Growing up, we were practically bombarded with messages of female empowerment. There were innumerable girl bands who dressed like sex kittens, but sang girl power anthems. As kids, we didn’t really need these messages as badly as we do now. Our elementary school boyfriend didn’t screw us over as badly as the guy in our 9 AM lecture has..so with a newfound appreciation for man-hating it seems fitting that we revisit these empowering songs from our childhood.

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What other songs belong on this list?

Ah, the ’90s. A tacky but wonderful time. And there’s nothing better on a hot summer day than a blast from the not-so-distant ’90s past. Ever wonder what happened to some of those artists that you used to play over and over again on your Walkman? Well bust out your old CD (not mp3) collection, because you’re about to find out.

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Click on each photo to see the next.

Dig your crop tops out of your closet, iron some patches on to your jean jacket, and sprinkle on some body glitter because we’re planning the ultimate ’90s Throwback Summer Festival.

It’s going to be hotter than Kate Winslet’s hand on a steamy car window and we’re here to give you an all-access pass to the excitement. We got stand-up comedian Joey Gladstone hosting the event, Alex Mac reciting the 10 things she hates about cliché ’90s movies, and Carl Winslow running the security team. And in between all that jam-packed action, we’re re-introducing your absolute favorite performers from the ’90s.

Contact us today (IluvZachMorris@AOL.com) to get details on how to win a cassette recording of the entire event.

Over on the Hip-Hop/Rock Stage we’ve got the creatively-named Coolio (Awesomeio!), the parent-approved-is-this-even-rap? Will Smith, and one-hit British wonder Chumbawhumba performing their greatest hits.

Take a left at the set of Never Been Kissed and you’ll run into our Tiger Beat section, otherwise known as our Boy Band Stage. Look for the long-haired-yet-somehow-sexually-appealing boys of Hanson; the A&F marketing team LFO; the wannabe Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees; and fan favorites Jesse and the Rippers.

Head straight on until you pass the clearance sale on Jellies and you’ll see our ultimate Girl Power Stage. And no, Spice Girls won’t be performing. They said no more tours once Baby hit 40. Instead we have an all-star line-up that kicks off with a heartfelt and realistic duet between Brandy and Monica followed by a tribute to TLC. Last but not least, the least sexually provocative of the ’90s girls, Mandy Moore, will take the stage.

Of course this is just a dream (hey it could happen!) and is totes not happening this summer. But I think we all would gladly take this kind of summer festival over the wannabe-hippie drugfest that is Bonnaroo and the somehow-still-selling-out Dave Matthews concerts. So here’s to hoping we can pull it together for 2011. If so, you’ll definitely spot me in the back with my devil sticks, wearing my signature blue dress with the stain that just won’t come out!

[This story was originally posted by Jenni - Syracuse]

And of course, there are plenty more old faves where this came from.

But, all that being said, I loved True Grit.

In True Grit, a fourteen-year-old girl (Hailee Steinfeld) enlists the help of a U.S. Marshal (Jeff Bridges) to avenge her father’s death, with the on-and-off help of a Texas Ranger (Matt Damon). My love for this film probably had everything to do with the Coen brothers’ directing, the acting, and the actual worthwhile message.

Westerns, as I mentioned, can get redundant. I mean, how many times have you seen a Western in which partners are chasing down a criminal on the run in order to get much-needed revenge? But the innovativeness that is the Coen brothers’ directing livens up the classic Western. There are some great shots; I actually lost myself in the beautiful directing sometimes and had to refocus myself on the plot.

The acting was equally as lovely as the directing. The film is getting considerable Oscar buzz; Bridges and Steinfeld should definitely receive nominations for their performances. Bridges, who won Best Actor last year for another excellent performance in Crazy Heart, never ceases to amaze — and his work in True Grit is no exception. He is exactly what he needs to be at every given time, whether that is a complete bad ass, comic relief, or surprisingly considerate. As for fourteen-year-old Steinfeld (she was born in 1996 and already so much cooler than me!), she will definitely be a force to be reckoned with after this, her breakout role. She is completely believable as strong, smart, and articulate Mattie Ross.

And speaking of Steinfeld, she contributes to the amazing message that the film has to offer. And yes, I am referring to a certain girl power angle, but trust me when I say that the film is much more subtle than the Spice Girls when it comes to its moral.

…Now that I think of it, does Steinfeld even know who the Spice Girls are? Because that is an existence I don’t even want to think about.

So what do you think? Have you seen True Grit, yet? Oscar worthy?

Click here to get Meredith’s take on other new releases.

Well, we all know the big news this week was Demi Lovato’s breakdown, which stirred up a lot of controversy (and not just on CC!). I would like to focus on everything else that happened this week instead of focusing on her very personal issues. We truly wish her well, and I want to respect her family’s wishes to keep out of it.

On a lighter note, there are some interesting things going on in Hollywood that don’t involve all kinds of Charlie Sheen/Mel Gibson crazy. And is it just me or are there a ton of movie trailers coming out all of a sudden? Like I need more distractions from class!

