“Think with your Brain. Not your . . . Macaroon!” – A Recap of Gossip Girl’s “Juliet Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”

“But I LOVE Macaroons!”

Is it possible?  Could this week’s GG installment actually top last week’s?  How could that POSSIBLY BE — when last week’s episode featured Chuck and Blair having HOT HATE SEX ON THE PIANO?

Oh, but it DID, Gossip Girl fans!  It absolutely did!  Because that AWESOME Piano Sex we all got so excited about last week?  As it turns out, that was ONLY THE BEGINNING!  In fact “Juliet Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” was so racy (in a GOOD way), that it made “War at the Roses,” look like a Disney Cartoon . . .

Well . . . maybe not Aladdin.  That Jasmine girl?  Yeah, she’s a little bit slutty . . .

Oh . . . and Serena’s storyline wasn’t half bad, either . . .

So, what are we WAITING FOR, GG’ers?  Let’s get our “CHAIR” on!

“Someone’s been sleeping in MY bed!  And he’s STILL HERE!”

A couple episodes back, Gossip Girl began with Blair having a “nightmare,” in which she “thought” that Chuck was attacking her in the darkness of her home.  This week, that nightmare CAME TRUE!

The episode opens with Serena storming into Blair’s bedroom, first thing in the morning, to gripe about her “Colin Problem.”

“Oh, it’s so HARD . . . loving my teacher, and not being able to screw him, or take him to the Ballet.  I’ve always wanted to bone at a ballet!  Blah, blah, blah, I’m so irresistible to all men.  Woe is me,” Serena babbles.

 Now, while the “Colin Problem” sounded TOTALLY snoozy and annoying to me, I am not Serena’s best friend, Blair is.  So, I must admit, I was a bit surprised by the callous way Queen B blew off her “friend in need” in this first scene  It just seemed SO unlike her . . .

But then Serena left, and I noticed a little extra “bump” in Blair’s bed.  It was almost as if something or someone was hiding under the covers  . . .

OK . . . where can I get me one of THOSE?

Kudos to Chuck for NOT going for the way-too-easy (and undeniably creepy) threesome joke he could have made, regarding his “accidental” sharing of the bed, with BOTH Blair AND Serena.  We all know that Season 1 Chuck would have TOTALLY made such a comment.  So, it’s good to see how much our Big Bass has grown, since this series started (in more ways than ONE!)

Chuck Bass: A “HEAD” above all the rest . . .

Blair insists that this most recent sexual rendezvous between the two “sworn enemies” will be their last one . . .   And, if you believe that, I have a pet Raccoon Zombie I will selling, over the internet, shortly following this recap.

There she is!

( Coincidentally, if you are interested in owning your very own pet Raccoon Zombie, please let me know, in the Comments section.)

“What if Someone Sees?”

BLAIR:  “If screwing on a plane puts you in the Mile High Club?  What does screwing on a subway get you?”

CHUCK:  “A bad case of whiplash?”

Who says you can’t learn about local news from watching Gossip Girl?  When Chuck runs into Nate, just outside Blair Waldorf’s house, Nate notes that Chuck has been MIA for THREE WHOLE DAYS!

“Wait to GO, BLAIR!”

Chuck’s explanation as to why he has been so “absent,” of late?  This past Sunday’s New York Marathon, of couse!   According to Chuck, he has been helping the runners to get screwed, like they’ve never been screwed before “warm up” for the Big Race.

All of the people in this picture would like to thank Chuck Bass for his . . . umm . . . support . . . during the hours leading up to their Marathon.  Way to take one for the team, Chuck  (or should I say “take 1,000”)!

 Meanwhile, Nate is headed to Juliet’s place, to return some of her things, and, thereby, get “closure.”  (I wonder if Nate’s idea of “closure” is the same as Chuck’s.  For Juliet’s sake, I sure hope so!)

“Yeeee Hawwww, Juliet!  It’s time to close this relationship DOWN . . . using my lasso . . .  and my ‘Mechanical Bull.'” 😉

But while Chuck is chatting with Nate, he spies Blair, off in the distance.  And so, he makes an abrupt exit, running toward Blair with the verve of all those Marathon runners he claimed to be screwing.

Chuck grabs Blair’s hand amorously, with an eye toward continuing their own PERSONAL marathon.  But Blair hesitates.  “What if someone sees us?”  Queen B inquires nervously.

“What you don’t like that, anymore?”  Chuck asks. 

(OMG!  How could you NOT love these two?)

When Blair suggests that their sexcapades end “here,” Chuck replies, “How about over there?”

Within minutes, the two are arm and arm, and heading down BELOW . . . if you catch my drift!

As it turns out, Blair’s fears weren’t completely unfounded.  HOURS later (well . . . . maybe it was minutes . . . but a girl can dream, can’t she? ;)), when Blair and Chuck emerge from underground, they are spotted by Serena and Colin, who are sharing a cab to “class,” and planning a romantic weekend getaway together (Riiight, because that’s what all students and teachers who are NOT involved in an illicit relationship do together.)  . . .

Colin just so happened to be fully clothed at the time . . . BUMMER!

Also around to catch both Chuck and Blair AND Serena and Colin, in the midst of their respective illicit rendezvous, was Dorky Dan — who without his Georgina / Baby Daddy storyline — has ONCE AGAIN been reduced to pining over Serena for episodes on end . . .

“It’s not easy being this lame.  It takes a LOT of practice . . .”

Even though Dan does NOT actually go to Columbia, (Though, honestly, you could have FOOLED me, for all the time he spends there . . .) he instantly recognizes Colin as being a professor there.  (Sorry . . . “Guest Lecturer.”)  This is because Dan “just so happened” to be reading the dude’s book, (and staring at his sexy portrait on the back) at the time of the sighting.  What are the odds, right? 🙂

And the Plot Thickens . . .

“So, THAT’s why they titled this episode that way!  It all makes so much more sense now!”

When Nate arrives at Juliet’s “home,” he is surprised to find out, from the doorman, that she not only “doesn’t live [there] anymore,” she “NEVER lived there EVER.” 

Meanwhile, at Juliet’s REAL Rathole of a Studio Apartment, she is home, playing on a surprisingly nice laptop for a “poor girl.”  On said laptop is some home- made soft core porn featuring, you guessed it: Colin and Serena.  And they are . . . wait for it . . .

Kissing?

LAMEST SEX TAPE EVER!  Come ON, Juliet!  I expected MUCH better from a girl who used to be on Melrose Place . . . 

Upon viewing the tape (and re-viewing it, and re-viewing it, and -re-viewing it . . . never mind that it features her very own COUSIN!), Juliet contacts the Dean of Columbia to set up a meeting, so the pair can discuss this “INTENSE” video.

“Hmmm . . . maybe I should send this hot Kissing Video over to my brother in the Pokey.  Lord knows THOSE GUYS are hard up for some cheap entertainment!”

Why Serena NEVER has a tanline . . .

“Tans are for PRUDES!”

“Ummm . . .  honey, I beg to differ.”

Back at La Casa de Waldorf, Serena and Blair confront each other about what and who they’ve been doing lately.  “It was a one time thing,” insists Blair regarding her “happy times” with Chuck, “OK .  . . a five time thing . . . OK so I lost count of how many times this ‘thing’ was.  But we are Enemies with Benefits!  There are no more feelings between Chuck and I, than there are thoughts in Levi Johnston’s head.”

(Now Blair . . . that’s not very nice!  Levi Johnston has LOTS of thoughts in his head.  They just all have to do with his nuts . . .)

Pistachio nuts, of course!

Still Serena Killjoy does not approve.  She is fully convinced that ANY emotions that grow between Blair and Chuck, even ones of hatred, can only lead to trouble.

And by “trouble,” she of course means “tons of fun!”

Fortunately, for Blair, she hasn’t been the only one misbehaving of late.  “You are one inappropriate relationship away from a Guinness Book World Record,” Blair argues, adeptly changing the subject.

When Serena stupidly brings up the idea of her and Colin going on vacation together to “just talk,” Blair is appalled!

“I am APPALLED!”

You see, Serena has NO WILLPOWER on vacations.  That’s why she NEVER HAS A TANLINE.  Get it?  Apparently, Serena should take a page from Blair’s book, and start having sex in random sunny places, STAT . . . but . . . just . . . not with Colin . . . because that’s WRONG!  Right?

 Juliet Gets Caught in her 85,000th Lie by Nate.  Meanwhile, Vanessa Tags Along on Another Storyline, in which she has NO BUSINESS BEING!

Was it just me?  Or did this part of the episode give you a MASSIVE case of deja vu?  Tired of being lied to by the girlfriend who dumped him, Nate is determined to find answers!  (Riiiiiiight!  I don’t know about you, but I stalk ALL MY EX BOYFRIENDS, particularly when I find out information confirming that I dodged a bullet, by breaking up with them.)

“Wait . . . are you being sarcastic?  Because I actually do that . . . stalk all my ex-girlfriends, I mean  . . . at least the ones that are ‘series regulars.’  None of this ‘Special Guest Star’ B.S.  Sorry, Joanna Garcia and that Cougar I banged for a while, in Season 2!”

Since the rest of the Scooby Gang (well, except for Dan . . . but he doesn’t count) are busy “gettin busy,” Nate visits his Partner of Last Resort, Vanessa.

Vanessa is so excited that Nate is actually talking to her and that her character has more than three lines this episode, that she completely forgets the fact that he regularly ditches her for EVERY OTHER female character on this show, (EVEN JENNY), and has basically treated her like TOTAL CRAP for the past Season and a half.  Nate wants to spy on Juliet.  AndVanessa wants to “clear her name,” regarding the whole Serena “sex-for-grades” frame-up she supposedly orchestrated, a few episodes back.

