The show's breakout character, Blair Waldorf has garnered much media recognition. "Yahoo!" proclaims Blair a member of "television's pantheon of razor-witted, solipsistic high school Alpha females." While commenting on Meester, "New York" magazine's 2008 cover story of the series states, "Her villain-you-want-to-root-for is the most sophisticated performance on the show." In another 2008 article, "People" magazine commented that "Meester has burst out of this ensemble to stardom." "Variety" described her performance as similar to that of "a predatory junior Joan Collins who practically breathes fire out of her pinched, perfectly WASP-ish nostrils." "FHM Online" ranked the actress the "Hottest TV Star" of autumn 2008, stating that as Blair Waldorf, "Leighton Meester has stolen the spotlight with her mind-blowing good looks and amazing performance." "OK!" magazine likened her character to Audrey Hepburn's portrayal of Holly Golightly. The physical similarity was also noted by "USA Today".