I love television, especially when there are shows that focus on strong female leads. This year has been great for women in television. We’ve got Whitney, Two Broke Girls, New Girl, Revenge, Heart of Dixie, Ringer, Good Christian Belles, Are Your There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, and the list goes on. As a huge Krysten Ritter fan since her days as Lucy on Gilmore Girls, I knew I had to see ABC’s Don’t Trust The B—- In Apartment 23. Krysten plays Chloe, a crazy New Yorker who is best friends with James Van Der Beek. She has a history of conning her roommates by driving them out of the apartment and stealing their rent money, but she meets her match with June. This show is hands down my favorite thing on television right now.

It’s offensive, it’s scandalous, it’s hilarious. The Parents’ Television Council is already upset about it, so you know it’s good. I’m so happy to see women in strong roles on television. While our Dude doesn’t like the show GIRLS,this show is different. Here’s why you should watch…

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Caitlin is a senior at the University of Alabama who has an obsession with cupcakes, coffee, and Harry Potter. She always has random fun facts on reserve and aspires to be a professional blogger, social media bug, and/or James Franco’s assistant. Follow her fabulous life @caitlincorsetti. You’re welcome!

[Images via Google]

Proposition 8 was overturned, and now we have to see that lesbian comedienne Ellen Degeneres as the new face of JCPenney? Where on EARTH will I shop now? Ladies, we’ve got to do something about this. Let’s protest that crazy talk show host so that her homosexuality doesn’t taint all our kids’ back-to-school clothes and our Christmas shopping.

Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating the thought process of a member of One Million Moms, a conservative group that’s got their high-leg briefs in a twisted bunch because out and proud Ellen Degeneres is the new JCPenney spokesperson. The group issued a statement following the company’s announcement:

“Funny that JC Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families. More sales will be lost than gained unless they replace their spokesperson quickly. Unless JC Penney decides to be neutral in the culture war then their brand transformation will be unsuccessful…By jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon, JCPenney is attempting to gain a new target market and in the process will lose customers with traditional values that have been faithful to them over all these years.”

Fox News contributor Sandy Rios, who supports the One Million Moms perspective, summed up this week’s Hot Button Issue while on The O’Reilly Factor: ”The problem is that Ellen DeGeneres has chosen to act out her lesbian lifestyle and marry her partner, it’s what that represents,” she said. “And the fact that JCPenney is supposed to be middle America, the place where families shop…and people who believe that marriage is between a man and woman and children should not be exposed and propagandized in homosexuality have a moral problem with that.”

Well I’m sorry, Sandy, and the members of One Million Moms, but America—the land of opportunity, the land of the free and the home of the brave—is changing. And for the better. Thank goodness it’s been allowed to change, or else women would never be able to proudly make a buck in any workplace and we’d still stupidly have slaves everywhere who each only count as three-fifths of a person. Though the country has managed to acknowledge the basic human right of being considered an entire person to these minority groups, why can’t such a given be also applied to those who aren’t perfectly heterosexual? Those who choose to be both free AND brave?

If you’re protesting Ellen’s employment with JCPenney, you’re asking that the company discriminates based on her sexual orientation. Hm, discrimination definitely sounds like one of “the negative influences our children are forced to contend with”—you know, the part of society’s “filth” that you should be working to fight, rather than avoiding the hilarious and kindhearted Ellen Degeneres and every product she’s ever endorsed. I’m guessing you’re missing out on the greatness that is CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara and the daily dose of awesome on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Oh man, your kids must have never even seen the movie Finding Nemo! Do you tell them that they can’t go on the Submarine Voyage ride at Disneyland because that funny blue fish is the voice of an evil lesbian?!

Oh, and by pushing Ellen down and calling her names, you’re being a bully. That’s right, One Million Moms, all 40,000 of you are guilty of anti-gay bullying.

