• Did you miss the SAG Awards? Check out these awesome candids, it’ll be like you were there!

• Solid, video evidence that George Clooney’s ex, Elisabetta Canalis, is dating Steve-O

• How to stay safe when you go out

• Sitting around all day could kill you

• Can someone Pinterest how to make this test tube chandelier?

• Yummy, James Franco is playing Hugh Hefner in Lovelace

Own The Room

When’s the last time you saw a guy walk into a bar or party looking useless and confused? Okay, so it was yesterday. Were you interested in him? No? Shocker. That’s because most guys walk into a place with a purpose. Unless they’re looking for a space to park their binder filled with original Star Trek drawings, they’re looking for friends or women. And you should look the same. When you walk into a place, act like you know where the hell you’re going, even if you don’t. Everyone will wonder who you are and why you’re there, but they’ll never think you’re useless and confused.

Eye Your Prey

Got your eye on someone? Good. Don’t shy away. Look him straight in the eye and think, You should be attached to my lips by now; why aren’t you? Trust me, he’ll read your thoughts like they’re projected above your head on a wide-screen.

Fake Interest

Look, no one cares about what anyone else has to say. They just don’t. But what you have to do is pretend that you do. Ask about their life, their job, their parents, anything to keep them talking. Because the more fake interest you show in them, the easier it is to disarm them. Guys are used to talking about themselves, as are we all, but if you actually fake an interest, they kind of don’t know what to do. Like puppies trapped in a cage in the window of a pet shop, they are addicted to the interest you show in them. Tap the glass. Watch them lick your fingers.

Read the rest at MarieClaire.com.

If you disagree with everything I just said, you probably don’t need this column. But if you’re nodding along because you’re officially an adult and still don’t know how to manage your money, then you might want to pay attention every week, because I’m going to (try to) get you through this, and make you a successful saver and a wise spender.]

With the economy so crappy these days, banks are jumping over each other to get to you. With deals like Rewards Checking, it’s hard not to be lured in. I mean, a percentage of cash back just for spending? It sounds too good to be true.

Because it probably is.

I’ve been bouncing between hoarding my money in a checking account or a savings account for some time. Do I want the interest, or the rewards? Chances are, you’ve had similar decisions to make. But what about these CD things that banks advertise? What are these all about?

Personally, I always assumed that CDs were for old people. You know, people with careers and mortgage payments. Until a friend opened a CD that became her “European Vacation” fund.

A CD is basically a Savings Account… except you can’t make withdrawals whenever you feel like it. Opening a CD requires a timestamp, usually lasting six months, one year, or five years or longer. The longer you put your money “on hold,” so to speak, the greater your interest rate, which means the more moolah you’ll accumlate by NOT spending.

Yeah, right. Like college kids have enough money to just hide away for six months. While CDs generally are geared towards people who have solid careers and are infancially stable– Jumbo CDs require a minimum of a whopping $100,000 deposit– more and more variations of CDs are popping up across the country.

My friend has what is called an “Add-To” CD. Each week, when her paycheck is direct-deposited into her account, a small percentage is put into her CD. Sometimes, she even forgets that something is being deducted from her pay, because she still gets some money every pay period. However, since she can’t access her money for six months, it will continue to accumulate. When she’s ready to cash in and take her European vacation, BAM! All that money will be hers for the taking.

If you have even a little bit to spare- some birthday money, a random bonus at work, the cash you got from textbook buy-back– it might be worth looking into whether your bank offers small CDs. You can hide it away for six months, and once summer hits, you’ll have this money that you may have forgotten about! Use it on a bathing suit shopping spree or a mini-vacation…or renew your CD and wait for a rainy day in another six months or so!

If you disagree with everything I just said, you probably don’t need this column. But if you’re nodding along because you’re officially an adult and still don’t know how to manage your money, then you might want to pay attention every week, because I’m going to (try to) get you through this, and make you a successful saver and a wise spender.]

Last week, I discussed the pros and cons of both credit and debit cards. One risk I run when using my credit card is letting my spending get a little out of control. When you rack up a hefty credit card bill, you essentially lose money, because with every month that goes by that you haven’t managed to clear the balance, the more fees get tacked on to your current statement.

As college students, large bills can easily get out of control, and I know I have often felt like I was drowning in bill payments. After all, most of us can’t work full-time or even well-paying jobs, and if we have a huge exam or a paper on the horizon, we may force ourselves to cut back our hours, and likewise, our weekly income.

