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Archive for the ‘Recent News’ CategoryCongratulation to Gossip Girl for scoring 1 nominations at 2013 Teen Choice Awards! The event will be held on August 11, 2013. Remember to cast your vote daily!
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Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester has joined Robert Downey Jr. in The Judge, the Warner Bros. dramedy being directed by David Dobkin. Meester joins a cast the includes Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dax Shepard, and Billy Bob Thornton. Judge is a co-production between Team Downey and Big Kid Pictures and a Boston shoot beginning in June is being eyed. Downey stars as a successful attorney who returns to his hometown for his mother’s funeral to discover that his estranged father (Robert Duvall), the town’s judge, is suspected of murder. The man sets out to discover the truth, and along the way, reconnects with the family he walked away from years before. Meester will play a character with whom Downey has a one-night and whose later revelations cause quite a bit of headaches for the man. Judge is Meester’s first major move since wrapping Gossip Girl, which ran for six seasons on the CW. In that time, she appeared in such movies as Date Night, Country Strong, The Oranges and That’s My Boy. She is repped by WME, Leverage Management, and Stone Meyer. Source: Hollywood Reporter
Why so shy, Leighton Meester? The Gossip Girl star tried to hide from the paparazzi in the backseat of Adam Brody‘s car Thursday. The former O.C. star looked bemused as the brunette beauty ducked for cover. Although the duo is clearly trying to downplay their relationship, it’s reportedly been going on for several weeks. According to Us Weekly, they even traveled to Bangkok together earlier this week. Leighton and Adam, we’re onto you! Just make your red carpet debut as a couple, OK? xoxo, E! News. Source: E Online
ow that news of their relationship has gone public, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester are no longer trying to keep their mutual affection on the DL. As first reported in the new issue of Us Weekly, The O.C. vet, 33, and the Gossip Girl alum, 26, began dating several weeks ago. Brody was photographed leaving Meester’s home in L.A. on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The two met on the set of the 2012 dramedy The Oranges. “They were always close and friendly,” an insider says, noting that the pair would hang out on occasion during shooting for the film. “They’re a really cute couple,” another source says. “They’ve been circling around in similar circles for years.” In a July interview with Lucky magazine, Meester — whose exes include actors Sebastian Stan and Aaron Himelstein – talked candidly about her desire to find The One. “I love love. It’s the most intriguing universally understood emotion, and it comes in so many forms: family love, love of friends,” the actress said. “I fall in love with everybody all the time.” Brody dated O.C. his costar Rachel Bilson until 2006. The Lovelace actor most recently dated screenwriter Lorene Scafaria in 2011. Source: Us Weekly
It’s like a teenage dream come true! Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, both veterans of the teen drama genre, have been secretly dating for weeks, sources confirm to Us Weekly. The actors, who costarred in 2011 dramedy The Oranges alongside Catherine Keener and Hugh Laurie, have been “hanging out,” the source tells Us. “They were always close and friendly,” the insider added, noting that the pair would hang out on occasion during shooting for the film. Brody, 33, first landed in the spotlight as lovable comic book geek Seth Cohen on the WB’s hit The O.C. back in the early 2000s. He was most recently linked to director Lorene Scafaria, who wrote Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, back in 2010. Gossip Girl actress Meester, meanwhile, previously dated actor Aaron Himelstein, though the 26-year-old parted ways with him over the holidays. And even though she and Brody have been keeping their relationship out of the public eye, the new couple has already been making their rounds, traveling together to Bangkok earlier this year and taking in art exhibits at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Friday, Feb. 1.