Thankfully, the group’s protests and cries were no matter for the department store, as the company stood behind their decision. And yesterday, the free and brave Ellen Degeneres addressed her haters and, therefore, her motivators, on her talk show. ”I’m proud and happy to say that JCPenney stuck by their decision to make me their spokesperson. Which is great news for me because I also need some new crew socks.”

On a more serious notes, she continued, “I really want to thank everyone who is supporting me…Here are the values I stand for. I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you’d want to be treated and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values. That’s what I stand for.“

To be honest, I’m surprised that One Million Moms even had the time to jumpstart a JCPenney protest. The group has also requested action against Macy’s, ABC’s Modern Family and Mattel. Don’t shop at Target for promoting the destructive program that is Degrassi, don’t watch Dancing With The Stars because the show “aired a definition of ‘transgender’” and don’t support Ben & Jerry’s because of their “tasteless” ice cream flavor names. Thank goodness—that means there’s more Schweddy Balls for me!

Watch Ellen’s full speech now. It’s hilarious, it’s heartwarming, it’s all things Ellen Degeneres.

Should JCPenney be concerned about losing conservative customers? Or will they gain more respect for taking a stand?

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

Surprise, surprise: Thursday’s season five premiere of Jersey Shore collected a million viewers less than the first episode of last season, when the cast was in Italy. Some people argue that they’re sick of watching these same eight people, I argue that there’s too many extraneous characters to keep track of, especially if you’ve just tuned in…seriously, everyone looks incredibly similar!

Don’t worry, this will clear everything up. Meet all the extra people that keep stealing the airtime away from Sammi Sweetheart, The Situation, Snooki and the rest of the original cast. Once viewers are all up to speed, these guidettes and gorillas will remain on the air as long as the Kardashians do!

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Who from the cast, original or extended, seriously needs to go?

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

The days after Christmas that lead up to New Year’s are some of the most exciting fun-filled dreadful days for a single girl (let’s be honest). New Year’s is swiftly approaching and I find it particularly irksome that so much importance is spent on a holiday that is really only fun for the few of us that are over 21 and in a relationship (I belong in neither group). New Year’s usually amounts to a toast of sparkling cider and a swift move to bed  after the year’s begun. But even if I am a Debbie Downer about this particular holiday, I am still a girl who deep, deep, deep, deep down somewhere in my heart enjoys the romanticism of the holiday.

Here’s a list of Top New Year’s Eve Kisses for the like-minded single girl.

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I’ll admit it: I’m an addict. It’s a horrible habit that, after so many years, I just can’t kick. It’s available, it’s affordable and, hey, it makes me feel good about myself. And even though it’s probably damaging for me in the long run, I just can’t stop.

Yeah, I’m a consumer of the Kardashian culture. I watch the shows (the originals, the spin-offs and Dancing With The Stars when one is competing), I read the interviews, I follow the obnoxious tweets. And recently, people like Daniel Craig, Jonah Hill and Barbara Walters are calling me out on my fascination with the most overexposed and yet untalented people on television, the Kardashians. I jumped on the family bandwagon relatively late, actually. I initially denied the attraction to what Barbara Walters referred to as “a strange mix of trashy sex, upscale excess, tabloid melodrama and suburban family life” — though the balance of these ingredients varies with each episode, depending on which siblings are in them. But when Lamar Odom proposed, Reggie Bush called it quits, and Mason was born, my interest was officially peaked for some reason. I was suddenly intrigued by these people who are so famous, and for the life of me, I seriously could not remember why.

Is it really because the late Robert Kardashian was OJ Simpson’s lawyer and friend? Because Bruce Jenner is an esteemed Olympian? Because Kim Kardashian was partying with Paris Hilton during her heyday and recording her sex-capades with Ray J — Brandy’s brother? I guess that by putting all of those famous-by-association factors together, and adding Kris Jenner as a manager and Ryan Seacrest as a producer, these people are worth watching. Over and over again. Why?!?

