Not all Italian Americans are fist pumping over news that Jersey Shore has been renewed for a second season.
The National Italian American Foundation has issued a statement expressing "continued concerns" about the hit MTV show, specifically in the way it depicts Italian Americans. Joseph V. Del Raso, NIAF President, said the show's characters have "more in common with the adolescent residents of Animal House than with Italian Americans."
Citing the cast's "outrageous behavior" that is "laden with promiscuity, debauchery, and violence," he called the show "a disgrace." He continued, "Television personality Joy Behar perceptively remarked, 'It makes it hard for young Italian Americans to be taken seriously in the work force.' This concern is even more salient in places around the country where there are few Italian Americans."
Del Raso signed off by saying, "Italian Americans, the Garden State and the Jersey Shore deserve better."
But Jersey Shore stars claim they aren't trying to depict anyone in a negative light.
"We represent ourselves," Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino said on the Today show Monday. "We're not saying we're a definition of Jersey, or a definition of New York, or a definition of Italians. I just happen to be Italian. I happen to have some spiky hair and a six-pack, and I am proud to have that. And if you don't like me, I don't care. I still got 5 million viewers Thursday nights at 10 p.m."
People need to quit making a big deal out of nothing, he added.
"I would like to find somebody in their 40s or 50s that didn't go out, and go to a bar and have some drinks — and if you're single, look for a guy or a girl," he said. "I would like to find that one person that said they didn't do that. It just so happens that there's a camera behind us watching our every move. This is not a secret that young people go out and have fun."
The second season is expected to film "in a couple weeks," Sorrentino said.
The Hamptons and Delaware Shore have been rumored spots. Jenni "JWoww" Farley wouldn't confirm, but said, "It'll be somewhere warm."
Added Paul "Pauly D" Delvecchio, "We're excited about that." As for reports that the cast will go from $200 an episode to $10,000 for season two. Farley said "generally speaking," that's true.
Added Sorrentino, "We don't wanna speak about numbers, nothing like that. But we believe that we're all pretty much the same and our show is a hit. We believe that we deserve the same amount."
Around 4.8 million viewers watched the Jan. 21 finale, making it the highest rated show in MTV history.
