Gossip Girls

On the last episode of Gossip Girl, perhaps it's safe to say that Dan (Penn Badgley) and Serena (Blake Lively) are not exactly on smooth waters after the whole Miss Carr (Laura Breckenridge) fiasco.  When we left them, in fact, she and Dan were doing something and it's not exactly related to academics.  Yet we also know that Dan and Serena's relationship is prone to things like this, so it's also possible that they'd just shrug this whole thing off off.  So what is really going to happen between this couple?  Read on to find out.

Spoiler ahead.

E! Online reports that their half-sibling who'll be appearing on Gossip Girl soon will in fact cause some major trouble between the two.  "Serena and Dan are really over,” confirms a source with finality.  Serena will allegedly be cozying up to a new love interest in the person of Gabriel Serrano (guest star Armie Hammer).

Hammer, 22, has appeared in Arrested Development, Veronica Mars and Desperate Housewives.

On the last episode of Gossip Girl, perhaps it's safe to say that Dan (Penn Badgley) and Serena (Blake Lively) are not exactly on smooth waters after the whole Miss Carr (Laura Breckenridge) fiasco.  When we left them, in fact, she and Dan were doing something and it's not exactly related to academics.  Yet we also know that Dan and Serena's relationship is prone to things like this, so it's also possible that they'd just shrug this whole thing off off.  So what is really going to happen between this couple?  Read on to find out.

Spoiler ahead.

E! Online reports that their half-sibling who'll be appearing on Gossip Girl soon will in fact cause some major trouble between the two.  "Serena and Dan are really over,” confirms a source with finality.  Serena will allegedly be cozying up to a new love interest in the person of Gabriel Serrano (guest star Armie Hammer).

Hammer, 22, has appeared in Arrested Development, Veronica Mars and Desperate Housewives.

Less than two weeks to go before the first Gossip Girl episode in more than a month, and we've got a good dose of Gossip Girl spoilers, photos, and promos for the CW hit's upcoming episodes en route to its May 18th finale (right after launching its spin-off with No Doubt playing an 80s hit to set the mood).

Of course, central to every revelation are the hook-ups that Gossip Girl is notorious for.  According to our poll, a majority of BuddyTV readers are excited to see Blair (Leighton Meester) and Chuck (Ed Westwick) hook up once more. (No surprise there!)

But until we see where their libidos lead them next, feast your eyes on our favorite make-out moments from Gossip Girl past...

As we have plenty of time to go before Gossip Girl resumes inducing its trademark OMFG moments, let's look back at the most memorable kisses of this series. 

Honorable Mentions: Dan and Serena's first kiss, Blair and Nate's kiss in the first episode, and Nate and Jenna's kiss at the masquerade ball.




5. Serena and Nate at the wedding (Episode 1.1 "Pilot")

Right off the bat, Gossip Girl made it clear that the show is not for the faint of heart.  We knew that returning Serena (Blake Lively) had some baggage.  Little did we know that it was a big sack of hotness.  In a flashback, we saw Serena dancing on top of a bar holding a bottle of wine, while Nate (Chace Crawford) sat on a stool.  Pretty soon, the two were face to face and the rest, at least to those who preferred it that way, was history.




4. Dan and Georgina after the concert (Episode 1.17 "Woman on the Verge")

After her real identity was discovered by Vanessa through Nate during Rufus's concert, Georgina fooled Dan into believing that she was being stalked by her ex, prompting her to change her name.  Dan, who was having troubles with Serena at the time, fell right into Georgina's trap.  Driven by the heat of the moment or just sheer loneliness, Dan kissed Georgina in a staircase somewhere in Brooklyn.




3. Dan and Miss Carr at her apartment (Episode 2.17 "Carrnal Knowledge")

The setting: Miss Car (guest star Laura Breckenridge) is upset for being fired for allegedly having an affair with a student. Dan (Penn Badgley) is distraught for disappointing his dad and maybe Serena.  The two would often furtively flirt over literary references and academic papers, while Serena looked helplessly.  Dan comes over to apologize to Miss Carr.  At the doorstep, the logical academic that she is, Miss Car realizes that she is no longer a teacher and is therefore no longer covered by ethical dilemmas.  She pounces on Dan, who's more than willing to oblige.  The restraint the two had and the circumstance surrounding the kiss made the kiss hot.




2. Eric and Asher (Episode 1.16 "All About My Brother")

Who better than your own brother to break the news to you that your boyfriend is gay?  That was the case when Dan saw Asher (guest star Jesse Swenson), his sister Jenny's (Taylor Momsen) boyfriend, kissing a guy.  At this point, Eric's identity had not yet been revealed, but the dark and secretive lust of this smooch makes this scene a hot and memorable one.


And our #1 Gossip Girl Make-Out goes to...



1. Blair and Chuck in the limo (Episode 1.7 "Victor/Victrola")

The two secret ingredients for a sizzling kiss are a broken heart and a repressed desire -- which are exactly what paved the way for Blair and Chuck to enact  Gossip Girl's hottest lip action.  After a big fight with Nate, Blair took the stage in Chuck's newly opened burlesque club for a striptease number, which of course stimulated Bass's libido (and produced one of his most adorable smiles ever).  All it took was alone time at the backseat of a limo for these two to lock lips. And as we all know... it did not stop there.


Tell us: did we miss any of your favorite G.G. kisses?

As we inch closer and closer to the May 11th launch of the Gossip Girl spin-off, creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are starting to fill out the cast for the still untitled series (although some sites refer to it already as “Lily”).

The spin-off, featuring the teenage days of Lily in 1980s Los Angeles, will be introduced via a backdoor pilot in the penultimate episode of the CW hit's second and current season.  The network has previously said that the spin-off will or will not be turned into a full-blown series depending on how the particular episode rates.

In addition to Brittany Snow bagging the lead plus Andrew McCarthy landing the role of her dad, Lost alum Cynthia Watros is being eyed to play Lily's mom.  Also joining Snow, McCarthy, and Watros is Veronica Mars star Ryan Hansen, who'll play Owen's (Shiloh Fernandez) pal, Shep.  He'll reportedly be crushing on Carol, who'll be played by Confessions of a Shopaholic star Krysten Ritter.

Watros, 40, played Libby, one of the tail section survivors on the ABC series Lost.  Libby was a reasonably well-liked character on the series, especially after her death, since it added some mystery to her character (she didn't have a centric episode that detailed her back story before the crash).

Creators Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof said Libby's back story will probably be explored in the fifth season, after they originally promised that it will be done in the fourth.  Her character was supposedly killed off after Watros had a tiff with the Hawaiian police, where Lost was being filmed.

Meanwhile, Hansen, 27, will also star in the untitled spin-off of the hit 90s show Melrose Place, which is set to premiere on the CW in the 2009 fall season.  On Veronica Mars, he played Dick Casablancas, a character who wasn't exactly nice to Veronica.

Ritter, 26, had recurring roles on Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, and will appear on the critically acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.

Matt Barr, a former recurring actor on One Tree Hill, will star in the upcoming Gossip Girl spin-off. He will play Keith van der Woodsen, a wealthy and beautiful prince of Malibu. Barr previously portrayed Psycho Derek, Peyton's supposed half-brother, during One Tree Hill's fourth season.

The spin-off follows 1980s Los Angeles teenager Lily Rhodes. Rhodes will grow up to become Lily van der Woodsen, the divorcee mother of Gossip Girl protagonist Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively.) Virtually nothing has been specifically announced about Barr's role as Keith van der Woodsen except that he will play a love interest to Lily. The last names strongly suggest that Lily will go on to marry a member of the van der Woodsen family. However, since Serena's father has never been named or seen on the series the possibility certainly remains for a revelation that Keith is not Lily's future husband.

The casting move keeps Barr inside of The CW family, moving him from one of the network's popular series aimed at a younger female audience to another aimed at a similar group. Along with the original Gossip Girl and 90210 The CW network has strongly branded itself as a network aimed almost exclusively at viewers under 35 and specifically at women. While it's not clear whether Barr has a dedicated fan base of his own yet he has proven that he can cater to The CW's brand of stories.

