Michael Kors Mad for Mad Men
Orange-faced designer Michael Kors recently unveiled a line of little cardigans and suits that were inspired by the 60's-set drama Mad Men. If you buy $350 worth of merchandise, you get a free Mad Men DVD.

Project Runway and The Aviator
On the first season finale of Project Runway finalist Kara Saun debuted a collection of clothing inspired by Martin Scorcese's film The Aviator. Goggles! Fur! Weird caps! She, um, did not win.

Flashdance and the Ruined Sweatshirt
When that big-haired girl from PIttsburgh put on her jazzercise clothes to go dancing, the outfit included a sweatshirt with the neck hole cut open and the cuffs cut off. And then the rest of the nation did it themselves, looked in the mirror at the sweatshirt falling off of their shoulders and said "what a feeling!" It's a look that's really come to define 80's fashion.

Clueless and 90210 Empower Young Ladies
Sure kids were always rich and spoiled, but Clueless the movie and its slightly older TV cousin 90210 fully ushered in the era of shopping, specifically for expensive clothes, as sport. Though Clueless was a satire, not everyone got it and decided that they'd like to be clothes-obsessed and as catty about it as possible. Kids didn't just ask for a credit card anymore, they demanded one.

Daisy Dukes A Go Go!
Tiny short short jean shorts. They were a staple of 70's southern-fried camp-fest The Dukes of Hazzard. Rather than laugh the look off as silly TV creative license, young ladies nationwide snipped their jeans (paving brave ways for the next generation's Bealsaphiles!) and strutted around with their asses hanging out.

I can understand being inspired by what people are wearing on a TV show or in a movie, I mean where else can we emulate from, but some people take it so literally! Please don't wear kilts! Or carry muffs! It would make me upset. Some people, though, do realize that the whole thing is just a little bit false: “Sometime you see these girls from Brooklyn carrying Valentino bags that cost $3,000,” says a 26-year-old admin assistant of the Gossip Girl fashion mania. “That makes the show a little irritating.” Brooklyn? There's no such thing as fancy in Brooklyn.

background actress in upper brookville (oyster bay area) - m4w

you were by far the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my 4 years in ny.. about 5'5" tall, medium length curly blonde hair, an absolutely stunning smile, and the body of a goddess. you were wearing a white bikini and doing background acting in the pool area for gossip girl.. if you see this you probably know who I am, I was absolutely mesmorized by you. I didnt want to try talking to you in front of the whole crew cuz I would of got shit from my boss but when I had a moment to look for you they had already wrapped you :( I would much rather get rejected then to have never tried at all.. if you actually see this, please reply if nothing else than to tell me no so I know lol if anyone reading knows the girl im talking about, please just show her this, thanks

First there was the scary news of Chuck Bass's small taxi accident. Luckily he escaped unscathed. Then there is yet another interview with Chace "Nate" Crawford in which he's asked point blank if he's gay and he, of course, denies it. We do find out, though, that in high school he was a greeter at Abercrombie & Fitch, that store that can make some teens feel vaguely sad because the popular preppy kids all wear it and these other teens picture the cool preppy kids cavorting on beaches and drinking from kegs and laughing and being good-looking together and then in bitter contrast there are the other kids in ill-fitting button-ups from the Gap that their moms said were cool and there they are standing and staring like total weirdos at other kids in a clothing store. Hah! Hey! Where did I go there? Anyway, the real GG scandal of the day is a tipster who believes that Blake "Serena van der Boring" Lively used to have a different nose!

Yes indeed. InStyle has a little slideshow of photos of the actors when they were in high school and Blake's nose does look a little suspiciously different. Take a look at the photo below and judge for yourself.

God love a slow news day!

Send your sightings, preferably with some identifying information, to stalker@gawker.com. Give us the time you saw the person, date, where, and, oh, maybe their name. Google if you must. Google Image even.

pretty sure i just saw saw the dude from gossip girl - the one everyone thinks is gay - at intersection of 30th and 5th

StrawberryShortcake's new line beats the original, "Can You Feel Me Now?"

