1, I’m ready for some fun! The best thing about Gossip Girl is that it’s pure fun. It doesn’t promise to be anything more than that. For all of the haters who pounce on the superficiality of the characters and the shallow plots, I say, “What’s wrong with that?”

I enjoy a little bit of fashion and music mixed in with drama. I don’t watch the show as a serious critique of New York life - much like Sex and the City, I watch it for fun. Fun. That’s all. It’s not meant to be life changing.

I’m a working mom. I spend my days soothing the nerves of clients over tax worries and chasing small children around the house. By the time that evening rolls around, I relish the idea of mixing up a martini, having my friends over for snacks that are totally bad for us (oh please bring cheesecake for the premiere, Kristin) and watching how the “other half” lives.

As for the criticisms about the overt sexuality, drinking and other “inappropriate” bits, I’ll just be frank and say this: if you’re a parent and you’re worried about what’s in the show, watch it before you criticize it. It’s actually quite cautionary - those that engage in the “dangerous behaviors” rarely have a happy outcome. There are lessons to be learned. And if, after you’ve seen it, you’re still concerned about whether your child is old enough to digest it, turn off the TV: it’s just that easy. Don’t be my morality police. I enjoy the show. I’m in my 30s. I don’t let my small children watch it because I said so. And that should be enough.

But for me? I have serious moments all week long… Let’s hear it for a little bit of escapist fun! Bring it on!

2, Chuck and Blair. Blair and Chuck. I’m such a sucker for these two. And I wanted to hate them because it’s rare that I like the fighting bad couple story lines… But Leigton Meester and Ed Westwick bring such an old Hollywood Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn or Clark Gable/Rosalind Russell feel to their roles. The bickering could be annoying in the wrong hands. In their hands, it’s simply entertaining.

3, The fashion. The whites in the Hamptons scenes are awesome. Blair’s headbands are back for another season. Madchen Amick’s character brings a little former fashion model sophisticated glam to the scene. Jenny takes on the fashion world with her internship. And Michael Kors is making a guest appearance! Oh la la - what’s coming next?

4, Madchen Amick’s guest appearance. I love her - she’s gorgeous and she has a knack for playing quirky, interesting characters. It will be interesting to see what kind of chemistry her character has with Nate since she’ll be playing the older love interest… And married, to boot?

5, Music! The show constantly integrates new and popular tunes into their story lines and promotions (I’ll totally admit that I downloaded All American Reject’s Dirty Little Secret after hearing it in the promos last season). I love that they work music into the story line a la Scrubs rather than simply focus on one act or two as Beverly Hills 90210 did when it was on its way out - yawn!.

6, Lily is married. I didn’t think she’d actually go through with her wedding last season but she did. I can’t wait to see how the writers deal with her feelings for Rufus (swoon) and her commitment to Bart… and what role the break-up of Serena and Dan have in all of this.

7, Dan and Serena break up. At least, that’s what the spoilers are saying. And yes, yes, yes, I know that there are a bunch of you who hate me for saying it but it’s true. It needed to happen. The two of them started out with such great chemistry but towards the end were just oh-so-boring. Make a break-up will do them some good.

8, Vanessa finally has a story! Vanessa drifted along during Gossip Girl Season One - she would make an occasional guest appearance and was more or less on par with Katy and Isabel in terms of story line up right up until the end. Finally, the writers gave her something to do. She had a brief fling with Nate, sparred with Blair and helped take Georgina down. What’s on tap for next season? I can’t wait to find out!

9, Taylor Momsen’s Jenny grows up. I was a huge fan of the Jenny storyline last season until the end. I think that the writers did Jenny a disservice by making her so desperate at the end of the season. I think her character is smarter than that - and I’m hopeful that her new job means that she’s re-discovering herself.

10, The Hamptons. I’m a sucker for location shots, especially when the location shots are as glam as the Hamptons. I think geography is such an important part of any show - if a show is well written, the setting isn’t just background, it’s an integral part of the show. In fact, I think setting is what made shows like Sex and the City and Gilmore Girls so iconic.