News broke earlier this week that James Franco’s “Directing The Actor II” professor, Dr. Jose Angel Santana, is suing NYU after allegedly being fired for giving him a D. Santana claims the bad grade was given because James missed 12 out of 14 classes during the semester and that Franco was given special treatment because of his celebrity status. Santana was fired at the end of the semester, and NYU actually hired James “as a lecturer on how to adapt poetry into short films.” That little tidbit probably didn’t make Santana too happy.

I have a hard time believing that Santana was fired for giving James Franco a bad grade, especially knowing how much schools take into consideration student evaluations and other factors. It seems silly for a school to fire a professor based on a celebrity, especially given accounts from his other professors like R. John Williams, his English professor and advisor at Yale.

Williams says that he was not only shocked that a university would fire a professor because of a grade he gave a student, but also that James received a D for missing class. He conducted a directed reading discussion with James and another student with a pretty extensive reading list. But during this semester, James was filming Oz, the Great and Powerful. Williams wasn’t comfortable just having the discussions over the phone, so they agreed to video conference calls. James only missed one and offered to make it up, but Williams told him no. Then during the week his father died, James still attended the meeting.

Williams recounts a trip that he took with the other student to the Oz film set to find that James was always reading. He says, “So when you see James’s character with his arm trapped under a rock in 127 Hours, what you don’t see is that there was an assigned reading under the rock with it.  When he’s playfully wrestling with a genetically-enhanced chimpanzee in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, just off to the right of the shot was a stack of books.” This doesn’t surprise me as James is one of the few celebrities to actually take education seriously.

He has an MFA from Columbia University, which he attended at the same time he was studying filmmaking at NYU and fiction writing at Brooklyn College. He’s also a PhD student at Yale, where he attended class instead of watching the 2011 Academy Awards announcement. James will be attending the University of Houston doctoral program for creative writing and literature. There’s no question that James is serious about learning, even producer Judd Apatow said on the set of Pineapple Express, ”He’s a very education-minded person. We used to laugh because in between takes he’d be reading The Iliad on set. We still haven’t read The Iliad. It was a very difficult book.”

Yeah, most people wouldn’t be able to enroll in three schools at once, so that’s probably some special treatment. But why shouldn’t a celebrity be able to get an education? I just don’t see a legitimate claim behind Santana’s lawsuit. It seems more like he got fired for something else and was pissed so he wants his 15-minutes.

Remember when you were a freshman and lived in a dorm that smelled like mildew? Well check out Dakota Fanning’s freshman crib. She has a two-bedroom apartment all to herself. At many colleges, all freshman are required to live on campus, but I guess that doesn’t apply when you’ve been in The Cat in the Hat. It’s probably going to be amazing living in that apartment her freshman year, but she’s also going to miss a lot of things many freshman get to experience, so there’s a lot of pros and cons about having that apartment (although I would have totally taken that place if someone offered it to me freshman year).

initiating the gallery...

Everyone knows Gossip Girl is not real. Unlike “The Hills” and “The City,” who try to play themselves off as reality, Gossip Girl is simply a scripted indulgence with a little over-the-top drama peppered in…every 5 seconds. Still, though, sometimes I’d like to think that this show, my guiltiest of guilty pleasures, maintains some semblance of what life is really like on the Upper East Side of New York City. That there really are people up there like Blair, Chuck and Damien. (OK, I think we all know there are people out there like Damien…there are a few of them living on my block.)

But last night’s episode made that nearly impossible. It was chock (Chuck?) full of obvious inconsistencies that took me back to the days of Saved By The Bell – The College Years, when I thought everyone was BFF with their RA (who looked like a wrestler) and could share a mega sweet with their friends from home. Let’s take a look:

1. Nate and Serena’s steamy kitchen love sesh. Not only did Serena come out looking hot in an oversized shirt that would more likely fit Nate’s dad than Nate’s teeny little boy body, but it just so happened that the fridge (the same one Nate “didn’t even know we have”) was fully stocked with foods that would make for the steamiest of sex scenes: whipped cream (in a bowl, not a can), strawberries, caramel….

