We're Late For Parent's Weekend! Da7e and Muse correct Gossip Girl

If we ever turned in an academic paper as late as we’re posting this week’s Gossip Girl NYU fact checking, we wouldn’t have graduated.

Just kidding: we totally would have. The good thing about going to the arts school within a large university is the lax requirements once you fulfill your Freshman obligations. Simply, papers are for suckers. You hear that, Chris Stahl, teacher of Writing The Essay? Suckers!

Muse: Lax requirements once you finish your Freshmen year obligations? I turned in my ITS paper Freshman year weeks after school ended, from the comfort of my Los Angeles home, and STILL got an A in the class. No joke. Now back to your regularly scheduled program...

Season 3 might have started slow for the former Constance Gossips, but now that Georgina is out of the way and Blair has expanded her rule over the couple’s formally shared dorm, the Queen B is back to trying to be queen, this time by giving a toast at the Parent’s Week dinner.

Her first reality obstacle? Such a toast doesn’t exist. But at least the inaccuracies lead us to a good old hidden microphone gag that worked pretty well, because it derailed the reality train around the time Vanessa started lying even though Olivia would have totally let her give the toast.

The idiocy of Vanessa is like the first yellow leaf in fall: the show is getting back into its rhythm where Vanessa and Dan are dumb as rocks, Blair and Chuck mix loving with fighting and no one gives a shit about Nate or Serena’s plotlines.

Let’s go!



Season 3, Episode 6: “Enough About Eve”
Aired: 10/19/09
We Went To NYU: 2003-2007

On Gossip Girl:



Jenny brings in the “NYU paper” that has a cover story on Vanessa who Dan says is a “shoe in” to give the toast at the Freshman dinner on Parents Weekend.

At NYU:



JESUS! Where to start with this one? First off: NYU’s school paper is NOT called The Village Spctator, it called The Washington Square News. Second, the News is a daily publication, not a weekly one like the fake Spectator. Third: this is October and Vanessa has a cover story?

NYU’s first day of class this year was on September 8^th, and – like previous Gossip Girl events – their faux Parent’s Weekend is pretty damn close to this episode's air time. Except Parent’s Weekend at real NYU is a single Saturday, not a whole weekend. This year it was Saturday October 17^th, the Saturday before the episode aired.

The Spectator is a weekly publication, so it was issued between the 12^th and 16^th of October. Being it’s a student newspaper, we can assume that – at best – their reporting takes a week for a cover story. That means in 31 days Vanessa has done enough to warrant a cover story. BULL. SHIT.

Convenient pausing and reading of blurry and small words reveals that Vanessa has already been the “ringleader” in unionizing the dining hall servers and has been “instrumental” in making the dorms Green friendly. That’s right, we paused and squinted.

Do you know how hard it is to unionize at NYU? President John Sexton does not like it. The entire time we were at NYU there were clashes between the University and the grad students wanting to re-negotiate their United Auto Workers union contracts. The whole thing would have been funny if the two groups didn’t go through the same fight every six years.

Da7e: You know how long it took me to get into the Washington Square News? 2 years. And even then, I was just part of a story that one of my friends wrote and the article was in the middle of a Wednesday paper. I got my picture in it, which was nice, but the picture isn’t replicated in the web version. I see now that the issue was distributed on 4/20 of 2005, so that explains why I don’t have a copy lying around. I was doing massive bong rips somewhere.

Muse: I never made it into the Washington Square News, but my friend Alex had a photo of himself published during his Freshman year! But don't get too excited. His friend who worked for the paper needed a photo of two men with their arms around each other, from the behind, for an article about gay life at NYU. THAT's how Freshman get in the WSN, Gossip Girl.

On Gossip Girl:



Blair and her new Mean Girls read the fictional newspaper walking through their dorm hall.

At NYU:



What the hell is going on with this hallway? First they moved everyone in, then they painted the hallway and now there seems to be some sort of “hang any shit you want on our walls” policy in place.

Whomever the RA of this floor is (fingers crossed that it’s someone attractive enough to sex up one of our Gossips in the future) is really letting the kids run wild with the posters and stuff. We don’t think it’s technically against the rules to have this much clutter, but this is a state school level of poster crap.

On Gossip Girl:



Blair seems to have quickly forgotten Georgina was ever there.

At NYU:



First of all, Blair continues to be the #1 violator of the “no outside upholstered furniture” rule for NYU dorms (see our corrections for The Lost Boy). It also looks like she’s been doing some wiring to the dorm with that wall-mounted lamp. None of this is as big of an oversight as a simple fact of NYU housing: Freshmen rarely get singles. Someone would have been moved in by now.

Muse: Sophomore year, my first roommate left for second semester to go abroad. They replaced her with this very sweet girl actually named Olivia. But then she switched out when she got into one of the sororities, (which only take up 10% of NYU by the way) so I was left with a single for basically an entire semester. I bought a futon. It was amazing. But again, that was Sophomore year. At Water Street. A single for this long, complete with outside furniture, would NEVER fly in a Freshman dorm.

On Gossip Girl:



Mr. Ellis, the Alumni Liaison controls who gives the Freshman Toast.

At NYU:


Who the hell is this guy? It doesn’t piss us off much that Mr. Ellis doesn’t make any sense because the toast and the dinner are as fake as he is, but – WHAAAAA?

It doesn’t help that the Spectator refers to him as Dean Ellis, even though he’s totally the guy that is calling us and asking for Alumni donations even though we’ve only been graduated for two years.

Da7e: If anyone who works at NYU’s Alumni Services is reading this, I want them to know that I don’t intend to donate to NYU until I know I can pay my rent every month. I already paid for that damn diploma-looking piece of paper with your official seal on it. I think you owe me a job.

Muse: My favorite part of this? The same actor then appeared as a college student in like, a Verizon commercial or some shit, the next night during 90210. So I ask again, too young to be a Dean at NYU? Yes. This guy would TOTALLY be that jerk-off asking me for more money I don't have, not running the non-existent Freshman Dinner.

