Retro TV: Dawson"s Creek

I do love my teen programmes; The OC, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and 90210 but no show defined the teen genre more than Dawson's Creek. The show was sort of based on the life of its creator, Kevin Williamson who created the Scream series and The Vampire Diaries. Williamson who was at the time Hollywood's wunderkid was approached to create a teen TV series after studio bosses read his witty script for Scream and Williamson described his efforts as Some Kind of Wonderful meets My So-Called Life meets Pump up the Volume meets James at 15 meets Little House in the Prairie. Dawson's Creek revolves around Dawson Leery played by James Van Der Beek, an aspiring film-maker who more or less had the perfect life; doting parents, great best friends and an idyllic life in a seaside town called Capeside. Dawson is an eternal optimist who firmly believes in that little thing called love and is a passionate Steven Spielberg fan. His close friends consist of gal pal, Joey Potter played by Katie Holmes, who he has spent practically every memorable moment with since his whole life. Their blissful friendship hits a rocky path when they start to drift apart and move into adulthood. Dawson's guy pal is Pacey Witter played by Joshua Jackson who is about as different from Dawson as you can get. Pacey is irresponsible, outspoken, restless, reckless and very funny and he is a chronic underachiever who uses his sarcasm to disguise his unhappy childhood. Then there is also newcomer, Jen Lindley played by Michelle Williams who has moved to the town from New York who strikes up a friendship with Dawson which leads to conflict with Joey. Later on in the series the four friends are joined by brother and sister, Jack and Andie McPhee played by Kerr Smith and Meredith Monroe.

There was no doubt that the relationship between Joey and Dawson was very special; you know the type where she would sneak into his room by climbing up a ladder and they would watch movies all night on his bed? The two of them were soul mates who would go on to become lovers and then greatest friends. Dawson's Creek covered a lot of heavyweight issues such as teenage sex, abuse, alcoholism, homosexuality all mixed up with teen angst.  The show ran for six series during the period of 1998 and 2003 and is credited as defining a generation. What made the show stand out was the impressive dialogue they would use to converse in. It was rather akin to Shakespeare with long prose and expressive verbs. When I first started watching the show it took me a while to get into it but once I did boy was I hooked. Dawson's Creek really had a lovely charm about it especially the childhood friendships, rites of passage and comprehensive dialogue. It may not have been as glamorous as Gossip Girl or as cool as The OC but it held a sense of warmth that the other shows lacked. You really felt that you knew Dawson and co and really lived through their trials and tribulations. Dawson's Creek ended in 2003 with a special length episode and even though a lot of time has passed since then I now watch the lives of the actors from the series with interest and fondness. James Van Der Beek has gone on to act in films and TV shows and he is now a father and on his second marriage, Katie Holmes is now Mrs Tom Cruise and as well as having a very stylish little daughter she has herself a very stellar acting career, Michelle Williams also has a daughter by the late Heath Ledger and is now one of the most respected actresses in Hollywood and Joshua Jackson has done a fair bit of acting himself and is now happily dating Diane Kruger.

The show is now being repeated on Sony TV on Wednesday at 7pm.

The Roommate

I know that this film is a blatant rip off of Single White Female which is a thriller that starred Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh but for some reason it really appeals to me. The Roommate is a story of Sara Webber played by Minka Kelly who is starting her first year at college and looking forward to the next few years of campus life. She is sharing a room with Rebecca Woods played by Leighton Meester and initially the two hit it off but pretty soon Sara notices Rebecca's strange behaviour and things get more and more bizarre with Sara starting to fear for her life and for those who are in her life. Why do I like this film? Well for a start it has Leighton Meester who rocks as the evil Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, it is a teen slasher movie which are the best kind because you know that nothing too disturbing is going to happen but it will be as gripping as hell.

The Roommate opens in the US on 4th February but a date for the UK is yet to be announced.

The Fabulous Grand Central Terminal

So today I took a trip to visit Kwana from Kwana Writes at her place in Scarsdale, Westchester which is a suburb in New York. In order to get there I had to take a train from Grand Central in Manhattan. I don't know about you but waiting for a train at a London station is not a nice experience. Cold, dirty and nowhere to sit are the words that come to mind. Well Boris could take a few tips from New York and check out the fabulous Grand Central Terminal. Here are a few facts about the famous train station; it is the largest train station in the world and is iconic because it represents the growth of NYC itself. After a train collision in 1902 this resulted in the expansion and development of the station and new electric trains. A temporary station was installed while the new station was constructed over the next ten years. The new Grand Central Terminal was opened to the public in 1913 and has hosted an art gallery, art school, movie theater, museum and various exhibitions. In 1988 the station was renovated and restored to its former glory

It is here where you head out to New York towns such as Westchester, Yonkers and White Plains. The real name of the station is Grand Central Terminal but it gained the name Grand Central when people started abbreviating it. After the revamp the station now has a rather classical feel to it; high ceilings give a light and airy feel with marble flooring and the whole place gleams with sheer opulence. There are also retro like sofas dotted around for passengers to relax on while they wait for their train. Also there is an eating area and eateries on sale and the tables are designed with a collage of items that represent New York. Bits of the subway map, train tickets, metro cards, train timetables and a map of upstate New York are all pulled together to represent what Grand Central is all about. Even the bins are adorned with a colourful poster with a train and a sign that says 'Welcome Aboard" Grand Central is somewhere that you are happy to spend time in as opposed to wanting to get the hell out of.

