Ryan (Ben McKenzie) and Taylor (Autumn Reeser) and Summer (Rachel Bilson) and Seth (Adam Brody) share dances with one another. The O.C. episode “The Groundhog Day” airs next Thursday, Jan. 25 @ 9PM ET/PT on FOX.

Official synopsis: As the Cohens prepare for Kirsten’s 40th birthday party, Kirsten gets some news that will change her life forever. Meanwhile, Julie Cooper is having a secret love affair that Kaitlin does all she can to stop. While Ryan acts like he doesn’t miss Taylor, Taylor visits a therapist, who gives her some rules to live by. After their plan to save Newport Chuck goes awry, Che finally discovers that Seth is not his soulmate and Sandy and Kirsten have surprises for each other.

Also pictured: Seth (Adam Brody) and Che (Chris Pratt) find themselves locked up. Ben and Adam horse around on set at a gas station.

Here are some new O.C. promos! Above is Ryan (Ben McKenzie) confronting Taylor (Autumn Reeser) after guest-starring on a French TV talk show with her ex-husband Henri-Michel (Henri Lubatti, pictured below). The O.C. episode “The French Connection” airs Thursday, Jan. 11 @ 9PM ET/PT on FOX.

Other pictures include: Ryan counseling a confused Seth (Adam Brody), presumably after Summer (Rachel Bilson) calls off the engagement. Also, Ryan is pictured saying goodbye to his biological father Frank (Kevin Sorbo, aka Hercules). The O.C. episode “The My Two Dads” airs tonight @ 9PM ET/PT on FOX.

We’ve been hearing this for many months now (perhaps longer) but word on the street is that Fox has “officially” pulled the plug on The O.C. in its fourth (and final) season. Big surprise because just yesterday, the pilot pickup season kicked off and a spy dramedy from The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz was given the green light by NBC. Josh, 30, will be delivering a high-concept action dramedy about spies (in the vein of Grosse Pointe Blank) called Chuck.

Josh will also be executive producing The Gossip Girl, which is supposedly going to be picked up by the CW. He’s going to be a busy guy, that Josh. But without The O.C. on his plate. At this point, we can only wish for great acting gigs for the cast. All of them.

Other pictures include The O.C. star Benjamin McKenzie arriving at LAX airport with friends on New Years Day.

UPDATE 1 :: It’s official! FOX just sent out a press release. The O.C. will air its season finale on Feb. 22, so that’s 8 new episodes to go with new episodes starting tomorrow. Read the full text after the jump!

UPDATE 2 :: Josh drops some spoilers about the series finale to TV Guide: “There will be a pregnancy. There will be a most unexpected new love triangle. There will be some new animals that need saving. There will be some hallucinatory dreams. And there’s going to be a fight for the love of a certain woman. And there’s going to be some surprises for the Cohen family, and some really big decisions for everybody to make. The finale is going to deliver real closure to these characters. It’s going to be the finale we had always planned to do.”

More Here! »

Chris Brown has an upcoming guest role on The O.C. starting Jan. 4. Chris, in a multi-episode arc will play Will Tutt, a lonely band geek (wow, how dorky does that look) at The Harbor School who befriends Kaitlin Cooper (Willa Holland, pictured above). As their friendship grows (they work on a project together), a possible romance blossoms in Orange County. The O.C. episode “The My Two Dads” airs Thursday, Jan. 4 @ 9PM ET/PT.

Chris on his role on The O.C.: “I play, like, a band geek — I’m really stepping out of my own character. I was kind of a geek in school, grade-wise. But style-wise, I was always popular and cool. But [on the show] I’m geeked out all the way. I’m just trying to be myself and then be the character [the role calls for]. I don’t look at it like this role takes away from who I am.”

Chris was recently named Billboard Magazine’s 2006 ARTIST OF THE YEAR. He will make his motion picture debut January 12, 2007 in Sony Screen Gems’ Stomp the Yard.

Also pictured: Ryan (Ben McKenzie) says goodbye to his biological father Frank (Kevin Sorbo, aka Hercules).

P.S. Casting did a great job. Willa looks almost exactly like Mischa Barton here!

Ok, I’ve obviously got something for the actresses on The O.C. Give me a break, yeah? Here’s Mischa Barton looking absolutely stunning in this photo shoot from Don Flood. These photos are ten-fold more visually exciting and interesting than the Rachel Bilson ones I just posted (which, I am told, are old…oops!). Enjoy!