On Gossip Girl:



Vanessa’s bitchy mom doesn’t believe in private universities.

At NYU:


Does this mean Vanessa has a full ride? During our tenure at NYU we met people who went there because their parents wanted them to, not so many went to spite their folks. Call us crazy, but anyone that wants to go over $200,000 in debt to rib their parents might as well just off them in the night by blowing out the pilot light on the stove.

Muse: Who goes to NYU to spite their parents?! As we've established, it's a private university, which means it costs A SHIT-TON OF MONEY. They should really address how in the hell Vanessa is a student here if her parents aren't helping her with money or co-signing a loan.

On Gossip Girl:



Vanessa’s mom: “I don’t worship at the alter of shallow Hollywood celebrities. Apparently your school does.”

At NYU:



Guilty. Though, to be fair, NYU likes celebrities because they have a lot of money. Money NYU wants and can usually felch out of a C-List alum

Da7e: I just thought I’d mention that my spell check doesn’t recognize the word “felch.” It has some A2M learning to do.

On Gossip Girl:



Plotlines collide at the Parent’s Week Freshman Dinner.

At NYU:


While trying to look up the reality of Parent’s Weekend, we discovered that each school within NYU has its own schedule of Parent’s Day events. Choosing random schools and reading through the planned activities with names like “Jewish Life on Campus and The Millennial Generation” made immediately obvious that no dinner was involved with any of the school’s activities.

If food is what you want on Parent’s Day, you do have the lunch option:

LUNCH AT NYU DINING HALLS OR ON YOUR OWN (11am to 3pm)

Experience a variety of delicious menu options prepared by NYU Dining Services. Enjoy an array of foods such as pizza, stir-fry, salad bar, home-style cooking, and vegetarian meals. Meals are served all-you-care-to-eat style in our residence dining halls. NYU families will receive a discounted door rate of $6.00 per person at the following residence hall dining facilities: Hayden, Third North, Palladium, and Weinstein (downstairs). NYU families also receive discounts on their purchases at the Weinstein Food Court. Students who have meal plans should use their meal plan as usual.

As far as an all-University Freshman get together where, realistically, one could give a toast, the closest thing is a “drop-in” session with NYU Prez John Sexton, where he undoubtedly bear hugs everyone within his wingspan. But even then, schools are split between floors:

PARENTS RECEPTION (4 - 5:30pm)

Kimmel Center for University Life, 60 Washington Square South

Parents, families and students are invited to attend an afternoon drop-in reception co-hosted by New York University President John Sexton and the NYU Parents Committee. Music will be provided by NYU student ensembles.

Note that the reception will be held on 2 floors in the Kimmel Center and guests are invited by school/program to a reception:

• 4th Floor Tisch School of the Arts, Steinhardt, Gallatin, Nursing, Stern, Social Work

• 10th Floor College of Arts and Science, Liberal Studies, Global Liberal Studies, School of Continuing/Professional Studies

Simply: not only is this event as fake no one mentioning Dan Humphrey’s sudden gain in muscle mass, but it’s also held The National Arts Club with black walls, priceless pieces of art, and absolutely ZERO connection to NYU or NYU property.

No way NYU Freshman get near anything that expensive. It doesn’t matter how much NYU wants to impress your parents.

Da7e: I begged my parents not to come to Freshman Parent’s Day. All the hotels are booked and campus is packed. And did anyone notice that this Parent’s Weekend Dinner and Toast took place strangely without any food, meal or booze? Weak, Ellis. I hope they fire your ass.

Muse: Here's what I remember about Parent's Weekend - My mom had to come to my acting studio and learn about what we did and then was forced to eat a sorry excuse for chicken at Hayden dining hall. If there was a fancy Freshman Dinner (though, yeah, where was the food?) I sure would have felt a lot less guilty about making her fly out.

Final Thoughts On “Enough About Eve:”

Da7e: Are Welcome Back Kotter Mugs really funny enough to be referenced a third time in this show? I get that Rufus would be the kind of dude to have them, but why is he so attached to them? I’m glad Blair and Chuck are fighting because Blair is always so much more evil if she isn’t getting laid on the side. Blair needs to go back on the warpath, and I’m willing to sacrifice her relationship to Chuck if that’s what it takes.

Muse: A true return to form and a great episode! Though I find myself getting angrier and angrier with Blair every time she does something that is CLEARLY going to backfire. She's smarter than that by now, isn't she? That being said, I like that it may have brought Blair and Vanessa together in some way. Oh the possibilities!

Da7e: I’m glad Carter is gone, though just having him get into a car looking forlorn made me regret having to watch Serena deal with him for six episodes already. Screw Carter and Serena’s storyline. Also, now is the perfect time to finally get Rufus to go all pedophile on Vanessa. They LOOOOVE each other!

Muse: So I'm not alone in thinking Vanessa and Rufus might get together some day?! Uh oh. That means it MIGHT happen. Gross. Yeah, bye Carter, and good riddance. Serena and Nate are totally gonna make out now.
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There are very few things in life I adore more than the band Muse. If Jeopardy had just one entire category devoted to Muse, I’d be a rich game show champ. So obviously my first post on this wonderful fan blog is about Muse’s new album The Resistance. Muse has always been clever, intricate, random, and grand with their sound and their fifth studio album is the most elaborate to date. And that’s why it rocks so hard and why I love it so much. And why I hope you will too.



