Gossip Girl star Blake Lively is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Vogue magazine. In her interview, Blake talks at length about how fashion is featured in GG in a coverstory article that tries to explain how the series provides lavish escapism from the everyday doldrums of an economy in recession (while describing a scene that was filmed for an upcoming episode, the article confesses “The lens cropped the Upper East Side down to its most stately and prosperous lines, with no trace of the glaring RETAIL SPACE AVAILABLE signs and GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE posters one block away, signals that the worldwide recession is lapping at the edges of Manhattan’s most privileged ZIP codes.”) but doesn’t really offer any substantial new information. The photospread is pretty to die for, tho! Here is Blake’s very stunning coverphoto and a portion of the magazine’s coverstory:

In the world of Gossip Girl, there are few signs of economic hardship. Mostly, it’s a contest between the haves and have-mores: For example, the Humphrey clan—members include Serena’s on-and-off boyfriend Dan (Penn Badgley), his sister Jenny (Taylor Momsen), and their hipster dad, Rufus (Matthew Settle)—lives in the artsy, waterfront area of Brooklyn that’s one part Williamsburg, one part DUMBO, and must find their way among families who divide their time among Park Avenue, the Hamptons, and Tuscany. After Lily’s latest husband, Bart, dies, the family learns that he “has more towers than Trump, more bucks than Bloomberg.” Thus far, the only character to suffer a serious reversal of fortune is Nate, played by Chace Crawford, who is forced to move in with the Humphreys when his father—a swindler and coke fiend—flees the country. In this New York, nothing as commonplace as bear markets can bring about financial ruin: It requires a dastardly character flaw. Gossip Girl was adapted from the best-selling young-adult fiction series by Cecily von Ziegesar, who was working as an editor at a book-packaging company when the idea floated up to create a more-contemporary line of fiction about private school kids in New York. Von Ziegesar, who had attended the Upper East Side girls’ academy Nightingale-Bamford and knew well the milieu, volunteered to take on the proposal. She invented the Constance Billard School for Girls, where Serena and her BFF and sometime-rival Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) hold court. “The characters came right away,” von Ziegesar says over lunch at Fred’s in Barneys, a crowded watering hole for the blonde, slim, and soignée, and where von Ziegesar, who is blonde, slim, and soignée, fits right in. “It flooded out of me; I always wanted to write, but I never thought I’d be writing for teenagers” … The show has taken many departures from the novels, especially in the second season, which has abandoned any lingering pretense of term papers or gym class in favor of a Dangerous Liaisons romance between Blair and the sulfurous Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), as well as what to wear for such an assignation. “The fashion is just unbelievable. You can watch our show on mute and be entertained,” Lively says. And she’s not overstating it. The characters wear designer clothes that teeter between unattainable chic and self-parody, be it Bass’s wearing a tuxedo covered with paillettes that shimmer like a matador’s suit or Blair’s attending the dean’s party at Yale with an Alice-in-Plunderland pewter-colored satin bow in her hair. For her part, Lively is entranced by Serena’s authentically local look. “Just being here, walking around, you pick it up really quickly,” she explains. “In New York, you put on skinny jeans and riding boots and a leather coat and handbag, and you take on that posture and character,” Lively says. “It becomes very natural.” Lively’s natural style? Costume National boots, dark Rag & Bone trousers, and a Joie cashmere vest over a Ports 1961 white pointelle cashmere sweater, punctuated by Chanel earrings, a Chanel handbag, and a Jeri Cohen diamond bracelet. (“They let me borrow it, and now I can’t take it off,” Lively says mischievously.)

The full interview can be read in the February issue of Vogue magazine (the truncated version is online HERE) but will prolly not offer anything all that new that we haven’t heard already. For me, the photos are the real draw. After the jump, check out a few photos from Blake’s Vogue magazine photospread …

READ THE REST OF THIS POST »

Lance Bass, who is currently on tour with Dancing with the Stars: The Tour, was spotted on the streets of Toronto, Canada yesterday in the company of a mysterious male friend … and while things may or may not be of a romantic nature betwixt these two gentlemen, it’s Lance’s new hair’don’t that has folks talking notice … behold:

Uhhhh … whut? Earlier today we learned that Robert Pattinson got in trubs with the Powers that Be for shaving off all of his trademark hair but I think it’s Lance who should get in serious trubs for deciding on this new haircut. Do they offer prison sentences for bad haircuts cuz, I’d like to make a citizen’s arrest. This look may have worked for Caucasian rappers Vanilla Ice and Snow back in the early ’90’s but … it’s not a good look by today’s standards (OK, I lied … it was never a good look for anyone). I can only hope that Lancey lost a bet or that his DWS cohorts shaved his head while he slept cuz … yeah, I ain’t lovin’ this look. Thoughts?

