30 September, 2008

Our Trail of the Month (September 2008)

I can't let my favorite month end without doing a trailers post. Most of the upcoming movies are coming out this October aka the month starting tomorrow.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Aw. Love the trailer. Like Michael Cera. This seems to be a romantic indie film full of sarcasm, wit, self-deprecating humor, and awesome music. Can’t wait to see it.
Will be released October 3.


City of Ember

This sounds and looks like an interesting film, though it seems a little predictable. Still, who doesn’t like fantasy adventure films? And apparently, with the way the critics are acting these days, conspiracies are everywhere in children’s fantasy/adventure films. The ridiculous accusations of conservatives are almost as entertaining as the films they criticize. I say almost because sometimes it’s just pitiful.
Will be released October 10.

The Punisher: War Zone
Where is Thomas Jane? Don't know yet whether this is a direct sequel or a reboot film. The new actor seems to look more like the Punisher from the comics, but is he as good (or better) than Jane? Guess we'll find out.
Will be released December 5.

Warning: The trailer is full of gore and violence, and is not meant for kids.

The Changeling
This film was released last year on a film festival. Now it’s getting a wider release because of its success. In the Changeling, we see Angelina Jolie holstering her guns for the moment, and playing a woman who is searching for her missing son.
Will be released October 24.
Clint Eastwood directs Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich in a provocative thriller based on actual events: Changeling. In the film, Christine Collins' (Jolie) prayers are met when her kidnapped son is returned. But amidst the frenzy of the photo-op reunion, she realizes this child is not hers. Facing corrupt police and a skeptical public, she desperately hunts for answers, only to be confronted by a truth that will change her forever.

The Tale of Despereaux
Looks like a mix of Ratatouille, Dumbo, and Stuart Little. Looks like fun. By the way, Emma Watson is debuting her voice acting in this animated film.
Will be released December 19.

The Soloist
Speechless. Wordless. Profound drama overload.
Will be released November 21.




29 September, 2008

"Eagle Eye" Film Review


I am not "activated."

Great performances. Recycled plot.

Eagle Eye is a 2008 action film directed by D.J. Caruso and produced by a number of big Hollywood names such as Steven Spielberg. The film stars Shia LeBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Billy Bob Thornton, Ethan Embry, Anthony Mackie, Michael Chiklis, and Cameron Boyce.

I went into the theater having only seen the brief teaser trailers. I haven’t seen the extended trailers, so I basically had no clue what Eagle Eye was about, except that Shia LeBeouf and Michelle Monaghan’s characters are in for a wild, dangerous ride thanks to an anonymous antagonist.

The antagonist is given away maybe 30 minutes into the film. After that, pretty much everything that happens is based on the antagonist’s powers and the escapades that the main characters have to go through to do its bidding. Once the audience knows about the main antagonist, it’s pretty obvious what must be done to stop it.


(Spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers. You are duly warned.)


Shia LeBeouf’s performance is pretty much constantly phenomenal. Especially the scenes where he visits his twin’s burial, and the scene where he purposely risked his life to stop the bomb. Intense, heartbreaking, and goosebumps worthy. Michelle Monaghan was great too, her character was understandably lost, and her expressive eyes showed the vulnerability that comes with that territory. Rosario Dawson and Billy Bob Thornton performed brilliantly as well. Overall, the actors were amazing.

The plot however, is as mentioned above, recycled. I’ve seen, heard, and watched about computers running amok and brutally doing what they are programmed to do about a hundred times before. Of course, with a Steven Spielberg film, you can expect thrilling action and a frenetic pacing that can hold your interest throughout the entire film. Still, after the audience knows that the villain is a computer, everything else in Eagle Eye becomes somewhat predictable. But scanning voice vibration echoes from a coffee cup? Really? I’m an impressionable person, but even us young ones have to draw the line between suspension of disbelief and simple disbelief. Almost everything, if not actually everything, in the movie is technologically impossible. I hope. Sometimes the computer’s (called Aria) abilities are so ridiculous, that you just can’t help but shake your head in mixed annoyance and disappointment. D.J. Caruso did such a good job with the fast pace of the movie that it covers the massively ludicrous plot.