My first introduction to  the place was reading about it in Hanging Out with Cici written by Francine Pascale, the creator of Sweet Valley High. The book was about a teenage girl who gets on a train at Grand Central to visit her relatives only to go back in time. Pascale's description of the train station was very illustrative and gave me an idea of what the station is like. Grand Central has also been featured in countless films and TV shows but the film that stands out to me is Carlito"s Way where Carlito Brigante played by Al Pacino, a reformed gangster is supposed to meet the love of his life so they can leave New York and start a new life together but sadly he does not make it. Grand Central is where Carrie and Samantha set off to San Francisco for Carrie's book signing only for Samantha to develop cabin fever in their poky compartment. Of course the station is where we are introduced to Serena van der Woodsen in the first episode of Gossip Girl when she heads back to the Big Apple after a hiatus at boarding school. Good times eh. Grand Central is as fabulous as it looks on the screen.

Glee

They say your school years teaches you a lot about socialisation as it is where you learn how to interact with others from different backgrounds. They also say that if you are lucky to make it out of high school in one piece you are a true surviver. McKinley High is a typical All American High School where the jocks are kings and cheerleaders are queens. The nerds are the smart kids who get picked on and then there are the kids from the Glee Club. Attended by a bunch of misfits, the dillipating Glee Club consists of the ambitious Lea Michele played by Rachel Berry who badly wants to fit in with the in crowd and uses the singing club to get their attention. There is the fiesty Mercedes Jones played by Amber Jones who finds herself sidelined by Lea but fights it all the way. There is Kurt Hummel played by Chris Colfer who is tormented over his sexuality, Artie Abram played by Kevin McHale, the paraplegic who rocks the guitar like no one can and Tina Cohen-Chang played by Jenna Ushkowitz, an Asian American goth who is handicapped by a slight lisp. This mismatched group are not only the laughing stock of McKinely High but are also on the brink of being shut down by their money hungry principal. That is until Spanish teacher Will Schuster played by Matthew Morrison is given the role to steer the Glee Club to the former glory of its past. Initially he struggles to make something with the group and also faces the opposition of brash cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester played by Jane Lynch who will stop at nothing to be the top dog of the school. Then Will hits pay dirt when he overhears Finn Hudson played by Cory Monteith, a popular footballer singing to himself in the shower and he blackmails him into performing in the club. As luck would have it the group gels together with Finn and Lea's strong vocal chords and the remaining members' backing voices, the Glee Club goes from mud to gold in a blink of an eyelid.


Glee - Gold Digger from Tony Jones on Vimeo.
The pop culture sites have been going gaga over this show since it aired in the US last May so I was curious to see what it was like. It did not disappoint me at all. Glee is everything a great show should be; funny, poignant and full of well developed characters. From the ultra competitive, Sue Sylvester, to the anal retentiveness of Emma Pillsbury played by Jayma Mays, the school's guidance counseller and Will's freaky wife, Terri played by Jessalyn Gilsig who fakes a pregnancy to keep her marriage in tact. I just love the way it goes from being light hearted to dark and then back to light hearted. Basically Glee has it all and it is hilarious and entertaining at the same time. This show is like Mama Mia meets Gossip Girl.


Check out the Glee Club's fantastic rendition of Kanye West's Gold Digger.

Glee is aired on Tuesday at 9pm on E4.

NYC Prep

Oh no they didn’t! Oh but they have. Bravo TV are airing a reality version of Gossip Girl – no not Schooled that I blogged about here or Gossip Girl: Real NYC Stories Revealed, which I featured here. NYC Prep is a docu drama that depicts the lives of six teenagers who live a privilege existence in an affluent part of New York. The teenagers range from 15 to 18 and attend the most elite schools in Manhattan and live in a world where credit cards, Blackberrys and cellphones are the norm.

Jessie is a feisty social mover who dreams of a life in fashion, she hangs out with Peter Peterson aka PC an obnoxious 17 year old who is rather jaded and quite clearly being pushed as the Chuck Bass of the group. Jessie and PC used to date and now they are just best friends. Kelli is kind of a latchkey kid who shares an apartment with her 18 year old brother while her parents pop in once a week from the Hamptons. Kelli wants to be a singer hence the fact that she moved back to the city so when she is not working making demos in the recording studio she is spending time with Camille, an over achiever who has her heart set on Harvard. Camille has quite the acid tongue and does not suffer fools gladly. The eye candy of the group is French speaking Sebastian whose main goal is hook up with as many girls as possible. Last but not least is Taylor, the Jenny Humphries of the set. Taylor is the only one that attends public school and spends most of her time trying to fit in with her much richer peers.

The kids in NYC Prep have a fabulous lifestyle; they have great clothes, great apartments, unlimited access to money and great hair. Their activities involve eating out in swanky restaurants, shopping in designer boutiques, attending fashion shows and launches at art galleries. The similarities between GG are obvious with the same playing field in common and to a certain extent absentee parents but I would go out on a limb and say that NYC Prep is more like the East Coast version of Laguna Beach. It is not a work of art and Bravo TV's new show makes very entertaining and envious watching.

Check out a clip from the show below.



NYC Prep airs on Tuesdays on Bravo TV.

