Spotted: Leighton Meester wearing some very bright and colorful clothes in New York Times Magazine.  As well as wearing some funky kaleidoscopic outfits, Leighton also spills on what’s coming up for Blair, her career, and family.  

• On being Jason Wu’s date: “He’s such a sweetheart. We actually went to Anna Wintour’s house for dinner. It was very cool and quite the fashion baptism by fire.”
• On the paparazzi and if it’s to the point where she has to wear full makeup to take out the trash: “I would never do that! Take out the trash, I mean. [Laughs.] You know, I never really had a problem with them but recently there have been a couple of incidents that have made me say, “What?” I was getting in a car after an event — where I had been photographed all night, by the way — and I was done posing and just wanted to go home. When I refused to take any more pictures, one of the photographers outside actually said, “We know where you live.” That was creepy. But you know they don’t bother me on a daily basis. I can pretty much go anywhere.”
• On her character Blair being very carnal and knowing for an 18-year-old: “I actually find Blair naïve. I look at young girls like her who are obsessed with guys and with being the most popular and the prettiest, and I just want to shake them. Maybe you just grow up a little faster when you’re a young performer, but I was definitely never like that.”
• On whether Blair’s style has influenced her’s: “Not at all. If anything, it’s the opposite. Her style is a little expensive for my taste but it loudly communicates that she is who she is and that she does what she does. I find that admirable. And she’s always dressed appropriately, which I can’t always say about myself.”
• On Blair’s look: “It’s kind of this updated Japanese schoolgirl look. Every other outfit is larger than life — even when it’s prim and proper — and heavily accessorized. I wear ties, bows, colored tights, heels and stuff that you could never get away with at school. But I think that the most important part of Blair’s look is her headband, which is like her crown.”
• On the show’s mature references - from “Berlin Alexanderplatz” to Sarkozy’s being a bad kisser to Kristen Dunst’s rehab stint: ”It’s definitely a crash course in pop culture and global affairs. We just mentioned Madoff the other day. But remember, we’re talking about the kind of privileged kids who by age 10 already have 12 stamps in their passport. They’re very wordly.”
• [SPOILER ALERT!!!] On what happens to Blair next season: “It’s yet to be decided, but I’m definitely going to college — to N.Y.U. — and not wearing any more school uniforms. Thank god we’re not pretending we all get held back and just continue with high school like all those other high school shows. I guess I’ll wear magnificent clothes every day that don’t have anything to do with school.” [highlight to read]
• On her music and if can expect a Lady Gaga makeover: “Absolutely. I’m determined to no longer wear pants. The music is electric pop, with a little bit of rock element to it. It’s not like bubble gum — it’s actually very edgy.”
• On doing movies: “Well, first I’m going on a much-deserved vacation. Then I’m starting work on a comedy called “Date Night,” with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. I play the babysitter and they go out for a date one night and everything goes awry. After that I’m starring in this crazy movie called “The Roommate,” which is directed by Christian Christiansen and is sort of a retelling of “Single White Female.” I’m the emotionally detached narcissist, but it’s early days and I still don’t know who’s playing the psycho opposite me.”
• On the rumors that she was born when her parents were in jail: “This is the type of thing that you can’t be too sensitive about — it’s not like I did anything that’s worth talking about. I love my parents very much, but people either continue or break the patterns of what their life should be and I just want to completely break whatever patterns would lead me to the same life choices that they made.”

Cate Blanchett looks absolutely stunning on the cover and in the pages of the February issue of Vanity Fair.  On the cover, the Australian screen queen is gorgeous in a golden dress.  In the issue, the 39-year old actress offers her views on plastic surgery and Hollywood, she also talks about the possibility of adding to the brood of three sons she has with husband, Andrew Upton.

• On plastic surgery: “I haven’t done anything, but who knows. [My husband] Andrew [Upton] said he’d divorce me if I did anything.  When you’ve had children, your body changes; there’s history to it. I like the evolution of that history; I’m fortunate to be with somebody who likes the evolution of that history. I think it’s important to not eradicate it.”
• On keeping a careful distance from Hollywood: “I don’t exist in that world. I observe it, but there’s so much else to be thinking about. Maybe it’s because I’m with someone who’s not with me because of that; I’m not a trophy. He likes the vessel, but he also wants to make sure the vessel is full. The world of film can be so noisy, but the other aspects of my life are actually the noisiest parts of my life. My best friends are a social worker and a visual artist.”
• On not ruling out more babies: “Who knows? Don’t close those doors. The world is very overpopulated, but we do make nice ones. They all look like [my husband Andrew Upton]. To say he has dominant genes would be an understatement.”
• On signing a three-year contract with Australia’s leading theater: “Andrew had worked closely with the company, and when the idea came up he was wondering if it was something we wanted to do together. The opportunity presented itself, and it would have been utter I’m not a spokesperson against the world of injectables. If you grow up in an environment where your mother gets you a boob job when you turn 18, what hope is there? But I didn’t grow up in that world. The reason I went to train as an actor was that I was interested in it for the long haul. You can become very self-obsessed, but you’ve got to keep looking outward.”

Catch Cate on screen as Brad Pitt’s soulmate in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, in theaters now.

The February issue of Vanity Fair hits newsstands on December 31, in NYC and LA.  And it’ll be available nationwide on January 6.

Read more from the interview in Vanity Fair.

Leighton Meester, one of my favorite Gossip Girl cast member, scores the February cover for Teen Vogue.  Here are a few tidbits she shared:

On her character, Blair Waldorf: “I loved the character and the script,” says Leighton, “I just understood Blair – she’s seemingly flawless but has the same problems and the same issues as anybody else has at that age. I feel like that’s why people find her so intriguing.”

On costar Ed Westwick: “He’s my favorite actor to work with. We have really good chemistry.”

On headbands, Blair’s trademark:  ”I don’t wear headbands, ever.”

On her parents’ highly publicized prison past: “I wouldn’t have volunteered that information, but I’ve never kept it a secret either. It’s just not my past; it’s not my story to tell.”

On her childhood: “I wasn’t born in jail; I was born in a hospital. I lived with my mother for a few months in a halfway house, and then I went to stay with my grandmother for a few more before my mom got out. But I had a normal life.”

On her debut album she hopes to release this spring: “The music is very fun. It’s edgy, like electropop rather than bubblegum and you can dance to it.”

Check out the video from the cover shoot and more behind-the-scenes pics.