• BIRTH DATE: December 8, 1978
• BIRTH PLACE: Covington, Louisiana
• PARENTS: Edna and Robert Somerhalder
• SIBLINGS: 1 Sister & 1 Brother - Robert (Older) and Robin (younger)
• HOMETOWN: Covington, Louisiana
• NATIONALITY: American: English, French, Irish, Choctaw
• HEIGHT: 5'9
• HAIR COLOR: Dark-Brown    
• EYE COLOR: Blue
• ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius
• CHINESE ZODIAC: Horse
• OCCUPATION: American Fashion Model, Actor, and Producer

• Ian's very first modeling job was with Ralph Lauren.
• Ian is a big supporter of "Love Letters To The South," a charity for all those affected by the Hurricane Katrina tragedy.
• Ian enjoys floaty, dreamy, well orchestrated rock music.
• The New Yorker and Reader's Digest are two of Ian's most favorable reads.
• Ian has won a Young Hollywood Award, a Teen Choice Award, and a Screen Actor's Guild award. 
• "Dolce & Gabbana," "Arizona Jeans," "Master Card," "American Eagle Outfitters," "Request Jeans," "Target", "Persol Eyewear," "Irish Spring," "Versace," "Claire's Boutiques," "Guess," and "Levi's Jeans," have all featured Ian in commercials and/or print ads.
• Ian is a lefty and is writing a screenplay entitled "The Jack of Dimes," about the world of modeling.
• "The Graduate" is said to be Ian's favorite movie and Sean Penn his favorite actor.
• Ian has described himself as a clean freak and has confessed to taking up to three showers a day.
• William Esper, Davenia McFadden, and Anthony Abeson have studied acting with Ian.
• Ian was the first man to be named the Most Beautiful man of the month by mostbeautifulman.com, in November 2000.
• Ian loves Red Wine and occasionally smokes cigarettes.
• Nicky Hilton and Maggie Grace are noted as Ian's former girlfriends. 
• Somerhalder is misspelled "Sommerhalder," on the title screen of a commentary he recorded for the season one dvd box-set of Lost.
• When he finds the time Ian enjoys yoga, baseball, western horseback riding, archery, rifley football and cycling.
• Fans voted Ian's character, Damon Salvatore, as EW's Ultimate Sexy Beast.  He beat out Edward Cullen.
• Ian's first kiss was in the fifth grade at a skating rink.
• In 2003, Ian was cast as a series regular on "Fearless," the pilot was picked up but canceled before it ever aired on the WB.
• Ian has a shiba inu dog and two cats.
• After his parents divorced when he was thirteen, Ian was raised by his mother who he has described as "very spiritual."
• He has also admitted to recieving a massage almost everyday, because she was a masseuse.  He attended Catholic school.Ian was involved in varsity soccer and baseball. He attended Mandeville High School in Louisiana.
• To be more fit for leading man type roles, Ian added 20-30 pounds of muscle to his slim frame, in 2005.  His measurements are: suit 38R, shirt 15, waist 30, inseam 31, shoes 9.
• Ian's rosy cheeks have become his trademark.  He also has a scar on his chin.
• Due to the amount of gas consumption, Ian traded in his Land Rover for an Audi, in 2007.
• Ian un-specifically claims to have much in common with his character, Damon Salvatore.
• Ian was worried about finding work after the death of his character Boone on "Lost."
• It took him five years to land his next role as Damon Salvatore.
• Dedicating "The Vampire Diaries," first season hiatus to helping disaster-stricken areas of
• the BP oil spill, Ian spent a great deal of time in his hometown of Louisiana.
• Ian's favorite color is turquoise.
• "Somerhalder," comes from his adoptive great grandfather.  His biological great grandfather was a wealthy, English, land owner named Hull.  When Mr. Hull got one of his Mistresses pregnant, he paid his immigrant worker to marry the woman. They gave the baby the name Somerhalder.

Career As An Actor
"Acting is such a huge part of my life. It really allows me to have a creative outlet and to actually be able to have
an outlet to discuss openly the things that truly I think are relevant in the world, that make a difference." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I realized I had to stop modeling and start studying to be an actor, which I'd wanted to be since I was about six." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Two guys kissing is not as sexy as two girls kissing. When Selma Blair made out with Sarah-what’s-her-name, that was hot.
Me and James Van Der Beek making out is not hot, it’s rather disgusting. We both looked at each other and said,
'Dude, don’t stick your tongue in my mouth.'" [Ian Somerhalder]

"I think [activism affecting my acting] it's a fine line.  I don't ever want anything
 to come in the way of me truthfully telling a story." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To explore different parts of yourself and different emotional lives... not to hide from who you
are but to actually explore who you are." [Ian Somerhalder] on why he became an actor.

Damon Salvatore on "The Vampire Diaries"
"I wanted Damon to be this wacky, sort of old world combination of Cary Grant and Mick Jagger." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Damon is Dionysius- he has an appetite for everything." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Our fans, they are awesome. You get to experience that enthusiasm at a decibel level that is second to none.
They are so loud and amazing. I swear, it was the closest to being a Beatle I'll ever get." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Let me tell you something. I love the South. I'm from the South. I'm a Southern boy. You experience temperatures here that
one just doesn't understand until one is actually geographically here. I am watching our crew members melting like snowmen.
It's insane. [Ian Somerhalder] filiming in Atlanta.

"It's great to play the charming guy we all want to be associated with. But a character with a bizarre mind
and given to committing horribly illegal actions can be fascinating. Sometimes it's more interesting to portray
someone who battles his thirst for wrong and tries to understand it. [Ian Somerhalder]

"There's this old documentary about The Rolling Stones. There's a guy interviewing Mick Jagger and he says,
"What's the definition of rock and roll?" Keith Richards walks by and goes, "Me." That's so Damon." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The whole mind compulsion thing (actually called 'Enthralling' or Enthralment in the vampire world) . I can essentially
do whatever I want to you, and then make you completely forget about it. Which… it comes in handy, you know what I mean?
[Laughs] I’m glad I don’t have that power. That would be daaaangerous." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It depends on what you call bad and good. I'm definitely the more sadistic, prankster one, which is fun. He's a lot of fun. He's charming
and it's hard to hate him, but he's kind of a bastard. You walk that fine line between liking him and absolutely hating him, like with most vampires.
They kill people; they have to eat too. Population control." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You're 200 years old. You can fly around. You can eat beautiful girls — well, you can suck on their neck.
I don't physically cut them up and eat them. That would be a little sick. It's fun having all these layers." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I always said it would be so awesome, if we got the time and money to do it, to see Damon at a Rolling Stones concert, front and center,
wearing some bad-ass ‘70s outfit, or even in the exact same thing he wears now because he hasn’t changed since about the ‘50s. How cool
would it be to be able to use stock footage of some unbelievable Rolling Stones concert, and having Damon sitting there, scoping stuff out
with two beautiful women on either side? I just think it would be so amazing to see Damon in that situation." [Ian Somerhalder]

