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First Look at Ed Westwick on Californication!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:30:00 -0700

Chuck Bass will be gracing our small screens again in just a few weeks, but Gossip Girl isn't the only show where we can find Ed Westwick this Fall. Take your first look at his upcoming guest spot on Californication, which premieres on September 27. There are a few other familiar faces in the mix, and of course, the always adorable David Duchovny. Photos courtesy of Showtime

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Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 25, "The Goodbye Gossip Girl"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:00:58 -0700

This week's season finale of Gossip Girl is everything I've come to expect from this show in terms of the way it ties up loose ends. It ties them, and then it unties them, and then it ties them again. All in an hour. The writers basically throw at us everything they've established over the season - and then some.

As Gossip Girl dumps out all the characters' secrets throughout this finale I found myself completely unmoved in terms of shock value. Who can remember what's still a scandalous secret and what's not? And do any of these "secrets" matter much anymore? However, given all that, I still had fun with this episode. What can I say? I'm addicted.

It's all a whirlwind of information that we have to talk about, so read more.

First of all, I love Serena logic: "Gossip Girl does not report in college." That's when I knew, without a doubt, Gossip Girl would be reporting in college next year.
Vanessa shows up to graduation with her video camera, of course. This gives Nate the opportunity to apologize for dumping her for Blair. Vanessa's all, "That means a lot." Then Nate's all, "Stop by my party." All better.
Um, what is Jenny wearing at graduation?! It's kind of hard to root for Little J when she runs around looking like she's been up for 32 hours, drinking.
Ha! Dan's name is left off of the graduation program! Congratulations, Don.
At graduation, Gossip Girl strikes! And she gives everyone - gasp! - labels. Dan is the "insider," Nate's a "whore" (awesome), and Serena's "irrelevant." However, Nate's "whore" label only refers to the actual exchange of money for sex, not the fact that he's been with every girl on this show, which is what first came to my mind.
Could Rufus and Lily be more boring? I love how being "wild and crazy" means sitting on the floor discussing things and reminiscing. And what is in Lily's brown bag that she stole from Chuck? Why do I find it hard to believe Chuck would keep his fun drugs in a grubby paper sack?
The best ever, though, is when Serena decides Gossip Girl is going down and then everyone gathers up to think out who it could be (Chuck: "I'm gonna run some stats").

Then they're all, "Hang on. It's just occurring to me now that Gossip Girl posts about us a lot. I bet she goes to our school!" It took them until senior year to deduce this?
Anyone else still think Gossip Girl might be Nelly Yuki? Were they being obvious about making us think that so that we'd all go, "That's too obvious"? Mind games!
Chuck and Blair's little sexy game ("Do you like my headband?"- ha!) was so ridiculous it made me wince and then laugh.
The best bomb of the night is Carter's announcement that he found Serena's dad (who we actually met in the '80s flashback as a young d-bag).
Finally, Dan's half-brother, who's clearly stalking him, pretends he's going to Europe with Vanessa? OK. They all laugh, though, and then continue with their conversation as if a stranger didn't just interrupt them randomly.

Jenny is crowned queen by Blair and she will destroy the monarchy but first: headbands. Everyone is going to school in New York except for Serena but she'll get there next year, I'm not worried about that. Georgina is going to be roommates with Blair because the way college housing works is anyone can walk into an office and request a room with anyone else and it shall be done. Still, that will be a lot of fun. Finally, Blair and Chuck in love! What did you think of the finale? Jumbled mess? Loads of fun? Or a little of both?

Photos courtesy of The CW

Ed Westwick and Gemma Arterton are Cathy and Heathcliff

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:15:12 -0700

A year ago, we were all atwitter about who could play Heathcliff in a new Wuthering Heights adaptation that was supposed to be headlined by Natalie Portman as Cathy. Well, things look a little different now, as British actress Gemma Arterton has replaced Portman as Cathy - and Gossip Girl's Ed Westwick has been cast as Heathcliff.

The Girl with the Pearl Earring's Olivia Hetreed is still behind the screenplay, which is said to steer away from "stuffy costume drama" and focus mostly on the Heathcliff/Cathy relationship. Peter Webber - who directed Pearl Earring - is now on board as the director.

Looking back at the comments on this news from last year, I'm a little surprised nobody suggested Westwick for Heathcliff - though at the time, most of the choices were skewing older. But some of the descriptions you offered - intense, "dirty-yet-sexy," emotionally strong - do seem like they could apply to the man behind Chuck Bass. Meanwhile, Arterton is a rising star in the UK who's played the title role in Tess of the D'Urbervilles and was Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace. What do you make of this casting? Happy they're going all-Brit for the remake after all? Ready to see Westwick smolder on the big screen?