Source: Us Magazine
In her new movie, this ‘Gossip Girl” plays a Jersey girl who falls for Hugh LauriAll of the rumors you may have heard about Leighton Meester are true.The co-star of TV’s primetime soap opera “Gossip Girl” is a serious-minded young woman determined to keep her Louboutin-loving, lighter-than-air TV character from defining her. Exhibit A: Her turn in the sensitive, sometimes uncomfortably satirical comedy “The Oranges,” opening Friday. “It’s a complete 180-degree turn from anything I’ve ever done,” says Meester, 26, of her new role. “This fulfills something within myself that I could never find in my series.” In “The Oranges,” Meester portrays Nina, a self-involved Jersey girl who comes home to her parents (Oliver Platt, Allison Janney) for the holidays after five years away. While there, Nina drops a bomb by beginning an affair with her family’s fiftyish neighbor David (Hugh Laurie). He and his wife, Paige (Catherine Keener), are best friends with Nina’s folks. “The love that Hugh and I portray is not some sort of physical infatuation,” Meester says. “It really comes across as a relationship that has respect and a real rapport. “And that was easy with Hugh. He’s someone I’ve known and I genuinely could fall in love with.” Six years ago, Meester worked with Laurie on two episodes of his series, “House.” That led to a friendship and a level of comfort that clearly helped when time came to film “The Oranges.” “It’s not like we’re doing ‘Lolita’ here,” says the 53-year-old Laurie. “The consequences of these characters’ actions are taken very seriously and respectfully. Having said that, having known Leighton from her experience on ‘House’ was an enormous help.” Born in Fort Worth, Tex., Meester lived for awhile in Florida before moving to New York as a preteen. She had a famously tough upbringing. Both of her parents had dealt marijuana when they were younger, and Leighton was born in a halfway house while her mother served time in a federal prison for trafficking. “From that, I’ve learned that you can never judge people, because they grow and evolve,” Meester says. She attended the professional Children’s School in New York, turning her modeling experiences into a career. She moved to L.A. at age 14 and began acting. She did guest spots on more than a dozen series, then nabbed recurring roles on a “Tarzan” re-do and the fourth season of “24” before landing “Gossip Girl” in 2007. She’s now spent six seasons as the show’s icy, privileged Blair Waldorf — and the final season starts on Monday. But Meester says playing in “The Oranges” gave her a chance to explore where a character “came from and where she might go.” “That is so satisfying,” Meester says. “I don’t get that with ‘Gossip Girl.’ It’s just episode after episode, for six years. Frankly, you grow out of it. Having said that, I am so grateful to have the show. It’s given me the opportunity to do this film and many others.” The others include “Going the Distance” with Drew Barrymore, “Country Strong” with Gwyneth Paltrow and this past summer’s “That’s My Boy” with Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg. “Country Strong” allowed Meester to showcase her passion for music. Since doing that 2010 film, she’s launched her own music career. “The Oranges,” meanwhile, allowed Meester renew her passion for New York. “The movie’s given me the chance to live in the city and be a part of this wonderful creative community,” she says. “It’s been great for me.” Meester reveals that while filming the movie in Westchester, she lived with Laurie, Janney, Platt and co-star Adam Brody — all in one house. “It was a wonderful experience,” Meester says. “We actually did become like a family. Hugh would be playing piano in the den downstairs, while I played my guitar. Oliver brought his kids in and really acted like my dad. We all had dinner together every night. “I love being in New York. It’s where I’m at my most creative. There’s an energy here that I don’t find either back home in Florida or even in L.A. I use my time here to pursue music and movies. When ‘Gossip Girl’ ends, I’ll be willing to struggle to pursue my music career. “When I’m not working, I’m walking my dog along the Hudson or watching a sunset on the Highline.” Or, she admits, there is one more place she can be found: “Back at my one-room apartment to get some sleep.” Source: NY Daily News
