not the ggwriters

Things moved forward as Gossip Girl’s final season continued to unfold.

The connection between Serena’s new love Steven and Nate’s new significant other Sage was revealed, Bart’s affair with Amira (Andrea Gabriel) was uncovered and Dan made a big move when he opted to go the uncensored route (after several failed meetings with big-time publishers) with his new tell-all, instead bringing it to Nate’s struggling publication, The Spectator. Blair also got a taste of her own medicine when one of her former Constance minions returned for what turned out to be a not-so-pretty fashion debut.

With only eight episodes left in The CW drama’s season, just what do these latest developments from “High Infidelity” mean for Manhattan’s elite? Gossip Girl boss Sara Goodman discussed the aftermath of Dan and Nate’s team-up, why it was important to introduce a new family connection and what kind of damage Sage could do.

The Hollywood Reporter: The battle lines have been drawn with Dan deciding to have his new book published in The Spectator. How does that decision affect his relationships moving forward?

Sara Goodman: Dan as a power player is going to affect everybody. The way that we’re doing the chapters is a character at a time, so each chapter will be a character. Some episodes it will be there, some episodes it won’t. And of course, there will be twists and turns within that. But how he’s releasing it is chapter by chapter of characters. The fallout, unlike his original book, where he didn’t use real names, it keeps building with each chapter that comes out.

THR: It’s also told through one perspective. Are we to assume events and observations featured in Dan’s book will be twisted into his point of view?

Goodman: Definitely, definitely. He’s not writing like a newspaper story just reporting on what happened. He went with Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg) to Italy so I think we can expect it will be a little bit more brutally honest.

THR: Why was it important to introduce the Steven (Barry Watson) and Sage’s (Sofia Black D’Elia) father-daughter connection in the final season?

Goodman: For us, the final season we really were trying to go back and tell our own multigenerational stories, in terms of Lily and Bart, Rufus and Ivy, and Eleanor and Cyrus – and the core group. Are the kids going to become their parents? When we talked about who we wanted to bring in, we decided we wanted to bring a family that had that same dynamic – a different dynamic, obviously. We brought in Barry Watson to be an adult love interest for Serena and sometimes adults have kids. We really thought we could get a lot more complications, not in terms of someone with a deep, dark, plotty agenda but in terms of what buttons those things can push. I mean, Serena’s Sage’s step-mom, right?

THR: Obviously this will affect the dynamics between Serena-Steven and Sage-Nate. What can you say about how this will change the four?

Goodman: You’re going to have to stay tuned. Is Sage going to be OK with Serena in that stepmom way – which I think by the end of the episode, she’s not. Is Steven going to want his daughter dating someone his girlfriend used to date? It’s not going to be simple for any of them involved.

THR: What kind of damage could Sage do?

Goodman: I can say that she’s going to stir up a lot of trouble. She will do her damndest to make it difficult for Serena to be with her father.

THR: Poppy Lifton (Tamara Feldman) and Nelly Yuki (Yin Chang) came back for Blair’s fashion show. Should we expect more favorites to pop back up again?

Goodman: There will be more familiar faces. I can’t tell you who, but yes. [THR reported last week that Gossip Girl alum Katie Cassidy, who appeared in season four as Juliet Sharp, will be back for the series finale.]

Gossip Girl airs 9 p.m. Mondays on The CW.

The countdown to the final Gossip Girl episodes has begun — and the season six premiere featured some interesting developments.

In previewing the season, executive producer Sara Goodman hinted that the characters “are going to end where we feel like they belong.” If that’s the case, then step one to reaching that destination consisted of a wedding (though not Serena’s), a Blair-Chuck deal that kept their romance at bay, the start of a questionable (age-inappropriate?) relationship and the near-reveal of Gossip Girl.

The Hollywood Reporter asked executive producer Sara Goodman to weigh in on some of the premiere’s top moments, the decisions behind them and the potential aftermath.