True, I’ve reached a level of Muse fandom where I love anything these three men from Devonshire, England create. Still, my expectations of them remain high. And after a month of digesting and listening to the album (which was released on September 15th) I’m happy that Muse has pleased and surprised me again! The latest album is a welcomed natural evolution from their last two albums. While it’s not my favorite album (Origin of Symmetry is the ultimate gem) it’s still a treasure. The Resistance is another exercise in raw, leftist-political lyricism and sophisticated, polished prog rock music. But unlike Absolution and Black Holes & Revelations, the new album covers not just some but all of Muse’s favorite bases while dwindling down on the galactic references. For some listeners, the album will feel lyrically in sync but musically schizo. The Resistance runs the musical spectrum—you’ll hear some rock (obviously), electronica (“Undisclosed Desires”), jazz (“I Belong To You”), world (“United States of Eurasia”), and classical music (check out the 3-part symphony at the end). I think this album is actually the perfect place for new Muse listeners to start because it demonstrates the band’s incredible talent and range. It also displays their various influences/obsessions. And speaking of influences, let’s drop the obvious Queen and Rachmaninoff comparisons. And let’s never again bring up the tired Radiohead comparison. Seriously, after five full-length albums, two live albums and dvds, and countless sold out stadium shows, let’s just let Muse be Muse. Let's give them their own glorious unique spotlight.

But if you do want to discuss an album influence, let’s talk George Orwell’s 1984. When combining their musical and lyrical style, we find that Muse is a poetically political rock band. It makes sense that Matt Bellamy (the little magical man at the core of Muse) digs Orwell. In an interview for the September issue of Spin magazine, Bellamy explains 1984’s impact on The Resistance: “People overlook how moving the love story is and just talk about the politics. The novel’s idea of love as a political act is all over the album.” Bellamy is insanely worried that people will continue to be abused and controlled by the ever-expanding power of our world leaders and yet he wants to remind us that our capacity for empathy and love can unite us against manipulation and torture.

The Resistance is a musically layered yet lyrically explicit reflection of our arduous times. And when Muse tells us “love is our resistance" we should nod in rhythmical agreement.
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90210 Semi-Live Blogging "Unmasked"

I'm so tired and just realized I never posted my 90210 Live Blog from last week and it's on my other computer. Siiiigh.

But let's begin!

90210
Season 2 Episode 7
"Unmasked"

Some surfer chick who looks 35 dents Liam's car!

Although he already has more chemistry with her than he EVER did with Naomi. I'm liking where this is going already.

Naomi is talking this whole "date the dean's son" thing quite far, isn't she? Hot College Guy invites Naomi to a party. She wants to drink out of red plastic cups, not watch environmentalist movies. Poor Naomi. Life is so difficult for Beverly Hills teens with hot bods.

Baby Face Young Boy and Pretty Statutory Rapist are still dating. AGAIN, I ask, WHY ARE YOU WITH A 17 YEAR OLD?! You are 26. This continues to be gross. Look. He is a baby!




Pretty Statutory Rapist makes a Dawson's Creek reference that Dixon doesn't get. I approve. Too young to know what Dawson's Creek is = too young to date. That was clever, 90210, not gonna lie.

Debbie gets mad at the principal cause she thinks Kelly likes him. Does she? And does he really have secret feelings for Kelly? I mean, really? I'm not sure I buy that. Not that I wouldn't mind an affair. That's what these shows are about, right?

"Very saavy pot smokers out there!" Right on, Debbie!

The rest after the jump!


Silver? Snooooze. Bathroom break.

Who is that surfer? Is that Surfer Chick? Looked like a guy from far away. But we're gonna go ahead and pretend it's her? Well, okay then.

It's Surfer Chick who hit Liam in the water? Who would have thunk it! Oh, me. And probably everyone else watching the show.

Cut to Annie & Creepy mid-kiss. I don't remember them kissing last week...so...was that Annie and Creepy's first kiss on screen? Did we miss their first kiss? I'm so confused. Also, still don't know if he is evil or not. I like him! I don't want him to be evil. Bah.

Liam and Surfer Chick are so gonna do it

Surfer Chick pulls the girl period card and makes Liam feel stupid. She is kinda cool, despite looking kinda weird & kinda old. Like most of the people on this show.

Hot College Guy knows Naomi's soul already, based on one conversation, how sweet.

Cuts to Hot College Guy & Naomi sitting in the stands on a football field. What? Where are they? What school is this supposed to be? And how did they get in?

Awwww, now I like Hot College Guy! He is all sexy when he's vulnerable and wanting to kiss the typical hot chick. At least it makes sense that he would like the typical hot chick, whereas it made zero sense with Liam, who actually has a brain, supposedly.

This episode is kind of sexy! I never thought that would happen.

Are Annie and Dixon still hating each other? Seems so. Annie, Jasper DOES seem a little sketchy. I mean, I hope he isn't just as much as you do, but...he's...definitely...sketch

But yes! Dixon is WAY more sketchy. Stop it Dixon.

In what universe does Naomi think dating the dean's son will get her into this school? I'm with Adrianna.

Good to know with the state of California's education budget that Beverly Hills High went light on the Halloween decorations this year...Yes, I'm being facetious



Dixon looks 12. Pretty Statutory Rapist is not sexually attracted to him, okay? The end.

Principal Hottie is having lunch with Kelly cause Kelly's mom has cancer and she is sad. But he decided to lie to his wife about it. So naturally she will walk in in T minus 5 4 3

There she is!

He shouldn't have lied to her. Silly silly silly.

Hey, this guy playing a college student on this commercial was just kissing Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl!

Do high schools actually have surf teams? Cause I really don't think they do. Especially not Beverly Hills High. Which is nowhere near the ocean.

Surfer Chick & Liam are partners. Of course they are.

Oh hai stunt double surfers everywhere!

Silver's storyline is booooo-ringggg blah blah blah don't care

Surfer chick is totally playing Liam in the water so he loses, isn't she? What a whore.

Dixon goes to meet his Pretty Rapist at 6pm like they planned. Except at 6pm in LA, around Halloween, it wouldn't be so damn bright outside

Rapist should have realized their relationship is a big fat epic fail before he did. Come on.



Sasha, he's 17, get OVER it

I love it when TV characters dress in costume for Halloween. Woot! Even though all the costumes are completely unoriginal and they mostly look like idiots. See below.




Teddy asks if Dixon and Rapist are gonna have "Hot makeup sex" You're a JUNIOR in HIGH SCHOOL. Stop pretending you know what hot makeup sex is.

"Sexual Judas" is the name of David's new band he just decided.

Teddy is SO GOOFY LOOKING.