One Tree Hill fans may remember that Matt Barr's character Derek was last seen in prison after being arrested for stalking and assaulting Peyton. After claiming to be her half-brother Derek acted suspiciously, smelling her hair and leaving her unpleasant phone messages. His behavior escalated when he dressed a prostitute up in Peyton's clothes in order to beat her up, leading to the discovery that he was not the real Derek.

As more and more of the cast for the Gossip Girl spin-off are revealed, we already know that Lily (that's the tentative title of the series) is indeed pushing through, barring any drastic decline in the ratings for the CW series.  To those who don't know, the spin-off will revolve around, well, Lily van der Woodsen (Kelly Rutherford), Serena's (Blake Lively) mother before she even had Serena.  The show will reportedly be set in 1980s Los Angeles when Lily was living as a wild child Valley Girl.

Unknown to a lot of fans, the Lily idea wasn't the first choice when the creators were thinking of crafting a Gossip Girl spin-off.  They reportedly played with the idea of either Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) or Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg) as the focus of the spin-off.  There were rumors late last year that even Blair's (Leighton Meester) inimitable maid Dorota was reportedly being eyed to have her own story explored through a spin-off.  The ideas were soon shelved, however, and it was revealed that the adventures of Dorota will be aired on Verizon phones instead.  Actually, the Lily spin-off was also originally intended to air in a series of mobisodes (which you won't be able to see unless you're with Verizon).

I frankly don't know why the Gossip Girl creators finally decided to go with the Lily idea.  Sure, she does seem like an interesting character.  She has undergone multiple divorces and was a former groupie of Rufus, Dan and Jenny's father.  It was also made clear that she wasn't exactly prim and proper while she was growing up, pretty much like her daughter Serena.  And like her son Eric, she was also institutionalized because she was pregnant with Rufus' child.

But more than Lily, I think there are other characters who can be far more interesting than Lily.  Dorota, for one, has shown time and again that her daily habits and quirks offer a vault of possibilities.  Think Rosario of Will and Grace.  After all, which maid will have the gall to have Britney Spears' “I'm a Slave 4 U” for their ring tone?

There's also Georgina Sparks.  Her name alone sounds off-putting and powerful.  Right from the get-go, she made it clear that no one messes with Georgina Sparks.  Her cunning antics and unapologetically evil ways will surely make for delicious television.  The only problem here is when she gets her own spin-off, she can't be back to Gossip Girl to ruin Serena's life, and that's a bummer.

How about Jenny Humphrey?  Or Vanessa (Jessica Szohr)?  Or Jack Bass perhaps, though this might be too much of a stretch.  There were also that rumor before that something was being planned to be purely set at a girls' boarding school.  Other than Lily, which character would you like to see with his or her own spin-off?

If on the CW series Gossip Girl, Leighton Meester plays the conniving Blair Waldorf, the 22-year-old actress is set to break into the big screen with a role that is not far from what she's best known for. 

Meester will star in the Sony Screen Gems thriller The Roommate, where she'll play the villain Rebecca, who becomes unnaturally obsessed with college freshman Sara. The role of Sara has yet to be cast.  Christian E. Christiansen is directing, and Roy Lee and Doug Davison's Vertigo Entertainment is producing the project.

While she has appeared in several independently produced films, The Roommate marks her biggest studio production to date.

- Glenn Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Hollywood Reporter
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

It's been a long and lonely winter without new Gossip Girls to keep warm the cockles of our wicked hearts--but no longer! Everyone's favorite fictional snobs, snakes, and celebutantes are BACK this Monday with a new episode full of new intrigue: "The Age of Dissonance."

But The CW hasn't been ignoring Gossip Girl in the interim--far from it. They've been spilling dirt on the rest of Season 2 all over the place, and we've been here to sweep it up and pile it all in one place for you. Because BuddyTV cares.

So go on, SPOIL yourself. Chuck Bass is giving you the thumbs up.

First things first. If you haven't read the previous legs in our ongoing, disturbingly comprehensive hiatus-coverage of Gossip Girl, check it:

The Complete Guide to Overcoming Gossip Girl Withdrawal

Clearly, our guide wasn't so complete after all. So we've got these for you too:

More "Age of Dissonance" Photos, Promos, and Spoilers

Gossip Girl Season 2 Episode Guide: All the Spoilers and Scandal, Summarized


Synopses:

A few weeks ago, the CW released the synopsis of the Monday, March 16 episode "The Age of Dissonance," as well as the names of upcoming episodes. You can find those here. Now we've also got the synopsis of the following episode, "The Grandfather":

Devastated by the recent plot twist in her life, Blair (Leighton Meester) turns her back on her predictable Waldorf existence in favor of a wild, unpredictable lifestyle, causing Serena (Blake Lively) and Chuck (Ed Westwick) to have serious concerns about their friend.

Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) convinces Nate (Chace Crawford) that it may be time to forgive and forget when it comes to his mother's Kennedyesque family, The Vanderbilts, who abandoned Nate and his mother when they needed them most.

In a misguided effort to be completely honest with each other, Lily (Kelly Rutherford) and Rufus (Matthew Settle) agree to share lists of their past lovers.

Sneak Previews:

Meta-Clip One: Vanessa Shows Some Self-Awareness
Yes, Vanessa, you are annoying. Too bad you think you’re joking.
How I imagine Blake Lively’s notes on this part of her script: “So I’m a TV actress playing a theater actress  acting like she knows about movies? Ouch! My brain hurts.”

Meta-Clip Three: Leighton’s Two Loves

“Welcome home,” indeed, Carter Baizen (Sebastian Stan). Who’s more delicious in this scene—Leighton Meester’s on- or off-screen lover?


Spoilers:

EW's Michael Ausiello:
Q: Got any Gossip Girl / Jenny Humphrey scoop?
A: According to exec producer Stephanie Savage, Dan's sis "has a big Blair, Mean Girls story for the end of the season that also ties in with the Rufus-Lily story. And you will see that a new course
has been charted for Jenny Humphrey in the fall."

Q: Do we know anything about Gossip Girl's prom episode?
A: Only that No Doubt will be performing, just not in this decade and not as No Doubt. "No Doubt is going to be playing in our '80s flashback / [spin-off] episode," reveals Stephanie Savage. "They're playing an up-and-coming '80s band."

Zap2It's Korbi:
Q: You said that Nate and Blair would be a blip in the Gossip Girl time line, but now I hear that Nate is gonna ask Blair to move in with him. No hope for Chuck and Blair this season? Please, answer me, I really would like to know. I feel like giving up Gossip Girl.
A: Don't give up, woman. There is always hope for Chuck and Blair. Always. The writers fully understand that C.B. and Blair belong together, but they can't just couple them up and be done with it. You'd get bored, don't you think? Instead, they have to throw roadblocks like Nate Archibald, Carter Baizen (played by Leighton Meester's real life boyfriend) and that Gentleman's Club chick in the way. Yes, not only will Blair and Nate be a thing, but Blair will give it up to Carter even before that, and Chuck will fall for the shady lady he was stalking last we saw him. The good news is, there are a few quality Chuck-Blair scenes on tap for the March 23rd episode. Chuck's affection for Ms. Waldorf will rise to the surface once again. It's just too little too late for the time being.

Q: If Blair and Nate are going to be together, what happens to him and Vanessa? I like them together.
A: Me too. And they will be together when we jump back into the Gossip world next Monday. Actually, they'll be together the following week too. But issues between them will begin to flare up, and ultimately, it seems their lack of common interests and disparate backgrounds will be the death of them.

Q: What's up with Dan and the teacher on Gossip Girl? Will they get caught?
A: Affirmative. Rufus finds out what's going on and he's not happy. However, Rachel has a dark side that we haven't yet seen. Seems she has more in common with Blair than we were led to believe.

TV Guide's Mickey O’Connor:
Q: Please tell me the student-teacher sex storyline on Gossip Girl will be short-lived. Talk about cliché!
A: While "hot for teacher" isn't exactly breaking new narrative ground to begin with, here's my thing: Rachel isn't even that hot, and neither is the chemistry she shares with Dan Ho-Humphrey. So I'm with you, they should put this story to bed, so to speak, as soon as possible. And it looks like they're going to - in a very surprising way. The bad news: Chuck Bass' hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold from the Eyes Wide Shut party turns up again like a bad penny. Emphasis on bad. And pennies.