The Hollywood Reporter: The Rufus (Matthew Settle) and Ivy (Kaylee DeFer) story line was a surprise, in terms of where it may end up going. Did you and the writers have any reservations moving forward with their relationship?

Sara Goodman: It is a big development. [Laughs] It’s so funny, in a weird way when we came into the season and we knew we had a limited amount of time and we knew who we wanted to keep around, Lily (Kelly Rutherford) had chosen Bart (Robert John Burke) last season and we really felt that we didn’t want Rufus sitting there moping — and that hewouldn’t be. He and Ivy had some interesting connections last season, especially when he found out Lily had betrayed Ivy, and he had taken Ivy’s side at that time. So when we were talking about what to do, it made sense for us in terms of them ending up together. Now, of course, we know Ivy is Ivy so she might have her own motivations. It felt like they both were outsiders, but they both had been in. They might be an interesting couple – and I think they are. They have a lot of the same problems: They both have issues with Lily and that obviously is going to cause huge ripples with people around them the fact that they are together.

THR: This was a development that was discussed last season?

Goodman: Yes, we planted that possibility in season five.

THR: At the end of the episode, Dan (Penn Badgley) witnesses the two of them in bed. How will that affect him going forward?

Goodman: As this goes on further, we’ll just have to see what he does from there and how Dan reacts. We tried to make it clear that seeing that took off all of the moral questions that he might have had about publishing this serial with real names. He always felt like his dad was the moral center and now that he doesn’t trust that his father is the center of anything now that he’s with Ivy, it means that there’s nothing stopping Dan from going all the way with this serial.

THR: Ivy also has some tricks up her sleeve. What is her grand plan exactly?

Goodman: We know that at the end of the season last year, Lola (Ella Rae Peck) came to her with the caveat that she take Lily down. It’s not a secret that that’s what she’s up to. We should all assume that that’s what she’s up to, and whether Rufus is going to be in it or not in it will be a question. Is Rufus just a tool or is she interested in him and what will he do if he finds out? Whose side will he be on?

THR: Nate (Chace Crawford) also failed at unmasking Gossip Girl. How close does he actually get to doing so?

Goodman: That one you’ll have to wait and see. Gossip Girl is definitely part of this season.

Gossip Girl airs 9 p.m. Mondays on The CW.

THR: So by the time the finale comes, every character will have ended their story where the writers believe they should have ended up.

Goodman: Where the writers believe. The thing that I love about the way that we did it is that we never stopped being Gossip Girl about it. Even in the finale, there are crazy twists and turns, there are surprises, there’s more fashion this season than ever – with Blair’s fashion stuff – and I think all the characters are going to end where we feel like they belong. Some people will agree with us and I hope that the fans are happy about it.

(READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE HERE)

Showrunners 2012: ‘Gossip Girl,’ ‘Hart of Dixie’s’ Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage

From their obsessive rituals (Peppermint Patties! Oatmeal! Bruce Springsteen!) to the parts of their jobs they hate most (killing characters off, dealing with agents), TV’s most influential writer-producers featured on The Hollywood Reporter’s annual list of the Top 50 Showrunners come clean about the people, things and quirky habits that keep them — and their shows — alive. 

Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie (CW) 

The show that inspired me to write:
Schwartz:The Muppet Show. Family Ties.

My big break:
Schwartz: My retrospective on the career of Steven Spielberg for my camp newsletter when I was seven.  When you are not a gifted athlete you must find other ways to impress the campers.

My TV Mentor:
Schwartz: Bob DeLaurentiswas hired to help me run my first series, The O.C.  He taught me about balancing the insanity of television with the sanity of life. Also, Stephanie Savage has taught me a ton over the years. Her taste and work ethic are simultaneously daunting and inspiring.
Savage: John McNamara, Bob DeLaurentis, Shaun Cassidy. And Josh Schwartz gave me my first script, which is the job that changed my life. 

