Spotted

by Crissy Calhoun

details

ISBN-10: 1-55022-889-7

ISBN-13: 978-1-55022-889-2

5.25 x 8 in, 240pp, paperback

$17.95 CAD

September 2009

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reviews

Talking Gossip After Dark (August 2009)

Torontoist (September 2009)

Scene Magazine (September 2009)

My Book Views (September 2009)

Price: $17.95

Best friends, boyfriends, high school and haute couture — Gossip Girl has gone from a guilty pleasure to becoming the show everyone is talking about, from Rolling Stone to Vanity Fair, from gossip columnists to President Obama. From its not-so-humble beginnings as a bestselling book series set in the posh Upper East Side private schools of New York City, this show the Boston Herald deemed “every parent’s nightmare” has catapulted into the pop culture stratosphere. In the first two seasons Gossip Girl has proved itself a popular and critical darling, influencing the culture it critiques and setting trends while providing biting social commentary on this generation of entitled, tech-savvy youth.

In Spotted: Your One and Only Unofficial Guide to Gossip Girl, you’ll find:

an episode-by-episode exploration of seasons 1 and 2, tracing the development of the characters and storylines
bios of the cast and the show’s creators, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage
comparisons to the show’s teen soap and literary predecessors, including how the Gossip Girl books were adapted
summaries of the movies that inspire each episode’s title
sidebars of fun trivia
all the details on the music, the fashion, and the NYC locations where Gossip Girl films (complete with exclusive photos!)

Second only to a Blair Waldorf–inspired hair band, Spotted is the must-have accessory for any fan who says, “Not enough!” when the end credits roll.

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Oct 26

Pop Culture Curdmudgeon Review

Crissy Calhoun loves Gossip Girl.

That is obvious from the loving tone she use to describe the show and its creators in Spotted: Your Only Unofficial Guide to Gossip Girl.

Calhoun pulls together actor and character sketches for the main cast. She describes in detail every pop culture reference, every nuance, and many of the notable outfits in each episode. She compares the plots of the episodes to the books. She even discusses the gaffes, logic flaws, and character development problems and inconsistencies in each episode.

I have always loved these types of episode breakdowns on my favorite shows, so I jumped at the chance to receive an ARC of Spotted from ECW Press. I didn’t learn as much about the world around me as when I read the unofficial guide to the X-Files, but I learned a lot about New York society and the original book series. (No, I didn’t read them.)

I also found out about the backgrounds of the creators. Josh Schwartz’s profile was particularly interesting because he has been behind some of my other favorite shows, such as The O.C. and Chuck.

I am amazed at how prescient Cecily von Ziegesar was in creating the all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-important Gossip Girl blogger for her books. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage seamlessly updated the concept to include texting and instant messaging, but the core concept remained the same.

Spotted covers seasons 1 and 2, episode-by-episode. It was released in September, so it includes some of the more recent developments off-screen—most notably, the hookups and breakups. I hope to see future installments that cover the rest of the shows run. Perhaps it could be a subscription service with a printed annual compilation at the end of the season.

Uber-fans may also be interested in the Gossip Girl book box set due out in November.

Submitted by Jennifer Roland (not verified) on Mon, 2009-10-26 11:33.

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    [comment] => Crissy Calhoun loves Gossip Girl.
That is obvious from the loving tone she use to describe the show and its creators in Spotted: Your Only Unofficial Guide to Gossip Girl.
Calhoun pulls together actor and character sketches for the main cast. She describes in detail every pop culture reference, every nuance, and many of the notable outfits in each episode. She compares the plots of the episodes to the books. She even discusses the gaffes, logic flaws, and character development problems and inconsistencies in each episode.
I have always loved these types of episode breakdowns on my favorite shows, so I jumped at the chance to receive an ARC of Spotted from ECW Press. I didn’t learn as much about the world around me as when I read the unofficial guide to the X-Files, but I learned a lot about New York society and the original book series. (No, I didn’t read them.)
I also found out about the backgrounds of the creators. Josh Schwartz’s profile was particularly interesting because he has been behind some of my other favorite shows, such as The O.C. and Chuck.
I am amazed at how prescient Cecily von Ziegesar was in creating the all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-important Gossip Girl blogger for her books. Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage seamlessly updated the concept to include texting and instant messaging, but the core concept remained the same.
Spotted covers seasons 1 and 2, episode-by-episode. It was released in September, so it includes some of the more recent developments off-screen—most notably, the hookups and breakups. I hope to see future installments that cover the rest of the shows run. Perhaps it could be a subscription service with a printed annual compilation at the end of the season.
Uber-fans may also be interested in the Gossip Girl book box set due out in November.

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Oct 01

My Book Views

Composing what is primarily an episode guide to the first two seasons of Gossip Girl, Crissy Calhoun takes an almost scholarly approach to the popular show based on Cecily von Ziegesar’s scandalous book series. Spotted includes actor biographies, but the main focus is the episodes. Each episode write-up receives a bit of analysis followed by some interesting tidbits in a section titled “JTLYK” (that would be “just to let you know”). The music and clothing featured in each episode are also detailed. Some of the sections, such as Oops and The Original Gossipverse, are only included for some episodes since they don’t apply to each one. The Original Gossipverse was particularly fun for someone like me who read the series long before the show debuted. While I remembered some book plots, this section reminded me that Georgina actually is a book character though her story has been dramatically changed.

Although I’m a fan of Gossip Girl, Spotted revealed two things I was completely unaware of. Each episode derives its title from a movie. That movie generally has some relation to the episode plot which Calhoun explains. Additionally, the show parallels in many ways another Josh Schwartz show, The O.C. I didn’t watch The O.C., so I didn’t notice. Calhoun points out where the plots of two shows overlap. Teens in New York and California experience the same things when they share an executive producer!

Calhoun gives an in-depth look at Gossip Girl that can be appreciated by those who were fans from the beginning as well as those who have just started watching. Spotted also educates the reader on the many references the show makes to pop culture, historical events, and works of literature.

Submitted by Nicole (not verified) on Thu, 2009-10-01 12:26.

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Although I’m a fan of Gossip Girl, Spotted revealed two things I was completely unaware of. Each episode derives its title from a movie. That movie generally has some relation to the episode plot which Calhoun explains. Additionally, the show parallels in many ways another Josh Schwartz show, The O.C. I didn’t watch The O.C., so I didn’t notice. Calhoun points out where the plots of two shows overlap. Teens in New York and California experience the same things when they share an executive producer!
Calhoun gives an in-depth look at Gossip Girl that can be appreciated by those who were fans from the beginning as well as those who have just started watching. Spotted also educates the reader on the many references the show makes to pop culture, historical events, and works of literature.

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