For someone facing major career upheaval, Leighton Meester is cool, calm, and collected. To most, Meester is synonymous with Blair Waldorf, the almighty overlord of the Upper East Side on Gossip Girl. While fans have been emotionally preparing for the harsh reality of the show’s final season, Meester’s focus is squarely on her future. In her new film The Oranges Meester plays Nina, a globetrotting party girl from New Jersey who returns home and gets tangled up in a scandalous affair with her father’s best friend, played by Hugh Laurie. We recently sat down with Meester to talk about the film, life after Gossip Girl, and Blake Lively’s wedding, obviously. The Oranges deals with finding happiness in unexpected ways and places. How do you relate to that and what does happiness mean to you? I think happiness comes in many forms. I think this film explores that in a really interesting and approachable way. Sometimes catastrophic and seemingly awful things have to happen before you can truly understand your growth and what happiness means. I think that a really good example is David is in a relationship that he’s not happy in, and Nina is traveling around and with all the wrong people doing all the wrong things to try to escape her home, and she had to go home to find what she truly wanted and he had to end a marriage that was comfortable in order to find happiness and things can’t always stay the same. Change is actually what brings happiness the most because if you’re staying the same and you want to find happiness in your situation and you’re not, you need a change. Hugh Laurie is obviously quite a few years older than you. Was it at all uncomfortable approaching those romantic scenes? West Orange, New Jersey plays a pretty large role itself in this movie just as New York plays a massive role in Gossip Girl. How did working off these two locations inform your role and how were these experiences different? Few people did. The last season of Gossip Girl is coming up. Have you filmed the final episode yet? That’s exciting. Do you feel any trepidation approaching the last episode? Do you know how you want Blair to end up? What do you think you’ll miss the most about being on set and being involved in that project? What are your post-Gossip Girl plans? I think that’s it, unless you want to talk about Blake Lively’s wedding. Yes! How did you know? Can you comment at all on Blake’s wedding? We’re not allowed. I had to ask! Source: Bullet Media
You’ve always been a big proponent of going makeup-free when you are off-camera. How would you advise women to work up the confidence to try that themselves? “I recently tried BB cream — the Maybelline one from the drugstore — and I really liked it a lot. It’s not a total makeup look, but it’s benefiting your skin, so if I want to look if I put some effort in, at least I know my skin is protected from the sun. I do like makeup, but putting on a face to go out — I’m not that good at it. So, having a very quick makeup routine is beneficial.” That must make skin care really important, for you. What’s your routine like? What are your top three beauty must-haves? We spoke with Blake a few weeks ago about the end of Gossip Girl and she likened the experience to college, in that now she is facing the “real world.” Do you feel the same way? “I want to be challenged and stimulated. Doing The Oranges [Leighton's newest movie], was the best experience of my life. It changes a lot for me. It inspired me to figure out a different way of doing things. Working with [director] Julian Farino and Hugh Laurie, Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Allison Janney — being around all these incredibly talented people was really exciting. I don’t think I would consider doing a TV show for quite a while, but I would never say never.” We, for one, can’t wait to see what’s next for Leighton, as long as she promises she won’t be a stranger onceGG signs off for good this spring. Pinkie swear, Leighton? Source: Refinery 29
Having grown up under difficult circumstances in Florida with a family that had a “crazy history,” Leighton Meester began living a very different kind of life as Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl. It wasn’t just getting to live in New York, it was also being able to have financial stability – something she had never experience during her entire life. “I haven’t had the easiest life but I grew up feeling loved and even though we struggled for money it makes you want to work harder to realise your dreams,” Meester explains. “I’m a happy person. I could be happy working as a florist. But I’m also lucky that as an actress I’m doing something that I love and lets me lead a good life.” Now that Gossip Girl is shooting it’s sixth and final season, the 26-year-old Meester is hopeful that her film career will be equally successful. Over the last few years, she’s begun to shed her posh TV persona with roles in “Country Strong,” “The Roommate,” and “Monte Carlo.” Her new film, THAT’S MY BOY, takes Meester in an entirely new direction as part of a typically manic Adam Sandler comedy. Shot in and around Boston and Cape Cod, the movie centres around a deadbeat dad (Sandler) and his opportunistic decision to re-enter his wealthy son’s (Andy Samberg) life on the eve of his wedding to his dream girl (Meester). It’s the first time that Leighton has had the chance to test her acting mettle in a wacky comedy, but she more than holds her own against Sandler and Samberg and admits to having had “such an incredibly fun time on the set.” Meester was born into a family where both her mother and father had brushes with the law. She remains close to her father