And that was how the Hottie and the Nottie joined forces.  Vanessa finds Juliet’s actual address, while Nate talks his Ex up to “distract her.”  While Nate is talking to Juliet, she admits how very, very POOR she is.  So poor, in fact, that: (1) her cousin pays for her VERY EXPENSIVE college education; (2) she lives in a studio apartment near Harlem; (3) she does her own hair (FOR SHAME!): (4) and she shops at WOODBURY COMMON!

WTF, Gossip Girl!  I got some of my favorite outfits from Woodbury Common!  That place is awesome!   I’m impressed Nate even knows where it is!

So, now, despite the fact that Nate has already caught Juliet lying about: (1) her brother in prison; (2) her trying to get Serena kicked out of Hamilton House; (3) where she lives; (4) and how she pays for school, Nate is so touched by Juliet’s “I’m Just a Poor Girl, Nobody Loves Me,” story, that he decides to give Juliet a second chance . . .

Ummm . . . second?  Apparently, it wasn’t Nate’s “counting” abilities that got him into Columbia.  Oh, and correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Juliet dump Nate this last time?

Anyway, Nate decides to start of this “second chance,” by inviting Juliet to the Lame Ass Ballet that will function as this episodes main “Party of Plot Development and Hijinks.”  He texts Vanessa, to tell her that the “raid” is off.  However, Vanessa has already found the video of Colin’s and Serena’s VERY soft core porn on Juliet’s computer.  And now she just can’t stop watching . . .

“This is the most action I’ve seen ALL SEASON!”

Dan’s “Mad Face” = Total Relationship Killer

Dan finds Serena (studying?), and lays on her one of his most intense stares . . .  “Uh oh!  Why are you giving me Mad Face?”  Serena inquires, nervously.

“Mad Face?  Who me?  I don’t know what you’re talking about!  I always look like this!”

Dan admits that he saw Serena getting out of her Professor’s cab, and he didn’t like it.  Serena tries to smooth things over, asserting that they are “waiting” until the class is over to “do it.”  Isn’t that “romantic?”

Honestly?  This guy could SNEEZE, and it would be “romantic.”

Hoping to go all judgy-judgy on Serena’s as,s for screwing The Teach, Dan is a bit taken back, by his Slutty Ex’s Anomalous Abstinence.  And so, he starts REALLY laying it on thick.  Dan tells Serena that if HE was her boyfriend HE would do anything for her, INCLUDING quit a teaching position at Columbia to be with her.  After all, SERENA is worth more than the cost of a “Guest Lecture Fee.”

(Yeah . . . way to be subtle O’ Danny Boy!)

And yet, perhaps, I was too quick to rank on Dorky Dan’s Mad Lady Skills.  Because, about two scenes later, Serena DUMPS that Hot (and Rich) Piece of Meat, Colin, and instead decides to go to the ballet with . . Dan?

“Oh yeah!  I’m a stud!  You know it!”

Immersion Therapy versus Detox –  You all KNOW which one I’m ROOTING FOR!

Thank you, Episode 8, and CWTV.com for providing me the HOTTEST new collection of Chuck Bass screencaps, EVER!  (See example, above.)

I must admit, I literally squealed with joy, when I learned that Chuck and Blair opted to have their “last” sexual encounter in the exact same place where they had their first, namely, the back seat of a limo.  However, I must say, I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t actually get to see the encounter this time . . .  So, I guess we will just have to settle for this . . .

You’re welcome.

Unfortunately, for Chuck and Blair, they aren’t always the greatest at communicating.  As a result, each had VERY DIFFERENT ideas about how to finally END their sexual relationship.  For Blair, it was all about DETOX.  She commandeered poor Dorota, to keep her from seeing Chuck AT ALL during the next 24 hours.

“Oof!  I can already tell I’m not going to like this job . . .”

As for Chuck, he preferred more of an IMMERSION therapy — namely, ALL SEX, ALL THE TIME for 24-hours, or until they got “sick of it” (like THAT would ever happen), whichever came first.

Now, you all know how much I LOVE my Chuck.  So, I hope you all don’t take this the wrong way.  But was I the ONLY one REALLY creeped out by the way Chuck instructed his limo driver to pick up TONS OF CONDOMS in preparation for his NONSTOP SEX SESSION with Blair? 

Umm . . . ever heard of a thing called “privacy,” Chuck?  Perhaps, it wasn’t Chuck’s words that made me so uncomfortable, but the SUPER DISTURBING way the cab driver leered at Chuck  when he said them.  That made me throw up in my mouth a little bit . . .

Anywhoo . . . Blair’s idea of detox mainly involved “thinking with her brain, not her macaroon, as she told Serena, later that evening.  Basically, this plan constituted a LOOOOOONG bath . . .

 . . . and EATING . . . lots and lots of EATING.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen Blair Waldorf eat as much in FOUR SEASONS, as I saw her eat, during this episode.  It was kind of refreshing, actually.  I’m guessing that all that sex she was having with Chuck, probably burned those macaroons RIGHT OFF! 

Throughout Blair’s LOOOOOONG bath, we see her repeatedly ignore phone calls from Chuck (31, to be exact).  And then, just when it seems like she’s “chucked chuck” for good, Blair reenters her room, and finds a little “present” in her bed.

Make that a nice BIG present . . .

Just as Blair’s resolve is about to crack, Dorota screams out NOOOOOOOOO! And promptly sends Blair off for her date to The Ballet with . . . Professor Colin Forrester?

As Blair rushes to meet her TOTALLY RANDOM date, Chuck eyes Dorota suspciously. 

“If KGB can’t get me to talk, Chuck Bass has no chance,” insists Dorota.

(Anyone know where I can find my own Dorota?  I can think of a lot of situations where this would come in VERY handy, indeed . . .)

In Other Home Invasion News . . .

 . . . Juliet returns home, to find a Creepy Vanessa lounging on her bed.  Temporarily forgetting that it was Juliet who set Vanessa up, as being the person who “framed” Serena for exchanging “grades for sex,” Vanessa has since decided that she now wants to JOIN FORCES with Juliet, to bring down Serena. 

“Come to the Dark Side, Juliet!  Oh . . . wait . . . I guess you are kind of already there.”

The only problem is that, now, Juliet’s all lovey dovey with Nate, and doesn’t want to go through with the whole “Screw Over Serena” Thing.  Not ready to give up just yet, Vanessa snatches up a USB drive containing the incriminating footage, and heads off to “The Ballet.”

At the Ballet

When Dan arrives at The Ballet to meet up with Serena, rather than going right over to her, he inexplicably stands still and leers at her from far away. 

“Clearly, this is all part of my master plan.  Why else would I do something so stupid?”

While Dan is waiting for puberty to hit, Blair learns that Colin quit his teaching job to be with Serena.  Her faith restored in Mankind (well, at least the part of mankind she ISN’T sleeping with on a regular basis), Blair decides to be the “good friend,” and reunite Colin and Serena.

It doesn’t take very long at all, for this to happen.

Sorry Dan!  It looks like the early bird gets the slut Serena!

Once she is safely alone, Chuck approaches Blair, and asks her to meet him in a phone booth?

“This sounds like a job for SUPER CHUCK!”

OK . . . do they even HAVE phonebooths in New York, anymore?  Because I’ve never seen one . . .

Meanwhile, Vanessa tries to paw off the USB drive containing the not-so-sexy vid on the Dean of Columbia U, when Juliet stops her.

But then Vanessa quickly convinces Juliet of the “error of her ways,” by telling Juliet that she will always be an outsider to this Upper East Side crew.  Therfore, she might as well join up with Vanessa’s LOSER CREW OF TWO, ASAP.

Juliet agrees, and ends up giving the USB drive to the Dean herself, pointing out that the folks in it, are none other than Serena and her very own cousin (and mealticket) Colin.  In my ABSOLUTE favorite part of this scene, Vanessa tries to interject some useless information into the conversation, and the Dean replies, “I’m sorry, but who are YOU?”

(Yes, Dean, we’ve ALL been trying to figure that out, for a REALLY long time now. . . )

When the Dean confronts Colin and Serena, Colin is already sort of off the hook, since he’s already resigned his position as faculty member at the school.  Being the good guy that he is, Colin refuses to implicate Serena in his “Sex Madness.”  But the Dean insists that she will HAVE to investigate Serena, based on past claims of “sex-for-grades” that were made against her.

That’s when Chuck and Blair come to the rescue!

Blair surprises us all, by risking everything for her best friend.  First, she snatches the USB drive from the Dean’s hand, and tosses it into her champagne, ruining it irreparably.   She then states that SHE, and NOT SERENA, was the one screwing Colin.  (I loved the little smirk Colin made, when she said this.  Colin is really enjoying himself, isn’t he?)

Chuck chimes in to confirm Blair’s involvement.  “I would know because I keep tabs on every man Blair sleeps with, because I’m insanely jealous.  Also, I heard he wasn’t satisfying her in the way that ONLY I can.”

So true, Chuck!  So VERY true!

In the end, the Poor Dean is just totally fed up with this crew of Upper East Side Looney Tunes.  And, without any evidence of the scandal in question, there’s really nothing she can do to Serena or Colin. 

After the whole “scandal” is over, Colin cuts off Juliet’s finances (DUH!), and Blair and Co., banish her from Columbia FOREVER (Not like she can afford to be there anymore, anyway. . .)

And they all lived happily ever after?  Well . . . not quite yet . . .

The Aftermath . . .

In the limo coming home from The Ballet, Serena inexplicably dumps THIS GUY. . .

 . . . (WHO LEFT HIS JOB FOR HER) . . . for THIS GUY . . .