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos:
Q: Please, I need some Gossip Girl scoop on Blair and Chuck! And good news, too. I'm tired of the bad news.
A: I can offer you a little good news about Chuck and Blair on Gossip Girl, but unfortunately it's just a setup for the bad news. Nate notices that Chuck and Blair have a major bond (yay!), but that leads him to respond/retaliate by asking Blair to move in with him (boo!). However, there will be some upcoming Chair scenes for you kiddos, because Mr. and Mrs. Marvelous join forces to investigate Serena's new man, whom they both don't much like. At least it's something.

Q: What's up with Season Three of Gossip Girl? Do we know anything yet?
A: I know that Blair gets into NYU and Nate gets into Columbia.

Q: Anything coming up with the Elle-Chuck storyline on Gossip Girl?
A: According to Kate French (Elle), "Elle kind of steals Chuck Bass' heart, and it gets really complicated, and he gets entangled in all of these webs of lies and different storylines that are going on. It's very mysterious." Hopefully Chuck won't be smitten for too long, but then again how can we blame him when Blair's about to go off and hook up with his BFF, Nate?



And, finally, for those truly wanting to be spoiled rotten:
- Sneak a peek at this "arresting" on-set photo.


WHAT CAN ALL OF THIS MEAN?! Sound off below!

Meta-Clip Two: The Role Within A Role Within A…

From the CW's official press release:

The seniors put on a production of the "The Age of Innocence." Sebastian Stan (Kings) returns as Carter Baizen.  Monday, March 16. Gossip Girl (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET)

The Constance Billard and St. Jude seniors put on a production of "The Age of Innocence" and find their personal lives mirroring conflicts in the play.  Serena (Blake Lively) develops a crush on the play's director, Julian (guest star Harmon Walsh), and enlists Vanessa's (Jessica Szohr) knowledge of theater to help her get the otherwise uninterested guy's attention.  Blair (Leighton Meester) receives devastating news about her future that leads her on a witch-hunt for the person responsible.  Dan (Penn Badgley) and Rachel (guest star Laura Breckenridge) agree to stay away from each other in the aftermath of being discovered as more than teacher and student, but find it impossible to keep that promise.  Chuck (Ed Westwick) enlists help from an unlikely source, his nemesis Carter Baizen (guest star Sebastian Stan).  Chace Crawford, Taylor Momsen and Matthew Settle also star.  Norman Buckley directed the episode written by Jessica Queller.


Source: The CW
(Image courtesy of The CW)

It's been a long and lonely winter without new Gossip Girl to keep warm the cockles of our wicked hearts--but tonight’s the night! It’s finally back—everyone's favorite fictional snobs, snakes, and celebutantes are back tonight. Let’s refresh what last we saw on the Upper East Side: Dan Hump-rhey and Serena’s ment-whore were hooking up, Chuck was on a hunt to find his mysterious escort dream-girl, and Blair got herself in and out of trouble with Miss Carr, but in the end her acceptance to Yale appeared safe.

Tonight, Gossip Girl welcomes us with some Shakespeare: ‘All the world’s a stage’ on the Upper East Side, she says, and this week it’s quite literal, since the seniors are putting on their (mandatory) class play, “The Age of Innocence”. The sly Chuck Bass (of course) managed to bribe a doctor into diagnosing him with “acute stagefright,” so he’ll be off on his own dramatic adventures tonight.
Blair is playing Lady Oleska, the “stronger, more emotionally complex” female lead (her description), while Serena will grace the stage as “pretty” (but clearly simple-headed) May. Before rehearsal, Blair and Serena chat about Dan and Serena’s new crush on their director Julien. In the background, Dorota sees how she’d look with some curly extensions (Fierce, Dorota!). Blair reminds Serena for us that she should be sick of brooding artists by now, but S is clearly addicted. Then bad news strikes: it seems Nelly Yuki got direct word from the Dean she’s been accepted early to Yale. But only one Constance girl per year gets that spot, and it was Blair. Which means…

Oh yeah, and Penelope is the maid in the play, and she gets caught standing next to Dorota backstage in her matching apron. Hilarious!

Out front, Jenny complains about volunteering to do costumes, and Dan sees Miss Carr walk into the theater. The other teachers gossip like “grown up Mean Girls” (Jenny’s words) as she walks by. We then find out that Vanessa is filming a “documentary” about the production of the play with her camcorder. She explains to Nate how awesome her film is going to be because of the irony and bad acting, and they make out. Blah blah.

Meanwhile, Chuck, who apparently doesn’t go to class anymore ever, walks into a restaurant and sees his father’s friend Mr. Campbell, who apologizes for missing the funeral. He then sees, at a different table, Carter Baizen (Ooh, Sebastian Stan, how I love your wicked ways! Any Stan-fans out there, be sure to catch him on Kings!) is back in town, and who else would be sitting with him, but Elle, the mystery masked woman Chuck thinks he is in love with. Oops, Miss Horrible Actress says, she’s not Elle, she’s Hailey. Chuck’s not buying it (duh), and she excuses herself to the ladies’ room, but actually ducks out the kitchen. Carter explains to Chuck that he’s been in Singapore and picked her up when he landed back in America. As soon as Carter leaves, Campbell gets up and follows.

Cut back to Dan studying his lines as Archer, May’s fiancé. But he’s distracted thinking about poor Miss Carr being shunned by her co-workers, and he asks Jenny to deliver a note to Rachel. Jenny’s worried about Queller finding out, but Dan insists, and Little J manages to slyly drop off the correspondence. Dan writes that he wants to see her. The ment-whore writes back, gives it to Jenny, and then gets up and leaves.

Blair finds Headmistress Queller, who was on her way to tell Blair that Yale rescinded her acceptance because an anonymous caller told Yale why Blair received detention. The Dean called Queller to confirm the details, and even though HM Q explained that Blair made amends, Yale still apparently considers it a serious offense when you bad-mouth a teacher and get her fired (even if it’s true). “It’s over, you will not be attending Yale,” Queller says. Blair is in shock, but has to go on stage. She enters on cue, still clearly stunned and furious.

S and D are playing a couple on stage, which is both hilarious and awkward. Rufus enters rehearsal and sits next to Jenny, and as soon as he does, he finds the note meant for Dan. Inside there’s a key to Carr’s apartment (Ooh, girl!) and it tells Dan to meet at her place that night.  But before that message can fully shock us, here comes Nelly Yuki in a fat suit, and Blair accusing Nelly of ratting her out to Yale out of jealousy. Nelly gets two wins in one day when she finally tells Blair, “People aren’t jealous of you. They hate you!” She didn’t rat out Blair, but a thousand people could have. Everyone then gets a text from GG dragging up that whole fiasco with the Lord and his cougar mother shacking up while he was with Blair (and… she knew). It’s such old news, but it still stings, and Blair realizes that someone is out to get her. She knows it’s Vanessa, since she’s the only one who knew about the Lord and his mother dearest’s secret love.

Vanessa interviews Serena about her role, but Serena is more focused on director Julien. She hatches a plan, asking Julien to tell Vanessa his insights about the play over dinner (with Nate and Serena in tow). Blair walks up to them and threatens Vanessa’s life, but V finally gets the right idea and just walks away, shaking her head. Blair asks for Serena’s support, but S takes Vanessa’s side, and Blair threatens to take down Serena as “collateral damage” if need be.

Chuck enters his room to find Elle there, and she asks for his help. Figures. She’s “on the run” from the league of powerful, rich men who will kill her for…what was the reason again? Oh yeah, because she boned the wrong Bass at a party. Anyway, she admits that she  “felt a connection” between them (I think she felt more than that), and she was only with Carter because he’s rich and she thought he could help. She needs to leave the country and start over with a new identity, because apparently this club is like the mob. Chuck says he can help with the new identity. She kisses him. (This whole plot is absurd. Even for Gossip Girl.) “One question,” he says. “How do you feel about Brazil?” They make out some more. Gross.

