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Gossip Girl: "It's a Wonderful Lie" & "O' Brother Where Bart Thou?"

As the temperature falls along the Upper East Side, the lives of the famed Manhattan Elite just keep getting hotter and hotter. This winter, CW's Gossip Girl is predicting a scorcher!  

With the annual Snowflake Ball just around the corner, Blair Waldorf finds herself reviewing prospective dates. To her dismay, none of them seem up to the task of meeting her discriminating standards. Bad Boy Chuck Bass is in the same position, and after some negotiation, the two agree to find dates for one another. To sweeten the pot, Chuck offers his limo to Blair for a month if she can find him a suitable mate, while Blair offers Chuck the temporary use of Dorota, her maid, if he can do the same.

Serena van der Woodsen, meanwhile, continues to date the free-spirited Aaron Rose. Although pleasant on the surface, she quickly learns his limits as he flatly refuses to accompany her to the Snowflake Ball. Dan Humphrey agrees to take her, but quickly becomes preoccupied upon meeting Lexi, Aaron's ex-girlfriend. To Serena's chagrin, Dan quickly reverses course, and invites Lexi to the Snowflake Ball. Annoyed, Serena twists Aaron's arm over his resistance to the ball, to which he finally breaks down and agrees. 

The evening begins as Aaron makes it clear to Serena that Lexi intends on sleeping with Dan. Confiding in Dan, Serena is offended by his excitement over Lexi, and accuses him of not taking their most intimate times seriously. Meanwhile, Serena's level of intimacy with Aaron is questioned by Blair, and as a result, Serena ironically decides to give it all to Aaron after the ball. Visiting together after the festivities, Dan and Serena make up, but not enough to discourage them from finishing the night with other people. The two end the night by going in separate directions.

Blair and Chuck arrive at the ball with each other's dates, but are dismayed by the results. Looking more like lesser versions of the other, the pair quickly forget their respective sponsor, and start kissing each other. Sensing all may be lost, Blair and Chuck swallow their pride, and dance with each other to finish the evening.

Little Jenny Humphrey, meanwhile, is encouraged by the return of her friend, Vanessa Abrams. After the messy spat over Nate Archibald, Jenny is thrilled to move past their differences and continue their relationship. Vanessa is a little less eager to forgive, however, and chooses to lie about her feelings for Nate, while still hiding Nate's letter. The truth is instead left to Gossip Girl, who soon publishes a picture of Vanessa and Nate kissing.

 

Adding further complication, Jenny agrees to design a ball gown for ex-classmate, and member of Blair's crowd, Penelope. Still reeling from Vanessa's lie, Jenny is surprised to hear that the girls also resent Vanessa, and are looking for any opportunity to embarrass her.  Sensing an opportunity, Jenny agrees to lend a dress to Vanessa that is completely see-through under heavy light. Although successful, Jenny's mettle is thwarted as she finds out beforehand that Vanessa is planning on confessing about the letter, and breaking up with Nate.  After Vanessa is humiliated, Jenny is forced to confront an angry Nate, who tells her that he is disappointed in her. Running after Vanessa, Nate shows her his true feelings, and the two share a romantic cab ride. 

Lily van der Woodsen faces her own set of challenges with her husband, Bart Bass. Meeting him face-to-face after the debacle over the private investigator, Lily lets him know that he is not forgiven, and that she has been avoiding him. While she does invite him to the Snowflake Ball, she is devastated to learn--in a following phone call--that he is speaking to his Private Investigator. Fearing the worst, she comes to the ball, and tells his secretary she'd rather be alone.

  

At the party, Lily reconnects with Rufus Humphrey, and lets him know that she's decided to seek a divorce from Bart. In a heartbreaking moment, Rufus finally shows his love for her, and admits that if he had gone to the wedding, that he would not have been able to see her get married. Chuck quickly notices the pair, and places a call to Bart. Learning of Lily's potential affection towards Rufus, Bart asks his private eye for the one piece of sensitive information that was not on any of her records: why Lily was institutionalized.

A mere second later, Bart Bass--father, husband, and founder of Bass Industries is dead. The car Bart is riding in crashes, killing Bart instantly, and leaving Lily to manage the increasingly difficult factions within her family. Adding to her worries is a message from Bart before the collision, letting her know that he is aware of her relationship with Rufus, and that he knows her secret.