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

Famed film and television actress Glenn Close, who can currently be seen in the FX drama Damages, was honored with the 2,378th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in an award ceremony in Hollywood, CA yesterday with many friends and much of her family in attendance. Here are a few photos of Glenn and co. at yesterday’s Walk of Fame star unveiling and award ceremony:

Actress Glenn Close was honored with a star on Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame” here Monday and said she was looking forward to having people walk all over her award. Close, 61, described the awarding of the 2,378th star on Hollywood Boulevard as a “wonderful, wonderful honor”, adding she was delighted to be sharing the famous stretch of sidewalk with some of her childhood heroes. But she invited movie fans who held a grudge against some of her on-screen personas, such as deranged stalker Alex Forrest in 1987’s “Fatal Attraction”, to feel free to abuse her award. “To be considered a star is one thing, but to be embedded in the sidewalk with life passing over us, that for me is the best part of this honor,” Close said at a ceremony to unveil her award. “Five-inch heels, flip-flops, Birkenstocks, dropped ice cream cones, the odd tobacco squirt, baby carriages, roller blades, skateboards, wheelchairs — bring it all on,” Close joked. “And if there are those who are really pissed off by … Alex Forrest, they can stomp on me to their heart’s content,” Close joked. “Like the Milky Way, this galaxy will expand, paying tribute to the artists who have formed the heart and soul of the world,” Close said. “And I can just see it years from this moment. Someone will wander by my star, dust off my name and think ‘Glenn Close? Glenn Close? Oh yeah, I remember. He was good.’” Close, best known for her film roles in “Fatal Attraction” and “Dangerous Liasions”, is currently the star of the US television drama series “Damages”.

Aww … this is great. Glenn Close was truly the driving force in the success of Fatal Attraction and has always been able to turn in amazing performance after amazing performance. She is truly a very gifted actress and I wholeheartedly endorse this honor. Damages is one of those series that everybody seems to love … I’ve been trying to catch up on season one so that I can jump right in and watch season two. Much love and congrats goes out to Glenn on this achievement, I honestly feel it is well-deserved.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

E! Online’s Marc Malkin is reporting today that Robert Pattinson, who famously rocked a luxurious and wild head of messy hair before cutting it all off last month, may have gotten into a bit o’ trouble with his Twilight bosses for gettin’ the haircut. Ashley Greene, who played Alice Cullen in the Twilight movie and who dished that Vanessa Hudgens auditioned for the role of Leah Clearwater in the upcoming sequel New Moon, spilled to Malkin that she “heard he got in trouble for cutting his hair”:

Ashley Greene still thinks Twilight star Robert Pattinson is “totally adorable,” but she’s not thrilled he cut off his signature long locks. “I heard he got in trouble for cutting his hair,” Greene, who will return in the much-anticipated Twilight follow-up, New Moon, as vampire beauty Alice Cullen, told us last night at the In Style/WB Golden Globes afterparty. “But what can I say? I like guys with longer hair.” She promises not to raz the British hottie too much about the new ‘do. “I think he’s getting enough flack, I’m sure,” she said. “I mean his every move is recorded and photographed and documented, so I’m not going to give him a hard time.”

Greene goes on to say that the entire cast is THRILLED that Taylor Lautner has been allowed to retain the role of Jacob Black in the upcoming sequel, saying, “Everyone loves him. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to think that someone could replace him.” She goes on to say that fans should not be concerned about any changes that may happen to the plot of New Moon, she promises “they’re keeping it fairly close to the book.”

I, too, am happy that Lauter will be playing Jacob in New Moon and I’m encouraged that they plan on keeping the plot “fairly close” to the book but I suspect there will still be major changes in the movie version (ie. more Edward Cullen). I’m not at all surprised that Robert Pattinson got busted for cutting his hair … showbiz bigwigs are notorious for getting pissy when their stars make drastic changes to their look. I liked Rob’s new haircut but I’m sure he’s already hard to work growing it back as fast as he can in time to begin shooting scenes for this year’s sequel.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

Z100 radio in NYC debuted Kelly Clarkson’s new single My Life Would Suck Without You, which will appear on her upcoming album All I Ever Wanted, this morning and now the song is available for streaming online … check it out:

Kelly Clarkson is a singing a new tune. The singer premiered her latest single “My Life Would Suck Without You” on Elvis Duran’s Z100 radio show Tuesday morning, and PEOPLE.com has a stream of the song. The tune comes from Clarkson’s latest album, All I Ever Wanted, due March 17. The love song finds Clarkson back firmly in power-pop territory after releasing 2007’s dark My December, which was released to mixed reviews. All I Ever Wanted is the former American Idol champ’s fourth studio album.