Welcome back to the Gossip grind, everyone, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Too bad some luck o’ the Irish couldn’t rub off on Blair this week… and that her downward spiral of depressive doom happened to occur out on stage in front of all her Constance peers, parents, and professors. As GG herself reminded us last night during “The Age of Dissonance,” all the Upper East Side is a stage already, so it is only fitting that the Constance and St. Jude’s seniors put on as their senior play a high-society Wharton drama with plenty of romance and revenge. But they couldn’t pretend to live in “The Age of Innocence” for long, and without instilling some of their own drama, so the play soon because a means for Nate, Blair, and Serena to air out their modern teenage angst all over the Victorian era. Backstage, affairs were even more outrageously theatrical, with Chuck chasing down his dream-nanny turned runaway, and Dan getting even hotter for teacher. Nate got jealous, Serena was crush-struck, and Blair took refuge in the arms of a rat.

Just like Wharton's work, it wasn't really the action, but the relationships that drove last night's Gossip Girl, and that keep us on the edge of our spectator seats each Monday. The web of romance became even more tangled last night. So, as we return to Act Two, let's speculate: will it be a tragic or a comic ending for our many pairs of star-cross'd socialites? Check out the hookups that were, are, or will be before the final curtain falls on Season Two—including some that should never have taken the stage in the first place.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead.

In order from most to least gag-worthy:

-  Chuck and the Call Girl from “Elle”: This storyline was absurd and out-of-character beyond belief, and downright offensive to us Bass-buffs, who know: 1. Chuck Bass pleads to no man, 2. Chuck Bass should know when he’s getting played for money, 3. Even if she is pretty, Chuck Bass wouldn’t be intrigued by a woman with the personality of a used stick of gum. Should we blame the actress, Kate French, who is simply more suited to roles where she doesn’t open her mouth (her more credits include “Cute Captain” and “Glen’s Party Girl” in two frat-duder flicks), or the horrendously unrealistic situation and dialogue? “How do you feel about Brazil?” Really, Chuck? Everything about this was off, from the perfectly-coifed Elle saying she hadn’t bathed in weeks, to Chuck believing he could ever “start over” with her in Rio and not be bored out of his wits—No. Just. NO. Wake up, Chuck. And bye, Elle. You’re more boring than Jenny on a school night.

-  Serena and “Gay as the Day is Long” Julian: Even though it’s totally plausible and sort of dumb-blonde-endearing that Serena didn’t catch that the scarf-flourishing, Nate-eyeballing, “Text me your address” DRAMA teacher was gay, did he really need to be such a douchenozzle? …I guess he did. But I want to believe that Serena isn’t so desperate to get someone diving into her ever-plunging neckline that she’ll plot and preen (see what I did there? She was in feathers ALL night.) so shamelessly. C’mon, S—that also stands for self-respect.

-  Dan and Rachel “Iowa Big Apology to Everyone” Carr: Don’t you just love how things fall apart as quickly as they begin? I do—at least when half the equation is as doe-eyed and dimwitted as this woman. At first I was rooting for the ment-whore to bring out Dan’s true bad boy self, but all the way through, from his whiny “I’m 18 and I can do what I want!” speech, to his discovery that a cradle-robbing teacher lacked his “high ideals”—Dan was so high up on his horse that he was giving out weather reports. In real life we might want the “they deserve each other” couple to stay together, but not when that means we have to watch them do it in a costume closet. (And send clandestine notes like middle school sweethearts. Heard of a text, Humphrey?)

-  Nate and Vanessa: Thank you to the writers, who finally gave these two something interesting to talk about—the fact that they have nothing in common. They may seem sweet together, but apparently underneath the surface it’s all tension and turmoil because Nate can’t appreciate classic literature and Vanessa hates fun. It’s a situation taken straight out of that book, what’s it called? Oh yeah. “Men are from Mars, Women are from Annoying Pretentious Asshat Land.” These two are on the outs. We not only know this because we have brains and eyes and ears enough to see that one big fight equals romance death sentence on Gossip Girl, but the CW has already released promo stills of both of them exercising their tongues in different mouths.

-  Dan and Serena: They were already over (for the… fourth time?), but last night wrapped the heavy-duty chains around the nailed-shut coffin that contains “Derena.” (We hope.) Serena’s most passionate emotion about working with Dan in the play was “Meh. At least that other brooding guy is hot!” and Dan reinforced her decision to not care when he told all her secrets to his older-lady-lover for… no good reason whatsoever. I’m betting after that fiasco that Dan stays celibate until the fall, but Serena on the other hand…

-  Blair and Carter : It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s going to. And this can go nowhere good. Carter’s a snake (albeit a hot one, and so much fun when you remember he’s Leighton’s real-life lover). But the only function of Carter “such an obvious Chuck Bass foil they share the same initials” Baizen is to provide a dramatic roadblock before our meant-for-each-other mean kids get back together.

-  Blair and Nate: Same thing. Stephanie Schwartz has already said that their upcoming fling will be about comfort, and that we’ll be surprised by how much it doesn’t suck (at first). I’m willing to put up with it, if only because judging from more and more paparazzi pics leaking from the set, Blair’s lips will hook a Bass before the season’s over.

-  Chuck and Vanessa: Promo stills don’t lie. But we just saw Chuck coming to his senses over his love for Blair, and a kiss can mean more than meets the eye. The only way this pairing makes sense is if there’s a ploy behind it. Ideally, to get Blair back.

-  Serena and Gabriel: Serena will soon be shacking up with ex-gal pal Poppy’s boyfriend, and it won’t end well (because nothing with Ms. van der Woodsen ever does). We haven’t met him yet, but we already know he is dashing and deceptive. At least he’s not a brooding artist, though, right? Let this be the last straw for Serena, who finally realizes that the best boyfriends have backbones.


Read the Recap: Episode 2.18 "The Age of Dissonance" (Page 1/3)

If you've seen the last episode of Gossip Girl, it looks like Blair (Leighton Meester) and Chuck (Ed Westwick) have both reached brand new lows, Blair slowly coming to terms with not going to Yale and Chuck reeling from being rejected by Elle.

After pictures of Blair kissing Chuck flooded the net yesterday, E! Online now reports that Meester was also seen in the same outfit and the same afternoon kissing a different co-star – Chace Crawford, who plays Nate.  Some critics described the event as a stunt to throw off Gossip Girl viewers.

Spoiler ahead:

Publicity stunt or not, a source has confirmed to E! Online that Blair does kiss both Chuck and Nate at some point in the last couple of episodes of the season.  Chuck, in fact, will be cozying up to Blair as early as the next episode.

As far as the Blair-Chuck-Nate love triangle, Gossip Girl top gun Josh Schwartz says that it is indeed a big part of the storyline.

"It's graduation, so it's all about what is the future for these characters and the show?  Where's everyone going to be next year?  Chuck, Blair and Nate are obviously a big story we're telling," he says.

From the looks of it, however, Meester's real-life boyfriend Sebastian Stan will enter the scene as Carter Baizen, whom Blair will hook up with.  Then again, Blair will also hook up with Nate and Chuck, and the showrunners promise that the much frowned upon Nate-Blair reunion will not suck as some fans think it would.

Monday night, Gossip Girl made a theatrical debut after a six week hiatus, setting up all the backstabbing intrigue that will take us through spring, with a modernized jaunt back in time to Edith Wharton's "Age of Innocence." The troubled Constance and St. Jude's seniors put it on their senior play, and couldn't help injecting the drama with their signature soliloquies of upper-class agony. And whose agony could rival poor Blair Waldorf's? We finally saw the fall-out of Blair's "black ops" mission against Miss Carr: her acceptance to Yale was revoked, her secrets were blasted all over Gossip Girl, and the cold, hard truth was shoved in her face that her life isn't perfect, and her peers aren't jealous or sympathetic. They hate her.