Boone on "Lost"
"I was always so envious of Josh Holloway on Lost because he always gets to say the cool stuff. And it’s always so fun to watch,
even if it’s someone you don’t necessarily like, you still want to hear what they have to say and the way they say it. They truly mean
what they’re saying, even if it’s demented and wrong." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The irony aspect of [surviving a plane crash and then dying in one] kinda killed me-literally. I joked to exec producer Damon Lindelof, 'I fell
30,000 feet out of the jumbo jet and survived. And then I fell 30 feet out of a beechcraft and died.' I always pondered how that was possible." [Ian Somerhalder]

"[Filming] was really intense. You're covered in bug spray and dirt and makeup, and it's 95 degrees with no wind, and you're on a beach surrounded by fire.
By the end of the episode, you would have to go home and get scrubbed. But I love Hawaii. I will absolutely live there some day. In fact,
I almost bought a house there--but, two days before I was going to fly back to look at one, I found out that my character was being killed off." [Ian Somerhalder]

Speaking on behalf on the 2010 Oil Spill
"You know when something bad happens in your life, or something goes wrong - that weird kind of
really uneasy feeling you have in the pit of your stomach? I've had that for two months." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Basically, the entire area is shut down. Everyone from the waitress who serves you breakfast to the guy who owns the charter boat
to the shrimpers - they all literally rely on the ocean to keep their industry going... Think about how frightening it is when you suddenly,
through no fault of your own, can't feed your children or pay your mortgage." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It's time to change, and I think this disaster is the game changer. It feels like this is
one of those catastrophic events that truly changes the way that we think." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To me and to the people that go down there, [it's] one of the most beautiful places in the world.
And I actually had to watch it destroyed. And it will be destroyed -- forever. My great-grandchildren
will not be able to enjoy the Gulf Coast of Louisiana the way I have." [Ian Somerhalder]

General Life and Work
"My mom made my baby food and had me on blue-green alga probably since I was in third grade.
I never had sugar. I never got to have white bread or any white-flour products." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I don't know how to do anything else other than be an actor. If I wasn't
in this, I would be in alternative energy and conservation. " [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a million acquaintances but just two or three true friends. I can't hide anything from them." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I kind of think too much, I try do too many things at once." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a beach house in Malibu, so I'll go there, grab a surfboard or a sea kayak or whatever, and get outta here. The quality
of life is so much higher anyplace you can ski in the morning and surf in the evening--there's something to be said for that." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You can't get anywhere without the people who have come into your life." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Life's like being a billionaire. There are billions of moment's so you don't
really have to make each one count , but on the flip side you do." [Ian Somerhalder]

Career As An Actor
"Acting is such a huge part of my life. It really allows me to have a creative outlet and to actually be able to have
an outlet to discuss openly the things that truly I think are relevant in the world, that make a difference." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I realized I had to stop modeling and start studying to be an actor, which I'd wanted to be since I was about six." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Two guys kissing is not as sexy as two girls kissing. When Selma Blair made out with Sarah-what’s-her-name, that was hot.
Me and James Van Der Beek making out is not hot, it’s rather disgusting. We both looked at each other and said,
'Dude, don’t stick your tongue in my mouth.'" [Ian Somerhalder]

"I think [activism affecting my acting] it's a fine line.  I don't ever want anything
 to come in the way of me truthfully telling a story." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To explore different parts of yourself and different emotional lives... not to hide from who you
are but to actually explore who you are." [Ian Somerhalder] on why he became an actor.

Damon Salvatore on "The Vampire Diaries"
"I wanted Damon to be this wacky, sort of old world combination of Cary Grant and Mick Jagger." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Damon is Dionysius- he has an appetite for everything." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Our fans, they are awesome. You get to experience that enthusiasm at a decibel level that is second to none.
They are so loud and amazing. I swear, it was the closest to being a Beatle I'll ever get." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Let me tell you something. I love the South. I'm from the South. I'm a Southern boy. You experience temperatures here that
one just doesn't understand until one is actually geographically here. I am watching our crew members melting like snowmen.
It's insane. [Ian Somerhalder] filiming in Atlanta.

"It's great to play the charming guy we all want to be associated with. But a character with a bizarre mind
and given to committing horribly illegal actions can be fascinating. Sometimes it's more interesting to portray
someone who battles his thirst for wrong and tries to understand it. [Ian Somerhalder]

"There's this old documentary about The Rolling Stones. There's a guy interviewing Mick Jagger and he says,
"What's the definition of rock and roll?" Keith Richards walks by and goes, "Me." That's so Damon." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The whole mind compulsion thing (actually called 'Enthralling' or Enthralment in the vampire world) . I can essentially
do whatever I want to you, and then make you completely forget about it. Which… it comes in handy, you know what I mean?
[Laughs] I’m glad I don’t have that power. That would be daaaangerous." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It depends on what you call bad and good. I'm definitely the more sadistic, prankster one, which is fun. He's a lot of fun. He's charming
and it's hard to hate him, but he's kind of a bastard. You walk that fine line between liking him and absolutely hating him, like with most vampires.
They kill people; they have to eat too. Population control." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You're 200 years old. You can fly around. You can eat beautiful girls — well, you can suck on their neck.
I don't physically cut them up and eat them. That would be a little sick. It's fun having all these layers." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I always said it would be so awesome, if we got the time and money to do it, to see Damon at a Rolling Stones concert, front and center,
wearing some bad-ass ‘70s outfit, or even in the exact same thing he wears now because he hasn’t changed since about the ‘50s. How cool
would it be to be able to use stock footage of some unbelievable Rolling Stones concert, and having Damon sitting there, scoping stuff out
with two beautiful women on either side? I just think it would be so amazing to see Damon in that situation." [Ian Somerhalder]

Boone on "Lost"
"I was always so envious of Josh Holloway on Lost because he always gets to say the cool stuff. And it’s always so fun to watch,
even if it’s someone you don’t necessarily like, you still want to hear what they have to say and the way they say it. They truly mean
what they’re saying, even if it’s demented and wrong." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The irony aspect of [surviving a plane crash and then dying in one] kinda killed me-literally. I joked to exec producer Damon Lindelof, 'I fell
30,000 feet out of the jumbo jet and survived. And then I fell 30 feet out of a beechcraft and died.' I always pondered how that was possible." [Ian Somerhalder]

"[Filming] was really intense. You're covered in bug spray and dirt and makeup, and it's 95 degrees with no wind, and you're on a beach surrounded by fire.
By the end of the episode, you would have to go home and get scrubbed. But I love Hawaii. I will absolutely live there some day. In fact,
I almost bought a house there--but, two days before I was going to fly back to look at one, I found out that my character was being killed off." [Ian Somerhalder]

Speaking on behalf on the 2010 Oil Spill
"You know when something bad happens in your life, or something goes wrong - that weird kind of
really uneasy feeling you have in the pit of your stomach? I've had that for two months." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Basically, the entire area is shut down. Everyone from the waitress who serves you breakfast to the guy who owns the charter boat
to the shrimpers - they all literally rely on the ocean to keep their industry going... Think about how frightening it is when you suddenly,
through no fault of your own, can't feed your children or pay your mortgage." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It's time to change, and I think this disaster is the game changer. It feels like this is
one of those catastrophic events that truly changes the way that we think." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To me and to the people that go down there, [it's] one of the most beautiful places in the world.
And I actually had to watch it destroyed. And it will be destroyed -- forever. My great-grandchildren
will not be able to enjoy the Gulf Coast of Louisiana the way I have." [Ian Somerhalder]