It was recently reported that Eagle Eye is the 4th highest opening movie of all time in the month of September. Understandable, because the cast is amazing. Other than that, Eagle Eye is an entertaining movie with great cast performances, great action and effects, and a below-okay plot.

It’s only thanks to the cast, specifically Shia LeBeouf, that Eagle Eye is worth watching in my book.

28 September, 2008

Goku is American

An American live-action Dragonball film will be coming out next year on April 3, 2009. The Dragonball film is directed by James Wong and produced by Stephen Chow. And stars Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Jamie Chung, Emmy Rossum, Eriko Tamura, Joon Park, Chow Yun-Fat, Texas Battle, and Ernie Hudson.

I'm not sure whose idea it was to make an American live-action Dragonball movie, but whoever it is, they should be shot with an extra powerful kamehameha.

I watched the Dragonball anime when I was younger, I barely understood the story, but I had fun watching the crazy hairs, the bulging muscles, the weird villains, and the comic reliefs. I think that Dragonball is one of the most famous animes around. To turn a popular anime icon into something it's not is risky and somewhat distasteful. I don't understand why an American is portraying a Japanese anime hero, but I hope Justin Chatwin won't dissappoint us too much.

Having said all that, I'm still definitely going to watch this Dragonball movie. Why? Because of curiosity and the entertainment. Just the crazy hair will be worth watching.

26 September, 2008

Gossip Girl Episode Recap S2Ep3: The Dark Night

Gossip Girl Episode Recaps
The Dark Night? Really? They couldn't think of a more original title?
(Spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers. You are duly warned.)

Gossip Girl Season 2 Episode 3 Recap
The Dark Night


Love is in the air in Upper East Side Manhattan. Or should I say lust? It seems that D and S still haven’t talked like two mundane thinking people should. Seems that their mouths are too busy for anything remotely rational. Unlike Blair and her Lord Marcus. We see that our half-royal couple aren’t having any trouble at dousing the flames of passion. At all. As in the sparks are barely there. As in the sparks are almost non-existent. As in there are no frickin sparks. I suppose Lord Marcus’ sweet respect for her purity doesn’t absolve Blair’s craving for some spice.

Meanwhile, while talking to Little J, Vanessa proves to us all that she is a whiny-should-I-call-him girl, and an endearing one at that. And, really Jenny Humphrey? I am not amused by your futile attempts at being cute.

And the object of their whiny-should-I-call-him debate: Nate, is on a shopping spree with his sugar-momma. Still having financial problems, Nate implores the Duchess to loan him some more money. Of course, this is just the moment that Vanessa picks to decide to call Nate. After a little white lie from Nate, Duchess Catherine bestows us with her soap opera-ish little glare of jealousy and suspicion.
Serena and Dan talk about their relationship’s public status and decide that slow was good. Until one of Gossip Girls’ fans decide to take a picture of them mid-liplock. Of course that means that the whole of Upper East Side Manhattan’s young socialites know of their “relationship.”

Meanwhile, Nate and Vanessa finally get to hang out together, and make plans to keep hanging out together. Of course Duchess Catherine, who just happens to be in her limo inconspicuously glaring at the happy not-quite couple from afar, is not happy. To say the least.

Our favorite besties S and B are busy planning for Blair’s before school party. Blair does not approve of S and Lonely Boy’s relationship. Even while showing her support for Blair’s exploits with her Lord, Serena gets none in return. And with good reason. And, exactly who is Blair trying to convince of how “wonderful” Marcus is? Serena? Or herself? After S leaves, B receives a call from the Duchess and finds out about Nate and Vanessa’s hang out time.

