Saturday, 03 January 2009

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  XOXO, GG
  
  
  
  My friend CZ got me hooked on the show Gossip Girl. Since it came out last year, I've been determined not to watch it because it's based on the lives of high school students, and high school drama is one of my least favorite things. I am so over the petty immaturity of teenagers.
  
  But we had a sleepover and watched the first 4 episodes [watching GG for free online is surprisingly difficult] and the fight was over: my willpower was not strong enough. It didn't help that because I read popular blogs and stuff, I already knew all the names of the characters and actors because it was simply impossible to avoid. I've blazed through all 28 of the previous episodes in exactly one week, all the while wondering what keeps drawing me back. There are a number of reasons.
  
  First of all, GG is a pretty good show. The acting is wonderful, the plot is interesting, and there is a minimal amount of swearing and actual fornication, for which I am thankful. GG also boasts a terrific soundtrack, featuring relatively obscure songs that I love, like "Creator" by Santogold and "Three Wishes" by The Pierces. Although the characters are in high school, academia plays a negligible role and it is often easy to forget that they are supposed to be only seniors in high school. This is helped by the fact that all of the main actors are 21 or over, with the exception of Taylor Momsen, who is definitely scrawny enough to look her age.
  
  CZ commented on how the characters are always so stylish; the fashion is indeed inspiring, but I prefer to look at people, and there certainly isn't a shortage of beautiful people on GG. The kids, the parents, the minions...the only face that annoys me is that of character Dan Humphrey, and that's because his mug resembles a skeleton as much as his sister's frame does. He's just...not...attractive.
  
  There's also a certain amount of admiration. I will admit that I do wish I could be like the Upper East Siders, as in rich enough not to care about anything except whatever drama I've screwed myself over with. But most of all, I want to be like Blair Waldorf.
  The thing I admire most about her is her confidence. She rarely cracks under pressure and is in control of the situation most of the time. She knows exactly what to do in a given situation to get what she wants and is capable of caustic insults. And she's not afraid of anyone. I wish I could be that sure of myself, especially since I am terribly non-confrontational. I also really enjoy actress Leighton Meester's facial expressions. Her glare, her pout, her smug smirk, her exasperated look, her doe eyes; her face conveys emotion very well, a talent that I appreciate.
  Blair is not without her faults either. She is extremely insecure and thus struggles to control every aspect of her life. She desperately wants the approval she lacks from her mother, who seems to love every girl more than her own daughter. She feels [and rightly so] abandoned by her father and goes to rather extreme measures to try to bring him back home. I think that among all the characters on GG, Blair is the most flawed, which is why I like her the most.
  
  And somehow, I manage to identify with the characters. Blair's issues at the beginning of season one, Serena and Dan struggling to work out their differences...I feel like I've been there. So I empathize. And it appeals to me all the more.
  
  It's kind of shameful to admit to others that I'm slightly addicted to the show after abhorring it for so long, but I guess what's done is done. After all, it's not like there's anything else to watch these days with so many of my favorite shows playing reruns every week.
  
  PS. I've been wondering: does Ed Westwick normally squint all the time, or is it just for the show?
  PPS. I also think it's really interesting that not only do the characters on GG have elaborate names like Serena van der Woodsen and Nathaniel Archibald, the actors have some obscure names too, like Blake, Chace and Penn.
  
  {!}
  
  

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