My proudest accomplishment this year:
Schwartz: That would have to be Stella, my nine-month-old daughter.  Also I directed my first movie Fun Size, which comes out in October for Paramount. Both have been tremendous experiences for growth and learning. Only one requires diaper changing at 6:30 in the morning. 
Savage: Gossip Girl finishing, The Carrie Diaries starting and our movie Fun Size coming out — all in the same week. 

My toughest scene to write this year:
Savage: The final scene of Gossip Girl. Tears make it hard to see the keyboard.

My most absurd note I’ve ever gotten:
Schwartz: Pitching the pilot story of [NBC’s] Chuck to a network executive who just looked at me when I finished and said, “Why would you want to write that?”
Savage: “Could one of them be a cop/doctor/lawyer?” Writing serial dramas, we actually get that a lot.

The aspect of my job as showrunner that I’d rather delegate:
Schwartz: I am a firm believer that the key to surviving showrunning is delegating. On all our Fake Empire shows, we have incredible showrunners in place who are passionate, talented and surrounded by good people.
Savage: Anything that requires appearing in front of the camera.

My preferred method for breaking through writers’ block:
Schwartz: Asking someone else to write it.
Savage: Writers’ block is not really an option when you’re shooting eight pages a day, five days a week, nine months a year.

The show I’m embarrassed to admit I watch:
Schwartz: I make teen dramas, I’m not embarrassed to admit I watch anything.
Savage: I don’t believe in “guilty” pleasure.  MSNBC’s Lockup, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, every single show on Discovery ID — if it feels good, do it.

The three things you need in order to write:
Schwartz: An idea, some time and the knowledge that failing to deliver could result in a network airing color bars.
Savage: I’ve written with a broken wrist, with pneumonia. I finished a script sitting at a bus stop on Banff Avenue during a snow storm. So long as I have headphones, a playlist and my laptop, I’m good.

If I could scrub one credit from your resume, it would it be:
Schwartz: I think the healthy answer to this is they have all been learning experiences.  
Savage: None. You fall in love with everything you make.

fakeempire:

Go see what our very own Josh Schwartz has to say about his exceptionally cool office on the WB lot.

Schwartz recalls being in his Warners office when it was occupied by The West Wing producer Thomas Schlamme. ”The bookcase was lined with Emmys then,” he sighs, adding, “I haven’t brought any Emmys here, but I do have a Stormtrooper helmet and a gumball machine.” What Schwartz’s shows — The O.C.,Chuck, Gossip Girl — have lacked in Emmy acclaim, they have more than made up for in pop-culture status, as evidenced by the magazine covers and Teen Choice Awards on display.

Gossip Girl closed out its fifth season with the veteran CW drama answering several key questions for the Upper East Siders.

[Warning: If you haven’t watched Monday’s season closer, do not proceed. Major spoilers ahead.]

1. Who does Blair (Leighton Meester) choose?The decision was relatively simple for the Waldorf when given the choice between Dan (Penn Badgley) or Chuck (Ed Westwick). In the end, it was all about the one that got away: Chuck Bass. But the journey to get to that place wasn’t easy, as both suitors saw one of Blair’s diary entries that seemed to point in Chuck’s favor. “With Chuck, I’m vulnerable,” Blair says while rehashing the pros and cons between the two men in her life. Even though she chooses Chuck, he rejects Blair on the outset.

For the writers, there was never any doubt as to whether Chuck and Blair would reunite. “I don’t know if it was ever a question in the season,” executive producer Stephanie Savage told reporters Monday evening. “It was a matter of arcing out their relationship.” The last scene sees Blair going all in with her relationship with Chuck, but is he ultimately going to take the bait? “We crafted the last act to set us in a certain direction next year,” Savage teased. Poor Lonely Boy, but is he really lonely? (See below.)

2. Are Dan and Serena (Blake Lively) really back together — and what does it mean? Not really. That one-time fling, harkening back to season one with Nate (Chace Crawford) and Serena, is just a hook-up — and nothing more. So much so that once Dan realizes he wouldn’t be winning Blair back any time soon, he enlists the help of one Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg) to exact his revenge on the Upper East Side.

