Celebuzz on Dec. 1, 2009 09:23 AM

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It’s so sad when Hollywood’s young and pretty develop potentially catfight-inducing resentments toward each other.

Wait, did I say sad? I meant incredibly awesome.

Hollywood Life reports that Gossip Girl wild child Taylor Momsen is just a wee bit jealous of her co-star Leighton Meester, because Meester’s music career is totally eclipsing Momsen’s.

Y’see, Momsen was the first to dip her toes into the musical waters with her group the Pretty Reckless, but that doesn’t seem to count for much among Gossip Girl’s producers, who’ve been giving Leighton’s songs a big push on the show and leaving Momsen to develop a fanbase all on her 16-year-old lonesome.

So far Gossip Girl has featured “Good Girls Go Bad,” Meester’s collaboration with Cobra Starship, on the show, as well as her recent single “Somebody to Love.” They also provided a major promotional assist by premiering the “Somebody to Love” video.

As for Momsen’s musical presence on the show? A big, fat zip. And for some reason this is causing friction.

According to a source,

“Taylor is not happy that Gossip Girl has been playing Leighton’s music on the show, and they have never asked to play any of her songs. It’s creating a lot of tension on set.”

But according to a rep for Gossip Girl network the CW, there’s a very good reason for the disparity. Namely, that Momsen’s tunes aren’t so hot:

“The show will support Taylor and her music when the time is right, but her music is not ready yet.”

Well, that should smooth over Momsen’s feathers some.

We’d tell Taylor to be patient and keep her pants on, but that doesn’t seem to be an option for her.

Leighton Meester is annoyed unsuitable people keep falling in love with her.

The ‘Gossip Girl’ actress has revealed her new song – Robin Thicke duet ‘Somebody to Love’ – is about her struggle to find a boyfriend now that she is famous.

She explained: “It is about what’s going on in my life and I think everyone can relate to it. It’s about being crazy, busy, young and running round and it is really, really hard to find somebody to love.

“People love you but you don’t really love them. It’s about that struggle of finding someone.”

Last month, Leighton denied rumours she was dating her co-star Chace Crawford.

She insisted the pair were just friends, claiming reports they were spotted kissing were untrue.

Earlier this year, the 23-year-old star, who plays high school queen bee Blair Waldorf in the hit US TV show, admitted her taste in men is similar to that of her alter ego.

She said: “I think guys who are rebels and make their own rules are appealing. I don’t want to tame anybody. I want them to be dark and bad.

“Guys who are a little bad – and by bad, I mean they’re not like constantly around – I consider gold. Guys who are unavailable are actually a dream come true for me because I’m unavailable all the time. It’s great they’re not down your throat.”

Leighton Meester shifts from “Gossip Girl” to pop woman

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By Monica Herrera

NEW YORK (Billboard) – “Gossip Girl” actress Leighton Meester hasn’t yet released her Universal Republic debut. But it appears the TV star is well on her way to silencing naysayers about her fledgling singing career.

Meester released her first single — a retro dance-pop track, “Somebody to Love” — to digital retailers October 14 after premiering it on Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM Los Angeles morning show. Featuring R&B singer Robin Thicke, the song is off to a solid start with 102 spins on top 40 radio and 7,000 digital tracks sold through the week ending October 18, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

“I have a crazy, strange life and I work a lot, so the song is about me not getting any,” Meester says. “I like that it’s electronic but still lyrically driven. It’s a very sexy track, and Robin really brought something different to it.”

“Somebody to Love” follows “Good Girls Go Bad,” Meester’s collaboration with Cobra Starship that reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the summer.

It isn’t yet finished, but Meester’s debut album is tentatively slated for late 2009 or early 2010. She’s spent most of the year juggling studio sessions with taping two feature films and the CW network’s “Gossip Girl.” About 25 songs have been completed, however, and collaborators include producer Mike Caren on “Somebody to Love,” Stuart Price on “I Feel Everything” and J.R. Rotem on “Lights Out.” Meester also plans to showcase her vocals on more downtempo tracks like “Your Lies Are the Truth.”

Meester remains focused on channeling her singing idols — from Madonna and Debbie Harry to Santigold and Lykke Li — and taking the time to get her solo material just right. “I never wanted to pay attention to the business side of acting, and it’s the same with music,” she says. “I love being creative. As I come up with more stuff, I keep topping myself … and this is the perfect time for me to do it.”

