Governor Paterson Is Working His Tuchus Off in DenverCindy Adams reports that the lovable gov has been hauling butt around the Democratic National Convention. Plus, gossip about Chace Crawford (of course), Naomi Campbell, and Janice Dickinson.
Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick Caught Nearly Touching in Public!The pair were spotted at a crowded concert — standing right next to each other! Plus, Lindsay Lohan trapped in the Bowery Hotel with Samantha Ronson, Guy Oseary selling another Madonna book, and more, in our daily gossip roundup.
gossipmonger
Alec Baldwin Is Angry AgainAlso, Lindsay is still being lesbianish, Huma still loves Weiner, and Chace Crawford continues to be hot and available in our daily gossip roundup.
summering
Chace Crawford Had His 23rd-Birthday Party This WeekendOur invite must have gotten lost in the mail. Meanwhile! Mean jellyfish continue to spoil summer fun! Aretha never reached the beach! And Howard Stern and his fiancée looked so tall this weekend! There was so much going on in the Hamptons … honey, where were you?
Blake Lively Doesn’t Kiss With TongueOn TV, at least. That and dish about Paris Hilton, Serena Williams, and Russell Simmons in our daily column roundup.
Lydia Hearst and Posse Turn Against Justin BarthaAll of today’s gossip, including dish about Chace Crawford, Ashley Olsen, Leighton Meester, Blake Lively, and Steve Wozniak. Because, you know, they all go together.
Chace Crawford Is Awesome at Being SinglePlus, a Puerto Rican party for Carlos Beltran’s birthday and who the gayest man in the world is in our daily gossip roundup.
Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick Are Just Roommates, Okay?!Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick says he and co-star Chace Crawford aren’t gay; they just live together. Oprah BFF Gayle King moved into a $7.1 million penthouse on East 57th Street that was purchased in name of Oprah’s dead dog, Sophie. A nude portrait of France’s current First Lady Carla Bruni taken back in 1993 will go up for sale at Christie’s next month.
in other news
Mary-Kate Sets Her Sights on Chace?Okay, so we know everybody’s been skeptical of the much-touted love affair between Carrie Underwood and Chace Crawford (have they ever been seen together more than twice?). But now that there might be another girl in the picture, we’re a little bit worried. According to the blog Faded Youth (which must be reliable because it has pictures of Rumer Willis on it), Mary-Kate Olsen may have her eye on the sexy star of the Greatest Show of Our Time. She spent Wednesday evening chatting with him at the Waverly Inn and then met up with him later at Lit. It’s probably nothing, but it still doesn’t look good. Chace is all blue eyes and innocence and hairspray. If he starts dating M-K, suddenly he’s going to be unshaven and haggard, wandering the streets clutching grande latte in a paper cup and looking sweaty. And then he might do something awful like get stolen by Paris Hilton and move to L.A. to go to places like Hyde and start hanging out with Wilmer Valderamma. Or worse. Don’t do it, Chace! We promise we’ll start believing in your relationship with Carrie Underwood. Everyone, believe with us. Clap! For the love of God, start clapping!
Is MK Chasing Chace? [Faded Youth]
Earlier: The Fug Girls: Introducing the Good Boy
gossipmonger
Chace Crawford and J.C. Chasez Hang Out With GirlsChace Crawford and J.C. Chasez hung out with girls and drank Cristal at a Vegas party thrown by Michael Strahan. A bunch of Upper East Side housewives at the premiere of The Real Housewives of New York City hated on the show. Because they were jealous. Among the stipulations in Kimora Lee Simmons’s contract rider is that her glass of Champagne must be filled whenever it gets below one inch. Employees at Philippe may have been watching celebs like Tom Brady and Gisele hook up in the restaurant’s private room via security camera. A party in honor of Baird Jones (open bar, naturally) will be held at Plumm this Friday, with a memorial service to be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine Saturday afternoon.
