November 2007 News Archive (Page 3)

Blake Lively has the kind of beauty that leaves a fellow Gossip Girl whispering. And if she weren't so darn sweet and adorable, we might be a little bit jealous too. Good news, though - you can steal a little of Lively's stunning looks, thanks to this People magazine beauty guide ...

Lovely and Lively: Blake on the set of Gossip Girl.

Step #1 is to apply a peachy-bronze blush like Vincent Longo Water Canvas Blush in Forever Flush. Follow that with a dusting of bronzer across forehead, nose and chin. Try CARGO The Big Bronzer in Medium.

Then apply a peachy-nude lip liner like DuWop Liptones in Cadence. Use a pink gloss to complement the liner — TheBalm BalmShelter SPF 17 Tinted Gloss in Girl Next Door works great. Apply a smoky black pencil and gray shadow to eyes, such as NARS Eyeliner Pencil in Black Moon and Dr. Hauschka Skin Care Eyeshadow Solo Eye Color in 04.

Finally, use a cream shadow on the brow, and top off the look with the blackest black thickening mascara, like Awake Stardom Escalate Lash Mascara in Black Escalation. You're all set to channel a bit of Blake Lively, and maybe make yourself the target of a little gossip!

Welcome to the fourth 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 every week to analyze the latest developments from the latest Gossip Girl episode.

Topics in this edition include: Vanessa views; Guitar Hero; and Blair/Chuck's future. Let's get to the Q&A…

Do you like Vanessa?
DANdy: Not until she backs off a bit. We know Dan (Penn Badgley) is a catch, but have some respect for Serena and give him some space, Vanessa. Girl power.

LovelyLively: I go back and forth on this. She's a very nice, down-to-Earth gal, yet an obstacle standing in the way of Dan and Serena's love. Which, if you love that couple like I do, makes V my enemy.

GossipGuy: No, but I do like her eyes.

Should Rufus give Allison another chance?
LovelyLively: I think so. It's hard to throw away a marriage after hard times resulting of complicated circumstances - even if that led to some awful decisions. They'd know it if they were through. Despite their issues, Rufus wants to give Alison another chance and she wants to take it. Enough said.

GossipGuy: No. I'm all about family first and what not, but unfortunately Allison was not. I think Dan's speech put it best.  And besides, have you seen the chemistry between Rufus and Lily?  We need to get those two together!!

DANdy: No. His children are old enough now where the best lesson he can team them is this: actions have consequences. Always be aware of them and take responsibility for them. Jenny and Dan might benefit from having a mom around, but they'll benefit more from seeing those words come to life. Goodbye, Alison.

Serena has mad Guitar Hero skillz. What song would you most like to play in honor of your favorite character?
GossipGuy: I'm going to have to actually go with Vanessa's choice of "Cherry Pie" by Warrant, in honor of Blair.  If you need an explanation of why, just take her to a burlesque house.

DANdy: This warning goes out to Mr. Archibald: "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin.
LovelyLively: On a bleak, drizzly, late-autumn day in the Northeast, I'm feeling a little "November Rain" coming on in honor of young Mr. Archibald. Nothing lasts forever, Nate, and we both know hearts can change.

Will Blair and Chuck date?
DANdy: Twice a week in the back of his limo, definitely.

LovelyLively: Chuck rules. Somehow the writers managed to make him express his (sincere) feelings for Blair while leaving the smarminess we love intact. I'd love to see where this goes between Chuck and Blair at least. The only problem? There's not a lot by way of couple names. Bluck? Bassdorf?

GossipGuy: Absolutely.  I think whether they like to admit it, these two characters were meant for each other.  They're both so deliciously evil.  They'll go great together.

Marital problems, friendships, betrayal, ulterior motives, scandalous camera phone pics... last night's terrific Gossip Girl certainly had it all.

The Insider has it all covered! Follow the link for our exclusive episode guide to "Seventeen Candles," and relive every moment of Blair's birthday drama and the ups and downs surrounding it.

Blair sheds birthday tears ... but will Chuck save the day?