Big Time Procrastinating Tools

1. It’s about time: Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo are engaged! They released an official statement this week saying how happy they are about their future together.  No deets on how it went down yet, but congrats! Reports are saying that Jessica Simpson is upset by the news, but we have a feeling some magazines (ahem, OK/Us Weekly/Star, ahem) came up with that one on their own.

2. Are LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian engaged too? They Tweeted a photo on Halloween of a fake proposal as “part of the Halloween fun” and sources said they weren’t engaged.  But now, sources are saying they really are.  Apparently they got engaged before they posted the photo, and then made a prank.  Why, who knows?  Great that they’re happy, but that doesn’t make the public like them anymore.

3. Baby Spice, Emma Bunton, is pregnant with her second child!  She and her man, Jade Jones, have a 3-year-old son and just announced that they’re expecting again.  Congratulations!  Since this is the 9th offspring from the Spice Girls, maybe the mini spices will make their own group!

4. Will Jay-Z be running in the 2012 presidential race? No, but maybe in 2016!  In a recent interview, the rapper told said that, “Maybe in eight years, I’ll be the President.”  He then went on to talk about politics and the current situation.  Honestly, it’d be pretty cool to have Jay-Z as the Pres! Just think how awesome those State of the Unions will be!

5. Speidi might be going bankrupt! The two reality stars, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, have already gone through their more than $10 million earned from The Hills.  Wowza, that’s a lot of money! They’ve moved into a studio apartment on Spencer’s parents’ property and are considering filing for bankruptcy.  Guess those crystals didn’t deliver on their special, magical promises.

Itty Bitty Time Wasters

1. There will be eight Lady Gagas soon! Madame Tussauds is planning to release eight different Lady Gaga wax figures at their locations around the world!  This is the biggest launch in the museum’s history and I’m not surprised it’s Crazy Gaga who’s getting the honor.

2. Blake Lively and Leonardo DiCaprio were spotted out at dinner this week, but it’s not what you think.  They’re not dating, but instead they had a dinner meeting with director Baz Luhrmann about his new film, The Great Gatsby.  Blake is one of the actresses in talks to play Daisy Buchanan and Leo is the frontrunner for Jay Gatsby. So excited!

3. Supernanny Jo Frost is dunzo! She said she wants to create some balance in her life so she can settle down. I say, we need another so-bad-it’s-good reality show to fill this new void in my life.

4. Weezy is freeeee! Lil Wayne was released from jail this week after his eight-month stay. Hopefully he won’t go the T.I. route and end up back in the slammer.

5. Check out Frieda Pinto looking GORGE in BlackBook magazine!

Forget the iPad, iPhone, iPod, and any other device that starts with a lowercase i, because today is all about celebrating the CD player. For those that may have forgotten, it was the bulky device we shoved in our JanSports as we rode the bus to elementary school. The one that came with a 10-pound binder, filled with discs (most of which only contained 2 or 3 songs we actually wanted to listen to).

In honor of nostalgia and the beloved CD player, the device that not too long ago provided us with much needed musical entertainment (and frustrated us with scratches and skips), it’s time to look back at the greatest CDs to ever spin violently inside. Well more like the CDs that made me force my mom to forget the carpool kids and go straight to the store. Because if I wasn’t playing all the chart topping hits from TRL, I was sitting alone at lunch.

No Strings Attached, 2000, *NSYNC: Every generation has a big decision to make that will change their lives forever. For us, it was choosing between BSB and *NSYNC. And my loyalties lay with JT. So I covered every inch of white in my room with posters of the oh so dreamy and so much cooler, Justin, JC, Joey, Lance, and Chris. So when the boys that stole my 2^nd grade heart, singing about tearin’ up hearts in matching white shirts, announced the release of a new album, I could barely contain my excitement. And with doll versions of themselves singing about going Bye, Bye, Bye and proclaiming It’s Gonna Be Me, the album definitely didn’t disappoint.

Oops!… I Did It Again, 2000, Britney Spears: Rewind ten years, back to the time when Britney wasn’t walking barefoot in gas stations, shaving her head, and having quickie weddings. A time when she was hanging out in school gyms dressed barely-there-inappropriate outfits, singing about getting hit with signs, one more time. So when the time came for my favorite pop princess to come out with something new, I was thrilled. And from being stronger than yesterday to the fact that even a star had reason to cry, cry, cry, this Britney album taught elementary school me A LOT.

The Eminem Show, 2002, Eminem: Now this album wasn’t one I could ask my parents for. In fact had they known that I spent my free time listening to strings of curse words (as my dad not-so-lovingly referred to it), I would probably have never seen a CD player again. But from acting up in mental institutions to the bleach blonde hair, no one could deny the draw of Slim Shady. And once my favorite rapper’s (and only rapper I knew at the time) CDs starting playing in my good old CD player, I realized exactly what he meant in Without Me; the world’s just different without Eminem and not in a good way.

Spiceworld, 1997, Spice Girls: From buying tens of hundred of lollipops to collect all the possible stickers to performing as them in my third grade talent show, the Spice Girls had me hypnotized. And being a Spice Girl fanatic, my world became complete with the release of Spiceworld. Till this day I believe that people of the world just need to slam it the left and shake it to the right and spice up their life.

