Strong word-of-mouth has earned CW newbie, Gossip Girl, a full-season order.  The Josh Schwartz (Chuck) series is a perfect replacement for those who loved his last production, The O.C.  The show stars Blake Lively (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) as Serena van der Woodsen, a girl who returns to her vicious private school after mysteriously leaving town.  Leighton Meester plays Blair Waldorf, Serena’s former best friend and current frenemy.

The catty series has so far proven to be a much darker version of our typical teenage dramas (imagine The O.C. plus Heathers).  And with voyeuristic narration supplied by the anonymous ‘gossip girl’, things get to be so much cattier.

For those who have not yet watched the series, it’s not too late.  The first two episodes are currently hot iTunes downloads.  Once you get yourself caught up, you can find Gossip Girl on Wednesdays @ 9pm on The CW.  I promise you—the backstabbing here is much more exciting than that Private Practice/Bionic Woman battle.  Plus - you’ll come to learn valuable fashion lessons.  Had I not watched last week, how would I have known that blue eyeshadow was back?