We have posted our photo gallery from last night, along with our lists of the best Gossip Girl quotes and the episode's music. As always, feel free to discuss "Seventeen Candles" and everything else Gossip Girl in our forums!

Blair turns 17 tonight on Gossip Girl.

Think she asks new love interest - or sex buddy, at least - Chuck to pop out of her cake?

We'll post a detailed episode guide after the latest hour of Gossip Girl ends and let you know. In the meantime, talk about the series now in our forum.

Gossip Girl was one of the first new shows picked up for a full season of episodes this year. So, how did creator Josh Schwartz receive this exciting news?

"We got on the phone thinking we were in trouble or we were about to get some notes on the show," he said of the phone call that greenlighted the series for more shooting.

Why the hesitation on Schwartz's part? It's certainly not because he doesn't believe in Gossip Girl, but because the show's ratings weren't exactly stellar. But in this age of TiVo and DVR, those numbers are often skewed.

"There are new ways for measuring a show's success," Schwartz said, adding that the appearl of Gossip Girl lies in its weekly serving of youth scandal. "It's a new era in television."

Leighton Meester, though, has a different take on the source of the show's success.

"We have a really great formula," she said. "We have great music and cute boys. And people like to see people who are rich and who live in a seemingly perfect world but they still have downfalls and problems."

The success of Gossip Girl is opening up new doors for Penn Badgley.

The latest is a co-starring turn in a remake of the 1987 movie The Stepfather. Nip/Tuck's Dylan Walsh will star in the film, with Variety reporting that Sela Ward and Penn Badgley will round out the family tree.

Adrianne Palicki, currently heating up the screen on Friday Night Lights, is also in negotiations to join the horror project.

The film is a Hitchcockian-style suspense story that revolves around a teenage boy's relationship with his psychotic stepfather. Things take a turn for the worse when the boy (Badgley) discovers that his new dad may have killed his previous family. That's always awkward.
Ward will star as the mom, while Palicki will play Badgley's girlfriend.

It looks like Chace Crawford and Carrie Underwood are trying to go incognito in the photo below, but Gossip Girl herself would be proud of us: we spotted them!

Check out this adorable couple, strolling the streets of New York City, taking Carrie's dog for a walk:

The 2007-08 NFL season has been marked by enigmas, disappointments, upstarts inspiring stories. Not unlike the debut season of Gossip Girl!

Let's take a look at the parallels between our beloved Gossip Girl characters and some of the NFL's Super Bowl contenders (and pretenders) ...

Dan Humphrey: Pittsburgh Steelers. Going up against New York's private school elite, working-class Dan is the innocent, quiet contender no one expects a lot from or knows too much about. But he looks like he's up to the task. The Pittsburgh Steelers - with unheralded leaders and a rookie coach - bring heart and solid fundamentals. As with the reserved but likable Dan, they might just quietly upstage the favorites when it matters most.

Like Big Ben (left) and Pittsburgh, quiet underdog Dan goes for broke with Serena, who, like Jon Kitna and Detroit, looks to rewrite history.

Serena van der Woodsen: Detroit Lions. Serena van der Woodsen has plenty of talent, yet is always being told she isn't living up to her potential. But could this be the year that all changes? For now, at least, signs point to yes. Serena and the surprising Lions (6-3) would rather not mention their history - and are making great strides to rewrite it.

Jenny Humphrey: New York Giants. Jenny shows promise, but is not quite ready to duke it out with the big boys (girls). One week, she stands up to Blair. The next, she reverts and becomes Miss Waldorf's lackey. At 6-3, the Giants have a lot to show for themselves this year, but fold - as Jenny did when she got caught wearing that bracelet to the masquerade ball - when the stakes are highest. Jenny is also overshadowed by her older brother, Dan. Eli and Peyton Manning, anyone?

Jenny Humphrey & Eli Manning: Just not champion material... yet.

Nate Archibald: Dallas Cowboys. At 9-1, the 'Boys have the swagger and the substance to back it up. Very much like the multifaceted Nate. Also, actor Chace Crawford, who plays Nate, is not only a Dallas-area native, but may be dating country singer Carrie Underwood, who may have dated the Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo!