Everyone keeps thinking Liam is dressed as a Jonas Brother or R Patz. He is in fact dressed as nothing. He's just hot.

David thinks Surfer Chick is a "fox" but agrees that she definitely looks like she's in her 30s

This scene between Liam & Surfer Chick will conclude with surfer sex. Or, okay, a surfer competition.

The people surfing? Totally not either Liam or Surfer Chick. I mean, it MIGHT be her. But I doubt it.

Jasper reminds me of Peter Laurie

Jasper, stop being creepy! Be normal! Give loner kids a good name!



Jasper wants Annie to steal a car for his "movie." Annie can't fall for this, come on.

"She just dropped an O-bomb" - David re Debbie saying "Obtuse" to describe how dumb Hot Principal is for not realizing Kelly likes him.

Teddy is there cause he wants to do you, Silver

Oh and his mom died too, okay, but he's still goofy looking

"So perceptive! Fuck him!" - David re: Silver & Teddy's conversation

Where did Teddy's eyeliner go?

Naomi walks in on Surfer & Liam flirting. That's what you get Naomi! Liam is so hot.

Jasper, what are you doooiiiinnnngggggggggg filming Annie stealing a car, why are you creeeppyy ughhhh

The steering wheel was on the wrong side of the car. In California? Is that even legal?

Kelly toootttally has a crush on Hot Principal cause he is older and hot and he tottalllyyy has a crush on herrrr sexinn everyone's sexxinn.

P.S. I'm totally over Controlling Navid. Adrianna should be too.

Hot College Guy comes to the high school party. He & Naomi are totally gonna do it.

Naomi broke up with Richard? Okay then. I like it when Naomi realizes she has to be smart to go to college. Good for you Naomi.

Silver & Teddy are playing tennis on a roof. For some reason.

They're gonna do it. Everyone's gonna do it.

Rapist tells Dixon she is pregnant. THAT'S a different kind of teenage pregnancy
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Shout out to Robin!

DING DING DING!

Robin has been the first to figure out where I pulled the name "Konoko" from: Oni, the 2001 3rd person action game developed by Bungie West, and published by Rockstar Games (PS2); Gathering of Developers (Windows); MacSoft (Mac OS in North America) and Feral Interactive (Mac OS, worldwide).

Oni has massive array of guns, hand to hand combat, AND a strong female lead. It was/is a cool game. Check it out is you don't own t already.

Now who will figure out the "Bailey" reference?!? Here's a hint. The name "Bailey" is apart of video game history...or should I say HERstory.
Until next time... See full post

And Now For Something Completely Different

I just figured this out

My relationship to each of the LCS teams (and a few others) as described in actual relationship metaphor.

The Braves - My Grade School Crush

The Yankees - My On & Off Friend With Benefits

The Mets - An Intense, But Short, Love Affair

The Angels - My First Real Relationship

The Dodgers - The Person I Just Started Dating

The Phillies - My Best Friend's Boyfriend

So who do you think I'm rooting for, based on this? See full post

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

"Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" is sorta amazing. I just had to get that out the way...

Uncharted 2 (for anyone who's been living under a rock or is video game challenged) is developed by Naught Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is of course the follow up to 2007's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune". The North American release was Oct. 13th, this past Tuesday. You're only going to find this for the PS3 simply because it pretty much max out the cell processor and uses 25 GB of the blue ray disk. Sorry XBox360 fans.

If you're an action adventure fan def pick this one up. The game is visually speculator, smooth transition (and I use the term "transition" very lightly), its got a solid plot, and the real time moving environments & animation make it worth the price.

Director Amy Hennig knocked this one out the park. But she is no stranger to the industry. Check out some of her past credits:

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (2007)
Jak X: Combat Racing (2005)
Jak 3 (2004)
Legacy of Kain: Defiance (2003)
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 (2001)
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999)
Gex 3D: Enter the Gecko (1998)
Blazing Dragons (1996)
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996)
Solar Eclipse (1995)
Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City (1994)
Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf (1992)

Amy, and her team over at Naught Dog did an amazing job creating this master piece. It's winning awards left and right, and is highly reviewed everywhere! The one thing you will hear/ read a lot is that this game honestly plays like a movie. Which brings me to my first rant...

Please watch the following:

YES Uncharted 2 looks amazing. Everyone who sees it says this. But why spend thousands and thousands of dollars getting your point across at the expense of a female's intelligence? Are we to accept that this female is actually slow enough to believe this video game is a movie? Really? This is the campaign that their Marketing Team decided to go with!?! Surely there had to be others ideas that weren't this offensive.

I'm not saying that there aren't slow people out there, cause there def is (male & female). They want to roll w/ the idea that their game looks so good folks want to sit and watch other people play it. That's cool, cause people do it all the time. I can't tell you how many hours I personally sat watching a friend play one of the Metal Gear, or Final Fantasy games. Being a video game spectator is very common whether your a gamer or supporter. So why not use that angle? Have a commercial where a group of friends skip going to a movie but instead gather to watch each other play this game? That would have achieved the same point w/o the sexiest BS.

The point: AMAZING game, HORRIBLE ad!!

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Greetings Gamers

HELLO FELLOW GAMERS!

I’ve been thinking and thinking about what to write for my 1^st post. I figure short and simple is the way to go. So...

I am Konoko Bailey (Obvi not my real name, but I’ll give a shout out to who ever is the 1^st to accurately identify where these two names are from. A bit of Video Game trivia ;) )

I’m here to help dispute the horrible notion that womyn don’t play games, unless shopping or the color pink is involved. I also plan on using this blog to rant and rave about all that I love (and hate) about the video game industry.