In the game Gossip Girl, spend a semester fraternizing with the glamorous socialites of Manhattan's Upper East Side at an elite private school. Explore the hippest social hot spots of New York City and attend the most fashionable parties. Shop in the trendiest boutiques of the fashion district and customize your character's appearance. Gain entry into exclusive social cliques where you'll make or break relationships with popular girls and date the most desirable boys while you build up your social status. Read the Gossip Girl Blog and see how the choices you make become part of the complex world of shifting friendships, jealousies and scandals.

Don't get me wrong, I think the trend, or whatever you want to call it, of older women dating younger men is kicky good fun, but that word! What does it even mean really? Mädchen Amick is only 37-years-old. I think the term for a 37-year-old guy trying to mack on an 18-year-old girl is "Man at a bar." Not to get all shrill and double standard shrieky about it — I understand that "cougar" is supposed to be sorta complimentary — but it's just one of those dumb buzz words (like "fetch," heh) that's just not gonna happen. Or rather, shouldn't have happened. Even if Amick or anyone else was 67 instead of 37, what's so wrong with just simply "older woman"? At least that doesn't conjure up images of some feral pussy that lives in the mountains and devours teenage boys on camping trips. Am I just being weird here?

1. Miley Cyrus
Why She Will Be: Remember when Cyrus (perhaps better known as Disney Channel phenom Hannah Montana) posed! practically naked! for Vanity Fair? She was just fifteen years old. If that's not an auspicious beginning to a decade spent in the celebrity trenches, I just don't know what is. Also, throw in Billy Ray, her just slightly creepy overbearing papa and that's a strong soup.
Why She Won't: This new generation of Kids 2.0 might be so inured to the popwrecks of Lohan and Spears that they know what pitfalls to avoid. Perhaps Cyrus will deftly navigate her years spent not a girl and not yet a woman and will emerge — hoarse voice, rosy complexion, sunny disposition intact — just fine. Consider that a hopeful prayer, Miley.

2. Dakota Fanning
Why She Will Be: Because everyone, strange perversions or not, likes to see a child star awkwardly stumble into adulthood. Fanning, star of such films as I Am Sam and War of the Worlds, has been on our national radar since she was a wee one. And now, as she enters teendom, our prurient ears and eyes will perk up, waiting salaciously for the first sexual bumble, that first tentative alcohol-fueled evening made just a bit too public. And we will eat it up. Plus, expect some "look at me!" grownup movies. It may have already started with last year's Hounddog, for which a then-12-year-old Fanning filmed a graphic rape scene.
Why She Won't: So far Fanning has seemed to possess almost otherworldly intelligence and maturity. Maybe she'll go the Jodie Foster route, disappearing for a bit to experience regular life, then reemerging as a serious, adult actress to be reckoned with. And maybe also a lesbian.

3. Jamie Lynn Spears
Why She Will Be: Oh hell, she's already there. Preggers at sixteen, photographed repeatedly driving around in a strange gocart with her dopey boyfriend, spotted outside silly chain restaurants in Mississippi. She's already a Britney redux and she's still so young. Once she pops out her first bastard child, expect either another pregnancy, a glorious flameout effort to get her career back on track, or both.
Why She Won't: An early death could slow her down. But, more likely, general Spears fatigue will carry over to the littlest dumpling, and Jamie Lynn will just fade into bayou obscurity, Spanish moss shrouding the Spears clan forever. Well, until her mama Lynn storms the gates of LSU and begins hurling wine coolers from the clocktower in a last ditch bid for attention.

4. Zac Efron
Why He Will Be: Because everyone loves a good heartthrob, especially one who acts, sings, and dances. Don't believe me? Just look at ol' Justin Timberlake. The High School Musical star is lined up to star in some major features in the next couple years, meaning he's only a couple nights of too-hard partying, several gorgeous celebrity girlfriends, and a few harmless gay rumors away from being a Justin-sized Us magazine cover cash cow.
Why He Won't: For every JT out there, there are a thousand Ashley Parker Angels, Nick Carters, and Lance Basses. Yeah, they've all had some exposure, but nothing legendary. If he's lucky, Efron will work until his mid twenties, then retire to Northern California with his roommate Barry, where he'll sculpt and direct the musicals at the high school.