Daniel Craig of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Casino Royale doesn’t understand it either. ”Look at the Kardashians, they’re worth millions. Millions!” he told British GQ in their January 2012 issue. “I don’t think they were that badly off to begin with, but now look at them. You see that and you think, ‘What, you mean all I have to do is behave like a f*cking idiot on television and then you’ll pay me millions?‘”

Jonah Hill — who, in Superbad and Get Him To The Greek, often acts like an idiot (with the exception of Moneyball) — feels the same way, but for different reasons: he actually watches the shows. He openly admitted that he felt duped when Kim Kardashian announced her plans to divorce Kris Humphries because, like so many of us, he bought into that gaudy and god awful wedding display. He ranted to The Huffington Post about the infamous family earlier this week:

“I have friends who work in TV and the Kardashians get higher ratings than their TV shows. Shows that people actually work hard on — writing and creating and trying to tell stories. The fact that the Kardashians could be more popular than a show like ‘Mad Men’ is disgusting. (Laughs) It’s a super disgusting part of our culture, but I still find it funny to make a joke about it. Whenever I say I like reality TV, people write about it like they’re in shock. I can’t even understand it, so I watch it. I think it’s funny and I definitely enjoy it in a making-fun-of-it sort of way, but where does the line sort of end? When do I stop making fun of it and become an actual fan?“

I personally don’t know. I’m confused about it all. And I’ve often wondered if they actually see it all as “working” when they punch mirrors, wax each other’s vaginas, lose $75,000 earrings while swimming in Bora Bora and then conveniently find them again once the cameras are pointing another way. Seriously, such scheming takes skills!

So finally, after ranking the Kardashian family as a whole one of the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011, Barbara Walters sat down with Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and mother Kris, and asked them flat out: “You don’t really act; you don’t sing; you don’t dance…you don’t have any — forgive me — any talent!”

And then Khloe, the voice of reason within that crazy clan, revealed the truth that no one wanted to actually acknowledge: “We’re still entertaining people…None of us think we have talent. None of us think we can sing or act or dance.”

But they do call themselves businesswomen. They’re spokespeople, fashion buyers, “perfumistas” even…and now they have a store at The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas called Kardashian Khaos that sells anything and everything with their names and faces on them. Shockingly, it’s not full of cricket sounds; paying customers are lining up to actually buy their licensed merchandise. Maybe they’re Midwestern Americans looking for a souvenir of Los Angeles celebrity lifestyle; maybe they’re foreigners stocking up on pieces of American culture. Because no matter how you look at it, or whether you’ve been looking away all this time, this random family is famous for being famous, and they’re now forever part of American pop culture.

“I think it’s more of a challenge for you to go on a reality show, and get people to fall in love with you for being you,” Kim said to Barbara Walters. But Kris Humphries filed for an annulment on account of fraud, and he’s got some pretty good grounds…who says you’re even really being “you” at all??!?

After hearing criticisms from Daniel Craig, Jonah Hill and Barbara Walters, I’m kicking my addiction; but I’m only continuing to watch to find out if they’re all for real. From watching the preview, I think that the next episode will be pretty revealing of their true character, right? Plus, it looks kinda funny.

Do you Keep Up With The Kardashians? Okay, seriously…WHY?!?

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when gorgeous models prance around in next to nothing on network television…yes, I’m talking about the Victoria Secret Annual Fashion Show! Instead of getting insecure and feeling badly about myself while watching abnormally beautiful people on CBS this upcoming Tuesday night, I’ve decided to embrace the female parade in a few ways.

Recognize it as a holiday tradition. The transformation of shopping malls into lands of holiday consumerism happens every year, whether we participate in Black Friday outdoor sleepovers and Wal-Mart pepper spray raids or otherwise. The fashion show is part of the scheduled televised rituals of the holiday: watching a football game and the Macy’s Parade on Thanksgiving Day. There’s no need to fight it — it’s free. It’s simply a time to indulge in fantasy, to look at pretty people, watch fun performances and laugh at crazy costumes. Kind of like Halloween, but less scary. Or sloppy.