And why is it that the Nate and Serena sex scenes are so ridiculously hot? (Just me? I guess I did have half a bottle of wine before the show started, but DAYUM, that ish was hot.) What about Chuck and Blair? Or Dan and Vanessa? (We’ll get to them in a momento…)

2. Chuck Wears a Pinky Ring. And, somehow, Blair still loves him.

3. NYU Dorm Party. The last “dorm party” I threw was in my room with the doors locked, making my friends whisper so the RA couldn’t hear us getting drunk. Maybe things are a bit different in the NYU dorms, but I’m pretty sure they don’t have giant theme parties with cocktails and one of those cheesy cut-outs where you can stick your head in for a photo. Seriously, the only realistic thing about that entire party was that Dan and Vanessa sucked face behind the photo wall.

4. Serena Needs to Be Alone. So Serena sticks her nose in Chuck’s business (shocker) and invites his mother to lunch. Chuck writes her a check, she takes it, Chuck hates Serena, Blair reminds Serena that she only meddled because of her own daddy issues. Blah, blah, blah, Serena needs to be alone.. and a cab just pulls up to whisk her away. Have you ever been to NY? I have, and I promise you it is never that easy to hail a cab.

5. Dan and Vanessa wanna “just be friends.” It’s a great idea – best friends who get naked together but don’t let things get too serious – but that’s as likely of happening as me going another month without drinking. Read: things are going to get ugly, complicated, awkward, etc. And someone is going to get hurt.

Also, how could Vanessa ever hook up with a guy who looks so damn weird in a navy ‘beater? I shudder just thinking about it.

6. Jenny and Damien. OK, on second thought, the 15-going-on-30 thing is believable, as is the fact that she got roped into dealing drugs by a cute older guy with a slight obsession with hair gel.

See? Unrealistic. But, that doesn’t take away from the dramz or my love for the show. I was still so happy to see Chuck and his mama hanging out (he smiled!), even if I don’t believe the woman is 100% good. And I, once again, wanted to shake Little J and remind her that she’s so much cuter when she’s not playing the rebel. And I’m a sucker for the Rufus and Lily drama. And Serena and Nate? I can’t wait to see more of them (or, uh, more of their sexy times).

And speaking of sexy time…. is little J gonna have some next week with the pill pusher? We’ll find out!

See? Weird.

Talk about the British Invasion.

Yesterday, this post on Jezebel pointed me towards this utterly, utterly ridiculous Times of London article that claims college-bound British ladies are increasingly enrolling in American universities—primarily to meet “Ivy League educated males.”

The article is crazy enough that it blames “hit shows such as Gossip Girl, The OC, Dawson’s Creek and even Twilight”—yes, that noted television program, Twilight—for the pseudo-phenomenon it’s investigating. Author Luisa Metcalfe also cites Ivy League hotties including Barack Obama, Jake Gyllenhaal (both of whom went to Columbia. I’m just saying), and “aspiring Dartford College student Dan Humphrey” as bait for English girls.

I repeat: Dartford College. Never mind that Gossip Girl’s Dan actually ended up going to NYU, or that he originally wanted to go to Yale, not “Dartford”—Metcalfe actually writes the word “Dartmouth” just three paragraphs after she initially mangles the name of the beer-happy New Hampshire Ivy, so how did the term Dartford even make it into the final version of this article? Don’t they have copy editors across the pond?

And even if this article is right and female Brits are really applying to American universities just so that they can meet guys with argyle sweaters and perfect teeth—not, you know, because they want to get a good education at a top school—I have to speak up.

I’m sorry to burst your bubble, mates, but here’s the truth about Ivy League guys: they are weird. At least, the straight ones almost all are.

The only long-term boyfriend I had at Columbia once tried to make his own beer by boiling hops and wheat, then letting the mixture sit for a week. My best guy friend on campus, a chemistry major, straight-up watches videos of scientific graphs on Youtube sometimes. My brother, who went to Yale, used to have “books and hot sauce” listed as his interests on Facebook.