General Life and Work
"My mom made my baby food and had me on blue-green alga probably since I was in third grade.
I never had sugar. I never got to have white bread or any white-flour products." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I don't know how to do anything else other than be an actor. If I wasn't
in this, I would be in alternative energy and conservation. " [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a million acquaintances but just two or three true friends. I can't hide anything from them." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I kind of think too much, I try do too many things at once." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a beach house in Malibu, so I'll go there, grab a surfboard or a sea kayak or whatever, and get outta here. The quality
of life is so much higher anyplace you can ski in the morning and surf in the evening--there's something to be said for that." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You can't get anywhere without the people who have come into your life." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Life's like being a billionaire. There are billions of moment's so you don't
really have to make each one count , but on the flip side you do." [Ian Somerhalder]

Career As An Actor

Career As An Actor
"Acting is such a huge part of my life. It really allows me to have a creative outlet and to actually be able to have
an outlet to discuss openly the things that truly I think are relevant in the world, that make a difference." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I realized I had to stop modeling and start studying to be an actor, which I'd wanted to be since I was about six." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Two guys kissing is not as sexy as two girls kissing. When Selma Blair made out with Sarah-what’s-her-name, that was hot.
Me and James Van Der Beek making out is not hot, it’s rather disgusting. We both looked at each other and said,
'Dude, don’t stick your tongue in my mouth.'" [Ian Somerhalder]

"I think [activism affecting my acting] it's a fine line.  I don't ever want anything
 to come in the way of me truthfully telling a story." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To explore different parts of yourself and different emotional lives... not to hide from who you
are but to actually explore who you are." [Ian Somerhalder] on why he became an actor.

Damon Salvatore on "The Vampire Diaries"
"I wanted Damon to be this wacky, sort of old world combination of Cary Grant and Mick Jagger." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Damon is Dionysius- he has an appetite for everything." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Our fans, they are awesome. You get to experience that enthusiasm at a decibel level that is second to none.
They are so loud and amazing. I swear, it was the closest to being a Beatle I'll ever get." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Let me tell you something. I love the South. I'm from the South. I'm a Southern boy. You experience temperatures here that
one just doesn't understand until one is actually geographically here. I am watching our crew members melting like snowmen.
It's insane. [Ian Somerhalder] filiming in Atlanta.

"It's great to play the charming guy we all want to be associated with. But a character with a bizarre mind
and given to committing horribly illegal actions can be fascinating. Sometimes it's more interesting to portray
someone who battles his thirst for wrong and tries to understand it. [Ian Somerhalder]

"There's this old documentary about The Rolling Stones. There's a guy interviewing Mick Jagger and he says,
"What's the definition of rock and roll?" Keith Richards walks by and goes, "Me." That's so Damon." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The whole mind compulsion thing (actually called 'Enthralling' or Enthralment in the vampire world) . I can essentially
do whatever I want to you, and then make you completely forget about it. Which… it comes in handy, you know what I mean?
[Laughs] I’m glad I don’t have that power. That would be daaaangerous." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It depends on what you call bad and good. I'm definitely the more sadistic, prankster one, which is fun. He's a lot of fun. He's charming
and it's hard to hate him, but he's kind of a bastard. You walk that fine line between liking him and absolutely hating him, like with most vampires.
They kill people; they have to eat too. Population control." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You're 200 years old. You can fly around. You can eat beautiful girls — well, you can suck on their neck.
I don't physically cut them up and eat them. That would be a little sick. It's fun having all these layers." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I always said it would be so awesome, if we got the time and money to do it, to see Damon at a Rolling Stones concert, front and center,
wearing some bad-ass ‘70s outfit, or even in the exact same thing he wears now because he hasn’t changed since about the ‘50s. How cool
would it be to be able to use stock footage of some unbelievable Rolling Stones concert, and having Damon sitting there, scoping stuff out
with two beautiful women on either side? I just think it would be so amazing to see Damon in that situation." [Ian Somerhalder]

Boone on "Lost"
"I was always so envious of Josh Holloway on Lost because he always gets to say the cool stuff. And it’s always so fun to watch,
even if it’s someone you don’t necessarily like, you still want to hear what they have to say and the way they say it. They truly mean
what they’re saying, even if it’s demented and wrong." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The irony aspect of [surviving a plane crash and then dying in one] kinda killed me-literally. I joked to exec producer Damon Lindelof, 'I fell
30,000 feet out of the jumbo jet and survived. And then I fell 30 feet out of a beechcraft and died.' I always pondered how that was possible." [Ian Somerhalder]

"[Filming] was really intense. You're covered in bug spray and dirt and makeup, and it's 95 degrees with no wind, and you're on a beach surrounded by fire.
By the end of the episode, you would have to go home and get scrubbed. But I love Hawaii. I will absolutely live there some day. In fact,
I almost bought a house there--but, two days before I was going to fly back to look at one, I found out that my character was being killed off." [Ian Somerhalder]

Speaking on behalf on the 2010 Oil Spill
"You know when something bad happens in your life, or something goes wrong - that weird kind of
really uneasy feeling you have in the pit of your stomach? I've had that for two months." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Basically, the entire area is shut down. Everyone from the waitress who serves you breakfast to the guy who owns the charter boat
to the shrimpers - they all literally rely on the ocean to keep their industry going... Think about how frightening it is when you suddenly,
through no fault of your own, can't feed your children or pay your mortgage." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It's time to change, and I think this disaster is the game changer. It feels like this is
one of those catastrophic events that truly changes the way that we think." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To me and to the people that go down there, [it's] one of the most beautiful places in the world.
And I actually had to watch it destroyed. And it will be destroyed -- forever. My great-grandchildren
will not be able to enjoy the Gulf Coast of Louisiana the way I have." [Ian Somerhalder]

General Life and Work
"My mom made my baby food and had me on blue-green alga probably since I was in third grade.
I never had sugar. I never got to have white bread or any white-flour products." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I don't know how to do anything else other than be an actor. If I wasn't
in this, I would be in alternative energy and conservation. " [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a million acquaintances but just two or three true friends. I can't hide anything from them." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I kind of think too much, I try do too many things at once." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a beach house in Malibu, so I'll go there, grab a surfboard or a sea kayak or whatever, and get outta here. The quality
of life is so much higher anyplace you can ski in the morning and surf in the evening--there's something to be said for that." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You can't get anywhere without the people who have come into your life." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Life's like being a billionaire. There are billions of moment's so you don't
really have to make each one count , but on the flip side you do." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Acting is such a huge part of my life. It really allows me to have a creative outlet and to actually be able to have
an outlet to discuss openly the things that truly I think are relevant in the world, that make a difference." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I realized I had to stop modeling and start studying to be an actor, which I'd wanted to be since I was about six." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Two guys kissing is not as sexy as two girls kissing. When Selma Blair made out with Sarah-what’s-her-name, that was hot.
Me and James Van Der Beek making out is not hot, it’s rather disgusting. We both looked at each other and said,
'Dude, don’t stick your tongue in my mouth.'" [Ian Somerhalder]

"I think [activism affecting my acting] it's a fine line.  I don't ever want anything
 to come in the way of me truthfully telling a story." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To explore different parts of yourself and different emotional lives... not to hide from who you
are but to actually explore who you are." [Ian Somerhalder] on why he became an actor.