Watch Jay-Z, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Adam Levine. For those who usually avoid this TV special like the plague, it’s not just a fashion show — it’s a concert, too. Think of it as a star-studded music special with really pretty people walking around. As a mainstream music fan who sits unsatisfied by Levine’s double performance at the AMAs and has yet to grab tickets to the Watch the Throne tour, consider me tuned in.

Organize a cathartic potluck. Yes, I know some people we just got finished digesting our Thanksgiving meals…and there are those leftovers in the fridge…but when I realize that the poor (metaphorically, of course) models have been working out for months, starving themselves for days and dehydrating themselves for a few too many hours, I get a little bit sad. And it’s only appropriate to watch the show while indulging in the most decadent foods that my friends and I can cook. I’m talking junk food, cupcakes and Fat Tuesday-style margaritas.

Turn it into a drinking game. Whenever a model winks at the camera, whenever a Victoria’s Secret ad airs during the commercial break. The drinking must continue the entire time that the Miranda Kerr and her $2.5 million dollar Fantasy Treasure bra are onscreen. I doubt anyone will fall on the air, but be prepared, just in case.

Think about it as a public service announcement. Unfortunately, the economy hasn’t leveled out to where it used to be just yet, and every dollar we spend is still a contribution to keeping the consumerism wheel turning. So though this TV special might make some people feel badly about themselves enough to buy something from Victoria’s Secret — or anywhere, really — it’s for the greater good of everyone. The special doesn’t even advertise certain products in particular; the name of the bras walking down the runway aren’t explicitly publicized for viewers to purchase them at their local malls. But it does get people to generally continue spending after Black Friday AND Cyber Monday, that’s all.

Get a head start on making New Year’s resolutions. Because damn, it still does make you want to work out. Eventually. I mean, 2012 is still weeks away.

Check out our FAVORITE photos from past shows. They’re WTF. They’re Ridiculous. And they’re awesome.

One of the best parts of fall TV is the fall Halloween specials. Apparently almost every.single.show. on TV is going to be doing a Halloween episode this fall. Maybe there will even be a Hoarders where the woman’s house is filled with candy corn and pumpkin seeds. Just kidding, her house will probably be filled with dead animals (cliche hoarder).

If you want to get in the Halloween spirit with your favorite shows, check out this sneak peak of upcoming Halloween episodes.

Not even Carrie herself wants to go back!

Carrie Bradshaw is an icon. Her lifestyle is completely unattainable (you show me a columnist for a New York paper who has a closet full of Manolos, and I’ll shave my eyebrows). She’s the most fashionable woman in New York, and she’s not even real. Don’t tell me you have never looked at a wacky dress and thought, “That’s SO Carrie.”

She’s an aspiration. You know you’ll never have her closet or her men or her friends who always seem to always have time to grab lunch with her despite their real jobs. She’s pure fiction, but I still love her. And let me be clear, I know she’s self-centered. I know she only talks about herself when Miranda’s mom dies or when Charlotte learns that she can’t get pregnant, but her whole aura is still fabulous.

And now she’s going to be ruined.

The CW is as close to closing a deal to create The Carrie Diaries as Carrie was to marrying Aiden. The Carrie Diaries is Candace Bushnell’s prequel to Sex and the City and follows Carrie through her senior year of high school.

Being a huge Sex and the City fan, I read The Carrie Diaires when it came out, and it made Carrie a normal high school girl saving her virginity for the right man. WHAT? I don’t want to see Carrie on the small screen as a NORMAL, VIRGINAL girl. I want fabulous Carrie. Flawless Carrie, who seems like she never had an awkward phase. Glamorous Carrie who simply shot out of the womb wearing Manolos!