Metcalfe quotes Dr. Dona Matthews, who used to work at New York’s Hunter College Center for Gifted Studies and Education, as saying, “In order to get in to any of the Ivies — in addition to exceptionally high academics and SATs — they have to be athletic and they need to demonstrate exceptional social abilities.” But if Ivy League guys are all “athletic” and “social,” I’m the freaking Pope.

Sorry, girls—although there are a few Nate Archibalds scattered across Ivy campuses, the vast majority of dudes who attend the Ancient Eight are quirky at best and just plain odd at worst. So are the girls, actually. That’s one of the things I love most about Columbia.

If I wanted to find a Prince Charming in college… well, I guess I’d try transferring to some school in England.

It seems to me that the more times goes on, the juicier Gossip Girl gets. It’s like chewing gum…only backwards. Which reminds me – have you tried those new Trident Layers? OMG I bought a pack last night at Target and that stuff is so good!

Ok, not the point.

Last night’s episode of Gossip Girl was good. Really good. Not only is there a pretty handsome new man lurking (and dealing drugs) on the Upper East Side, but Chuck Bass continued his streak as the good boy by protecting J-Humph from this bad boy’s ways. And if you didn’t totally swoon when Chuck told him off (something along the lines of, “I’m Chuck Bass and even Europeans know what that means”), you obviously have something seriously wrong with your libido.

But let’s get to the real good stuff. The stuff that can only come from an awkward threesome in Brooklyn. A love triangle that can only form once everybody has seen one another’s goodies/O faces. The kind of situation that Dan Humphrey would no doubt find himself in.

After last week’s 3some letdown, it was exciting to finally see some bits and pieces from the event. Even if they were from Dan’s slightly skewed memories and involved hair blowing in the wind and equal girl-on-Dan-time for all. Was it possible there was a fan set up on the bed for the girls’ hair to blow in? Sure. But as Nate pointed out, someone is always left out in a threesome….and we later discover that someone was Olivia (!!).

Kudos to the writers for thinking of the most creative way ever to stir up some new drama over at NYU. There were so many different ways to write Hilary Duff off the show and bring the Vanessa/Humphrey love story back into the mix, but having it happen as a result of a threesome is just brilliant. And hilarious. And, to the Parents Television Council, you’ll be happy to know that all the drama that came from it has made a threesome the last thing on my to-do list. (Unless it’s with Nate and Chuck…) So leave GG alone and turn your attention towards more important issues… like the Rock of Love bus.

Oh, and let me just say, it is no surprise that Dan has fallen in love with Vanessa (even if he didn’t realize it). Did you see her in the 3some? That girl is HOT.

But, interestingly enough, the NYU 3some wasn’t the only one happening last night. Somewhere, in a dark and expensive bar on the Upper East Side another one, possibly even more scandalous, was coming together. One that not only involved a public official, but 2 cousins. And shoulder pads. (If Serena’s linebacker shoulder pads are a sign of things to come in fashion, I’m jumping ship. That’s a road I refuse to go down…) Serena loves Tripp. Tripp loves Serena…and hates his manipulative wife who saved his campaign. But wait – Nate loves Serena. Remember Nate? That guy who used to be on the show all the time but hasn’t really made an appearance this season? Yeah, well he’s back and he wants a piece of Serena.

And they almost kiss…. until Tripp V. happens upon them – somehow – and sets the drama in motion.

Gah! So much happening; I can’t handle it! And I can’t handle Serena either. No, not just because she was wearing shoulder pads and fake press-on nails. She’s just acting so selfish. She gets mad at Nate for “not being there for her” when he doesn’t support her wanting to hook up with his MARRIED POLITICIAN COUSIN. Then she leaves with that married politician cousin and gets mad at Nate for trying to stop her. And then we see her swapping spit with him. Even though he’s married. And in the political spotlight. And cousins with her alleged best friend. Who just professed his love for her.

Serena’s making some bad choices and I’m finding myself slowly moving over to team Blair. Ok, so maybe that’s partly because I want to get closer to Chuck, but it’s mostly because I just can’t sympathize with Serena’s choices (both in fashion and in life) anymore.

