I’m sure all our American readers are counting down the days until they can crack a Miller Lite, light some sparklers and celebrate Independence Day. Me too, except, being a Canadian, I don’t have to wait quite as long to do so…. and I will probably be sipping on something Molson over something Miller.

Up here in Canada we do our celebrating on July 1st. It’s Canada Day – our nation’s big, fat birthday – and it rocks. And being the nice neighbor that I am, I’m inviting you to party with us. If the fact that fabulous CollegeCandy writers Alex from Lakehead and Ness from Sheridan are Canadian isn’t reason enough, then here are 5 more.

1. Calling in sick to work because you’re too hungover from partying it up on the Fourth of July is totally suspicious.  Call in on July 2nd (which happens to be a Friday!) and no one will bat an eyelash.  Celebrating Canada Day means you can party straight through the weekend!

2. For anyone close to the 49th parallel and under 21, Canada is the place to be.  With a drinking age of 19 in most provinces (18 in Alberta and Quebec!) you can enjoy a drink on a sunny patio.  If you can’t make it North for a drink, raise a Caesar in celebration of Canada – this popular (and tasty) drink was created by a bartender in my hometown of Calgary, Alberta!

3. An all-Canadian playlist is a great reason to have a Canada Day party.  With the extremely talented Arcade Fire, Metric, Stars, Tokyo Police Club, The Weakerthans, and Feist reigning from Canada, there is so much CRTC approved music to rock out to on July 1.  Or if you’re more into the Top 40 stuff, who better to dance to at the club than Drake, Nelly Furtado and J.Biebs.

4. Celebrate Canada day with some fine Canadian cuisine.  We have poutine, elephant ears, ginger beef, Montreal smoked meat, Montreal bagels, Nanaimo bars, Shreddies, Coffee Crisps, Timbits, and pretty much any ethnic cuisine you could possibly want available.  And made on a cart if you’re in Toronto.  Though we can’t seem to agree on a National dish, there are plenty of tasty treats we can all identify with.

5. Because we’re probably the friendliest neighbour you could possibly have.  And you know what good neighbours do?  They invite you over when they’re having a party and maybe, just maybe even hand you a nice, cold beer.

With the Winter Olympics in full swing, all of the world’s attention is focused on Canada. And in addition to figure skating and snowboarding and skeleton (?!) a new Olympic sport has arisen—one that we plebeians can play from our couches!

I like to call it “Canadian CelebSpotting.”

All of a sudden, celebrities are coming out of the woodwork to display their native Canadian pride, and they’re popping up in travel advertisements, Today Show interviews, and in the audience at Olympic events. In addition to well-known Canadians such as Nelly Furtado and Celine Dion, check out which other personalities (should) know all the words to “O Canada!”

Pamela Anderson
From: British Columbia
Famous for: Baywatch, being a babe, boobs
Canadian fun fact: Pam was famous from the day she was born! She was celebrated for being the first baby born in British Columbia on Canada’s Centennial Day back in 1967.

Justin Bieber
From: Ontario
Famous for: Being a YouTube singing sensation
Canadian fun fact: His debut album, “My World,” first went platinum in Canada before exploding in the United States.

Jay Manuel
From: Ontario
Famous for: Being the sassy, silver-coifed guide on America’s Next Top Model.
Canadian fun fact: If you can’t get enough of the fierce fashion on ANTM, catch Jay as the host of sister program Canada’s Next Top Model.

Rachel McAdams
From: Ontario
Famous for:  Mean Girls, The Notebook, Ryan Gosling
On being a famous Canadian: “When you live in a small town in the middle of Ontario, it would have been too big of a dream to say you want to go to Hollywood. But, secretly, I think I always knew. When I was young, I was a figure skater, and every year there was an ice carnival. I lived for the carnival.

Eric McCormack
From: Ontario
Famous for: Will & Grace
Canadian fun fact: Once sang both “Oh Canada” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a hockey game in Minnesota.

Ellen Page
From: Nova Scotia
Famous for: Juno, Whip It
On what she won’t do on film, but back home: I’m no prude and I love to skinny-dip. But you’re vulnerable when you’re in a movie, versus at a lake in Nova Scotia.

Kiefer Sutherland
From: Born in London to Canadian parents, but raised almost entirely in Ontario
Famous for: 24
Canadian fun fact: Grandfather Tommy Douglas is credited with bringing universal healthcare to Canada.

The VMA performances weren’t the only things that sucked last night – the fashion sucked, too!

Yes, there were some winners in my book – Rihanna and Alisha’s dresses were pretty kick-ass.

But seriously, guys and their trendy little shiny suits aside, the ladies showed up at the VMA’s looking like cheap, unintelliegent whores, The Statue of Libery, or some one’s super slutty grandmother.

“Edgy” award show or not, I don’t understand how women with so much money make such poor style choices.

I mean, if nothing else, stick a passifier in your mouth at least. At LEAST. Oh yea. Some one did that. Gorgeous.

See the red carpet looks after the jump.

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It’s Britney, y’all!

Like her new sound, the first words off of Britney Spears’s fresh single are a little hardcore. Following Timberlake and Furtado, Spears is leaving her candy pop behind and getting down and dirty with hard beats and a sexually tinged chorus.

Then again, when was our girl ever NOT tinged with sexuality?

The single, released late on Thursday night, isn’t the best thing I’ve ever heard, but it certainly doesn’t suck, and seems twice as amazing considering that as of late, Ms. Spears has appeared absolutely bat sh*t crazy.

