An East Coast O.C.

Two fantastic New York Times articles about this week's debut of Gossip Girl have me counting down the hours until Wednesday night at 8.

From Omigosh! ‘OC’ With Warmer Duds?:

The sex starts about five minutes into the premiere of “Gossip Girl,” a new series based on the best-selling young-adult books by Cecily von Ziegesar. Within 20 minutes the characters, privileged Upper East Side private schoolers, are downing martinis at the Palace Hotel. There is some pot smoking in Central Park, and more sex, at the Campbell Apartment bar, and more pot smoking, en route to Queens. Forget the No. 7 train: this gang travels to the outer boroughs via limo, with bottles of Champagne in hand.

It features an ensemble cast of fresh-faced actors (including Blake Lively as a nicer Marissa Cooper and Penn Badgley as a Seth Cohen type); soapy plot lines (Will Nate dump Blair for Serena? Will Rufus reconnect with Lilly?); a pop- culture soundtrack (Amy Winehouse, Rihanna and Peter Bjorn and John) and teenage tech savvy (they text-message constantly).


And the other, My So-Called Gossipy Life:

Like those earlier shows, “Gossip Girl” offers its share of gorgeously outfitted characters, opulent settings and tempestuous encounters. A father pressures his son to date the daughter of a potential business client; mothers bully their daughters into becoming a Vera Wang-sheathed mini-me; and boon friends turn archrivals, engaging in venomous power struggles. Fangs are bared over the hot-button issues of drugs, money and class and sex. On the pilot episode alone, boys in blazers smoke marijuana and talk about sampling their father’s Viagra. Girls trade insults, directing much of their venom at the sullied heroine Serena van der Woodsen (played by Blake Lively), who downs martinis like raspberry Snapple and engages in smoldering sex-capades.

Although I downloaded the pilot on iTunes, I'm trying my best to wait until the premiere to watch. Just in case I was tempted, my professors decided to give me two exams in two days. Always looking out for our best interests, those profs...

-tf