BuzzSugar

OMFG! A Gossip Girl Soundtrack: Duh

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:30:45 PDT

My question is: What took them so long? I kid, but honestly, you knew a Gossip Girl soundtrack had to be coming because a) that's what good teen dramas do, and b) the show is as good at music as it is at one-liners.

So, the first Gossip Girl soundtrack has been compiled by The O.C.'s former music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas (you know how I feel about her). OMFGG - Original Music Featured on Gossip Girl No. 1's 13 tracks will hit record store shelves near you on Oct. 28, and the album's also available online right now. It's generally a pretty good overview of the show's music, though it doesn't have the memorable "U.R.A. Fever," the song that's playing when Serena admits to murder.

The good folks of GG are also launching an entire site devoted to music on the show. I'm pretty excited for that site myself, because I rarely watch an episode without doing some searching for lyrics I heard.

Are you on your way to download the soundtrack? Are you excited for the new music site? I've got the track list after the jump - and super bonus Buzz respect and admiration goes to anyone who can figure out which song was played in which OMG moment last season. To check it out, just

Variety's Women's Impact Report: Alexandra Patsavas

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:30:55 PDT

Variety has issued its annual Women's Impact Report, highlighting women who have made an impression at all levels of entertainment. Just like last year, the list includes executive powerhouses, household-name performers, and lesser-known talents. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be spotlighting some of the women whom I find particularly noteworthy. Today's pick: music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas.

I don't own a whole lot of TV soundtracks, but I do have several of the ones from The O.C., which sound more like mix CDs from my coolest friend than the soundtracks to a soapy teenage drama. I have expressed my admiration for the woman responsible for these compilations on a few occasions, as she has so smartly set music to some of the most popular TV shows in recent years. Grey's Anatomy, The O.C., Gossip Girl and now even Mad Men have all benefited from Alexandra Patsavas's great talent.

As Variety notes, several bands can certainly thank Patsavas for helping to get them into the spotlight: "Her power as a contemporary music tastemaker is acknowledged by producers, managers and label execs, as her savvy song choices have drawn attention to such previously little-known alt-rock and indie bands as Death Cab for Cutie, Phantom Planet and the Killers (via The OC); Snow Patrol, the Fray and Ingrid Michaelson (Grey's); and the Virgins (Gossip)."

This willingness to use newer or lesser-known bands (as opposed to going with musical selections that may be more "safe") is one of the things that makes Patsavas so cool. Patsavas told Variety, "I feel like I'm getting away with something all the time. Our producers are into really good music these days, and we are putting forward some very obscure and nontraditional choices. And I'm so happy about that." So are we.

Source and source

Buzz In: Which TV Shows Have the Best Music?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 07:00:27 PDT

From scoring an entire episode with songs from New York band The Virgins to featuring an a capella version of Fergie's "Glamorous," Gossip Girl has certainly done its part to bring good music to television this year. That's probably not a huge surprise, though: Its music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas, has brought memorable songs to shows like The OC and Grey's Anatomy as well.

As I was reading a recent interview with Patsavas, I started thinking about what makes a good TV soundtrack. The shows Patsavas has worked on seem to have that secret down when it comes to catchy indie and rock songs - but Cold Case uses music in a completely different way that's still very cool, and the instrumental songs Explosions in the Sky contribute to the Friday Night Lights soundtrack do a lot to establish that show's mood.

Which TV shows do you think use music in the best ways? And which shows that haven't released soundtracks do you wish would?

Source

Five Songs by The Virgins to Be Featured on Gossip Girl Tonight

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 06:30:00 PST

Music Supervisor Alexandra Patsavas is trucking right along on her crusade to bring cool music to the TV-watching masses. Tonight's episode of Gossip Girl, titled "Seventeen Candles" on account of Blair's seventeenth birthday, will feature five songs by New York band The Virgins. That's a good number of songs by the same band to be played in one episode! These dudes will probably be household names in little time.

Until tonight you can download the song "Love Is Colder Than Death" and I would definitely recommend doing so. The song has a boppy, '80s-style thing going on that I'm really digging. So, well played, Patsavas: Now I'm going to have to buy their EP! Tune in tonight to hear the other songs, and let me know what you think of the Virgins' totally sweet Gossip Girl placement in Molly's weekly rundown on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of CW

"Gossip Girl" to Feature Cool Pop Music

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:35:42 PDT

I seriously admire Alexandra Patsavas, the clever mind behind musical placement in hit shows "The OC" and "Grey's Anatomy." She's credited with launching the careers of many an indie band by using them on "The OC," and I've often felt that the music on "Grey's" is just the thing to seal in the poignancy of a scene.