Oh yeah. And Lady Gaga showed up with crazy hair and X’s over her nipples. Standard.

No, this photo is not of the 3some. Apparently the CW didn't think it appropriate to post those...

It was like any Monday night around here. I came back from the gym, had a little dinner, did a little reading and gathered with the roomies to watch some Gossip Girl. There was the usual Jenny drama (homegirl is such a bitch!), some witty banter, a funny ploy by Chuck to get Serena and Blair to make up (he just keeps getting dreamier)…and makeout, and ho-humness over at NYU.

But then, 35 minutes later, Olivia downed her shot of mysterious clear liquid and everything changed. (Including Hilary Duff’s clean-girl image!) First Olivia’s kissing Dan. Then Olivia’s kissing Vanessa. Then Dan is KISSING VANESSA!

Yes, this is the threesome we’ve been hearing about for a week now.

I know it’s not real. I know it’s TV. I know good and well that this isn’t some “Hills” situation where we’re supposed to think it’s real even though all signs point to fake (lips). But, still, I screamed. I screamed and I covered my eyes and I shied away from the TV until the scene was over. It was all just so…awkward. And uncomfortable. And shocking!

Was this the group of three that I was expecting to see getting it on? Hell no. And I’m pretty sure (even before I saw the scenes for next week, people!) that it’s not going to turn out well. I mean, I’m all for sexual experimentation, but, as Nate says, the third person should be a stranger…not your best friend who has been in love with you since you were playing in alleys in Brooklyn.

And I’d just like to say that I’ve never partook in a threesome…but I still think I’ve lived a very full, very real college life, thankyouverymuch.

I can’t wait to see Dan Humphrey try to get himself out of this one next week when some serious ish goes down in the East Village. Vanessa, having finally gotten a piece of the Humph, will realize that she loves him and start to annoy me even more than she already does, there will be tension between Olivia and Dan because they had a drunken threesome, and if Hilary Duff leaves the show, I may cry.  Drama to ensue.

But back to this week. The threesome wasn’t the biggest drama of the night. Not when it’s Cotillion season!

Is this a real thing? Do rich girls really start taking ballroom dance lessons when they’re young? Who knows, but it’s a really big deal to this group of high society high schoolers and Jenny is taking it the most seriously of all. Stepping on people’s toes (both literally and figuratively), pissing off Erik, waging war on Blair…. and then seeing all her hard work crash around her when her ticket to getting some respect (and possibly some booty from a pretty cute piece of UES man-meat) ends up arm in arm with someone else. Someone shorter, runette-r, more… hugable.

Sure, Jenny saves her reputation by dragging Nate into the whole mess (“A college guy!” Seriously, how dense are these girls? Don’t they know she used to date him? Isn’t that enough to get her some RESPECT? Whatever…), but that doesn’t change the fact that she has made herself a serious enemy. And his name is Erik. And he’s pissed. Not only did Jenny desert him, but she was the cause of his breakup with Jonathan (let’s pause for a moment to mourn this one) and there is no doubt in my mind that Erik is going to come back with his new little sidekick and wreak havoc on her thrown.

But does that new chick really have what it takes? You know, without Blair’s beauty assistance? We’ll have to wait and see.

Things to look forward to:  Blair and Serena have made up, so that means we can focus on Blair and Chuck sex scenes instead of Blair and Serena fight scenes.  Also, Serena has some serious tension (of the sexual nature, rawr!) with married congressman Tripp Vanderbilt.  But that might go on hold when she learns that Daddy finally wrote her back.

Things I’m dreading:  Everything about that threesome.  Especially the flashbacks that are sure to come next week. Oy.

We’ll see how this all comes crashing down next week.
You know you love them.

XOXO,
GGR

An NYU student was found dead at the library this morning.

Some celebs did it all wrong on Halloween.

Is there a J.Lo sex tape coming?

Angelina Jolie needs a cookie.

Kirstie Alley tries another weight loss idea.

Kim Kardashian gets a fist to the face.

That shapeless "dress" is what you get for lying to Dan!