(Editing by SheriLinden at Reuters)

“Gossip Girl” is about to step up its love game on Monday (October 19), when Ed Westwick’s Chuck Bass will start playing for the other team and kiss a boy on the show. There’s no word on how much he’ll like it, but his onscreen girlfriend, Leighton Meester, divulges that her character, Blair Waldorf, just may be the mastermind behind the show’s much-hyped gay kiss.

“Well, I guess that I can tell you some things,” she conceded while on the set of her new music video for her duet with Robin Thicke, “Somebody to Love.” “No, it’s not tied into a threesome. I think all of this is just so everybody grabs their attention, and we’re all in college now, so we can definitely push the limit with the sexuality, which is fine by me. I sort of make the kiss happen. I can tell you that much, and that’s it.”

As if the show’s latest steamy storylines weren’t attention-grabbing enough, Lady Gaga will also be making an appearance later this season. “I don’t know what I can say, and what I can’t,” Meester said when pumped for details on the cameo. “It was really cool. It was very avant garde and kind of gothic, and she’s pretty cool, so it was very fun.”

Though Penn Badgley suggested last week that Gaga would have something to do with Dan Humphrey’s storyline, Meester clarified: “She just makes a cameo performance, and we talk about her for awhile,” she said. “But, yeah, we all have a storyline where we put on a cabaret with her songs. You’ll have to wait and see.”

Interview

Leighton Meester

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:07:40

Leighton Meester sits down with ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino for this exclusive interview about her new single “Somebody to Love,” idolizing Bette Davis and the difference between love and sex…

Interview: Leighton Meester

Leighton Meester (filmography/tv page) doesn’t want to be your average pop star.

The sexy and sultry Gossip Girl has her sights set on something much more timeless than just a top spot on the iTunes charts.

“I was recently watching a lot of Bette Davis movies, like All About Eve,” says Leighton with a sly smile. “She’s so fabulous, over-the-top and amazing. I relate to her a lot.”

That says it all.

Leighton definitely has got that classy sex appeal, but the girl has some seriously potent pipes too! On her new single with Robin Thicke, “Somebody to Love,” she belts out an unforgettable pop chorus over hypnotic Euro-inspired synths. It’s bound to make asses shake across the globe. Think Bette Davis meets Madonna in the hottest chic club, and you’re halfway there…

Leighton sat down with ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino in this exclusive interview to discuss “Somebody to Love,” her love for silent film and the difference between love and sex. Check out “Somebody to Love” now!

Were you trying to find a middle ground between sexy and poppy on “Somebody to Love?”

Yeah! I was freaking out because somebody told me that it reminded them of “Vogue” a little bit. It’s a very sexy record. To me, it honestly sounds like Kylie Minogue meets Gwen Stefani and some other totally different thing [Laughs]. It’s very poppy but Euro-sounding.

That’s apparent on the production and the synths. Was incorporating the European influences a conscious decision from the beginning?

I’m very influenced by that sound. I love music that’s moody. It’s not a super hard-hitting song. It’s more of a laidback, vibed-out track. That’s very sexy to me.

Do songs typically happen immediately or do you spend a lot of time thinking of melodies and ideas?

I come up with melodies all day—every minute. I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas and have to record them [Laughs]. I come up with different stuff all of the time. I just have a lot of fun in the studio. There’s always a good vibe. I tweak my ideas a lot, but I love the process. I usually just write after a melody, and everything else comes naturally. I love making lyrically driven songs, but my songs are generally very simple. There’s usually a certain vibe while I’m recording. I have a drink, run in and out of the booth and freestyle a bunch of stuff. “Somebody to Love” came about while I was in a Brooklyn studio. I heard this track and, afterwards, I was sitting in the garden thinking. It’s so funny because I always get love confused with sex, so the song is really about my struggle to get some [Laughs]. My mom always told me, “It’s not about who loves you; it’s about who you love.” Of course she probably says that because she’s my mom and she thinks everyone is going to love me [Laughs]. It’s a crazy life. It’s hard to find somebody who understands you and gets you.

So there are a few levels to “Somebody to Love?”

Yeah! I think it’s somewhat about my sexuality. I draw from a lot of experiences. I love traveling, and I’m working all the time. That’s definitely what a good part of the song is about. I don’t really have a lot of time for love. I meet a lot of people and none of them do it for me.

How did the collaboration with Robin Thicke come about?

