November 2007 News Archive

How realistic is Gossip Girl? Ask the natives. New York Magazine answers that question each week with its funny ranking system of the most real and surreal moments from the newest Gossip Girl episode.

This week's episode, "Blair Waldorf Must Pie," was deemed more realistic than not, coming in at +16. To be precise, real defeated unreal by the count of 37-21. Some key components of this week's realism scale ...

• They've supposedly put Serena's tryst with Nate behind them, but Blair's occasional flare-ups of rage about Serena sleeping with her boyfriend are totally realistic. Plus 10.
• For the love of God, Brooklyn is not that hard to figure out. If we still maintain the charade that the Humphreys live in Williamsburg, why do they keep showing the Brooklyn Bridge. Why do they play football in Brooklyn Bridge Park? Minus 2.
• When Dan picks up Serena, he notices the book Lily is reading. "Nicholas Sparks," young Humphrey scoffs with amused derision. Has he ever been more Williamsburg? Plus 4.
• The opening scene shows Serena all wasted, swanning around what looks to be Nolita or the Lower East Side. Why is she downtown? Why is Dan? "Who gets drunk on Thanksgiving?" asks Blair, forgetting that everyone gets drunk on Thanksgiving. Minus 4.
• "You know what's really weird," Blair Waldorf observes during a rare visit to Dan's apartment in Brooklyn, "there's a garage door in your room." THANK YOU, BLAIR. Plus 2.
• Nate's weird, highlighted Zac Efron hairstyle is the same in all the flashbacks, even though we know that he had normal, not Aqua Netted hair at the beginning of the school year. Minus 1.
• How funny is it that the first time we see Blair's future gay dad, he's wearing a cheesy Banana Republic half Argyle sweater. Plus 1.
• Allison sucks. Period. Minus 5.
• Okay, so Blair is bulimic. Plus 3, but only 3, because even though it's totally accurate, it doesn't bode well that the writers went to the eating-disorder place so early.

Funny stuff... and pretty much spot-on. Follow this link for New York Magazine's full commentary and Gossip Girl scorecard.

Where are the kids from Gossip Girl smoking, drinking, kissing, plotting, scheming and occasionally going to school? Funny you should ask.

If you're looking for details on the New York locales your favorite Gossip Girl characters are hanging out in real life, Jaunted.com - an online pop culture travel guide - has put together an interactive Gossip Girl map. Follow the link, then open up the bookmarked points for more info!

Spotted: Gossip Girl cast cavorting all over Manhattan and Brooklyn!

Sorry, fellas, not that kind of booty.

Two hugely popular blonde actresses hit the streets of New York City this week in the same pair of boots — and People tracked them down!

Hayden Panettiere, the star of Heroes, paired her Coach "Weslyn" boots in Whiskey with a black peacoat for a day of appearances in the city.

Across town, Gossip Girl's own Blake Lively was snapped on-set as Serena van der Woodsen, kickin' some butt in those same brown boots.

Hayden Panettiere and Blake Lively in identical footwear.

You can buy a pair of these boots for yourself, but if you want to spend a little bit less than Hayden Panettiere and Blake Lively might, People lists some more affordable options for a similar style...

4 Real:

• Weslyn boots, $378 at coach.com

A Steal:

• Naturalizer "Sidney" Tall Riding Boot, $99 at nordstrom.com
• Bandolino "Jordana" Tall Boot, $110 at macys.com
• Ros Hommerson "Corral" Boot, $164 at zappos.com
• Born "Thicket" Boot, $194 at zappos.com

Welcome back to the Gossip Girl Round Table.

While fans of the show gather in the forums to discuss their favorite character and story line, our staff comes together each week to analyze the burning questions and best moments from the latest Gossip Girl episode.

Topics this week include dysfunctional families, missing Chuck, and Thanksgiving football - Gossip Girl style. Let's get to the Q&A…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. What was the final score of the Humphrey family football game?

DANdy: 42-39. Based on the pasts of Rufus and Alison, it's obvious the captains of both squads know how to score. A lot.

LovelyLively: Girls 17, Boys 3. Alison was tough and fought for what she wants, while Rufus looked to punt in difficult situations.

GossipGuy: 0-0. Did you see how terrible both sides were?

2. Did Rufus make the right choice?

LovelyLively: Yes. That doesn't mean it was easy, or without a downside - who doesn't love Rufus and Lily together? He wouldn't be Rufus if he didn't try to make it work, though. Dan and Jenny surely agree.

GossipGuy: No. I'm sorry, any woman who claims emotional cheating is just as bad as physical cheating is clearly the wrong choice. Especially when the
other choice is Lily.

DANdy: Yes. You gotta put family first. And if Rufus and Lily remained close, they'd eventually get together and that would make Serena and Dan far too Marcia and Greg-esque.