Now the CW has released promos for the next episode, "The Grandfather," which will finally bring to light a situation that us spoiler-seekers have known for weeks was in the works: Nate and Blair, at it again. And not just any Blair--this is bad Blair. And not just the regular bad Blair--this is my-dreams-are-crushed-because-I'm-not-going-to-Yale-and-everyone-hates-me Blair. This is nothing-left-to-lose Blair. Sure, bad Blair isn't exactly new... but it is truly terrifying.

Two promos for Monday, plus plenty of pictures from the next TWO upcoming episodes, after the jump.




Read the Recap: Gossip Girl Episode 2.18 Age of Dissonance
Read the Aftergasm: Who Needs the Stage for All This Scandal?

Fresh from the unexpected ditching that our beloved Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) got at the hands of Elle, a lot of Gossip Girl fans have, not surprisingly, asked, once and for all, to put an end to the whole Eyes Wide Shut storyline.  In fact, TV Guide has noticed how Chuck seems to be detached – both literally and otherwise – from his co-stars in the last few episodes.  Save for a phone call here and there to Nate (Chace Crawford), Chuck hasn't really had a lot of interaction with the rest of the Upper East Siders – most notably, of course, with Blair (Leighton Meester).

After the last episode, however, TV Guide reports that Elle is gone for good and Chuck just might be reuniting with Nate, Blair, and Serena (Blake Lively).  Apparently, Blair's foreboding encounter with Carter (Sebastian Stan) will have both Serena and Chuck concerned for their friend.  Further down the line, a Blair and Nate reunion is also allegedly in the offing, as the two will share some unresolved feelings about each other.

From the CW's official press release:

On Monday, March 23, 8:00-9:00 pm, on Gossip Girl, Blair Waldorf explores her dark side.

Devastated by the recent plot twist in her life, Blair (Leighton Meester) turns her back on her predictable Waldorf existence in favor of a more wild and unpredictable lifestyle, causing Serena (Blake Lively) and Chuck (Ed Westwick) to have serious concerns about their friend.  Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) convinces Nate (Chace Crawford) that it may be time to forgive and forget when it comes to his mother's Kennedyesque family, The Vanderbilts, who abandoned Nate and his mother when they needed them most.  In a misguided effort to be completely honest with each other, Lily (Kelly Rutherford) and Rufus (Matthew Settle) agree to share lists of their past lovers.  Penn Badgley and Taylor Momsen also star.  J. Miller Tobin directed the episode written by Robby Hull & Etan Frankel.

Source: The CW
(Image courtesy of the CW)

I’m still stuffed but not satisfied from all the flat-out filler we got last week on Gossip Girl, but we’ve been promised lots of actual secrets and scandal tonight during tonight’s episode, “The Grandfather,” so let’s get to it!

Vanessa tells Dan how excited she is for summer Europe trip with Nate, when they’ll travel the whole continent, just the two of them. Vanessa and Dan are heading over to Nate’s to watch college basketball, and they run into him outside with his cousin, Tripp. Tripp invites Nate to make an appearance at the Vanderbilt family reunion at their estate that weekend, saying their grandfather wants to see him. He also tells Nate that he just got engaged. Nate doesn’t want to attend the reunion, saying he won’t pretend to bond with the people who shut him out when dad got busted. Tripp leaves, and V encourages him to reconnect with his family, who seem to be finally making an effort, and he shouldn’t pretend he doesn’t care.

Meanwhile, Chuck tells Serena that Blair isn’t answering his calls, and when he went by last week she never came home that night. He knows something bad is going on. Serena tells Chuck that Blair got rejected from Yale, and he manages to make even that information about him: “The only thing she wanted more than me.” They decide to work together to help her.

Over at the van der Woodsen home, Lily, while wearing some hipster white eyeglasses that I’m pretty sure don’t have lenses in them, learns that her art dealer and Rufus used to date. The art dealer is all, “He told you, right?” and Lily is all, “Of course! BTW, I’m a horrible liar.” Lily goes over and tells Rufus how humiliated she was, and that of course leads her to decide that they should each make lists of everyone they’ve ever kissed, because they’re adults and that’s what adults do. There’s no way this can end badly for the woman who has macked on so many random guys that she’s getting her own spin-off to tell about it.

Nate drives up to his grandfather’s mansion, bringing along Dan and Vanessa, his middle-class support system. When he gets there, he learns that his grandfather wasn’t the one who thought he should come. But when ol’ granddad lands in his private helicopter, he’s delighted to see Nate, and welcomes him with a hug. Everyone claps, because that’s what families do when other family members hug. They clap. Well, dude’s got a helicopter. I’d probably clap, too. (And now I see where the episode title came from! The Godfather. Brilliant.)

Back in the city, Chuck goes to see Blair, and… what is she wearing?! Is that a slutty dress, not-so-slutty-lingerie, or a 1950s bathing suit? Whatever it is, it’s not study wear. And she’s drinking scotch? Oh, Blair. Chuck is shocked to see her this way, when half-dressed-Carter walks up behind and kisses her cheek. Chuck tells her to stay away from Carter, but Blair brushes him off, saying he couldn’t be any worse than Chuck. Bizarro Blair is having the time of her life, and Chuck leaves in disgust. 

Last night’s Gossip Girl was a bit like a WASP-y rendition of Freaky Friday—our resident 40-year-old teenagers Lily and Rufus dealt with some self-imposed going-steady drama over their “lists,” while Nate and Blair struggled with life goals and career paths, each learning for the first time what my college roommate once so profoundly quipped: “Living is, like, hard.”

Last night’s Gossip Girl episode, "The Grandfather," was more pleasing than a rousing game of “Where’s Waldorf?” Why? Because we finally dove into the full-fledged, no holds barred break-ups and boo-hooing that last week's school play filler prepped us for! Aftermath galore, and I was loving it. Because as much as I enjoy lamenting Chair's everlasting detour in splitsville and admiring Serena's assets in her ever-plunging necklines during our slower weeks--there's nothing I love more than nitpicking rich people's unlifelike life-problems when things really go down on the Upper East Side.

Life was hard for everyone in Manhattan, except Jenny and Eric, who must have been building a new-sibling tree house together this week. Crazy kids. Let’s hit up the high notes:

- Oh, Chuck. Even when you’re busy spending your days pining for only-mildly-bad Blair and your nights knocking on her door and asking, “Is Blair here?” you still find the time to exercise your sleaze muscles. “Yale, the only thing she wanted more than me. That would be painful,” he says, managing to make B’s personal crisis a pat on his own well-tailored back. "Chuck, she's embarrassed, so we've got to give her time to lick her wounds," Serena rasps. "Maybe I could lick them for her.” Is it even possible for that not to be disgusting, even (or, especially) sex-wise?

- Oh, Blair. You think you’re revealing a true new nihilism because you’re drinking, stealing, boning Carter Baizen, and burning bridges with your bitch face? Where’s the new? My favorite Gossip Girl analysts over at New York Mag said it better than I could: “We love that her "rebellion" didn't involve anything truly transgressive, like chopping off her hair, say, or wearing pants.” But it did reveal a sticky scholarly situation that needs resolving—where will Blair be next year, if no upstanding college will take her buckets of money? Here’s a million-dollar spin-off idea, if Josh Schwartz really wants her to rebel: Queen B ruling the courtyard at White Collar Prison. Can’t you just see the homemade headband shivs?

- And, all together now: Ooooh, Vanessa. You thought Summer Pierogi Tour ’09 was more important and true to Nate’s unique little snowflake self than a summer internship in the Mayor’s office? Are you sure Nate even knows what “pierogi” means? In this economy, I find it hard to believe that you would be so shocked that a C-student like Nate jumped at the chance for some ol’ fashioned nepotism... or that you could afford a 3-month romp around the old country, anyway. A collective sigh of relief rang out when V realized that she and young Prince Archibald maybe kinda sorta broke up. But what I don’t get is: she’s not even a bit relieved, even after that Ghost of Morning Cocktails Yet to Come (Maureen) gave V a preview of the next “30 years” with all its muddy, violent and homoerotic touch football (and political) games ahead. If Nate really believes he can’t escape his heritage, V doesn’t strike me as the Dharma-to-his-Greg type. Here’s hoping the breakup sticks this time.