I’m going to be completely honest and just let you know now that my procrastination level is to high to for me to post on any type of regular schedule. So just expect me to write whenever I get excited (or pissed) about anything relating to video games. This includes, but is not limited to, commercials, game play, wish lists, even horrible movie adaptations. Everything is fair game as far as I’m concerned.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns…If you want me to review a game, product, or event…or just want to share your love for games hit me up at: KonokoBailey@AllThingsFanGirl.com

Until next time…

Konoko Bailey

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Skipping Class: Da7e and Muse Correct Gossip Girl

Not a lot of NYU went down this week on Gossip Girl. On one hand, that means less time spent Downtown for our Upper East-siders and therefore fewer hilarious inaccuracies for us to pinpoint. On the other hand, this episode did a lot of good for the show as a whole, finally dispelling the non-drama of Scott being Rufus and Lily’s love child and getting those same two to tie the damn knot already!

The wasted Sonic Youth cameo aside, Gossip Girl decided to play her cards right this week and get us moving in the direction of the show we love to watch. Backstabbings (though Georgina’s was a little anti-climatic), double-crosses, love and...well, shucks, it just doesn’t feel like the show it once was unless someone offers Carter a plane ticket to get the eff out of town.

Amongst the cracks and seams of the fifth episode of the third season were some questions we finally got answered. How do you really spell Endless K/Nights? What is that fake coffee shop they are always at and where on campus is it?

With those on the tips of our pointy minds, let’s rock!



Season 3, Episode 5: “Rufus Getting Married”
Aired: 10/12/09
We Went To NYU: 2003-2007

On Gossip Girl:



Dan accesses a generic Verizon chat client on the street to IM with Olivia.

At NYU:



Well, NYU has great internet coverage in dorms and at NYU buildings that you can sign into with your ID, but…

Da7e: … I’m just happy, after seeing it spelled Endless Nights at several internet outlets, that we finally know the correct spelling of Olivia’s Twilight rip-off series. And – honestly – Dan would have an iPhone because he’s a rich NYU student and status symbols are status symbols regardless of product placement.

Muse: Wait, it's Endless Knights?! Like...they are Knights for all time? Okay, I guess that works...though Endless Nights makes WAY more sense. Unless the twist is they were made into Vampires in Medieval times so they would be Knights forever, endlessly serving their country or some shit. Hmmm...that idea isn't half bad...?

On Gossip Girl:



Dan is using Vanessa’s screen name to talk to Olivia because Georgina is stalking him. Vanessa says he should just tell Georgina since “we all live on the same floor anyway.”

At NYU:



Screen name? Georgina would be stalking Dan on Twitter, and you know Dan Twitters horribly: “Found long lost brother, parents married. Miss Olivia so bad. Faulkner time.”

Da7e: I don’t know how this goes for all NYU Freshman, but I hooked up with someone the first week of Freshman year and when I ignored her she wept uncontrollably. Then I didn’t see her for three years. Problem solved.

Muse: Hold on. Dan has a Twitter account? Did I not actually pay attention to this episode? All my college hook-ups were angst ridden, but I don't think I ever made anyone weep uncontrollably. Though I suppose I wouldn't know either way...so let's pretend I made someone totally cry. Good plan. But why did Dan hook up with evil Georgina to begin with? Obviously she was gonna go crazy. Come on.

On Gossip Girl:



Vanessa says: “I’m gonna hit The Bleeker,” and we’re like: ‘Whaaaaat?” Later, Vanessa meets Georgina at that fictional coffee house.

At NYU:



The Bleeker may be fake, but its name is okay. Most of Bleeker St is on campus. However, if you want the real student hang out coffee shop, you’re looking for Think! Coffee on Mercer and 3rd. They have free WiFi, coffee and a wine bar. Not only that but it’s literally on campus, mere blocks from the central hub of NYU buildings. Think! also has a Bleeker Street location, but it’s a bit of a hoof from Washington Square Park.

Da7e: I still go to Think! sometimes to work, meet people or check out scantily clad college students in the spring and fall. I also recommend it for that.

Muse: If I still lived in New York, I'd still go to Think! when I was in the neighborhood. That place rocks and could probably use the publicity, it being a tiny coffee house chain. Gossip Girl. Get on it.

On Gossip Girl:



Dan walks in on Vanessa photoshopping a picture of Olivia and Orlando Bloom.

At NYU:



Once again with the guest sign-in policy: Dan ain’t surprising NO ONE. Also, what kind of idiot does her secret celebrity photoshopping with the door open to her dorm’s hallway?

Da7e: It’s been bugging me for awhile, but the hallway shot they use for Vanessa’s dorm puts her in the room at the end of the hall, but the interior shots of Vanessa’s dorm have a series of rooms directly across from her.

Muse: I know personally that whenever I play with celebrity photoshopping in my room, I keep the door wide open. But that's just me. ... Wait, where does Dan live? Home? Not the dorm?

On Gossip Girl:



Scott confronts his parents, Lily yells at him like a bitch, then Rufus knocks some sense into himself and goes after him…to Chinatown and the Chinatown bus.

At NYU:



Pitch perfect, Gossip Girl writers. Scott may not have been an actually NYU student, but that’s how any student who wants to get to Boston gets there: hours on a smelly, overcrowded bus. But it only costs $15 and how else are you gonna get to Boston? Oh yeah, we’re supposed to remember Mr. Chuck has a helicopter…

Da7e: So many sights and smells on the Chinatown Bus. Oh, Boston memories.

Muse: Never took it. Took that NYU bus a lot though, which no one on GG has done yet.

Final Thoughts On “Rufus Getting Married:"

Da7e: Yeah, it was great to see Gossip Girl start locking their characters back into the positions they’ve earned over two seasons. Blair needs to be orchestrating something, even if it’s in the background. Dan needs to be an idiot, because he is an idiot and treating him any other way has resulted in bland storylines. No one cares about Serena, but her cleavage is wonderful and I therefore I don’t notice her flat dialogue. Yup. It’s pretty sweet. But when the hell are these kids actually going to school? “My Dad is getting married” and “My new parents’ secret love child just revealed himself to be alive” are great excuses for Dan, but Vanessa and Blair don’t have any good excuse to fall back on. Light Freshman class load, gals?

