last week i mentioned to tommy that i had heard marissa from the O.C. was going to (gasp!) have a steamy lesbian kiss. apparently the O.C.'s ratings this year are good, but nowhere near as stellar as last year's. magic formula to boost ratings: insert a hot lesbian makeout! and voila, you've got boys tuning in, the media covering it, and probably crazy rightwing groups who will make a shitstorm and give it all even more publicity.

well, to follow up: seeking irony points me to an article that says not only will marissa kiss a girl, she will also be having a lesbian relationship. and the lipstick lesbian on the receiving end? alex, seth's new girl (who, despite looking like she's 30, is actually only 20).

i can only imagine the spirals of neuroses that this will cause seth to suffer. maybe he'll finally admit his erotic love for ryan. anyway, creator josh schwartz sez:

"Alex is someone who's emancipated from her parents, and is a little bit of a free spirit who becomes Marissa's mentor — she takes her under her wing and all of a sudden Marissa finds herself connecting."

Reports began to surface last week about the upcoming storyline, although just who Marissa would end up with in this new relationship left everyone scratching their heads — until now.

"Marissa is at a place where she's willing to try [a lesbian relationship] and she's open to that," Schwartz says. "We'll build it up to a kiss [between Marissa and Alex] and then a relationship develops."

Schwartz says the "big kiss" between the characters will be shot this week.

The hot new story arc begins next month on the Thursday-night Fox drama and will last for "multiple episodes" into the spring.

"We've already started shooting a lot of scenes with their relationship," he said. "Everybody is really comfortable with it, and the girls are really game and excited to play off of each other."

Schwartz says he is not thumping for ratings, insisting he formulated the storyline last summer.

"We're trying to figure out bigger arcs for our characters," he says. "This felt like a really interesting way to go. It's something that felt organic to the character.

"I've been surprised by the reaction, but I'm thrilled — we'll take it."