TeenDramaWhore

The April 2nd issue of Rolling Stone has Leighton Meester (Blair) and Blake Lively (Serena) on the cover.

Inside are some sexy pictures of the cast and a multi-page story with the headline Dirty Pretty Things: Why the beautiful cast of television’s most sexily subversive show, Gossip Girl, may be the last people in America living the fabulous life.

Here are some highlights:

The article’s initial premise is to contrast the Gossip Girl lifestyle with today’s recession-plagued society.  This doesn’t last long, though, as the article morphs into an in-depth profile of Leighton, Blake and some of the other cast members.

Though the main inside photo includes Taylor Momsen (Jenny) and Jessica Szohr (Vanessa), they aren’t given more than a few lines in the whole piece.

Meester and Lively insist that they’re “very close” and “friends.”  Says Meester: “I can’t even remember a reason why people would say we’re not.”

The author says “technology truly defines” GG from similar shows that came before like Beverly Hills, 90210 and The O.C.

Lively says the cast members  all “live within a five-block radius of one another” in New York City.

Leighton says her background is a “pretty cool story” and recounts how she found out her mom was in prison while pregnant with her.  “It’s exciting stuff that should be in a movie,” she says.

Leighton also says she had to fight to get the role of Blair, and wouldn’t audition for Serena, even though the producers asked her to.

Lively says she resisted going the acting route like most of her family did, including her dad Ernie and older brother Eric.  She also didn’t want to do Gossip Girl because, “I thought ‘I don’t want to do a TV show, becaue you have to commit six years of your life to one character.”

Lively also says she’s okay with tabloid coverage of her because she’d “much rather have them make up lies than tell them the truth, because that’s the one thing I have.”

Ed Westick (Chuck) says he has a “deep love” for his co-stars.  “If I’m drunk and I’m about to fall asleep int he street, I can knock on Penn’s door and he’ll let me in.”

Westick almost couldn’t be part of Gossip Girl because he initially had trouble getting a visa to come over from London.

Westwick and Chace Crawford (Nate) still live together and deny they’re anything more than friends.  “It’s funny because I love this fucking dude dearly,” Westwick says.  “I would die for this fucking dude.  He’s my brother.  But, by god, we are so into our fucking women it’s ridiculous.”

Crawford says Jason Priestley (Brandon, Beverly Hills 90210) is “like, the coolest guy ever.”  He shares some advice Jason gave him: “‘At the end of the day, you’re going to look back and realize what those years were, and you’re always going to have nostalgia for them.”

Penn Badgley adds, “Ideally, we want our careers to continue to the stars.  But regardless of where htey go, we’re nver going to be in this position again.”  To which Westwick says, “Until next season.”

Meester, Westwick and Momsen are planning to have music careers as well.  Westwick’s band is called Filthy Youth.  Momsen says her upcoming record is “badass rock and roll” and “not what people are expecting.”

The cast currently has seven-year contracts, but they can renegotiate before the next season stars.  Badgley says seven years is “a long time” and Crawford says “Four is a good number.”

You can see some online-only content, including photos and a video, here.