Serena, meanwhile, reverts to her old habits (i.e. taking drugs and and that signature train shot, one that’s been featured at pivotal moments during the series, comes back at the end of the episode.) “It’s a signature of the show to do echoes of previous episodes,” Savage says. Serena’s “lost Blair, she’s lost Dan, she’s all by herself again [and it] will put herself in a precarious situation.”

3. Did Lily (Kelly Rutherford) go back to Bart (Robert John Burke) or stick with Rufus (Matthew Settle)? In a surprising move, Lily opts to give it another go with the newly resurrected Bart, kicking husband Rufus to the curb in the form of an annulment — since she had to, you know, pick which marriage to honor. Kind of a horrible thing to do, wouldn’t you say?

“That’s something that’s exciting for season six is to see how that’s going to shape up,” Savage says of the Rufus-Lily-Bart triangle. “[The Rufus-Lily relationship] has been relatively stable [up until recently and] certain aspects of her personality that we’re all aware of” are coming to light.

4. Is it a happy Bass family now that Bart’s back? Again, not so much. Bart may have won back the heart of Lily but he Bass-blocked his son and Jack (Desmond Harrington) from being a firmly ingrained in Bart Industries. (Shocker!) Bart’s reasoning for publicly banishing his son from his duties with the company: Because Chuck’s decisions were/are so deeply rooted in his love and desire to chase after Blair. “You’ve never grown up, maybe you can start now,” Bart says rather matter-of-factly.

5. Did we just see Gossip Girl? Proving forever useful even while she’s away, Diana Payne (Elizabeth Hurley)sends a big clue that revelas a person on a tape that could eventually be the all-knowing Gossip Girl. It seems a too good to be true, but Nate’s new breakthrough may be key in the unveiling of the person responsible for the gossip site. Savage was coy when asked whether the identity will be revealed by the end of the series, referencing the Gossip Girl franchise as a whole, which includes a book series: There would have to be conversations with a slew of people.

6. How many episodes will the sixth and final season entail? Though she wouldn’t confirm, Savage says: “Right now, they’re saying 10 episodes and a retrospective.” But nothing has been made official.

7. No more Lola in season six? It doesn’t look like aspiring actress Lola will be sticking around next season as a continuing love interest for Nate as actress Ella Rae Peck was cast in NBC’s new series Infamous. She “may not be available for next season,” Savage says.

When the new season kicks off, more attention will be paid to the main characters that were featured in the last moments of the finale — and the writers, who returned to work about a week and a half ago are already breaking down stories for the final chapters.

“We’re definitely focusing on our core characters,” Savage says. “The gang that you see in the final act will be our main players.”

As to whether the writers are aware of how everything will wrap up, the producer was coy but did tease this: “We know a lot of things.”

Gossip Girl returns for season six later this year.

Executive producer Josh Safran tells THR of the season 5 closer: “It is like somebody pushes a button and detonates a huge nuclear bomb on the Upper East Side.”

Read more by clicking this link…

In classic Gossip Girl fashion, the 100th episode was full of witty one-liners, many of them from the mouth of Georgina Sparks and one in honor of The Princess Bride; paid homage to the pilot; and featured several head-turning moments. But the CW drama saved the biggest shocker for last, when the identity of (new? old?) Gossip Girl was revealed.

Executive producer Josh Safran didn’t shy away from the big question: Will viewers be satisfied with the Gossip Girl shocker? “You’re nervous but we still feel confident about that, where the story’s going,” he said. “The curtain has been lifted, so now you’re going to see more and I think once you see more the picture will become clearer.”

Let’s take a gander at some of the episode’s key revelations, including (some) answers from Safran and fellow executive producer Stephanie Savage.

[Warning: If you did not watch Monday’s episode, please do not go further. Major spoilers ahead.]