Damon Salvatore on "The Vampire Diaries"
"I wanted Damon to be this wacky, sort of old world combination of Cary Grant and Mick Jagger." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Damon is Dionysius- he has an appetite for everything." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Our fans, they are awesome. You get to experience that enthusiasm at a decibel level that is second to none.
They are so loud and amazing. I swear, it was the closest to being a Beatle I'll ever get." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Let me tell you something. I love the South. I'm from the South. I'm a Southern boy. You experience temperatures here that
one just doesn't understand until one is actually geographically here. I am watching our crew members melting like snowmen.
It's insane. [Ian Somerhalder] filiming in Atlanta.

"It's great to play the charming guy we all want to be associated with. But a character with a bizarre mind
and given to committing horribly illegal actions can be fascinating. Sometimes it's more interesting to portray
someone who battles his thirst for wrong and tries to understand it. [Ian Somerhalder]

"There's this old documentary about The Rolling Stones. There's a guy interviewing Mick Jagger and he says,
"What's the definition of rock and roll?" Keith Richards walks by and goes, "Me." That's so Damon." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The whole mind compulsion thing (actually called 'Enthralling' or Enthralment in the vampire world) . I can essentially
do whatever I want to you, and then make you completely forget about it. Which… it comes in handy, you know what I mean?
[Laughs] I’m glad I don’t have that power. That would be daaaangerous." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It depends on what you call bad and good. I'm definitely the more sadistic, prankster one, which is fun. He's a lot of fun. He's charming
and it's hard to hate him, but he's kind of a bastard. You walk that fine line between liking him and absolutely hating him, like with most vampires.
They kill people; they have to eat too. Population control." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You're 200 years old. You can fly around. You can eat beautiful girls — well, you can suck on their neck.
I don't physically cut them up and eat them. That would be a little sick. It's fun having all these layers." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I always said it would be so awesome, if we got the time and money to do it, to see Damon at a Rolling Stones concert, front and center,
wearing some bad-ass ‘70s outfit, or even in the exact same thing he wears now because he hasn’t changed since about the ‘50s. How cool
would it be to be able to use stock footage of some unbelievable Rolling Stones concert, and having Damon sitting there, scoping stuff out
with two beautiful women on either side? I just think it would be so amazing to see Damon in that situation." [Ian Somerhalder]

Boone on "Lost"
"I was always so envious of Josh Holloway on Lost because he always gets to say the cool stuff. And it’s always so fun to watch,
even if it’s someone you don’t necessarily like, you still want to hear what they have to say and the way they say it. They truly mean
what they’re saying, even if it’s demented and wrong." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The irony aspect of [surviving a plane crash and then dying in one] kinda killed me-literally. I joked to exec producer Damon Lindelof, 'I fell
30,000 feet out of the jumbo jet and survived. And then I fell 30 feet out of a beechcraft and died.' I always pondered how that was possible." [Ian Somerhalder]

"[Filming] was really intense. You're covered in bug spray and dirt and makeup, and it's 95 degrees with no wind, and you're on a beach surrounded by fire.
By the end of the episode, you would have to go home and get scrubbed. But I love Hawaii. I will absolutely live there some day. In fact,
I almost bought a house there--but, two days before I was going to fly back to look at one, I found out that my character was being killed off." [Ian Somerhalder]

Speaking on behalf on the 2010 Oil Spill
"You know when something bad happens in your life, or something goes wrong - that weird kind of
really uneasy feeling you have in the pit of your stomach? I've had that for two months." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Basically, the entire area is shut down. Everyone from the waitress who serves you breakfast to the guy who owns the charter boat
to the shrimpers - they all literally rely on the ocean to keep their industry going... Think about how frightening it is when you suddenly,
through no fault of your own, can't feed your children or pay your mortgage." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It's time to change, and I think this disaster is the game changer. It feels like this is
one of those catastrophic events that truly changes the way that we think." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To me and to the people that go down there, [it's] one of the most beautiful places in the world.
And I actually had to watch it destroyed. And it will be destroyed -- forever. My great-grandchildren
will not be able to enjoy the Gulf Coast of Louisiana the way I have." [Ian Somerhalder]

General Life and Work
"My mom made my baby food and had me on blue-green alga probably since I was in third grade.
I never had sugar. I never got to have white bread or any white-flour products." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I don't know how to do anything else other than be an actor. If I wasn't
in this, I would be in alternative energy and conservation. " [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a million acquaintances but just two or three true friends. I can't hide anything from them." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I kind of think too much, I try do too many things at once." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a beach house in Malibu, so I'll go there, grab a surfboard or a sea kayak or whatever, and get outta here. The quality
of life is so much higher anyplace you can ski in the morning and surf in the evening--there's something to be said for that." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You can't get anywhere without the people who have come into your life." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Life's like being a billionaire. There are billions of moment's so you don't
really have to make each one count , but on the flip side you do." [Ian Somerhalder]

Career As An Actor
"Acting is such a huge part of my life. It really allows me to have a creative outlet and to actually be able to have
an outlet to discuss openly the things that truly I think are relevant in the world, that make a difference." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I realized I had to stop modeling and start studying to be an actor, which I'd wanted to be since I was about six." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Two guys kissing is not as sexy as two girls kissing. When Selma Blair made out with Sarah-what’s-her-name, that was hot.
Me and James Van Der Beek making out is not hot, it’s rather disgusting. We both looked at each other and said,
'Dude, don’t stick your tongue in my mouth.'" [Ian Somerhalder]

"I think [activism affecting my acting] it's a fine line.  I don't ever want anything
 to come in the way of me truthfully telling a story." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To explore different parts of yourself and different emotional lives... not to hide from who you
are but to actually explore who you are." [Ian Somerhalder] on why he became an actor.

Damon Salvatore on "The Vampire Diaries"
"I wanted Damon to be this wacky, sort of old world combination of Cary Grant and Mick Jagger." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Damon is Dionysius- he has an appetite for everything." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Our fans, they are awesome. You get to experience that enthusiasm at a decibel level that is second to none.
They are so loud and amazing. I swear, it was the closest to being a Beatle I'll ever get." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Let me tell you something. I love the South. I'm from the South. I'm a Southern boy. You experience temperatures here that
one just doesn't understand until one is actually geographically here. I am watching our crew members melting like snowmen.
It's insane. [Ian Somerhalder] filiming in Atlanta.

