Gossip Girl returns Monday with the first of five explosive new episodes, as the producers plan to ratchet up the drama level.  Among those with unexpected plot twists are “Nate Archibald,” played by Chace Crawford.  The 22-year-old’s looks have been compared with Idol rocker David Cook, among others…but he’s a near-ringer for actor Ian Somerhalder, whose rise to fame began on the WBNX summer series Young Americans.  In other Crawford family news, Chace’s sister, Candice, is the reigning Miss Missouri and finished among the Top 10 finalists in last week’s Miss USA pageant.  Check out her photos here; she’s stunning. 

Filming in Manhattan gives Gossip Girl access to lots of East Coast talent, and one of Broadway’s young hunks is about to make his television debut on the CW series.  Jesse Swenson is currently involved in the stage musical Spring Awakening, both as an ensemble cast member and understudy for the role of “Melchior.”  There’s speculation in the Gossip community that he’ll be playing “Leo,” a character Jenny befriends and dates in the novel I Like it Like That…but who knows?  We do know that Jesse studied theatre at the Boston Conservatory, and is the lead vocalist of a new wave, power-pop British band (isn’t everyone, these days?) called Bubble & Squeak.  They recorded an album in 2005, and recently issued their second full-length release, “Dancing is an Emotion”, to iTunes.  The triple-threat newcomer also has a film role—his first—in Fade to White, currently shooting in New York.  Will Jesse attend prep school with the other social clique-sters?  Find out, when five new episodes begin April 14 on WBNX.

Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass have more in common than she’d like to believe.  On-screen, the conniving Gossip Girl antagonists shared a steamy limo ride that left Chuck and the soap’s fandom pining for more.  But the actors behind those preppie facades, Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick, share a passion for music—tunes you’re likely to hear more of on The CW.  Ed is lead singer of The Filthy Youth, a British indie band whose songs have already been featured on Gossip Girl.  Leighton spent her strike-hiatus recording an album of her own, which she expects to complete before summer.  But whereas Westwick’s boys stir memories of The Ramones and The Strokes, Meester’s mix of hip-hop, electronic-soul vibes are akin to Fergie and Gwen Stefani.  The actress—who writes her own songs—suspects Blair will get to sing in a future episode, since the writers like to incorporate secret talents of their stars.  Can’t quite picture Leighton as a rocker?  Click here for her performance in last year’s direct-to-DVD horror film, Drive Thru, which co-starred Gossip favorite Penn Badgley (Dan)—and listen for her shout-out to Cleveland!  Continuing in the slasher genre, Leighton’s new Killer Movie will premiere next month at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC.  The Filthy Youth, meanwhile, give a rare Big Apple concert this Saturday night at Tiswas @ The Annex.  There’ll no doubt be Gossip Girl cast and crew supporting their friends at both events.

PaleyFest is a prestigious gathering of stars and executives from select TV shows making a profound impact upon the medium. The annual event allows fans to connect with entertainment icons during in-depth panel discussions—and this year, honoree Gossip Girl will benefit from unprecedented access: live, streaming web coverage of The CW hit’s entire session worldwide! Every major character from the series will be in attendance, along with the creators, producers, and Cecily von Ziegesar, author of the Gossip Girl novels.  Click here to post a question or comment for the panel, and be sure to visit paleycenter.org this Saturday at 7pm to enjoy the red-carpet festivities live. Another highlight of PaleyFest’s 25th Anniversary will take place tomorrow night when Joss Whedon and the cast of longtime WBNX drama Buffy The Vampire Slayer are lauded at a sold-out reunion session. Video clips will be featured afterward on the Paley website.

Who doesn’t like juicy insider scoops? I keep an ear close to the web’s entertainment grapevine and have noticed provocative chatter involving our favorite WBNX shows. Here are some of the most recent scuttlebutt items: E! Online reports that if ABC cancels October Road, The CW may be interested in picking up the Bryan Greenberg drama. TV Guide says that both Michael Rosenbaum (Lex) and Kristin Kreuk (Lana) told producers they don’t want to be regulars on Season 8 of Smallville, but will make time for guest appearances. The mag also notes that one of the show’s long-running characters will die—for real—in the April 17 episode. Friends star Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), 39, is a tabloid magnet, with Star affirming she’s frozen eggs for her future role as mother; and The Daily Mail hinting that off-screen romance has bloomed between her and Traveling film co-star Aaron Eckhart. Gossip Girl, by nature, is buzz-a-licious, though Leighton Meester (Blair) flat-out denied reports of tension among the young actors. Think of the catfight possibilities if Mischa Barton (Marissa on The O.C.) had not turned down an offer from Josh Schwartz to join the series as a new foe for Serena. There was a puzzling rumor that young Eric van der Woodsen (Conner Paolo) would be revealed as the never-seen title character. But exec producer Stephanie Savage nixed that notion, saying “we’re all” Gossip Girl—everyone in the tech-culture who TMs, emails, snaps photos or shares secret info via the web. Finally, the New York Post claims the 14 girls from the current round of Top Model need to learn some house-etiquette, after food fights and assorted sloppiness over ten weeks caused thousands of dollars in damage to their posh NYC rented loft. Heard any news, yourself? Pass it along!

