New and old actors from new and old CW TV shows made their way to the Gramercy Park Hotel here in NYC last night for The CW Upfronts afterparty … which was basically a chance for them to mix and mingle with one another in celebration of the upcoming season of their various TV shows. Here are a few pics of some of the folks who came out for the soiree last night:

Original Melrose Place alums Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro were on hand to rep their “new” show, the much talked-about new version of Melrose Place (Ashlee Simpson was on hand to rep the show, too, but she didn’t look nearly as fab as Laura did). Some of the Gossip Girls kids were there as well (both Ed Westwick and girlfriend/co-star Jessica Szohr looked extra crispy). The stars of The Vampire Diaries were in the hiz as well … Ian Somerhalder was lookin’ especially cheeky in his dressed down attire. The CW has got some good-sounding programs coming our way this Fall — we’ll just have to see if they deliver. With the line-up they’ve got planned for this coming season, could Fall 2009 be The CW’s best ever?

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

Gossip Girl star and apparent soccer fan Ed Westwick took part in the 2nd Annual Brit Night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA yesterday where he showed off his soccer playing skillz on the hallowed ground where the LA Galaxy win play. Ed was joined by his GG co-star and real-life girlfriend Jessica Szohr who was cheering him on in the (mostly empty) stands … even giving him a kiss for luck along the way:

OUCH! I hope that Jessica is recuperating well from her massive head injury … it’s a shame she had to be seen in public with that massive head bandage strapped to her noggin. Here’s hoping she has a speedy recovery!!! Incidentally, I gotta say that Ed is lookin’ pretty good on the field … mebbe if the acting thing (and that singing thing) doesn’t pan out he can try out for the LA Galaxy … Lord knows they could use another good player.

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

When last we saw Gossip Girl co-stars and real life lovebirds Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr together they were spotted walkin’ their pooch on the streets of NYC, stopping every so often to suck a little face along the way. The couple decided to take their love affair down South and made their way to Miami Beach, FL for a mini vacay getaway. Here are a few pics of Ed and Jessica gettin’ all lovey dovey by the pool of their hotel in Miami Beach this weekend:

I understand that the couple got to drankin’ really early that day … doin’ shots by 11:30 in the morning! Perhaps that explains Ed’s need to lose his shirt and flaunt what his mama gave him. Um, yeah … it would appear that Jessica likes men with a little meat on their bones … she really looks like she was enjoying having all of that Edness to grab on to. You will note that her hands made their way down to grab a hold of his buns in the last pic ;) To be honest, I still think these two make an odd couple … but they sure seem fine with lettin’ everyone in their love affair.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Gossip Girl co-stars and real-life lurvers Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr were spotted in NYC this week takin’ their pooch for a walk … pausing every so often to engage in a little bit o’ public lip-locking … behold:

So cute … but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. You may recall that the lovebirds were snapped gettin’ all smoochy at Madison Square Garden at a Knicks basketball game last month. They make such a cute couple … tho, when you think about their characters on GG, it’s kinda of an odd pairing. Clearly they are into one another which is very sweet to see. Since Blake Lively and Penn Badgely are paired up in real life as well … do you think there are any other real-life love matches to be made among the cast of Gossip Girl?

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

Earlier today we saw photos of the cast of Gossip Girl that will be featured in the upcoming new issue of Rolling Stone magazine and right now we get to see a few photos from the NYC set of the show that were shot yesterday afternoon. A few members of the GG cast were photographed wearing graduation caps and gowns possibly for the season finale ep. Since the show takes place in high school and we already know that many of the characters have been accepted to their colleges of choice (well, except for Blair Waldorf), I don’t think these photos are particularly spoilerish:

Every teen drama that is set in high school has to go thru the graduation episode so, again, these photos should come as no surprise to anyone nor should they spoil the drama to come. It remains to be see exactly what kind of drama might unfold come graduation day. Blair is a wild card this season … could she end up ruining the day for everyone? We know that bad girl Georgina Sparks will be returning to the Upper East Side in the coming eps, does she have some surprises up her sleeve for the big day? Monday night’s ep of GG was really very fun, it’s great to have the show back on the air. I can’t wait to see more. What do YOU suppose might go down on graduation day that might possibly make the day a memorable one for the Gossip Girl gang?