Meanwhile, Mischa Barton seems to be in some sort of odd state now that she’s been off’d from The O.C.

Mischa Barton is a very unhappy person these days, for it seems that after her character on the hit TV show ‘The OC’ was killed off at the end of last season, she has been dealing with a spot of depression. A source revealed that the actress felt as if her career had been spiraling downhill ever since she decided to walk away from the show. “Mischa is miserable since she left ‘the O.C.’ She feels like her life is over and everything is going downhill…She acts like she has nothing to live for.”

The source also said that her bad mood was souring her relationship with musician Cisco Adler. Barton has reportedly pestered her boyfriend for a commitment, and threatened to walk out of the relationship if he did not give her a ring.

Yikes! Peep the fantastic gallery below!

The OC has never been hotter with Autumn Reeser on board! If you think Autumn is the same conniving, manipulative dean-seducing vixen she plays on The OC, you’ve got a lot to learn. Autumn Reeser takes the cover of Stuff Magazine December 2006. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Since The OC has such great music, do you have the most kick-ass iPod ever? This last year has been the most musical year of my life. This is embarrassing, but I was not into music growing up. I acted in musical theater, so I Know, like the entire soundtrack of Rent. But if you play me anything from the ’90s, I have no idea what it is. So starting the show and getting an iPod has really changed my life.

How do you pick your music? People send stuff to me. I also go to dance class three or four times a week, and I’ll hear stuff and ask the choreographer what it is.

That’s a lot of dancing. Is that your main way of keeping in shape? My body’s become very strong over the last few years because of dancing. And I’m really proud of my body right now, because I’ve gotten out of what I’ve been able to teach it to do in dance class.

• Kate Winslet goes all out glamour at the 50th Annual London Film Festival for her upcoming flick Little Children.
• Lindsay Lohan’s new neighbors at the West Hollywood condo community of Sierra Towers don’t want her… and she hasn’t even moved in yet.
• Does Lost’s Evangeline Lilly have freakishly long arms?
• Here’s one cheap and easy celebrity costume idea: The Celebrity Baby Smuggler. From Angelina to Britney, 2006 has been the year of celebrity baby hiding.
• Anne Hathaway looks replendant in a show-stopping scarlet gown at NYC fashion bash.
• Tara Reid’s Ta-tas Tour
• Elizbaeth Hurley has set her February wedding date to longtime boyfriend Arun Nayar.
• Fabio does a photoshoot with America’s Next Top Sex Kittens
• Jessica Simpson is addicted to dating on the Internets.
• Mel Gibson’s drunken tirade spoofed by Chevy Chase (video)
• You can now watch the season 4 premiere of The O.C. on MySpace! Mac users excluded!

• Ricky Martin defended Madonna’s adoption of a 1-year-old Malawian boy, calling her an “exemplary” mother, and said he, too, would like to adopt. Ricky said: “The love she gives her kids is a dream, and I know that her heart is big enough to adopt not just one child but to adopt 20.”
• Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham called on the Bahamian government Wednesday to investigate whether Anna Nicole Smith has legal residency status in the country and said Anna “is not a fit and proper person to become a permanent resident of the Bahamas.” “Her general character and reputation don’t commend her for such status.” Ingraham added.
• Liev Schreiber is joining the cast of CSI. Beginning in January, the actor will fill in for star William Peterson, who is taking time off to appear in a play.

On a live conference call with The OC’s Rachel Bilson and creator Josh Schwartz. Anybody have any questions to ask them??

UPDATE :: Thanks for the questions! Asking q’s was really last minute… I nearly forgot about the call altogether! Whoops! A few SPOILER tidbits from the call with Rachel & Josh:

• Che (Chris Pratt) will be sticking around for a number of episodes as a svengali/spiritual guru for Summer (Rachel Bilson).
• Kaitlin (Willa Holland) will have a romantic storyline with Will Tutt (Chris Brown) in the second half of the season.
• Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan) will be back for sure.
• Will Marisa (Mischa Barton) be back as a ghost or a flashback? Josh said, “You’ll have to watch and see but her character will be very much in the fabric of the show, whether she herself is back or not.”
• Will Taylor (Autumn Reeser) become a love interest for Ryan (Ben McKenzie)? Josh said, “Taylor will play a big part of the show this year. Before she can become a love interest for Ryan, first they have to become friends. But she is the ideal person to help pull Ryan out of the darkness and towards the light. She’s just sort this force of nature. She brings out a really different side of Ryan, so their scenes together are a lot of fun and the actors have a lot of fun doing them.”
• Josh Schwartz is working on a number of pilots right now for NBC and The CW. He’s also working on a movie with Paramount.
• Rachel Bilson has already started filming Jumper and The O.C. concurrently.

