Win a Copy of Spotted: Your Only Unofficial Guide to Gossip Girl

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.

Enter the random drawing by:

• Commenting on this post.
• Tweeting a link to this post in Twitter. You’ll need to comment letting me know that you tweeted. Include your Twitter username for verification.
• Posting a link on Facebook. Again, comment letting me know that you posted the link.
• Adding Pop Culture Curmudgeon to your blogroll. Comment that you did that and include a link for verification.
• Posting something about Pop Culture Curmudgeon or the contest on your blog. Comment that you did it and include a link for verification.
• Subscribing to the RSS feed or email feed. Comment that you did it to be entered.
• Following Pop Culture Curmudgeon on Twitter. Again, comment with your Twitter username for verification.
  

You receive one entry for each action, so you can potentially receive seven entries.

The winner will be announced October 30. Entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern, October 29, 2009.

No transfers or substitutions.

1 people like this post.

Like 

• The Enduring Appeal of Slutty Girls Back in high school, we girls looked down on the slutty girls. But we also envied them. They weren't lonely, like many of the good girls were.We women don't appear to have grown out of that combination of disgust and envy. Case in point, our current obsession with the outgoing......
• I'll Be Watching Southland on TNT. Will You? I am glad that TNT picked up the already taped episodes of Southland. I like the 10 p.m. time slot on Tuesdays for that show. I have an Eastern feed of TNT, so I'll be catching it at 7 p.m. Or, if they do a replay scenario like they did......
• Brooke Busey Is My Hero Brooke Busey (more commonly known as Diablo Cody) is the new Rachael Ray. Now, I don't mean that she whips up a mean meal in 30 minutes or less or helps viewers save money on great food when they travel. Diablo Cody is the new it girl of the minute,......
• Visions of Winchesters: The Supernatural Blog Carnival, Sep. 16 Welcome to the September 16, 2009 edition of Visions of Winchesters: The Supernatural Blog Carnival. Last Week's Episode This Week's Episode News No New Spoilers This Week: If you've got a good source for spoilers, please share it in the comments. My sources have been tapped out. Last Week's......
• Plans for 2010 With all of the new and returning TV shows this month, my head is spinning! What have you seen so far that you are excited about? And, what are you looking forward to this week? I'm enjoying Chuck's long-awaited return. They've done a great job keeping Chuck who he is......

• Weakonomics Web Junction: April Fools You and Me It's funny how passionate the hatred is for April Fools in some circles.  Two people on Twitter yesterday announced they...
• Why Your Blog Is Not Read Why Can’t People Find You? Do you run a blog but have trouble getting people to see it? It sounds...
• Weekly Roundup: The UN-BROKE Edition This Friday night, May 29 at 9:00pm ET, ABC will air a special titled Unbroke: What You Need to Know...
• Welcoming New Life Into The World: Newborn Babies and Link Roundup This past weekend we had the honor of being there with some good friends as they welcomed their new son...
• Collecting Television Memorabilia Ever since the television became a common item in every household across America, television shows have established themselves as a...