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Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 24, "Valley Girls"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:30:01 -0700

Hey, Gossip Girl fans! What did you think of the highly anticipated '80s time warp on this week's episode? Do you think it can work as a spinoff? My first reaction is lukewarm. Don't get me wrong: I love '80s music, clothes, and Andrew McCarthy as much as the next gal, and learning about young Lily is totally fascinating. But for some reason, those flashbacks didn't do as much as I thought they would for me.

Which is fine. Shows can improve over time. But as the episode progressed, I started to feel resentful of the flashbacks, and then . . . angry. I couldn't figure out where these strong emotions were coming from, and then it finally hit me: This spinoff stuff completely cheated us out of our Gossip Girl prom episode. Hello?! Proms are 90 percent of the reason I watch teen shows! Craziest of all, I didn't even realize prom was on the menu until about a third of the way into the episode. There's much to discuss, so read more.

Let's start with the present. Serena is still in jail. Everyone knows Lily did it. Nate, Chuck, and Blair are all peeved. Nate: "I can't believe she had her own daughter arrested. Who does that?"
But they're not as peeved as Serena. Check out what she says to her mother: "I would rather give my kids up for adoption than end up like you. . . . Oh wait. You did that." Harsh! But probably deserved.
Meanwhile, back at the Brooklyn loft, Dan, Jenny, and Vanessa are hanging out when Rufus comes storming out of his room. He's so moody and bitter after his nonproposal ("You guys are the Gossip Girl generation, don't try to pretend like you aren't interested in this gossip"). Hey, Rufus, this is more than mere gossip!
Aw, since Dan ruined everything last week, he calls CeCe to bail Serena out of jail, and then he takes her to prom - because even on Gossip Girl, nobody should miss prom by being behind bars.
Speaking of which, would Serena really just check herself back into jail? I'd think she'd run away before she'd willingly submit to incarceration.
It turns out Blair keeps a prom scrapbook full of hilarious princess drawings under her bed. Who would have thunk it?
I love how Blair thinks the idea of "prom queen" is lame and for "suburban schools" and "teen comedies" until of course she learns she's nominated.
Chuck maneuvers this whole dream prom scenario for Blair. Touching? Or weird? Do you wish we could have spent more time on that instead of flashing back? (Do I sound bitter?)
Nate and Blair's breakup has to be the tamest teen breakup I've ever witnessed. It's almost sweet!

Meanwhile, in the past . . . could they have shoved more obvious '80s references into the spinoff scenes? Fanny packs! Rubik's Cube! Tapes! Music videos are a "new art form!" They even insert a random '80s outfit montage that Brittany Snow works hard to sell.
Ew, I can't believe that Keith van der Woodsen d-bag is Eric and Serena's dad. He even had sex with Lily's sister, Carol.
I loved Lost's Cynthia Watros as a young CeCe! (And I especially loved her legwarmers.)
Do you guys find Lily's love interest, Owen, interesting/attractive/worth caring about? Or do you want to just fast-forward to the part in the future where she meets Rufus?

Are you as sad as I am that the flashbacks took away from b>Gossip Girl prom? Do you think Brittany Snow did a good job as young Lily?

Photos courtesy of The CW

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 23, "The Wrath of Con"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:30:40 -0700

There's always talk of how manipulative Gossip Girl's Lily can be. Some say she's a bad mom because she's been married a lot and is overly concerned with appearances at the expense of her own children. But I've always thought she seemed cool. Ever since Eric came out of the closet and especially after Bart Bass died, it's been clear Lily has a heart and is protective of her children - even step-children like Chuck.

However, on this week's episode, an uglier side of Lily shows up - and leave it to Serena to be the reason. The fallout that results after Gabriel takes off with Lily's rich friends' money (and Dan's tuition - d'oh!) is fun to watch, as it brings the entire gang together. It's all nonsensical, and everyone has a ridiculous plan riddled with holes, but ultimately, it's super entertaining. It also reveals just how evil and warped Lily can be. Ready to talk about it? Just read more.

