leightonmeester

(S03E05) "Ah the Wedding March.... here comes the awkward pause." - Gossip Girl

As you can see from the picture above, Sonic Youth appeared on this very special episode of Gossip Girl, spoiled by the official episode title, and performed their 1986 single "Star Power."

As expected, Rufus and Lily hit a few bumps in the road before making the episode title come true. The episode also featured the return of Georgina, Scott, and Bree, which equals to blackmail, lies and drama. Three words that work very well in the world of Gossip Girl.

(S03E04) "How can I rule over people I don't understand?" - Blair

The main storyline this week on Gossip Girl may have been the introduction of Hilary Duff's character Olivia "Kate" Burke, a movie star who comes to NYU in the hopes to get a normal college experience, but I much preferred Blair's storyline.

Blair is still at the bottom of the food chain at NYU and doesn't know how to get Queen B status amongst people she doesn't know. Thanks to Blair spiraling down to Constance to bring order back, and to a very clever plan mastered by Chuck to bring his girlfriend back to reality, we were treated to interesting scenes, including one that had Dorotea speaking her mind to Blair!

(S03E03) "Please tell me it was Blair and not Georgina." - Vanessa and Serena in unison to Dan

Dan may be on a new path since he arrived at NYU, but he hasn't changed enough to be Blair-worthy. Funny that both girls hoped that he slept with Blair and not Georgina. I get that they prefer Blair over Georgina even if both can be rather evil, but Dan and Blair will happen when pigs fly. Now I have to try to remove that mental picture of Blair and Dan making out from my brain!

In any case, this week's episode of Gossip Girl continued the Dan and Georgina hooking up storyline, put Chuck and Blair at odds, and put Carter and Serena at odds, while having Scott make some true and false revelations.

(S03E02) The scene we've been waiting for all summer long has finally aired: Blair discovering that Georgina is her college roommate! Even if the scene fell flat a tiny bit because it quickly cut to commercials after Georgina announced she was coming to NYU and was Blair's roommate, the rest of the episode Gossip Girl delivered the evil and backstabbing we've grown to love from both ladies. I do not wish any new TV show to get canceled -- Michelle Trachtenberg is on NBC's Mercy -- but admit that it would be great to have Georgina stick around for most of the season, eh?

(S03E01) "Welcome back, Upper Eastsiders." - Gossip Girl

Our favorite backstabbing, lying, messed-up and cheating characters are back for a third season of more drama, mysteries, backstabbing, lying and cheating!

A few weeks have passed since the season's finale events, and the season premiere gives us a rundown on where each character stands while introducing new character Bree, played by Privileged's JoAnna Garcia, and featuring returns from Scott and Carter, both recurring throughout the first half of the season and maybe more.

Did the Gossip Girl premiere deliver the goods? My take on it coming up!

Having just watched all of these scenes this past week (read my yammer in Jane After Dark), I found this gag reel for season two of Gossip Girl pretty hilarious. I always wonder what wacky hijinks take place behind the scenes, what the actors are like during filming, and how things can go horribly wrong with the cameras still rolling. So I love watching the outtakes on DVD sets.

My favorite here is the scene where an ultra-dandified Chuck is on the Yale campus, and the dudes grab him and stuff the sack over his head. Or rather, TRY to stuff the sack over his head. And then there's Leighton Meester, who is so indelibly "Blair Waldorf" in my head that it's weird seeing her crack up and talk in funny voices. I can't imagine trying to compose myself for a scene after cracking up take after take.

I'm almost to the end of Gossip Girl season two, and frankly, I couldn't be happier! It's been quite taxing watching rich snobs backstab their best friends night after night. I'll need a short break before season three premieres on The CW on Sept. 14.

But, as with everything, I try to glean some small bits of wisdom here and there, things to help me in my quest for peace, serenity, and large amounts of cash. Here are a few things I've learned from Gossip Girl:

1. Never tell the truth. Apparently, this is the first thing they learn in finishing schools. Never tell the truth, whether you're lying to your best friend about getting into Yale, lying to your girlfriend about where you've been for the past three days, or lying to your kids about their sibling you gave away at birth. Keep a spreadsheet handy to keep track of all the various lies you've told and plan to tell.