Gossip Girl: Real NYC Stories Revealed

The Upper East Side is the most prestigious area of New York; located between Central Park and the East River, it is home to world-famous museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim as well as elite schools and luxury boutiques. It is also a pivotal place for four feisty New Yorkers who are dubbed the real Gossip Girls. In celebration of their new go fresh Burst Body Wash, Dove have created a series of micro documentaries that takes us into the lives of four sassy women who are connected to the Upper East Side. Gossip Girl: Real NYC Stories Revealed gives us an insight into the life of a working gal in the Big Apple. The series was aired last month on CWTV during the last four episodes of Gossip Girl and it was introduced by Jessica Szohr who plays Vanessa Abrams.

The four featured ladies are different in many ways. There is IT girl, Dani Stahl, style director of hip magazine NYLON and a jewellery designer who is born and bred on the Upper East Side. Faythallegra Coleman is an indie film maker who was born and raised in Harlem. She schooled at a prestigious school on the Upper East Side but now calls Brooklyn her home. Then there is Lara Meiland Shaw who was born in Denmark but moved to the Upper East Side when she was ten years old. She is a wedding couture designer and co-founder of Lara Helene which is a label that she runs with her sister who is based in London. Like a true socialite, Lara's evenings are full with cocktail parties and fundraisers. Her life is a far cry from Chrissie Miller who was born and raised in the Upper East Side but now calls the Lower East Side her home. She moves in a tight knit circle of musicians, film makers and artists. Chrissie is a fashion designer who runs hip label, Sophomore.

These videos are a lot of fun and gives you a taste into the life of Upper East Siders. All of these ladies are doing great things and making huge strides in their career and any notions of them being little rich girls are quickly dispelled. Dani, Lara, Chrissie and Faythallegra and women who have the guts to go for their passion and are now living their dreams. You ever heard of the phrase lifestyle envy - well I have it. Check out the intro to the show below and tell me what you think.



You can watch Gossip Girl: Real NYC Stories Revealed here.

Made in NYC

One of the charms of the film Wall Street was the way it featured the heartbeat of Manhattan and how exciting life is in the Big Apple. I admit I am a sucker for films and shows based on NYC. Carrie Bradshaw told Miranda in our beloved Sex and the City that she was having a love affair with the city. Who can blame the gal; with it's funky boutiques, wonderful galleries, great restaurants and superb nightlife along with it's vibrant and diverse neighbourhoods - New York may be small but it certainly packs a punch. It also looks great on the eye so it is no surprise that the most famous city in the world has been featured in thousands of films and TV shows. The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting was founded in 1966 and this kicked off an explosion of productions made in NYC. There are classic films such as the ones made by Woody Allen and Martin Scorcese and TV shows like Seinfeld and Spin City and I have listed the ones that have made an impact on me.

Films

Sex and the City: The Movie
Last year everyone went agog over the much aniticipated release of the S&TC film. Scenes wee shot at Bryant Park when the quartet attend Fashion Week, Park Avenue where Charlotte resides with Harry and Lilly, Fifth Avenue at Carrie and Big's swish new penthouse, Deklab Avenue in Brooklyn where Miranda lived with Steve, Lower East Side where she moved to after their break up and of course Central Park.

The Devil Wears Prada
This film was one of the most glamorous of recent times and showed the drama of working on one of the glossiest magazines around. It featured areas such as the Lower East Side where our protagonist, Andrea Sachs lived, the Tribeca where she hanged out with her fella and pals and the Upper East Side where boss from hell, Miranda Priestly lived.

Working Girl
Melanie Griffiths stars as Tess McGill in a rags to riches story based in the boardroom. The film is shot in locations such as Staten Island where she lived and Bowling Green where she worked.

You've Got Mail
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan reunite to play two star crossed lovers who communicate by email in the Big Apple. This film showed a really romantic look of the city with a 40s vibe that is very care free. Scenes took place primarily on the Upper West Side where both characters lived and also where their rival bookstores were based.

An Affair to Remember
Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant play star crossed lover in this classic film. It will always be synonymous with the Empire State Building where the two lovers were supposed to meet till tragedy hit. An Affair to Remember also inspired the hit film, Sleepless in Seattle.

Breakfast at Tiffany's
One of my favourite movies of all the time. Never mind the dialogue, I just loved watching the scenery and the fashion. This is the film that put the ever so glamorous store Tiffany's on the map. Interesting to find out that while most of the outside shots were filmed in Manhattan, a lot of the inside ones were filmed in Hollywood.

Other films that made an impression are Spike Lee's films such Do The Right Thing, Mo Better Blues and Crooklyn that gave a great insight into Brooklyn. Also Ghost, Desperately Seeking Susan, Confessions of a Shopaholic, It Could Happen to You, 10 Ways to Lose a Guy, Cruel Intentions, Cruel Intentions, What Women Want and As Good As it Gets focused on certain areas in Manhattan.

TV Shows

Gossip Girl
As well as the frolics from the upper classes, Gossip Girl shows off the lushness of the Upper East Side, Fifth Avenue and Central Park where Serena, Blair and co inhabit. However, it gives us an insight into the funkiness of Williamsburg in Brooklyn where all the hipsters such as Vanessa, Dan and Jenny live.

Sex and the City
S&TC creator, Darren Star often said that New York was the fifth character in the show and I don't think he could have put it better. The four women have NYC as their playground and the show concentrates on areas such as the Meatpacking District where Samantha's retro pad is and Upper West Side where Miranda's single ladies apartment is. The Upper East Side is important to the show as that is not only where Charlotte and Carrie have their apartments but it is alsowhere Jimmy Choo, Manola Blahnik and lavish department store, Barneys are based.