Media watchers are developing new ways to measure the value of television shows, since the viewers’ involvement now extends far beyond a scheduled hour sitting in front of the tube.  There is, of course, time-shifted viewing (DVRs, etc.), web and mobile downloading, the intangible buzz hit shows generate, online activity, PR and word-of-mouth mentions—important factors which demonstrate how “engaged” fans are with a particular series.  Not surprisingly, The CW’s freshman drama Gossip Girl rests in the upper-echelon of Optimedia’s new Content Power Ratings report, ranking an impressive 15th among all network and cable programs!  Seems appropriate, given that Upper East Siders’ stealthy premise is based on “new media” communication.  Also scoring high on the Power Index is One Tree Hill, sandwiched between such hot properties as The Sopranos and Nip/Tuck. The study indicates that more-captivated viewers also tend to better recall ads they saw in their favorite shows.  And the good news for fans is, network renewal doesn’t depend solely upon TV ratings anymore.  So keep surfing, texting and watching.  It all makes a difference.

CW devotees are breathing much easier with this week’s early announcement that six series will definitely return for the fall season: Smallville, Supernatural, One Tree Hill, America’s Next Top Model, Everybody Hates Chris, and rookie sensation Gossip Girl. That leaves 7½-hours yet to fill, and it’s very possible that one or more current shows will also make the cut—such as The Game, Reaper or Aliens in America. One slot could be taken if the network likes the pilot it just ordered for How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls, about a young ex-tabloid reporter hired to be the live-in tutor/life coach for a cosmetic mogul’s granddaughters. Will reality fare Beauty & The Geek, Pussycat Dolls or Crowned get another life? The still-untitled fashion magazine competition is a firm “go,” but which of the network’s other look-see projects will dazzle the programmers? Answers come within ten weeks, as the 2008-09 Upfront Presentation is set for May 15. Tracking potential development slates, The Futon Critic lists four dramas and two comedies on the CW radar:

• The Collection: a dramedy based on the life of famed designer Isaac Mizrahi
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: romantic misadventures of a female advice columnist
• Undercover: an updated version of 21 Jump Street
• Maria Sharapova project: drama set inside the world of women’s pro tennis
• Sherri Shepherd project: comedy about a married woman—and her husband’s “other family”
• Nanny Dallas: dramedy about four nannies and the rich families they service

Though 13 episodes were previously ordered for star-laden midseason comedy Eight Days a Week, the writer’s strike seems to have thrown the series in limbo. Hopefully it’s a candidate for this fall. Remember, new ideas for shows are pitched almost daily, so the above choices can quickly expand. What are your thoughts or predictions for The CW’s third season schedule?

Gossip Girl star Blake Lively (Serena) never had a chance. Her parents, two sisters, two brothers and even a brother-in-law are all actors, so when the family’s youngest child was leaning toward Stanford instead of stardom, she was gently nudged into auditions—with her first film break coming in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The 2005 chick flick with Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn was a hit, and the girls had such fun making it, they signed on for the sequel, which was shot last summer and is set for an August 8 premiere. Click here to see the first trailer. Blake’s father, Ernie, reprises his role as her character’s dad in Sisterhood 2, filmed mainly in Greece and Connecticut. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos at a New England university, with Alexis featured in one of her familiar Gilmore Girls settings. Two years ago, Blake’s brother, Eric, spent two months on WBNX opposite Jane Seymour in the comedy Modern Men. Now, his little sis has not only rocketed to CW Network fame, she’s a fixture on magazine covers like the March edition of Teen Vogue and a welcome guest on talk shows, including a ‘lively’ appearance earlier this month on Letterman. It’s ironic that Blake’s two most successful projects have been based on best-selling female book series. And fans of those Gossip Girl novels can’t wait for the five new TV episodes that’ll come our way beginning Monday, April 21.

Supernatural ends with a mid-season finale nailbiter tonight, but don’t worry—we won’t leave ya hangin’ without your boys.  We’ve uncovered some rare footage of Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and even CW colleague Taylor Momsen (Jenny on Gossip Girl) to tide you over until new episodes return.  Jensen and Taylor share the unusual common bond of having taped six full episodes of a series that somehow never made it to the airwaves.  Between his stints on Dawson’s Creek and Smallville, Jensen headlined the drama Still Life, and you can click here to watch the entire 39-minute pilot.  During that same 2003 campaign, Jared was still heavily involved with Gilmore Girls, but filmed a short action presentation for Young MacGyver, which was not picked up.  But you can click here to enjoy the seven footage clips.  Taylor was only 12-years-old when she was cast opposite Emmy nominee and fan favorite Jane Leeves (Daphne on Frasier) in the dysfunctional-family comedy, Misconceptions.  Watch the premiere episode here and judge for yourself whether it had long-term potential.  Something to consider: if any one of these three shows had become network hits, we wouldn’t have the remarkable brother-like chemistry on Supernatural…or the ideal social-climbing little sister we’ve come to love on Gossip Girl.

Are you good at spotting celebrity look-alikes?  It happens to me so often, I’m beginning to think we all have a twin walking around somewhere.  I’ve compiled a few pretty good dead-ringer photos to space out here in the blog—and also see if you have any doppelganger suggestions of your own.  There’s little doubt that the gorgeous Leighton Meester (Blair on Gossip Girl) could be sisters with Minka Kelly (Lyla on Friday Night Lights), is there?  Our favorite prep school socialites are back at work, with five new episodes set to premiere on Monday, April 21.