TV Guide sleuth Michael Ausiello was on hand at the Gossip Girl panel at Paley Fest ‘08, in which the entire Gossip Girl cast, plus author Cecily von Ziegesar, executive producers Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Bob Levy, and Entertainment Weekly’s Tim Stack were all on hand.

Here are his highlights from the event, which was chock full of Gossip Girl news, spoilers and, well, gossip. Take it away, Michael …

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Shhhhh: In lieu of an episode, Schwartz introduced an extended clipathon of Season One so far, plus a bonus outtake reel. Throughout the clip package, there was an inordinate amount of whispering and giggling coming from the row behind me. Turns out, the entire cast had snuck in after the lights dimmed, and Chace Crawford, Penn Badgley, Leighton Meester and Blake Lively were right behind me!

They really are BFFs: Right before they were brought up on stage, I observed Meester and Lively frantically (and giddily) touching up each other’s makeup. And at that precise moment, all was right in my world.

The other GG: There were some Gilmore Girls fans on hand. I know this because when Matthew Settle (Rufus Humphrey) mentioned that his wife was a fan, a mini riot erupted in the mezzanine.

Hair today, gone tomorrow: True blonde Leighton Meester wore a brown wig when she auditioned for Blair. Once it became clear that she was going to get the part, producers asked her to lose the wig and dye her mane instead.

Moving on a budget: Settle revealed that the CW gave the cast each $6K to relocate to New York, which he joked is about enough to cover the rent on a bathroom.

Class act: Kelly Rutherford shared a story about the scary lengths to which some paparazzi will go to snap pics of the cast that only made me love her more. Recalling a recent incident in which a photographer nearly got run over by a cab while trying to take her picture, she remembered telling him, “Please … I’m the mom. [Blake Lively] is coming in a minute.”

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Gossip Girl’s possible real-life couple, Penn Badgley and Blake Lively, were spotted smooching while shopping on 5th Ave. Saturday.

That’s according to the New York Daily News, which also reports that before the writers strike shut down production, things had gotten quite clique-y on the set of the sexy freshman CW hit.

Also, if you don’t want to know the identity (at least according to the Daily News) of the title character — an unseen narrator voiced by Kristen Bell — the mother of all Gossip Girl spoilers (which we don’t believe) lies ahead.

“Leighton Meester and Blake Lively avoid each other like the plague while castmates choose sides,” says a snitch on the set.

NOTE: Blake Lively denies this in the new Teen Vogue.

“Chace Crawford tends to stick close to Leighton, while Penn Badgley hangs on and offscreen with Blake,” the spy said. “The crew will snag Blake for a scene just moments before it is shot so they can avoid any awkwardness with Leighton.”

If that’s true, it’s so high school!

And as for the Gossip Girl spoiler about the title character’s identity?

“Since the writers’ strike, the team hasn’t decided how or when to reveal who Gossip Girl is, but it is Eric van der Woodsen (Connor Paolo).”

So Gossip Girl is really Gossip Guy? Come on.

What do you think?

We’ve come across a major Gossip Girl spoiler, one so big we can’t run it on the Gossip Girl Insider homepage. It pertains to the lovely Serena van der Woodsen, and something that she buys in an upcoming episode …

Follow the jump for a potentially huge Gossip Girl spoiler…

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Here’s the official preview for this week’s new Gossip Girl episode, “Blair Waldorf Must Pie.”

When Dan (Penn Badgley) hears that Serena (Blake Lively) and her family are spending Thanksgiving alone at The Palace, he naively invites them to spend the holiday with his family, creating an uncomfortable situation for Rufus (Matthew Settle) and Lily (Kelly Rutherford), whose children are unaware of their complicated romantic history.

Meanwhile, Blair’s (Leighton Meester) emotions spiral out of control when she learns that her father isn’t coming home for Thanksgiving. Nate (Chace Crawford) spends the holiday with his mom (Francie Swift) and dad (Sam Robards), but their awkward dinner quickly goes from bad to worse.

Gossip Girl is already known for hot, steamy sex scenes. Remember when Chuck and Blair went at it in the back of his limo?

But might the series be spicing things up even more?!?

E! News is reporting that there will be a “same-sex incident” on the show, but has offered no further details. While CW officials could not be reached for comment, the best bet for such an occurrence would be Serena and Blair.

At least we hope so. Remember, Blair’s father left her mother for another guy and will soon be appearing on the show. But let’s not think about the possibility of this spoiler simply being a peck on the lips from Mr. Waldorf to his man.

After all, as Howard Stern said a few years ago: “Lesbians get ratings.”

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.

Here’s a sexy, funny scene from tomorrow night’s Gossip Girl episode. We can’t wait to watch!

The Pierces - a sister act out of New York City - will appear on the December 5 episode of Gossip Girl.

In the episode entitled “Hi Society,” the duo will play two of its songs, “Secret” and “Three Wishess.” It will portray the band playing the Debutante Ball during the hour.

Here’s a Gossip Girl casting tidbit:  

Serena’s grandmother will soon be making an appearance on the show. And she’ll be played by Caroline Lagerfelt. Fans of Beverly Hills 90210 may recognize this actress as David Silver’s mom from back in the day.

Lagerfelt also appeared on a recent episode of House.

This isn’t a full-fledged Gossip Girl spoiler because it’s just a preview for the next new episode, airing November 7.

But we wanted to warn fans that don’t like seeing a nanosecond of an episode before it’s televised. Consider yourself warned…