Ugly Betty
Often dubbed the TV version of The Devil Wears Prada but Ugly Betty is much more than that. Since it burst onto our scenes two years sgo, Ugly Betty has become a global success and won many prestigious awards. It is hard to believe but the first two seasons of this popular series were filmed in LA. Only the pilot was made in NYC.

Lipstick Jungle
Three women take on NYC juggling high powered careers, families while wearing stilettos. Scenes are filmed in 501 Broadway, Rockland Lake State Park and Nyack Beach State Park.

Friends
Ok I admit it, I am cheating a bit here as Friends was filmed on sets in LA and NYC was only used for outside shots of the apartment block that Monica, Rachel, Chandler and Joey lived in. However Paramount really do a fantastic replica of Manhattan with the fabulous apartments and the cool coffee shop set in Greenwich Village.

Will and Grace
I was not a huge fan of this show and I could not stand Grace but I loved the apartment she shared with Will. It really represented a true Manhattan loft because it was so wide and spacious. Like Friends this was filmed in LA but the exterior shots were all NYC.

Other TV shows that come to mind are Cashmere Mafia, Law and Order and Spin City.

If you are interested in the production of films and TV in the Big Apple then you will love Made in NY which is a series of podcasts that hold walking tours of film and TV locations in NYC. So if you are in NYC and fancy checking out famous shooting scenes then all you need to do is download it onto your iPod and off you go. Whatever you do, don't forget the S&TC tour where you can see the locations from the series. Check out a fantastic review from Vex in the City.

So what are your favourite films and TV shows set in NYC and why?

Gossip Girl Spin Off

So it was with great anticipation that I tuned into the 80s throwback of Gossip Girl. This is the one where we see Lily van der Woodsen as a teenager wrecking havoc in Los Angeles. First of all I was expecting the whole show to be dedicated to Lily and her antics as opposed to the obvious flashbacks that we were treated to. Secondly I was hoping to see the young Lily engage in all sorts of shenanigans and to be a feisty and fearless madam. Instead what we got was some mediocre action from a poor little rich girl who had been kicked out of school and flees to her sister. Brittany Snow who has been in Nip ‘n’ Tuck (not to be confused with Brittany Murphy who she looks a lot like) plays Lily Junior and Krysten Ritter from The Gilmore Girls and Confessions of a Shopaholic played older sister, Carol. The flashbacks lacked a lot of spark and the characters were not at all endearing to watch. What was up with all those wishy washy male characters? They were so lame. The only good thing about the show was the music soundtrack with tunes from Men Without Hats and Depeche Mode. I certainly won’t be crying into my herbal tea regarding the rumours about the spin off not going ahead.

Super Stylist

Her fly on the wall show, The Rachel Zoe Project has been recommissioned for a second series in the States and will be hitting the UK next month and on top of this she has been snapped up to design a clothing line. I would say that it must be pretty great to be Rachel Zoe right now. With a loving hubby, a die for wardrobe and a wonderful lifestyle; she is living the life that many would dream of. As stylist to actresses such as Debra Messing, Jennifer Garner and Joy Bryant, Rachel has become one of the most coveted name in fashion and is now a household name. However, people still get confused about what a stylist actually does. Some people think they just shop all day, pick out clothes and get chummy with the designers but the life of a stylist is a bit more complex than that. This is what journo and author, Tamsin Blanchard has to say about styling in an article about high profile stylist.

"Fashion stylists are the people who decide not so much what we are going to wear, but what we are going to buy. They choose the clothes on the pages of the magazines; they decide that Jennifer Lopez looks great in that Versace dress; they are the ones who select the clothes that will make it on to the runway and into the buyers' order books."

I did a bit of digging around and have come up with a list of five stylists whose work I rate:

William Baker

This is the man who puts Kylie in those sumptuous outfits. However take note because William Baker is far more than a stylist, he is in fact Creative Director to the princess of pop. His previous clients have included Vivienne Westwood where he worked on her flagship store.

Andrea Lieberman

She dresses two of the most stylish women in the world; Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Lopez. She takes responsibility to introducing Ms Stefani to the world of style and I would call that some feat considering how renowned Stefani has become in fashion terms. She was also the very same person who put Jennifer Lopez in that plunging Versace gown which she wore to The Grammys which earned her many column inches. Her other clients are Drew Barrymore and Faith Hill.

Eric Daman

He has been dubbed the male version to Patricia Fields with those amazing outfits that he puts together in Gossip Girl. The story lines might be hotter than hot in GG but it is the fashion that has everyone talking and this is all down to a certain Mr Daman. The former model got his big break when he was discovered by Steven Meisel (as you do) who promptly booked him for a Calvin Klein advert. He then went onto to work as a costume designer on Sex and the City.

Philip Bloch

This is the man who dresses the Hollywood A lister for glitzy events such as The Oscars, The Golden Globes and The Emmys. Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Salma Hayak, Will and Jada Pinkett all have Mr Bloch on speed dial. When he is not mixing with fashionistas Philip is either acting or contributing to various newspapers and magazines.

Christina Ehrlich and Estee Stanley

Their clients include Demi Moore, Jessica Biel, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Ritchie as well as The Olsen twins whose style are admired by young women all over the world. The duo are based in LA and have been working together for over five years. Their usp is putting starlets onto the red carpet and turning them into stars. Christina and Estee recently launched their own line, Ms Davenporte which is stylish and easy to wear items for women.

