‘Gossip Girl’: Countdown to tonight’s premiere

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The day has finally arrived: Season 3 of ‘Gossip Girl’ premieres tonight! But before we dive back into another year of juicy hookups and scandals, let’s catch up on where the Upper East Siders left off.

What’s happened so far:

-- When we last saw the ‘Gossip’ gang, all except for Jenny and Eric had graduated from high school. Blair, Dan and Vanessa head downtown to attend college at NYU while Nate stays uptown at Columbia, Serena goes to Brown and Chuck prepares to run Bass Industries.

--Chuck sates our appetites by declaring his love for Blair. Who could forget the final scene of last season’s cinematic finale when he uttered the three words we have been waiting two years to hear? Swoon.

--Lily and Rufus get engaged, which means Dan, Serena, Jenny, Chuck and Eric will be step-siblings. Lily-Rufus fans rejoiced when Rufus slipped the concert wristband around Lily’s finger while Dan-Serena supporters mourned any hopes that those two will ever reignite their love.

--Georgina Sparks shows her devious side after a short stint as a born-again Christian. After losing her Bible camp money during that Gabriel-Poppy debacle, Georgina returns with a bone to pick with Blair. Her plan for revenge? Signing up to be Blair’s roommate at NYU.

--Before Serena jet sets to Europe for the summer, we learn she’s been on a quest to locate her father and Carter Baizen has been the guy helping her. Their mysterious tryst in Santorini is explained and Carter informs Serena that her dad has been found in Fiji.

--Last but certainly not least, Jenny is anointed the coveted crown of Queen Bee. Her first rule of order: no more headbands.

And now for what we can expect...

What we can expect so far this season:

--College brings a whole slew of possibilities for the gang--a new environment, new classmates, new experiences. Serena can’t possibly head out of state to Brown, and I suspect family drama will keep her in the city. Georgina and Blair will be roommates at NYU so expect a showdown to rock lower Manhattan.

--Lots of Blair and Chuck as an official couple! Their relationship is far from perfect, but that’s what we love about it. They’ll be madly in love, but it will be a challenge for both to not fall back into their old habits.

--Other hookups to look forward to: Serena and Carter (things should get heated since Carter and Chuck are enemies); Dan and Georgina (I know, gross); Nate and his new girl, a wealthy Southern belle named Bree Buckley (played by Joanna Garcia); Chuck and another guy.

--Hilary Duff guest stars on a few episodes as an NYU student and former child star named Olivia. She’ll get placed as Vanessa’s roommate and inevitably charm Dan. Duff’s appearance also involves a few scenes with Tyra Banks, who plays an actress starring in a film with Olivia. Other notable celeb cameos include fashion designers Tory Burch and Georgina Chapman and the band Sonic Youth.

--Revelations involving Scott a.k.a. Lily and Rufus’ long-lost love child. He enrolls at NYU, romances Vanessa and meets his complex new family. In other family news, we’ll be introduced to Vanessa’s mom (played by Gina Torres), who’s surprisingly not too happy about Vanessa attending college.

There is so much to look forward to this coming season--I can’t wait! Check in Tuesday for a recap of the season premiere. Watch the videos below for a summary of Season 2 and the brilliant promo for Season 3.

-- Enid Portuguez

Photo and video: The CW