"It's great to play the charming guy we all want to be associated with. But a character with a bizarre mind
and given to committing horribly illegal actions can be fascinating. Sometimes it's more interesting to portray
someone who battles his thirst for wrong and tries to understand it. [Ian Somerhalder]

"There's this old documentary about The Rolling Stones. There's a guy interviewing Mick Jagger and he says,
"What's the definition of rock and roll?" Keith Richards walks by and goes, "Me." That's so Damon." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The whole mind compulsion thing (actually called 'Enthralling' or Enthralment in the vampire world) . I can essentially
do whatever I want to you, and then make you completely forget about it. Which… it comes in handy, you know what I mean?
[Laughs] I’m glad I don’t have that power. That would be daaaangerous." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It depends on what you call bad and good. I'm definitely the more sadistic, prankster one, which is fun. He's a lot of fun. He's charming
and it's hard to hate him, but he's kind of a bastard. You walk that fine line between liking him and absolutely hating him, like with most vampires.
They kill people; they have to eat too. Population control." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You're 200 years old. You can fly around. You can eat beautiful girls — well, you can suck on their neck.
I don't physically cut them up and eat them. That would be a little sick. It's fun having all these layers." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I always said it would be so awesome, if we got the time and money to do it, to see Damon at a Rolling Stones concert, front and center,
wearing some bad-ass ‘70s outfit, or even in the exact same thing he wears now because he hasn’t changed since about the ‘50s. How cool
would it be to be able to use stock footage of some unbelievable Rolling Stones concert, and having Damon sitting there, scoping stuff out
with two beautiful women on either side? I just think it would be so amazing to see Damon in that situation." [Ian Somerhalder]

Boone on "Lost"
"I was always so envious of Josh Holloway on Lost because he always gets to say the cool stuff. And it’s always so fun to watch,
even if it’s someone you don’t necessarily like, you still want to hear what they have to say and the way they say it. They truly mean
what they’re saying, even if it’s demented and wrong." [Ian Somerhalder]

"The irony aspect of [surviving a plane crash and then dying in one] kinda killed me-literally. I joked to exec producer Damon Lindelof, 'I fell
30,000 feet out of the jumbo jet and survived. And then I fell 30 feet out of a beechcraft and died.' I always pondered how that was possible." [Ian Somerhalder]

"[Filming] was really intense. You're covered in bug spray and dirt and makeup, and it's 95 degrees with no wind, and you're on a beach surrounded by fire.
By the end of the episode, you would have to go home and get scrubbed. But I love Hawaii. I will absolutely live there some day. In fact,
I almost bought a house there--but, two days before I was going to fly back to look at one, I found out that my character was being killed off." [Ian Somerhalder]

Speaking on behalf on the 2010 Oil Spill
"You know when something bad happens in your life, or something goes wrong - that weird kind of
really uneasy feeling you have in the pit of your stomach? I've had that for two months." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Basically, the entire area is shut down. Everyone from the waitress who serves you breakfast to the guy who owns the charter boat
to the shrimpers - they all literally rely on the ocean to keep their industry going... Think about how frightening it is when you suddenly,
through no fault of your own, can't feed your children or pay your mortgage." [Ian Somerhalder]

"It's time to change, and I think this disaster is the game changer. It feels like this is
one of those catastrophic events that truly changes the way that we think." [Ian Somerhalder]

"To me and to the people that go down there, [it's] one of the most beautiful places in the world.
And I actually had to watch it destroyed. And it will be destroyed -- forever. My great-grandchildren
will not be able to enjoy the Gulf Coast of Louisiana the way I have." [Ian Somerhalder]

General Life and Work
"My mom made my baby food and had me on blue-green alga probably since I was in third grade.
I never had sugar. I never got to have white bread or any white-flour products." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I don't know how to do anything else other than be an actor. If I wasn't
in this, I would be in alternative energy and conservation. " [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a million acquaintances but just two or three true friends. I can't hide anything from them." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I kind of think too much, I try do too many things at once." [Ian Somerhalder]

"I have a beach house in Malibu, so I'll go there, grab a surfboard or a sea kayak or whatever, and get outta here. The quality
of life is so much higher anyplace you can ski in the morning and surf in the evening--there's something to be said for that." [Ian Somerhalder]

"You can't get anywhere without the people who have come into your life." [Ian Somerhalder]

"Life's like being a billionaire. There are billions of moment's so you don't
really have to make each one count , but on the flip side you do." [Ian Somerhalder]

'Gossip Girl,’ Season 5, Episode 14, ‘The Backup Dan’: TV Recap

Run Blair Run! Run away from your 80s-themed wedding and away from the crazy prince determined to make your life miserable!

We’re back at the Blair wedding. The one where everyone tried to convince her to run away with Chuck. Instead she fled with Dan. Blair, Chuck and Nate play stowaway in the catering van (Nate is trying to hit on the cater waiter who is the “real” Charlie Rhodes). In the meantime, Gossip Girl Georgina is all trying to find out what’s wrong. She cons the crazy Scooby Gang to go to the Empire and says they have to take her with them.

Blair heads to the airport to fly to the Dominican Republic, where she thinks she can get a quickie divorce. She’s very incognito in her full Vera Wang and crown. For some reason, Serena has Blair’s phone and sees the text from Louis asking where the heck (Blair) is. Dan is letting Blair drag him around.

Ohh ohh, Georgina discovers Dorota packing Blair’s suitcases. OK, is it me or is this episode dragging on forever? I’m bored and there are 40 minutes left.

Louis’ mom says if Blair doesn’t show up, her parents will have to pay a big big dowry.

Nate and the real Charlie are hanging out and Charlie’s mom calls and lies are told about studying in the library. Back at the airport, Blair and Dan see Louis on television claiming that Blair is a missing person. They must escape the airport and flee to an airport hotel. Dan wants to know why she treats him like crap. I dunno, because it’s Blair and she’s a jerk and he should get over her.

Serena and Chuck show up at the airport hotel. So does Georgina. She takes pictures of everyone and runs out. Why no one stops her, I have no idea. It turns out Serena sent the Blair video telling Chuck how she feels to Gossip Girl last week. Then Serena says she didn’t send it. And Chuck didn’t do it. Who sent it? Maybe Dan!

The Charlotte/Charlie shows up at Lily/Rufus’s to deliver flowers. Miraculously, she drops the info that she was with Nate before. Oooh sneaky!

Chuck offers to charter a plane to the Dominican Republic when evil mother-in-law shows up and demands that Blair come with Louis to take her place in Stepford. Serena is mad at Dan because she told him he was her one and only schmoochie and he didn’t respond.

Chuck offers to pay the dowry, but Blair says she needs to keep her promise. And she walks out the door to head back to her Monaco prison. But first, she apologizes to Dan. Blair’s mom says she doesn’t appreciate threats and she’ll pay whatever to keep Blair away. She tells Blair not to go with Louis. Blair stands by her stupid decision and she leaves with Louis leave for their year of solitude. This is all so stupid.

Next week: It’s Valentine’s Day on Gossip Girl. And somehow, Blair is back from Monaco.

