Natalie Portman did it. Emma Watson did it. Even the Olsen twins got in on the action. No no, I’m not talking about “Tebowing,” I’m talking about college! Word on the street is that iCarly star, Miranda Cosgrove, will attend University of Southern California as a freshman in the fall. All we can hope for is that she sets up a webcam show in her dorm room like she does on her show, iCarly, and we all get to come along  for her college experience.

Why does every celebrity now think that they’re James Franco and want to act, sing, etc. plus go to school? Not that it’s a bad thing. You’ve got to commend Ms. Cosgrove for actually wanting to get a degree and learn a thing or two. It takes energy and commitment to take college courses and be an active member of the Young Hollywood crowd. The statistics for celebrities and actually achieving a degree and not dropping out are not in her favor, but we’re rooting for you, Miranda! Beat those odds!

Mary Kate and Ashley? Yes, I’m familiar. Elizabeth Olsen? It seems as if EVERYONE is talking about her lately. But what about Trent Olsen? The older brother of the sisters remains a mystery. Was he sold off by the twins for only 50 cents?  We thought so, but apparently he ended up being not for sale.

So where is Trent Olsen? Who is Trent Olsen? Nobody really knows.

If you type “Trent Olsen” into Google, you get an almost empty IMDB page and the link to Mary Kate and Ashley’s Wikipedia. Not much to show for his 27 years of life. In 2006, Mr. Olsen graduated from USC, according to IMDB. What was his major? We can only speculate. It may have been computer science, or it may have been useless family members. All we really know is that this might be him. Not much to go on.

Maybe there will be a You’re Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley’s Sleepover Party reunion and we will learn a little more about what he’s been up to. But until then, we will have to be content with the Olsen girls. If Trent wants more attention, he should start dressing boho-homeless. That’s why the twins are famous in the first place, right?

If you have any information on Trent or his whereabouts or what it was like to be put up for sale by his younger sisters, please let us know.

This week we hit up the West Coast as we examine the two hottest schools in Los Angeles- the University of Southern California and the University of California- Los Angeles. Amidst the beautiful SoCal climate and a city rife with movie sets and superstars, private USC and public UCLA compete to find out which is most elite in the City of Angels.

1. Superior Sport

USC – The Trojans are known as “the football school” and have been awarded the NCAA national title in football eleven times, including back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004.  They are perennially ranked in the Top 10 football programs in the BCS by ESPN, USA Today, and other publications. And Trojans have taken home the Heisman Trophy seven times.
UCLA - Meanwhile, the Bruins are known as powerhouses in basketball–also earning eleven NCAA titles. Seven of these championships were won consecutively, from 1967-1973.  UCLA is also the all-time leader in total NCAA national titles across all sports.

Meanwhile, the Lexus Gauntlet is an annual all-sports competition between the two schools sponsored by Lexus. Points are awarded for every victory (particularly in head-to-head match ups)  in NCAA-sanctioned competitions, with the school with the most points declared as the winner. (There is also a separate Lexus Gauntlet awarded to the winner of the Stanford-Berkeley rivalry.)  In the eight years of Lexus Gauntlet tradition, USC has walked away with five titles.

Three credits to: TIE.  The two schools pulled a draw in NCAA titles in their respective predominant sport.  On the one hand, the Lexus Gauntlet record gives the Trojans the edge, but UCLA also has the most NCAA titles of any school. Too close to call!!

2. Terrific Traditions

USC – Trojans can’t withhold their affections for Traveler, the magnificent white horse ridden by a student in full Greek armor at every football game, and Tommy Trojan, the iconic statue of the school’s mascot found on campus. But Songfest, an annual talent show in which frats & sororities compete against one another to benefit the charity TroyCamp, is a highlight of the social calendar. When it comes to hatin’ on their crosstown rivals, some USC students once set loose thousands of crickets on the UCLA campus.
UCLA - Like the Trojans, UCLA also has its own child-oriented charity called UniCamp.  Students donning blue and gold love exhibiting card stunts (flashing the university logo, for instance) at basketball games and occasionally dousing Tommy Trojan with UCLA-colored paint.

Three Credits to: USC, for the campus-rockin Songfest.

3. Hottest (LA) Hood

USC - Located in University Park, USC is adjacent to the Los Angeles Coliseum and sits on Figueroa Street, which connects the school to the Staples Center and historic Chinatown.
UCLA - The Bruins are located in the Westwood Village section of Los Angeles, a wealthy and scenic section of town that is home to several vintage movie theaters and stretches of beautiful homes.  Oh, and the Playboy Mansion is just a hop, skip, and jump away!

Three credits to:  UCLA - who doesn’t want to party with Hef?

