The New York Observer believes it is - because Gossip Girl is now spreading throughout the U.S. a disjunctive, distorted, ultimately dangerous, view of New York City, mostly through its depiction of real estate.

Like Friends in the 1990s and Sex and the City earlier this decade, Gossip Girl is giving the impression to those outside New York that real estate there is as affordable as anywhere and that being middle-class in New York means you live in a $2 million Williamsburg loft.

In last Wednesday's episode, the impossibly WASP-y grandmother of Serena (Blake Lively) who lives with her mom in the Palace Hotel, doesn't want Serena going to the ball with Dan, because Dan lives in Williamsburg with his dad, Rufus (Matthew Settle) a fading rock musician turned artist, and his kid sister, Jenny (Taylor Momsen) a wannabe socialite.

To Serena's snooty grandmother, poor insignificant Dan (Penn Bagdley) from Williamsburg, like Rufus (pictured) is just a working-class chum, good for feeding upon but not for taking around the Upper East Side.

That's just one example of Gossip Girl spreading the gospel of a New York City where affordability and leisure are easy to come by.

We must dash these notions quickly, lest a fresh wave of flyover country folk flock to neighborhoods like Williamsburg (just like they did in the 1990s) to waste some of the choicest years of their life coming to grips with the reality that $1,000 in this city is like $100 elsewhere.

Continue reading this commentary by the New York Observer ...

Take that, Nielsens. Turns out the mighty ratings system has met its match in a plucky freshman teen drama named Gossip Girl.

She may not have the biggest numbers, but raging word of mouth, mad style and a rules-rewriting DVR draw have made the CW's snazzy adaptation of the novels the stuff teen dreams are made of. Here are five things TV Guide loves (as do we) about a little show called Gossip Girl.

1. It's the smartest ensemble this side of Fashion Week.
Teen soaps usually have a weak link, but not in this cast. Blake Lively, as sassy Serena van der Woodsen, lives up to her name; Leighton Meester's broken-doll sadness saves Blair from bitch cliché; and Taylor Momsen is a find as the prep-school Eve Harrington nipping at Blair's well-heeled world. Chace Crawford's soulful Nate and Ed Westwick's snotty Chuck are hot as buds born of privilege, and Penn Badgley simply rocks as adorable outcast Dan Humphrey. The show's parents — namely Matthew Settle and Kelly Rutherford — are equally convincing. And hot.

2. Finally, a voiceover that doesn't make us want to scream.
Unseen overseer Kristen Bell's purr is the sexiest disembodied fun you can have without paying $4.95 a minute. Whether she's describing burlesque Blair ("no matter how long you try to be good, you can't keep a bad girl down") or Sunday brunch ("it comes with champagne, a dress code... and 100 of our closest friends"), even mundane tidbits sound delicious.

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Not to worry, Gossip Girl fans who are holding out hope for a Chace Crawford-Leighton Meester real-life romance. Keri's married!

Keri Russell and her husband Shane Deary (not pictured) were merely sitting next to Chace Crawford. Here's a photo of them ...

The hometown Knocks lost, as predicted, to the Dallas Mavericks - Chace's original hometown team - at Madison Square Garden in New York.

If Gossip Girl doesn't pan out for Chace, he should get his resume ready. He'd be an immediate upgrade over New York's current head coach.

Gossip Girl star Jenny Humphrey certainly has a unique fashion sense. But how does her style stack up with the youngster who plays her, Taylor Momsen? Let's take a look in this Gossip Girl fashion comparison ...

Jenny and Taylor certainly have different senses of style.

She may not have the big fashion budget of Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen, but Dan's little sis does have a hipster sense of style. Jenny Humphrey uses it to spruce up her school uniform with cute little details like her funky bracelets, slip-on sneakers and tube socks.

Meanwhile, Taylor Momsen goes for both comfort and style in one of this year's biggest trends - a yellow dress (by Alice + Olivia) - adding flirty peep-toe pumps and bright red nails. Taylor looks awfully cute ... for a 14-year-old, especially. Did we mention she's 14?

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Three new Gossip Girl episodes have been finished but have not yet aired, according to TV Guide's log of TV shows' completed, unaired content before "going dark" due to the Writers Guild of America strike.

The next new Gossip Girl episode is "Roman Holiday," scheduled for a week from tomorrow, Wednesday, December 19, at its usual time.

Hopefully the striking writers and the companies that employ them will reach a pact so that season one of Gossip Girl doesn't end at 13 episodes, but signs point to a prolonged strike as of now, unfortunately.

Gossip Girl fans will have a chance to see one of their favorite stars on the big screen this summer.

Blake Lively will reprise her role as Bridget in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, coming out August 8, 2008. She'll be joined by Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn.

Here's a picture of the Sisterhood in action from the sequel:

Penn Badgley tells Canada's CTV that unlike some of his peers, he has a more laid back approach to his craft.

The 21-year-old actor was in Toronto earlier this year promoting Gossip Girl, which debuted this fall on CTV.

"I don't think it matters what you studied, I think working is the best training," said Badgley, hunched forward in his chair.

Gossip Girl is based on the best selling book series of the same name. It follows the lives of wealthy teens in New York City's Upper East Side and the mysterious blogger that chronicles their every move.

Badgley plays Dan Humphrey, a student who attends school in the Upper East Side yet is completely foreign to the lifestyle enjoyed by his peers inside one of the world's most affluent zip codes.

Penn Badgley has won the hearts of many fans as Dan Humphrey.

Dan, is in love with Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), the most loved - and reviled - woman at the center of Gossip Girl, and is determined to make things work despite their class differences.

Penn Badgley has previously lived in the Big Apple, and is familiar with life in New York - especially how it impacts actors.

Working in the city, Badgley remembers meeting many New York "theatre kids" who he realized approached acting much differently than he did.

"I think they might intellectualize it too much... but other times I think I don't intellectualize it enough," laughs Badgley. "I think there is naturalism to the person who is good and untrained."

Despite taking pride in the work he's done, Penn Badgley isn't ruling out some kind of schooling in the future.

Continue Reading...

More questions about Chace Crawford's personal life - as well as more coy replies, and a picture of Chace Crawford nude (as a baby) - marked the actor's visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show today. Here's the clip ...

From The Mod Squad to Beverly Hills: 90210, teenagers have always looked to their more telegenic peers for advice on what to wear.

On Gossip Girl, the curfew-free characters garner almost as much press for their clothing as they do for their scandalous antics.

Sure, the plot lines involving sex, mysterious pasts and high society events are fun, but the story is also Gossip Girl fashion - the amazing clothing you normally only expect to see on runways and red carpets.

From casual chic to haute couture, the Gossip Girl cast always wears the latest, greatest fashion and is getting noticed by all the tabloids, from People, Us Weekly and Star to The Hollywood Gossip.

But instead of simply drooling over the show's praiseworthy frocks, viewers can actually buy select clothing and accessories from the official site.

It's true! Just log onto the Gossip Girl homepage and click on "style" to browse the show's fashions by brand, character, episode and product!

Chuck Bass limo? Not required.