3. Who has the more dysfunctional family, Blair or Nate?

GossipGuy: Wow, this is a tough choice, but I'm going to have to give it to Nate. His dad barely deserves to wear the pants he owns. Who cracks under the pressure of a figurehead position while living off your wife's money?

DANdy: Nate. The wife makes more money than the husband. What kind of bizarro world do those Archibalds live in?

LovelyLively: You'd think with a divorce pending and a gay partner in the mix, the Waldorfs would have this locked up, but at least Eleanor opened up to Blair at the end. Also, Nate's dad tried to kill himself. SIDE NOTE: Was this episode name created before there was a script? What gives?

4. What did Chuck do on this holiday?

DANdy: I don't wanna get too graphic... but he stuck his thermometer inside many turkeys, all of whom thoroughly enjoyed his stuffing balls.

LovelyLively: If Chuck did anything remotely scandalous, Gossip Girl would say something. So he probably just ate a lot, watched Dallas kill the Jets, caught up with relatives, reflected on the past year, etc. Standard.

GossipGuy: I'm guessing he spent it eating a Thanksgiving buffet at the local
burlesque house.

In its list of the 50 most influential men under age 45, Details lists none other than Josh Schwartz - the creator of The OC, Chuck and Gossip Girl - at #30, along with Tony DiSanto, Executive Producer of The Hills. Here's what Details has to say about these "Boys Behind Girly TV" ...

To watch guilty-pleasure TV is to obsess over one-dimensional characters with the kind of intensity you'd never cop to in real life.

Josh Schwartz and Tony DiSanto are masters at creating those characters — the kind of high-maintenance shrews and priggish frat boys who, it turns out, appeal not only to female viewers but to men.

Even if they won't say so out loud. Josh Schwartz transplanted The OC model to uptown Manhattan in his new CW hit, Gossip Girl.

Tony DiSanto, meanwhile, turned The Hills, at first a modest Laguna Beach spin-off, into MTV's highest-rated show. Together, Schwartz and DiSanto have created pop culture catnip for a whole generation of guys who, in public, say they prefer Bill Maher — but who, in actuality, want to know what life is really like for an overprivileged teenage girl.

Yawn. Filming Gossip Girl is hard work! Blake Lively (Serena) and Penn Badgley (Dan) were spotted during a break on the set, and looking like they've been hard at work for awhile. Someone get this guy a nap!

A cute couple, even when exhausted, Penn Badgley and Blake Lively take a short break from filming a new episode of Gossip Girl in Manhattan.

The Insider staff has finished its official recap last night's episode of Gossip Girl. If you missed it, or want to relive the Thanksgiving action, follow the link for a full rundown of "Blair Waldorf Must Pie!"

We have posted last night's Gossip Girl music guide (with lyrics) as well as a list of Gossip Girl quotes from the episode. Our photo gallery and our staff's Round Table discussion are also live! Enjoy!

As always, you can discuss "Blair Waldorf Must Pie!" and everything else about Gossip Girl that strikes you in the Insider forum!

Here's the list of songs played on last night's Gossip Girl, "Blair Waldorf Must Pie!" Click on song names for the lyrics (when available) ...

• Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland, "Promiscuous"
• Ok Go, "Here It Goes Again"
• Vanessa Carlton, "Nolita Fairytale"
• Will Dailey, "Grand Opening"
• Sebastian Tellier, "La Ritournelle"

If you can help us find the lyrics to Will Dailey's "Grand Opening," just leave us a comment and let us know. We strive to make our growing Gossip Girl music section as comprehensive as we can!

Vanessa Carlton's "Nolita Fairytale" was featured on last night's Gossip Girl.

The popularity of Gossip Girl music has fans of the new hit show clamoring for a soundtrack. But are there plans to release one anytime soon?

Michael Ausiello of TV Guide says that while he can't guarantee that there will be a Gossip Girl soundtrack, the thought has definitely crossed Josh Schwartz's mind: "We're figuring that out right now," the series creator and executive producer. "I think we're gonna come up with an aggressive sort of digital way to do it that really fits with our audience."

The music of Gossip Girl could be released in soundtrack form soon.

Tonight, Gossip Girl returns with an all-new episode, "Blair Waldorf Must Pie!" No, that's not a typo. Our guess is that Miss Blair takes a pumpkin pie to the head at some point in this Thanksgiving-themed hour.

When Dan hears Serena and her family are spending Thanksgiving alone, he invites them to Brooklyn, making Rufus and Lily uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Blair's emotions are off the chain when she learns that her father isn't home for Thanksgiving - and when her hookup with Chuck is discussed.

Discuss "Blair Waldorf Must Pie!" and all things Gossip Girl in our forum! Our staff will post its episode recap, music guide, photo gallery and list of Gossip Girl quotes as soon as we can after the show. Enjoy!