Now that Anna Sui is working on a fall line for Target inspired by “Gossip Girl,” we thought we would round up some of the chicest, and sometimes outrageous, fashions that the ladies, and one very notable gentleman, have worn (thanks to the skills of the show’s costume designer, Eric Daman) while stirring up trouble on the streets of Manhattan.

Blair Waldorf: Known for choosing sunny colors (and lots of headbands) that don’t always match her naughty attitude, Blair has that snobby, uptown look down. She exemplifies it here with a bright-green jacket paired with yellow accessories and lavender tights.

Serena van der Woodsen: Serena’s downtown yin definitely complements Blair’s uptown yang. Even though she lives on the Upper East Side, S loves to rock a relaxed chic look, like the one seen here, by pairing skinny jeans and boots with a hip T-shirt, big bag and funky necklace.
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I have to admit there’s something catchy about “Gossip Girl” star Leighton Meester’s leaked single, “Birthday.” It has great bassline, a strong beat and isn’t some cheesy, overly electro-sounding song.

The song, which was leaked on Perez Hilton’s Web site, is about a girl who likes a boy and warns him not to hurt her (which makes me wonder why it’s called “Birthday,” but I digress). It’s a really tried-and-true pop-song theme, but “Gossip Girl” star Leighton, who claims to have “always done [music],” also seems to be embracing what she calls an electronic-rock hybrid sound for the track.

She says her musical inspirations for the album are M.I.A. and Gwen Stefani. To me, it sounds closer to Stefani, and I’m not sure we want to hear Leighton rap. But it’s definitely a formula that works for her and her sweet voice. She recently spoke to eTV about the album, saying that she’s currently hard at work on the album and that “I’m figuring out everything, so I can’t tell you too much.”

She added, “I’ve been working on it my whole life, obviously. There’s a first time for everyone [to release music], and I really love it.” Well, we have to say that if the rest of the album sounds like this, she’s one actress we might not mind listening to — we just wonder what Blair Waldorf would have to say about it.

By Rachel Josue

Isn’t that the question on everyone’s mind after watching the sexual tension between Ms. Carr and Dan turn into full-on make-out sessions on the past few episodes of “Gossip Girl”? I asked the source herself, Laura Breckenridge — better known as Rachel Carr — at Wednesday night’s Gen Art Film Festival launch party in SoHo.

“Well, he’s a very handsome guy and he’s a very sweet guy. I do have to say that when you’re doing that on set, it doesn’t sound very sexy. You’re in a scene, and it’s very technical, so it’s not necessarily a steamy make-out scene, as much as it seems … but he’s very nice. I’ve got to say, those scenes sometimes are more awkward than sexy, but it was fun.” Read more…

By Emily Donahue

Picking Hollywood’s finest for our Valentine’s single teen heartthrob list turned out to be more of a challenge than I thought it would. There were so many guys that came to mind, but not all could be included. Some were cut simply because they have a significant other and “single” was a key criteria, but some were for other reasons. Here’s who didn’t make the cut:

Corbin Bleu - Yes, Corbin is a cutie. He can sing, he can dance — he is even single! And I apologize to all you Bleu birds out there, but I have to say this: Corbin is just plain boring. Come out with a steamy music video, CB! It takes more than a pretty smile to be a heartthrob these days.

Ed Westwick - Oh Chuck Bass, with your red velvet suits and penchant for burlesque shows, who doesn’t love you? Apparently your castmate Jessica Szorh (Vanessa to those that go by character name only) feels the same — last week while courtside at a Knicks game you engaged in a PDA-session that crushed the dreams of many, present company included. I think the CW needs to implement a rule in which there can only be one inter-show romance at time and Penn and Blake got there first.

All of the Jonas Brothers - Every Jonas has a girlfriend! I would’ve bet money Kevin was single, but alas, a search showed that he too has a female to accompany him on triple-dates with Joe and Camilla and Nick and Selena. Love bugs indeed.

Anyone we missed that puts you into cardiac arrest? Let us know!

By Sabrina Rojas Weiss

Other MTV staffers have been able to blog about “Gossip Girl” as it relates to their own fancy-pants experiences as New York high schoolers. I always considered it a show set in an alternate universe my decidedly middle-class self would likely never cross paths with in real life. Until last night.

That mysterious, marble mansion where Chuck Bass met the girl of his dreams who turned out to be a sort-of high-class escort for an evil secret society? That’s the site of my former career as a cater waiter. I used to bartend in the very place we’ll now know as “the Chuck Bass version of Narnia.” (I once served Martha Stewart a grapefruit juice there!) I gave Joan Rivers a slice of cake in the library where the masked nanny seduced “the wrong Mr. Bass.” And I passed tuna tartar and pigs in a blanket to wedding guests in the hallway where Chuck unwittingly rubbed shoulders with the most powerful men in the world. That house (at 2 E. 63rd St., in case you’re interested) used to be the home of the New York Academy of Sciences, but its beautiful Mediterranean decor made it an ideal party venue too. And by the way, according to the New York Times, Chuck could probably buy the place for a song these days.