Her secret, it turns out, is being marketed to the highest bidder by one of Bass's private investigators. Chuck, however, is the only bidder, and while he initially calls Lily a"whore"for it, it is something that he decides to destroy instead of releasing it publicly.

Chuck suffers tremendously following the loss of his father. In addition to arriving late to the funeral with a head full of alcohol, he lashes out at Dan for his attendance by directly blaming Rufus for his father's death. Furthermore, back at home, Chuck even tears apart the apartment just so he can find his father's will. In a panic, Chuck tries to leave, and even coldly blows off Eric van der Woodsen. Blair follows, and even her heartfelt proclamation of love cannot stop him.

 

Lily, meanwhile, faces equally challenging decisions. She completes much of the planning for the funeral, while balancing the weight of her entire family and the arrival of her mother, CeCe. From the inside, CeCe learns quickly about Lily and Rufus, and instantly discourages Lily from ever seeing Rufus in that way again. To the contrary, Lily does see him again, and even wins the approval of Serenawho is no longer dating Dan. CeCe responds by telling Rufus Lily's big secret, which in turn plays out as the new "couple" begin their winter vacation. Assuming it was a pregnancy that sent Lily to be rehabilitated, Rufus asks: "So is it a boy or a girl?" 

At the same time, Serena is at a rare loss of words as Aaron asks her to vacation with him in Buenos Aires. Unsure, she asks Dan for his advice, but he refuses to give her an easy answer. Realizing later that he would rather not see Serena leave for Christmas, Dan visits Serena to give her a more heartfelt answer. It is too late, though, and Serena responds by telling him that she has moved on, and that she has decided to leave.

Cyrus Rose, meanwhile, asks Eleanor Waldorf if they can move the wedding date up to the very next day. Jenny steps in and offers to make a wedding suit for Eleanor, and after some hesitation, she agrees. An intimate affair, the wedding is celebrated with the likes of Blair and Dorota.

 

On Monday, January 5th, Gossip Girl returns with "In the Realm of the Basses," an episode that promises to answer some of our most burning questions. With the death of his father still fresh, can Chuck recover from his temporary insanity? Meanwhile, can Blair defend Serena, Lily, and Chuck from The Colony Club?

Will someone's life be altered forever?

To find out, stay tuned and stay fashionable,

--Alaythia 

Gossip Girl: "Bonfire of the Vanity" & "The Magnificent Archibalds"

   

Although the air on the Upper East Side may be cold as ice, the drama provided by "Bonfire of the Vanity" and "The Magnificent Archibalds" is searing the lives of the Manhattan Elite on CW's Gossip Girl.

After submitting his Chuck Bass-inspired story to famed author Noah Shapiro, Dan Humphrey is overjoyed when the author finally agrees to write him an academic recommendation. Dan's excitement is short-lived, however, as he learns that Shapiro has larger plans for the story. Inviting a prominent writer from New York Magazine, Shapiro advertises the opportunity for further investigative journalism into the history of Bart Bass. Dan reluctantly agrees, and meets the elder Bass under the guise of being interested in construction.

While the meeting is mostly cordial, Dan plants the seed for future meetings by flattering Bart, and comparing him to his own father. Bart agrees, but Dan's plan backfires as Chuck soon catches him going into a meeting with New York Magazine. In a final showdown, Dan tries to trap Bart by inquiring into an insurance fraud scandal that is leaked by an employee of Bass Industries. Bart confesses--but only seconds before Chuck runs in, and reveals the truth about Dan.

   

Remorseful, Dan sees the fear in Chuck's eyes, and the pain in his voice as he pleads with him. In a final act of contrition, Dan hands over the manuscript and apologizes, and Bart finally gets the opportunity to see Chuck for who he is. Bart, in turn apologizes, and lets Chuck know that he never blamed him for the death of his mother. Reunited in many ways, the two decide to attend a hockey game together.