Gossip Girl:A Princess in Peril

The title, "Riding In Town Cars With Boys," alluded to the accident that left Blair and Chuck fighting for their lives after an episode that saw the Princess-to-B battling paparazzi and conflicting emotions surrounding her baby and future. Just as Blair found the fairy tale ending so many viewers have longed for, it all came crashing down.

The baby will almost certainly not survive. But will the love of her life?

On one hand, it's a cheap cop out for Blair to suffer a miscarriage and the slate to be wiped clean after all this time. It's lazy writing (as is having key conversations happen in public ALL THE TIME).

On the flip side, the tension escalated (relatively) believably for the last hour and for the past 10 weeks as a whole, with some surprising twists and new wrinkles thrown in to complicate matters.

There were so many in the last 15 minutes tonight, where to begin?

We'll discuss Chuck's fate shortly, but first, a word about Dan. Those who worship the Muppet may have wished he'd been sharing that getaway kiss with Blair, but it wasn't to be. Instead, he put his own feelings aside to help the girl he worships so much that he could unflinchingly love another man's baby just to be with her.

And for that, how can you not love Dan?

Ironically, tonight marked watershed moments for both Dair and Chair. Both men proved their love for B, even if only one came out and said it. Dan's actions deserve praise, even if he didn't get the girl.

While some people think only of advancing their own interests, even if that means putting others' lives at risk (cough, Chivy), Lonely Boy would rather be lonely than see someone he cares about unhappy.

This selfless realization spurred him to reunite Chair for good. He did the right thing for his new best friend and for the woman he loves, even if it most likely dimmed the hopes of a Dair romance for good.

So is Chuck ... no. He can't die. He just can't. He has more lives than we can count at this point, but he's got to have one more left in him. Especially after these last few weeks, his loss would be catastrophic to the show.

When Gossip Girl returns January 16, he will fight for his life. It will be tense, drawn out and painful, but Chuck Bass will rise again. The question is where he and Blair Waldorf will stand when he does.

The royal wedding is still on for January 30, although it's unclear how much of a time jump will be involved between now and then. My prediction: Blair leaves Louis at the altar for Chuck on that date.

One thing tonight's Gossip Girl did that many episodes don't is tie the storylines together in an intriguing way that doesn't feel convoluted and forced. Okay, everything about Chivy is forced, but even so.

Max threatened to expose Chivy as a white trash fraud (he loves to call her W.T.), so she sent a blast to Gossip Girl, which in turn drew hordes of celebrity gossip media to the impostor's debutante ball.

Blair and Chuck were at the party because Dan chose it as the place to bring them together (maybe not the best spot in retrospect - hindsight is 20/20, D). Then Chair fled, with paparazzi in hot pursuit.

The fact that Chivy tipped them off was the straw the broke the camel's back for her, as she confessed to Rufus of all people that she's a giant fraud ... only to have his attention diverted at the hospital.

Max, meanwhile, got paid (somehow) and Jack Bass, Diana, Trip and the Grandfather all could be implicated in the crash that nearly killed Chair, with their tangential connections and varying motives.

There are many theories with limitless potential, which made for a great ending to the first half of the season, even if it was a devastating one for Blair that still felt inevitable. She wasn't having the baby.

Can you see Blair raising a child at 21, whoever the father actually is? The show wasn't going to go there and decided to go the Princess Diana route with the Upper East Side version of Kate Middleton.

Making Blair pregnant was a major OMG moment, but the pregnancy was swept under the rug in recent weeks, only to be given a sense of urgency tonight. Very disjointed, but it did open some new doors.

What was perhaps Gossip Girl's greatest scandal has been replaced by another. Who is Gossip Girl, and how far will Nate, Serena & Co. go to take her down? What enemies (or allies) will they make?

With GG now the target of the NJBC, you have to wonder if the royal wedding / 100th episode will mark something major on that front as well. Will she try to crash the thing? Again, infinite possibilities!

Hopefully, Nate and Serena play expanded roles this spring. They're Blair and Chuck's best friends (okay, Dan can tag along too now), and they now have a common enemy ... maybe even multiple.

He may be manipulated easily, but Nate has been kind of the man these past few weeks, and I'm glad he doesn't look like he's about to be pushed around - or have his plot buried for the 20th time.

Chace Crawford may have even acted a little bit this evening (crazy, I know), and Leighton Meester deserves a special nod for her performance as well. Such a range of emotions conveyed in one night.

Tonight's episode and the fall season overall were good despite some flaws. The show has improved greatly upon last year with some coherent and compelling storylines (the wedding, the book, the pregnancy, the love quadrangle, and now GG / The Spectator) focused on the main characters. Mostly. Plenty to build on in 2012.

Behind Closed Doors: Leighton Meester Enjoys Fresh Flowers, Clean Fingernails And "True Blood"

Buzznet caught up with Leighton Meester in honor of the release of her new danceable single 'Somebody To Love', a collab with singer/songwriter Robin Thicke. The Gossip Girl's previous foray into music, you probably remember, was guest vocals for Cobra Starship's radio hit 'Good Girls Go Bad'. Teaming up was fun, but the TV actress has been in and out of the studio, writing and recording her own stuff. Find out what Leighton has to say about boys and love, Behind Closed Doors. It's no suprise that she believes in "undeniable chemistry"--how else would she nail the part of Queen B and Chuck Bass' lover on the CW's best show?

Buzznet: Do you have a morning bathroom routine? If so what does it entail from when you get out of bed until you are dressed for the day?

Leighton: I do exactly what everyone does, my butler brings me breakfast in bed, and I get up when my massage is over. Obviously not the case, I wake up early usually but occasionally get days when I can sleep in, so by that time, it's unfortunate to say, I check my phone and emails.  Then I shower, clean my face with la roche posay and dr haushka products, chanel also makes a great foaming cleanser, brush my teeth, I decide what to wear, which is really fun because I have a huge, fairly organized closet, my apartment's best feature.  If I have time I make a coffee.  But I'm usually out the door within 30.

Buzznet: Who was your first kiss? Details ... How old were you? Where were you?

Leighton: I was 16, a guy I knew through friends from school, he was walking me home from the movies, and I honestly was so nervous and couldn't believe I was getting my first kiss, so I don't remember much else but turning around and running home. People would always play spin the bottle and truth or dare but I never went through with it when it was my turn because I didn't want that to be my first kiss.  My friend from middle school and I were talking about that recently, we were pretty much not interested in guys at that age.

Buzznet: What do you have hanging on your walls in your bedroom? Posters? Artwork?

Leighton: I have a beautiful oil painting my best friend/boyfriend had made for me.  He told the artist about me, my favorite colors and poetry and she painted a large very special abstract work I have hanging in my dining room. It came with a disc of the music she listened to while painting it.

Buzznet: Do you have any fetishes? Any pet-peeves?

Leighton: I don't like when people bite their nails, or have dirty fingernails. Fetishes? I have things I love like fresh flowers and chocolate always on hand, as well as my obsession with True Blood.

Buzznet: What is the first quality you look for in the opposite sex? 