4. Ass-kicking Alumni

USC –  Neil Armstrong, Will Ferrell, Whitney Port
UCLA – Lo Bosworth, Francis Ford Coppola, James Franco

Three credits to: Let’s see…Whitney is SO much cooler than Lo on The Hills, and while Will Ferrell can make me pee my pants, I’d rather have James Franco in them. It’s another close one, but I’m going to have to go with UCLA because others have walked on the moon, but only FFC could have directed the masterpiece The Godfather with such genius.

5. Acceptance Rate Agony

USC- 22% of over 35,000 applicants were accepted for the class of 2012.
UCLA-  22.7% for the university with the largest number of applicants in the United States (over 55,000!)

Three credits to:  USC…by a nose!!

And the diploma goes to: …its a TIE! Seriously, its too close to call who wins this rivalry. Both schools boast terrific academics, athletics, and high-profile alumni–how can you choose? For all of you Angelenos out there, what do you think?

Once you get past the fact that the NCAA Selection Committee made the mistake of not including some of the best teams that could have been this year’s Cinderella (Arizona State instead of St. Mary’s? come on), the board actually came up with a pretty good draw. And for the next 2 weeks, I will be fully immersing myself in the insanity and awesomeness that is the most exciting sporting event of the year: March Madness.

The best conference in the country (and maybe in history) is hands-down the Big East. 3 out of the 4 number 1 seeds are from the Big East: UConn, Louisville, and Pitt. Even Barack Obama believes in the dominance of this conference, since his bracket that he filled out on Wednesday (live on ESPN! what a cool prez) shows it filling half of his Elite Eight. Although Obama didn’t have our lovely school in his Final Four, Coach K isn’t worried.

And he shouldn’t be worried either. Thursday was the big first day of the NCAA tournament, and the big seeds shined just like they were predicted to. During lunch I heard the big news of #1-seeded UNC ripping Radford to shreds in the South, winning 101-58 (42 points too many, in my opinion). The other #1-seeded UConn also came out with a deafening roar, with the Huskies winning 103-47 against Chattanooga. #2 Memphis (who I have going to the Final Four) won as well, and of course the almighty Blue Devils beat Binghamton (ha, no chance at all).

The upsets were few, but pretty significant. Both the #10′s beat both the #7′s: Maryland showed they earned their spot in the draw by crushing California, while Michigan just got by Clemson (serves them right for beating Duke once in a fluke). Editor’s Note: GO BLUE!

#12 Western Kentucky beat #5 Illinois in a shocker, which definitely messed some of my friend’s brackets up and led to some name-calling on FB statuses (but with a “hilltopper” as mascot, they’re kinda asking for it). #9 Texas A&M beat #8 Brigham Young, which was expected, but the one non-upset that got me most upset (because it ruined my otherwise perfect bracket) was #6 UCLA squeezing by #11 VA Commonwealth! The score was 65-64, in a real nail-biter of a game (seriously, you should see my nails).

Oh well, 15 out of 16 – that ain’t bad. Watching the madness ensue on our flat-screen tv in the common room – that ain’t bad. Having Super G on our team – that’s the total opposite of bad. Now, if only Ty Lawson from UNC never comes back from sitting-out due to his injury…well, that’ll just be the icing on the cake.

So, tonight is the big BCS National Championship between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida Gators. Who is gonna win? I don’t care; I just wanted a good excuse to drink on a Thursday. And eat wings. And dip. And wear sweats to the bar.

Anyways, in honor of this major match-up, we at CC decided to have our own championship. We come from the school of thought that the hotter the QB, the better the team. Just think about USC and, at one time, Michigan. Hot, hot, hot.

So, tell us: based on the hotties quarterbacks, who is gonna win tonight?

Traveling around the country for over a week and a half, Havaianas Color War is a two day event with free make-your-own flip-flop booths and a fierce, four-part challenge. Students in teams of six compete against other teams in games of Twister, Sliders, Limbo and Balloon Darts. Each challenge features a special Havaianas twist. The team with the highest score at each school will win the title of Ultimate Havaianas Color War Champion and win a free four day vacation to Havaianas’ headquarters – beautiful, gloriously sunny Brazil!

Students can sign up their team of 6 players online at Havaianasus.com or through a Havaianas Brand Ambassador on their campus. Teams can pick one of the 60 Havaianas colors that they will wear with pride come game day along with their school colored Havaianas. Check out photos and videos from events, plus exclusive challenge tips on the Color War Facebook page.

If you missed your chance to compete, don’t despair! Response has been so strong Havaianas is planning to add more schools to their tour next fall.  Stay tuned!