On-and-off-screen coupleBlake Lively and Penn Badgley look positively sun-kissed at the CW Network’s Upfronts at Lincoln Center on Tuesday in New York City.

The Gossip Girl costars recently came back from a lovefest in Mexico this past weekend!

“It’s the first show we developed exclusively for the CW,” President of Entertainment of The CW Dawn Ostroff said of Gossip Girl. “It’s amazing the kind of press and attention that it’s gotten. We asked, wow, do we take that building block to build other franchises? We’ll be able to create a real brand with pop culture, buzz-worthy shows.”

Other GG castmates pictured: Leighton Meester, Chace Crawford, Jessica Szohr, Ed Westwick and Taylor Momsen. (Leighton’s purple top is from TRL.) ( The pics from will also be added to the gallery but becuz of the accedient its currently offline. )

In his first interview since the show aired, PEOPLE spoke with Connor Paolo, 17, who plays Eric and asked him about portraying a gay teenager on television, what will happen next with Georgina’s reign of terror and how Eric’s coming out also brings out another truth: Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) may actually be a nice guy.

How does it feel to be playing a gay character on a popular TV show?
I’m an actor and it’s a part. Being gay is nothing but another way to live your life. It’s just who he is.

A lot of gay teens will be excited to see someone gay on the show. Are you ready for that?
I guess it’s a possibility that fans could take Eric’s coming into his own as a source of inspiration. He does it with a degree of gentility and self-respect. He doesn’t make apologies for who he is.

Did the fact that he tried to kill himself earlier have anything to do with being gay?
As the actor portraying Eric, I don’t believe that I tried to commit suicide because of that. Eric is 14 so his decision to be gay could be permanent. It might not be. It’s about finding yourself. At the moment, this is who he sees himself as … that’s very empowering.

How will the news play out in the next few episodes?
My issues get swept under the rug in the face of Georgina. She has information about my family that no one else is privy to. Dealing with Georgina becomes the main focus because things become very, very hairy.

How will the other characters react to the news? Everyone okay with it?
Each character has their own reaction. It does seem to create a rift between me and Jenny. Chuck steps up as big brother though. Read the rest of this entry »

Gossip Girl fan sites and celebrity news blogs have been abuzz that a male, gay character on the CW show will be revealed.

Well, star Kelly Rutherford (Lily van der Woodsen) — who plays the mother of Serena (Blake Lively) and Eric (Connor Paolo) — accidentally let that Gossip Girl cat out of its bag in an interview. It’s Eric!

Kelly Rutherford ends any doubt about this Gossip Girl spoiler.

She let it slip to Us Weekly at a Sylvania event in New York City that it’s “her son” (as unanimously predicted in our Round Table) who comes out of the closet - and that the story line is “very well done.”

How do you think it will be revealed?

Chace Crawford has become one the most popular members of the talented Gossip Girl cast, and is a considerably funnier and more light-hearted guy than his conflicted character, Nate Archibald.

Here’s an interview Chace Crawford gave to People, in which he reveals that he and fellow Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick are roommates, and how he’s a big sports fan who also loves a good prank …

Q: What did you do during the strike?
Chace Crawford: I went to a lot of sporting events. I don’t think I was in the same place for more than five days. We went to London to promote the show. I got to go to my first European soccer match. It was the equivalent of a playoff game. We thought we were sitting with the home team, but they sat us with the away team. Me and [Ed Westwick] were literally up against the railing. On every step on the other side were not cops but riot control — masks, shields, everything. Ed was saying, “You should take off your hat. Afterward, they might remember you from your green hat and you might get your [butt] kicked.” So I took off my hat.

Q: Are you a big sports fan?
Chace Crawford: I’m from Texas so it’s more about bull riding for me. No, it’s football, but I’m becoming a baseball fan being up in the northeast. I’m a big Dallas Mavericks and Cowboys fan.

Q: What do you guys gossip about during your downtime on the set.
Chace Crawford: Ed is my roommate. We’re like brothers. We talk about everything under the sun and no one ever knows what we’re talking about. I haven’t seen Penn Badgley in ages. We never have scenes together. We’ll go hang out, but we don’t gossip. We talk about movies and girls.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about being back at work?
Chace Crawford: I like having a routine, not running around like crazy. It’s like a family on set. I had all moments of déjà vu on my first day back. It was like being back at school. I realized someday I will really miss this. It’s like being back in a camp atmosphere.

Read the rest of this entry »

TALK OF THE TOWN

Leighton Meester and Blake Lively don’t hate each other… and they both love NYLON!

A few years ago, Serena Van Der Woodsen would have been the name of a pampered, neurotic show dog on Sex and the City.

Now it’s the title of Gossip Girl’s unlikely style icon, played by Blake Lively and scampering across your television like - in the words of show creator Stephanie Savage - “a golden retriever.”

Then there’s Blair Waldorf, the crisp and calculating Mean Girl whose Chanel headband, Fendi bag, and porcelain face mask a very scared, very sad 11th grader. She’s played to perfection by Leighton Meester and she’s also - maybe despite everyone’s expectations - one of the funniest characters on TV.

The Blair / Serena (our should we say Leighton / Blake) combination has proved pretty unstoppable with fans, fashion addicts, and even jaded NYLON staffers, and of course that spawns gossip worthy of a show about scandal: If you haven’t heard the rumors that Blake and Leighton are constantly engaged in a death match, you’ve been living in a bomb shelter. Read the rest of this entry »

FROM THE CW SOURCE

Chace Crawford and Penn Badgley are gearing up for the return of Gossip Girl next Monday, April 21, and they want to hear from you!

The Gossip Girl stars will be stopping by to chat with us later this week, so be sure to get your questions up as soon as possible. Dying to know what’s next for Nate, how Penn feels about Dan’s storylines, or what the guys do during their downtime? Post your questions Click Here, and we’ll ask the best of them when the guys stop by!

What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set for down-time?
I bring my iPod and my BlackBerry. I listen to my iPod in my trailer while I’m getting my hair and makeup done.

What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love/hate about it?
I have a BlackBerry. I love it because I can get business done anywhere and anytime.

Who’s the last person you sent a text message to and what was it about?
The last message I sent was to my friend, Jess about answering these questions!

Where do you go pretty much every time you get online?
I go to CNN.com….Boring!

Read more for The Full Interview Read the rest of this entry »