On to our second favorite pair of besties. Nate visits Chuck to apologize for being mad that Chuck tried to help him, and tries to ask for the money back. Duh. Too late though, because Chuck already set up the money as financial bonds and cannot be used for a length of time. Apparently, Chuck has been having some personal problems. Personal male problems. And he’s been hiring specialists to accommodate his needs. Of course in Gossip Girl land, nothing cures an illness like imported Asian prostitutes.

Seeing as I abhor both the Humphrey siblings, I’ll just quickly tell a story about the not-so important escapades of Little J.

Little J is fitting a dress for a model.
Little J doesn’t like the dress. The dress made by a multi-million dollar clothing fashion franchise.
Little J forms an opinion. Little J tells Laurel (her boss) this opinion.
Laurel shuts her up using the Cinderella story.
(to be continued 3 scenes later…)

We see S and Lonely Boy strolling around, almost talking about their relationship. Young gossip girl fans see the pair and walk up to spew some of their-oh so important advice and opinion. Shockingly, 2 out of 3 people are on Dan’s side. Is the world ending? After exchanging some awkward words, the couple split up and agree to talk “later” when they meet for Blair’s party.

Meanwhile, Nate and Vanessa are hanging out, but poor Nate is understandably distracted by his family problems and his wicked Duchess. Vanessa offers a nicer kind of distraction, but Queen B herself decides to bestow the couple her presence. Unconvinced by her (obviously fake) pleasantries, Nate accuses Blair of an ulterior motive. After a quietly heated argument, wherein Blair states that she is not about to let Nate cheat on her boyfriend’s mother, Nate (was forced to) agree that he and Vanessa will attend Blair’s party. We see as she leaves that Blair is in cahoots with the Duchess, who wants Vanessa to attend the party. Question is, why?

A cute little scene with the Van Der Woodsen/Bass siblings proves that Chuck’s “illness” is really because he’s not over Blair.

(…continued from 3 scenes before…)
Little J insults the dress while fitting the model when she thinks no one will hear her.
Eleanor Waldorf hears her.
Little J is fired.
Aw.
(continued 5 scenes later…)

After a run in with Marcus, Nate finds out that the Duchess Catherine is planning to come to Blair’s party. He immediately calls Vanessa to cancel on her so that his two girls won’t meet each other. But Rufus, with his infinite amount of wisdom, advices Vanessa to go anyway. And, yes Dan, everyone thinks you’re an ass. So glad you finally found out.

At the party, Chuck and Blair have a heated moment together. In every sense.
Dan and Serena however, are having trouble finding middle ground when the heat is turned off. All they can share is polite small talk and meaningless jabber.

As Nate arrives at the party, he finally confronts the Duchess Catherine on her power play with Vanessa and Blair. Catherine merely says that she doesn’t like sharing her toys, especially if she’s paid for them. Ouch.

And here starts the Dark Night.

What? The title isn’t completely useless.

A blackout encompasses the whole of Manhattan, and of course, the plot thickens and unravels in Gossip Girl land.

Nate corners Vanessa and convinces her to hear him out. She complies and asks him to tell her the whole story. Yay! Nice acting in this scene by the way. Pleasantly surprised by Jessica Szohr’s performance.
Meanwhile, still stuck in the elevator, Dan and Serena argue over the simple calling of a hotel personnel. Here we see the disparity between their worlds, and the little debate escalates until they finally acknowledge the big white elephant that has been tailing them wherever they go. In the end, they agree that they are still unable to change.

(…continued from 5 scenes before…)
Little J is about to leave during the blackout.
Eleanor Waldorf isn’t completely heartless and asks her to stay.
They talk about the dress.
Little J carefully insults it.
Eleanor agrees.
They try to fix the dress.
Little J is rehired.
Rufus unexpectedly arrives. With a date.
Cue cute father-daughter scene.
End. Yay.

Blair, fed up with being ignored by her Lord, asks that they meet in her bedroom. A man shows up, and the accent could have been convincing, but it’s obvious that Marcus could never get that kind of reaction from Blair. Under the silhouette of the dark night, Blair is free to be with Chuck.

