R.I.P. O.C.

According to my most trusted Internet source for late breaking news (Defamer), this really is the final season for that quasi-documentary pop-culture phenom, The OC. Apparently Josh Schwartz, the writer behind the show, is heading east so that he can write about those other privileged kids, those beloved by Gossip Girls fans. And while I’m happy that Mr. Schwartz is able to pick up and move on so quickly and seamlessly, I can’t help but wonder what this might mean for those of us still stuck in an OC that is so officially over? I mean, having stretched our 15 minutes for as long as we possibly could, are we destined to suffer the fate of those other, once hip yet now forgotten neighborhoods- 90210, and Melrose Place? And even more important, what will become of all that OC merchandise- you know, the pink hoodies, the coffee mugs, the bumper stickers, the key chains, the baseball caps, the tote bags, the baby bibs- that currently adorn our beloved John Wayne airport gift shop, (nearly renamed The OC Airport during the height of our heady celebrity), as well as every other mall kiosk? Will it all be shipped off to EBay? And what do those of us born and raised here call ourselves now that the phrase "OC native" has so clearly lost it’s cool?

I guess the fall out of all this remains to be seen. I’m just counting on the longevity of "The Real OC" to keep the traffic nice and clogged, and all of the parking spaces filled.