Leighton: It's usually when I'm not looking, something about someone will catch me off guard.  I love talent and intelligence.  I believe in undeniable chemistry, it's the strongest, most inexplicable attraction.

Buzznet: What do you wear to sleep at night?

Leighton: Nothing

Buzznet: Do you have a nickname?

Leighton: Lei, Lil Lei, Lei-Lei, Meenster, Meest, Mom...

Buzznet: What was your first job? What was your worst job?

Leighton: My first job was when I was eleven! I was in the newspaper in a Bloomingdale's ad. It was when I first moved to New York, I had no idea what I was doing.  I've been acting since then, and working non-stop since I was about 18, so I can't complain. I've been writing and recording music for almost four years, and that's been the outlet that's caused so much growth in me.  I babysat a lot as a teenager too.

Buzznet: What song do you know every word to, but are totally embarrassed that you know so well? 

Leighton: 'Without You' by Mariah Carey, but I have no shame, I've listened to it to find emotion for scenes.

Buzznet: Which era do you most wish you lived in and why? 

Leighton: I love ancient Roman history, my mom read us books about it when we were kids. The Roman Republic was so advanced scientifically. I love living now. People live similarly in every era.  Wake up in the morning, eat, work, love, entertain yourself.  I like the essence of the beat movement, I love love, and admire the movement of equality, freedom of expression, and change.

Buzznet: Do you have any scars? If so what happened? If not name one imperfection on your body?

Leighton: I have a scar on my forehead from falling off the bed when I was a baby, my big brother has it too.

Buzznet: When you hear the word “oatmeal” what is the very first thing that comes to your mind?

Leighton: Raisin.

Obsession of the Year

RIGHT, WE KNOW, we hear you: the girl from Gossip Girl? There isn't a single self-respecting male who watches the CW's lusciously bitchy comic soap about juvenile stylistas navigating the social spiderweb of New York's Upper East Side. Or at least that's what we hear it's about—because, of course, we have never seen this Gossip Girl, and honestly, we had to ask a young woman at work, because we're always riveted by Ultimate Fighting and chain-saw competitions.

"Guys are like, 'My girlfriend watches it, so I watch it,' " Meester says. "But sometimes they watch it on their own. Someone came up to me recently and said, 'I'm a Washington, D.C., police officer, and I tell everybody I'm busy on Monday nights—but I'm really watching the show.'"

If you're still pretending you don't, Meester, 23, plays the decadent heiress Blair Waldorf, whose acid bons mots ("Haven't you heard? I'm the crazy bitch around here") float in the air like the cigarette smoke she'd surely exhale if the CW would let her. Gossip Girl is a showcase of unnatural beauty, but the delicate Meester stands out. In person, Meester is free of pretension, arriving for a breakfast interview at Manhattan's Chelsea Piers wearing a pair of thick glasses that Tina Fey might reject as being too clunky. This is the paradox of the Meester-verse—"Blair is so controlling and such a worrier; Leighton is relaxed," says co-star Ed Westwick—and it surely speaks to her un-Park Avenue origins. As the tabloids giddily reported last year, Meester was born to a mother who was incarcerated at the time on pot charges, and she has spent the better part of her life on earth shuttling, Gypsy-like, from cramped apartments to soul-sucking auditions. Gossip Girl is the first stable job she's ever had.

"I've finally unpacked," says Meester, who next year will appear as Steve Carell's babysitter in the romantic comedy Date Night. "I didn't expect anything. I'm always like, 'Is the show going to get canceled?' 'Am I going to have to move?' It's hard to have any kind of luck in this business."

Meester lunges for a strip of bacon. Another one of her Gossip co-stars, Chace Crawford, has declared she's a "guy's girl." Meester allows that she's "not high-maintenance," and while she won't bullshit you with a Super Bowl prediction, she can give you five detailed minutes on Ray Liotta in GoodFellas—well, maybe not the whole movie, but one very specific moment in Martin Scorsese's Mob classic. "It's the look Liotta gives Debi Mazar in the bedroom," Meester says. "He's just thrown his girlfriend onto the bed, and when she runs out, he gives this look to his girlfriend's friend—Debi Mazar—as he's coming off the bed...." Meester blushes and fans herself with her hand. "It's the sexiest thing."

Leighton Meester: The "Gossip Girl" You Love to Hate Read more: Leighton Meester Interview - Gossip Girl Leighton Meester -

 hard not to get antsy when you're waiting for Leighton Meester to show up. After all, on Gossip Girl, she plays Manhattan-socialite-in-training Blair Waldorf, who's so convincingly evil, scheming, and selfish, you'd have to think that she pours a lot of herself into the character. By the time she walks into La Bottega Caffe, near New York City's Meatpacking District, and settles in to the booth, we're braced for a throw-down.

But that's not what happens. For starters, there's not a headband or haughty set of pearls in sight. Leighton shows up makeup-free in retro Nike sneakers, skinny jeans, a black tank top, and...horn-rimmed glasses (are you picturing this?). Clearly, she's not going out of her way to project an intimidating image on us or the customers doing double-takes as they walk by. "I never wear makeup when I'm not at work," she explains. "It can make you forget what you look like, and I've grown to really love the way I look without it."

Sound surprisingly unsnotty? She is. In fact, the night before, she ordered in burgers and watched Home Alone 2 with a friend. But that's not to say she's always a homebody — cast members often go out together, and Leighton's been written up in New York gossip columns for "downing tequila shots" and making out with abandon at nightclubs. "The evil side of Blair is somewhere in me," she muses, "but acting her out is like therapy. I get to do things nobody would ever say or do in real life."

Leighton, 23, says the nonstop scrutiny doesn't bother her. That seems impossible, but after watching her closely, we believe her. "In this world, everyone wants to know everything about you, and I think that's funny," she says, propping one elbow on the table and waving off the rumors with a raised hand. "I can't be annoyed. People speculate a lot about me, saying there's something else that's really the truth...."

She trails off, looks kind of sad, and bows her head. We barely hear her mutter "Maybe I'm just too boring." Uh-oh. Has Leighton suddenly gone all emo on us? Have we managed to make her cry three minutes into the interview? Um, not exactly. A couple of seconds later, she looks up with a huge grin and starts laughing so hard, she shakes.

The fact that Leighton isn't concerned with saying or doing anything phony to make sure we like her only makes us like her all the more. "If you're just yourself, you'll never lose," she says, shrugging and warming her hands around a mug of chamomile tea. "I want to be myself. That's when you feel the most comfortable, that's when you have the most success, and that's when you're the most happy."

THE IN CROWD

Leighton's childhood didn't start off comfortable or happy. Her mother had her while serving a prison sentence in Texas for drug trafficking. Her grandmother took care of her on Marco Island, Florida, until her mom was able to join them several months later. "My mom lived through a lot before I was born, and I can't judge her on that," Leighton says. "She and my dad are good people." Then she rolls her eyes, obviously used to telling this story, and smiles. "Look, I could've turned out a lot worse."

From a very young age, Leighton knew she wanted to act. "I watched a lot of TV, and it clicked one day that these people were acting," she says. "It sounded like the most fun thing ever." So she started doing local plays when she was 9 and then met a manager who encouraged her to move to New York to try out for bigger gigs. After several years and minor roles on shows like House and Entourage, she landed Blair.

