It's great to be a 'Gossip'

Kristen Bell has the perfect TV role. And, no, it's not the one you see her in, it's the one you hear her in.

The former "Veronica Mars" star has joined the cast of "Heroes." (After appearing for the first time last week, you'll see her next when her character returns in the Nov. 5 episode.)

But you can hear Bell in each and every episode of The CW's "Gossip Girl." She's the voice of the unseen narrator.

"It's sort of an easy deal for me because it's not on camera," Bell told TV critics in a conference call. "And I've always dreamt about having a job where I could go and show up in my jammies."

At the very least, it's a job that doesn't require her to worry about hair and makeup.

"'Gossip Girl's' been great," Bell said. "I mean, I've known (executive producer) Josh Schwartz for a little bit and was sort of happy when they wanted me involved in it.... I love and support Josh, and it's been a lot of fun."

The show revolves around a group of rich prep-school kids on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. They're 21st-century teens, so they're completely plugged in to the Internet. And the never-seen Gossip Girl is the person behind a Web site that dishes all the dirt about the teenagers in this crowd.

These days, a lot of shows — too many shows — are employing the device of a narrator, but it works on "Gossip Girl." And the show isn't just following the TV trend because it's based on a best-selling series of young adult books that have the same title and the same device.

Schwartz didn't use a narrator on "The O.C.," the series about rich teens that he created, but he's happy with how it works on the show he adapted from the books.

"It gives us the opportunity to sort of platform what the conflict is," he said. "It also is very attitudinal, and it allows us to sort of juice those act breaks and really kind of stir the pot."

Neither the viewers nor the characters in the show know who the real person behind "Gossip Girl" is. And we won't find out anytime soon. There are no plans to make Bell wear something other than jammies and worry about her hair and makeup.

"I'll never make an on camera appearance," she said flatly.

Schwartz, on the other hand, was a bit less definitive in his statements. There are no such plans, but, "We never want to say never."

• If you missed the pilot of "Gossip Girl," The CW repeats it tonight at 8 on KUCW-Ch. 30.

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