With her eighteenth birthday finally on its way, Blair Waldorf begins to make preparations for the party with her friends. She also expresses excitement over meeting her mother, Eleanor Waldorf's new boyfriend, Cyrus Rose. Their first meeting, however, is not what she expected, as Blair discovers that Cyrus is "five feet tall, has a catch-phrase, and is a hugger." Furthermore, she is furious when Cyrus decides to invite Eleanor to a Cyndi Lauper concert on the night of her birthday party.

 

Venting about Cyrus to Serena, Blair decides to get even and dig up all the secrets she possibly can about him. The plan fails, however, as Cyrus outwits her--and while she does digs up some juicy tidbits about an affair he once had, he is one step ahead and invites Cyndi Lauper to Blair's birthday party. Knowing that Blair would tell Eleanor about the affair, and that Eleanor would naturally break up with him, Cyrus uses Lauper as the means of pulling on Blair's heart strings. It works, and Blair runs out to apologize--only to realize that she's been outwitted. Nevertheless, Cyrus is invited back in, and by the next morning, Cyrus and Eleanor announce plans to move in together.

    

Blair does not take well to the new living arrangement, however, and becomes especially irritated with Cyrus's apparent trampling of the Waldorf's Thanksgiving traditions. To add insult to injury, Dorota, the maid, alerts Blair to the impending engagement between Cyrus and Eleanor, and the announcement of it, which she says will happen at Thanksgiving dinner. Fed up with the whole situation, and saddened by the emptiness created by the loss of one major tradition--the presence of her father--Blair decides to skip the family's Thanksgiving party.

   

Walking around Manhattan with Dorota, Blair is able to keep her location a secret until she gives it to Serena, who in turn gives it to Eleanor. Driving over to pick up Blair, Eleanor confesses two secrets: the engagement, but also the arrival of Blair's father. The holiday made complete, Blair resolves to enjoy a new holiday tradition with a new kind of family.

 

Meanwhile, Serena van der Woodsen continues her rocky relationship with an artist named Aaron Rose, who happens to be the son of Cyrus Rose. Finding herself the recipient of a number of romantic surprises, she is equally heartbroken by the number of women that Aaron constantly surrounds himself with. Days after calling her his "muse," the situation comes to a head as Serena finds Aaron having dinner with another one of his female "friends". Angrily confronting him, Aaron responds by explaining that he enjoys having more than one girlfriend at a time. Storming out, Serena declares her unhappiness, but softens as he soon returns to her side. Determined to work against all odds, Serena declares her love for him, and the two take a walk in the park.

     

Despite the pair's reconciliation, the problems nevertheless seem to mount against them. Although Aaron suddenly decides to see Serena exclusively, she feels the need to mask much of her past. Because Aaron is a recovering alcoholic, Serena proclaims that she doesn't drink either. However, her ex-boyfriend Dan unknowingly brings up the fact that Serena enjoys wine when he bumps into Aaron at the supermarket. When Aaron confronts Serena about it, she proclaims that Dan is lying, which in turn causes Aaron to confront Dan. Finally remembering her conscience, Serena gives Aaron all of her personal information from Bart's file, with the request that after reading it, he would tell her if he still wanted to be with her. Refusing to read it, the pair finally begins talking honestly. 

        

Meanwhile, little Jenny Humphrey and her model friend, Agnes, work on pitching a fashion line to various business managers. They fail miserably, however, because they cannot agree upon anything, nor can they remain professional during their business meetings. While Jenny is determined to succeed, Agnes has many other priorities, such as drinking, which cause her to break her word. After a night of partying, Jenny finally rips into Agnes, and steals the phone number of the last manager they interviewed with.

Calling him back, Jenny sets up a private meeting with the manager, but is frustrated when she learns that she must get permission of a parent to officially begin her contract with the business management agency. To make matters worse, one wrong call from the agency lets Agnes know of Jenny's plans, and by the time Jenny returns home to Agnes's apartment, Agnes had set all of Jenny's dresses aflame. Crying, Jenny returns home to her father, Rufus Humphrey, but leaves in a huff when he won't give in to her emotional blackmail and refuses to sign the management agreement. Storming out, Jenny is forced to sleep at Rufus's gallery.

