the buzz log

Next week it's back to school for teen shows "Gossip Girl" and the all-new 90210 spinoff. Pay attention, you will be tested on your knowledge of the subject.

First up, Gossip Girl. The frothy teen soap is heading into its second season (is that like sophomore year?) and features a cast that mostly could have graduated from college by now. But no matter. The show bears little resemblance to actual high school (like going to class, ever). Instead, the melodrama centers on a group of private school coeds at an elite Upper East Side private school with the wardrobes and pedigrees of American royalty.

Gossip Girl wannabes are studying up on "gossip girl episodes," "gossip girl cast," "gossip girl fashion," and "gossip girl music," in anticipation of what New York Magazine calls "the most awesomely awesome show ever." Fans are also searching for cast members Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, and Leighton Meester.

 
East vs. West. If the whole elite preppie New York thing isn't for you, then perhaps you'd fit in more with the 90210 crowd. (Cue music.)

Serious viewers are holding study sessions on the 90210 hit show with searches on "new 90210 cast," "beverly hills 90210 spinoff," "beverly hills 90210 episode guide," and "new beverly hills 90210." While the new cast hasn't caught the buzz just yet, original cast members Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty remain red-hot. The two actresses will reprise their roles, this time as faculty at West Beverly Hills High.

The original show, which ran from 1990-2000, made an impact by highlighting controversial issues, and Ms. Garth promises that viewers should expect no less from the new show. As she told the Los Angeles Times, "It's going to reflect teenagers as they are. It's not going to sugarcoat it." Plus lots of in-fighting, back-stabbing and conniving, natch.