(WHO DIDN’T).

But then, while she’s waiting for Dan, so she can tell him the “Good News,” Serena runs into THIS GUY . . .

 . . . who . . . SURPRISE, SURPRISE . . . is in love with her too!  Now, Serena is confused as to who she should choose . . . AGAIN. 

Seriously?  This girl goes through lovers, like the rest of us go through pairs of underwear . . .

MAKE UP YOUR MIND ALREADY, SERENA . . . Blair did. 🙂

Back at La Casa de Waldorf . . .

 . . .  Chuck and Blair finally admit that they are friends (?)  And, though we all know they are so much more, it’s really nice to see the weeks (months?) of hatred between them just wash away.  “Who knew it would take tons of sex, and a public take down, for us to get here?”   Blair asks brightly.

“Good night, Waldorf,” says Chuck, a bit wistfully.

The pair hug eachother tightly, then kiss eachother chastely.  Then, very slowly, they begin to kiss eachother more passionately . .  . MUCH more passionately.  Next thing you know, Chuck has literally swept Blair off her feet, and is effortlessly carrying her toward the stairs . . .

The pair engage in SCORCHING SEX, in front of the fire.  But this time is different from all those other times, earlier in the episode.  No longer can Chuck and Blair hide behind the protective shield of Hate Sex.  Because this time . . . they are truly  . . . making  . .  .  LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!

And the episode should have ended here . . . really . . . but it didn’t.

In the FINAL scene, we see Juliet and Vanessa cyberchatting with a familar face . . . someone who “really understands” what they both are going through . . . someone who KEEPS SAYING she’s going to be above the fray, and not get involved .  . .  but keeps GETTING INVOLVED AGAIN, AND AGAIN! 

You guessed it.   Next week’s episode will feature Juliet and Vanessa teaming up with . . . 

Jenny the Raccoon Zombie!

And that, my dear friends, was how the Triumverate of EVIL was born!

XOXO!

[www.juliekushner.com]

The Taming of the Screwed – A Recap of Gossip Girl’s “War at the Roses”

OMFG! 

Three words.  Ten letters.  HOT . . . HATE .  . . SEX.

This week, sexually frustrated Gossip Girl fans everywhere FINALLY got the vicarious release they’ve all been waiting for, since the Season 4 premiere.

There’s nothing like a little Birthday Sex, to kick off your twenties with a BANG!

So, now that we’ve all been . . . ahem . . . satisfied . . . let’s take a look back at how everything “went down,” shall we?

“Coffee is the thing you pay for, before you go have sex.”

Come on, Gossip Girl writers!  How naive do you think WE ARE?  A Celibate Serena?  Talk about an Oxymoron!  I mean that would be like a Classy Jenny . . .

. . . or an Interesting Vanessa . . .

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . . .  Sorry.  I just fell asleep looking at that picture . . .

Anyway, everyone KNOWS that Serena is absolutely incapable of withholding sex from a man.  Might I remind you of the widespread panic that took over Manhattan a few weeks back, when Serena was thought to have an STD?

Nonetheless, this week, we are led to believe that Serena is preserving her nonexistent“virtue” with Professor Colin . . .

 . . . at least, until she completes his course in Tantric Sex Psychology of Marketing.  And so, the couple-supposedly-yet-to-“couple” meets each morning for “coffee and conversation.”  However, since the only words Serena knows how to “converse” with end in “_uck,” “_crew,” and “_ang,” these sessions never seem to last more than a few minutes . . .

When Serena tells Blair about her hot and foamy rendezvous with Professor Sugar, No Cream, Queen B is “morally aghast” (as she is about once per episode) with her friend’s teacher-mounting ways . . .

“I am morally aghast!”

“Coffee is the thing you pay for, before you go and have sex,” lectures Blair (and she would know . . .).

Blair wisely instructs Serena that she should stop licking cream off her Studly Business Professor, if she cares at all about her education.  Not liking Blair’s advice one bit, Serena (who’s obviously a MORON, and clearly has selective amnesia), seeks comfort from the girl trying to RUIN HER LIFE, Juliet . . .

“This is just too friggin EASY!”

Upon learning that Serena is “involved” with her professor, Juliet immediately recognizes an opportunity to bring about Blondie’s downfall.  And so, Juliet “kindly” suggests to Serena that if the Professor is not getting his “cream and sugar” from Serena, he is most certainly getting it from somewhere else.  As if on cue, Serena spies Colin escorting a rather attractive woman out of her cab, and into his house.

“I am so spitting this FOAM in your FACE, the next time I see you, Professor Scumbucket!”

A perturbed Serena stomps right up to Colin’s door, ready to catch him in the act.   However, when she gets inside, Serena sees that the Professor’s “lady friend” is wearing an apron and carrying a broom. 

“Oh, Professor!  You are such a Dirty Boy!  A nice sponge bath will clean you right up!”

Somehow, Colin manages to convince Serena that the lady currently “cleaning his clock” and “dusting his balls trophies” is his housekeeper, and not his lover .  . .  Nonethless, Serena, recognizing the extent of her own jealousy (but not her idiocy), decides to put a stop to “Office Hours” and “Coffee Time” with Professor Maid Humper until the end of the semester.

And yet, avoiding Professor Stud Muffin will be easier said than done — especially when both he and Serena are scheduled to attend Blair’s 20th Birthday party, the following evening  . . .

Speaking of things that are easier said than done . . .

“I guess this is goodbye.”

Not believing their friends Chuck and Blair to be capable of staying “true” to their “truce” on their own, Nate and Serena agree to put aside their own differences, and broker a “Peace Treaty” between the uncoupled- couple. 

CHUCK: “In the spirit of peace, if you give me the Standard on weeknights, I will give you The Carlyle for the entire Christmas Season.”

BLAIR:  “Done.  But I want an addendum that you can’t bed hostesses from the roster of restaurants I frequent.”

While the words coming out of our hero’s and heroine’s mouths are pure business, their body language is a bit more . . . suggestive.  Lips are licked.  Collars are fidgeted with.  Fingers are ran through hair.  Legs are crossed and uncrossed.  Necks and chins are stroked amorously. 

Oh, yes, boys and girls!  There is some SERIOUS sexual tension in the air!  “There is just one last point to negotiate . . . in private.  Attorneys, you are dismissed,” Blair says pointedly, throwing serious F*ck Me Eyes in Chuck’s direction.

(Photo provided by ChuckandBlairthePerfectPair  – check them out for all the latest GG promos, stills, production intel and spoilers!)

Unfortunately, we don’t get to see what went on between Chuck and Blair during the last few moments of Treaty Negotiations.  (I, personally, like to imagine them cementing the terms of their agreement, by screwing like bunnies . . .

 . . . but that’s just me.)

The next time we see Chuck and Blair, they are leaving the “conference” and heading toward their respective limosines.

“I guess this is goodbye,” says Chuck, with more than a bit of uncertainty, as he extends his  hand for Blair to shake.

Blair begins to reach for Chuck’s hand as well.  Then, remembering the electric current of sexuality that coursed through her veins the LAST TIME she shook Chuck’s hand, she thinks better of it.  “Let us not forget about Article 19.  No touching,” concludes Blair, with a certainty she does not feel.

With a wistful look in eachother’s direction, the two slowly part from one another, and withdraw to their respective vehicles.

Meanwhile, in Dorky Dan Land . . .

Dan’s Lame Attempt at Vengeance #1

Poor Dan!  He tries so hard to be one of the gang, with his snoozy relationship troubles, droll one-liners, and feeble attempts to be Bad Ass.  And yet, he fails miserably every time.

Annoyed that last week’s rendezvous with Chuck andBlair has left Little J cowering in a trash can, like the Raccoon Zombie she is . . .

 . . . and concerned that Jenny’s hermit-like tendencies will keep his father and stepmother from celebrating their first anniversary in style, Dan (with the help of Mini van der Woodsen) . . .

“Do you think, maybe, sometime this Season, someone can write me a storyline that’s not . . . you know .  . . TOTALLY LAME?”

 . . . develops a Dastardly Scheme of Revenge.

(And by “Dastardly” I mean, “Uninspired and Incredibly Stupid”)

Dan decides to . . . SEND A FAKE POST TO GOSSIP GIRL ABOUT BLAIR SUPPOSEDLY SLEEPING WITH JACK BASS, WHILE SUMMERING IN FRANCE!

Wait . . . that was it?  That was the entire plan?  Silly, Dan!  Fake blasts to Gossip Girl are SO Season 1 . . .

Anyway, Dan hopes that Chuck will be SO MAD about this fake blast, that it will send him running right into the waiting arms of Jenny . . .

OK, first of all .  . . EWWWW!  And, second of all, wasn’t Jenny’s illicit relationship with Chuck what started all these problems, in the first place?

What ON EARTH would make Dan think that this was a good idea?

When Dan arrives at Chuck’s house, he is surprised to find Chuck having tea with . . . none other than Blair Waldorf, herself.

After weeks of seeing these two spar AGAINST one another, it was nice to see Blair and Chuck have a little fun together at Dorky Dan’s expense.  As it turns out, Blair and Chuck recognized the blast as a fake immediately, and met up to revise their treaty to include additional terms, which would govern the pair, in the event that such fake blasts occurred in the future. 

“Jack Bass wasn’t even in France this summer.  He was in Chile,” Blair says nonchalantly.

Chuck pauses at this.  “Wait . . . how did you know that?”   He asks.

And yet, he recovers quickly, in an attempt to exhibit a unified front, in the face of a ridiculous enemy.  “The intricacies of war games are too complex for a prole like you to fathom,” Chuck scoffs at Dorky Dan.