I think we can all agree that it’s not nearly as fun watching Vanessa Abrams be a bitch as it is watching Blair Waldorf.  Mostly because Blair doesn’t normally get bogged down by remorse…at least not right away.

In an episode all about playing games, some people just didn’t know when to stop.  Take Vanessa being even more of a home-wrecker than usual.  As I watched her almost mess up the blossoming love between Dan and Olivia, all I could think about was how the dress that the wardrobe people put her in at the end of the episode was obviously punishment for her being selfish.  And my next thought: when did giving a speech at a Parents’ Weekend dinner become so damn important?

But as Vanessa, Blair, (and Olivia, though unbeknownst to her) battled it out for the right to stand atop the flowery podium at Parents’ Weekend, we saw too many claws come out. Perfectly manicured claws, mind you, but sharp claws nonetheless. Yeah, Vanessa can get off the hook quickly for what she almost did to Dan and Olivia – those Humphrey’s are incredibly forgiving people – but I can’t say the same for Blair and Chuck. Make him kiss a guy (which, by the way, was incredibly hot)? Fine. But lie to him and manipulate him to get what you want?

No one manipulates Chuck Bass. Not even Blair.

And the same goes for Serena, which Nate Archibald may find out the hard way. Before I get into this little Rounders-meets-Gossip-Girl storyline, I’d like to take a moment to welcome Nate back to the show. For the past 5 episodes he’s taken a backseat with Bree Buckley and we haven’t seen much of his cuteness. I know he wasn’t pregenant/post pregnant like Lily Bass, so I wonder what was keeping him from the screen? Meh, it doesn’t matter; he’s back….and falling in line with the family once again.

And of course that means hurting someone important in his life just because Grandfather (really, is there something wrong with “Grandpa”? Do people really call him Grandfather??) said so. Now, Serena deserves a little hurt now and then seeing what she’s pulled on other people, but I was really on her side hoping to get Carter Basin back safe and sound….without the rough hands of an oil rig guy. What? He’s hot and I love having a date with him every Monday.

But Carter Basin isn’t coming back, at least for now. And S may never forgive Nate for playing her way better than she played poker.

And that’s where the episode ended. But, as we all know, the games do not. They never end for this UES crowd. Especially considering next week is Halloween.

You know you love them.

XOXO,
GGR

Yesterday was the best day ever.

First, my Communications teacher decided to show Gossip Girl in our class and then the CW broadcast a fabulous new episode and finally developed the “Rufus Humphrey’s kid is hiding out in New York” plot line.  Oh, and I got to see Dan Humphrey do a Walk of Shame.

Yay, life.

Ok, so yeah, I was jumping up and down when Scott was finally ready to admit who he was. And then the moment actually happened – or didn’t. Turns out that Scott kid is more Humphrey than I thought – he didn’t have the balls to come out and tell the Humphrey-clan his true identity. The only one who knows right now is Vanessa, and, let’s be real, that girl can’t keep her mouth shut for an entire subway ride to Brooklyn. (Disclaimer: I really don’t like Vanessa and will take every excuse to bash her.)  As soon as she learns the smallest of details, she has to go spilling it to everyone and poor Scott’s life is going to be turned up-side-down.

Does that mean that hottie will be back for more episodes? We can only hope.

But all that Humphrey drama didn’t ruin the entire 60-minutes for me. In fact, Georgina saved it. How much do you love  that the bitch in Georgina Sparks is finally back? And how much does it skeeve you out that she’s become so…creepy?  Did anyone else notice a picture-perfect version of her and Dan on her shiny paper-thin MacBook Air? I know most of her motivation in life comes from getting back at Blair, but I think this love/obsession for Dan is real. And really creepy. We can all bet that Dan is going to pay for his wanting to keep-things-casual attitude towards her; once you’re in bed with Georgina Sparks, you are probably going to have to crawl your way out.

Personally, I love the whole manipulative side to her.  The Jesus lover was freaking me out, the nice girl act was just boring and this “I heart Dan” thing is weird.  This drama is much more my style and I can’t wait to see more of that. Bring out the claws, woman.