Right Where the 100th Left Off: “The next episode is a direct pickup of [the 100th episode] and is the same night [as Blair’s wedding]. The reactions are very much immediate,” revealed Safran to reporters at a screening last week of Monday’s episode. “You’re going to follow with them as they learn .. You’re going to see what they do about it, how it impacts them. But it’s definitely the story of the next episode: Chuck and Serena together dealing with Dan and Blair together.”

Georgina Takes the Reins as Gossip Girl: The episode-ending reveal could have thrown viewers for a loop (or not), but when asked whether the pot-stirrer was the “new” Gossip Girl, Safran was quick to dismiss. “Is it a new Gossip Girl site?,” he asked. (Depending on what he said, it could have knocked out a potential possibility as to the “original” culprit.) Safran reassured that Georgina has the role of Gossip Girl, which opens up more storylines. To see the process of “what she does do to get her tips is fun and a new thing,” Safran said. Kristen Bell’s voice will still be heard, the producers confirmed.

Who Uploaded Blair’s Confession?: Safran and Savage wouldn’t reveal whether Georgina, or anyone else who had access to the video, was guilty but did say that “it is a major plot point that runs for a couple [episodes].” When asked whether it was Georgina who was texting Nate throughout, Safran remained mum.

Repercussions for Blair and Dan’s Getaway: Safran revealed that the location of where Blair and Dan drive off to post-wedding reception will be answered “at the top of the next episode.” Here’s a nugget: It’s “somewhere where we’ve never shot before that we’ve always wanted to shoot” and is a “big, great set piece” that features “some of the best comedy.” Safran teased that the Blair-Dan storyline revisit is going “in an interesting direction,” later adding that there will be “all sorts of consequences” for Blair. “This is not taken lightly what she does at the end of the episode.”

Blair + Chuck = Over for Real This Time?: “Chuck and Blair are never over,” Safran said. “There’s always been a thorn in the side of Chuck somewhere. Maybe it’ll be Dan, maybe it’ll be someone else.” But at what point does Chuck, who finds out about Blair’s pact with God that resurrected him from near death, walk away? “Sometimes people love that torture and sometimes poeple can’t stand that torture. That’s going to be the balance that happens with them,” Safran said.

Can Blair Get Out of Louis’ Business Transaction?: “That will be answered in the next episode,” Safran said, before admitting that it wasn’t apparent early on that Prince Louis would take a darker turn. “[Louis and Blair] ultimately were able to pull back and reconnect with each other and yet this was the final straw. … For [Blair] to, in his mind, go to this place on their wedding day was too much.”

STORY: ‘Gossip Girl’ Cast, Producers Reflect on the CW Drama’s Road to 100

Serena’s World Falls Apart: When Serena “discovers what’s happening between Blair and Dan,” it will “wrankle” her, Safran said, but noted that the Upper East Siders are in the process of “growing up.” With that, “you don’t necessarily go to Def Con 4 when you find these things out.” He teased that perhaps Serena will be dealing with the newfound situation in a more “rational,” “direct” and “honest” manner, “but that doesn’t mean that you still can’t go to Def Con 4.”

Blair’s Parents Become Involved: “They are very much involved in her story from this point forward and like I said, the next episode is a direct pickup so they’re also dealing with what has happened and in future episodes as well, Blair seeks out the counsel of her parents,” Safran said.

Ivy (aka Fake Charlie Rhodes) Whereabouts?: Safran said after pondering the question: “There is an answer in that.”

Romance on the Horizon for Nate: His issues at home may be a blessing in disguise. “Nate has had so many problems with his family that when he meets somebody else who is dealing with similar things, he’s at a position where he can use what he’s learned in his life to help somebody else instead of being shit on,” Safran said.

Elizabeth Hurley’s Return: Hurley’s Diana returns in the “last third of the season” in a “very delicious fashion,” Safran teased. When she returns, the Chuck storyline and the Nate storyline “will converge,” adding that Jack Bass “also returns in service of that same story.”

Are you satisfied by the Georgina reveal? Do you believe there may be more than one Gossip Girl at play right now? Will Blair’s marriage to Louis go down in flames? What say you?