Muse: My freshman year was jam packed - I WANNA SEE SOME CLASS SOON. Where are the hot professors? And the not hot professors? And all the fun that is to be mined from encountering kids from the various schools, especially Tisch? But overall, I was happy with this episode. Glad to see Georgina just owning up to being the bitch we all know she is. "Haven't you ever tried to get somebody to dump a celebrity before?!" "No" might have been my favorite exchange. Also glad to see the end of Brie/Nate (hopefully?). So she used him to get to Carter? How did she even know Nate knew him? Why do I care? Nate's storyline is Silver status right now - as in Silver on 90210 has the worst storyline ever at the moment and I tune out all of her scenes. Be prepared for the conclusion of this Brie and Carter nonsense to open the door for Nate & Serena. Though...Serena...you can do much better...did we all SEE that black dress she was wearing at the wedding?

Previously: Dan De Fluerette The Lost Boy The Freshman

Crossposted on Read It Or Don't See full post

The Return of 90210 Semi Live Blogging!

Because, really, what else do I have to do?

Previously on 90210:

-Dixon fools a pretty girl in her late 20s into thinking he is 10 years older and a musician currently making money by producing porn. She somehow thinks a guy who looks like this:


is her age. This is dumb. Sasha sees Dixon hugging his mom at his house and wonders who the old white woman is. Apparently, wife/lover is the first thought to come to Sasha's mind. Because, yeah, that makes sense.

-Liam uses his iPhone to record Naomi's sister, Jen, saying Naomi will never find out that she & Liam slept together. Remember when Entourage did the iPhone recording bit a couple weeks ago?

-Silver may or may not be crazy, as usual

-Annie feels guilty about killing that homeless man. Homeless man's nephew befriends her. We suspect it's cause he wants to catch her & get her to admit the truth. He is creepy.

-Hot Teacher thinks Jen likes him. Oh sad sad Hot Teacher.

-Teddy kisses Adrianna! Silver witnesses. (Silver Witnesses. Band name?) Adrianna kisses back, despite totally loving Controlling Navid because Sleazy Teddy looks like he's from a cartoon and cartoons are happy and fun! Also, she turns down the lead on a tv show (that she got from ONE audition with no callbacks) because Navid told her to. Might just be me, but I think all of her boy options kind of suck right now.

Now to this week's episode!

Season 2, Episode 5 - Environmental Hazards

Sasha stalks Dixon's mom cause she thinks she's Dixon's lover/wife. She discovers Debbie is Dixie's mom and gets upset on the inside. I am bored.

I don't understand why Liam likes Naomi. I don't understand why anyone likes Naomi.

Creepy guy continues to be creepy.

Is this some kind of rehab meeting? Oh! It is! Adrianna says someone whose name rhymes with Ritney Rears was at a meeting once. Good stuff, 90210.

Adrianna is a completely different character this season, total 180. Interesting.

I'm so upset that they made Silver crazy. Cause now I never buy anything she says or does cause I just assume she's crazy.

Dixon is CLEARLY 12. How did she think he was in his 20s?!

You SHOULD feel like a fool since he is SO CLEARLY IN HIGH SCHOOL HAVE YOU SEEN HIM?!

Good. Take off the hat, Dixon. Finally.

The new theme song is "modernized" to such an extent, it always makes me giggle. Is this the kind of music people will associate with the 2000s? The same way the original 90210 theme music is all 90s sounding?


Listen here:


I completely missed this scene between Adrianna & Silver while I was having the above thought. Something about Adrianna kissing Teddy and Silver catching them.

More after the jump


Adrianna wears flower clips in her hair. Seriously.

Adrianna explains why Silver kissing Ethan was okay."You didn't even know who you liked." Deep.

We've observed that Adrianna/Teddy is none of Silver's business and she should probably shut up

Hot teacher is so sad. And hot. And he makes me feel so awkward.

This way of knowing Naomi is troubled by the fact that she's wearing sweats is actually quite cute (despite how obvious it is.)

They're both hot. Hot Teacher and Hot Liam. Nomnom.

Hot Teacher takes Liam's iPhone away! With the recording of Jen! Noooooo. "Looks like I found something you care about." You're so hot, Teach.

I wish I could have randomly played pool in some classroom whenever I wanted to in high school

Dixon is pouting like the twelve year old he is

What a weird group of guys

We're frustrated with how unearned Naomi/Liam is. Neither the story nor their chemistry justifies this star crossed lover business. Naomi just lied to him & acted like a dumb ass and he seemed annoyed with her in every episode. They only "like" each other because the script says so and the actors aren't good enough to make me buy it.

Naomi comes up with a plan to manipulate the system to get into good college, despite getting horrible SAT scores, horrible grades, participating in zero extra cirriculars and generally being an idiot. Hey Naomi, MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE TRIED A LITTLE HARDER, ENTITLED BITCH, LET IT GO

The show dresses Adrianna like she's fat even though she's the best looking girl on the show. It's just cause the other girls are so tiny and waifish. She's always the most covered up or wearing flowing dresses. I don't appreciate it.

In this scene between Adrianna & Navid, the actors scoffed before their lines like 3 times in a row. It's either bad acting, bad editing, or both.

Hot Teacher won't give Liam his phone. Tells him he gets 10 days of detention and to bring his parents in. Hot Teacher is being a DICK

Naomi is trash. She wants to make the Dean's son like her so she can get into the college she wants. Throw up.

A"Hot" College Guy throws a football to Naomi. She catches it. They flirt. Did he throw it on purpose?

Dixon pleads with Sasha for a second chance. Close that door on the child and never open it again, Sasha. Please.

Imagining a high schooler talking to me like that makes me feel really, really dirty. At first it's "aw that's sweet", but then if you add the "I wanna have sex with you" feeling that Sasha is supposed to be having, it just equals a whole pile of dirty and gross.

SHE CLOSED THE DOOR! GOOD!

Annie's life would suck if it actually sucked. But let's remember, she's still rich and pretty.

Creepy talks to Annie about Metropolis and what it's like to be an intellectual. Annie seems to know what he is talking about, but I don't buy it. There is NO way she knows who Matthew Barney is. She probably barely knows who Michael Moore is. He is gonna take her to see The Script.

