Setting:

Make sure you have the essentials: a television and ample seating room. But why not spruce up the space for the occasion? If you’re lucky to have the day off from classes today (as we do at my school– thank you, Fordham!), take a few minutes to make some posters! Rasterbator is an online application that will make any image you choose into a poster up to 20 meters in size. (The image will be blown up and printed out in pieces on regular 8 1/2 x 11″ sheets of paper, so you just assemble the sheets like a grid.) It’s really quick, extremely simple, and only requires the internet and a printer.

The Games

Take it a step further by printing two posters (one of Obama and one of McCain) and grabbing some construction paper. Cut out 50 squares from construction paper and label them with the names of each state. Have your guests tack each respective state onto the poster of the candidate who wins it, to keep track of election returns.

If you and your friends are rooting for different candidates, make the night interesting with a little friendly (yet apolitical) competition! While waiting for the results of the election to unfold, pass the time with a few innocent games. Ask your McCain fans to wear something red, and your Obama fans to wear blue. Play team versions of 20 Questions, Catch Phrase, or Charades. If you have outdoor space, hold a Three-Legged Race or a Tug-o-War, depending upon how many people you can gather for your party.

Not into physical exercise? It’s ok; we’re not either. Drinking games are more our speed, so grab a couple cases of beer (or some red and blue booze!) and play this game until you puke we elect a president.

The Food

There’s no better way to celebrate democracy than with some classic American grub. Fill up while the votes pile up with some hamburgers! Order out or make your own ‘Bama Burgers/ Palin Patties. And for the vegetarians among us, serve up a (Bi)Partisan Pizza Pie with this healthy recipe.

And how about some election-themed desserts? Try following this recipe for sugar cookies and buying red and blue icing. As you’re watching the election returns, eat a red cookie every time John McCain wins a state, and a blue cookie every time Barack Obama wins a state. (You can also do the same with cupcakes.) If baking isn’t your thing, why not pick up a few tubs of vanilla (or other white-colored) ice cream, and some red and blue food dye. Guests can display their party pride (or just their patriotism) with tinted ice cream.

Food, drinks and games – even if your candidate of choice doesn’t win, tonight is gonna be fun. And if he does…well, let’s dance.