With nowhere else to go, Jenny turns to Eric van der Woodsen for assistance. Crashing at the van der Woodsen-Bass apartment while Bart and Lily are away, Jenny finds a friend in Eric, who is willing to help her regardless of the situation. Learning that the only way to become an independent designer is to become legally emancipated, Eric comes with Jenny as she navigates the frightening legal and emotional ramifications of taking such decisive action.

Rufus and Lily also soon learn of Jenny's recent living arrangement, and Lily tries first to talk to Jenny. Failing for the most part, Rufus tries a sympathetic approach, and although he is also shot down, Jenny appears almost ready to come home. The turning point occurs on Thanksgiving Day, as Jenny runs into Blair. Letting her know how lucky she is, Blair confesses that she wishes that she had a parent like Rufus. When Eleanor comes to find Blair, Jenny finally returns home in their car.

Eric is also involved in another piece of drama, as a cheating boyfriend reveals a dark side to Bart's involvement with his family. The drama starts as Eric confesses a loss of feelings for his current boyfriend. Bart responds with a tantalizing tip about some illicit affair that Eric's boyfriend is having, but cannot figure out how Bart acquired this knowledge. Asking Chuck, Bart's source of knowledge is revealed, as it becomes evident that Bart has been playing "Big Brother" on the family since they met. Chuck reveals that his father, Bart, has files on each member of the family's past. When Lily realizes what Bart has done, she angrily confronts him, but he offers no remorse. Lily in turn punishes Bart by cancelling Thanksgiving, and taking Eric over to the Humphreys for Thanksgiving dinner. 

 

Nate Archibald, meanwhile, is put in an awkward position with the sudden return of his father, Captain Archibald. Telling Nate that he was able to stash some money offshore, he asks that the three of them flee to the Caribbean. The invitation is much more than it seems, though, as the FBI suspects the Captain of plotting to kidnap his own family, and make it look like a hostage situation to extort money out his wife's wealthy parents, the Vanderbilts.

Contacted by the FBI first, Vanessa Abrams in turn calls Chuck Bass who begins to plan an intervention of sorts. Telling Nate the full scope of the situation, the attention quickly turns as to whether or not he should turn his father in. Deciding to do the right thing, Nate gives an advance warning to his father, but encourages him to simply give himself up to the authorities. He does, and he is finally arrested without incident. The Archibalds are also allowed to move back into their home. 

Vanessa and Nate also continue to sort out their feelings for one another as Vanessa remains concerned as to Nate's true feelings for Jenny. At the Thanksgiving party held at the Humphrey's, Vanessa finds an un-opened note written by Nate to Jenny in which he describes his feelings for her. Vanessa steals the letter in an attempt to squelch any feelings between the two.

On Monday, December 1st, Gossip Girl returns with a fresh coat of drama in "It's a Wonderful Lie." With the annual Snowflake Ball approaching, Blair and Chuck will make a bet that they can find the ideal dates for one another. Meanwhile, Aaron's ex-girlfriend, Lexi, will express an interest in Dan, which will in-turn create conflicted feelings for Serena. And Nate, Jenny, and Vanessa will get into a tangled triangle that puts their friendships and hearts on the line.

Who will be the belle of the ball, and who will simply be left out in the cold...

To find out, stay tuned and stay fashionable,

-- Alaythia

Former FIDM Student Preston Lee Makes Top Design Finale!

Former FIDM Student Preston Lee made the season finale of the hit show, Top Design 2, which aired Wednesday night on Bravo. 

Along with competitors Nathan and Ondine, Preston was asked to design an entire townhouse! The winner, would receive $100,000 and a spread in Elle Decor Magazine.

Although he unfortunately did not win the show, an overwhelming 64% of viewers felt that he should have! The actual winner of the show, Nathan, received only 26% of the vote.

Ever the professional, Preston stood by his flawless design aesthetic, and kept his head held high.

To view the final three townhouses, visit the Rate the Room feature on Bravotv.com.

Don't worry, Preston, you are most certainly our winner!!

-- Alaythia 

Find out more about the program that launched Preston's career, the Interior Design Major at FIDM: The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising! 

Gossip Girl: "Pret-a-Poor-J" & "There Might Be Blood"

College Week may be over, but as "Pret-a-Poor-J" and "There Might Be Blood" show, the drama is just getting started on CW's Gossip Girl.