Naomi is a gross human being. Though not as gross as her sister, it must be noted. The Dean's son or whoever that is is actually kinda cute. Don't try to trick him, Naomi, that's so mean.

Haha he's supposed to be her tutor?! Naomi, you are horrible. Haha, but it's actually kind of funny. Ridiculous. She knows all the right buttons to push to make him fall for her. Why is no guy smart enough to see through her bullshit?

Adrianna is being weird and overcompensating on her double date with Navid, Teddy and some random chick named Jasmine. Oh eyu, Teddy is too. Oh come ON, Aide, he looks like a cartoon woodland creature.

Liam's family is that fucked up and his parents are still together?

NICE MOVE FROM HOT TEACHER, telling Liam's parents that Liam is smart & awesome & hot. Okay fine, he didn't tell them he was hot.

Teddy is so goofy looking, DUDE

It is SO working, Adrianna. She is jeaaallouuusss.

Despite how goofy he is, they still have chemistry. WAY more chemistry than Liam/Naomi. Ah HAH he looks like Dudley Do Wright. And would probably sing like Gaston.

But stop making out with him, he's a dufus.

Naomi walks down the hall with "Hot" College Guy and we're actually supposed to look at her and think she is a junior in high school. Really.

Ah! "Hot" College Guy DID throw the ball to Naomi on purpose.

Haha, "Hot" College Guy and Dean's Son are roommates. Naomi getting screwed by the universe, nice


Oh, gross, Sasha, don't look longingly at the child, PLEASE

Does Creepy actually like Annie or is he just pretending?

Why do I care about Silver's mom being an alcoholic? Why is this storyline happening? Oh yeah, Silver saw her mom at Adrianna's rehab meaning. Then her mom sent Silver a note asking her to come see her speak at the next meeting. I didn't mention any of it before because I don't care and it's boring.

Silver's mom apologizes at the meeting. Silver gets up and makes a speech about how her mom is probably lying. See, does this mean Silver is crazy or that Silver is...not crazy, cuuuuz I still think she's crazy, and it's making me not understand any of her storylines.

Naomi is kissing her tutor! That tutor is kissing a junior in high school! Oh no, now Sasha is kissing a junior in high school?! Everyone stop it, this is gross, what are you doing?! THEY ARE KIDS.

Liam deletes the recording of Jen admitting she slept with him because he saw Naomi kiss the Dean's son. WHY would you delete that?!?!!? LIAM WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Idiot. Give me a break. Minus 10 hot points for utter stupidity

Oh, GROSS! Dixon is a child, and you NEED to have sex with him?! I'm gonna throw up.

Does Silvers mom have cancer?

"She has cancer." Check.

The end of another ridiculous 90210 episode. FANtastic.
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"Normal" Celebrity Edition: Da7e and Muse Correct Gossip Girl

Another Tuesday morning, another Gossip Girl re-watch with our eyes on NYU inaccuracies, though this episode was light on University settings. Things aren’t going so well for Blair Waldorf in the social circles of NYU and Constance High is finally back in session. Little J, who makes her triumphant return to B-plots in the same episode Lilly decided to come home and take some of the drama-pressure off Rufus.

Downtown at the University, Dan Humphrey is back to being a general idiot, not knowing anything about Enchanted Knights or the movie-star he just happens to meet seconds after admitting ignorance of her existence.

Episode four of this season signals a return to the Gossip Girl we’ve been missing since last season: a world where New York City is a small place where your family and friends are always trying to screw you over.

Now we’re waiting for the institution of NYU to start screwing our characters over, because that’s what the bureaucracy of John Sexton does.

Blair, Serena, Jenny, and Dan all got reminders of who they really are in the great scheme of things last night, so let’s see what NYU really is, shall we? Let’s go!



Season 3, Episode 4: “Dan de Fluerette”
Aired: 10/05/09
We Went To NYU: 2003-2007

On Gossip Girl:



One week seems to have had a drastic difference on the Ehrlich Residence Hall interior. The walls are a sickly maroon and posters are nearing wallpaper status. Above, this week’s Blair-in-her-hallway shot, below: last week's.



At NYU:



As far as we can remember, the only thing that ever changed about the halls our freshman year were the RA-made posters by the elevators (and where are the elevators, BTW? Blair Waldorf does not use the stairs!), and even those had a low probability of sticking around. Changes in dorms usually don’t happen without a long renovation period and they certainly don’t happen during the first weeks of school. Take the Weinstein Residence Hall renovation of 2004 that had to be shut down because paint fumes were asphyxiating students. No way all the hallways of the dorm were painted. Unless Vanessa did it and huffed out some brain cells while everyone else was out partying. We'd believe that.

The rest after the jump!


On Gossip Girl:



A montage of actually NYU locations from Washington Square Park West to Washington Square Park South includes another shot of the “Bursar’s Office.”

At NYU:



In case you missed last week’s post, this building is NOT part of the NYU campus that we can tell. Most NYU buildings in the campus area have NYU flags which have been strangely absent from Gossip Girl’s exteriors. Is NYU not kosher with the Gossips invading or are they trying to avoid a Felicity-like rush on admissions?

Da7e: Now this is bugging me. The address is 51 and the building is MOST CERTAINLY called Quinn and has a Bursar’s Office in it, it’s just not a NYU building, right? Where is this shit?

Muse: I seem to remember some business about how NYU has insanely strict filming policies. Though In Good Company got away with exteriors, why can't Gossip Girl? Sidenote: In Good Company is also guilty of getting the interior of NYU dorms completely wrong. And since the film was telling us ScarJo lived in Hayden aka my Freshman year dorm, I was EXTRA peeved. At least the only dorm GG is making look bad is a fake one (though yes, based on Ruben.)

On Gossip Girl:



Blair finds the Masters of the Universe club at the local coffee shop thinking they are Wall Street wannabes.

At NYU:


First off, us geeks don’t really hang out in the cool coffee shops to have our meetings. Take this above example. This is one of a series of Flickr images of the NYU Sci-Fi club realizing one of their male members can fit inside a shopping bag. THAT’s the NYU geek clubs we remember.