If you have hundreds (or even– eek! thousands) of dollars in credit card bills looming over your head, sometimes a credit card balance transfer (to a zero interest card) is just what the doctor ordered. But is it worth it, and should you do it?

To transfer your credit card balance, all you need is a new card. This can be helpful, because there are tons of cards out there that offer no interest for the first six months. Whatsmore, there are options available for credit cards that don’t even charge for a balance transfer! Sounds like Christmas came early!

When I was in trouble with my Chase credit card balance, I applied for an interest-free (to start) Capital One Rewards card. Once that card got approved, I was ready to transfer my balance. I simply entered the information from my first card (my account number and the Chase business office address), and let Capital One do the rest. It took about a week, but my entire Chase balance was transferred to my Capital One card. Think of it as using a credit card to pay for another.

Almost every credit card company offers balance transfers. Why? Because if you spend with them, they are more likely to get more of your money. And if you are so financially distraught that you need a credit card to bail you out yet again, there’s a chance that sooner or later you do end up paying interest again, but a different company is collecting.

The good news? You can usually transfer other outstanding balances, including STUDENT LOANS, to your new credit card.

The bad news? You have to be careful. Make sure there is no charge to transfer your balance, so you’re not surprised if a fee shows up on your latest statement. You also have to check your old credit card statement, because you are still expected to make your minimum payments until the balance transfer has completely cleared. That is, don’t get slapped with a hidden late charge because you don’t think you have to worry about the first card anymore.

Most importantly, don’t make balance transfer a habit! If you keep playing hopscotch and bouncing from one card to the next, you’re going to put yourself in even more debt, and possibly hurt your credit rating. Choose a time that’s good for you to transfer the balance (e.g. the beginning of a school vacation, when you know you’re going to work your ass off when you’re not in class and actually save some money for once), and vow to pay off the balance before the new card starts charging you interest.

Need more info on balance transfers? These sites can help:

BankRate.com’s 5 Balance Transfer Trip-Ups

BankRate.com’s Tips to Find a Good Balance Transfer Deal

CreditCard.com’s Search for Balance Transfer Options That are Best for You

What is a Credit Card Balance Transfer? On WiseGeek.com

If you disagree with everything I just said, you probably don’t need this column. But if you’re nodding along because you’re officially an adult and still don’t know how to manage your money, then you might want to pay attention every week, because I’m going to (try to) get you through this, and make you a successful saver and a wise spender.]

Everytime you whip out the plastic at the grocery store, liquor store, or gas station, the cashier asks automatically, “Credit or Debit?” It’s a simple enough question, though to many, it may be redundant. I mean, who cares what type of card it is as long as it buys you a pack of smokes, a 30-pack, or a week’s worth of Ramen Noodles?

There are a lot of pros and cons to using both credit cards and debit cards, and many people adamantly side with one form of plastic or another, much like people adamantly side with either Obama or McCain. Personally, I’m a debit kind of girl. My brother, on the other hand, swears by credit. What gives?

A debit card is like your plastic checkbook. You might not need cash in your hand, but you need to have the funds in your bank account to make a purchase. A credit card, however, lets you splurge now and pay later– even in small monthly increments. In this case, the credit card may SEEM like it has its advantages, because you can pay for your spring break trip now, and spend the next three months waiting tables to pay for it.

But beware: the reason I personally prefer to use my debit card is because it prevents me from racking up thousands of dollars in CC charges, since it doesn’t feel like I’m spending MY money. For me, I’d rather balance my checking account daily, and say, “Ok, that’s $20 here and $40 there,” and always know what I have left. A credit card bill, to me, is like a tacky Christmas gift from your wacky aunt; you never think it’s going to be THAT bad, but when the big day rolls around… gag. I always think I’m on top of the world with a few hundred dollars locked away in the bank… then I get a 2K credit card bill, and it’s like I’ve been robbed at the end of each billing cycle.

Another thing to be wary of when using your credit card is the interest rate. Sure, there’s no hurry to pay off the last five bar tabs you’ve racked up on credit… but the longer you wait, the more you’re spending on nothing at all. The appeal of many credit cards is gimmicks like “No Interest for Six Months,” which is fine and dandy for six months… and then suddenly, you’re paying off the minimum balance each month and see the current balance rise nonetheless.

On the other hand, debit cards can smack you with hidden fees as well. Debit cards come in handy when you need cash- via ATMs or cash-back with purchase, but you’re bound to be paying a fee on your purchases, or on your withdrawals from foreign ATMs. You know how you have to accept the $2.00 charge when using a foreign ATM? These days, a lot of banks charge an additional service charge for using another bank’s withdrawal services. LAME.