Blair, for her part, adds that she could care less what Dan’s Gothic Barbie sister does to try and undermine Chuck’s and Blair’s treaty.

I see a resemblance.  Don’t you?

To prove just how much she doesn’t care about Jenny, Blair boldly invites Chuck to her birthday party, right in front of Dan.  And Chuck agrees to attend.

Take THAT, Dan the Dipstick!

The Serena van der Woodsen Escort Service

While Dan is striking out with Chuck and Blair, Serena begins to worry that her plan to NOT screw Professor Sexy Pants will also fail miserably.  Dumbbell Serena decides that Psycho Stalker Juliet would be the “ideal candidate” to act as her Professor Buffer (How dirty does that sound?) at Blair’s party. She, therefore, invites the little wench to attend the affair as her date.

However, when Nate finds out about Serena plan, he offers to be the Buffer between his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.  It is important to note that, in doing this, Nate is taking the place of his other ex-girlfriend, who was supposed to the Buffer originally, while attending the party of a third ex-girlfriend (Blair).  AWKWARD!

“I treat my ladies like cowpoke at a Rodeo! Round em up.  And keep em in line!”

“You aren’t fighting with Mr. Chuck.  So, you fight with everybody else!’

If anyone really needs a Buffer, it’s Blair!  The girl has been running around like a chicken without a head, ALL AFTERNOON!  Poor Blair has been seriously fretting about her party, and whether it will allow her to make her mark in society, as a “powerful woman.” 

Incredibly stressed out, and bursting with sexual energy — as a result of her recent heated encounters with Chuck — Blair is being a total BIATCH to all her poor lowly servants, including the loveable Dorota.

“What’s going on with me?”  Blair asks her trusted friend (and slave) worriedly.

“You aren’t fighting with Mr. Chuck, so you are fighting with everybody else,” Dorota says decisively.

As it turns out, Blair would be better off using that pent-up energy to fight off Dorky Dan.  The pathetic loser has just stolen a copy of Blair’s and Chuck’s treaty from the moronic Nate.  Apparently, Nate the Nincompoop was dumb enough to leave the darn thing lying around, even though Chuck demanded it be “locked away in a safe . . .”

Sex, Lies, Videotape, and Family Members?

Blair isn’t the only one who is the subject of a revenge plot, this evening.  When Serena ditched Juliet for Nate, the Psycho Stalker rounded up an “alternate” date to Blair’s birthday party: namely, Professor Screws-a-Lot.

While “distracting” Serena from the Professor, Nate spies him engaged in a heated conversation with Juliet.  Nate then quickly becomes convinced that the Professor is two-timing Serena with his own ex-girlfriend.

When Nate confronts Juliet, she explains that Colin is her cousin, who has paid her way through school, and who she cares for deeply.  In talking with Nate, Juliet comes to realize that Colin is the Professor that Serena is dating. 

And we, as fans, come to realize that Colin might not be the manipulative scheming snake we originally thought he was, based on his suspicious conversations with Juliet last week.  This also means that Colin might . . . gasp . . . actually like Serena for her PERSONALITY!

Juliet calls Brother Ben in jail again to break the news to him.  (Seriously?  How much phone time does this guy get?  This must be the most LENIENT PRISON EVER!)

“Hey Juliet.  Listen, I’ve gotta go.  The strippers will be here any minute.”

Brother Ben who, oddly enough, looks like he’s lost a bit of hair, since last week’s episode (Comb over, much?), can clearly give two craps about whether Juliet’s screwing over Serena will, by extension, end up screwing over his own cousin.  “Get proof [that she’s boinking our cousin], and get Serena expelled,” Brother Ben demands.

In the next scene, we see that Serena has received a note from Colin telling her to meet him upstairs.  The couple rendezvous in her bedroom.  Things get pretty hot and heavy up there.   Personal space is invaded.  Fingers lightly probe body parts.  Eye F*cking occurs.  Shockingly, it’s Serena that puts a stop to it.

“What the heck is this?  Invasion of the Body Snatchers?   Who is this girl and what has she done with the Real Serena?”

“We’ve already gone farther than we should have,” says Serena.  “Old Me would have gone farther.  New Me wants to wait.”

I knew it!  I was right!  Serena’s TOTALLY been body snatched .  . . by some alien named NewMe!

Leaving Colin with a lingering goodbye kiss on the lips, Faux-Serena exits the bedroom, having, shockingly, never gone farther than first base with her new sweetheart.  Juliet creepily watches the events unfold in the window, from outside and below

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anybody, except Juliet (and maybe Brother Ben), a camera, which Juliet(?) has planted inside Serena’s bedroom, most certainly catches one Hot and Bothered Professor tending to these . . .

Dan’s Lame Attempt at Vengeance #2

After Mini van der Woodsen wisely backs out of Team Doofus, Dan telephones some random company that does “roasts” and invites them over to Blair’s party to exhibit a “very special video” in Blair’s honor.  I was right there with Penelope and Blair’s minions, in hoping that Dan would embarrass Queen B in front of all those fancy people she invited to her party, by showing them something juicy like . . . say . . . a Chuck / Blair Sex Tape. 

That would have been HOT!

I should have known not to overestimate Dan’s abilities at .  . . well . . . doing anything.  What he actually ended up showing was an old video of Blair drunkenly singing “Stand By Your Man,” in a rather humorous fake southern accent, while Chuck tried in vain to pull her off the stage.

OOPS!

Despite my thinking that the video was (though mildly humorous) pretty unexiting, in terms of blackmail material, Blair was actually quite mortified by it.

Apparently, the disavowal of this tape was the “extra” treaty term that Chuck and Blair had sent Serena and Nate away to discuss earlier in the episode.  Blair rushes to turn off the video.  In doing so, she inadvertently knocks over fashion designer Rachel Zoe, who somehow ends up on the floor, covered in chocolate fudge.

“I’m MELTING!  I’m MELLLLTINNNNG!”

Mistakenly believing that Chuck was the only one who knew about the video, Blair immediately assumes that he is the one responsible.  Interestingly enough, despite being enraged at, and extremely hurt by, Chuck, it is at this moment that Blair admits something very heartfelt to him.  As it turns out, Blair only knew of Jack Bass’ whereabouts, because she had sent a private investigator to look for Chuck, while he was missing – despite he purported hatred for him during that time.

Chuck, understandably, seems touched by this admission.  “I hate being at peace with you, but I didn’t do this.  We have a Treaty,” he promises.

It is at this moment, that Dorky Dan, clearly proud of himself, comes clean about his “Dastardly Deeds.”

And honestly . . .  no one really cares that much . . . well almost no one . . .

Rufus and Lily quickly put Dan in his place, calling him out for what a Douchebag he’s always been become, since he’s started hanging with the Upper East Side Scooby Gang.  Like Goth Barbie / Raccoon Zombie before him, Dan begins to feel guilty for having stooped to Chuck’s and Blair’s level . . . . zzzzzzzzzzzzz. 

And I just put myself to sleep typing that sentence . . .

AND FINALLY .  . . THE GOOD STUFF!

After the party, a humiliated Blair has a heart-to-heart with her mother, about  . . . who else . . . Chuck.  “What I want is to be a powerful woman.  But Chuck makes me feel like a weak little girl.”

I have to say, the often absent and dismissive Eleanor surprised me this week, by giving Blair some pretty sound (not to mention, uncharacteristically, Pro-Chuck) advice.  “Sometimes you have to allow yourself to be weak, in order to become stronger.  You don’t have to lose the girl, to become a woman,” Eleanor concludes. 

Alone again and fortified by her mother’s encouraging words, Blair heads toward her bedroom.  However, before she reaches the stairs, she encounters a familiar face in her entrance foyer . . . it’s CHUCK!

“I just wanted to let you know that the treaty is off,” Chuck begins.

“Good.  The pretense of civility was exhausting,” Blair counters.

“We are not friends.  We don’t have to like eachother,” offers Chuck, his brow furrowed, fists clenched.

“I’ll never like you either,” seethes Blair, moving closer to Chuck.  “In fact, I hate you.”

“There’s a firery pit of hate inside of me, and it’s ready to explode,” counters Chuck, moving so close to Blair that their faces are almost touching.

Chuck then rips the treaty up right in front Blair.   Blair watches wide eyed, as Chuck grabs on to her shoulder.  He then yanks her closer to him, and . . . KISSES HER!

As music thunders in the background, Chuck and Blair start going at it, ferociously ripping one another’s clothes angrily, while hungrily probing eachothers’ bodies, and furiously making out.  Then, the camera starts to do strange and trippy things (which I DID NOT LIKE — don’t mess with CB SEX, you MEAN OLD CAMERA MAN!),

In the final moments of the episode, Chuck pushes Blair up against a piano, and proceeds to “hatefully” screw her brains out.  Man, I wishes someone “hated” me like that . . .

Tune in next week Chair fans, when, based on the promos, there will be PLENTY MORE where that came from! 

XOXO!

[www.juliekushner.com]

“I almost forgot how much I used to enjoy your pie.” – A Recap of Gossip Girl’s “Goodbye Columbia”

“Just so you know, Chuck Bass, you can sniff MY pie, any time you like . . .”

Flirting with cute boys and pie-sniffing aside, this was a tough week for our favorite Upper East West Side Princesses.

Both were battling some particularly EVIL Super Villains.

These two “villains” each separately plotted (Although wouldn’t it be AWESOME if they worked together?) to do something ABSOLUTELY UNIMAGINABLE to our fair heroines!  And what did these dastardly devils try to do, you ask?  DENY BLAIR AND SERENA THE RIGHT TO AN IVY LEAGUE EDUCATION!

“Oh the HUMANITY!”