The song is quick little ditty and it is upbeat as hell! For me, it has that Since U Been Gone feeling and will, most likely, get a lot of radio and club play. I’ve already listened to it about 5 times, it’s a catchy little number. Check out now! Do y’all like? Will this be a big hit for our girl Kelly Clarkson?

PS: Click HERE to listen to the song if the above link does not work for you.

[Source, Source]

After unconfirmed rumors began to swirl late last year, former Danity Kane frontwoman Aubrey O’Day is now confirming that YES she posed nude for an upcoming pictorial in Playboy magazine, even managing to secure the magazine’s cover. As you may recall, Diddy very publicly kicked Aubrey out of his girlgroup DK on the season finale of Making the Band 4 last Fall, basing his decision primarily on the fact that he did not approve of Aubrey’s image when when in the public eye (ie. he thought she was acting “too sexy” for his group). In retaliation (or possibly because she needed a paycheck), Aubrey decided to pose nekkid in Playboy:

Between talking about her high-profile split from Danity Kane and addressing the recent rumors about her sexual preferences, Aubrey O’Day has been all about displaying her personal life in a very public fashion lately. But for the singer who was “>kicked out of the group for allegedly hogging the spotlight with her over-the-top antics, those mini-dramas pale when compared with her upcoming photo spread in Playboy magazine. While spokespeople for the magazine refused to confirm the shoot when news about it first broke in late November, O’Day spoke freely with MTV News about the images. “I’ve also done the cover of Playboyfor 2009,” she said late in December. “For one of the months in 2009. I’m not gonna say it. … It’s gonna be a surprise. You know, I think that Playboy for me was one of the most liberating things that I’ve done as a woman.” Scanning the pics on her Macbook laptop while chilling in Costa Mesa, California, O’Day showed off the results of her session with photographer Markus Klinko, who has done portraits of Mariah Carey and Pamela Anderson in the past and who shot the cover of Beyoncé’s 2003 album, Dangerously In Love. “You could never imagine how empowering it is to be nude in front of cameras and have people looking at you in that way and seeing you as beautiful,” she said. “A lot of the times I think I’m seen as a bad girl and I think that’s because I’m so open.” O’Day said she only agreed to the shoot because Klinko was involved and because they both wanted something that was “classy, iconic and truly beautiful.” Taken amid sessions for her solo debut, O’Day said she was surprised at the negative repercussions from her earlier, revealing shoot for Complex magazine, which is reported to have played a role in Diddy’s decision to drop O’Day from the group. O’Day said she was merely playing a character in the pictures, in which she’s seen hugging (and, er, licking) a stripper pole while topless and modeling underwear in various stages of undress. “I mean, I think a lot of the type of way I’m portrayed in the media isn’t always the way … the way I am in my heart,” O’Day said about the negative stories about her exploits in the press. “And so I think that we were able to capture that. … I think in society we tend to put ourselves in boxes and corners and restrict ourselves, and we constantly feel the need to not say this or not wear this or do that. Taking it all off and being nude is the most natural state that you can be in,” she continued, “and being able to feel comfortable with that and show that sex can be beautiful, comfortable … is going to be empowering for people.”

Well, it’s an interesting career move, that’s for sure. Something tells me that this decision to appear nude in a men’s magazine is not really the way to win back Diddy’s approval … she, almost assuredly, will not be returning to Danity Kane after this stunt. Honestly, tho, I think she’s OK with it. She seems pretty pleased with herself for scoring this Playboy gig so, if it makes her happy, good for her. Personally, tho, I’d prefer to see her cultivate her other talents more fully so that she may enjoy a longer, more successful career in showbiz. Aubrey managed to score a part in Broadway’s Hairspray, which seems like a career path that might actually lead to longevity. But, it looks like she’s more interested in taking off her clothes rather than stepping into new roles. I cannot hate on her for making this decision, I just really hope that it’s the right choice for her. She says that she felt empowered by posing nekkid for the cameras but I wonder if she’s mistaking empowerment for defiance against constraints that were placed on her by her former boss. I guess we’ll have to wait and see where her career takes her next, I only hope she ends up taking on a project that involves showing off her talents … while fully clothed … talk about empowerment.

[Source]