gossipmonger
Chace Crawford Must Really Love ‘NSyncFormer ‘NSync member J.C. Chasez and Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford hung out with a bunch of cute boys at Elton John’s Oscar party. Javier Bardem lip-synched to “You Shook Me All Night Long” at the No Country for Old Men after-party at Bar Marmont. Ben Affleck and Jimmy Kimmel needed ten takes to film the “almost kiss” scene in “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck,” because they couldn’t stop laughing. Diablo Cody refused to wear Stuart Weiztman’s $1 million diamond-encrusted heels at the Oscars when she figured out it was a publicity stunt. Donald Rumsfeld and Mayor Bloomberg both ate dinner at Café des Artistes, but didn’t say hello to each other.
in other news
Chace Crawford: Founder of the Forelock Movement?Remember when we wondered aloud whether the Times was trying to imply that there is something less than masculine about Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford Nate Archibald? Well, apparently he heard us, because when he went out on the town to do a similar article with Canada’s National Post, he was careful to choose a bottle of Steam Whistle, a local brew. “This is a great beer,” he told reporter Shinan Govani, who dutifully OMG-ed. “I love Canada.” Naaaaate, don’t change who you are because of the pressures of the media! We love you just the way you are, you shrimp-and-avocado-salad eater, you. In fact, one of the things we love about you is your wispy haircut. Unlike Zac Efron’s well-conditioned, floppy version, Nate’s bangs have a dried-out, Aquanetted look that surely doesn’t require obnoxious, ponylike head flicks to handle. Govani agrees with us, declaring in the National Post story that Crawford is the icon of the latest male-bangs movement. He says that he’s given masculine dudes everywhere the confidence to get new, more fashion-forward dos. Now that’s more like it. Let’s all get behind Nate’s heterosexuality, huh? Govani even has a new nickname for Nate: Mr. Man-Bangs! Hey, wait
Meet Mr. Man-Bangs [National Post]
Earlier: Chace Crawford Sips Merlot, Is Reluctant to Meet Kate Hudson
in other news
Chace Crawford Sips Merlot, Is Reluctant to Meet Kate HudsonAs you can imagine, we were delighted this weekend to see that the Times had done an “A Night Out With” column with Nate Archibald! And he was so Nate-y in it! He bumbled around, he was adorable, and he was a little insecure. Just like he is on TV in the Greatest Show of Our Time. But as we read the article a fifth time, we thought we noticed an undertone that we didn’t much like in Katie Thomas’s choice of descriptions. See if you note what we’re talking about (we’ve bolded the key bits):
• “After a 15-minute drive, during which he fiddled with the car’s controls and got a little lost, Mr. Crawford pulled up to a nine-acre estate.”
• “In the driveway, he fielded questions from a television reporter, who asked about his relationship with Carrie Underwood, an American Idol winner. ‘You’re under the assumption that we’re dating now,’ Mr. Crawford said with a laugh.” [Eds.: OMG! CALL JESSICA! OR CHRIS!]
in other news
OMG! The Boys of ‘Gossip Girl’ All Have Chest Hair!It turns out that we aren’t the only people in the world who uncomfortably fetishize the cast of Gossip Girl. The gays do it, too! (Okay, to be fair, Daily Intel editor Chris is one, and Jessica is a big ol’ ‘mo ho herself.) Out Magazine has a delicious photo shoot of the boys “roughhousing” around in its March fashion issue, and we couldn’t be more delighted with the results. Also, they provide telling insight into why their home demographic is so into the show:
The thought of returning to high school is a harrowing one for most gay men, but being able to look at adolescence through a lens that idealizes everyone as insanely wealthy, impossibly gorgeous, and improbably well-spoken is like porn.
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Okay, we have, but it took us thousands and thousands of words to do it. Dan Penn Badgley talks a bit to the mag about whether or not he would be comfortable going gay for the show. “It would be an interesting thing to do,” he says. “It could bring in a whole different demographic.” If you’re talking about the kind of demographic who lusts after teenage boys discovering their sexuality, Penn, we’re pretty sure you’ve already got that one sewed up.
