Gossip Girl

You know how "Clueless" was a reboot of Jane Austen's "Emma," and how "Ten Things I Hate About You" brought Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" to the halls of Padua High School? Well, the CW's "Gossip Girl" really has no specific canonical underpinnings, no classic blueprint that will give its fans an acceptable excuse. We have no literary defense. I could say that the CW soap opera has shadings of "The Great Gatsby" in its material excess and moral hollowness, particularly tonight at 8 on Channel 56, when "Gossip Girl" returns amid the pleasure pursuits of summer Hamptons society.

The CW has released it's Fall 2012/2013 schedule with three new shows (in caps.) It is: THE CW FALL 2011-12 SCHEDULE MONDAY 8-9 p.m. — 90210 9-10 p.m. — Gossip Girl TUESDAY 8-9 p.m. — Hart of Dixie 9-10 p.m. -- EMILY OWENS, M.D. WEDNESDAY 8-9 p.m. — ARROW 9-10 p.m. — Supernatural THURSDAY 8-9 p.m. -- The Vampire Diaries 9-10 p.m. BEAUTY AND THE...

The CW has released it's Fall 2012/2013 schedule with three new shows (in caps.) It is: THE CW FALL 2011-12 SCHEDULE MONDAY 8-9 p.m. — 90210 9-10 p.m. — Gossip Girl TUESDAY 8-9 p.m. — Hart of Dixie 9-10 p.m. -- EMILY OWENS, M.D. WEDNESDAY 8-9 p.m. — ARROW 9-10 p.m. — Supernatural THURSDAY 8-9 p.m. -- The Vampire Diaries 9-10 p.m. BEAUTY AND THE...

Current-season shows on The CW including "The Vampire Diaries" and "Gossip Girl" are coming to Hulu. The five-year deal announced Friday means that before the end of the year, the online video service will feature shows from five of the largest six broadcasters — ABC, NBC, Fox, The CW, and Univision. The only holdout is CBS. Under the new deal, subscribers who pay $8 a month for Hulu Plus will get the five most recent episodes from The CW's lineup the day after they are broadcast on television.

With the exception of New York preschools, New York prep schools might be the most mockable institutions in America, bastions of self-importance and conspicuous consumption. It’s no wonder the CW’s “Gossip Girl’’ is a hit, and it’s little surprise that Bravo’s newest documentary series, “NYC Prep,’’ invites us to gawk at real-life teens with bottomless wallets and advanced ennui. Bravo seems to churn out one of these mock-the-rich series a month, and has the formula down: assemble a set of vibrant characters who sit willingly for the cameras, saying things that make them sound...

The CW's "Gossip Girl" makes "The O.C.," which debuted in 2003, look like innocent nostalgia. Hey, remember those ironic rich kids with their emo angst and their pools! Remember boney Mischa Barton and her Daddy complex! Remember land lines! Ah, life was so simple back then. "Gossip Girl," which is also from "O.C. " creator Josh Schwartz, is the newest soap opera hoping to wrap teen cliques in fresh packaging. The sudsy action on the show, which premieres tonight at 9 on Channel 56, is all bound up with the characters' feverish texting sessions, their invasive...

Better Off Ted 9:30 p.m., Channel 5 This breezily ironic workplace comedy is back for the summer, and ABC has already renewed it for next winter. Check it out. By the way, Jay Harrington, who plays Ted, is a local boy. He grew up in Wellesley, and summered on the Cape. Indeed, I think we officially count as a hotbed of TV talent, having bred Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation’’), John Krasinski, Steve Carell, B.J. Novak, and Mindy Kaling (“The Office’’), Eric Mabius (“Ugly Betty’’)

On-air promos for a sexual threesome on an upcoming episode of “Gossip Girl’’ have spurred the Parents Television Council to ask affiliates of the CW network to preempt the show. Airing the teen tryst is “reckless and irresponsible,’’ PTC president Tim Winter said in a statement yesterday. The PTC has urged CW affiliate stations not to air the episode, scheduled for Monday. Dancers honor Swayze A huge, eclectic group of dancers gathered to honor Patrick Swayze this week at the annual fund-raiser for Career Transition for Dancers, a group that helps dancers develop new careers...

What if "Gossip Girl" suddenly turned into one of those last-hottie-standing slasher films? It might go something like "Donkey Punch," a thriller whose title remains printable only because the right people probably don't know that it refers to a violent sex act. The opening scenes amount to a magazine shoot. The soundtrack throbs with hooky electronica, while Oliver Blackburn, who wrote the film with David Bloom, delivers shots of shaking rumps, tan skin, and the Mediterranean, all shimmering in Mallorcan sunlight.

