Dear Leighton Meester, We love “Poison Ivy”-era Drew Barrymore as much as the next girl. But that doesn’t mean we feel the need to throw on a ’90s-ified crop top. Sure, you look cute (when do you not look cute?), but this is one midriff-baring trend we hoped would stay safely in the past. Keep reading »
Speaking of “Gossip Girl” … tonight kicks off season four of everyone’s favorite show about Upper East Side richy rich teenagers. As the preview teases, Serena and Blair have headed to Paris for the summer. Blair says, “I am not someone who is going to stop looking for love just because I’ve lost it. Which is why I’m heading directly into the belly of the beast—Paris.” Cue the berets, French rock, and a girl fight in a beautifully lit fountain.
While I am very much looking forward to watching, I already have a bone to pick with the show. Um, why are we going to Paris? So many freaking shows pull the Paris card when they need to shake things up. Keep reading »
Who can keep up with all of those beautiful kids on “Gossip Girl” and their many attractive sexual companions? Not I! PopSugar has helpfully explained the past three years of lost V-cards, pregnancies and rape-y boy billionaires in under two minutes. When “Gossip Girl” returns for season four next week, you will only have Taylor Momsen‘s raccoon eyes to distract you. [PopSugar] Keep reading »
Proof that everything is better when set to the “Beverly Hills, 90210″ theme song: someone wicked smart set the introduction to “Gossip Girl” to the tune of “90210.” Everyone’s smiling and laughing — even Chuck Bass and that miserable raccoon moppet Jenny Humphrey! [via NYMag.com] Keep reading »
I have a favorite independent bookstore near my office. There are tables full of new fiction and non-fiction, shelves filled with New York Times bestsellers, and one particular bookshelf full of pastel pink and purple books. These pink and purple books, of course, are in the “chick lit” section. Even without searching for titles like Confessions of a Shopaholic, you can tell from the rose- and lavender-colored hues that this bookshelf is where you will find the fluffier books which are primarily written for women, by women.
But one book critic has had enough of this “flouncy frivolity.” Imogen Russell Williams from the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper finds it “almost impossible” to pick up a pink, “candy coated” book. Particularly when the book in question is being marketed to teen girls, Williams writes, “This kind of packaging often does a disservice to thought-provoking content, because knee-jerk anti-pinkers like me assume whatever’s inside must match the cover for ersatz, grinning emptiness.” Keep reading »
The time has come to sadly admit it: “Gossip Girl” has jumped the shark. We know, we know. It had so much potential back in the days when uhh-mazing people like Anna Sui were designing themed collections for Target and headbands were cute again. Then Little J got stuck in a blender with Courtney Love and made the “walk of shame” look a thing (oh the horror!) and Vanessa and Dan (ew! Seriously, you guys, that’s like incest!) and is it wrong that we want to motorboat Serena’s boobs? So, naturally, the retail side of things had to go downhill. Keep reading »
Admittedly, I’m not the most devout “Gossip Girl” viewer. But, I don’t remember anybody getting preggo last season, do you? Did Vanessa have a bun in the oven? Is Dan paying for NYU by becoming a manny? And how fake does that plastic baby doll look? [7/12/10, Astoria, NY] Keep reading »
This last season of “Gossip Girl” felt a bit like a hookup without an orgasm. As in, you got psyched up for it, but went home completely frustrated (last time we checked, a “plot twist” wasn’t something completely predictable, or a coupling some writers pulled out of a hat). One of our biggest gripes: where was Chuck Bass’s bangin’ wardrobe? We used to shriek with glee every time the smooth-voiced boy showed up in an orange trench coat or a purple velvet suit. Somehow, jewelry company Alex and Ani manages to make up for it all with this gold Chuck Bass charm bracelet. How could you not get off after seeing that blingy charm sporting the Hotel heir’s name? We’d wear this with pride, Chuck, because we’ll totally take you back. Unlike some headband-wearing brunettes we know. Best of all, at $29, this accessory doesn’t come with “Gossip Girl” prices. [Bluefly] Keep reading »
Taylor Momsen‘s band, The Pretty Reckless, released its first EP online today. Up until this point, I was pretty content to hate on Momsen for her constant snarling and black-lidded eye-rolling about the pains of fame. She’s always struck me as a snotty tween caught in her rebellious stage, and I worried that The Pretty Reckless was just an excuse for the “Gossip Girl” star to wear ripped tights all the time. Well, this EP has proved me at least partially wrong. This band is actually talented and has created four quality songs. Momsen can sing! She has a surprisingly big voice for a 16-year-old waif; although, she’s still trying too hard to sell us on her punkness by alluding to drug use and underage sex in her lyrics. Overall, we are seeing quite a few Jenny Humphrey connections in Momsen’s tunes. After the jump, we sample the songs and wax philosophic on the Jenny parallels. Keep reading »