Lily van der Woodsen: Green Bay Packers. On the surface, Lily is viewed as a member of the city's social elite. Same with Brett Favre's Packers in this year's NFL. But it's just a matter of time until both are exposed as pretenders. Green Bay hasn't been fully tested, and Lily has already shown that she'd be more comfortable at home, hangin' out in sweats with Rufus.

Blair Waldorf: Indianapolis Colts. Blair is everybody's sexy pick to go all the way (just ask Chuck), and at first glance, this rich, gorgeous babe appears out of everyone's league. Like the Colts, though, Miss Waldorf may look a lot better on paper. If you're aggressive enough and show her a variety of looks, both Blair's and Indy's defenses are prone to letdowns. Special teams play? Also an issue.

Blair's BFFs: Miami Dolphins: Blair Waldorf's bitchy, two-headed posse has had about as many lines of dialogue, collectively, as Miami has wins. So irrelevant, one wonders why they even bother to suit up each week.

Gossip Girl: New Orleans Saints. Shrouded in mystery, the omniscient blog queen who gives Gossip Girl its name remains an enigma. The up-and-down New Orleans Saints (4-4) can certainly relate - we have no clue what team to expect from week to week. Also, both have nice Bush (we think).

Rufus Humphrey: Philadelphia Eagles. This guy - and team - used to really rock. Now they're past their prime and can't seem to realize it. However, both may have something left in the tank. Rufus has been nothing if not smooth while putting the moves on uptight Lily, and the Eagles sold 700,000 copies of their new album in one week! Oh, wait, that's the band.

Chuck Bass: New England Patriots. Pure evil.

If you don't wish to know a thing about next week's episode, consider this a Gossip Girl spoiler and go talk about the show in our forums.

For everyone else, here's the official preview for "Seventeen Candles."

Devastated by the current state of her relationship with Nate (Chace Crawford) and still dealing with the guilt from her recent indiscretion, Blair (Leighton Meester) puts on a happy face for her 17th birthday party and attempts to hide the truth from her friends.

Hoping to ease the tension between Serena (Blake Lively) and Vanessa (guest star Jessica Szohr), Dan (Penn Badgley) takes Vanessa to Blair's party so the girls can have some bonding time, but this only ends up making Serena more uncomfortable.

Jenny (Taylor Momsen) brings her mom (guest star Susan Misner) home for a surprise visit, but Rufus (Matthew Settle) may not be ready to forgive and forget.

Nate's parents (guest stars Sam Robards and Francie Swift) ask him to make a huge sacrifice in an effort to salvage his father's business as he faces charges of embezzlement and fraud.

A couple cute boys from Gossip Girl recently spoke to the blog Stylehive about their fashion choices.

Check out what Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick had to say:

Stylehive: What's it been like working on Gossip Girl?
Chace Crawford: It's an unreal experience, it's been phenomenal. We're all best friends on the cast, so it's a lot of fun.

Stylehive: What do you think it is about the show that makes it so popular right now?
CC: It was created by Josh Schwartz, who created The OC, who knows teen style very well, knows the lingo very well. I feel like there's no weak links as far as the acting goes. Plus it's based on the books, obviously, that were mega hits.

Stylehive: When did you get into acting? I seems like you kind of popped up out of nowhere!
CC: (Laughs) I went to school at Pepperdine. I did a year and switched majors a few times, so I just wanted to take a semester off and get my bearings. And I sort of fell into a little acting during that time. So I started trying it, loved it, and sort of worked my way up, and it's been going good ever since.
Stylehive: What do you think about the fashion on the show?

CC: It's pretty insane, isn't it? These girls are wearing like these $10,000 jackets to school, $25,000 watches - all this craziness that we have. It's insane! The guys stuff is pretty classic- I mean I'm going sailing every episode! So it's preppy, but it's good! It's really sharp. The suits are my favorite; I get to wear some pretty cool suits.

Stylehive: What brings you here?
Ed Westwick: It's a good chance to check out some stuff from Reebok, it's a British brand, so why not? I always used to wear the Reebok classics, the old ones.

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