Queen B Blair Waldorf is still reeling over Chuck Bass's stunning request that she tell him that she loves him. Fearing a one-sided "I Love You" could change her influence over their relationship, she initially refuses, but her mettle is soon tested as he punishes her by withholding intimacy. In an effort to win Chuck, Blair begins taking the advice of Dan Humphrey, who is encouraged to help her by his own ex-lover and Blair's best friend, Serena van der Woodsen. Responding to one of his suggestions, she uses her own appeal to set up an impromptu date at a bar, but she is shot down as "desperate" by Chuck, who thinks she is "boring." At the urging of Serena, Blair takes another shot at Chuck, and meets him at home, but fails again as her recognizes a message on her phone which implies that he would be "easy." The drama finally comes to a climax as Dan calms Blair's nerves, and after describing his feelings of love for Serena, Blair sends Chuck a suggestive message which reads,"You Win, Tonight." Intent on finally telling Chuck she loves him, Blair is tragically derailed at the last moment by an angry Dan, who--after talking to Vanessa Abrams--wants only for Blair and Chuck to fail. She cannot say the words, and Blair and Chuck are forced to return to their old roles as antagonistic, occasional-lovers.

Blair must also deal with the aftermath of a poor College Week, which suddenly puts her plans to attend Yale in question. Earning an audience with one of Yale's largest benefactors, Blair plans on using the time to discuss her own attributes. With Serena at her side, however, the meeting spirals into nothing more than praise for her best friend. In an effort to make a final impression, Serena offers Blair as a possible movie companion for the donor's child, Emma, who is described as a "Harry Potter and ice cream" fan. Anything but a child, though, Emma is a hormonally-charged teen, who wants nothing more than to beat her friend Muffy McDonnell to intimate relations. Threatened by Emma's close relationship with Yale's dean, Blair's stress skyrockets as Emma disappears, first from the side of Chuck (whom she propositions) and later downtown, at a bar.

Ironically, while her daughter is trying to meet a man, the plot takes a further turn as Blair and Serena catch Emma's mother at the same bar, locking lips with a man that is not her husband. Thinking she could use it for blackmail, Blair takes a picture, but Serena objects to the use of the picture to further degrade the family. The saga finally ends as Chuck persuades Gossip Girl to post a false story about Muffy's loss of virginity, and Emma decides to give up. Returning home with Emma, Blair is welcomed to the sounds of yelling and insults courtesy of her Emma's mother. Wanting to use the "smoking gun" as punishment, she decides to take Serena's advice and avoid hurting the family. Clearly appreciative, Emma rewards Blair by talking to the dean, and convincing him to accept Blair into Yale.  

Jenny Humphrey's career as a fashion designer, meanwhile, is coming with it's very own set of difficulties. Left out of Eleanor Waldorf's meetings with buyers, Jenny begins to adopt a rather more selfish attitude towards her work. Once content to be a part of Eleanor's line, she chooses to adopt the advice of two friends, Agnes, one of Eleanor's models, and Max, Agnes's boyfriend and a photographer. Poisoning her loyalty, the two encourage her to drop responsibilities, and in a blow-out, even quit Eleanor's design house all together. Instead of going back to school, Agnes convinces Jenny to start her own line, and promote it without the knowledge of either her father, Rufus Humphrey, or her brother, Dan Humphrey.

 

While new love interest Nate Archibald finds out about her plans early on, Jenny continues to keep the collection a secret until the very last minute. Designing clothes with fabric purchased for mere pennies, Jenny is forced to pump out a new collection to satisfy Agnes's newfound passion in her career. Calling it a "guerilla" fashion show, Jenny finally reveals to Nate that she plans on releasing her line by hijacking the festivities of the New York Philanthropic Society. Ridiculously, her father Rufus doesn't even figure out what's happening until only a few hours before the show, leaving himself, Dan, and Vanessa scrambling to stop Jenny.