Now, Patsavas is taking her gift for placing music to the CW's fall series "Gossip Girl," and this time, she's planning to do for pop music "what 'The OC' did for indie rock." Billboard has more:

As with "The OC" and "Grey's Anatomy," and other shows on the CW, music will feature heavily into the lives and plot lines of the main characters. The pilot episode of "Gossip Girl" spotlights music by Rihanna, the Mooney Suzuki, Hanson, Amy Winehouse, Angels & Airwaves and others.

"I'm relying on old favorites while exploring current pop music," Patsavas says. "And since the show revolves primarily around high school students in New York, we'll definitely be using some New York-based bands. But these kids listen to the radio, too," she adds. "So, there will be that music, too."

I've already called it with KT Tunstall's single "Hold On" which sounds like something that could easily fit into a "Gossip Girl" episode - I'm thinking by the third episode or so we'll have heard it. I have complete trust in this lady's skills, so I can't wait to see what she does for the music in "Gossip Girl"'s first season.

"Gossip Girl" image courtesy of The CW
Patsavas photo source

"The OC" and "Grey's" Music Guru Gets Her Own Label

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 12:52:56 PDT

Alexandra Patsavas is known for getting songs by little-known indie acts - including Death Cab For Cutie and Imogen Heap - onto very well known TV shows like "The OC" and "Grey's Anatomy." Now, the music supervisor behind so many influential TV soundtracks is forming her own record label.

As reported today by Reuters, Patsavas just signed a deal with Atlantic Records to launch a new imprint called Chop Shop Records, sharing a name with her music-supervision business. The Pasadena-based label hasn't signed any artists yet, but Patsavas is most likely to scout the same types of indie-rock acts she's been breaking on TV. For the details,

read more
According to the Reuters story:

Many basic details of the venture are still being sketched out. Patsavas says she will look to hire a label manager as well as handful of additional talent scouts and assistants to supplement the efforts of her existing Chop Shop music supervision team of three coordinators. But this much is known: It will be headquartered in South Pasadena, Calif., and is expected to handle as many as three acts at the outset.

I'll be interested to see how this all shakes out. I appreciate the fact that "OC" fans now know who the Walkmen are, and Patsavas can probably come up with some more innovative ways to promote up-and-coming bands. But giving mainstream exposure to bands on independent labels is quite different from discovering unsigned gems, so I'm curious to see how Patavas's skills transfer. Source

Rachel Bilson Hits the TCA For Her Small Screen Return in Hart of Dixie

Shannon Vestal — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:47:47 PDT

Rachel Bilson is a long way from The O.C. in her new CW series Hart of Dixie, where she plays Dr. Zoe Hart, a Manhattanite who's recently been transplanted to small-town Bluebell, AL. She visited the TCA with her costars Scott Porter and Jaime King and showrunners Leila Gerstein and Len Goldstein, and the cast and crew gave us the rundown on their new characters and some of their more difficult reptilian guest stars.

Since this is the first time Bilson has led a series, she was asked how it felt to have a whole show on her shoulders. She said that she doesn't feel any pressure "because it's a group effort and everyone is so fantastic." As for her character, Bilson says Zoe is a "very smart, independent" woman, but someone who is not very polite, nor does she have any bedside manner. Bilson says Zoe is a "fish out of water" and a New York City girl through and through - from her behavior to the wardrobe. But Zoe isn't the only character Bilson admires; she remarked that all the roles were "awesome."
Porter is best known for his role as Jason on Friday Night Lights, and he gave a sweet answer when a reporter asked how he felt about the show's recent Emmy nominations. He said it was "weird" having the show be nominated so late in the game, because he thought it was "the same caliber show the entire way through." He also expressed reverence for his costars on FNL, saying, "My master class was watching Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler interact." Still, Porter seems excited to move on, remarking "Bluebell, Alabama is not at all Dillon, Texas."

To see some photos from the panel and learn more about Hart of Dixie, including bits about King and Porter's characters and the role of country music, just