Another thing I do hate about debit cards is that sometimes it can take a few days for your purchases to go through to your account. That means that if you went shopping yesterday, and check your account today, you might think you have more money than you do. Bars and restaurants can sometimes cause trouble because it takes longer for the tip to go through than the food/beverage purchase. This is rather inconvenient, and unless you balance your debit card account like you do your checkbook, it can be easy to overdraw or bounce a check if you aren’t aware of the charges that have yet to go through. Which brings me to another flaw of the debit card system…

If you overdraw or bounce a check, you will pay very, very dearly. I don’t balance my purchases like a checkbook, but I do check my balance every day. So, when my balance seemed to stay the same for a few days, I figured all of my purchases had gone through (I’d gotten pretty wasted the week before and didn’t know how much I spent at the bar, so I had to wait for the bad news). I went on spending again, and the day before my direct deposit went through, I discovered that not only had I overdrawn, but that I was being fined nearly $20 for EACH individual purchase that was over my limit. WTF? If you’re above your limit with a credit card it gets declined, but I guess banks just want to trick you into thinking you’ve got the funds if your card is approved, so that they can collect on your own irresponsible stupidity.

Now that I’ve given you the lecture on responsibility, let’s get to the perks. The reason we all want a credit card: the bonus points! Just about every major corporation has its own credit card these days, and for every dollar you spend, you get some sort of reward (Starbucks cards, 10% off at Target, airline miles, etc.). Some banks have recently started rewarding their clients with cashback points on debit purchases, too, but this is a relatively low-paying perk, at least in the realm of Poor Studentsville. My debit purchases are never as outlandish as my credit purchases, so I’ve only been getting petty change rewards so far.

If you think you can handle a credit card, and not run your financial reputation into the ground, maybe a credit card’s for you. However, if you like to only spend what you’ve got, stick with debit. It’s still a good idea to have both forms of plastic, but I don’t recommend filling every slot in your wallet with a different credit card. That’s just asking for trouble, especially when you’re on a budget, like many of us are.

If you want to find the perfect credit card, and really weigh all of the perks that come along with plastic, check out CreditCards.com. You can search and cross-reference a plethora of cards, until you find one that will reward you well. Happy spending, kids!

Well, maybe there were no physical tears, but for a good month after reading it I walked around in a cynical fog, thinking about all the guys who were obviously not thinking about me because they were not contacting me. I mean, there are just some days (cough, months) when my cell phone doesn’t ring, when my Facebook profile grows gray hair and tumbleweeds roll across my Myspace page. I’ve accepted it. It’s FINE.

But for those odd, golden days when a little bird with a message flies across the computer screen or I receive an ambiguous text message from my study buddy in American Cultures, I’ve devised a pyramid of interest – indication in relation to methods of contact other than talking face-to-face (which is soooo 1922) to help myself sort through this mess of modern communication. What does it all mean? Does he like me??? Let’s see!

The Facebook – messager is the lowest of the low. The Facebook message is an insult that reflects poorly on the sender’s taste and values. Unless he has absolutely no other way — including blimps, skywriting and the Pony Express — to get in contact with you, the Facebook - messager is a weak specimen. The Facebook - messager is a virgin who secretly fingerpaints and only eats Easy Mac.

The Myspace – messager is one rung up the cool ladder, and quite complicated. Now, we all get Myspace messages from random creeps and pedophiles, and that’s all fine and good, but the guy you actually kind of know who messages you (most likely out of the blue) is being aloof while being flirtatious. It’s a tough balance to strike, but it works wonders if executed by the right person at the right time of day (after 11 p.m., preferably at an odd hour, like 4 a.m.).

Also, Myspace messages are never to be replied to, and will never be replied to. So, don’t get your hopes up. This guy is probably incredibly attractive but completely unattainable, simply because he spends all his time on Myspace, pretending that he doesn’t spend all his time on Myspace.

The texter is good news. He’s saying, “Hey, I like you enough to spend ten cents every time I think about you, which is 1-12 times per day. You’re worth every penny, baby. Someday I’ll probably buy you something real nice with my dad’s money.” And who doesn’t love it when their phone vibrates during class? The texter has saved my butt a couple of times by waking me up during physics lecture with an innocuous inside joke I don’t even remember.

The phone talker is serious. I have yet to encounter one of these white whales, but I’ve heard stories. It’s a little too much for me. I’m only 20. I’m not ready for marriage. I’d rather have him be “just not that into me” than “into talking on the phone with me.” Absolutely frightening.