  

While the bulk of the show is a success--including the flashing lights, bouncing pictures, and pulsing music--the damage to Jenny and her family is irreparable. Assuming criminal charges would be brought, Rufus volunteers Jenny for arrest. However, Lily van der Woodsen steps in as the guest of honor at the event and assures the officer that no charges will be pressed. In addition to avoiding the law, Jenny has her hands even more full in her personal life. Because of a picture found on Gossip Girl, her brother Dan finds out that his friend Nate has feelings for Jenny, which not only prompts Dan to kick Nate out of the house, but also destroys Jenny's relationship with Vanessa. Agnes and Max, meanwhile, successfully taint Jenny's very own ideas of family and independence, and within 24 hours after the show, Dan and Rufus wake up to find her missing. Even Dan, who condemns Jenny's actions, decides to take Jenny's lead, and in a vicious way--after learning that he will not be accepted into Yale with his current writing style, decides to play character assassin by telling the story of Chuck Bass.

 

The ever popular, Serena, meanwhile, meets Aaron Rose, a quiet young artist who is showing at Rufus Humphrey's gallery. While an attraction between the pair is evident, the idea of pursuing a new relationship becomes difficult as Serena struggles with the continuing presence of her ex-boyfriend Dan. Intrigued by a riddle involving a caterpillar, Serena experiences an epiphany of sorts, and soon realizes that Aaron is an old childhood friend. Her acceptance of him, however, is tested by the continuous stream of women in his life, and after the third time of either seeing a girl run up to him or listening to one answer his cell phone, Serena vows to quit the triangle. His luring words prove too much, however, and she agrees to have dinner with him.

     

Next Monday's episode of Gossip Girl, "Bonfire of the Vanity" will have the not-so-little Jenny moving in with Agnes as they move forward with their plans for a fashion line. Meanwhile, Eleanor Waldorf will get a new boyfriend whom her daughter Blair will despise and Dan will try to win the trust of Bart Bass in order to expose secrets about the Bass family. With promises of destruction coming from the devil himself, Chuck Bass, this episode will be more explosive than Independence Day. To find out how the lives of The Social Elite unravel,

Stay Tuned and Stay Fashionable,

-- Alaythia

P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for a guest appearance from 80's icon Cyndi Lauper!

Gossip Girl: "New Haven Can Wait" & "Chuck In Real Life"

Following the runway drama of the previous week, the episodes "New Haven Can Wait" and "Chuck In Real Life" reveal another important chapter in the lives of the Manhattan Elite on CW's Gossip Girl.

Queen B Blair Waldorf is frustrated to learn that her BFF Serena van der Woodsen's star is rising after her model display at New York Fashion Week. Waking up in the morning to another photo of Serena on Page Six, the society column of the newspaper, Blair is determined to beat Serena at something they've planned their entire lives for: college. Serena's plan has always been to attend Brown, while Blair's has always been to attend Yale. That all changes, however, after Serena recieves an invitation from the Chancellor of Yale, and Blair inadvertently encourages her to use it by mocking her choice of Brown. The two head off to New Haven, neither knowing of the other one's plans.

Once on campus, the drama between Serena and Blair unfolds rapidly. After a spectacular admissions interview for Serena--and a disasterous one for Blair--the two friends engage in a battle for the heart of Yale's Chancellor. While Serena is formally invited to an important party at his house, Blair bribes his secretary for the same invitation. While rumor of early admissions holds the main motivation for attendance, the appearance of status ultimately drives the pair to sabotage one another.

A secret ballot, in fact, proves more than Blair can handle, and as Serena steals Blair's answer to The Chancellor's question, Blair is compelled to remove Serena's ballot and rewrite it. Replacing an accurate answer with the name of Pete Fairman, the boy that Serena feels she is responsible for killing, Blair and Serena are forced to confront each other. Picking up her shoe, Blair throws it at Serena, and hits her in the head. After a physical brawl, the two decide to walk away from one another, but reconcile in the morning, as each one's guilt prompted an early morning visit to The Chancellor. As it turns out, Serena is guaranteed admissions, but Blair must wait like everyone else to discover if she is accepted. However, Serena's fate is not the result of hard work, but merely a ploy by The Chancellor to include a mix of models and socialites into Yale's student body.