but has cut off all contact with her mother after being forced to go to court last year when her estranged mother demanded money from her . Leighton grew up in Florida and moved to New York after a talent scout saw her at a models convention in Atlanta and signed her to a contract when she was 10. She remained in New York with her mother until she was 14 and she moved to L.A. to work in TV and film before moving back to New York when she won the role of Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl. Meester recently returned from vacations in Brazil with a group of friends and a family trip with her father and various cousins in Thailand. In person, Leighton is even more beautiful than her glamorous GG alter ego, wearing little make-up and a floral print summer dress. As her role in Country Strong revealed, Meester is also a talented singer and she recently concluded a 5-city U.S. tour with her band, Check in the Dark. Q: Leighton, an Adam Sandler comedy is a big change-of-pace from your Gossip Girl world. How comfortable were you doing this kind of a comedy? MEESTER: I loved doing this. I play a girl who you think is very sweet and wonderful at the beginning and then she gets crazier as the story evolves. Adam has a terrific way of creating the kind of atmosphere where everyone is very comfortable on the set and you’re able to improvise your lines and jokes if the situation warrants it. It was a great experience for me and a lot of fun. Q: What interested you in this kind of a film? MEESTER: The biggest selling point for me was working with Adam and his crew and this really raunchy, over-the-top screenplay. It was so funny. There were lots of funny, weird, dirty jokes, cussing, and all of that. I’ve seen almost all of Adam’s movies and I wasn’t sure of how far I could go with the jokes and he would keep telling me to go for it. That was the kind of wonderful encouragement he would give you to take your character to its limit. Q: How do you keep a straight face during the shooting? MEESTER: You don’t. We were always cracking up during the shoot and even though my character keeps more of a straight face it was so hard sometimes and Adam and Andy (Samberg) would deliberately try to make me crack up with an odd gesture or expression. Q: Adam Sandler’s comedies are known for being over-the-top. Is he that way in person? MEESTER: No. Adam is incredibly polite and soft-spoken. His comic side is this wilder extension of his playful nature but he works very hard and is such a gentleman when you get to know him. Adam has totally changed my perspective about him…I grew up watching his movies like Happy Gilmour and Punch-Drunk Love. His performance in (Punch Drunk) is so inspiring and I admire that versatility. He has a rare ability to connect with his audience. He’s also so nice on the set and he’s always calling you and asking you how things are going. He is such a genuinely good man. (more…)
Choice Summer Movie Star: Female
Leighton Meester just won her legal war against her mom — after the “Gossip Girl” star sued her last year … claiming the woman diverted money Leighton had sent to her little brother … and she spent it on things like plastic surgery, Botox, and hair extensions. TMZ broke the story – Leighton filed the lawsuit claiming her little brother has serious medical problems … so she sent home $7,500 a month to help cover his expenses. Leighton’s mom, Constance Meester, tried convincing the judge Leighton had promised to take care of her and that’s why she spent the cash. But the judge pooh-poohed mom’s claims, ruling there was no such agreement. Leighton actually didn’t sue to recover any money from her mom — she just wanted the judge to make her mother go away. Mission accomplished. Source: TMZ
Leighton Meester has been to the top of the Empire state Building twice—once to the walled-in tourists-only Observation Deck, and once to the very, very top, where, she reports, there are these really low ledges, and you just stand there and take in the view while holding on to hooks. “You mean: You, the sky and give or take 1,250 feet between your head and the pavement?” I ask. “It’s unbelievable!” she insists. Happily for me, today we’re only headed to the Observation Deck. It’s a clear, sunny afternoon, and we’re tooling around Manhattan visiting the sites of several famous only-in-New York movie scenes. Our itinerary might be a little gimmicky—Iconic New York Actress Pays Homage to Previous Iconic New York Actresses—but Meester doesn’t seem to mind and has come dressed for the job in a loose gray Isabel Marant sweatshirt, J Brand skinny jeans (“More like jeggings,” she jokes), dark hair tucked inside an Autumn Cashmere floppy knit hat (“My hair is a rat’s nest when I wake up—but I slip this thing on and people think it’s a fashion statement!”), black flats (“In case we end up walking a lot”). Picture her Gossip Girl alter ego Blair Waldorf kidnapped from the Upper East Side, deported to the East Village and forced to shop at Urban Outfitters.