In the business world of New York, Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf bid on a photo – Blair to climb up in the New York social world, and Chuck to impress his future business partners.  Poor B still doesn’t have any friends at school, but apparently Chuck is buying a hotel now, so at least she’ll have her pick of rooms when she wants to take out her frustrations on a certain Bass.  That’s gotta make the girl feel better, right? I know when my super rich boyfriend bought a hotel….wait. No I don’t.

And for those who are also too cool for school, Serena van Der Woodsen is playing couple with Carter Basin…who is much less cute now that he is broke.  But she did date Dan Humphrey, so maybe she likes saving those helpless boys.

Things to look forward to: Finding out why Bree Buckley hates Carter Basin so much.  I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume it has something to do with money. Doesn’t it always?  Also to look forward to:  shirtless Nate Archibald. Where was he (and those pecks) this episode?

Highlight of the show: Georgina making her way to Boston to mess with Scott. Just because he’s in a different area code doesn’t mean Georgina can’t get her claws into him.

Until next week…
You know you love them.

XOXO.
GGR
(Gossip Girl Recapper)

Thank you, television Gods.

For a week there, I thought that my beloved Gossip Girl was destined to go the way of The O.C., becoming a drama where the only superior things were wardrobe choices. But after watching episode two of the season, it seems that the drama and romance we cannot live without is here to stay and growing better by the week.

And the guys are looking so. much. hotter. College did those boys gooood.

Well, for some. For Chuck Bass it was that businessman/entrepreneurial drive that turned up his sexy factor. That boy looks good when he’s holding meetings with rich old guys to get his restaurant/sex club off the ground. Too bad dear old stepsister Serena seems to thwart him at every turn. Poor Chuck finally has a vision and a plan to do something great in the future and Serena goes and ruins it for him.

If she didn’t have such an amazing wardrobe (that orange romper? I die) I’d totally hate her. She’s become the annoying little sister and has a knack for messing everything up. I’m pretty sure the same will be said (in 4 episodes, max) of her new relationship with super hottie, Carter Basin.

On the other side of New York – the lower side – Blair finally discovers that Georgina Sparks is going to be her roommate. As Blair tries to win over the plebeian college kids with overpriced sushi and fine dining, Dan and Georgina embrace the “cheap beer, loud music” lifestyle and find themselves on the top of the college social totem pole (who knew that even existed anyway?). Looks like Prada dresses and headbands with big bows don’t matter at NYU if you can’t talk about alternative music and cool camera angles…but does Dan Humphrey really have what it takes to stay on top? Sure, he managed to save one “wild” college party and humiliate Blair, but if we know anything about B, she’ll bounce back, with not a hair out of place. After all, everyone knows that nobody actually remembers what happens the first week of college, anyway.

And where were Nate and Bree? Spending the whole day in bed, of course. They have to be mentioned because any partially clothed scenes of Chace Crawford are worth mentioning, but that’s about all there is to them.

Things to look forward to: the upcoming war between Blair and Georgina. My money is on Blair, but scenes from next week (naked man in Blair’s bed, evil Georgina Sparks eyes) means that Blair is sure to be stepped on a little bit before she can claw her way back up to the top. Also, Dan’s half-brother is still there, still biding his time, still hooking up with Vanessa. Please just spill your guts already! That drama is long overdue.

Storyline the writers just had to throw in: Lonely boy Dan and re-born Georgina Sparks waking up together after her party. Nobody cares anymore. (Editor’s Note: Excuse me? Nobody cares?! I guffawed! Audibly!) However, I’m sure it’s going to bother Serena, and then maybe we can see some of that Season 1 Dan-Serena sexual tension onscreen. If that’s where this storyline is going, then I’m all for it.

Highlight of the show: Blair crawling into bed with Chuck, falling asleep, and making us all wish we were her. Forgive me for being a sap, but I’m hoping they stay semi-functional for a while. I could use some romance in my life.

Until next week…
You know you love them.

XOXO.
GGR (Gossip Girl Recapper)