OK, so obviously, in a city that’s constantly the subject of TV shows and movies, this happens all the time. But this odd clash of worlds reminded me of a secret I have to share with all of you aspiring young stargazers: Aside from becoming an entertainment journo, the hands-down best way to meet celebrities at your work is to be a) a waiter or b) a juice/ coffee bar employee. In my short time as either of those, I served the likes of Tom Hanks, Matthew Broderick, Beyoncé, Ben Stiller and Spike Lee. My husband used to make smoothies for Gwyneth Paltrow, Beck, Chris Rock, the Beastie Boys and just about every model employed by Ford. Pouring cocktails and picking up half-chewed hors d’oeuvres may not be the ambitious person’s path to fame, but it’s certainly the lazy girl’s path to famous people. Sure beats being a “nanny” like Chuck’s friend Elle.

Chace Crawford has teamed up with Leona Lewis for the video for her new single, “I Will Be.” In the clip, the “Gossip Girl” star and the Grammy nominee play Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque characters. Chace follows in a time-honored tradition of handsome young guys and beautiful starlets mugging for the camera as a pop star sings their heart out.

It’s a tradition that everyone from Angelina Jolie (Rolling Stones’ video for “Anybody Seen My Baby”) to Selena Gomez (Jonas Brothers’ video for “Burnin’ Up”) has taken part in. Here we look back on some recent celebrity cameos in some of your favorite music videos.

Milo Ventimiglia in Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry”: The “Heroes” star plays Fergie’s Camaro-loving boyfriend in the video. He rolls with a rough crowd and has a ponytail, so we imagine there’s only so much of that the Dutchess can take.

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There’s no way we’re going to slight Chace Crawford from “Gossip Girl” for doing his part to help homeless people. It’s fantastic that he took the time out to tape a PSA for the “Teens for Jeans” campaign and we commend him.

But we are going to slight the dude in the PSA outtakes that leaked online recently for not taking the time to familiarize himself with the perfectly coifed Crawford’s name. In it, an unidentified gentleman refers to Chace as “Chance.”

The actor was cool about it, telling the guy, “It’s all right … it’s all right. The ‘c’ messes everyone up. Just throw that ‘n’ in there.”

And while that flub was apparently unintentional, we are puzzled by the line that appears in the actual PSA: “One in three homeless people in America are homeless.” Read more…

By Christina Garibaldi

The Golden Globes were back this year in a big way, and some of our favorite young stars joined their elder celebrity statesmen and -women for the festivities. From the Jonas Brothers to the “High School Musical” cast, the pop stars, small-screen beauties and blockbuster sweethearts were out in full force. So how did these fresh faces fare on the red carpet? Here is our opinion. (Click on the names for photos to refresh your memory.)

Blake Lively: Thumbs down. The “Gossip Girl” star is usually a hit on the red carpet, but this one was certainly a miss. The dress itself is beautiful, but it didn’t seem to fit her and the color of the dress did not match her skin tone. Also, she could have done something with her hair. It seems this is the only style she is comfortable going for. Next time, take a risk, Blake!

The Jonas Brothers: Nick Jonas: Thumbs down. Velvet jacket, no tie — you should know better. It’s the Golden Globes! Kevin Jonas: Thumbs up. Never can go wrong with a classic tux. Joe Jonas: Thumbs up. The red shirt underneath his suit was a good choice. Read more…

By Sabrina Rojas Weiss

With Britney Spears’ career seemingly on the upswing and li’l sis Jamie Lynn lying low while raising baby Maddie Briann, it’s probably safe for their mother, Lynne Spears, to step forward and admit she was at least partly responsible for her daughters’ tumultuous lives. If things hadn’t turned out well, we wonder if she really would be taking the blame while out promoting her book, “Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World.”

To be (sort of) fair, Lynne is hardly the only, or even the worst, celebrity mother of 2008. And she seems to be trying to make up for any neglect by telling England’s Daily Mail she almost called the memoir “It’s All My Fault.” Let’s take a look back at some of the other famous moms and dads who maybe shouldn’t be writing parenting guides anytime soon. Read more…

Last week, “Gossip Girl” author Cecily von Ziegesar told MTV News that she didn’t appreciate how the TV adaptation “ruined” her hard-edged character Vanessa.

“In the book, she’s kick-ass and has a shaved head and wears lots of black … and I think a lot of the readers who don’t usually read teen fiction indentify with Vanessa,” von Ziegesar told MTV News. “Even though I don’t like Vanessa’s character, it’s nothing against [actress] Jessica [Szohr]. I just wish Vanessa was like she is in the books a bit more.”

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