Gossip Girl: Discussion Thread

[jcar03]

Blair dresses like an old school marm. Its terrible and it surprises me she is popular with those outfits with the way image is everything. That outfit when she "outed" Serena was awful.

[JackPeyton]

Blair is an incerdably one note char. shes just a petty bitch. no... no nothing. maybe its the actress?

[Cheyenne]

The clothes suits her character very well. It's perfect for her.

[mr. sweet]

I really like this show. My fave character is definitely Blair--hands down. Maybe it has something to do with the actress. I also like Dan and Chuck. Those are the other standout characters for me. I hope this show lasts.

[Toups]

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TV...ickup/800024112

GG is the first new show to be picked up for the full season!

YES!!

[mr. sweet]

Good news.

[Sylph]

Good in the demos...

[NeoAngelicLiz]

As long as it does good I'm happy.

Just out of curiousity is who is that guy in your avatar?

[Sylph]

*MISTAKE POST*

[tina m]

Yes! So glad to hear that. I LOVE this show. Last night was a great episode. It does similar the book in various ways with Serena becoming a model, for Les Best, but it has nothing to do with Blair's mother. I'm really surprised they didn't bring on Aaron and Blair's mom's new husband.

I lovee Serena and Dan, they're so cute together. i love the end too when Blair and Serena were taking the cute pictures together.

Next week should be SO good with Jenny/Blair, I hope Serena isn't a part of that.

[NeoAngelicLiz]

I think Dan and Blair would be HOT together but I agree for now Serena and Dan are lovely together. Loved the model pics they took. They both looked angelic to me. Although I can see why they choose Serena over Blair.

The Guys arc was really interesting to me. Nate is quickly becoming the morst interesting guy character for me. Loved his little poker adventure. I thought that guy was sleazy but when it all came out it was very well done. Chuck also showed me that hes not an ass entirely. What happened with Nate's money at the end of the eppy though? Did his father steal from him or something?

Can't wait to see the repeats!

[Toups]

Really liked that Dan/Blair scene in the hallway. Dan opened up to Blair and Blair was being civil to Dan. Good stuff.

Yeah, I think Nate's fatehr stole his money.

[Sylph]

Wealthy and manipulative grandma coming...

[Sylph]

October 14, 2007

Questions for Josh Schwartz

Gossip Guy

Interview by DEBORAH SOLOMON

Your new TV show, "Gossip Girl," on the CW network, is a self-described soap opera that celebrates the material excesses of a group of teenagers on the Upper East Side. Was the goal to create a Manhattan version of your hit tribute to California hedonism, "The O.C."? I think it's an entirely different thing. To me, one of the biggest difference between the two shows is that New York City is a character in "Gossip Girl."

But not a very appealing character — an ally in decadence among kids who hang out at the bar of the Palace Hotel and practice underage drinking. I think it's actually a very romantic view of New York. I don't like shows that feel like they're judging their characters.

Why are the characters uniformly white, with old-money names like Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen that hark back to a time when high society was not integrated? Why are there no Jewish characters? It's interesting, because on "The O.C." I went out of my way to make those characters Jewish, not what you would expect to find in Orange County. But in New York, weirdly, I failed. I was working off of the source material.

Right. The show derives from Cecily von Ziegesar's "Gossip Girl," a series of young-adult novels that critics have described as cringe-inducing. Are you concerned that the limitations of the books will hurt the quality of your show? I wasn't really thinking about the critical reaction to the books. Television is its own medium.

How is the show doing? It's the No. 1 new show among teens. In New York, the show is kind of a crazy-huge thing already.

You also have a second new series, "Chuck," on NBC, whose computer-geek protagonist is not among the superrich. No, but he is supersmart.

Let's talk about your childhood. I hear you were raised in Providence, R.I., by parents who are in the toy business, which sounds so enchanting. My father worked for Hasbro — he was then president of Playskool. I was invited to a lot of birthday parties as a kid, and probably not out of actual friendship. It prepared me well for Hollywood.

You think children were using you for your toy-industry connections? There were a lot of roller-skating parties where I was questioning why I was actually invited. Perhaps just to deliver the new G.I. Joe aircraft carrier.

Anything else we should know about your childhood? I was obsessed with movies. I got a subscription to Variety from my parents when I was 12. I like to read movie reviews.

You were, at 26, the youngest person to create and produce a network drama when "The O.C." went on the air. Do you feel guilty about all that success? I have to.

How do you assuage your guilty conscience? I go on the Internet and look for mean things that have been written about the shows that I work on.

How does that make you feel? Satisfied.

Why not just give away wads of money or do good deeds instead? There's that, too. My girlfriend is definitely a big proponent of that. I'm more into self-flagellation.

Do you give money to any charitable organizations? I do. I give a lot back to U.S.C.

Your alma mater. And to my high school, the Wheeler School, creating scholarships for kids.

What kind of kids? For needy kids, or for gossip girls? Not for the gossip girls. For the kids who otherwise can't afford it.

Are you a gossip? Not really. I'm too afraid of getting caught.

[NeoAngelicLiz]

Thanks Slyph!

Awesome article....I forgot he created The OC another guilty pleasure of mine.

PS I read up on RA. Pretty interesting history...is he on any soaps now? Spanish or English? And what channels?