Da7e: While looking up what it actually takes to form a club (much of it including needless bureaucracy, which means geeks would totally get their shit together and make clubs out their asses) turned up some hilarious NYU typos. Observe:

“he Student Senators Council and their standing committees, the University Committee on Student Life and their standing committees, the Inter-Greek Council and their member councils, the Inter-Residence Hall Council and their hall councils, the Program Board, the school student councils, the school clubs and the All-Square clubs are eligible to register with the Center for Student Activities, Leadership and Service.” [D: The has a “t” in it]

“School student councils most recognize school clubs wanting to register with Student Activities.” [D: Most = must, right?]

Muse: I have an idea. Hey Gossip Girl, HERE'S A PICTURE OF AN NYU GEEK.



















Now go suck it.

On Gossip Girl:



Dan and “Kate” (Hilary Duff’s Olvia) walk down the street.

At NYU:



Shit. Let’s get into the Olsens. At this point, we have to.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were the celebrities of the moment when they decided to attend NYU. There were sightings, sure, and Ashley’s first day of classes she wandered into the wrong one, possibly to capture the “real college experience” that celebrities seem to think they can have. Mary-Kate and Ashley lived in a building on the west side, about a block-and-a-half away from NYU’s Greenwich Hotel dorm. After less than a year, the Olsens called it quits, Mary-Kate was the first to go, and on campus rumors actually had Ashley studying well. But, when you’re famous you give up some things, like a “normal” college education.

The above picture is from this year when Robert Pattinson tried to film on the NYU campus, mere blocks from where Dan and Olivia are casually strolling. Pattinson’s the famous star of a vampire romance series, so is Duff’s Olivia. Yet in real life, the rabid fans always know where you are.

Da7e: When I lived at Greenwich Hotel, we’d lean out the windows with binoculars to catch a glimpse inside the Olsen apartment – they kept their blinds closed. What’s even more unrealistic is that Duff’s Olivia would be walking down the street on campus. The Olsens were shuttled from their apartment to University buildings via black suburbans with tinted windows. They would literally pull up and an Olsen would RUN into the building. No joke.

Muse: Seriously. If GG is trying to claim that Olivia has K-Stew/R-Patz fame status, they need to work a liiiitle bit harder. I don't care how many hats the cast of Twilight might wear when they go out, everyone on the streets on NY would still know who they were. I liked that Dan mentioned people were staring at her, but that's not enough. MK Olsen was in my room constantly for a two week period Freshman Year because just about every two weeks, the general student body figured out whose room she was hanging in & started stalking her. As soon as GG's NYU student body figures out where Olivia is living, everyone in the school is gonna be signing into Hayden and hanging out on her floor. Or at least, that's what would be accurate. We'll see what happens.


On Gossip Girl:



Chuck and Blair seem to think that boys at NYU wear sandals.

At NYU:



Yeah. They got us there. In the case of one of Da7e’s old roommates (above), even right down to the tie-die. Though Crocs is where the real douchebaggery lies.

On Gossip Girl:



Olivia’s publicist gives non-disclosure waivers to everyone on Oliva/Vanessa/Blair’s floor.

At NYU:



Actually not that far off. Star Magazine offered big money for students who would snap photos of one of the Olsen Twins actually studying, then NYU countered by telling students that they shouldn’t take pictures of other students to sell to tabloids but should really make their payments to the school on time, fuck you very much.

When the Olsens finally left NYU, Mary-Kate claimed that students had sold her personal life for…school credit?

Mary-Kate said she left because "she didn't feel safe" and was "freaked out by the kids who were selling anecdotes to tabloids, in some cases even getting school credit for it," according to New York Magazine.

In the end, she did not want to deal with the academic pressure. "[The less stressful life] is what makes me happy, you know?" she said. "Like, [school] papers don't really make me happy."

Da7e: Selling the Olsen’s secrets for credit couldn’t have been easier than my Socialist Theory class. No papers, one grade. MUCH easier than tailing a celebrity for a day with my camera phone. Oh, and WTF is a celebrity doing in the dorms?

Muse: You had a class with no papers?! Why wasn't I in that class?! Blast it! Hey, I wonder if Haley Joel Osment & Mara Wilson stayed in the dorms.


On Gossip Girl:



Blair starts her own “club” with a vaguely Asian girl and the Amanda Peet twins.

At NYU:




Good thing Blair moves in groups of three, seeing as how that’s the maximum number of guests allowed in your drom room per roommate. And with Georgina gone, she’s at her max.

Muse: I also don't think NYU club meetings are allowed to be held in dorm rooms, are they? Every meeting I ever almost went to (I wasn't big on school-sponsored activities) was happening in a public place. Isn't saying "Meet in my dorm room" code for "Let's all have sex! It's technically an NYU club, so they pay for our condoms!" Just found a tad bizarre is all.

Final Thoughts On “Dan de Fluerette:”

Da7e: It’s nice to see Gossip Girl get back to their backstabbing and double-teaming (is that the right phrase? Let’s say yes), even if they have to depart from hilarious NYU for awhile. I’m still looking forward to some mention of NYU specific schools or majors (because who doesn’t want to nit-pick that or make fun of some Stern business students?) and – of course – the dining hall. But, I’m guessing I’ll have to wait until Rufus breaks his waffle-making hands first.

Muse: Although it must be mentioned - while this week seemed to mark a return to awesome for GG, it also marked an extremely poor judgement call in the form of Tyra Banks not only guest starring, but guest starring as someone other than herself. If I want to watch Tyra Banks act, I'll put on some old episodes of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. But I never want to see her act, so I won't ever do that. See what I'm saying? Absolutely anyone else could have played that part and I would have enjoyed it. But Tyra Banks?! Really?! Also, between Serena & Melrose Place's Ella, being a personal publicist is suddenly a totally sexy Hollywood job. When the eff did that happen?

Cross Posted at My Inconvenient Life
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