I don’t want to see her with pimples on her face wearing a Hollister hoodie. That makes her just like me. Just like everyone else. The Carrie that we know is a sexpert, not a high school senior wondering why everyone else is having sex but her. I don’t want her living in a town that isn’t New York City. It was bad enough when she went to Paris (I don’t even want to talk about Abu Dhabi).

How am I supposed to want to change lives with Carrie when she’s cramming for a Bio test? I don’t want that. I want my Fendi-toting, Big-dating, sex-writing Carrie; the one I’ll never be.

What do you guys think? Would you potentially tune in to see Carrie as a teen, or do you want to preserve the truly great Carrie HBO gave us so long ago?

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Last fall, I raced back to my dorm every Wednesday night to join in the “Glee” weekly viewing party in my friend’s room. Although we would regularly hang out and watch television, and at least sit and later discuss our other favorite shows, we would all drop whatever we were doing (even if it was a 12-page paper due the next day) and set aside special time to get together to watch the sensation that is “Glee.”

Fox’s quirky musical actually released its pilot the summer before, and a bunch of my friends told me it was more than worth watching. The pilot was amazing, and definitely had me interested, but after watching a few episodes when the season started in the fall, I was hooked. “Glee” provides the fun of musicals with the brilliance of sitcoms that I thought had died amid the “reality TV” craze.

Seriously, have you seen what’s on television these days? I can feel my brain cells dying just knowing shows like these exist (start at the 11 second mark).

But “Glee” is different. It’s smart and funny, with a great balance of witty moments and moments so incredibly awkward that I can’t look away (remember when Finn serenaded Quinn and her parents?). The best part is that, unlike similar endeavors that focus on singing high school students – like *shudder* the “High School Musical” series – Glee manages to relate to its audience while at the same time providing fun, energetic performances. It handles real issues – teen pregnancy, identity issues, homosexuality, handicaps, relationship problems – but does so in a way that doesn’t feel preachy in the slightest.

Unfortunately, “Glee” took a break from air time to make room for the evil of reality television incarnated: “American Idol.” So, instead of the talented Lea Michele, sassy Amber Riley, endearing Chris Colfer, and crazy Jane Lynch, we’ve been stuck with this.

But, at last, “Glee” is set to return next week (April 13th!!!), and I’m already singing and dancing in anticipation.

To celebrate the return of my guiltiest of guilty pleasures and to invite newbies to join the ranks of us Gleeks, let us count down Glee’s 5 best musical moments. (Note: sorry for the poor quality on some of these – apparently Fox isn’t a fan of YouTube.)

5. “Don’t Stop Believin’”- This finale number from the pilot episode is what made people come back months later to watch the show when the real season started. It was basically the unity number, when the original core group joins the Glee Club (called “New Directions”) and commits to it, even though their mentor, Mr. Schuster, is leaving because he needs a more stable, higher-paying job to support his newly pregnant wife (more on that one later). The number is good enough to make him realize that teaching – and Glee – is his passion, and brings him back, and it does the same for viewers.

4. “Single Ladies”- The show actually features two versions of this number, but this one is infamous. I don’t know much about sports, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t allowed, which is really too bad because I’d definitely watch them more often if this sort of thing were a possibility. (Not the greatest video, but just turn up the sound and start around the 2:20 mark.)

3. “Proud Mary”- Whoever choreographed this number is an absolute genius. The episode focuses on Artie’s confinement to a wheelchair, so Mr. Schu decides to have the kids do a number in wheelchairs. The result? Brilliant, both visually and vocally.

2. “Jump”- I dare you to watch this number and NOT go jump on your bed singing afterward.

1. “Somebody to Love”- Quite possibly one of the group’s most beloved numbers, second only to their rendition of Journey’s classic. It’s simple, but really shows the talent among not just the main leads showcased, but the entire group.

So enjoy, listen to the rest of the soundtrack, and get excited for next Tuesday!

A Bonus serenade. Because he looks so damn good when he’s playing the guitar.