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]

The young cast of The CW hit series Gossip Girl is featured in the pages of the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine. The cover, tho, features only the two main girls, Blake Lively and Leighton Meester, which all the devilishly fun high school drama swirls around on the show. Here are a few photos of Blake and Leighton (who play Serena and Blair, respectively) that were shot by photographer Terry Richardson for the mag and a portion of the magazine’s coverstory:

It’s been a heart-wrenching month for fans of the CW Network’s sexily subversive drama Gossip Girl while TV’s hottest show took a brief hiatus. But now Blair, Serena, Chuck Bass and Co. are back — and on the cover of the new issue of Rolling Stone. To get the dirt on what it’s like starring as beautiful young people in New York while being beautiful young people in New York, Jason Gay hung out with the cast on set and after hours, tagging along to their favorite drinking haunts — where the beverage of choice is the potent Golden Monkey — and catching the action as the show filmed on the streets of the Big Apple. “The outdoor sets were pretty fun, because the fans come out,” Gay says. “There were many kids from local private schools, foreign tourists and tons of paparazzi. It’s strange to to see a mob of paparazzi photograph Blake and Serena in character as they film an outdoor scene. It’s as if the reality of the show exists behind two lenses — in real time and TV time. All the actors enjoy the outside stuff because of the fans, too. It’s like playing on stage or something. More energy, more excitement and the sense that anything could happen. And sometimes it does. There is no such thing as a closed set in NYC!” Despite barely scraping together 3 million viewers a week, the show has become the most talked-about, culturally relevant series on television. “It’s not a conventional TV hit in terms of viewership. Its numbers are low and it loses to stuff like The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a far more wholesome show that runs on cable,” Gay says. “But in terms of having a ‘moment,’ however you want to define it, GG definitely is having one. It will be very interesting to see if the show grows, or remains a clubby, small hit. Teen shows seldom have long runs — and I don’t get the feeling this will turn into ER. But it seems to be here to stay as long as the principals involved want to keep doing it.” Part of the show’s appeal is its authenticity. “The show is sharp and connected to modern life, references, music and so on. Gossip Girl doesn’t feel like something that got drummed up in some network focus group by 55-year-old white dudes,” Gay explains. “No one’s going to accuse Gossip Girl of being The Wire or Mad Men, but if you roll with the fantasy/absurdity, it’s fun to watch, from the infighting to the insane clothes and snappy dialogue.” Right now, the stars who bring those tart lines to life — Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Ed Westwick, Chace Crawford, Penn Badgley — somehow haven’t let fame go to their heads, according to Gay. “They’ve all reached the point where they’re in the public eye, but they’re not rolling around in blacked-out SUVs or being chased around like Madonna. A lot of them take the subway and they still complain about the price of rents and monthly car parking,” Gay reveals. “They’re in a nice place in their careers. They’re now recognizable enough to get interest for other things, but not so recognizable that daily life is a drag.” Though he’s now a Gossip guru, Gay admits, “I didn’t jump on the bandwagon immediately. But by the end of the first season, I was getting so annoyed with the fuss I had to check it out.” So what’s his favorite Gossip Girl moment? “The scene in the ‘Non-Judging Breakfast Club’ episode where Blair, Chuck and Nate rally behind Serena after she confesses about her wild night with Georgina. Nate and Blair then confess regrettable things they’ve done, and when Blair asks Chuck to contribute, he just says, ‘I’m Chuck Bass,’ ” Gay says. “It’s the kind of thing that if you watched the show for the first time, it would mean nothing to do you, but if you’re a fan, you’re dying. I think that’s one of the shrewder things about Gossip Girl — it does reward its loyal viewers.”

My, my … what suggestive photos. The second photo, of the girls sharing an ice cream cone, is the one that is used as the magazine’s coverphoto. But, the entire young cast of the series is featured in the mag. After the jump, check out a few more photos of Gossip Girl gang — Blake, Leighton, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick, Jessica Szohr, Penn Badgley and Taylor Momsen — together in bed …

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Earlier today we saw photos of Leighton Meester lockin’ lips with one of her Gossip Girl co-stars on the snowy NYC set of their show yesterday afternoon … and now we get to see a few pics of a couple of other GG stars lockin’ lips off set last night as well. Ed Westwick (who plays Chuck Bass) and Jessica Szohr (who plays Vanessa Abrams) were very open about flaunting their romantic relationship at Madison Square Garden in NYC last night at the NY Knicks vs. LA Lakers game … behold:

Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr are definitely dating. The Gossip Girl costars engaged in rare PDA Monday night, smooching on the lips at the New York Knicks-Los Angeles Lakers Game in NYC. They appeared affectionate through the night, with Westwick often whispering into Szohr’s ear and cracking jokes with her all night. The two have tried to keep their romance under wraps. Asked who she’ll be kissing on New Years, Szohr recently told Usmagazine.com, “My boyfriend, if I had one! Maybe I’ll find out. The two were first spotted smooching at a Dallas airport in late November after spending Thanksgiving with Chace Crawford’s family.

There have been rampant rumors that Ed and Jessica have been dating for weeks now but I believe this is the first solid proof of their togetherness. Admittedly, they make an odd couple (mainly because I associate them with the characters they play on Gossip Girl) but they seem very happy. Ed looks about as thrilled to wrap his lips around Jessica’s tongue as he is to wrap them around that beer bottle. I think it’s awesome that Cheech Marin was sitting right behind them and got to watch them “interact” up close. LOL! So now we know for sure that Ed and Jessica are knockin’ boots off set, just like Blake Lively and Penn Badgley have been doing for months now. I love that Gossip Girl gives the drama off screen as well as on screen. What do y’all think of this new couple? Do we approve?

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]