Which, as it happens, is a step up from Meester’s pre-Waldorf self. “My friend says that before the show I dressed like a homeless person,” she says. “I used to buy everything at garage sales. It was hard to give up! I’d be like, ‘But this crazy sweater is amazing, and it only cost 25 cents!’ ” Waldorf’s influence hasn’t turned her into a fashionista by any stretch—off-hours, Meester is the low-key, comfort-first type who does most of her shopping online or when traveling, and she only uses a stylist for red-carpet events. “I’ve learned from Blair, though. Now I like to pepper in something designer”—she tugs at her Isabel Marant sweatshirt—“with my usual stuff.” When we step off the elevator, the high-speed winds tear my carefully done chignon into a whirling catastrophe. I attempt to say something witty and end up with a mouthful of hair (my own). As we push through the crowds for a gawking spot, the serenely be-hatted and hair-not-flying-anywhere Meester affects a posh, old-timey accent and quotes from the 1957 classic An Affair to Remember—“The Empire State Building is the closest thing to heaven in this city!” (In the movie, a besotted Cary Grant waits dejectedly on the Observation Deck for his presumptive bride-to-be, Deborah Kerr, oblivious that she’s a no-show because—sorry to ruin it for you—she’s been hit by a car.) As we take in the city arrayed below, searching out our favorite buildings (Meester’s is the Flatiron), her tone quickly morphs from self-consciously campy to wistful—the first of many such mood shifts I’ll witness. “That heart-racing feeling!” she says of Grant’s plight. “You want him to know what she’s going through.” As I’m absorbing this, she grabs my shoulders and cries, “Make it shine like the top of the Chrysler Building!” I look at her uncomprehendingly. “That one’s fromAnnie,” she explains, and it dawns on me I’m traveling with both a glamorous movie star and a straight-up film geek. (more…)
MANILA, Philippines – American actress and “Gossip Girl” star Leighton Meester, who recently arrived in the country, has more than a few good words to say about her Filipino fans. Meester, who is visiting to represent local clothing brand Penshoppe at the ongoing Philippine Fashion Week, said she is grateful to her Filipino fans who continue to surprise her with their support despite being “across the world.” “It’s mind-blowing, especially when you go somewhere across the world and you’re like, ‘What?’ They’re calling you by your name, or they now the different projects that you’ve done,” she said in interview with ABS-CBN News Saturday. The 26-year-old actress, who is best-known for her role as socialite Blair Waldorf in TV drama “Gossip Girl,” shared she has a Filipina for a close friend growing up. “My friend growing up was half-Filipino. Her mom was kind of strict,” she said, musing, “I don’t know, maybe that’s a Filipino thing?” Meester admitted she has much to learn still about the Philippines, being that it’s her first visit to the country. “I have so much to learn. You’re not just a day ahead, but you’re in a totally different world, it’s just so different, and people are very much not aware of that, which I think is [why it is] really good to come over and experience that. (more…)
Leighton Meester, who is best known for her role as Blair Waldorf in television series “Gossip Girl,” is the newest endorser of local clothing brand Penshoppe. This places Meester alongside other celebrities such as fellow “Gossip Girl” co-star Ed Westwick, Hollywood star Zac Efron and “The Vampire Diaries” actor Ian Somerhalder, who is in the country for a photo shoot. “Team Penshoppe officially welcomes Leighton Meester to Penshoppe All Stars,” Penshoppe said on Twitter. The clothing company added that Meester will arrive in Manila for a “big Penshoppe show,” but did not mention a specific date. Westwick, who played the role of Chuck Bass in “Gossip Girl,” arrived in Manila in June last year for his Penshoppe endorsement. (more…)
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