Did the EVIL Super Villains succeed?  Were Blair and Serena cast out of Columbia, and forced to endure the ignominy of attending (gasp) a State School?  Read on to find out . . . IF YOU DARE!

OMG!  Creepy Stalkers are SO ADORABLE . . .

  . . . assuming they look like THIS, of course.

When the episode opens, Gossip Girl informs us that Serena is turning over a new leaf, and trying to become a “newer and better version of herself.”  When we first see Serena, we know instantly that she MUST, in fact, be “newer and better.”  After all, clearly, this is a girl who doesn’t get bogged down in the superficial details of life.  I mean, why else would she stop brushing her hair?

It’s like the “Before” picture in a Pantene Commercial . . .

Anyway, this “newer and better” Serena is rushing off to class, and hails a cab, only to find that (for, what we learn, is not the first time), some unnamed attractive dude . . .

Just in case you forgot what he looked like . . .

 .  . . has stolen said cab, and inserted some random hobag inside it.  (Don’t you just hate it when that happens?)

So, of course, Serena does what any sensible girl who is about to be late to class would do in such a situation, she hops on the nearest bus or subway pouts, whines, and stamps her foot like a toddler with poopy pants.

“When I do this at home, my Mom buys me necklaces from Tiffany’s.  Maybe this guy will do the same.  He certainly looks like he can afford it.”

Seeing that Serena is angry, Unnamed Attractive Guy, ignoring the hobag already in the taxi, holds the cab door open, and  continues to talk with Serena.  This lapse in time, gives our heroine ample opportunity to jump in the cab, and make it to class on time.  Instead, she stays and chats because . . .

 . . . (Do I really need to explain it to you?) 

As it turns out, Unnamed Attractive Guy has been spying on Serena, and stealing her cabs ON PURPOSE as an excuse to get slammed in the face with a taxi door flirt with her. 

Now, if you girls are anything like me, you all oohed and aahhed, and sighed at this scene, thinking it was “oh so sweet” and “oh so adorable” for Unnamed Attractive Guy to try to court Serena in this “creative” way.  However, let me ask you something.  Would you feel the same way about Unnamed Attractive Guy’s actions, if he looked like THIS?

 . . . or, how about THIS?

NO!  You’d think he was a scary stalker, and would probably wake up about two hours earlier every day, just so as not to run into him again!

But, as we know, Unnamed Attractive Guy did not look like THIS . . .

 . . . or THIS . . .

 . . . He looked like THIS . . .

 . . . and so, therefore, we all REALLY REALLY hope that these two get to do the horizontal mambo together, VERY soon!

The Gift that Keeps on Giving . . .

“I am a genie in a bottle, Baby.  But be careful when you rub me that way.”

One thing that must be said about Serena, she is a generous lover.  And by generous, I mean she shares her love with EVERYBODY!  So, of course, when Gossip Girl put out a blast that Serena had an STD, there were, understandably, a number of people on Columbia’s campus who were “concerned” by the news.

Like, for example, them . . .

 . . . and him . . .

. . . and them . . .

Coincidentally, if YOU happen to be in this picture, rest assured, the arrow that seems to be directly above your head is actually pointing at SOMEONE ELSE (Please don’t sue me!)

Unfortunately, Gossip Girl doesn’t specify which STD Serena has.  So, for the sake of illustration, let’s just assume, for argument’s sake, that she has one of these two . . .

Of course, us wily GG fans already know this blast is TOTALLY true false.  Someone evil is behind all this, and her name rhymes with “Muliet.”

Earlier in the episode, we watched Juliet have a conjugal visit meet in prison with the guy who is supposed to be her “Brother Ben.”  However, he totally acts like the Creepy Jealous Boyfriend / Homicidal Maniac in every Lifetime movie I have ever seen.  (Then again, maybe THAT’S how he got into prison!) 

Possible jailhouse footage of Juliet and Brother Ben, courtesy of Gossip Girl

During his and Juliet’s post-sex pillow talk meeting, Brother Ben stresses his impatience with Juliet, regarding her inability to isolate Serena from her friends, and get her expelled from Columbia — thereby “taking EVERYTHING away from her,” like she somehow did to Brother Ben.  (Yes . . . because I’m sure the Academic Scholar Serena, who didn’t even want to GO to college until about two episodes ago, would be absolutely suicidal, over getting kicked out of the school where she spent two days, during which she cut or was late to every class).

“What exactly is she implying?  I love school, because I am smart.  S-M-R-T.”

To protect Juliet’s “cover,” Brother Ben wants her to set up Nate as the Fall Guy for the plot to destroy Serena.  Juliet is conflicted.  Secretly, she hopes she will have time to SCREW Nate, before she has to SCREW HIM OVER.

Juliet’s Creepy Psycho Stalker Board a.k.a. “Research”

Later that day, Juliet convinces Nate to get tested for STDs, by withholding sex from him until he does.

Ummmm . . . you know, Juliet .  . . some STDs are ORAL.  Just saying . . .

Once she is certain Nate will, in fact, go through with getting tested, Juliet fans the flames, by telling Serena that NATE was freaked out by the Gossip Girl blast.

OH NO SHE DIDN’T!

Needless to say, when Serena sees Nate outside the Student Health Center, she is PISSED!

Gee Nate, you’ve been looking kind of pale lately.  I really hope you aren’t  . . . um . . . coming DOWN with something . . .

Of course, the first thing Serena does is subtly insult Nate’s “chastity” by commending him for getting tested, given the high number of sexual partners he has “experienced” recently.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle a SLUT!

Serena then selfishly asks that Nate wait a few days before getting tested, so that SHE won’t “look bad” in front of the whole school.

Ummm . . . honey, maybe you should have thought of that before coming on campus, without having brushed your hair first.

“There is someone else I need to get tested for,” insists Nate.  “SHE is my priority.  NOT YOU!

Accompanying Nate to the clinic, is his secret gay lover “new best friend” Dan Humphrey.

Unlike Nate, DAN DOESN’T need to get tested for an STD, because all HE and Serena did on that fateful night during the Season Finale was spoon . . .

To spoon or to fork?   That is the question.

 . . . at least, that was what Dan told his boring ass girlfriend Vanessa, when the first blast initially came out.  So, of course, you can imagine how freaked out the V-ster was, when she received a SECOND blast from Gossip Girl, noting Dan’s presence outside the Student Health Center.

“I was so upset I nearly peed in my hemp underwear (which were handcrafted by women of the Sioux Indian tribe, for your information).”

Vanessa, now completely convinced Dan has been lying to her about what happened that fateful night, publicly calls out Serena for being a Major Slutbag.

*sings*  “Tell me, tell me, tell me, something I don’t know, something I don’t know.”

(Note: Vanessa’s public anger at Serena will end up being important later.  So, don’t ignore the scene, just because it contains a character that you happen to find boring . . . like I usually do.)

Back in Crazy Psycho Stalker Land . . .

Population Juliet

 . . . Juliet begins to plant the seed in Nate’s head that he should steal Serena’s phone, in order to find out, once and for all, whether she has an STD.  (After all, STD test results take FOUR DAYS!  And when have you ever heard of ANYONE on this show going FOUR DAYS without sex . . . unless they were in a coma at the time?)  However, Nate doesn’t take the bait, because he is too stupid honorable.

Don’t worry, Nate.  There is no need to understand!  You’re WAY TOO pretty to have to worry about dull and unimportant things like “logical reasoning”. . .

Fortunately for Juliet, Vanessa is not NEARLY as pretty as Nate, so she has actually HAD to learn logical reasoning skills, while growing up.  When Vanessa approaches Juliet to bitch to her about Dan, Juliet instructs Vanessa to meet her at the Big Fake Party Designed to Put All the Characters in the Same Place Hamilton House.  There, she gets Vanessa to steal Serena’s phone to see if Dan wrote anything to Serena about their f*cking.

Lo and behold, there is a message on the phone from Dan that basically says, “Golly gee, isn’t it nice how we haven’t f*cked lately.”  (HOW CONVENIENT!)

Vanessa is OVERJOYED!

“I’m so happy I could dance nude in the light of the full moon, and praise Mother Nature!”

While a Happy Vanessa rushes off to do the horizontal mambo with a Non-Infected, Dan, Juliet uses Serena’s phone to send a message to one of Serena’s professors (the one who’s class she’s always missing,  because she can never catch a cab).  The message basically asks the professor, for a bump in grades in exchange for some STD-filled sex with Serena.

The professor tells the Dean about the e-mail.  And she instantly wants to expel Serena.  Of course, it isn’t until that very moment, that Boobs for Brains FINALLY realizes her PHONE IS GONE!

“DUH!”

Vanessa, being the moron that she is, publicly admits to taking the phone from Serena, out of guilt, even though it should be SO OBVIOUS to anyone with a pulse, who sent that message.  Then, Juliet jumps in, and blames the message’s submission on VANESSA! 

(NOW, do you see why that boring Serena / Vanessa “fight” was important?)

So, to summarize, Serena now thinks JULIET is a hero (who saved her from expulsion), and EVERYBODY HATES VANESSA.

(Coincidentally, when you think about it, the two statements above pretty much summarize exactly how most GG fans feel).

At the end of the episode, a number of things happen in rapid succession, with respect to this storyline.

1) Dan and Vanessa come to realize that a relationship without trust is just like every other relationship on this show not worth having, and eventually break up.

Maybe now, these two can go back to hanging out at their own school, NYU, (which, for the record, is ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF MANHATTAN, GG writers!), where they belong . . .

2) Serena has a drink with Unnamed Attractive Guy, who turns out to be someone who is slutty, but “smart and deep” . . . just like Serena pretends to be!

