GOSSIP GIRL

This bit of fluff is apparently intended for teenaged girls from middle school to high school. A vapid exploration of meaningless relationships; shallow, materialistic girls; and their preoccupations, the production is like listening in on a teenaged girl's conference call. Why a talented actress like Christina Ricci consented to be attached to this recording is a mystery; she seems disconnected from the material, endowing it with distance and coolness. Maria DeLuca provides the "gossip" in a voice hard to distinguish from Ricci's. The full GOSSIP GIRL product line is also on a Web site, which one concludes is a popular watering hole for teens. D.J.B.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 04]