Rising Star: ‘Gossip Girl’s’ Blake Lively

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. (September 13, 2007) – She’s best known for playing Bridget in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” but in a matter of days, actress Blake Lively will be your favorite “Gossip Girl.”

On Wednesday, September 19th, the drama has its season premiere on The CW with 20-year-old Lively starring as Serena van der Woodsen, a troubled, socialite teen.

Serena returns to New York City and her old prep school after a mysterious year away at a boarding school. While she may have left the academy as teen queen bee, she returns to find things tense with her bff – Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), who is now ruling the roost.

Her love life isn’t any better, with Nate Archiblaid (Chace Crawford) still dating Blair, despite his love for Serena, while Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) appears as slimy as ever. But there is hope for our fair maiden – enter son-of-a-‘90s rock star, Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), who has less of a pedigree than Serena’s usual boy candy, but might just be the most exciting guy in town. And no matter what happens, all of it is chronicled “Desperate Housewife” style, by an unseen, teen narrator, aka “Gossip Girl,” voiced by Kristen Bell.

Well written and acted, “Gossip Girl,” might be the best new teen drama on TV this season and Lively can certainly take a host of credit for helping to steer its course. She lights up the screen as Serena, giving the pretty teen a dark edge and Dylan Mckay (“90210”) style depth.

This is the first television show Lively is fronting and she makes a major splash. Aside from “Sisterhood . . .” she certainly isn’t a stranger to acting. The Tarzana, California actress starred alongside Mary Steenburgen and Max Minghella in “Elvis & Annabelle” which premiered at the SXSW Film & Music festival this past March. She’s also no stranger to dark themes, having acted alongside indie-darling Crispin Glover in 2006’s “Simon Says.”

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