As is often the case lately, I watch the first season of a show, fall in love with it (see my Mad Men post from last week), miss the second season on TV, and have to wait for the DVD to be released. By then, I've all but forgotten what happened in season one and have to do a little refresher course.

Such is the case with Gossip Girl, season two of which I've been watching this week on DVD. But, really, it's only taken me a few episodes to get caught back up ...

-- So what's it like to be a joke writer for 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon'? Step into Anthony Jeselnik's shoes for a day [Asylum]

-- Is 'NYC Prep' one of TV's 35 most appalling shows? Get in on the gossip [EW.com]

-- Now that Al Franken is officially a Senator, who should spoof him on 'Saturady Night Live'? [Seattle Times]

(more headlines after the jump)

(S02E25) "Gossip Girl's going down!" - Serena

It's no surprise that the Gossip Girl season finale was filled with shocking moments, lies and backstabbing, since that's what the series is all about. What was particularly interesting was Serena's quest to expose Gossip Girl since, let's admit it, we are curious to know who s/he really is. We got hints and tidbits of whom it could be, but no real lead.

One thing is for sure, GG will continue to blog about the gang even if they are going to college and even if some of them will not be going to the same college.

(S02E24) "If you think we're bad, you should have seen our parents." - Gossip Girl about those who complain about today's youth

After weeks, if not months, of hearing about it, we finally saw what the Gossip Girl spin off could be like. Set in the 80s, the spin off would star Brittany Snow as a young Lily, Krysten Ritter as her sister Carol, and Andrew McCarthy as their father. The action would, as expected, follow Lily's life as a young woman trying to make sense of the world and find her place in it.

This past week, the Internet has been filled with reports that the potential spin off was dead even before this week's episode aired. Other reports claimed that there was still a chance for the spin off to be picked up and find its way on The CW's 2009-2010 schedule. How about we don't listen to those reports and make our own decision on if the network should give the spin off a chance?

(S02E23) "This goes far beyond bad taste in boyfriends." - Lily to Serena

Serena's bad taste in boyfriends, tricks, and plans had her take part in a photo shoot she would have preferred not being a part of (see picture above for example). Even if we don't agree with why and how she took part in said photo shoot, we all have to admit that it was about time Serena paid for some of her bad deeds, no?

(S02E22) "Gabriel is a good guy." - Serena

We may still not know who Gabriel really is and what his end game is, but it's clear now (as most of us thought last week), that Gabriel is no an angel. Blair and Chuck's spy work to find out what Gabriel was up to led them to Georgina Sparks (played by Michelle Trachtenberg). For those of you who were looking forward to seeing sparks fly with the return of Georgina on the show were in for quite a surprise when a new and improved version of Georgina Sparks first appeared on screen. But will her old self come back, as was the case for Serena? Next week will probably tell.

(S02E21) "I think I need a lawyer." - Serena to Cyrus

If it weren't for the final scene of the episode, I would have probably classified this week's Gossip Girl installment as one of the most boring of the season. I think what rubbed me the wrong way is that Blair and Serena were their old selves most of the episode and that Dorotea was on vacation (let's hope it was with that nice doorman from last episode). What definitely bored me to death was anything Serena-related in the episode since I'm getting extremely tired of her self-centered attitude, of the lying and using Dan to do so, and of her asking for freedom while not being willing to abide by some common sense rules (like asking for permission before running away across the world during a school week).

But that last scene made me feel oh so much better, especially since it will more than likely mean that Serena will get in some serious troubles and will definitely need a lawyer in the weeks to come. Looks like Armie Hammer, who portrays Gabriel, is playing the Devil's son both on Reaper and on Gossip Girl, no?

(S02E20) "It's your birthday; it's whatever you want." - Lily to Jenny

Episode 20, we're nearing the end of the season. Only five episodes left, which includes the episode that will be flashback heavy to set the tone for the potential Gossip Girl spin-off about a younger Lily.

This week's episode, even if it mostly surrounded Jenny's birthday party, set the tone for what's to come for all of the characters in play. Conflict between characters will be the key word to describe the upcoming episodes.