Funnily enough both Carine Roitfeld, editor of French Vogue and Katie Grand founder Pop magazine and now editor of Love magazine started out as stylists. So it goes to show that stylists rock! Check out this article here that was published in The Observer back in 2002 about stylists for fashion brands. Then there is this article here that features stylists who work in the music industry.

Geek Chic

Who didn’t see this video of Pharrell Williams trying to sing his way into getting a big mac and fries at MacDonalds in Paris? He never got his big mac and fries but boy did I love him for trying. The performance was geekery in it’s finest form. There was a time when being called a geek or nerd was a huge insult; the term sums up visions of a social inept person with super large glasses who spends their time delved into computer books and comics. Not a good look. However over the last few years that image has been turned upside down as geeks have risen to the top of pop culture. With gadgets becoming de rigor in today’s society and Blackberrys, laptops, Twitter, Facebook now an integral part of our lives it is now chic to be a bit of a geek.

Take this quote from a character in an episode of the animated series, Freakazoid.
“Who writes all the best selling books? Nerds. Who directs the top grossing Hollywood movies? Nerds. Who creates the highly advanced technology that only they can understand? ...Nerds. And who are the people who run for the high office of the Presidency? No one but nerds.”

You can add President Barack Obama to that list, as well as a Blackberry addict, he admits to being a huge fan of Star Trek and collected comic books when he was younger. Not only that but Obama was the first President to embrace the web by introducing online voting which was instrumental in his historic victory. I am sure he is twittering his way through London at the G20 Summit as well as causing carnage in the capital. Other famous geeks are Kanye West, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook), Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple) and Tiger Woods. On the TV side who can forget lovely, Seth Cohen from The OC decked out in his scuffed sneakers and plaid shirts creasing us up with his quirky observations. His character was based on none other than Josh Schwartz, the creator of The OC and Gossip Girl who is big player in TV.

As individuals have learned to embrace their inner geek the corporate world have cotton onto the act as well. IT companies such as The Geek Squad (who are so cool that they have sponsored London Fashion Week), Geeks on Call and Dial a Geek use the term to display their highly sophisticated IT skills. What can I say - I am a geek and proud! Check out a scene from Sex and the City where Carrie has a one to one with a geek when her Macbook crashes. Very funny!!

My Motherboard, Myself Part 1



My Motherboard, Myself Part 2

Lily

So it seems that CW along with everyone else cannot get enough of Gossip Girl. They love it so much that they have ordered a prequel which is based on the romance of Lily van der Woodsen nee Rhodes and Rufus Humphreys. The channel that is home to popular teen shows, 90210 as well One Tree Hill will be airing a retro version of Gossip Girl. The spin off series of which is yet to be named is set in the colourful 80s and tells the story of the teenage Lily who is the mother of protagonist, Serena van der Woodsen. Young Lily is forced to move in with her sister after falling out wth her parents when she is kicked out of her posh boarding school. She turns to big sis Carol who is a free spirited actress based in San Fernando. Unfortunately Lily is not happy for long; it seems that sleepy San Fernando is a tad bit boring for our Lily and it is not long before she is up to her old tricks. She goes in search of fun and excitement in LA and finds it in the fast paced life of Sunset Strip. Gossip Girl Retro sees Lily hanging out in restaurants, bars, clubs and totally living the Jackie Collins' 80s Hollywood life where she eventually bumps into a certain Rufus Humphreys. The show will showcase the fashion, music and pop culture of that era so you can imagine what they have in store - over the knee boots, leggings, stilettos, shoulder pads, teased hair and lots of blue eye shadow. It all kicks off on 11th May when instead of the regular GG we will be treated to a back door pilot to the spin off. Brittany Snow plays the young Lily, Krysten Ritter (who we last saw in Confessions of a Shopaholic) plays her sister Carol, Andrew McCarthy plays their father, Cynthia Watros as their mother and Serena's father, Keith van der Woodsen will be seen for the first time played by Matt Barr.


Hmm. To be honest I am not really looking forward to it. I like Rufus a lot and I find him to be a very funny, quirky yet warm character but I find Lily to be a total bore. Unlike her daughter who is charismatic and engaging, Lily comes across as being a total stiff and a snobby one to boot. I find it hard to imagine her smoking a cigarette let alone anything stronger so I am finding it hard to buy this so-called wild childhood that she experienced. I personally would have preferred to see Jenny in a spin off which takes place when Serena, Blair and co have gone onto college. Rather like the book series The It Girl but instead of trying to fit in with a cool crowd lil Jen would be Queen Bee of Constance Billard. Now that would have been riveting with Eric as her morale conscience and big brother Dan making guests appearances. GG creator's, Stephanie Savage (who I wrote about here) and Josh Schwartz's explanations for not going down the Jenny route was because they did not want to lose any of their talented cast. Now I love Steph and Josh dearly but that is the lamest excuse I have ever heard. We all know that Serena and co are off to college in the next season so what they should have done was follow their escapes on campus and launch Jenny in her own spin off. But hey what do I know? I just watch the show religiously.