But when the lights go back on, Marcus finds them together and asks his Queen B to make up her mind. Sorry Chuck, but Blair still chooses royalty.

When Nate left Vanessa for a little while, the wicked Duchess Catherine swooped in and blackmailed her. Since Vanessa is kind and sane (a rarity in Gossip Girl land), she complies with the Duchess request to stay away from Nate. Otherwise Catherine will go to the authorities and tell them where Nate's father is hiding. Nate tries to talk to Vanessa, but she rebuffs him for his own good. Aw.

And there you have it folks. Episode 3 of Gossip Girl.

Hm.

Not much to say. Although I do like how Dan and Serena's argument in the elevator was played out. I'm glad that Dan finally (somewhat) admitted that he has his own faults because of the fact that he is unable to change.

Overall, a good episode to continue the story, but I've seen better.

More episode recaps next week from your non-Gossip Girl gossip girl.

23 September, 2008

"Wall-E" Film Review



I've been waiting to see this film for ages. Wall-E is officially my favorite CGI animated film. Of all time.



Wall-E is a 2008 computer animated film from Walt Disney Pictures, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and directed by Andrew Stanton.



For a full film synopsis, go to wikipedia.



Wall-E is an animated film that definitely takes the CGI potential to the next level. The whole film is a visual eye candy; the graphics are simply breathtaking. Furthermore, Wall-E's movements and robotic motion are so perfectly synced and meticulously planned that you can't help but be in awe of the creators of this visual masterpiece. Wall-E's graphics are that of Final Fantasy: Advent Children level, possibly even higher. And that's saying a lot.



And the story is just as beautiful as its graphics. There are barely any actual words from the main characters, Wall-E and Eve, but as they say, actions speak louder than words. The main dialogue comes from the humans who react to Wall-E, and we get a glimpse of a world that has lost the basic human wonders by their own creations. In the midst of the political, economical, and environmental insinuations and allegories, Wall-E is first and foremost, a love story. Wall-E, the sympathetic small robot who lives for trash, unwittingly brings the human civilization back to its roots, because it fell in love with Eve (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator). I can’t stress enough just how cute Wall-E is, so I won’t even try. But some are complaining that the decidedly mature, political message of Wall-E is not fit for an animated film intended for children.



I say cow manure.



What would they prefer? A clueless sponge’s meaningless escapades with a cynical squid and a retarded starfish?



Propaganda's and “evils of mankind” aside, Wall-E’s underlining theme of hope and human resilience makes it, in my opinion, a lovelier and more endearing story than the self-deprecating and (admittedly funny) sarcastic humor of other animated films, like Shrek.



Overall, Wall-E is an epic, heartwarming, love story, with spectacular visuals, astounding sound effects, and an amazing message for those who would care to look for it.



I’m definitely buying its DVD coming out this November. It would be wrong not to!



And.



Here’s to hoping Wall-E wins an Oscar.







15 September, 2008

Rob Cohen and Vin Diesel in for another round of XXX action

Sources say that producer Joe Roth is in talks with Columbia Pictures about a third XXX film, which will supposedly be called XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, which will star Vin Diesel and will be directed by Rob Cohen. Now, correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Xander Cage (Vin Diesel's character) supposed to be dead? I mean, his death was the reason that a sequel, XXX: State of the Union (starring Ice Cube and directed by Lee Tamahori), could be made, right? Anyway, ignoring the blatant inconsistency and predictability of the movie (let me guess, Xander Cage didn't die, cue gasp of shock), having Vin Diesel starring in another action movie (without the actual acting) is even less appealing than ever. I mean, I get it, a tough looking guy with lots of muscles, bad guy gone good, action stunts galore, but really, who could ever learn anything remotely important from a film entitled: XXX?

By the way, Bablyon A.D.? Poor decision mister Vin Diesel. Poor decision.

09 September, 2008

Gossip Girl Episode Recap S2Ep2: Never Been Marcused

Gossip Girl Episode Recaps
How weird is this episode's title? Seriously, who has ever been Marcused?

(Spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers. You are duly warned.)

Gossip Girl Season 2 Episode 2 Recap
Never Been Marcused

After their short, meaningless talk last week, we find Dan and Serena just waking up on the beach after they had their straight-out-of-a-romance-novel scene. Serena woke up all confused, which got Dan confused, and rendered me confused as well. Don’t tell me Serena is suddenly having second thoughts after finally being with the one person she has been pathetically pining after all summer. Oh, wait. She is. They talk, kiss, and agree that they need to actually think (uh, duh) before officially getting back together, and then they part ways.

Meanwhile, Blair and her Lord Marcus seem to be having a good time together. Blair is hoping for a more royal future, but Marcus seems to be evading Blair’s introduction to his family. This prompts Blair to excuse herself and call Serena for an immediate best friend therapy. Chuck sees Blair preoccupied and sneaks in towards Marcus for the kill. Uh, the killing of any hostility that is. Our Chuck Bass-tard befriends the Lord, and even scores a date with him. A squash date.

Back to S and D, we find my least favorite couple trying, and failing, to keep their hands off each other. They even manage to join the 60 miles per hour club in a bus. And, I only realized how cute Dan is when he is not speaking.

Nate on the other hand is still having some trouble with his parents. We find out that his mom is trying to keep him from going back to the city because his home is being searched.

During a call we find out that Catherine, Nate’s clandestine married lover, is actually a duchess. Marcus’ duchess stepmother to be exact. She is also the main reason why Marcus doesn’t want Blair to meet his royal family. Lord Marcus is afraid that his wicked stepmother might scare his precious Blair away. Of course, Blair doesn’t know this, so she creates an impromptu party to get Marcus to spend more time with her. And impress him with her ability to throw a royal party.

A little scene with Rufus and Vanessa tells us that Rufus is getting a kick out of being a semi-rockstar and isn’t sure whether he is done touring. Vanessa assures him that she’ll be sticking around to help out his kids however she can. And, isn’t Vanessa just the sanest person ever in Gossip Girl land?

Nate is wandering around like lost little puppy because police people are raiding his home, and he’s got no one to talk to. Aw, Chace Crawford is so cute in this episode.

During their squash date, Chuck subtly interrogates Marcus about his stepmom, and finds out about Blair’s Hudson party.

Meanwhile, Blair and her sidekicks Dorota and Serena plan her impromptu Hudson party, and makes sure that her guest list is up to par with royal standards, which unfortunately, does not include most of her high school friends. Shockingly however, it does include Humpty Dumpty. Uhm, I meant Dan Humphrey.

Puppy Nate goes to Chuck for some bestie time, but Chuck is too busy selling his Burlesque club. He says it’s a good way to impress Blair, but we find out later that it’s actually a loan for Nate’s mom. Speaking of, Nate’s mom has some huge hellhounds with her, seriously where did those beasts/dogs come from?

Meanwhile D and S has some more “we should think first but I want to see you anyway” drama.

Vanessa tries to comfort Nate. And she does so quite well. Nate promises to see her later, because he found out from a call from his mom that a certain “he” is loaning their family some money for their financial trouble. Again, Chace Crawford is so cute in this scene.

Meanwhile Chuck calls for a meeting with the duchess Catherine herself and discusses, I’m guessing here, the coolness of limos? That’s the only thing they have in common after all, right?

Over at Hudson, everything is lame because we all know that Mozart is never a good choice for party music. Chuck shows up with wicked stepmom duchess Catherine, and Blair introduces herself with a capital B, as in Beeyatch.

After realizing the error of her ways, Blair decides to apologize with some coaxing from Serena, this of course, makes no difference to Catherine because there is no way that her precious Marcus will ever be with a lowly Waldorf. But don’t worry, she immediately changes her mind when Nate arrives for the party and Blair catches them together in the library. Oh My Effing God indeed. Nate also tells Chuck off for trying to help his family because Chuck lied to his face. Uhm, okay. Eventually, Nate finally gets to talk to someone about his family's financial problems. Catherine. Catherine, being a callow-former-swimsuit-model-enslaved-by-her-own-insecurities who has some compassion (all according to Blair), offered Nate some help.

