I don’t watch much TV and even though my friends rave about it, I don’t really watch the hugely popular Gossip Girl.  However, yesterday a good pal emailed me to let me know that my favorite filmmaker, one Rainer Werner Fassbinder, had been mentioned on Monday’s episode of the show.  After I got over the queasy feeling in my stomach I found the episode online and decided to watch, scared of where Rainer might pop up.

As it turns out he came up in a conversation about Thanksgiving. One of the characters said she was going to watch Berlin Alexanderplatz and eat an Amy’s Organic Turkey Meal.  The person she was talking to responded with some quip about 16 hour German films.

It was kind of funny watching the two actors have the exchange because it was fairly obvious that neither of them knew what Berlin Alexanderplatz (or Fassbinder for that matter) was. I’m sure a lot of folks watching the show didn’t either.

Overall the entire things left me confused. I’m not sure whether I should feel happy or sad that the folks behind Gossip Girl actually have good movie taste? Is it OK to appreciate great art and then create trash?  Is Gossip Girl actually good?  These are the questions that have been on my mind all morning.

I don’t know if I will ever have the answer but it’s some good food for thought.

Anyways, be sure to takepart and learn more about Berlin Alexanderplatz and also takepart l to learn more about Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Also give a watch to the intense clip below!

Read on:

Cinema Favorites Alphabetical Style (meme)

Who is Armin Mueller-Stahl?

Fassbinder, My Valentine of Choice

*photo from ??/streetart#???? www.ALT3.tk + ?.tk’s flickr stream