Mean, Meaner, Meanest

"Women would run the world if they did not hate each other." Interesting words uttered from the mouth of Chris Rock but also very true. Where ever you look examples of girl on girl hate is prevalent; books, TV, film and music, we are all party to seeing young women treating each other badly. These are issues that author and educator, Rosalind Wiseman tackies in her book, Queen Bees and Wannabees where she looks at ways of handling aggressive girl behaviour. She also goes into the secret world of school cliques and breaks them down into six categories: Queen Bees, Wannabes, Messengers, Bankers, Targets, Torn Bystanders. Queen Bees and Wannabees is an important book because not only does it give us an insight into the socio-political inside of girl world it is also the inspiration for Mean Girls. Defined as a combination of Heathers meets Clueless, Mean Girls was released in 2004 to critical acclaim and is now regarded as one of the best teen films of all time. The success of the movie might have had something to do with the hotness of Lindsay Lohan at the time but Mean Girls is truly all about Tina Fey and her brilliant script writing skills.


Mean Girls was Tina's debut as a writer and actor in a feature film and I supposed you can say that it was also a semi bio project as the movie touched on a lot of things that she experienced at high school. The cast also includes performers from Saturday Night Live of which Tina is an integral part of. This teen dramady is the story of Cady Heron played by Lindsay Lohan, a teenager who moves to a new school after having an idyllic upbringing in an African country. New to the social rules of high school she finds herself an object of interest by The Plastics ie the Mean Girls who run the school. The Plastics are headed by Regina George played by Rachel McAdams and they take her under their wing and she finds herself escalating into the school popularity ranks. However, unknown to The Plastics, Cady is secretly plotting with social outcasts Janis Ian played by Lizzy Caplan and Damien played by Daniel Franzese to bring down Regina. As she becomes immersed in life as a Plastic Cady usurps Regina to become the new Queen Bee but pretty soon she gets addicted to her new found power and starts to neglect her real friends.


The character of the Queen Bee runs similar in a lot of films and TV shows from Heather Chandler in Heathers, Taylor Vaughan in She's All That and Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl. Rosalind Wiseman defines the the Queen Bee below:

"She holds the combination of charisma, strong will, looks, money, force and manipulation. She is the centre of the group not because she is well liked but because of the fear that she holds over the group. She sets all the rules and changes them to suit her own purposes."

As enjoyable and funny as Mean Girls is, the film also has a steely edge that is a tad bit disturbing. As Tina Fey describes, the film shows how girls know how to mess with each other. Talk about art imitating life.

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani

A while back I reported that a real life version of Gossip Girl would be hitting the big screen and that it was based on a book called Schooled which delved into the world of the elite private schools in Manhattan. The book is written by Anisha Lakhani, I also promised you a review and well here it is. Schooled is based on Anisha's own experience as a teacher at a snooty school in New York. Her alma mater, Anna Taggert enters the system all bright eyed and bushy tailed planning to enrich her students' lives with the prose of Shakespeare. Unfortunately, instead of being greeted with gratitude she is faced with hostility from her students, parents and fellow tutors. The unwritten rule at Langdon Hall; the school that Anna teaches is that there is no level playing field and grades are dependent on a student's surname and postcode as opposed to their efforts. After all this is a place where students have designer clothes, handbags, iPods and Blackberrys and as much cash as they desire. Meanwhile Anna has to struggle to meet her rent payments on her tiny apartment in the wrong end of Manhattan. So it is no wonder that she jumps at a gig to privately tutor one of students after all she needs the cash right? Her delight soon turns to horror when she realises that 'tutoring' is just a coy term for blatant cheating and that her role really is to do the work of the privileged student to make sure that they graduate and go on to an Ivy League college. Anna is initially disgusted by the immoral life that she has moved into but the lure of the money is too irresistible. Pretty soon she has clocked up several more clients and is taking home more money in a week than she does on a monthly basis in her full time job. I think it is safe to say that Anna gets totally sucked into her new lifestyle which now consists of Lanvin suits, Sass and Bide jeans, Chanel clutches to go with her all new $1,000 haircut. She also trades her shabby apartment to a sleeker one in Madison Avenue -Anna is going up in the world. However, as we know all good things come to an end and while she is raking in the cash it is at the expense of her social life and morality. Suddenly she has to choose on which route to stay on.


I came across Anisha Lakhani in an article in Gawker and was initially drawn to the obvious comparisons to Gossip Girl. A few chapters in I realised that there was more to this book than the lavish lifestyles of the rich Manhattanites. What Schooled brings to us is a tale of ideals and how easy it can be for those ideals to be corrupted. Not only does Anisha's tale explores the underworld of an unfair private education system where money seems to buy anything it also concentrates on the kids who have been failed by their thoughtless parents. Schooled is a compelling read due to Anisha's narrative which is very accessible and I would say that her constant dropping of designer names and her student's opulent lifestyle is very Gossip Girl (esque). No surprise to hear that it was the Gossip Girl books that inspired her to write Schooled and get the story from the other side out. We all love a good kiss and tell story and this is one in it's finest form. Move along The Devil Wears Prada and The Nanny Diaries, there is a new kid on the block called Schooled who is after your crown.