I swear, that just never gets old . . .

3) And, finally, after promising “Brother Ben” that she is “not falling for Nate,” Juliet shows up in Nate’s bedroom in sexy lingerie, and the pair have the HOTTEST SEX SCENE EVER!  Don’t believe me?  See for yourself . . .

Yeah . . . I totally watched that video like six times.  I’m not gonna lie.

Speaking of HOT COUPLES . . .

Scheming . . . as American as Apple Pie

This week, Blair tried to take the high road, and avoid HOT HATE SEX WAR with Chuck, by immersing herself in something he had absolutely no experience with, education.

“Books are for pussies.  My servants read FOR me.”

In typical Type-A personality fashion, Blair doubles her class load to avoid Chuck.  The class she wants to enroll in most is a Business Marketing class run by Professor Chamberlain.  So, Blair and her minions (who, by the way, look suspiciously similar to the minions she had last year at NYU) head off to wait online to enroll in the class (Huh?  No ONLINE enrollment?   What is this, 1990?). 

And yet, who should she see at the front of the line, but THIS GUY . . .

Like Juliet had decided earlier regarding Serena, Chuck has determined that the best way to get revenge against Blair for stealing away his Harry Potter Character He’d Most Like to Screw . . . Aside from Hermione lover . . .

 . . . would be to get her expelled from Columbia.  The only difference here is that, unlike Serena, Blair actually LIKES learning, so there is a bit more at stake, in this instance. 

As it turns out, Chuck despite being completely illiterate has decided to audit a few classes at Columbia.  Oh yeah, and he’s also Professor Chamberlain’s assistant.

This was precisely the position Blair wanted.  In fact, she wanted it so bad, she even resorted to having Dorota make making baked goods in order to get it.  “I almost forgot how much I used to enjoy your pie,” says Chuck seductively, as he moves just inches away from his “former” lover’s face.

In a scene whose hotness, though admittedly more subtle, rivaled that of Nate’s sex with Juliet, Chuck places his nose directly in line with Blair’s cleavage, and amorously inhales “her baked goods.”  Blair, though trying to look annoyed, is obviously more than a bit aroused by the act.  This is evidenced by the way her eyes close in ecstasy, and her mouth parts, for just a split second, before her face returns to its characteristic sneer.

Blair then tries to steal the assistant position from Chuck, by offering to set the Professor in question on a date, which, honesty seemed pretty ridiculous to me.  And yet, the lame-brained idea actually worked . . . that is, until Chuck pulled a little bait-and-switch on the dates.  This resulted in Blair setting the Professor up with ANOTHER WOMAN, even though she WAS STRAIGHT!

Shortly thereafter, at Hamilton House, Chuck and Blair duke it out, in one of their classic, “it is SO COMPLETELY OBVIOUS we are TOTALLY hot for eachother” fights.  During it, each detailed, the various ways they planned to blackmail Professor Chamberlain for the assistant position, if the other of them ended up getting it.  Professor Chamberlain overhears this and . . . quits?

Yeah, I didn’t get it either.  I really just wanted to see those two crazy kids sniff eachother again .  . .

At the end of the verbal f*ck fight, Chuck reiterates for the umpteenth time how much he wants to take everything away from Blair, just like she took a very boring thing everything away from him.  Blair then reiterates that she hates Chuck for screwing Racoon Zombie.

But this time, Chuck takes the argument one step further, by threatening to go public with his DEVIRGINATION of Little J, thereby ruining Chuck’s, Blair’s, and Jenny’s (not that she ever had one) stellar reputation, in the process. 

Just in case you thought he was bluffing, in the last scene of the episode we see Chuck making a phone call that somehow involves the following three things: Parson’s University, Jenny Humphrey, and . . . TIM GUNN?

In the words of the Man of Fashion, himself, “This concerns me.”

That’s all I’ve got folks.  Tune in next week, when the Racoon Zombie returns  . . . with redemption on her mind and an EVEN WORSE WEAVE on her head . . .

XOXO!

[www.juliekushner.com]

The Kids are All Grown Up . . . Sort Of – A Recap of Gossip Girl’s “The Undergraduates”

I’m pretty sure this kind of thing happens at least once every season.  Except, this time, Serena has raised the stakes, by discovering the art of camouflage.  Seriously!  Who else, besides Serena, would dress to match the curtains at a fashion event? 

I never thought it would happen, but after four seasons of scheming, cattiness, and hijinks, our Upper East Side crew is FINALLY showing some signs of maturity . . . well, some of them are, at least.  Others are . . . well . . . not.

So, without further adieu, let’s take a look back at this episode, to find out which characters are still in diapers . . .

 . . . and who got to graduate to Big Boy Pants!

Gossip Girl gets an Upgrade.  Serena gets Downsized.

 

When the episode begins, Serena and Blair are preparing for their first day at Columbia University.

Unfortuntely, their first day of school just so happens to be a very dark day on the Upper West Side.  As it turns out . . . the Gossip Girl website is temporarily DOWN.

Clearly, this is a tragedy of EPIC proportions, especially for Blair, who just so happens to be one of those people . . .

 . . . who is simply not happy, unless some low rent media entity is documenting her every move.  As their first official order of business as new Columbia students, Blair and Serena .  . . go to class.  HAHA!  JUST KIDDING!  We don’t do actually that on this show . . .

Instead, Blair and Serena head off to the “Hamilton House” (i.e. this season’s version of the “secret society” Blair tries to join every year, whose members’ innate snobbery and elite status cause our Queen Bee to temporarily forget who her REAL friends are)  . . .

It’s not just for cans and bottles any more.  We do it for PLOTLINES too!

As Blair and Serena enter the insanely stuck up Hamilton House, Serena notes her very familiar surroundings, and gripes, “I thought college would be different from high school.”

“Who would want that?”  Blair inquires, without an ounce of humor or irony in her voice.  (You gotta love Blair!)

Speaking of high school, just moments after arriving, the girls encounter a “old friend” from “back in the day” (i.e. two years ago).

It’s Perpetual Queen Bee Runner Up, PENELOPE!

And, I am happy to report, that she is just as much of a saucy biatch, as she was in high school!  After Penelope and Blair exchange a few bitter barbs for old time’s sake, the diva reveals that one of her ancestors was a founding member of the Hamilton House.  This accident of birth makes Penelope a legacy at Hamilton House, and and automatic club member.  Fortunately for Blair, Penelope is NOT, however, the Key Master, i.e. the person responsible for personally inviting new members to join the club.

Poor Penelope!  Always a minion, never a royal!

But, you know who IS Key Master at Hamilton House? THIS GIRL . . .

It’s Crazy Potential Psycho Stalker, Juliet Sharp, of course!  (Clearly, Hamilton House is a VERY classy establishment, if they are letting homicidal maniacs join.)  When Blair and Serena approach Juliet for their keys to the club, Looney Tunes herself surprises EVERYBODY (well, at least everybody who didn’t see the trailer for the episode, before it aired), by offering a club key to Blair  . . . and NOT SERENA!

At that very moment, Gossip Girl comes back online with a BRAND NEW FEATURE.  It’s called Live Video Streaming, and it’s like Botox for websites.

The Video Stream shows Serena getting rejected by Hamilton House, as a politely reserved, but secretly smug, Blair fondles her new key to the kingdom elite Columbia society.  Of course, this poses the very important question of WHO is Gossip Girl, that she was able to get such close-up footage of the girls at this elite event?  You see, in the past, any onlooker could have sent Gossip Girl the pictures and intel that the site happened to be seeking at the time. 

However, seeing as the GG site had been down for a period of time; and, presumably no one, except Gossip Girl herself (or himself), knew at the time that the site had video capabilities, that pretty much narrows the suspects down to someone in that room.  Could it be Juliet?  Penelope? 

 Only time will tell . . .

Outside of Hamilton House, Blair half-heartedly offers to decline membership in the club for Serena’s sake.  However, Serena, who knows a fake gesture of kindness when she sees one, replies that this will not be necessary.  “S” would never stand in the way of her Best-ie’s social progress.  Besides, Hamilton House may just be a bit too “right wing” for a bohemian gal, like Serena.

Famous Hamilton House Alumnis

Upon receiving Serena’s “blessing” to stay in Hamilton House, Blair responds like THIS . . .

 . . . and bounces off excitedly, but not before making plans to meet Serena later for dinner and drinks.

Feeling a bit like the Stinky Kid in Elementary School, who nobody wanted to play with,  Serena calls Dorky Dan, in hopes of bolstering her recently diminished self esteem . . .

. . . and he BLOWS HER OFF . . .

 . . . to hang out with a guy who still POOPS IN HIS PANTS!

Then she calls Hot Pants Nate . . .

. . . and HE BLOWS HER OFF TOO!

(Apparently, Hamilton House is coed, and Nate’s a member as well.  How CONVENIENT!)

Yes, Serena.  Apparently, college IS just like High School.  Except, now, you are the NEW Jenny Humphrey . . .

It’s not easy . . . being sleazy.

Lifestyles of the Rich and the Rapist

While the rest of his friends are stories below, pretending to matriculate at Columbia, Chuck Bass is sleeping on million-thread count sheets, in the Penthouse Suite at the Empire Hotel.  He wakes up to find his new Gal Pal Eva missing.  When he sees the sliding glass door to the balcony open, Chuck worries for a moment that the idea of being the most HATED new cast member of Gossip Girl got to be too much for Eva, and she threw herself out the window.

Goodbye, Cruel Fangirls!

(At the same time, Chair fans across the nation are keeping their fingers crossed for the same result.  It’s nothing personal, Eva.  You’re just NO Blair Waldorf!)