5. Miranda Cosgrove
Why She Will Be: Starring on both Drake & Josh and iCarly, the Nickelodeon workhorse is being groomed for big things. Though popular with tweens, we don't know much about her personal life, just that she seems to be truly focused on making it in the biz. Meaning she's a simmering party girl just waiting to bust out. She'll tromp down red carpets, swill champagne, and bed hop with the best of them.
Why She Won't: Who the hell is Miranda Cosgrove? What the hell is an iCarly?

6. The Gossip Girl Kids
Why They Will Be: They're young, pretty, buzzed-about, and on a hip (if little-watched) teen soap. Sure that only carried the OC moppets a short distance, but the GG kids could outlast them, we think. They seem a little more dangerous, a little more edgy and exposed. Maybe it's the New York factor, maybe it's that some of them are already popping up in tabs because they're dating, or maybe it's that we're pathetically obsessed with some of their sexualities. Whatever the reason, they just seem to have a certain something that makes us think at least one of them will be big.
Why They Won't: They'll need to do more than be on a low-rated CW show. The 90210 kids of old never really parlayed their crazy buzz into anything substantial, tabloid or otherwise. Once the show is canceled (mid-season next year, we predict), they'll probably just wander down Lexington, make a left somewhere, and disappear forever.

7. Shia LaBeouf
Why He Will Be: Yes he's irritating and over-hyped, but that hasn't necessarily stopped anyone in the past. The young actor has the same rakishness and noble devotion to his craft that makes George Clooney such an irresistible public figure. He probably won't be smeared across tabloid headlines for threatening cops or burying himself in mountains of blow, but his dating life will soon be on constant public display, we suspect.
Why He Won't: He's irritating and over-hyped. People will grow tired of his shtick. He won't settle comfortably into his looks as he ages. An early cocaine problem will derail him before he can first become hugely famous and then develop a coke problem, when it won't matter. Any or all of the above could prove to be true.

8. Emma Stone
Why She Will Be: Maybe it's the Lohan-esque red hair. The Superbad actress, who's going to be in a comedy called The House Bunny this summer, just seems a bit roguish. A bit dangerous. This is just a weird hunch.
Why She Won't: With only one movie under her belt, she's pretty untested as a person of interest. Plus she seems smart, which could mean that she'll avoid all the youthful Hollywood nonsense. But then again, that red hair...

9. The Jonas Brothers
Why They Will Be: The tight pants. The floppy hair. The foppish hats. The virginity-promising rings. The gooey lyrics. The legion of girly fans. This tweeny bop band (and stars of the upcoming Disney Channel movie Camp Rock, with Miranda Cosgrove! Excited??!) are just too good a set-up. This precarious house of cards must fall, and it must fall in a big (and hopefully gay) way.
Why They Won't: Tight pants. Floppy hair. Virginity. Gooey lyrics. Legion of girly fans. Sounds just like 90's teen boy rock band Hanson, right? And where the hell are those Christian-nut brothers these days? All are living happily-married peaceful lives, with adorable babies biting at their ankles while they record well-reviewed albums together. The Jonas Brothers, who started off as a Christian rock band, could meet the same pleasant fate. Plus, if they were to fall, it would probably be in one glorious catastrophe. Their denouement probably wouldn't last long enough to endure a massive tabloid barnstorm.

10. Shenae Grimes
Why She Will Be: Already big with the young ones because of her "work" on popular Canadian teen melodrama Degrassi: The Next Generation, Grimes is poised to get even bigger when the new 90210 reboot premieres this fall. Grimes is attractive, not too Candian-style "aboot"-y, and has shown a willingness to bare more than her emotions on Degrassi.
Why She Won't: The new 90210 could be a terrific failure. Plus her name is Shenae Grimes.

11. Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale
Why They Will Be: The third High School Musical movie, in which they both star, is going to play in actual fucking movie theaters. Hudgens already had a nude photo scandal involving boyfriend Zac Efron, and Tisdale seems to thoroughly enjoy paparazzi-baiting and flitting down red carpets. Again we have a set of mostly-virginal actresses poised to sully their reputations, over and over and over again.
Why They Won't: The HSM craze could fade. Their popularity might not be as big as Disney would like you to believe. They'll both need to do a couple of saucier, more risque projects before they can expect to be mercilessly hounded by crazed photographers.

12. Katherine Heigl
Why She Will Be: Well, she may already be there. She's photographed constantly, but it's usually tame shots of her having dinner with her husband or at some event. With her newly acquired bitch status, could we be on the verge of some sort of Joan Crawfordian meltdown? Imagine the paparazzi photos of Heigl, bedraggled with curlers in her hair and a cigarette dangling from her lip, chasing people down the street in her housecoat.
Why She Won't: She could get her bad attitude in check and right herself on the course to major movie stardom. Sure she'll still be in the tabloids, but it'll be for more pleasant things like "Who Wore it Best" and photos of charity events.

13. Michael Jackson
Why He Will Be: While there may be no second acts for most American lives, the ridiculously troubled singer/dancer/child romancer Jackson has had fourth, fifth and sixth acts in the past dizzying two decades. He's been laying low for a while, which could possibly be setting the stage for the (gulp) final act.
Why He Won't: Isn't he broke and living in Dubai somewhere? What could he possibly do to get back in the public eye? Oh, actually get convicted on a molestation charge and be sent prison? Oh, OK.

14. Samantha Ronson
Why She Will Be: The lesbian DJ and probable lover of Lindsay Lohan, could launch her own sort of spin-off. Could Us Weekly and co. be ready to give her her own sort of spin-off, once she inevitably parts ways with Lohan? A druggy, be-hatted lesbian trots around Hollywood, outing starlets. Sounds like a good story to us.
Why She Won't: The Lohan factor is probably all she's got going for her in the famous department. Once that does end, it's more likely that she'll just retreat back to being a small celebrity on the club circuit.

15. Elle Fanning
Why She Will Be: The 12-year-old sister of our no. 2 Dakota, Elle could follow in the footsteps of addled siblings like Jamie Lynn or Paris's brother, Barron Hilton. It could also be interesting to watch her rocket past her sister in fame and success, only to lose it all when all the attendant problems of sibling rivalry and problematic family dynamics come racing to catch up with her.
Why She Won't: Perhaps Dakota will, in fact, supernova and Elle will run screaming in the other direction. Or maybe the successfully Jodie Foster-like version of Dakota will shield her little sis from all the slings and arrows. (Plus it's awful to predict a miserable fate for a 12-year-old. You should be ashamed of yourself, Richard.)

16. The Vengeful Ghost of Anna Nicole Smith
Why It Will Be: Hey, it could happen!
Why It Won't: No, no it could not.

so this really sad event. it's on the corner of houston and varick, and had like 4 very pathetic looking people in there waiting in the non-line, with a verrrrrrry sun-burnt bald headed man screaming at passerby, "do you want to be on tee-veeee?!", "come try out for howard stern!". everybody kept walking by like it was a bum screaming about vietnam.

here are some photos i snapped with the iDevice, and i found their post on the website after a little bit o' investigatory journalism googling.

It's not clear yet whether Jenny Humphrey, played by the ubiquitous Taylor Momsen, would star in the show or if a new character would be introduced on GG, a la Will Krudski, a character who popped up in a couple episodes of Dawson's Creek in preparation for the delightful, short-lived, queer-curious boarding school romp Young Americans. (RIP) Some may complain that the CW, which will be airing both GG and the new 90210 spin-off in the fall, is already too teen-heavy, but they'd be forgetting the brief but glorious rise of the WB, whose programming, at its peak, was almost entirely teen-centric. These days, what with all those studies that indicate that our pimpliest, awkwardest consumer force is taking over the Earth like an army of darkness, amassing a strong stable of teen programming is not an unwise move. [THR]

Sad Update: Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz tells EW.com: "We have no plans right now for a TV spin-off. Everyone is focused on making season 2 as good as possible — that's our goal right now. Not saying never, just very premature."