Dan comes home with Little J in tow and they find their semi-rockstar Dad, Rufus, cooking up some family dinner time. Still not sure whether he will go back to touring, or stay home, though there are some hints pointing to the latter. This is Gossip Girl land after all, who knows what that sentimental reminiscing Rufus did could actually mean?

Over at the Van Der Woodsen/Bass home, Blair is staying over for some bestie time, and seems to enjoy her after battle flirt with Chuck. And, how sweet is their little goodnight to each other? Over at Vanessa's place, we see that she has set up a romantic Chinese take out for two, but her guest Nate is away in a limo making a deal with the wicked duchess.

Anyway, overall pretty interesting episode, there were a bit more twists than last week. I kinda miss their high school setting, hopefully we’ll get more of that next week. And, I’m increasingly disliking the Dan and Serena tandem. I hope the writers find something more interesting for them to do than just the drama of breaking up and getting back together routine.

More episode recaps next week from your non-Gossip Girl gossip girl.

07 September, 2008

My Spidey-sense is Tingling

Look out spideyfans, Spiderman 4 and 5 is on the way!

Sources say that Sony got Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire to return for Spiderman 4 and 5. There was no one else considered for the part of Peter Parker but Maguire. And with good reason, Maguire is great as Spiderman. There is no news yet about Kirsten Dunst’s deal, but sources say that there would be no recasting of Mary Jane even though Dunst has been having some recent rehab drama.

Even with The Dark Knight’s immense success, the Spiderman 4 and 5 team won’t be borrowing some darkness because Spiderman’s drama isn’t about Peter Parker’s struggle with his dark side, it’s his struggle with sacrifice. Spiderman 3’s short stint with the darkness was entirely because of a black suit, Peter Parker has no dark side.

Sources also say that Sony is gonna try and shoot Spiderman 4 and 5 at the same time, apparently because it’s cost effective.

I can’t wait for more Spidey goodness.

Spiderman 4 is hoping for a May 2011 release.

Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily

05 September, 2008

Another Philippine version of famous reality shows.

Pautakan! Pagalingan! Patatagan!

Waw.

So here I was, chatting with fellow Filipinas about patriotism and the beauty of the Philippines, and lo’ and behold, I stumble across the pinoy version of the long-running hit reality-competition show: Survivors.

Survivor Philippines!

Who will be the first Pinoy Sole Survivor? 18 castaways will compete for the title this September.

Will it be the laundry woman with the strong hands or the male model with the chiseled abs?
Could it be the driver who wants to achieve a better life or the nanny who dreams of showbiz stardom?

The first Pinoy Sole Survivor could be any of them or the 14 other hopefuls all vying for the P3 million grand prize in GMA-7’s reality show.

After thousands of Filipinos flocked to local auditions, GMA-7 decided to give more people a chance to be part of this once in a lifetime event. Instead of 16 contenders, Survivor Philippines picked 18 castaways from different corners of the country and from all walks of life.

Among them is a female farmer who seeks greener pastures, a call center agent who wants to quit the graveyard shift and a basketball player who wants to take a shot to win the jackpot.

Isolated in an island, deprived of basic necessities and challenged to chart unfamiliar territory, 18 strangers will fight it out armed only with instincts, strength and wit.

Expect fierce competition, willful deceit and sly strategies as each challenger tries to be the last one standing. Who will outwit, outlast and outplay all castaways to become the first Pinoy Sole Survivor?

Find out as Survivor Philippines fires up your TV screens this September only on GMA-7.

(GMA Press Release)

Article from SurvivorPhilippines.com

The Survivor Philippines castaways went shooting on Thailand’s Tarutao from July 21 ‘till August 29. The show will air with host Paolo Bediones on the Philippine channel GMA 7 on September 15.