Gossip Girl Addiction

Wow, Gossip Girl just gets more popular by the hour. The show that was created from a popular book series has now turned into serious regular viewing by savvy teenagers and their hipster older brothers and sisters. The delightful, Fashion Addict discussed the male addiction to GG here. Now it looks like lifestyle companies have fallen head over heels with the show and have been snapping up GG stars to become faces of their brands. Taylor Momsen who plays status climber, Jenny Humphrey can be seen in a gritty commercial for Nike where she trys to outmaneuver the paparazzi. It is shot in an underground car park and we see Taylor laying down some serious martial arts and ninja stuff. Then there is Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick - who play the bickering Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass - and are now the faces of Nikon's Coolpix camera. The ad campaign is a series of magazine shots where we see Ed in a suit posing on a Vespa. He is also seen playing with a football (homage to his Brit roots) and singing onstage with his band The Filthy Youth. While Leighton records her upcoming album, chats over pizza and gets all dolled up in a makeup chair. Talk about art imitating life.

Check out the Nike ad with Taylor below.

The Real Gossip Girl

Ok so we had The Real OC and The Real Housewives of Orange County so make way for The Real Gossip Girls. A new film based on the book, Schooled (a review coming soon) focuses on the real life Blairs, Serenas. Nates and Chucks. We are brought into the world of a private school in Manhattan's privileged Upper East Side where students sling £1,000 Mulberry school bags over their shoulders. Schooled is written by Anisha Lakhani, a former school teacher at a top private school in Manhattan who bit off a lot more than she could chew when she started tutoring wealthy kids in her spare time. She witnessed first hand a life of debauchery, indulgence and down right greed. Anisha has penned her story about her experience and the rights have been picked up for a movie. Is it me or does this sound like a delicious movie.

Stephanie Savage - Queen of Teen Genre

Mention the name Stephanie Savage and you will be greeted with blank looks but if you drop names such as The OC and Gossip Girl you will get a different reaction. Stephanie Savage is the lady behind these two fantastic programmes - forget Josh Schwartz – this Canadian native is it. Stephanie wrote and produced The OC and is currently working as writer and executive producer of Gossip Girl. Her first gig in Hollywood was working for Drew Barrymore’s production company, Flower Films, and she went on to work on the script for Never Been Kissed and Charlie’s Angels. It was here where she met Joseph McGinty Nichol aka McG who was directing the movie and the two of them became inseparable. Five years later Stephanie and McG decided it was time to move on and formed their own production company, Wonderland Vision and Sound.

They hooked up with Josh Schwartz and came up with the concept for a show that would showcase the lives of young people in Orange County. McG, an OC native wanted to convey the contrasts between the Republican values, wealth and gated communities that is very Reagan-esque and, the epicenter of California skate-and-surf culture. During an interview with The OC Insider, Stephanie stated, “You have these really cool bands like No Doubt, Social Distortion and Sublime coming from there and that was the kind of scene that McG grew up in, so we thought that was really interesting. I mean if you go down there, it's like a mixture of country clubs, rock clubs, and there's dads golfing with their sons and kids partying in the streets, and it just seemed like a really great world to explore." That show became known as The OC and went on to become one of the most popular teen shows on TV and set the look for reality shows such as Laguna Beach and The Hills.

The OC ended in 2007 and by then Stephanie had already left Wonderland to concentrate on writing but she was not idle for long because that very same year she was hard at work with Schwartz on Gossip Girl. Alloy Entertainment had approached Schwartz about turning the popular book series by Cecily von Ziegesar into a show. After reading the books his first response was that he would do it only if Stephanie came onboard, “She's really tapped into young women and what's exciting for them. I knew the material was a little female-weighted for someone as ignorant of the female species as myself, and Stephanie would have great insight into it," explained Schwartz.

Gossip Girl is a glossy show about the lives of teen socialites who descend on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The huge success of the books along with the huge fan base that Schwartz had built up over the years meant that expectations for the new show were very high. However, the show fulfilled its potential and has been dubbed by New Yorker magazine as the greatest teen drama of all time. Whilst Stephanie shared production creds with Schwartz, Gossip Girl is all hers and it is she who steers the show. Stephanie describes her role in Gossip Girl as making a magazine show every week and setting the trend.

The 38 year old is still based in LA and writes full time and having secured her name in teen TV, Stephanie has now turned her attentions to the big screen. She is working on a film called The Au Pairs, which is based on a book by Melissa de Cruz. If it is anything like Gossip Girl, I am sure it will be a corker.

Picture taken from LA Times and Seat 42F respectively.

Melrose Place Reloaded

I think we can agree that the weather has been lousy this week so what better than to curl up on the sofa with a mug of tea and settle down watching a fun show on the TV. That is the saving grace of the winter; all the cool shows come back and it is like being reunited with a bunch of old friends. Right now I am spending quality time with Gossip Girl, The Hills, 90210, Lipstick Jungle and The Starter Wife and it is fantastic. Like having a ladies night out except it is at home in your living room. It looks like Melrose Place will be joining us this time next year. 90210 has proved so successful that the powers that be at CW Network have decided to spread the spin-off project to the popular 1990s drama. Premiering in 1992, Melrose Place featured the lives of sophisticated twenty-somethings who lived in an apartment complex and we saw them live, work and play together. As we can expect in a typical soap drama we had the usual emotional storylines such as infidelity, homophobia, divorce, prostitution, domestic abuse and many others. The show bowed out in 1999 after a period of low ratings and as well as making a star out of Heather Locklear who went onto Spin City and Scrubs, it will also be remembered for launching the careers of the stars below:

Kristin Davies
She played the scheming Brooke Armstrong and later found fame and many pairs of Jimmy Choos as Charlotte York in Sex and the City.

Marcia Cross
She played Dr Kimberly Shaw, the total nut job and is now famous as house proud Bree Van de Kamp Hodge in Desperate Housewives.

