GOSSIP GIRL HERE

I love Gossip Girl. There I said it.

It is awesome and I think I may be a little obsessed. But I love it when a show sucks me in to the obsession stage.

Rush’s first season (Channel 10) had the same appeal for me (the second series - not so much) and I found myself scouring discussion boards for talk about the characters and what will happen next. I felt a little ashamed of myself for doing this as I have often stumbled across similar chat boards discussing Home and Away and people declaring their undying love for Irene. OK, well maybe not Irene, but at least Martha, pre bikie moll hookup, and I have felt kind of sorry for these people. It’s just a TV show right? Right?

But I digress.


Gossip Girl has started on Channel Go! Another new found love of mine. A word to the wise at Channel 9/Go! though, lay off the Seinfeld. You are going to turn it into Go!’s version of The Simpsons.

Granted it can be funny, but in the same vein as the Two and Half men repeats, you risk the wrath of the general public when you become lazy with your programming.

Right, where was I? Oh yeah. Gossip Girl. I had seen all of these actors often in New Weekly (Not that I subscribe to such rubbish – much) but I've never really known who they were. Yes I do live in 1984. But I know now. And how.

The three red flags that told me I was officially hooked on GG,

1. I went and got the first series on DVD after watching the first episode.

2. I still sit through pretty much episode when I see it played on Go! Even though I’ve already seen it.

3. I sat through an episode that wasn’t even an episode. It was just a “look how we found the cast” and “let’s hear what all the cast have to say about making the series” type of episode. And I sat through the entire thing and LOVED it. How else would I have learned that Kristen Bell voices Gossip Girl. I wouldn’t have. See I’m well aware that this shit is irrelevant in day to day life, but sometimes day to day life sucks balls.

For the uninitiated, Gossip Girl revolves around basically a bunch of spoilt, old money teenagers and the blog that reports the scandals, secrets and happenings in the lives of the “Beautiful people"

Originally a book series by Cecily von Ziegesar, the show takes us into the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the elite families from old money. It allows us to see it from the not so wealthy Humphrey family who seem to have a long history with getting close to the fortunate side of town. I believe the TV series strays quite a lot from the books.

Series one Characters to note:

SERENA VAN DER WOODSEN – (played by Blake Lively) Hot, tall blond. Previously known as the party girl – read slut – who has been mysteriously absent but comes back into the fold with serious secrets to reveal.

BLAIR WALDORF – (played by Leighton Meester) is the Resident Bitch. But you come to like her and oddly feel a little sorry for her. Her mother is a world class designer (a stretch) and her dad has run off to France to live with another man. She begins the series as a virgin. She leaves the series anything but. Her boyfriend Nate Archibald is smoking but a bit of a non-entity.

CHUCK BASS – (Played by Ed Westwick) freaks me out. Bordering on creepy potential rapist, his father owns a hotel chain (Paris Hilton much?) and he is pretty much left to his own devices. And that is where the danger lies. He blackmails, he schemes and he roots around. A lot.

DAN HUMPHREY – (Played by Penn Badgley) The Best and most likeable character. His dad is a good looking musician (who looks suspiciously young to have two teenage children) and has an errant mother who has left her family to “go find herself” pay for him to go to the most expensive school in New York . Unrealistic? Yes. Do I care? No.

JENNY HUMPHREY – (Played by Taylor Momsen) Is Dan’s younger sister who is desperate to get into the “it group” and does virtually anything to get there. She’s a good girl who I fear may turn quite bad.

NATE ARCHIBALD – (Played by Chase Crawford) Poor Nate. He’s always just that one step behind. He’s definitely hot, but just can’t keep up. He and Blair are the star couple. Both from the best families and equally clueless when it comes to each other’s feelings.

There are other recurring characters and for me essentially, more story lines involving the “older” mums and dads that make it all the more juicer.

One name to remember for the newbies: Georgina Sparks.

If you were a fan of Melrose Place, 90210 when it first started (Please take Tori Spelling out of the equation) or The OC, you’ll love this. It works on Go! On the uncool grandpa that is Channel 9, I have a feeling it would have tanked

Gossip Girl: Go! 8:30pm Thursday nights