Hollywood Crush › Gossip Girl

It seems gentlemen aren't the only ones who prefer blondes. No matter which corner of pop culture you love to loiter in, it's likely you've stumbled upon Marilyn Monroe recently—billowing white skirt, coy smile, breathy come-ons and all. There's NBC's new series, "Smash," which debuted last night, and chronicles two Broadway neophytes' fight for the titular role in a production based on the bombshell's life. Then there's Michelle William's Oscar-nominated turn as the actress in last year's "My Week With Marilyn." Add in Nicki Minaj's latest leak, "Marilyn Monroe," and a playful homage from a certain "Gossip Girl," and clearly, Marilyn is having a moment.

It's all a bit curious considering the woman formerly known as Norma Jeane died nearly 50 years ago. Is she simply gone but not forgotten, or are there greater forces pushing us to re-examine the life of a woman whose life was rarely free of examination?

"We could say that the huge resurgence is a result of it being the 50th anniversary of her death this year. Although this probably has something to do with it, it certainly isn't all," said Michelle Morgan, author of "Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed." "What does Marilyn have that keeps her memory shining bright? Well, I think that really depends on who you're speaking to.

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Tags Gossip Girl, Katharine McPhee, Marilyn Monroe, My Week With Marilyn, Smash, Video

Each week this summer we've recommended a can't-put-down tome as part of our Summer Beach Reads column, and we've generally focused on brand spankin' new releases like Maggie Stiefvater's heartbreaking "Forever" and Melissa de la Cruz's magical "Witches of East End". But today, for your warm-weather pleasure, we're going back. Way back to 2007 to extol the virtues of Anna Godbersen's Victorian intrigue "The Luxe."

And for good reason. As you may have heard (or read on Hollywood Crush!), the juicy novel is headed to the big screen, imagined as a "young 'Moulin Rouge'" by "Gossip Girl" creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. And with four books in Anna's intriguing series, you better start now if you want to have them all devoured before the flick bustles into theaters.

It's no spoiler to tell you "The Luxe" opens on (seemingly) well-to-do Manhattan socialite Elizabeth Holland's funeral, following a mysterious carriage crash that threw the young debutante into the icy Hudson River, never to be found. The story then flashes back weeks earlier to explain the unfortunate turn of events and introduce readers to a cast of simply captivating characters.

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Tags Anna Godbersen, Gossip Girl, Summer Beach Reads, The Luxe

After months without hearing so much as a peep from Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte, we'd been getting desperate for some sex!

As in, "Sex and the City," of course. (Our personal lives are just fine in that area, thank you very much.)

So it's good news, as reported by Deadline, that there's finally been some movement on "The Carrie Diaries"—the "SATC" prequel that takes place during the ladies' senior year of high school and the last best chance for "SATC" fans to get their Carrie fix just one more time.

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Tags Gossip Girl, Sex and the City, The Carrie Diaries, The CW

Hate those two-month breaks the CW has in the middle of every season? Well, fortunately the network has done something about them.

Turns out that four of our favorite CW shows have received extra episodes this coming season to make the wait a little shorter (and less painful). Deadline has learned that "Gossip Girl" and "90210" are each getting two extra episodes this season, while "Nikita" and "Supernatural" each get one. The intent is to bring the rerun periods in the middle of the seasons -- typically from the end of November to the beginning of January -- to a minimum as much as possible.

Yes, we also noticed "The Vampire Diaries" is missing from that list, but Deadline has a good explanation.

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Tags 90210, Gossip Girl, Nikita, The Secret Circle, The Vampire Diaries

One of our fave YA series is about to get a bloodied-up reboot, and we've got a sneak peek!

You might have heard by now that "Gossip Girl" is getting the literary mash-up treatment this fall with "Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer"—a brand-new book that reimagines Blair and Serena as a pair of Patrick Bateman-style serial killers slashing their way through the teenage toast of New York City society. But here's what you haven't seen: Our EXCLUSIVE look at a special-edition digital preview, celebrating the soon-to-be-released book with a 22-page manga comic, illustrated by HyeKyung Baek, that gives fans a taste of the drama to come.

The murder-tastic manga is available via an iPhone app from Yen Press, the same publisher that gave us the illustrated "Gossip Girl: For Your Eyes Only." And if the blood-splattered cover isn't enough to get you psyched, make sure to check out our exclusive peek at the inner pages, where we see Serena van der Woodsen about to do something very nasty with a syringe. Bloody fabulous! (Click past the jump to see for yourself!)