Doug Savant
He played Matt Fielding, the token gay guy and is now best known as Lynette's hubby, Tom Scavo in Desperate Housewives.

Courtney Thorne-Smith
She played the annoying Alison Parker who had a long relationship with Billy and became an alcoholic. She went on to star in Ally McBeal as Georgia Thomas, wife of Billy Thomas who was the ex love of Ally.

Kelly Rutherford
She played Megan Lewis a high class call girl who is hired by Dr Kimberly Shaw to seduce her partner. She is now in Gossip Girl playing the snooty Lily van der Woodsen, mother of lead character Serena van der Woodsen.

Rob Estes
He played restaurateur, Kyle McBride and can be currently seen in the all new 90210 as head of school Harry Wilson and father of Annie and Dixon.

Alyssa Milano
She played spoiled brat Jennifer Mancini and went on to play Phoebe Halliwell in the hit series, Charmed.

Wow what a load of talent that show produced. Roll on the remake.

Person Rob Estes

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You Know You Love Me

Oh my god, I have just seen the latest episode of Gossip Girl and it was sensational! After a rather shaky return to the small screen it seems that my favourite show about the shenanigans of the posse from Upper East side is back to it's wonderful best. The crafty weeded plots, amazing twists along with the razor sharp dialogue is well and truly alive. When Gossip Girl aired last year it featured a wide division between the haves and the have nots. The haves being Serena Van der Woodsen, her side kick Blair Waldorf, the brooding Nate Archibald and all American bad boy Chuck Bass who spent their trust funds partying it up in Manhattan. The have nots were Brooklyn natives Dan Humphreys and his sister Jenny who were forever on the fringes of social activities. This is until Serena returned from exile back to New York and started dating Dan. Soon Serena became a bad girl turned good and the circle became more open, lines were blurred and before we knew it all the characters became some what entwined.

In a fairytale Serena and Dan would have lived happily ever after with their mates and family looking on but hell this is drama and damm it - Josh Schwartz created this show and one thing we have learned from The OC is that nothing is at it seems. So Dan and Serena broke up, Jenny gave up trying to nab a spot with the inner circle at school, Dan went back to being Lonely Boy and Blair still reigned as the original Mean Girl. However the most dramatic turn round was Serena; we all know that she and Blair had a bit of a competitive thing going on which is stemmed from Blair insecurity. So in order to accommodate her Serena often toned down her vibrant personality. Blair repaid the gesture by being fiercely protective of Serena and woe betide anyone who crossed her. So imagine my shock when I see Serena throw down the gauntlet to Ms Blair and tell her that she is no longer going to hold back so she no longer steals the limelight from her. It seems that Serena wants to sparkle and this time no one is going to put out her bright light. Well that along with Dan enlisting Chuck to help him find his writing mojo, Lily turning out to have a deep secret (who doesn't in GG?) and the secret of Chuck's childhood is revealed, I am safe to say that this episode was a corker. Long may it continue.

90210

Despite the new offspring of Beverly Hills 90210 gaining record ratings of 4.9 million viewers on its debut night, the show does not seem to be liked by all and sundry. Numerous bloggers have declared their disappointment with the new rehash and popular culture website, Gawker dismissed it as completely bland. Well I will throw caution to the wind and say that I liked it - a lot. I thought 90210 was funny, very glam, heart warming and very relevant to today's pop culture. The show kicked off with a two hour special on Tuesday night where we saw the Wilson family moving from Kansas to start a new life in the swishy Beverly Hills. The Wilsons consist of Dad Harry played by Rob Estes (from Melrose Place), Mom Debbie played by Lori Loughlin, daughter, Annie played by Shenae Grimes and adopted son, Dixon played by Tristan Wilds. The family take up residence in a mansion with Harry's mother, Tabitha played by Jessica Walters. Harry who was born and raised in Beverly Hills is now the new principal of West Beverly Hills High and has to juggle his role as father and head of school to Annie and Dixon.

Any teenager will tell you that switching schools is never easy and more so when entering a school as cliquey and snobby as West Beverly Hills High. After a few minor setbacks, Annie and Dixon begin to settle in and make friends and take part in activities. Shenae is very endearing as Annie and the 'Brandon' of the show with her eternal optimism while Tristan turns in a great performance as Dixon. Other notable characters are Queen Bee, Naomi played by AnnaLynne McCord and her on and off boyfriend, Ethan played by Dustin Milligan. Yes ok the interracial adoption with Dixon does seem a bit off key and not at all well developed and the fashion is nowhere as good as Gossip Girl but hey what it loses in these categories it makes up in other areas. For a start the soundtrack is slamming and meshes really well into the scenes. You can tell that the producers have taken a leaf out of The OC creater, Josh Schwartz's book. Also the side kicks are top notch, unlike other shows that throw in unforgettable characters who do not detract from the main protagonist, 90210 gives us the super cool Navid played by Michael Steger and funky boho Silver played by Jessica Stroup; half sister of Kelly Taylor and David Silver for you Beverly Hills 90210 veterans out there. Even the adults get their own story lines with Harry having to deal with a secret from his past. Also with trendy school teacher, Ryan and fellow alumni Brenda and Kelly thrown in to the mix I think this will help to shape the show into a fantastic post modern teen soap.

BTW I am totally loving the knee length socks that are donned by the girls, if I was a decade younger I would be wearing them.