But, alas when Chuck arrives outside, he finds Eva simply looking out at the city skyline, with her feet planted firmly on the ground.  “Your world . . . it’s magnificent,” says Eva, with all the emotion and excitement of a person saying, “I have a dentist appointment today.”

Chuck is so enamored by Eva’s innocence, that he can’t help but set out to destroy it.  Immediately, he offers Eva room service, a spa day, and unlimited access to his credit card.  You know, Eva, I recently saw a movie just like this.  Wanna know which one?

Yes, Eva.  I AM calling you a whore (but a VERY nice and well-mannered one, just like in the movie)!

“Your life is perfect,” Eva says in a dull monotone that would make Ben Stein proud.

“Bueller . . . Bueller . .  . Bueller.”

“Now, so is yours,” lies Chuck through his teeth.

Meanwhile, Nate stops by Chuck’s hotel suite to return the Bass-tard’s Black Book, and lecture the hotel scion about being honest with his girlfriend about his shady past.

Riiiiight.  Just like I’m sure Nate is going to be honest with HIS new girlfriend about all the STD’s he undoubtedly contracted this summer, as a result of using said “Black Book.”

Leaving Eva to her own devices, Chuck goes to visit Lily . . .

 . . . the one person member of his Post-Sex with She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named Fan Club.  Chuck tells Lily that he is a changed man, who has stopped screwing raccoons . . .

. . . and has, instead, fallen in love with a character from the Harry Potter series.

Eager to make things right with her extended family, Lily invites Chuck and Eva to attend Fashion’s Night Out.  There, she supposes, the van der Woodsens, Basses and Humphreys can mingle without the added pressure of a formalized dinner.  Chuck agrees.

Later, Lily convinces Rufus to give the New and Improved Bass . . .

“I’m singing a Redemption Song!”

 . . . a second chance at the fashion event.  Rufus initially agrees to have an open mind.  However, when Eric . . .

Welcome back, Buddy!  We missed you!  You’re the least screwed up character on THIS SHOW!  (Well . . . aside from the whole “tried to commit suicide” thing.)

. . . spills the bean to Rufus about Chuck’s attempted rape of Jenny during the pilot episode her freshman year . . .

 . . . Papa Humphrey radically changes his tune.

That afternoon, while Eva shops her little heart out on Chuck’s dime, she runs into Blair.

Of course, in typical Mean Girl fashion, Blair taunts Eva the Robot about her modest beginnings, plain looks, and peasant hands. With a scathing sneer and biting wit that would make Season 1 Blair proud, Queen B lets her latest competition for Chuck’s heart know, in no uncertain terms, that she is a “woman off the rack,” who does not belong in GG society.  (And most Chair fans would AGREE!) 

You can take the girl out of Constance Billard Prep . . . but you can’t take Constance Billard Prep out of the girl.

The bitter exchange upsets Eva enough (to the extent that she is capable of expressing human emotion) to cause her to confront Chuck about it, as the two prepare for Fashion’s Night Out.  In an admittedly sweet moment, Chuck tells Eva that he loves that she doesn’t fit in to his snooty world.  He truly believes that, once given a chance to meet her, the Upper East Siders will love Eva just as much as HE does . . .

Oh, Chuck!  You Sweet, but Ignorant, Slut!  How willingly you overestimate the kindness of your friends and family.

As we watch Eva childishly recite the GG cast members’ names, like a child trying to remember a nursery rhyme, we just KNOW this girl is in for some seriously bad sh*t, in the weeks to come.  It almost makes me feel bad for her . . . almost.

Who’s Your Daddy, Baby Milo?

Meanwhile, Dan is still playing proud papa to Georgina’s spawn, Baby Milo . . .

 . . . when he receives a Gossip Girl blast that Georgina is living it up in St. Barts, while he is cleaning spit up off his unlimited collection of ugly flannel shirts.  To make matters worse, Busy Body Rufus rushes over to tell Dan that, based on his own expert opinion (Read: complete lamens’, not to mention, LAME MAN’S opinion), Baby Milo CANNOT be Dan’s son.

Cue the entrance of Vanessa “Never Met a Plotline She Couldn’t Make Boring” Abrams.

Together her and Dan enter into a positively snooze-worthy discussion about Dan’s options regarding the care of Baby Milo.  Unfortunately for Dan, he has gone and fallen in love with the little Demon Baby, and can’t imagine giving it up for adoption or putting it in foster care.  Dan wants to raise Milo himself.  However, he fears that his student lifestyle will provide him with neither the time nor sufficient income to get the job done.

Then Vanessa, saves the day, by offering to move in with Dan, and help him to raise Baby Milo.

(This is the point in the recap where I would insert a “YIPPEE” . . . if I cared enough about this storyline to do so, which I don’t . . .)

Dan initially cautions his girlfriend against this idea.  He fears he is asking too much of Vanessa, and will ultimately end up jeopardizing their relationship as a result.

Well . . . that got a response from me!

Even though she was CLEARLY not born yet when the film in question came out, Vanessa argues that if Tom Selleck and Ted Danson from Three Men and a Baby could raise a kid, so could Dan and Vanessa . . .

“As long as that doesn’t make me Guttenberg,” quips Dan.

Ummm . . . I hate to break it to you Dan .  . . but you are TOTALLY Guttenberg.  And Vanessa is Tom Selleck’s mustache . . .

Dan agrees to let Vanessa move in and help him raise Baby Milo.  However, before she can return to the apartment with all her hippie skirts, mismatched scarfs, incense, and patchouli . . . GEORGINA RETURNS!

In what was undoubtedly the most interesting and hilarious part of this lame and second rate B-plot storyline, Georgina explains that Milo’s father is some Russian businessman who she met and screwed on an airplane.

“Now, I’m a super villain AND a member of the Mile High Club.  I RULE!”

Unfortunately, for Georgina, the Russian businessman’s wife found out about the tryst, and when she heard Georgina was pregnant, she put a hit out on the dimunitve vixen.  By doctoring Milo’s birth certificates to say that Dan was his father (as opposed to the 100’s of other men Trampy Georgina undoubtedly was banging during that time), Georgina got the killers off her tail.  Now, however, she’s finally decided to grow up and be a real mother to Milo. 

Dan tries to protest.  However, he has no REAL claim to the Baby, so Georgina ultimately takes the child with her.  At the end of the episode, Vanessa and Dan decide to move in together, anyway.

And they all lived Boringly Ever After . . .

(Honestly, I was kind of hoping for more Georgina Hijinks and Histrionics here.  Weren’t you?  Like, for example, watching her be chased by a bunch of Russian Mafioso would be absolutely HILARIOUS, in my opinion!

But, perhaps, not everyone agrees with me . . .)

Rufus Humphrey Cock Block Extraordinaire

“As the Lord is my Witness, Chuck Bass will NEVER GET LAID AGAIN!  Mwahhahaha!”

At Fashion’s Night Out, Chuck approaches Lily, Rufus and Eric to make his apologies, and hopefully, to introduce them to Eva.

Unfortunately for Chuck, Rufus is not too keen on forgiving his daughter’s Date Rapist.  In fact, he doesn’t want the Bass-tard anywhere NEAR HIS FAMILY.  And yet, Rufus the Doofus takes his Chuck-sized hatred one step further.  He wants Chuck to become a re-virginized MONK!

“Whatcha you talkin’ about, Rufus?”

When Eva enters the fray, Chuck, fearing that Rufus will spill the beans about his pervy past to the woman he is passing the time until Blair takes him back with loves, throws himself on the sword saying, “That’s just another social climber making a play for Chuck Bass.  She is not with me.”

Oh no you, didn’t!

Eva dashes off in tears.  And Chuck, after another heart-to-heart with surrogate Mommy Lily, finally finds the courage to rush after her, come clean about his sordid past.  At first, Eva is disgusted, and leaves him.  Almost immediately, a tail between his legs Chuck confronts Blair.

And the Queen B is so smug and self-satisfied about Chuck’s failure and Eva’s resultant departure, that she practically does a dance of joy, right in front of him.

But then Eva returns.

“It was hard for me to learn what kind of man you were.  But I’ve seen the kind of man you can be.  And I choose to be with that man,” announces Eva.

Her and Chuck then kiss (BARF!), as Blair looks on disgusted.

“Once lips have tasted caviar, it baffles me how they can return to catfish,” Blair notes wryly, toward the end of the episode.

Well said, Miss Waldorf!  Because it sure beats the heck out of me . . .

Secret Society Hijinks Ensue .  . .

I wanted to save the most intriguing plotline for last, so allow me to backtrack a bit, and tell you what happened after Blair was admitted into Hamilton House, and Serena wasn’t.  Well, first the Slimy Seductive Juliet took Blair aside, and poured a little metaphorical poison in her ear, when the latter inquired as to why Serena wasn’t admitted into their little club.

“Isn’t it better to have something at this school that is just yours,” Juliet suggests casually, with all the finesse of a snake in the Garden of Eden.

Boy!  Juliet sure has Blair’s number!  Little Miss “I’ll take the West Bank, you take the East,” is no one if not a person who is constantly seeking out her own fame and recognition.  Juliet then takes things one step further, insisting that Blair attend a Martini Event thrown by Hamilton House, instead of keep her dinner plans with Serena.  Then, when Serena calls to find out where Blair is, Juliet instructs her to LIE about her whereabouts, so as not to “hurt Serena’s feelings.”

Blair stupidly takes the bait. 

Moments later, in a move that surprised precisely NO ONE, Gossip Girl streamed the Martini Event live, allowing Serena to catch Blair in her fib.  (It was at this moment, Boys and Girls, that I became pretty certain that Juliet was Gossip Girl.  Little did I know that something would happen later to prove me wrong . . .)

