Anyone (if there is anyone) who has been following my blog regularly over the past few weeks might have noticed that there have been, well, rather a lot of references to the totally trashy teen soap Gossip Girl.

Now, I will readily admit that a large part of my interest in this show comes from the relationship between the main two female characters, Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen (played respectively by Leighton Meester and Blake Lively, pictured below in a shoot for this month’s issue of Vogue).

But even if it wasn’t for all the chemistry between Blair and Serena, there’s a reason I might still be watching. Sarah and Lori may have declared themselves in favor of Blake, but for me it’s all about the lovely Leighton (who, although she plays a teen on the show, fortunately turns 22 in April):

Not only do I love her character’s preppie style, but I also think the actress herself is terrifically pretty.

What I didn’t realize until recently was that I had actually seen her before Gossip Girl, on a gay-themed episode of the sitcom 8 Simple Rules that first aired on March 4, 2005. In the episode, titled "The After Party," Meester plays Nikki, a girl of questionable reputation who agrees to go to the school prom with Rory, the son of the show’s main family. At the same time, Rory’s serious-minded sister, Kerry, has decided to take a girl to the prom even though she is not a lesbian, in order to make a statement about equality and fairness. Seeing Kerry and her date at the prom and mistaking them for a real couple, Nikki is moved to realize something about her own sexuality. Here's a compilation of Nikki’s scenes from the episode:

Well, OK: it’s just a guest appearance, and it’s just a silly sitcom, but still ... cool, huh? Now if anyone finds a clip of my old teen idols Claire Danes or Katie Holmes playing gay, feel free to send it my way!