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Serena Thinks Gossip Girl Is Chuck!Since the writers’ strike has been keeping us from passing judgment on what’s real and fake on Gossip Girl, we took the debate to the street at last night’s celebration for the New Old Navy. The minute we saw Chace Crawford and Blake Lively, we of course asked them whether they read our awkwardly obsessive coverage. Both seemed politely interested (though previously unaware) of our weekly recaps. “Oh my goodness! I’m flattered!” laughed Lively, while Crawford asked us to show it to him on the red carpet, and told us that even though he “isn’t a big Internet blogger,” he’ll check it out. OMG! Did you hear that guys? They’re such liars. Even we Google ourselves and check to at least page three, and we’re not famous. But anyway, we know it’s standard stalkee procedure to pretend your stalker has no effect on your life. While talking blogs, we also dug into the carefully guarded identity of Gossip Girl herself. Lively laughed off the rumors of it being Eric, saying “I personally think it’s Chuck,” and real-life Gossip Girl narrator Kristen Bell took the more cerebral route: “She’s just that eminent being in the back of your head, the little devil on your shoulder all the time.” It felt like a good high-school gab session when Lively bragged to us about how she’s the best Guitar Hero player in the cast (hello! Just like on episode eight!) and her Crumbs cupcake routine (“I cut them into fours and love the peanut-butter and red-velvet ones”.) But as it turns out, we aren’t the only ones feeling that Serena and Nate are Just Like Us: “While we were on set, these very Upper East Side–ish kids came up to me and said, ‘We are, like, you guys, in real life.’ But I was like ‘I am so sorry to hear that, I would not wish that upon anybody, our lives of debauchery and scandal.’” Wish it upon us, Chace. Wish it upon us every Wednesday night, please! —Amy Preiser
Hear more from the New Old Navy Party, with quotes and pictures of Heatherette, Kirsten Bell, and Sophia Bush!
And we know you need more Gossip Girl, so just get it over with and click here.
gossipmonger
Spike Lee to Knicks Fans: ‘Don’t Die’Spike Lee advised a fellow Knicks fan, “Don’t commit suicide.” Chace Crawford and Carrie Underwood danced together at Marquee, but not well. Jules Nasso, who may or may not be an associate of the Gambino family, will chair the 2008 Staten Island Film Festival. 30 Rock’s Katrina Bowden exchanged her ravioli for a salad at the dinner at the Four Seasons for Juno. LeBron James sang and danced with Oompa Loompas at Marquee.
intel
Chace Crawford’s Stetson Cologne Auditions?We are under strict orders from our boss to keep our Gossip Girl posts down to just one a day, but sometimes life doesn’t go your way. Like today, for example. A tipster sent us the link to a cache of sixteen (possibly fake, definitely titillating) glamour-shot portraits of a young Chace Crawford. Are they early head shots? Are they cut-and-paste jobs like the ones of Daniel Radcliffe’s giant manballs that were racing around the Internet earlier this year? Or are they actually just test photos from Ian Somerhalder’s brief “Dirty Blond” experiment? We’re not sure. But something about the football-and-board-shorts photo smacks of full-on, Abercrombie-aspiring, local-mall-cattle-call-attending reality. After the jump, a couple more images that are sure to tickle your funny Nate Archibald bone. In the comments, let us know what you think. Are they real? Or are they just Chase’s head airbrushed onto Ian Thorpe’s (pre-carb-bloated) body?
new york fugging city
The Fug Girls: Introducing the Good BoyFor the past year, the tabloids have been obsessed with Bad Girls and the rotating cabal of shaggy, greasy party boys who love them. But as public patience with self-destructive dim-bulbs like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears wanes, mags have cooked up a new dish for us to salivate over: the Good Boy. He’s sanitized, sexually harmless, and above all, as bland as an egg-and-egg omelette. In short, he is Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford. Nothing against Crawford: He’s coming into his own playing troubled, rich pothead Nate Archibald, and it’s possible he secretly digs astrophysics, dog shows, and racing unicycles across shaky rope bridges. But if he is that well rounded, we won’t read about it anytime soon. The boy’s appeal lies in his intense (but not intimidatingly intelligent) eyes, carefully mussed hair, and TV show aimed squarely at the squalling teens who buy multiple copies of magazines so as to tape the pictures to their bedroom ceilings. Even his maybe-girlfriend Carrie Underwood described Chace’s appeal thusly: “He’s got cool hair, he’s a nice height, and he just has beautiful eyes.” How profound. Will they register at Sephora?