Upon returning back to Manhattan, Blair openly continues to flirt with bad boy Chuck Bass, but chooses to keep him from acting on his desires, physically. She is also approached by Vanessa Abrams, who asks her surprisingly, to gather signatures in the hopes of saving a landmark bar in Brooklyn. When she flagrantly dismisses the idea, Vanessa pulls out her phone, revealing an explicit photo of Blair's ex, Lord Marcus, and his step-mother, Duchess Catherine Beaton. Blair in turn, contacts Chuck for help.

Asking him to put down a fake offer on the building to negate the need for the petition, she also asks that he seduce Vanessa and break her heart. The plan implodes, however, as Chuck finds himself lacking motivation--to which Blair offers an intimate encounter with herself as added payment. However, Chuck finds himself actually thinking of buying the property, and showing slight feelings for Vanessa. Stunned, Blair calls off the deal to pull Chuck off Vanessa, and finally kills the entire arrangement as she deletes the dreaded picture from Vanessa's phone. Blair, who is finally relieved, tells Chuck that he can take his payment, but even that fails as Chuck suddenly wants Blair to tell him that she loves him. Unable to do so, he states that he can no longer chase after her, and he leaves.

   

In addition to Blair-related worries, Serena is equally troubled by family affairs. In the hopes of creating greater family unity, her mother Lily van der Woodsen and her new step-father Bart Bass team up to create a new set of family rules. Involving a weekend curfew and stricter guidelines on school nights, the rules are the immediate effect of Bart's return to the family. While Serena complains loudly and openly, she eventually decides to temporarily accept them on the advice of her brother Eric van der Woodsen, who is willing to give them a chance. The harmony is short-lived, however, as step-brother Chuck informs Serena that the only reason Bart instituted the rules, was to prevent Serena from ruining the family's reputation, and in turn his business deals.

Serena immediately begins to rebel even harder, choosing to go out in a slinky dress on a school night, and challenging Lily on Bart's authority as a father-figure. The scene finally explodes as Serena is forced to pretend that she is part of a normal, healthy American family for Bart's business clients. Bringing up Lily's several other husbands, Serena talks about drugs and other unsavory topics before storming out the door. Looking for someone to talk to, Serena accidentally finds her ex-boyfriend Dan Humphrey who promises to listen. Explaining the entire situation to him, she calms down, and before long, finds Bart waiting for her in a limo. Arriving back at the house, Lily and Serena make up, and joined by Eric and Bart, the four sit as a family.

Lonely boy Dan, meanwhile, continues to work on his writing, while struggling to earn acceptance to Yale. Speaking to The Chancellor, he is dissapointed to learn that his application is lacking a sufficient written recommendation. Advised to find a Yale professor to look at his work, Dan finds a girl in the English department to help him, but is surprised to find that she is also Nate Archibald's love interest. Furthermore, she knows Nate as Dan Humphrey after Nate becomes fearful of being recognized as Captain Archibald's son.

 

The day grows even more problematic for Dan, as Chuck decides to participate in an individualized rush for Skull and Bones, Yale's secret society. As the ultimate test of loyalty, Chuck is asked to capture Nate, his best friend. Wanting Nate to avoid such a terrible fate, Chuck involves Dan by declaring him to be Nate, and earning him an almost naked display, tied to a center pole in the middle of the campus. Nate, who ends up finding out later, rescues Dan with the help of his new love interest. When the group finds out that Chuck has lied to them, he blackmails the members with incriminating photos, taken during a session with paid women of Chuck's provision. In addition to being let go, Chuck claims superiority over the legendary group.

Back in Manhattan, Dan finds Nate's personal life concerning. While the two have become fast friends and Dan has even joined the school's soccer team, Nate continues to avoid the subject of his living situation. The problem comes to a head as Dan realizes that Nate's home has been seized, his mother has moved out, and that he is currently squatting in his old home. Discussing that matter with his sister, Jenny Humphrey, Dan eventually confronts Nate with what he knows, and offers to give Nate a place to stay. Rejecting it the first time, a second offer is all it takes, and Nate agrees to move in with Dan.

Meanwhile, Jenny faces a number of difficult challenges as her relationship with Eleanor Waldorf grows. Completing the show successfully, Jenny's passion and talent for the fashion industry is no secret to anyone. It is, however, worrisome for her father, Rufus Humphrey, who sincerely cannot stand the idea of his only daughter dropping out of school at just 15. Bringing in Vanessa as an example, Jenny offers home schooling as an alternative, but Rufus denies that option as well. With little room left to maneuver, Jenny asks Rufus to simply watch her in action, doing what she loves, and he agrees.

