Manhattan's Mean GirlsFlipping through a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, my eyes stop immediately at the sight of Blake Lively and Leighton Meester. The stars of the CW's dramatic teenage breakthrough hit, "Gossip Girl," occupy a glossy spread of six pages. Granted, my obsession with the catty, superficial show is a main factor in why I chose to post on this topic, but the article itself, titled Psst... Did you hear? by Jessica Shaw, is one worth recognizing. The first two pages don Lively and Meester applying lipstick in front of a mirror while the title sits atop the photograph in white type, bleeding off the edge of the picture. The pages following show Lively and Meester in a series of girly photos, glammed up in bold colored dresses among a backdrop of pampered bliss. Headlines and drop caps are in candy pink while some of the text and pull quotes even appear to be written with pink lipstick. And while the clean design and appropriate uses of color attract readers to the story, it's the article that keeps them there. The article discusses highlights from the shows, what attracts audiences, and will keep them hooked. Interestly enough, the article also discusses the low ratings the show has had in contrast to the cultural significant it has seemed to muster up. The balance of bright photographs and unintimidating lengths of texts make it an enjoyable read. The spread also comes with a one-page sidebar, headlined "The 'Gossip Girl' Guide to New York, showcasing the real locations the show has shot scenes at along with a map of Manhattan.
In my opinion, the story does a great job of highlighting a show with growing popularity among teenager, young adults, and even, according to the article, parents. It makes comparisons to Mean Girls, "Sex and the City," "The O.C.," and "Beverly Hills 90210." The article doesn't shy away from criticism the show has received, most importantly, the fact that real teenage lives don't play out the way the characters in the show manage to. Do you think it was a good idea to approach that topic in the article? Especially when maybe it takes away from the otherwise positive light the show is featured in.
2 comments:
Confession: Though I've seen only one episode of "Gossip Girl," I frequently watch the opening credits to see the locations on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where I used to live (in far more humble digs than the show's characters).
I thought the most fascinating thing about this article was the way it suggests that downloading episodes may really skew TV show ratings: "The generation watching Gossip Girl ... are masters at using the latest technology to watch TV when and how they want. ... Gossip Girl is consistently the most downloaded show on iTunes ... and it gets about a 14 percent hike in female teens and 30 percent in 18- to 34-year-olds when DVR viewings are factored in."
At what point will the Nielson ratings that measure viewership on *television* cease to be meaningful measures of audience size for networks and their advertisers?
I agree with your opinion on the article. Not only are the pictures in the link perfect for matching the tone of the show as well as the article, I really liked how it the article brought out the show's flaws. In the interviews the actors know that real teenage lives don't play out the way the characters in the show display, which in my opinion is exactly why the show is such a hit, high ratings or not. The show is a play and exaggeration on the lives of rich teenagers and when it comes down to it, people love watching shows that make fun of our society no matter how ridiculous it may seem. Ava Ulmer agrees with this when she states in the article, "of course, that lack of realism is one of the show's prime selling points.It's so ludicrous, I couldn't turn away, so I keep watching."
As far as the Nielson ratings, I think the gravity and meaning behind this system is already starting to diminish. As the article states, new technology like DVR and iTunes need to be considered into a new ratings system so that shows are properly rated. Gossip Girls are not focused on the ratings, but the effect it has on society and culture. I thought it was interesting when Schwartz said, ''I can honestly say I don't check the ratings after the show airs.We're more focused on the idea of cultural permeation.''This is a valid point in my opinion. Becoming something like the new 90210 or the O.C. in the end really is more important than the ratings themselves.
I think that if the show does pace themselves, they can become the next 90210 (in my opinion, the greatest show ever growing up). Age is not a factor when the storyline is enticing. Actors in 90210 Jason Priestly and Tori Spelling were pushing mid to late 20's during most the the 90210 seasons and it continued to be wildly successful for years.
While Gossip Girls continues the tradition of poking fun at our society, I wonder when the day will come that a show will cross the line from fun to insulting, or perhaps to many Gossip Girls has done that already which is reflected in its ratings?
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