On scripted TV, most high school students are experts in survival. The traumas pile on: accidents, fires, alcoholic binges, returned absentee parents with questionable motives. The teens suffer but quickly recover, unscathed and largely unchanged. The difference between real life and fiction, it turns out, is that when real life intrudes on your high school career, it causes you to mature. That's the lesson - sometimes heartening, sometimes heartbreaking - in "High School Confidential," an ambitious eight-part documentary series that begins airing tonight on...

½ THE ART OF GETTING BY Written and directed by: Gavin Wiesen Starring: Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Rita Wilson, Michael Angarano, Blair Underwood At: Waltham Embassy, Harvard Square, suburbs Running time: 94 minutes Rated: PG-13 (sexual content, language, teen drinking, partying, smoking, whining) ‘The Art of Getting By,’’ a drama about a Manhattan high school misfit, is the first feature written and directed by Gavin Wiesen, and I’m betting it’s pretty personal.

On-air promos for a sexual threesome on an upcoming episode of “Gossip Girl’’ have spurred the Parents Television Council to ask affiliates of the CW network to preempt the show. Airing the teen tryst is “reckless and irresponsible,’’ PTC president Tim Winter said in a statement yesterday. The PTC has urged CW affiliate stations not to air the episode, scheduled for Monday. Dancers honor Swayze A huge, eclectic group of dancers gathered to honor Patrick Swayze this week at the annual fund-raiser for Career Transition for Dancers, a group that helps...

Saturday Night Live 11:30 p.m., Channel 7 Megan Fox hosts the season premiere. Why? Well, she sure is pretty. And she has a quote from Shakespeare’s “King Lear’’ tattooed on her shoulder: “We will all laugh at gilded butterflies.’’ Also, she stars in “Jennifer’s Body.’’ U2 is the musical guest. Californication Tomorrow at 10 p.m., Showtime The third season starts tomorrow night, with a scenario contrived to get Hank a job as a college writing professor.

With the exception of New York preschools, New York prep schools might be the most mockable institutions in America, bastions of self-importance and conspicuous consumption. It’s no wonder the CW’s “Gossip Girl’’ is a hit, and it’s little surprise that Bravo’s newest documentary series, “NYC Prep,’’ invites us to gawk at real-life teens with bottomless wallets and advanced ennui. Bravo seems to churn out one of these mock-the-rich series a month, and has the formula down: assemble a set of vibrant characters who sit willingly for the cameras, saying...

What if "Gossip Girl" suddenly turned into one of those last-hottie-standing slasher films? It might go something like "Donkey Punch," a thriller whose title remains printable only because the right people probably don't know that it refers to a violent sex act. The opening scenes amount to a magazine shoot. The soundtrack throbs with hooky electronica, while Oliver Blackburn, who wrote the film with David Bloom, delivers shots of shaking rumps, tan skin, and the Mediterranean, all shimmering in Mallorcan sunlight.

You know how "Clueless" was a reboot of Jane Austen's "Emma," and how "Ten Things I Hate About You" brought Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" to the halls of Padua High School? Well, the CW's "Gossip Girl" really has no specific canonical underpinnings, no classic blueprint that will give its fans an acceptable excuse. We have no literary defense. I could say that the CW soap opera has shadings of "The Great Gatsby" in its material excess and moral hollowness, particularly tonight at 8 on Channel 56, when "Gossip Girl" returns amid the pleasure pursuits of summer...

½ THE ART OF GETTING BY Written and directed by: Gavin Wiesen Starring: Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Rita Wilson, Michael Angarano, Blair Underwood At: Waltham Embassy, Harvard Square, suburbs Running time: 94 minutes Rated: PG-13 (sexual content, language, teen drinking, partying, smoking, whining) ‘The Art of Getting By,’’ a drama about a Manhattan high school misfit, is the first feature written and directed by Gavin Wiesen, and I’m betting it’s pretty personal.

On scripted TV, most high school students are experts in survival. The traumas pile on: accidents, fires, alcoholic binges, returned absentee parents with questionable motives. The teens suffer but quickly recover, unscathed and largely unchanged. The difference between real life and fiction, it turns out, is that when real life intrudes on your high school career, it causes you to mature. That's the lesson - sometimes heartening, sometimes heartbreaking - in "High School Confidential," an ambitious eight-part documentary series that begins airing tonight on WE. Filmed in the spirit...