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Tags Cecily von Ziegesar, Gossip Girl, Gossip Girl: Psycho Killer

FROM NEWSROOM: Late Monday, reports began circulating that "Gossip Girl" star/possessor of amazing bone structure Penn Badgley had signed on to portray Jeff Buckley in an upcoming biopic, one of two currently being planned about the late singer-songwriter, who died in 1997 in a freak drowning accident.

Badgley's film is called "Greetings From Tim Buckley" and will apparently take place in the days leading up the 1991 tribute concert for Jeff’s father Tim, who died in 1975 of a drug overdose, where Jeff made his public singing debut. According to a statement from the production company behind the project, the plot centers around "a romance with a young woman working the concert," through which Buckley "comes to understand the father who abandoned him."

And while some might be concerned that Badgley might not possess the, uh, depth required for a role of this magnitude, we have faith that he’s got it in him. For one, he can actually sing, and his character on "Gossip Girl" is already the son of a rock star, so that's got to count for something. In fact, we think that Badgley's "GG" co-stars should follow his lead and sign up for rock star biopics of their own. And yes, we've already picked out the perfect roles for them.

Find out which songstresses Blake, Leighton and more should play over at MTV's Newsroom blog!

Tags Gossip Girl, Greetings From Tim Buckley, Jeff Buckley, Penn Badgley

As if our TV-viewing schedules weren't packed enough, we're getting ready to add a whole new slate of shows to our calendars come this fall. Nearly all the major networks have announced their pick-ups for next season, and most of them have also released teasers for said series. So far the roster includes everything from shows led by returning favorites (hey, isn't that Dawson Leery?!) to quirky comedies, and while not every pilot we predicted made the cut, we could not be more excited for the ones that did.

To help you wade through all the newbies, we've picked out the five new fall shows we're most excited to watch. Check them out after the jump and let us know if you plan to tune in.

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Tags Gossip Girl, James Van Der Beek, Kevin Williamson, Kristoffer Polaha, Ringer, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Secret Circle, Vampire Diaries, Video, Zooey Deschanel

Prepare your DVRs, Crushers! The CW has released its official fall schedule, and trust us when we say we'll be spending even more time in front of the television come autumn. Witches, a woman on the run and a backwoods doctor are all fodder for the fall season. And, according to an announcement from The CW, some of our favorite shows will also be swapping time slots.

Keep reading after the jump to get the full fall schedule and a hint of what's to come on "The Vampire Diaries"!

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Tags 90210, Americas Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, H8R, Hart of Dixie, Nikita, Ringer, Secret Circle, Supernatural, The CW, Vampire Diaries

Looks like Taylor Momsen will have a lot more time to focus on her music career. The actress/singer won't be returning to "Gossip Girl" next season. And if she's looking for someone else to join The Pretty Reckless, Jessica Szohr is also looking for work. She too won't be back for The CW drama's fifth season.

TV Line reports that the ladies will no longer be series regulars, but have been invited back as guest stars (which sounds pretty vague to us). So who did make the cut? Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford will all be back for more drama. And, it seems that Taylor and Jessica's loss is Kaylee DeFer's gain. She's been promoted to series regular.

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Tags Gossip Girl, Jessica Szohr, Taylor Momsen, Video

Usually when it comes to red carpets, we're all about the sleek and the chic, but once a year we're willing to make an exception for the an event where over-the-top fashion is not only encouraged but expected. We're talking of course about the Met Costume Institute Gala Benefit, where the motto is go big or go home. Luckily, the event, which was attended last night by a mix of stars from various genres you generally don't see sharing a red carpet, including Kristen Stewart, Taylor Swift and Lea Michele, didn't disappoint. The night, which was in honor of legendary designer Alexander McQueen this year, was flooded with trends we've seen before this season, including lots of nude and red gowns and a heavy dose of sparkles, but they all had a fresh and very dramatic flare. Check out our fashion recap below to find out who brought their best and who brought the crazy.

Now, Kristen hasn't always made the cut on our best-dressed lists, but last night she earned a spot right at the very top. KStew arrived on the carpet in a sleeveless, dark red Proenza Schouler floor-length gown with black circular patterns. The look was clean and modern and her hair and makeup were simply flawless. Like Kristen, "Twilight" co-star Ashley Greene has also wavered when it comes to our fashion recaps, but last night she made our jaws drop in a stunning, strapless nude gown by Donna Karan. The beaded outfit stood in stark contrast to Kristen's modern style, but we loved it just as much. Also, bonus points for the classic up-do and dangling earrings—a perfect choice to accompany her dramatic gown.

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Tags Ashley Greene, Dianna Argon, Glee, Gossip Girl, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Kristen Stewart, Lea Michele, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, The Costume Institute Gala Benefit