Sigh.

• "Saw jenny momsen from gossip girl walking out of starbucks on 49th and 8th this morning around 815am, looked normal was definitely her..white wife beater, jean shorts and a chanel bag." — This morning!
• "just saw taylor momsen from gossip girl @ 14th and 8th ave. she was asking for directions. skinny and cute but doesn't look a day past 12" — June 9th
• "Saw Taylor Momsen (aka Jenny Humphrey) at 34th and Broadway at 11:00 AM Saturday morning. Looked really skinny with silver stiletto heels and giant black sunglasses." — May 18th
• "Spotted Taylor Momsen, aka "Litttle Jenny" from Gossip Girl on a cross-town 72nd St bus with a shaggy looking kid who was embarassingly kissing her until she was able to push him off to fix her make-up. Got off at CPW." — May 16th
• The Meadowlands sighting. — May 5th
• (Photo from a January subway sighting.)

"Spotted: Actor Who Plays Gay Overcompensating by Kissing Girls In Public," hisses Intel's headline for an event wrap-up. Paolo was apparently sucking face on the red carpet with some dizzy dame (pictured above) named April Alice, behavior that looked like "flaunted heterosexuality" to the Daily News. And, yeah, I don't know. I'm all for silly gay rumors, because they're amusing and fun and just might be true sometimes. But when a seventeen-year-old is making out with his girlfriend, is it really "overcompensating" or is he just, you know, a seventeen-year-old straight boy?

Yes, it was on the red carpet, and that's a bit of a "look at meeeee" PDA in a way that doesn't seem exactly organic, but he's definitely not the first celebrity to kiss someone in front of cameras. Maybe it's kind of a giddy thrill, you know? Maybe that's all it is. The idea that an actor who, whether he's gay or straight in real life, plays gay on TV must be grandly trying to shake off that image at any possible opportunity is a bit... I don't know, rude in some way. I'm probably being totally hypocritical and will double back on myself next week, but right now it just seems a bit like piling-on and over-analyzing the hormonal bumblings of a teenager. So, there.

But, on the other hand, we received a tip that Paolo's costar, Ed Westwick, was at a basement gay bar recently hitting on some mens. So, hah! Game on!!

Update: A Facebook-roving tipster tells us that the girlfriend's name is, in fact, Alice. And they had the photos (from Facebook, natch) to prove it:

[Image via Splash]

EleanorRigby's new line beats the original, "Actress Terribly Sad That She Has To Spend A Lovely Spring Day Shopping With Handsome Boyfriend, Tiny Dog"

Just like the myriad older women (and one wayward 14-year-old) who emulate the teetering, cupcake-smeared antics of Sex and the City, so too, it would seem, has a younger generation decided to take their cues from a decidedly ridiculous, over the top television show. Posts like "He fell so fast, even seventh graders won't hook up with him. Now that's GOTTA hurt. Dear Tommy, rip up those tickets to the top, because you're headed on a one-way trip to the B-list. Love, ITK," reek of Gossip Girl's influence, and it does give one pause. Yes some of us "adults" like this silly candy because we know it's silly candy, but I guess the kids might not really be seeing the same show as us. Students have blamed ruined friendships and unbearable agony on MissITK and her bitchy musings, conjuring up images of an Upper East Side resounding with wails escaping from the braced mouths of Our Future. "In the words of one of my friends, she said a little bit of herself died," keened an 8th grader at Hunter.

Though, hopefully you grow out of it. And everything gets OK. After all, the site is "immature," says a wizened 10th grader. "Gossip Girl is fiction. I think it's kind of meant to stay that way." Sage advice, old bean. [Sun]

If you're curious, Daily Intel has unearthed some links to the site, still in Google cache. The pages are gobbledygook for me, but try if you're so inclined, here and here. And, hey, wouldn't this be a great plotline for next season of GG? GossipGirl exposed! Sort of!

Chaim_Gandelstein's new line beats the original, Celery Stalks Get Up and Walk Out of Produce Section.