- WTF, Lily? Lily gave us a sneak preview into her forthcoming Gossip Girl spin-off by showing us the list of every man who’s ever plucked a petal off of her now-proven-beyond-necessary-soiled-flower-self. And Rufus got mad that she’s like the subway (everyone in a major metro area has ridden it at least once) because he spent his years as a lead singer in a rock band pining after her instead of scraping the bottom of the groupie barrel. And Lily’s the mad one, because Rufus is ashamed of how long her list is, which she hid from him because she is ashamed of how long her list is. No, wait! Rufus is the mad one because he’s surprised the woman who mothered his orphaned son whom he never knew about until a few weeks ago has problems with lying and having too much sex. But wait, once more! Everything is okay again, because Rufus knows that Lily loves red wine, romance novels, and Christmas ornaments. Because those are the things that high-class, educated women who hire private art consultants and head up billion-dollar companies (until their step-sons are of age) enjoy. So they make up.


What were your favorite and least favorite parts of last night's Gossip Girl? Sound off in the comments below and tell me what you think!


Missed "The Grandfather"? Fear not: 'Gossip Girl' Recap: Episode 2.19 "The Grandfather"

The Gossip Girl spin-off, set to take off via a 20-minute flashback on the CW series' May 11 episode, hasn't even received an official pick-up, but executive producer Josh Schwartz already has a lot of ideas for it.

For instance, according to Schwartz, since the spin-off took place in the 80s when Serena's (Blake Lively) mom Lily (Kelly Rutherford) was in high school, it's very possible that she'll meet and even hang out with several characters from The O.C.

“What we know is [O.C. characters] Kirsten Cohen, or Kirsten Nichols as she was born, and Jimmy Cooper lived in Newport Beach in the ‘80s,” he said.  “So there's a total possibility that in one episode, Lily could have been friends with Kirsten or Jimmy Cooper when they were young.  I would love to do that.”

The CW has previously said that the spin-off will receive the green light depending on how the particular episode would fare in the ratings as well as the general public reception.

- Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Access Hollywood
(Image courtesy of the CW)

Michelle Trachtenberg is the latest actress to join the NBC pilot called Mercy, a drama about three nurses bound together in friendship.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, she will be playing a more mature role as one of the show's central trio of nurses.

The Gossip Girl actress will be joining Dark Matter actress Taylor Schilling, who will play Veronica Callahan, a nurse at Mercy Hospital after a tour in Iraq, and former Men in Trees star James Tupper, who will play Chris Sands, a new doctor at Mercy Hospital who had a sizzling affair with one of the nurses while both were stationed in Iraq.  Among the three, however, Trachtenberg's character appears to be the most inexperienced.

Mercy, which is created by Elizabeth Heldens and helmed by Adam Bernstein (Worst Week), will also include Men in Trees actor Diego Klattenhoff as a contractor and blue-collar worker who is married to one of the nurses, Weeds actor Guillermo Diaz as a male nurse and Just Legal's Jaime Lee Kirchner.

Trachtenberg, who is perhaps most noted for her role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was last seen in the small screen as the devious Georgina Sparks on Gossip Girl.  Though she only appeared on four episodes, she left a lasting impression – enough for the show runners to bring her back on the canvas this April.

Aside from her upcoming guest stint on Gossip Girl, fans can also catch Trachtenberg opposite High School Musical's Zac Efron in the movie 17 Again, which hits theaters on April 17, as well as in the film Young Americans, a comedy about an aimless college graduate who pursues his dream girl at a wild Labor Day weekend party starring Anna Faris and Topher Grace.

What's it like to kiss Dan Humphrey? That seems like a question that Laura Breckenridge can easily answer.  The 25-year-old actress joined the cast of Gossip Girl this season as teacher Rachel Carr and almost immediately sparked sexual tension with Penn Badgley's character. But while there's undeniable chemistry between the two, Breckenridge reveals that her make-out scenes with Badgley weren't as simple and pleasurable as it may seem.

“Well, he's a very handsome guy and he's a very sweet guy.  I do have to say that when you're doing that on set, it doesn't sound very sexy.  You're in a scene, and it's very technical, so it's not necessarily a steamy make-out scene, as much as it seems … but he's very nice.  I've got to say, those scenes sometimes are more awkward than sexy, but it was fun,” Breckenridge told MTV news at Wednesday night's Gen Art Film Festival launch party.

Breckenridge mostly worked with Badgley, Blake Lively, and Leighton Meester during her stint on Gossip Girl, and, like most guest stars on the show, she really had a great time.

“[It was] one of the most fun jobs I've ever had,” she said. “First of all, the show's a lot of fun.  Also the cast and crew are amazing.  I was the newbie on set, and they were very welcoming.  I loved going to work; I don't think you can ask for a better working environment. I don't know if I can pick a favorite [cast member to work with].  I worked mainly with Penn, Blake and Leighton, and I really loved all three of them. I can't pick, I honestly can't choose. They were all very fun.”

Breckenridge was last seen in the episode "The Age of Dissonance" in which Dan found out Rachel sent negative information to Yale about Blair so Blair wasn't able to attend Yale.  As for her possible return on Gossip Girl, Breckenridge doesn't seem too optimistic about it.

“I'm not sure.  I think Ms. Carr left in a lot of scandal.  She fell from grace a bit,” Breckenridge said.

“Remains of the J” on Gossip Girl, Monday, March 30, (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET).  Jenny's kinda-not-sweet sixteen.  Tamara Feldman and Armie Hammer guest star.

Serena (Blake Lively) decides to throw Jenny (Taylor Momsen) an i...

We open on a New York morning, and Serena’s on the phone with Blair. Blair’s lying about where she is, saying she’s at home with Dorota when she’s really out on the street walking somewhere—wonder why?

Out in Brooklyn, Dan basks in his own importance with his first “fan letter” and his entry package to Yale. The Humphreys make jokes about how they were sure Jenny’s bad life choices would have led to her death before age 16, which she turns tomorrow.  They head over to the van der Woodsens’ in Manhattan for breakfast before school, which means it must be about 5 AM right now. Which doesn’t stop Vanessa from popping in to worry about why Nate hasn’t called her in a week and let her apologize for getting mad at him last week. Just then, she gets an email from Nate asking her to stop by in half an hour.

Out on the street, Serena runs into Poppy, who is so pleased to tell Serena about her glorious life with her boyfriend Gabriel in Spain. They’re only in New York for 48 hours. Serena “updates” Poppy on her life, and Poppy notes that everything is exactly the same as when they last saw each other. Serena says she’s throwing a Sweet Sixteen party for a friend, and Poppy is unimpressed. She brushes Serena and her “little party” off, and Serena is sad to realize how boring and cyclical her life is.

The Humphreys get to the VDWs’ for breakfast. Lily (Kelly Rutherford) is so clearly pregnant, but maybe they’re trying to make it look like she has an eating problem, what with the massive spread of carbs she’s got on her kitchen island. The fam discusses Jenny’s birthday. Lily and S pitch their surprise: a lovely party with a caterer and a DJ. Jenny says she’d rather have a quiet night at home with the family and two nerds from her Chemistry class, with chili and board games. The VDWs say they will cancel the good party if she really wants them to. Rufus looks at the paperwork Dan gave him and sees that his Financial Aid application to Yale has been denied.

At school, S doesn’t understand why Little J doesn’t want a big party, and Eric speculates that maybe she’s worried no one would show up. The Plastics walk up to Serena and snidely thank her for canceling her party so they don’t need to pretend to feel bad for going to Penelope’s instead. Not one to be outdone by the Girls of the Steps, Serena decides to bring in the big guns, and calls Poppy.

Vanessa walks to Nate’s house and sees B and Nate together leaving Nate’s house, and hugging goodbye. Chuck approaches in his limo and says it’s been going all week. He’s the one who emailed her from Nate’s account (password “soccer” since fifth grade, because he had email when he was in fifth grade) and when she’s ready to do something about it, she should call him.

Oh, Nate Archibald. Remember the days not so long ago in Season Two of Gossip Girl when all your scenes consisted of liner notes on other people’s scripts?