That is amazing [Laughs]! That’s like the best part of the song. He ended up hearing the song, and he wanted to vibe out on it. He got into the studio and sang a little bit. Then I was like, “It’s so good. I want you to sing an entire verse.” So he ended up singing a whole verse, and it ended up amazing. He’s so soulful. I’ve been a fan of his for a very long time so I’m very lucky.

If this record were a movie what would it be?

I feel like it would be a French film from the 1960s starring Brigitte Bardot. It’s very sensual, and it captures a feeling of restlessness and my boredom with men. I think that could certainly be conveyed that way.

Do acting and singing come from the same creative place for you?

They’re very, very different. It’s so funny because I never paid attention to the business side of film or television at all. I’ve gotten lucky with my label. They allow me to be 100 percent creative with the music, but it’s a completely different business from movies. The people operate on totally different hours, which is really funny. However, it’s very enjoyable because you get to start and go later in music. I’ve been writing music since I was 16, and I really started recording and getting more serious about it four years ago. I luckily met a friend through acting that helped. I was doing a movie with my DJ, Shahine Ezell. He’s a producer, and he had a studio in his apartment at the time. We wrote this really funny song one night. The next day we listened to it, and we were like, “This is actually really good.” Singing is so different from writing. It’s a lot like acting because of the performance aspect. I feel like they’re two completely different things but they complement each other.

“Somebody to Love” feels like it’s ready to be played live too.

Totally! It’s going to be so exciting to hear remixes too. It’s the music that I like to listen to. It’s music for women, but I think it transcends. I like to listen to it in the car or when I’m getting ready. If you go out and you’re in a club, I think it’d be really hot to hear this song because it’s so moody and it still moves. On stage, it’ll be fabulous.

Where else do you draw inspiration from?

I really love silent film. It has such an old-world feel and for some reason I envision a silent film when I hear this song and this is the music that’s narrating it. Movies really do inspire me.

Is this record the most personal thing you’ve ever done?

Oh absolutely! It’s completely different. People don’t get to see that side of you so much, and I can never convey it properly in interviews. When you make music for the sake of making music, it’s easy to have fun doing it. I think it’ll translate really well to people because I really believe in it and I love it. I believe in it very much, and it’s the kind of music that I like to listen to.

—Rick Florino
10.14.09

Check out “Somebody to Love” here!

Leighton Meester announced via Twitter that her new single will debut tomorrow on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show.

Listen to the world premiere of my new song “Somebody To Love” @1027kiisfm tomorrow at 7AM LA time. I will be on live with @ryanseacrest!”

The Gossip Girl star signed with Universal Republic in April 2009.  She has since been on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seven with “Good Girls Go Bad,” which Meester sang with Cobra Starship.

The star also recorded “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” for A Very Special Christmas Volume 7 CD to be released in November 2009.  Proceeds from the CD will go towards the Special Olympics.

Following her appearance on Cobra Starship’s Top Ten-charting guilty pleasure “Good Girls Go Bad”, Gossip Girl lead bitch/ aspiring pop star Leighton Meester gets a chance to flex her skills solo with the recently leaked “Set It On Fire”, an extremely electro-poppy number with a hook that thieves the melody from New Order’s oft-re-visited ’80’s classic “Blue Monday”.

And while it doesn’t come across as something that will be making Lady GaGa nervous of her digitized dance-pop reign in the US being threatened, an eyeroll-assisted semi-chuckle can be had in hearing the actress sing/ boast lines like “Why you think the club hot?/ Cause I set it on fire/ Why you think the carpet red?/ Cause I set it on fire”. All together now: **eyeroll**, **semi-chuckle**.

Catch it below, followed by her much more satisfying nod to ’80’s pop: a swirly cover of “Bette Davis Eyes”.

Set In On Fire

Bette Davis Eyes

Source

Leighton Meester: ‘Somebody To Love’ is First Single!

Read more: http://justjared.buzznet.com/2009/10/01/leighton-meester-somebody-to-love-robin-thicke/#ixzz0Sjns6mxc

Here’s a very hot looking Leighton Meester on the set of “Gossip Girl” in Chinatown. She was probably leaving the set when the paparazzi caught her on camera, and that’s why she was in such a hurry we couldn’t get more pictures of her. I like her dressing style: black high heels, tight washed jeans and a black top. Sure she’s looking whorish, but in the same time she’s like the kind of girl you’d take home to your parents – she’ll probably have to loose the high heels however.