Rachel and Josh seem to both have a lot going on professionally, so it would seem that this fourth season will probably be The O.C.’s last. And I agree with Mr. Ausiello that the opening sequence of the fourth episode really is fantastic with Summer working through the five stages of grief. And Taylor? Gah! Her storyline makes me love her even more! (Hint: Love affair with France)

After the jump are a few candids of Rachel Bilson shopping in a leather jacket earlier this week on Bloor Street. Enjoy!

Has Adam Brody turned into a lush? Not likely! Above is The OC’s Seth, played by Adam Brody, in Mexico helping Ryan (Ben McKenzie, not pictured) look for Volchok (Cam Gigandet, not pictured). Instead, Seth finds himself with a rowdy bunch of U.S. Marines. The OC Season 4 Episode 2 (”The Gringos”) airs Thursday, Nov. 8 @ 9PM ET/PT on FOX. More pictures in the gallery!

UPDATE :: Yes, that is Steve-O clinging onto Adam Brody above.

• Jessica Simpson Dishes With Rachael Ray [via x17]
• More Jessica Alba on the Set of Fantastic Four 2
• Lindsay Lohan & Keira Knightley to Star in Film Together
• Quentin Tarantino’s Horror Movie “Grind House” Trailer
• When Patricia Arquette Attacks You With Her Tatas
• Lindsay Lohan is a Man, Baby!
• George Clooney Can Do No Wrong
• Pamela Anderson Parties at Paris Hilton’s House
• Drew Barrymore Gets Kissy, Kissy With BF Fabrizio Moretti
• Add Just Jared to your MySpace!

• Box Office Totals: 1. The Grudge 2, $22 million, 2. The Departed, $18.7 million, 3. Man of the Year, $12.55 million, 4. Open Season, $11 million, 5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, $7.75 million.
• Jennifer Lopez shows off her and husband Marc Anthony’s Long Island mansion in the fall issue of Vogue Living. “Of course, I needed a little more closet space,” said J. Lo, who outfitted her dressing room with a chandelier.
• The publisher of Donald Trump‘ s magazine says they will have a pilot for a Trump cartoon show ready “within 90 days.” No word on what networks are interested in the show.
• Was Rosie O’Donnell’s character “Dawn Budge” on Nip/Tuck that fantastic that she’s currently in talks for a spin-off? And there’s rumors about Nicole Kidman guest starring! Wah!
• The Crocodile Hunter’s 8-year-old daughter, Bindi Irwin is getting her own TV show called Bindi, The Jungle Girl.
• The O.C. will be releasing its own line of fragrances for men and women. The tagline for “The O.C. for Him” and “The O.C. for Her” reads: The Show. The Spirit. The Fragrance. With Attitude.

Woohoo! New stills from the premiere of The OC! Above is the cute and lovable Summer (Rachel Bilson) pictured in her dorm room at Brown University. Upper inset: Summer and environmentalist Che (Chris Pratt) try to raise social awareness on campus. Lower inset: Summer visits Ryan (Ben McKenzie) at a bar. Larger picture of Ryan releasing his anger in the boxing ring in the gallery!

The first couple of episodes of season four arrived at my doorstep this morning. Feel free to leave comments (or email) asking questions and I’ll try my best to answer them for you. The OC season four premiere episode, “The Avengers,” airs Thursday, Nov. 2 @ 9PM ET/PT on FOX.

Rachel Bilson was spotted changing into pajamas (eskimo and iglooe print) this past Thursday for her sassy character, Summer Roberts, at the Los Angeles shooting location for The OC . Summer will be attending Brown University when the series starts up again.

The O.C. Season 4 Premiere airs in one month on Thursday, November 2 @ 9PM ET/PT on FOX. More pictures in the gallery!