I SPY NY: The Casts of Gossip Girl, Project Runway, and More

I spy in NY…

Gossip Girl‘s Jessica Szohr, Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Michelle Trachtenberg, Ed Westwick and Sebastian Stan celebrating the release of GG costume designer Eric Daman‘s new coffee table book You Know You Want It Tuesday at Henri Bendel’s (top photo), Project Runway‘s Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and season five alum Kenley Collins temporarily renaming 39th Street and Seventh Avenue “Project Runway Avenue” in celebration of the season seven premiere Wednesday morning (middle photo), American Idol season six finalist Melinda Dolittle tearing up Highline Ballroom Sunday night (bottom photo), and Suze Orman signing copies of new book With Women and Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny at Barnes and Noble Union Square Thursday.

[Melinda Dolittle photo by Lisa Pickrel]

Leighton Meester "Performs" at American Eagle Opening in Times Square

We knew Leighton Meester couldn’t sing. And now all of Manhattan knows it too!

The Gossip Girl delusionary performed a four-song set at the American Eagle store opening Tuesday night in Times Square, while castmates Sebastian Stan, Michelle Trachtenberg and Jessica Szohr cheered her on.

Cheered? Or laughed! Judging by Szohr’s face, we’re leaning towards the latter.

Also in the house were Pete Wentz on the turntable, Adrien Grenier and Adrienne Bailon.

Surely one of these people has the balls to tell Meester to quit while she’s ahead!

Leighton Meester Should Stick to Acting

I’m a die-hard Gossip Girl fan. I have more respect for Blair Waldorf than a frat guy has for Tony Montana. But honestly, what I saw at New York’s Tenjune Monday night deeply traumatized me.

Leighton Meester took the stage at NYC’s Tenjune around one a.m. for a five-song performance – while castmates Ed Westwick, Michelle Trachtenberg and real-life boyfriend Sebastian Stan watched along in the wings. And I’m not sure if Meester had one too many beverages or hair perms or what – but it was a TRAINWRECK.

Meester was off-key, off-balance, and so drowned in makeup that she was barely recognizable! (Check her out in the middle of the top photo.) If she didn’t open the show with “Good Girls Go Bad,” I think the crowd would have legit not known who she was. Another highlight was her crowd banter in between songs, which included her introduction: “Everyone fucked up? Yeaaah!” and then her preface to song “Your Love’s a Drug”: “This song is about fucking! Readaay?”

She left the stage by blasting a warbly version of her new song with Lil Wayne, telling the crowd, “This is my new song. Listen up.”

Very nice.

Check out an eight-second clip of the “performance” above and see for yourself, but security made me turn off my camera so apologies for the Blair Witch Project-style footage. No pun intended.

P.S. I was at this venue two months ago for a Sean Kingston performance, and cameras were not only allowed, but encouraged! We’re guessing cameras were prohibited that night so people wouldn’t see how bad Meester sings live. Oops.