The show opens with Chuck in the back of a cab, toting around the newly religious Georgina and telling Serena over the phone that he knew Gabriel was a shadester ("His suits never did fit right"). Georgina's so religious, she won't even drink from Chuck's flask with him.
Meanwhile Rufus is - I'm not even kidding - humming and telling random people to "have a great day!" because "Serena's boyfriend let me in on an investment that could pay for both your colleges!" Seriously, Rufus, listen to yourself! Any sentence that starts with "Serena's boyfriend" is the most ridiculous sentence of all time.
I sort of understand why Serena wouldn't want to tell Lily, but her big idea is so lame. She calls Gabriel to tell him she's pregnant. Oh, brother.
I love when Chuck's like, "It's obviously time an expert takes over this operation." I also liked when he wouldn't let Gabriel out of his hotel.
What is Dan's deal? He tells on Serena not once, but twice! He rationalizes this because it's his tuition money that's gone - but wouldn't the person to talk to be his own father?
Also, what financial-type person leaves a message with a teenager saying the dividends should be on their way?

Is it just me or does Eric look adorable when he's warning Rufus not to marry his mom?
Which leads me to Lily's "plan." Paying everyone back who lost money to her daughter's boyfriend seems straightforward enough, especially since she can afford it. But paying Rufus dividends forever? Um, that's straight-up insane.
And then there's poor Georgina, who just wants to love Jesus but has to go to a set-up lunch with Poppy. I loved when she tells Poppy she's a Charlotte and asks if she's a Carrie and talks about bringing the Internet to poor children so they can watch Kirk Cameron movies.
Blair on Poppy: "She's so evil she makes the evil Georgina look like the new Georgina."
After Blair lays into Georgina ("You're evil. You know it. I know it. And God knows it, too") she quickly snaps out of her Godly spell and tells Blair, "You can tell Jesus that the b*tch is back."

So Lily sends her own daughter to jail. Harsh. Also, the writers finally offer us a coherent reason why Chuck can't be with Blair: he's way too self-loathing. So he does the thing people do when they love someone and lets her go by telling her it's all a game to him. Liar.

Was Dan wrong to tattle on Serena? Was Serena wrong to try to handle this mess on her own? Is Lily evil? Are you glad Georgina's evil again?

Photos courtesy of The CW

Buzz News Roundup, 5/1

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:30:48 -0700

Jim Carrey may take the lead in The Beaver, an offbeat dark comedy about a man and the beaver puppet he wears on his arm. - The Hollywood Reporter
Coldplay will give out a free live album to fans who see the band on tour this Summer. - Billboard
Things are looking up for Chuck as NBC prepares to announce its returning and new series on Monday. - TV.com
Recount writer Danny Strong is working on a new script based on the life of a former White House butler. - Zap2it
Disney has officially joined the Hulu video site. - Reuters
Iranian drama About Elly and documentary Racing Dreams were winners at the Tribeca Film Festival. - AP
Ed Westwick and Eva Amurri are two of the latest guest stars to sign on for Californication. - The Futon Critic
Lizzy Caplan, Crispin Glover, and Sebastian Stan have joined the cast of Hot Tub Time Machine alongside John Cusack and Rob Corddry. - The Hollywood Reporter
John McCain will host a war movie marathon on AMC this weekend. - USA Today

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Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 22, "Southern Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:00:26 -0700

This week's Gossip Girl is a big improvement over last week's, just because things (ridiculous things!) are happening, for once. Chuck and Blair reunite to save Serena, Vanessa and Dan drink together, Nate gets an apartment in Murray Hill, and we learn Rufus is a huge dummy with money. Oh, and Georgina is back, and the girl is saved, which is a very fun twist indeed. I'm excited to talk about this one, so let's get started! Just read more.

Blair is still talking smack about NYU ("You know how I feel about ironic facial hair") and even finds a way to toss in the word "patchouli." We get it! Blair thinks every school that's not Yale is full of dirty, stinky hipsters and hippies. Find a new joke.
Blair's also allergic to the subway, which is to be expected but is funny nonetheless: "It's full of middle-class professionals!"
Meanwhile, Rufus talks money and real estate with his kids. I love how when Rufus is like, "Kids, I can get a good deal if I sell," Dan utters the most ridiculously un-high-school-boy thing to say ever: "You didn't get soaked when the real estate bubble burst?" Such poignant cultural details!
Things that creeped me out this episode include Rufus once again inappropriately confiding in Vanessa about money troubles. Are they going to hook up or something?
Another thing that creeped me out is this idea of Rufus and Lily going on a double-date with Gabriel and Serena. When they're all hanging out together in the living room, there's a lot of PDA going on from both couples, and I just found it to be icky.
How amazing is Chuck's outfit when he's playing basketball with Nate? I think he has on a silk tie underneath a polo shirt with a velour track suit. It's the sweetest basketball getup of all time.

