Let it be said that I have never, ever seen an episode of Jersey Shore.
Seriously. And I will watch pretty much ANY reality tv, including the most trainwreckeriffic of them all, Dance Your A** Off on the Oxygen Network. But somehow, Jersey Shore was just .. um .. too trashy for even moi.
That’s saying something, folks.
I think what I don’t like about it is 1) the stereotyping that’s done on the show (I’m Italian) and 2) the MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF VIOLENCE. Seriously. It’s like a watered-down .. but not by much .. Sopranos up in there. If anyone looks cross-eyed or squinty-eyed at the self-proclaimed Guidos and Guidettes (SO NOT A WORD, Y’ALL), the entire lot of them descend upon the poor individual and whip out the brass-knuckles and crowbars.
As it turns out, PEOPLE DON’T LIKE BEING SAVAGELY BEATEN ON CAMERA.
A suit was filed this weekend by a Chicago woman who claims that she was, SURPRISE, savagely beaten on camera by the Guidettes of the show, Snooki and JWOWW. Apparently, she was at a nightclub in Miami when she unknowingly angered the harpies, and down they flew. AND THE CAMERAS ROLLED.
Her main meat in her documents .. and there is some validity here .. is that she never signed a release for MTV to use the footage, nor was she ever asked to. And yet, the scene from the club can be seen on MTV’s promo of the upcoming season.
Look, I know MTV’s angle here. Kids are fickle. They want to watch “reality”, which is scripted and coerced. And they like it when things get rowdy. Got it. I happen to have first-hand experience in MTV casting as I was “contacted” to audition for some new show called Party Down South that is supposed to be the southern Jersey Shore. So MTV is always looking to put an “unknown” factor in the mix. They love the dynamite.
But they have to understand that there are consequences. We can’t just say, “That’s what the people want!” and expect it to fly in court. Viacom/MTV’s gonna have a helluva time defending their actions here. And it’s not the first time a suit has been filed along these lines, specifically to Jersey Shore, even.
There are some people in the public eye that I can see putting above legal reproach. Mainly, people in high-ranking political office that should be protected to a HUGE degree for the safety and strength of our great nation. But self-proclaimed, FAKE Guidettes? Give me a freakin’ break.
Sarah Lena would LOVE to see this on The People’s Court. Judge Milian would KILL THEM.