04 September, 2008

Gossip Girl Episode Recap S2Ep1: Summer, Kind of Wonderful

Gossip Girl Episode Recaps

The last time we saw our fabulous East Siders, Lily got married, Dan and Serena just broke up, Chuck ditched Blair on a helipad, Jenny was interning at Eleanor’s fashion line, Rufus was touring with his band, and Nate was… well, he was there.



All caught up?



Good. Now onto the episode recap.



(Spoilers. Lots.)



Gossip Girl Season 2 Episode 1 Recap

Summer, Kind of Wonderful



We see that Nate has been busy. An older girl? A married older girl? Well surely that’s gonna end well. Thanks to Serena’s cover, Nate’s been dating a mysterious older woman that we know practically nothing about. Except that she’s married.







Thanks to Gossip Girl, Chuck got wind of Blair’s arrival, and spent massive amounts of cologne and hair gel (I assume) to clear any evidence of his usual philandering with topless women on the beach.





But of course, he shouldn’t have expected Blair to come home alone, all vulnerable and hurt. She is Blair after all. She came home with James, all vulnerable and hurt. And who is James?

Clue: He’s not from Princeton nor Georgetown.





Lonely Boy turned into a Playboy, and not a very good one. He’s been interning as an assistant for his favorite author, and amidst all the work that he was supposed to have done yesterdays ago, he’s been kissing, dating, and two-timing other women. He has this book assignment that he was supposed to do to get a referral from his boss, but apparently he can’t keep his mind from a certain girl whose heart he broke.

Clue: She’s tall, blonde, and despite the rumors, not dating Nate.



As for the youngest Humphrey, she’s an intern for Eleanor. As the little social climbing bee that she is, Jenny offered her boss, Laurel or Laura (I forgot), a custom made dress she made for her to wear for the White Party. Her reward for all the hard work? More hard work.



So what does Little J do? Use Eric.



After her (not all that) convincing apology for how she treated him like gum stuck on her faux Manolo Blahnik’s, she asked for his help. And Eric, the only sensible person in this land of debauchery (New York), invited her to the oh-so important White Party, introduced her to some important person I forgot the name of, and did this all in front of her arrogant boss. Poetic justice. Or maybe not. Duly impressed by her cunning and subtle bitchiness, Laura/Laurel nicely chatted with Jenny and said she’ll see her back on work.





Blair tried, and succeeded, in making Chuck jealous with her new boytoy James. Unfortunately for her, James is not as dumb as he looks and saw through Blair’s games. Fortunately for Blair, James is actually British. A royal British. Who still has feelings for her even though she treated him like a squire boy.





After Chuck’s pleas, he still couldn’t convince Blair to ditch the lord and stay with him, because he failed to give her the three magical words.





After some sound advice from his rockstar father, Dan decided to trot over to the Hamptons to find Serena. When he got there, Serena’s Grandmother decided to bestow her niceness upon him and helped him clean up for the White Party.





However at the White Party, Nate and her faux date Serena were busy trying to make Nate’s married girlfriend jealous by kissing and acting like a couple.





Of course, during their liplock was just the exact moment that Dan decided to appear.





After showing us his judgmental, irritating, and whiney side for the thousandth time, Dan finally got served. By scorned women with cocktails.







Those were his “girlfriends” during his Playboy days. Which were about an hour ago. So in the end, Serena got back with Dan after moping after him throughout the summer.





Blair is going out with a Lord. Chuck still can’t say the three magical words. Nate is a mistress. And Jenny turned from a social climber into an ambitious intern. I'm kind of tired of the whole Dan and Serena couple trouble. They were cute at first, but I lost all respect for Dan during the fiasco that is Georgina. He was just too judgmental and righteous all the time. I'm more interested in what Gossip Girl has in store next for Blair and Chuck.



All in all, the episode was pretty good. Not great. But a good enough intro for the rest of the second season.



The end.



What?



Were you expecting me to say XOXO?



HAH!



More next week from your non-Gossip Girl gossip girl.