How are you all feeling about Nate and Blair together? My brain won't accept it, so when Nate gets possessive and jealous it just weirds me out.
It even weirds Chuck out: "If you need to mark your territory so badly, Nathaniel, maybe you should just pee on her." Best line in weeks!
Speaking of creepy again: That's what Gabriel is. And I love that Blair is honest with Serena about how shady he is ("North Caroliar") even though she actually doesn't have really solid evidence (the whole Butter thing is laughable).
The girls' fight is fun, though. Blair: "He fell in love with you while you were roofied! How romantic!" Serena: "So Chuck and Nate are obsessed with you, but my boyfriend can't stay faithful for seven days?!"

I like how Serena's big zinger to Blair is that Nate wasn't always faithful to her. Um. Serena? He cheated with you. Good job trying to prove that Blair is a bad friend for not supporting your relationship, since you sort of committed the ultimate in not supporting a friend's relationship by boinking said friend's boyfriend.
How cute are Blair and Chuck waking up in a limo holding hands? What? I found it touching.
I love the Georgina religious camp! The prayer circles Chuck walks through, the pastel colors - awesome.

So clearly, Gabriel and Poppy's big plan is to use Serena to steal all the rich people's money. But instead, they're going to just get all of Rufus's money because . . . he is so dumb. What is he thinking?! And why did the mention of Blair's name make Georgina's eyes light up? Revenge? A soul to save? Georgina is back (I know because they played "URA Fever" again)!

What did you guys think of this episode?

Photos courtesy of The CW

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 21, "Seder Anything"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:30:16 -0700

So, yippee! Gossip Girl is back! But, um, I think almost every single main character must have taken stupid pills together in some scene that got edited out at the last minute. It's the only way to explain the complete and utter lack of brain power among our Upper East Side crew these days.

Take Serena: The more she reveals about her "marriage," the more it becomes clear that in Serena's head, church + "Si" + guy + drunk in Spain = legally wed. Which isn't totally the way it works. Sigh. But this episode has a lot of funny/cute moments, and all in all I'd say it's pretty entertaining, albeit nutty. Let's chat about it - just read more.

That opening My Fair Lady dream sequence with Blair is funny. Leighton does a pretty good Cockney accent.
Blair's new plan post-Yale rejection is to be a socialite ("Being a socialite was good enough for Jackie O"), and it looks like Nate Archibald is her ticket.
Cyrus offers to get her into NYU with a phone call (these kids getting into schools with phone calls is so obnoxious!) but she turns down his offer and makes some snide comment about experimenting with lesbianism at schools like that. I believe she made the same joke about Brown, as if every school that isn't Yale is like Girls Gone Wild meets Woodstock.
Serena's back from Spain, and she and Chuck catch up (". . . and then I realized I'm a 17 year old billionaire with tremendous stamina"). Chuck tells Serena he saw Poppy in town while she was still in Spain, which is our first clue something's up.
Blair's big socialite plan is to be on the junior committee for the Whitney and a bridesmaid in Nate's cousin's wedding. She gets denied for both because she's too "new" (pssst - that's blue blood talk for new money).
It's hilarious when Nate's all, "I have a surprise for you!" and Blair gets excited, and then the big surprise is that Nate got into Columbia all by himself. If I were Blair, I would have said something like, "For the record, that's not a surprise for me. That is simply news about you."
Of course this makes Grandpa Vanderbilt unhappy, and he asks Blair to help convince Nate that Yale is better.
OK, question: Nate tells Blair it only took one phone call from grandpa to get him into Yale. So why, when striking a deal with grandpa, didn't Blair go for the gold? Admission to Yale? Hello? Blair is so much smarter than this! She only bargained for her little Whitney thing and to be in the bridal party. But those things were only important to her because they were her back-up plan to Yale.

Speaking of dummies: Really, Rufus? You didn't pick up that your son was working the Seder?
And also: Really, Dan? You think a catering job here and there will pay for Yale?
I know Jenny is a lot tamer now, but her infatuation with board games is bizarre. It's such a far cry from taking pictures of yourself in your bra.
Serena thinks she's married Gabriel (who is really creepy and stalks her) and is all stressed out because of this. I love how sleeping with her good friend's man never comes up ever as an issue for her.
Hang on a minute: Weren't Vanessa and Chuck into each other last we saw? Where is Vanessa?

In conclusion: Nate forgives Blair for scheming with his grandpa, and she decides to try to go to NYU; Serena's apparently really into creepy stalker Gabriel; Chuck and Jenny finally make up after that thing that happened in the first season that I had to work really hard to remember; and Rufus is going to sell the art gallery so Dan doesn't have to waste his talents "working." Yay, happy endings! And, you know, kind of nuts. Did you think so, too? Sound off!