Nate exits. Nate re-enters, looks around the party, realizes no one cares. Nate exits.

Nate and Vanessa play “Heart and Soul” on the piano, giving each other mooneyes as Chuck descends the stairwell.

Chuck and Blair enter the hallway. Is that Nate in the background? Oh, no. That’s a mop.

Nate and Vanessa make out in their private theater box while all the interesting stuff happens.

Well, no more bit-playing for you, young master Archibald. You’re back in the big time, baby! You’re the center of attention once more! The heartthrob! The man after which all the women are chasing nowadays! And, sorry… you’re also kind of a douchebag.

What’s that? You think you’re just being true to your heart? Let’s look back. In the last two episodes, you…

1. Planned an elaborate European summer vacation with your girlfriend, V, promised her a whirlwind romantic pierogi tour, and then canceled the next day, without telling her.
2. Canceled the trip to take an internship at the behest of your grandfather, with whom V basically forced you to reconnect.
3. Blamed V for getting upset, like she was trying to separate you from your family, and for being angry that you canceled, hid things, buckled under pressure, and did all those other Archibald-y things that you promised you wouldn’t do.
4. Stopped talking to V, and maybe cheated on her with your ex-girlfriend, B.
5. Let V ask you to dinner, told B how excited you were to get it over with, and then unceremoniously dumped V before appetizers.
6. Lied to V about wanting to get back together with B.
7. Pushed away B when she rightly assumed that you wanted to be with her, and told her you just wanted to be friends.
8. Accused V of being as cruel, manipulative, and troublesome as B, your “friend.”
9. Turned around and—surprise!—revealed that you do want to be with B as more than just friends.

Congratulations, Nate, you’re just one step shy of a full 10-step dickhead transformation!

I know it’s exciting to have this much drama in your life when your most grounding character trait used to be that you were just kind of a beautiful dummy. After all those backhanded remarks about how you have only ever voted for American Idol, how the only thing you read is Sports Illustrated, and how you haven’t changed your email password from “soccer” for seven years—doesn’t it feel good to be the cause of pain and the object of malice once more? You may be a tool, but at least you’re interesting again. And realistic! Like an actual high school guy, you are officially the most confused, insensitive, and shortsighted dude on Gossip Girl. Way to go. And you still got the girl. For now, anyway.

Just watch yourself, okay, Nate? There’s a fine line between interesting and insufferable--and it comes down to choice. If you're going to embrace your heritage--fine, be an Archibald: internship, elbow-patches, class-discrimination and all. If you're going to be the lovable but oh-so-dumb pretty boy with a heart of gold, go with that. But don't give the holier-than-thou to everyone in your path of self-discovery. We have a Dan Humphrey. And don't think you can treat B like a princess, and then like dirt, and then like a princess again... because we have a Chuck Bass. Just be Nate. Whatever that means.

Read the Recap: Gossip Girl Episode 2.20 "Remains of the J"

He looks the part, but can he dance it?

Coming on the heels of High School Musical star Zac Efron dropping out of the Footloose remake, Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford has auditioned for the role, according to E! News.

Crawford, 23, did really well, says a source, adding that even early on, Crawford's name has crept up to replace Efron, who said no to the project for fear of being typecast.   Efron has done three highly successful High School Musical films and yet another musical Hairspray.  For his part, Crawford plays pretty boy Nate Archibald on the CW hit Gossip Girl.  He has also appeared in several movies, such as The Covenant, Loaded, and The Haunting of Molly Hartley.

Despite Efron dropping out, Paramount said it will push through with the remake of the 1984 film that shot Kevin Bacon into fame.

"Footloose is a project we've longed to see rebooted for a new generation.  While Zac is no longer attached, we remain excited and committed to the collective brain trust of [director] Kenny Ortega, [producers] Neil Meron and Craig Zaden, who will reinvigorate the franchise," a Paramount Pictures rep told UsMagazine.com.  "Their fresh take on the film will undoubtedly be filled with the same kind of breakout performances that we've come to expect from them."

Since dropping out, Efron is reportedly involved in a more serious film role in the Burr Steers picture The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.  Efron and Steers have worked in 17 Again.

On the last episode of Gossip Girl, Nate seemed to be having a rekindling of romance with ex-flame Blair (Leighton Meester), which may earn the ire of the legions of fans who wanted her to end up with Chuck (Ed Westwick).

Read 'Gossip Girl' Recap: Episode 2.20 "Remains of the J"

There’s plenty to look forward to as Gossip Girl inches closer to the season finale.  As BuddyTV reported previously, the May 11 episode of Gossip Girl will take the form of a flashback, laying the groundwork for a spin-off focusing on Lily van der Woodsen during her younger years, which could start as soon as next fall. We can also expect more drama from Nate’s (Chase Crawford) super-rich cousin Tripp Vanderbilt (Aaron Tveit) and his fiancée, Maureen (Holley Fain).  Then there’s the handsome European socialite (Armie Hammer) who will pave the way for the season-ending storyline the show is planning, which is loosely inspired by actress Anne Hathaway’s controversial romance with Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri.

It seems that there will be a lot of trouble and intrigue in the Upper East Side as the season concludes but cast member Ed Westwick hints otherwise.  And while he didn’t spill any spoilers or plot details, he did, however, promise that it will be a “happy” season finale.

"Well, you know, we like to keep our audience on their toes," Westwick, who portrays Chuck, told MTV News.  "We just shot the finale for the season, and there's an interesting conclusion.  A happy one, I hope everyone will think."

Westwick, who is currently dating co-star Jessica Szohr (Vanessa), hasn’t exactly been discreet about his love life as the couple has been spotted together several times on various occasions. On the other hand, he wouldn’t comment on his onscreen love affairs.

"I can't reveal these kinds of things," he said of whether Chuck and Blair (Leighton Meester) will eventually rekindle their flame. Instead, he advises fans to "Watch! Watch. You have to watch!"

"I'm not revealing anything, you know. You're not gonna get me," he added.

Catch the remaining episodes of Gossip Girl every Monday at 8pm on The CW.

Once again, Gossip Girl is being cruel, with no new episode until April 20.  Fortunately, Entertainment Weekly has some stuff on the upcoming Gossip Girl episode, and it is about the new but not-so-popular pairing of Blair (Leighton Meester) and Nate (Chace Crawford).

Minor spoiler ahead.

According to the published preview on the episode called "Seder Anything," Blair makes a secret deal with Nate’s grandfather William (guest star James Naughton).  Entertainment Weekly reports that the deal just might be the first sign of trouble for Blair and Nate.  Grandfather breaks the ice by saying that Nate has made it into Columbia, and implores Blair to make Nate realize that Yale is “the appropriate choice.” Uncharacteristically, Blair says she thinks Nate needs to make the decision himself.

Meanwhile, Nate’s grandfather asks her about her plans, after which he promises to make a few phone calls for her as a favor.  He’d do anything for a friend of his grandson’s, he says.  Finally, Blair gushes that Nate would look “dashing” in bulldog blue.  Of course, we all know how Blair is just dying to go to Yale.

Elsewhere on that episode, Serena (Blake Lively) returns from her out-of-the-blue trip to Spain with Poppy (guest star Tamara Feldman) and Gabriel (guest star Armie Hammer), only to realize that she might have accidentally married Gabriel.  Dan, meanwhile, takes on a job as a cater-waiter to earn money for college, but is a little freaked out when he learns that the gig will be held at the Waldorf penthouse with several of his friends and family as guests.

- Glenn Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Entertainment Weekly
(Image courtesy of the CW)

I was a little stressed upon reading here that Ed Westwick is saying that the Gossip Girl finale will be “happy.”  Distressing to say the least, because Gossip Girl isn’t exactly a show on which I’d like the characters happy.  Of course, I want them to eventually be happy, but not so soon.  In addition, there isn’t just one definition of happiness in the concurrent Gossip Girl universe.  Just to cite an example, some fans might be happy that Nate (Chace Crawford) and Blair (Leighton Meester) are back together, but a lot are probably foaming in the mouth that their beloved Blair is not with Chuck (Ed Westwick).