It wasn't due to luck. Turns out, the creators of the show had had their eyes on Leighton for some time. "She has a great combination of intelligence, wit, and strength but also this mischievous quality," says Gossip Girl executive producer and writer Stephanie Savage. "Leighton's very matter-of-fact and up front about things, and unlike Blair, she's nonjudgmental."

The show has a fan base that's truly, well, obsessed — perfect for all that rumormongering. Is Leighton friends or frenemies with costar Blake Lively? (Answer: They don't hang out together often, but Leighton has denied any animosity over and over and over.) Was she born in a jail cell? (Answer: No, her mother had her in a hospital.) Did she secretly get engaged to a costar? (Answer: Read on.)

Blair is unquestionably the villain viewers root for: ditched by her dad, screwed up by her mom, and in a torturous will-they-or-won't-they relationship with gigantic a-hole Chuck Bass. Ed Westwick, who plays Chuck, really cuts to the chase when discussing his costar. "Leighton plays such a good bitch because she is one," he says. What follows is a silence so awkward, we actually start to sweat — until he bursts out laughing. "I'm joking! She's so good at it because she has fun with it." Boy, the Gossip Girl cast are quite the kidders.

Leighton fully understands why viewers have become fixated on the love affair between Blair and Chuck. "They're so perfect because they get each other. Chuck knows about her deep, dark side, and he finds it hot," she says, spearing a bite of creamy rigatoni and peas. "But the best part of their relationship is that it's realistic. People don't always date for a while and then slowly fall in love. They start by hooking up one night. It takes time to get to know someone, and then you realize that you're in love later on."

DEAL MAKERS, NOT DEAL BREAKERS

While Leighton remains tight-lipped about her boyfriend of about a year, actor Sebastian Stan, who plays Carter Baizen on Gossip Girl and stars on NBC's Kings, she does admit that Chuck Bass isn't her type. "I'm not into bad boys. I think the term is stupid," she says with Blair's blunt delivery. "A guy who cheats on you or is not nice to you? What is that?" She has an equally straightforward idea of what she does want: "Nowadays, I'm much more mature in relationships. I've let go of the bullshit. I think more about the deal makers than the deal breakers. I want a guy I can look up to."

So we have to ask: Is Leighton in love now? She looks cagey before answering. "I haven't been in a lot of relationships, but I've been in love. There's an inexplicable chemistry. You just really, really want to, like, stare at the person." She laughs as her face flushes, and she bites her lip as if she's both eager and reluctant to go on. "I've never fallen in love right off the bat. I get scared to say I love you too soon because it means so much. It means you're not seeing an end to things." So those engagement rumors about her and Sebastian? Totally false, she assures us.

These days, Leighton's filming her first starring role, in the flick The Roommate, out next year, and focusing on her as-yet-untitled album, which she describes as "quirky, electric pop." (If you're curious to hear how she sounds, check out her cover of "Bette Davis Eyes" on YouTube.) "I never pursued it seriously until this year," she admits. "I was making music, but I didn't see a future in it." And despite having fun recording, she's in no hurry to get it out there. "The only person pressuring me is myself, and right now, I have a lot of things going on," she says.

Among those things is decorating her new apartment. Actually, it isn't that new — she moved in a year ago — but she's just now finding the time in her intense schedule to settle in. "I've always had roommates," she says. "Now I'm finally living alone, and it's the best feeling ever. I think that's when you grow the most — on your own."

STEFAN AND ELENA (STELENA)'s WILL IT BE?

Im really upset tht i havent checked tv fanatic and i missed this voting thing :( i have read almost all the comments and for the ones who are blind and cannot see most of the comments are stelena fans with long useful points!! Delena fans are not bias here...your supposed to look clearly for the reasons why damon or stefan should be with elena...im not a person who would hate Damon just because i love stefan...i absolutely adore damon, why? because no matter how much u sit there and stare at one of his pictures u will never get tired! he is gorgeous and smoking hot and no one not even stelena fans can deny this..i loved damon from the very first episode - his mean/funny character - thts what makes him damon..he's been so boring in season 3...i think he just had 2 or 3 funny quotes in all these recent episodes and thts it...so just imagine how he's going to turn out to be when he's in a relationship with elena-and again im not denying the fact tht they wont be in a serious relationship...there has to be, cuz its a love triangle, they can't fully ignore the book :p I can't rememeber where i read tht damon was never selfish...oh please have u really watched this show? all damon was in the past 2seasons was selfishness! like when he kissed katherine thinking it was elena - at tht moment he didnt even think about the fact tht he was kissing his brother's girlfriend - stefan freakin saved his life 2min before tht scene! Ok maybe when u start kissing someone u dont wanna stop and ur not really thinking about anything at tht time - but then he kept trying to get elena to talk to him about it and when he found out it wasnt elena he got reaaalllyyyy upset! he should've been glad! because in real-life tht's not wat brothers do for each other! even when in the past when stefan was being blood-aholic and bad, damon walked away...he didnt even try to help him and he was too upset about losing his loving katherine! He tried to kiss elena again in season 2 being selfish again! And here in season 3 he tried to be selfless...yes he showed tht...with the whole map on his closet door...and he didnt tell elena about it because he knows tht she would put herself in danger to save stefan's life...damon hurt stefan for god knows how many times-but stefan has always saved his life in return...i do know tht it would hurt him to see stefan in physical pain cuz we've seen tht, but we havent really seen how he actually gets off his lazy butt and saves stefan's ass like how stefan does it for him - im talking about the brothers mostly right now because im trying to tell u guyz tht stefan does these kind of things for damon because he's his brother and elena is not in the middle of all this...when two ppl love each other they want to fight for each other...stefan and elena fight each toher - they've been in with each other through thick and thin...katherine tried to break them up but tht didnt last very long-and they broke up to save each otherz lives! theyve been apart for such a long time in season 3 only because stefan wanted to keep klaus away from mystic falls and elena! (not because he walked away to save his brother!!!!!!!)))) dude!!! u really need to sit down and watch this tv show! because clearly u havent seen a single bit of it! he already had saved damon at the end of season 2 with getting klaus' blood for him there was no need to walk away to save him! stelena's scenes are so intense and loving tht it even brings tears to many delena fans-what was up with the scene when they were lieing down next to each other trying to sleep...why the hell did ppl think tht was so "sweet"...um did i miss seeing them kiss? did i miss hearing them say to each other tht they love each other? nno! all elena told him was tht she doesnt hate him for releasing stefan-what she's trying to do is to get the brothers to be closer to each other! 
Overall, i would say the exact same points as mimi and kelly and all these stelena fans who have made clear and useful points...im not going to waste my time reapeating because delena fans do not want to listen...
and btw this voting was not really fair..why are there couples from different shows? gossip girl and vampire diaries? really? they cannot even be compared with each other other than the fact tht they're not ALLOWED to be compared...so i would make separate votings to show the REAL results!
THANK YOU! :)