Photos courtesy of The CW

TV Tonight: Gossip Girl

BuzzSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:30:57 -0700

I remember being so excited when Gossip Girl started its season earlier than most shows last Fall. Boy, have we been paying for that early start in '09 so far, as the show has taken so many weeks off, I've lost count of where we are in the season. I think that's only added to my sense that GG is slipping a little - it's had a few iffy outings this Spring and not enough consistent episodes to really get some momentum back.

I'm hoping that all ends tonight, when the show returns with "Seder Anything." The title may be slightly outdated by now, but the drama seems fresh enough: Serena returns from a trip to Spain with Poppy (well, supposedly - for more on that, check out the video below), Dan gets an actual (gasp!) job to save money for college, Blair apparently does some scheming with Nate's grandpa, and Chuck appears to be back to his good, dirty self. Proof? He's turned his carnal attentions to young, lithe athletes. Oh, Mr. Bass, I have missed you.

Can Gossip Girl get back on the right foot starting tonight? To check out a clip, read more.

Photo courtesy of The CW

Gossip Girl Rundown: Episode 20, "Remains of the J"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:30:05 -0700

The good news about this week's episode of Gossip Girl? Vanessa is not as annoying as she was last week and is actually lots more fun now that she's gone over to the dark side (hanging out and scheming with Chuck).

The bad news? Jenny Humphrey is back to whining and tantrum throwing about how much people just don't understand . . . or something. Thankfully, she's moved past her angry eyeliner phase, but she just seems kind of sad and deflated. Also, a lot of what's happening with the characters right now makes little to no sense.

But back to the good stuff: Poppy Lifton is back to remind Serena how fabulous she could be, and Dan has one fan! Let's chat about it - just read more.

I'm still dealing with my disappointment over the fact that Blair's downward spiral was superbrief. She is sort of prissy and girly this episode and is tip-toeing around town mooning over Nate. She tells Serena, "My downward spiral's on the upturn." Boo to that.
Hey, remember when Dan was published in The New Yorker? Well, it turns out his story really touched someone, and he's very excited to have one whole fan! Jenny's joke about his letter is kind of mean: "What, did you send it to yourself?"
So we find out that Nate and Vanessa haven't spoken since she walked out of his party. Look, I'm the first to admit how irritating her behavior was, but that warrants a breakup?
I loved Serena and Poppy's awkward and b*tchy run-in with each other. Poppy's passive aggression is entertaining: "Sounds like everything's exactly the same as the last time I saw you!"
I laughed out loud when Chuck's evil mug appears out of nowhere at the Humphrey/van der Woodsen breakfast table. I forgot he's part of the fam!
The ensuing banter between Chuck and Dan is pretty fun, too. Dan wonders what Chuck Bass has to do at 8 a.m. and jokes, "It's not like you work out," to which Chuck replies, "I do my cardio in the evening." Then Dan says something funny about feeling like he's in a reality show, to which Chuck replies he'd vote Dan off.
What Chuck is really up to is figuring out how to break up Nate and Blair and sends Vanessa an email from Nate's account. When Vanessa asks how he did that, he responds, "His password's been 'soccer' since the fifth grade." Oh, simple, pretty Nate.

What is wrong with Jenny?! When your dad's super-nice, super-rich girlfriend says she's throwing you a sweet 16 party with the help of her popular daughter, you say: "Cool! Thanks!" I mean, why not?
Well apparently the reason is - according to Eric - Jenny has no friends. She's a whole new character now, and I don't get it. Hungry Hungry Hippos? Chili?
After some convoluted Angelina-Brad-Jennifer analogy, Blair decides Nate is her soul mate: "Chuck was just something I had to get out of my system in order to realize Nate is my destiny all along." I hope I didn't talk like that when I was a senior in high school.
So who knew a simple post on Gossip Girl's site could turn a party on the Upper East Side into a kegger? Kind of a stretch but still a bratty Jenny move.
Dan and Serena are now acting like brother and sister. Aw. And by "aw" I mean "weird!"
Vanessa and Chuck hanging out together and then having sex made little sense. But it was still kind of fun in its own ridiculous way.
Everyone runs around the whole episode talking about what a good guy Nate is but . . . is he? He totally just starts stuff up with Blair (kind of) and then dumps Vanessa because of one fight?
Finally, Dorota's boyfriend is Serena's doorman and . . . he's reading Ann Coulter? That's so strange.

So Poppy's man is someone Serena may have slept with while hanging out with Georgina back when she was bad. And Dan's "fan" is really his half-brother that everyone thinks is dead. How weird were those parents? "How do you delete an incoming call?" And Nate and Blair = together 4 ever? Hmmm. What did you all think of this episode?

Photos courtesy of The CW