Josh Schwartz took TV by storm this season with his sudsy primetime drama about Manhattan's upper crust, Gossip Girl.

Often compared to Schwartz's other teen soap, The OC, Gossip Girl outshines its predecessor in so many ways. Or at least two:

1. The Gossip Girl cast.
2. The premise of Gossip Girl uniquely lends itself to the abundance of real world celebrity gossip blogs.

The Gossip Girl of the show, voiced wonderfully by Kristen Bell, is a secret blogger who dishes about the goings-on of Upper East Side teens.

Gossip Girl has become something of a fictional Page Six.

In fact, in "All About My Brother," Isabel says, "I'm so glad Gossip Girl got her balls back. She was so turning into the new Page Six."

Therefore, when it comes to Gossip Girl, real celebrity gossip is that much more addicting and impossible to tune out.

We already know Penn Badgley and Blake Lively are a couple in real life - and that's just the beginning of the gossip.

Are Blake and Leighton Meester frenemies in real life? Is Chace Crawford gay, or isn't he? Who is he dating? The lists of questions and photos on celeb gossip sites is not short by any means.

Then again, does it really matter if the gossip is true or not?

The fact that there are rumors and gossip surrounding the Gossip Girl cast affords us the same voyeuristic pleasure we take when watching the episodes - and not just Mondays at 8.

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.