Why I XOXO "Gossip Girl"

Ah, love and marriage. They go together like a horse and... well, you know. Except, that is, when the couple is in dispute over a TV show. Which is why Jace has been kind enough to hand over his laptop to me, the future Mrs. Televisonary, so that I could voice my opinion about a show that I consider to be one of the best new breakouts of the season but that he doesn't watch. Gasp! How can this be, you ask? How can two people who share such an unhealthy passion for all things television, from Damages to Doctor Who, disagree about a show?

The show in question is Gossip Girl, a fizzy, fun, frolicking fable about a group of Upper East Side teens and their shockingly soapy lives. Not since Beverly Hills, 90210 has a show about teenagers been so ridiculous and so completely enthralling. Creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have brought to life a winningly wicked cast of characters, played with aplomb by a gorgeous and capable cast. Blake Lively is pitch perfect as fallen angel Serena van der Woodsen (doncha just love that last name?) who never seems quite at home in her old world of booze and boys nor in her new world, the idyllic "genteel poverty" of Brooklyn boyfriend Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley).

But it's the beautiful, tortured Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) who truly captures my attention from week to week. This minute Machiavelli in stilettos could take down all four of those other well-known Manhattan fashionistas with nothing but a glance. This is her city and everyone in it, her pawns, including boy toy Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) and the dastardly Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick). Will Nate find out that Blair lost her virginity to Chuck? Of course. Will it be scandalous, shocking, and steamy? Of course. And will Blair connive her way out of this mess (and into another diva-worthy dilemma)? Of course!

And we'll be there watching. Like outsider Dan Humphrey, we get an inside glimpse--a ticket into this elite circle, comprised of troubled teens and their equally confused parents, including Serena's regretful mom, Lily (played with a sexy sadness by the wonderful Kelly Rutherford). And our journey is narrated by Gossip Girl herself (the always delightful Kristen Bell who is the icing on this cupcake of a show) guiding us through every dirty little secret.

To me, Gossip Girl is the ultimate guilty pleasure. To Jace? It's a snooze fest. But he has promised me that, during the strike downtime, he'll take another look at the show and I am certain that he will see the light (shining off of the Archibald family's famous diamond ring). With our marriage date approaching, I only hope that the issue can be resolved swiftly so that we can begin married life drama free. 'Cause we should leave the drama where it belongs. On TV.