Gossip
Girl fans across the world -- including the two teens in my house -- have been buzzing for weeks over next week's episode of the CW's addictive young folks soap, which features a flashback storyline to the 1980s showing the mom of lead character Serena van der Woodson when she was her daughter's age.

Tampa Bay TV fans are buzzing because the young Lily van der Woodson is played by hometown girl Brittany Snow, who earned big props anchoring NBC's drama about a '60s-era family in Philadelphia, American Dreams, before scoring juicy roles in Hairspray, Nip/Tuck and The Pacifier.

I'm still working the powers that be at the CW for a word or two with the Gaither High School graduate, who absolutely floored me in 2002 when I watched her tape a crying scene on the set of American Dreams.

I also had fun watching her go through the star-making machinery that is the TV Critics Press tour for the first time (her big goal then: meeting then-MTV-heartthrob Carson Daly, believe it or don't).

Until I catch up with her again, here's an early glimpse of her look for "Valley Girls," the episode Hollywood scuttlebutt says may be a "backdoor pilot" for a spin-off episode starring Snow and Andrew McCarthy in 1980s Los Angeles.

Hey, beats another straight-up, 90210-style remake.

And this clip has an added bonus: No Doubt live! *