Julia Allison
The aggressively self-promoting and increasingly famous dating blogger/life-liver could turn up as Rachel Alice, a pesky gossip writer from a trashy tab newspaper who wants to do a story on Lily and Bart Bass, but quickly discovers that the real story is, of course, the kids. Using her youthful looks to her advantage, she infiltrates to write a nasty story, seducing Chuck at the same time. Eventually, in a dramatic waterside scene, she is exposed and an angry Blair pushes her into the East River. 3 episodes

Leven Rambin
The soap actress, who has guested on Lipstick Jungle in the past, could play Lux Rivington, the queen bee of a rival school who must ally with Blair to fight a proposed merger of their two schools. She and Lux grow increasingly close until Lux tries to kiss her and Blair runs away. Highly embarrassed and never wanting to see Blair again, Lux grudgingly seduces a wealthy alum of her school who donates a ton more money, making the possible merger moot. 5 episodes

Hud Morgan
Hud, the fruitini-drinking master of slap fights, could guest as Chad Stanley, a surprisingly straight fashion writer who goes to interview Blair's mother Eleanor about her fashion line. He is probing and cruel when interviewing Eleanor. She is angry and defensive at first, then turned on. The two try to "be intimate" but Chad is unable to perform, leaving Eleanor with leverage to demand his article be written as an adoring puff piece. 1 episode

Kristian Laliberte
The gay PR queen could play Timmi Devereux, a gay Upper East Side guru who takes the recently outed Erik van der Woodsen by the, ahem, ears and shows him the scene. All-gay tea parties, drinks at the hippest Hell's Kitchen spots, and a Broadway opening night gala. At the party, Erik meets a young dancer played by Broadway hottie Nick Adams. They hit it off instantly, and Timmi, who's been harboring a crush on Erik, gets a little sad. But, in the end, he decides to let them go and trots off into the night. 2 episodes

Tinsley Mortimer
Our daffiest socialite could play a homeless woman who eats banana peels and falls down the stairs a lot. The rest of the series

Arden Wohl
Crazy "bohemian" socialite Arden could play Avia Wuhrer, an up-and-coming video artist whose parents own a gorgeous flat in a sketchy part of Bushwick (think upscale McKibbin). She meets Vanessa at a video show, and instantly has an eye for Dan. Dan is conflicted, as he has been dating Vanessa but finds Avia mysterious and sexy. Avia gets Dan drunk and they almost kiss on the L train platform, but suddenly Avia stumbles and gets hit by an oncoming train. Everyone learns a lesson about death and Dan returns sheepishly to Vanessa. 4 episodes

Emily Brill
The daughter of former media tycoon Steven Brill, Emily could play Kitty Bowdoin, a formerly chubby classmate of Blair and Serena's who returns to Constance Billard, having shed many pounds at a special school, ready for social stardom. Blair, of course, will have none of it and sets out on a campaign to get Kitty big again. We don't so much mind because Kitty is a manipulative harpy. Evil, food-centered machinations ensue and Blair wins when Kitty's dress bursts at a huge social event. Whiffs of Mean Girls abound, sure, but it's only for 2 episodes

Oh a blog can dream, can't we? Who else might be fun to see on the show? Who would they play?

Serena and Dan are no longer, thank the gods. Their relationship had become stuffy and boring before Serena's Georgina-related freakout, and it was time for them to, in true teen-soap tradition, turn to other friends in their immediate circle. Imagine the incestuous knot they'll have woven by the time the show reaches season four (God willing)! Dan ended it because, well, it was just all too much for even the wisest of seventeen year old boys. Serena cried in her enormous yellow vacuum bag dress and probably so did a few thirteen year olds. But don't worry, things are looking cozy and peasanty with Brooklyn buddies Dan and Vanessa again, and Serena and the newly (and somewhat stiltedly) Vanessa-free Nate have made plans to be "alone together" during the summer. Oh, exciting. Though, Dan and Vanessa are a bit cutesy and cloying. They actually might be the worst-written characters on the show. (Nate is just under-written.) Ah well. See you around Brooklyn, friends.