The fact that Westwick teases that the finale, slated to air on May 18, will be a happy one isn’t much of a guarantee. E! Online reports that Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg) will be in the Upper East Side starting on the April 27 episode and staying put for the remainder of the season.  And she vows that she’ll be causing her fair share of trouble. "Her last name is Sparks, so sparks will fly."  Spoilers add that Blair better watch out.

Who wants a happy ending, anyway? With the way things are shaping up, things aren’t pretty for a lot of Gossip Girl fans.  Vanessa (played by Westwick’s real-life girlfriend Jessica Szohr) looks like she’s agreeing to hook up with Chuck just to spite Nate.  Chuck, of course, is more than willing to oblige. That’s not a recipe for happiness by any standard. Elsewhere, Serena (Blake Lively) will return from her impromptu Spanish vacay with Poppy (guest star Tamara Feldman) and Gabriel (guest star Armie Hammer) and realize that – gasp – she maybe just married Gabriel?  What?

"We just shot the finale for the season, and there's an interesting conclusion.  A happy one,  I hope everyone will think," Westwick told MTV.

With this much as a hint, I’m inclined to believe that Blair will still end up with Chuck, since this is easily the most beloved couple in the Gossip Girl world. As far as Serena is concerned, meanwhile, she’ll probably still end up with Dan (Penn Badgley) because as much as their relationship had gone sweet and sour over the course of two seasons, they kind of deserve each other.  At this point, the definition of a happy ending would apply to these things, but as mentioned, there are other possibilities, including the off-chance that the writers might actually labor to make the Blair and Nate angle work beautifully.  Who knows?

Would you like things to end up cheery on Gossip Girl, at least as far as this season is concerned?

Only five episodes left (four if you don't count the spin-off pilot to air May 11) until the closure of Gossip Girl Season Two, and things on the Upper East Side are just a bit bizarro, what with Blair and Nate rekindling their comfort-ship, Chuck and Vanessa finding some "comfort" of their own, and Serena jetting off to Spain... (Okay, that last one isn't so bizarre.)

How will it all end?

Stephanie Savage, executive producer of Gossip Girl, gabbed with Zap2It's Korbi Ghosh on Friday about all the dirt that's fit to print coming up to the finale. What's up with the Nate-Blair-Chuck love triangle? Will Nate and Chuck's bro-love survive? And whatever happened on New Year's Eve with Blair and Uncle Jack?

Spoilers ahead.

On the current Blair and Nate (Nair?) pairing:

Savage: "They have a little run. I don't want people to not be invested in that story because I think that when the Nate and Blair story finally ends, people will understand that it was necessary growth for both of the characters. They come out in a different place."

On the writers' reasoning for putting Nair together once more, with feeling:

Savage: "It felt like, given the history that they had - when we met Blair, her whole story for the first half of the first season was very much about them feeling like they were destined to be together - it is very realistic. Especially since Blair has been feeling insecure lately - she's found out that she's not getting into Yale, her life isn't going to end up like she thought it would and she's kind of off the path she'd planned Nate offers security, familiarity, and just kind of that nostalgia for that vision of herself that she had as a young girl, wanting to see that come to fruition as high school culminates. This is your high school boyfriend, this is who you always dreamed about finishing high school with. And when that dream presents itself, it's going to be pretty appealing."

But what about Blair and Chuck?

Savage: "We are definitely out there [online], kind of listening to what people are saying. We are very aware there is a lot of interest in having the Chuck and Blair story come to fruition... and that's what we're thinking about right now."

Season Two has wrapped, with the few remaining episodes mostly Nate-Blair focused. But Blair and Chuck will be a focus of Season Three, according to Savage. But could a real Chuck-Blair relationship ruin the show?

Savage: "We think we had good success on [our first series] The O.C., for example, with Seth and Summer, where they were really together as a couple for the vast majority of the show. We told stories where they were having issues and were having obstacles, but in the context of them as a couple. So it's not necessarily the case that once a couple comes together, they stop being interesting or able to generate story."

Can Nate and Chuck's friendship survive this little love quadrangle they've gotten themselves into?

Korbi: "Apparently the two boys have a very sweet story coming up at the end of the season in which they "kind of figure out the Blair of it all." (A direct quote from Savage.)"

Okay. What about this whole Chuck and Vanessa thing? Does it last?

Korbi: "The Vanessa thing will continue for a bit. But Savage explained that it certainly won't have the same resonance as the Blair-Nate situation."

And whatever happened with that whole Blair and Uncle Jack business?

Korbi: "What happened -- and as Stephanie told me, this is some good behind the scenes scoop -- is the writers had originally planned for the big "what went down with Jack & Blair on New Years" reveal to play out in an episode earlier this year. The scene with Chuck finding out was even shot and partially shown in a preview for that episode. But when the producers watched the cut of it, they just felt like it wasn't dealt with properly. It seemed as though an important piece of drama was being rushed through, so they ultimately decided to hold that information back and get a bigger story out of it at the end of the year."

Is Ed Westwick's real-life binge eating and partying affecting his role as a binge-eating partier on Gossip Girl?

MSNBC reports:

Chuck Bass may become even more off-putting in future episodes of "Gossip Girl" -- and not just because of his slimy behavior. Actor Ed Westwick's constant partying is starting to show on his waistline, In Touch Weekly reports.

"Ed has been gaining a lot of weight -- not just around the waist, but throughout his whole body," said an on-set source. "First, the costume department had to buy him new, bigger pants. Then, his shirts and jackets got way too snug. The costumers even requested that producers talk to Ed -- they don't want Chuck to be fat!"

Usually it's actresses being held to unrealistic and strict body-image standards by their shows and the media. But if any teen drama would leak reports that one of its male stars is getting a little too full-figured, it's Gossip Girl. We haven't dealt with too many body-issues on screen since Blairemia struck during Season One. But it's common knowledge that the show is as much about pretty, skinny people wearing tight clothing and rubbing up on each other as it is about accidentally murdering people and not getting into Yale. Would the show, and its cold-hearted heartthrob, be less appealing if Blair's next insta-insult was "Sorry, you're Chunk Bass."?

But doesn't a huskier (read: normal) frame suit our Suit? He's stressed, so he eats. He's depressed, so he drinks. He's now living with the van der Woodsens, where Lily apparently insists on buying lavish trays of danishes and bagels every morning. He lost Blair. Maybe he's eating (and drinking) his feelings now. It could work. Imagine the ground-breaking storyline possibilities about male eating disorders in Season Three. Hello, Emmy!

On the other hand: no. He's still Chuck Bass. Hot is hot, slightly larger pink seersuckers or no. Let us get back to the real fake gossip now, please.

Fashion has always been an integral part of Gossip Girl.  And among the main characters of the series, one character, Blair Waldorf, stands out for her degree of notability for her popular wardrobe.  As the Queen B of Manhattan's social scene, her styles and outfits have received real-life coverage or recognition from various periodicals.

"It's kind of this updated Japanese schoolgirl look," Leighton Meester, who portrays Blaire on Gossip Girl, said of her character's look.  "Every other outfit is larger than life -- even when it's prim and proper -- and heavily accessorized.  I wear ties, bows, colored tights, heels and stuff that you could never get away with at school.  But I think that the most important part of Blair's look is her headband, which is like her crown."

Although Blair has been sporting that look since the beginning of Gossip Girl, fans can expect some changes as she heads to college.

"It's yet to be decided, but I'm definitely going to college -- to N.Y.U. -- and not wearing any more school uniforms.  Thank God we're not pretending we all get held back and just continue with high school like all those other high school shows. I guess I'll wear magnificent clothes every day that don't have anything to do with school," she revealed.

And while Meester enjoys the glitz and glamour that come with her character's fashion style, she asserts that her real-life fashion sense is nothing like Blair's.

"Her style is a little expensive for my taste but it loudly communicates that she is who she is and that she does what she does. I find that admirable. And she's always dressed appropriately, which I can't always say about myself," she said.

Catch Leighton Meester on Gossip Girl every Monday at 8pm on The CW.