intel
Why ‘Gossip Girl’ Is the Best Teen Drama You’ve Been Watching Your Whole LifeWelcome back to work, Upper East Siders. Did you see this morning’s “Rush & Molloy” item about how people have started confusing Lost star Ian Somerhalder for Chace Crawford, who plays Nate on Gossip Girl? This we appreciate, as we have often thought the two are twins of rosy-cheeked elfin hotness. We also appreciate it because we have been thinking about our favorite show for the whole holiday break. We assume you were as devastated as we were to discover that last week’s episode, the last glorious flash of your spiritual libertarianism before you were subsumed by communist familial obligations, was a rerun. But never fear! We did some GG analyzing anyway, for your reading pleasure. Click below to read the official Daily Intel take on the etymology of teen drama and how it’s influenced the greatest show of our time.
A Look at the Cast of ‘Gossip Girl’ [NYM]
gossipmonger
Rachel Roy Is a Dash PreggersRachel Roy is pregnant. Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford toasted new friend Carrie Underwood with Cristal at Southern Hospitality. Ew, they serve Cristal at that place? Katie Holmes took Suri to have frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3. 50 Cent and Lance Bass talked smack about each other’s books. Anna Wintour skimped on the food (only cheese sticks and almonds!) at her Style.com party on Tuesday. Prince Albert showed up at the “Grace, Princess of Monaco” exhibit at Sotheby’s.
gossipmonger
‘Gossip Girl’ Star Chace Crawford Apparently Not Worried About His TruckAt the memorial service for former movie critic Joel Siegel, ABC anchor Charles Gibson noted that the Jewish Siegel sent the best Christmas cards. Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford got cozy with a “rude and nasty” Carrie Underwood at Marquee and a party at Soho Grand (not “Chance” Crawford, as reported by “Page Six”). Vanessa and Donald Trump Jr. dined at Gemma and drank at the Rose Bar in the Gramercy Park Hotel. Cindy Adams claims that members of John Edwards’s camp are “profoundly worried” about the recent allegations that Edwards strayed on his wife. David Lauren and Lauren Bush arrived via motorcycle to the Domino Bazaar Saturday.
the morning line
‘Suicide in Buffalo Would Be Redundant’
• Blackouts, school closings, downed trees and power lines — and that’s just on the first day of snow! Bewildered Buffalo registers two feet of the white stuff, making for the snowiest October day on record. An auspicious beginning, that. [AP via NYT]
• Hey, you know what hasn’t happened on the Upper East Side in a while, if by “a while” you mean 48 hours? Raging flames and mass evacuations. Behold, then, a three-alarm fire in a historic — and thankfully unoccupied — townhouse on 70th and Park, six blocks from the Lidle crash and eight blocks from the Bartha place. Does God not like UES anymore? [AP via amNY]
• Istithmar, a Dubai-based investment firm, buys the W Hotel in Union Square, paying a per-room rate that beats the prices paid for the Plaza and the Essex House. The company already owns the Knickerbocker and Helmsley hotels and could well be the final bidders for Stuy Town. Cue the eighties-style the-foreigners-are-taking-over-New York hysteria. [NYS]
• Some Muslims are reportedly offended by the new Apple store on Fifth Avenue, finding its architecture too similar to the Ka’ba, the sacred edifice in Mecca. They should see the Rubik’s Cube. [ZDNet via Curbed]
• And Con Ed has released a “definitive,” 600-page report on the July blackout in Queens. We’ll only need six words to capture the gist. It was all someone else’s fault. The cited number of affected customers (6,800) also differs wildly from the city estimates (over 100,000). Damage control? On it. [WNBC]