The next day, an angry Serena confronted a very flowery-dressed Blair about her deception, suggesting that Juliet sabotaged Serena’s ability to get into Hamilton House.  Blair, as per usual, gets defensive, “There’s no conspiracy.  Hamilton House just doesn’t want YOU!”  Blair yelps.

Blair then walks off in a huff.

Later, Serena sees other girls getting keys to Hamilton House, even after Juliet suspiciously claimed there were none left.  So, “S” decides to confront the BIATCH.

Turning the tables on Serena, Juliet asserts that it was BLAIR who kept Serena from getting into Hamilton House, by revealing to the alumni the existence of a sex tape involving Serena and Pete Hammond. . . as in THAT GUY SHE “KILLED.”

At Fashion’s Night Out, we see an angry-looking Serena stalk into the building in search of Blair.  The next thing we know, Gossip Girl is live-streaming footage of a hair pulling, name-calling argument between the frenemies, in which Blair awkwardly notes that Serena’s dad couldn’t raise herproperly, because he was busy giving her mother, FAKE CANCER! 

(OUCH!  That had to hurt!)

Meanwhile, a smug Juliet, who, along with her new Hamilton House minions, is watching the whole fight on her iPhone, decides to put the whole altercation on wide-screen television, for all the Fashion’s Night Out attendees to enjoy.

Eventually Juliet tells her minions that it is time to “step in and save ‘her sister’ [Blair] from that b*tch [Serena].”  However, when Juliet rips back the curtain, all she finds is Blair and Serena sitting calmly on the sofa, watching the same pre-recorded broadcast, the rest of the party is enjoying.  As it turns out, they had leaked the fake fight footage to Gossip Girl, in order to catch Juliet in the act of trying to ruin both of their reputations. 

(This turn of events just made it very unlikely that Juliet is actually Gossip Girl.)

“Your little plan might have worked on us in High School, but not now,” lectures Blair maturely (before sticking her tongue out, and singing “Nah-Nah, Nah-Nah, Nah-Nah.”)

She’s right.  Juliet’s plan probably WOULD have worked on Blair and Serena, back when they were in High School.  In fact, it DID work.  If I recall, Georgina Sparks, herself, had done this exact sort of thing, once or twice, in earlier seasons, to break the besties apart.)

Lily van der Woodsen, who, OF COURSE, just so happens to be on the alumni board at Hamilton House, immediately dethrones Juliet, and offers her own daughter a “much-deserved” key to to the house.  Juliet skulks off.  And Nate, who has witnessed the whole ordeal, begins to run after her.  However, Serena stops him first.

Never exactly the “sharpest tool in the shed,” Nate surprises everybody, by siding with PSYCHO STALKER JULIET in this little battle of wits.  And why not?  After all, Serena cheated on him with Dorky Dan Humphrey last year, and then just automatically expected him to take her back.  And Nate DID want to take her back . . . at least, at first. 

But now, all the sudden, Nate has decided that he’s MAD at Serena (an emotion he should have experienced MONTHS ago . . . and probably would have, if he wasn’t so busy porking all those whores in Chuck’s Black Book).  Now, given all Nate’s “MAD-ness,” no matter what Serena does, she’s going to be a Big Fat Poopy Head in Nate’s eyes.

After leaving Serena to comprehend the concept of a boy actually NOT wanting to bone her, Nate rushes to Psycho Stalker Juliet.  Crazy Train tells him that she only schemed against Serena, because she didn’t want Nate around her all the time at Hamilton House.  In short, Juliet claims that she acted out of jealousy.

Sure, it’s obvious to everyone that Juliet is lying.  But not to Moronic Nate, who’s just arrogant enough to believe her.  So, while Serena is moving in to La Casa de Waldorf with Blair and Dorota; Nate and Juliet are making out, and sealing their fate as the most effed up couple in Gossip Girl history (well, aside from Chuck and Jenny of course — but they don’t count.)

It all ends in a fairly commonplace way, until the last scene.  There, we see Juliet visiting some guy in prison.  Upon listening to their conversation we can conclude that (1) HE’S the one who’s hired Psycho Stalker Girl to screw with Serena and the rest of the Upper East Side Crew; and (2) the prison-bound pair are romantically involved in some way — thus, making Juliet’s romantic advances toward Nate (for now, at least) completely phony.

But who IS this guy?  My first thought was that he was Carter Baizen.  After all, Carter’s criminal dealings and grudges against most of the GG cast, would make him a likely candidate for something like this.  The problem, of course, was that this guy didn’t look like Sebastian Stan (the actor who plays Carter).

My second guess was that this Prisoner Dude is somehow related to Pete, the guy Serena “killed.”  After all, Juliet made a point to mention Pete’s name, when making an excuse as to why Serena wasn’t admitted to Hamilton House.  How else would she know all that information, if not from a connected outside source?

Well, I’m all out of ideas.  What about you guys?  Any suggestions as to who this orange-jumpsuited man might be, or why he hates Serena so much?

[www.juliekushner.com]

Wall Street 2 – Money Never Sleeps (Anatomy of a Trailer)

Back in 1987, Oliver Stone directed a little film called Wall Street.  The film starred Michael Douglas as the iconic movie villian, Gordon Gekko.

Wall Street illustrated, in graphic detail, how an individual’s lust for power, when coupled with insane amounts of money, can spread, like a cancer, tainting all those it touches. 

And yet, what people remember the most about the film, was not its underlying message, or a particular plot point, or even Daryl Hannah’s massive shoulder pads and big 80’s hair . . .

No.  What people tend to remember about Wall Street was a little speech that Douglas’s Gekko made early in the film — a speech that was appropriately entitled “Greed is Good.”

Corporate America lapped up this speech, boy!  (You KNOW those folks at AIG and Goldman Sachs were taking notes!)  In fact, CEOs and financial executives were so in love with Gordon Gecko and his words, that they simply stopped paying attention for the rest of the movie!  They forgot that “Good Greed” completely ruined Charlie Sheen’s character, Bud Fox, and that Gekko was carted off to jail at the end of the film.  And in the past couple of years, we have learned that Gekko was simply WRONG!  Greedily treating America as a “malfunctioning corporation” didn’t SAVE our economy, it destroyed it!

Despite it being 23-years old, I can’t think of a film more relevant to the current state of our nation than Wall Street.  So, of course, I was very interested to learn that Stone was helming a sequel to the film, set to hit theaters this fall.  You can watch the trailer for it here:

You know what?  I was a little skeptical at first, but color me impressed!  This looks pretty darn good!  Based solely on the trailer, Stone seems to have done a nice job balancing the sleek, polished “look and feel” of the original Wall Street, with the fast-paced, high voltage, aesthetic of modern times . . .

Not only is The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil,” a GREAT song to include in any trailer (Just TRY and listen without bobbing your head in time with the music.), it’s particularly appropriate for THIS one!  After all, if a little part of all of us wasn’t just a twinge enamored with the oily, and, quite possibly soulless, Gordon Gekko, this franchise wouldn’t be anywhere near as successful as it ultimately became.

:10 – I couldn’t help but smirk watching Gordon Gekko’s updated, post-jail break, version of the original “Greed is Good” speech.  Many would agree that since Gekko’s time, Greed HAS, in fact, become “legal.”  Just don’t ask this guy about it . . .

I wonder how this film will address (if it does at all) the current economic climate.  Has the recent economic recession even happened in Gekko’s world?

:24 – If I had to choose a favorite moment in the trailer, it would be the one where Gekko, having spent upwards of 20 years in prison, retrieves his personal belongings upon leaving the Big House.  His prized possession?

Zack Morris’s HUMONGOUS Saved by the Bell cell phone!

:50 – It looks like Bud Fox 2.0 will be played by none other than Shia Lebeouf, who you may remember from the Transformer films, or the latest Indiana Jones franchise installment, or Disturbia.  But, just in case, you aren’t familiar with him or his work, here’s a very nice picture of him shirtless . . .

 . . . and another one of him suggestively eating a banana . . .

(Hmmmm . . . wonder how his girlfriend feels about THAT one?)

The original Bud Fox, Charlie Sheen, seemed to be MIA during this trailer . . .

BAD BUD!

However, I have read that he will reprise his original role in the film during a brief cameo appearance . . .

:52 – Carey Mulligan, with her pixie face, and wise beyond her years demeanor  (must be because she is British), . . .

 . . . co-stars in the film, as the estanged daughter of Gekko, who just so happens to be the fiance of Lebeouf’s character.  In other words, she will likely play a smarter, less slutty version of Daryl Hannah’s character from the original film.  Oh, and her character is supposed to have, like, principles, or something . . .

The rest of the trailer proceeds more or less as what you would expect from a Wall Street sequel.  We watch as Lebeouf’s character confronts, and quickly becomes seduced by the charismatic Gekko and his upper-crust lifestyle, which, apparently, continued to thrive untarnished in his absence.  (At least we know they SOLD all of Madoff’s stuff!  So, hopefully, this won’t happen to him, if HE ever gets out.) 

The protagonist quickly becomes taken into the fold.  We witness the character’s eyes light up, as his handles a check in his name for $1.45 million.  And we just KNOW he’s a goner!  We then see evidence that his relationship with the young FEMALE Gekko . . .

 . . . will begin to crumble, as a result of his growing greed.  Throw in a little bit of Josh Brolin . . .

 . . . a dollop of Frank Langella . . .

 . . . some motorcycle stunts . . .

 . . . and a few great Gekko one liners (“Why don’t you start calling me Gordon?”) and that’s pretty much the trailer in a nutshell.

Wall Street 2 STEALS into theaters September 24, 2010.  Will YOU see it?