Hi, My setup SEEMS to be correct, all connections SEEM to be correct, and i know the resistor/capacitor/voltage regulator are ALL in correctly. However, when I plug in the battery...nothing. The voltage regulator is heating up, and nothiong is appearing on the LCD. The regulator is indeed placed correctly, yet...nothing. Please help me with this :/

If the regulator is heating up rapidly, it can mean a few different things.

First, make sure the battery polarity is right. I have come across 9V battery leads that are made backwards and that can cause serious problems, make sure the red lead is positive from the battery.

Second, make sure the regulator is facing the right direction. If it is installed backwards, it will get hot.

Third, if the first two are correct, check that there are no short circuits between the positive and negative rails. A simple wiring error on the breadboard can be easily missed.

Fourth, Disconnect the output lead from the rest of the circuit by removing the wire between it and the positive rail and check that you have 5 volts at that point. If not, and the regulator still gets hot, it is a bad regulator. If you do have a good 5V, the problem may still be in the breadboard.

Fifth, there is a chance that the MCU chip might be bad. It could also be backwards as well, Gotta double check the orientation on the board.

If you still have troubles, post a close-up picture so we can all see and maybe help out.