Even though there are no real lyrics to speak of, and it sounds a bit like the poor man’s Timbaland, if it came on at a club, I’d dance to it. And really, what else can you ask for when it comes to Britney Spears?

…Just be glad it isn’t two minutes of her children screaming in the background while she burps the ABC’s and says ya’ll over and over.

Let’s face it. In order to be a female musician, it’s a prerequisite nowadays to be considered hot. Unlike the guys, who can get away with looking like this or this and gorgeous girls will still screw them, women are a completely different story. It’s just the way things go.

So, with all of the ladies putting countless records out, who is the hottest? And what makes a “hot” female singer? There are dozens of lists of opinions; everybody’s got one. I happened to stumble upon one that caught my eye, if for no other reason than Madonna isn’t on it for once (I don’t care how “in shape” she is, people – she looks like hell. Eat a hot dog, woman).

Shoutmouth.com lists their countdown of the 50 Hottest Women in Music, and it goes by 7 different rules:

Rule #1 (The Madonna Rule): This list is based on recent hotness. It doesn’t matter how hot an artist was back in the ‘80s. It’s 2007. What have you done for us lately?

Rule #2 (The Hayden Panettiere Rule): To qualify for this list, an artist must be over 18 years of age. We only objectify of-age women here.

Rule #3 (The Newcomer Rule): Each artist must have released at least one full-length album prior to August 1st, 2007 in order to qualify.

See Photos after the jump.

Rule #4 (The Pseudo-Musician Rule): Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are disqualified for obvious reasons.

Rule #5 (The Ashlee Simpson Rule): A woman can move up a few spots based on talent and/or personality. However, they cannot be hurt by lack of talent. Just like in real life.

Rule #6 (The Anastacia Rule): A prolonged absence from the musical spotlight can bring an artist down several notches. This is, after all, a list of the hottest women in music, so it’s only appropriate that they stay active in music.

Rule #7 (The Dixie Chicks Rule): For a group, the ranking will be determined by averaging the hotness of all members.

There are a couple refreshing choices (add in Cat Power and Leslie Feist, throw out Paris and Lohan) boring, obvious choices (J Lo, Beyonce) and “Really? There are people out there who think she’s HOT?” choices (Avril Lavigne, Posh Spice). But it all comes down to #1 – Jessica Simpson – who, even after her recent bad breakups and bad movies and bad records and bad press can still top yet another list of hot girls in music, because, well…..music ain’t about what it used to be about. Just like the Ashlee Simpson Rule says, “they cannot be hurt by lack of talent. Just like in real life.”

So true. Otherwise, the woman who did that would never make a list like this.

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Now that I’m home again, I can once again enjoy the luxury that is a personal television on each piece of cardio equipment. But now I’ve discovered that I don’t push myself as hard when I’m watching My Super Sweet 16 as when I’m rocking out to my music videos.

If you have a video iPod, I wholeheartedly recommend the following music videos, all of which are available on iTunes, to energize you on the elliptical or stationary bike. (After a terrifying experience that nearly spelled the end for my iPod, I cannot recommend watching videos on the treadmill unless your headphones have an exceptionally long cord.)

“Fergalicious” – Fergie

I like to start with this video because of the line, “I be up in the gym just working on my fitness.”

“Don’t Cha” (Busta Version) – The Pussycat Dolls

Not every video is good cardio material. First, I look for a quick, catchy beat.

“Promiscuous” – Nelly Furtado

Videos featuring the extremely toned bodies of female pop stars can be very motivating.

“Hips Don’t Lie” – Shakira

If a video makes you want to dance, it’s probably a good choice.

“I’m a Slave 4 U” – Britney Spears

I love this video because I can lie to myself— Hey, I’m dripping in sweat, too. Maybe I also look really sexy!

“Wait a Minute” – The Pussycat Dolls

The Pussycat Dolls are pretty much my cardio go-to girls. That weird, pseudo-girl-power thing is key.

“My Love” – Justin Timberlake

Obviously this playlist wouldn’t be complete without some JT.

“Girlfriend” – Avril Lavigne

I always pick up my pace when this video comes on.

“Cupid’s Chokehold / Breakfast in America” – Gym Class Heroes

Sometimes you need to take a break from coveting sexy girl bodies to lust after some boy eye-candy. And Travis (the lead singer) is definitely delicious.

“The Queen and I” – Gym Class Heroes

More eye-candy. When the camera zooms in on Travis’s profile near the end of this video, I have to cling extra tightly to the elliptical so I don’t fall off. Mmm, those lips make me weak in the knees…

“Lip Gloss” – Lil Mama

Um…I don’t know how to justify this pick. It’s kind of funny, though.

“Boyfriend” – Ashlee Simpson

Yeah, I just really like Ashlee Simpson. What can I say?

From the album Timbaland Presents Shock Value. Buy it here.

Hey, I need rockin’ tunes to get me going. Which is why I always update my playlists, so that I can get excited about hitting the cardio machines.

Here’s my latest mix:

1. Justin Timberlake – What Goes Around, Comes Around

2. Nelly Furtado - All Good Things

3. The Killers – When You Were Young

4. Madonna – I Love New York

5. Cake – Short Skirt, Long Jacket

6. Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape

7. Eric Prydz – Call On Me

8. The Pixies – Where Is My Mind

9. Sublime – Santeria

10. Kelly Clarkson – Since You Been Gone

11. Citizen Cope – Brother Lee

12. Jojo - Too Little Too Late