[Besides being the month of St. Patrick's Day and CollegeCandy's editor's birthday, March is Women's History Month. Instead of honoring the great women of our past, however, we at CC want to honor the women they inspired and who now inspire us. Every Wednesday this month we are going to highlight a woman who is currently dominating her field and showing us that we can really do anything. Like Chelsea Handler, the woman of late night comedy; Kathryn Bigelow, this year's best director; and Gwen Stefani, rockstar mommy. These women are strong, powerful, famous, and doing their thing even better than their male counterparts, so let's give them the attention they deserve!]

Ellen Degeneres is a household name nowadays, and rightfully so. From her hilarious antics, sweet dance moves, and generous heart, Ellen does it all, and that’s why she’s our fourth inspiring woman to be featured this month! Ellen has come so far in both her personal and professional life and it’s all because she works hard and is not afraid to be herself. Here are 5 reasons we salute you, Ellen Degeneres!

1. She’s done wonders for the gay community
Ellen came out publicly in 1997, both on the Oprah Winfrey Show and on her sitcom Ellen. This was groundbreaking, because it not only marked the first time a primetime TV character was gay, but also the first time one was played by an openly gay actor. The series then touched on various LGBT issues usually not covered in popular television shows. Now, 13 years later, Ellen’s not afraid to step out in public with wife Portia de Rossi and openly discuss their relationship, and her incredible success has made it clear that sexual orientation is not an obstacle to achieving your goals. Read More »

After months of speculation, Ellen DeGeneres will finally have the chance to prove herself worthy of the seat between ‘American Idol’ judges Kara, Randy and Simon. Tuesday night marks her much anticipated ‘Idol’ debut, replacing former judge Paula Abdul.

The addition of DeGeneres to the gang is expected to boost viewership, which has been down compared to previous seasons, Reuters reports. Fox is hoping these viewers will stick around for the rest of the season.

“Ellen brings a huge fan base and people will be curious to see how she does,” said Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly. “But if she performs poorly, that is bad for the show’s long-term health.” Read More »

[There are some women out there that we just can’t get out of our minds. No, we aren’t switching teams - yet - but we do have some serious crushes on some pretty fierce females. These ladies are all special in their own right and we aren’t ashamed to tell the world we love them.]

When I’m not sitting around being insanely jealous of Heidi Klum, I’m crushing on her.

Obviously, I’m jealous because at 35, and having popped out three kids, Heidi still looks insanely hot naked.  We know her best as one of the Victoria’s Secret Angels.  She’s a supermodel, and always fabulously dressed.

But she’s not just a pretty face.  Heidi is also the host, a judge AND an executive producer for our fave reality show, Project Runway.  And it’s her role on Project Runway that has me crushing.  I mean, you totally want to hate someone as hot as Heidi, but you can’t once you see how cute and fun she is. Hell, I’ll watch PR even if it’s on Lifetime just to see her.

Now that’s devotion.

When she’s not working with Tim Gunn or starring in VS ads, Heidi is a mom.  And she looks damn good doing it, even if she hangs the heels and opts for a more casual look when she’s with the kids.  I love her for this, I mean, stilettos and children = trouble.  Ms. Klum proves that you can look good mommy-ing, which gives me hope for when I pop some out (in 30 years). Read More »

As if we all needed yet another reason why Beyonce is obnoxious, watch one minute and two seconds worth of self-indulgent crap.

The ad wizards for American Express could have easily gone with a cute and fun idea like they did with Ellen’s version, but their new commercial featuring the ex Destiny’s Child star is gag worthy.

Now, let’s all throw one big, giant pity party for our girl B, cause, you know…flying to Madrid on a private jet to do a dance rehearsal, breaking a pump, wearing a designer gown that costs a bajillion dollars, these are all really unfortunate things that we can all relate to.

Good thing you have that laptop and tons of money in your American Express account, or else you wouldn’t have been able to buy a boomerang! Phew!

Now, bite me.