Lesser characters like Georgina and Rufus and Jenny all ended up on journeys of their own. The wicked Georgie was sent, in a grand set-up by Blair and (gasp!) Dan, off to reformatory school by her glaring parents (and an ominous looking valet of some sort.) Rufus tried to stop Lily from marrying Bart, but in the end she went ahead and entered into the icy, loveless, money-drenched union. Rufus went on tour with his silly band, and young (cue Grams from Dawson's Creek) Jennifffeerrr ended up with a Pratt Institute Parsons fashion design internship...with Blair's mom. Oops! So, some dangling threads there and whatnot. I don't imagine Lily and Bart will last all that long, and I doubt it's the last we'll see of Georgina Sparks. Though, hopefully she'll have "gotten some work done" and they'll cast Willa "Kaitlin Cooper" Holland as a replacement for ol' Trachtenberg. That would be satisfying. And Jenny? Well who knows/really cares. Maybe they'll Grace her up with a Will, in Erik van der Woodsen form. By the way, where the hell is that kid? He's been mostly missing since he stumbled out of the closet. A mystery for next season, I suppose.

Obviously, I've saved the best for last. Dear, sweet, shin-kicking, scarf-during-sex-wearing Blair and Chuck. I will admit to being a bit yucked out by Chuck being so nice, mostly because it was a change that seemed to happen inorganically fast. One minute he's scheming and fucking around, the next he's a concerned and (reasonably) pious best friend and lovelorn Romeo. But I can forgive it, mostly because Ed Westwick sells it well. Blair, happily, has remained a consistent, though evolving, Blair. The shin kick, the collar grab, the door slam. All wonderful bits of physical acting by the immensely likable Leighton Meester. The big question at the end for these two was, of course, if their whirlwind, Europe-going romance would hit the skids sooner or later. It looks as though sooner won out.

After an "I'm proud of you son" speech from Papa Bass, Chuck got a little panicked about this new, vanilla boy he was supposed to become. So, deus ex machina and all, who should enter but an alarmingly skinny assistant or decorator or something played (barely) by none other than Lydia Hearst. Chuck got his smirk back and it was off a' courtin'. Meanwhile on a helipad somewhere, Blair waited for Chuck and met cute with a young swain from the Bass company (who, it should be noted, was played by Zack Conroy, a young actor who played Pip/Theo in a production of Three Days of Rain that I stage managed back at old Boston College. Hello Zack!) Eventually getting a no-show from Chuck, Blair decided what the hell, and hopped aboard with the briefcase boy, off for a ten hour (really?) flight to Italy. Is this the end of Chuck and Blair? In the words of a famous Massachusetts furniture commercial: I doubt it.

So that's where we are. Everyone's off to places either new and far-flung (physically and emotionally) or comforting and familiar (ditto.) My favorite thing about the very end of the episode was how it managed to capture that giddy sense of possibility and excitement that only the beginning of summer can bring. "What will happen?" "I could just disappear!" All those exciting feelings. Thankfully, this show doesn't appear to be going anywhere for longer than a summer. I've been a bit hard on it at times, but I truly enjoy this series, and look forward to a hopefully savvier and smarter second season. Enjoy your summers everyone! (Except, you know, I'll still be here.)

Well? What did you think?

90210:

Smallville:

Veronica Mars:

"Nine-Oh", Season 4

(Also: finale y'all! Someone I did theatre with in college is on the show tonight. Go Zack!)

“'Gossip Girl' focuses on worldly little girls who join forces against one another. The series, along with such like-minded shows as the MTV semireality show 'The Hills' and a cautionary senior edition, 'The Real Housewives of New York City,' are focused on friends, and most of all on frenemies. They are so postfemininist that they circle back not just to 'Mean Girls,' but to the pre-Friedan era of Clare Boothe Luce and Rona Jaffe.

"There is even a nod to Edith Wharton. Serena’s mother is named Lily, and she is engaged to a billionaire named Bart, a sly reference to Lily Bart, the heroine of 'The House of Mirth,' who is socially ruined by, among others, her manipulative BFF Bertha Dorset." [NYT]