So with that, thank you, CD player; you were responsible for the soundtrack to my childhood and for that I’ll be forever grateful.

Cee-lo gets a (hilarious) radio edit.

10 signs you’re o-v-e-r your ex.

Kristin Cavallari has a new boy toy.

Mango hits JC Penney. And we want it all.

The Spice Girls get a musical. Sorta.

Love is a beautiful thing.

It might be 2010, but here at CollegeCandy we’re still stuck in the ’90s. All you have to do is say Chumbawhumba and we’re off and running on a ’90s nostalgia debate that lasts the entire day. We know we’re not the only people out there that still rock out to N’Sync and still remember the desperation you felt when you lost your favorite Pogs slammer. So instead of constantly arguing amongst the CollegeCandy team, we decided to throw the question out to our readers and choose, once and for all, what is the best thing to come from the ’90s (besides our many devoted readers, of course). And we got some (unexpected) answers back!

Over the past month, we’ve been narrowing down the best of the best of our favorite decade and we’ve had the tough job of saying goodbye to some of our personal favorites: Skip-its, Dunkaroos, Super Nintendo, The Fresh Prince, the Olsen Twins, and every blogger’s original writing tool, the gel pen.

And now, we’re down to the FINAL TWO: Cory and Topanga VS. The Spice Girls. Or more accurately put, the couple that defines the decade and taught us what college marriage really meant vs. the music that had us all yelling GIRL POWER.

This vote will be difficult, it will be challenging, and it will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about yourself. It’s safe to say that it will make Rose’s decision on the Titanic look like child’s play. But that’s why we’re here – to figure out what is the best thing to come from the ’90s.

So vote now, make your voice heard, and check back Thursday for results, as well as a super ’90s interview with one of our bracket finalists!

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It might be 2010, but here at CollegeCandy we’re still stuck in the ’90s. All you have to do is say Chumbawhumba and we’re off and running on a ’90s nostalgia debate that lasts the entire day. We know we’re not the only people out there that still rock out to N’Sync and still remember the desperation you felt when you lost your favorite Pogs slammer. So instead of constantly arguing amongst the CollegeCandy team, we decided to throw the question out to our readers and choose, once and for all, what is the best thing to come from the ’90s (besides our many devoted readers, of course).

So, in the fashion of every guy’s wet dream, March Madness, we’ve created an “I Love the ’90s” bracket. We’ve narrowed down the best of the best of our favorite decade for the past few weeks and now that we’re at the final four, it is starting to get pretty crazy. Like Are You Afraid of the Dark plot line CRAZY. Cory and Topanaga are somehow beating all the odds and climbing their way to the top. The Spice Girls are going against one of the greatest scientific advances of our time…THE TAMAGOTCHI. It’s absolute madness in the CollegeCandy offices as we try to figure out how the gel pen got so far in the game/draw butterflies on each other’s hands with the milky pink one.

But that’s the whole reason we’re doing this and we’re excited to narrow it down even further today. We’re focused on the Final Four, baby. Who’s gonna make it to the LAST ROUND? Anything’s possible (clearly, based on the Cory and Topanga bizness) and we’re just waiting on your vote to see what happens. So vote now and then come back Monday to see who made it to the final round.

See the whole shebang right here.

Ready to vote? Pick your favorite from each match-up below. We’ll tally the scores and let you know who won when we gear up for the next round of votes on Thursday! And don’t forget to take a trip down memory lane and sound off in the comments!

It might be 2010, but here at CollegeCandy we’re still stuck in the ’90s. All you have to do is say Chumbawhumba and we’re off and running on a ’90s nostalgia debate that lasts the entire day. We know we’re not the only people out there that still rock out to N’Sync and still remember the desperation you felt when you lost your favorite Pogs slammer. So instead of constantly arguing amongst the CollegeCandy team, we decided to throw the question out to our readers and choose, once and for all, what is the best thing to come from the ’90s (besides our many devoted readers, of course).

So, in the fashion of every guy’s wet dream, March Madness, we’ve created an “I Love the ’90s” bracket. We’ve been narrowing down the best of the best of our favorite decade for awhile now and it’s getting INTENSE. Zack Morris is OUT. Spice Girls are IN. Clinton and Lewisky CREAMED Pam Anderson’s sex tape. (OK, bad choice of words….)

And somehow, Cory and Topanga are still in the game? WTF?

But that’s the whole reason we’re doing this (it’s a good thing the Olsen twins still have that clothing line….) and we’re excited to narrow it down even further today. We’re focused on the Elite 8 today. Who’s gonna make it to round 6? Will Cory and Topanga be able to take down TGIF? Can the Tamagatchi woop Super Nintendo’s ass? We won’t know until you cast your vote.

So vote now and then come back Thursday you can keep letting us know what is the best thing to ever come from the 1990 and beyond.

Take a closer look at today’s match ups right here.

Ready to vote? Pick your favorite from each match-up below. We’ll tally the scores and let you know who won when we gear up for the next round of votes on Thursday! And don’t forget to take a trip down memory lane and sound off in the comments!