Watching her in the workroom, Rufus is impressed, but still cannot come to terms with taking her out of school. Thinking of Eleanor as a possible "out," he asks if she would be willing to fire Jenny, to which she absolutely refuses. With no other alternative, Rufus gives Jenny a "no," which absolutely crushes her. Thinking about his own artistic career, however, gives him reason to pause, and after speaking with his former love interest Lily, Rufus changes his mind. Vanessa helps Jenny start home schooling, while keeping her position for Eleanor.

In next week's episode, "Pret-a-Poor-J," Jenny will make friends with a model who will encourage Jenny to confront Eleanor Waldorf about "borrowing" her designs. Serena, meanwhile, meets an artist and realizes they have instant chemistry, while Blair tries to seduce Chuck. To find out how the lives of The Social Elite unravel,

Stay Tuned and Stay Fashionable,

-- Alaythia

Project Runway: Finale Part Two

Capping this summer's most thrilling ride, Wednesday night saw the finale of television's most beloved reality show, Project Runway. After thirteen intense weeks of competition, FIDM's very own Leanne Marshall, Florida native Kenley Collins, and Liberian born designer Korto Momolu squared off in the hopes of winning on fashion's greatest stage, the runway at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City.

Mentor Tim Gunn began the episode by announcing that each designer would need to edit their runway collection from twelve pieces to ten. Before they could start, however, Gunn alerted the designers to the start of model selections, and led them to a smaller area for immediate work. Asked to pick an additional nine models, the designers were greeted by a number of high-profile names, including Danielle and Bianca from CW's America's Next Top Model. While the selection process was mostly respectful, another round of drama involving Kenley arose, as Leanne bristled at her competitor's seemingly endless advice of "which models to pick."

 

Back in the workroom, Gunn visited with the designers again to "get a sense" of their collections. Visiting with Kenley first, the interaction between the two quickly deteriorated as Gunn critiqued the multi-colored adornment on a short, purple dress in her collection. Calling the rope embellishment "arbitrary" and "contrived" she responded, "Tim doesn't like the rope--I do, so I'm leaving it. My decisions are final!" The two continued on, as Gunn openly questioned the idea of putting Kenley's model, Topacio, in the wedding dress from last week's elimination. Openly challenging him, she took him to task for mentioning last week's comments from judging panel, which called her a "knock-off." Interrupting him, she yelled, "They've done that four times to me already, and I'm sick of it.  It's insulting, and I did not take my work from anyone else!"

Conversely, Gunn's visit with Leanne and Korto was far less dramatic. While Leanne debated which piece to remove from her collection, Korto found it difficult to remove her wedding dress from her overall presentation. Calling it a "gut" decision, she pledged to stand by her collection and "love it." Reassessing her overall look, however, encouraged her to reinvent part of it, and as a result, Korto made the decision to create two new pieces: the first, a short dress with long, billowy sleeves; the second, a single-strapped evening gown.

As the clothing received final touches, the designers' sights were simultaneously set on completing other preparations for the show. Visiting Collier Strong in the L'Oreal Paris Makeup Room and Jeanie Syfu from Tresemme Professional Haircare, the designers added a variety of aesthetic details towards creating the final runway look. In one final "gather round," Gunn told the designers that the order at Bryant Park would be Kenley, Korto, and finally Leanne. Hugging them, he gave them his best, and told them that he was eagerly awaiting the show.

Waking up at 3:00 AM, the day of the final runway show brought the designers down to Bryant Park for an early look at the facility. As the show grew closer, the designers were surprised with the help of college-age students to assist in the preparation of all ten looks. While Leanne and Korto accepted the help, Kenley again proved to be difficult, refusing to let them touch any of her outfits. Leanne, meanwhile, faced an unexpected challenge, as the top of one of her outfits was stretched to a point of not fitting her model. The result of over-steaming, Leanne was forced to make a last-minute switch, and dress her muse model, Tia, in a long-blue gown.