I was recently telling some expat friends of mine that if they think MTV's (inaccurate) portrayal of the Jersey Shore made ratings, MTV is seriously missing out on another untapped market: the Russians.
Funny enough, this morning The Post ran a story about TV producer, Elina Miller, who wants to do exactly this: produce a spin-off to MTV's Jersey Shore but have the focus be on Russians, calling the show, Brighton Beach.
Ahh, Elina... a brilliant idea... and before I give you some pointers; I'd like to tell you, where MTV went wrong with Jersey Shore.
Some street cred about moi:
Call me a Tri-State / Boro Hoochie, but I've lived all over: Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Staten Island, Manalapan (true: I went to HS with the Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino) & summer shares in Belmar (hi girls! and ugh -- djais).
I come from a booming Italian-American family, father with an ''import export business'', and I've come a long way; to where I live now. I moved on up, way up -- to the Upper East Side.
Now, I'm not ashamed by my ethnographic background; but, MTV could've surely done better than that mishmosh of a cast they slobbed together that makes up the Jersey Shore.
I mean, where did they find these people?
They certainly didn't come from the true epi-center of Italian-Americans (Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Gravesend, South East Annadale, etc...) that flock down to the shore. (And on another note. MTV chose Seaside? Who goes there, besides Generation Y'ers post HS prom?)
MTV, not only managed to exploit these ''guidos'' ("I'm a guido,'' insert shudder here.) in the most false & phony element; but, to boot, they got it all wrong.
You want Italian-Americans? The real deal? The demographic of people with lives so different from the rest of America? You want to pinpoint this demo and exploit & make millions of bucks?
Well, Elina, MTV should've went here...
Villabate bakery on 18th ave on Christmas Eve morning
Regina Pacis on Ash Wednesday
A funeral at Scarpaci
Vegas Diner on 86th St. @ 4am
Woodrow Diner after a teachers conference
The Tanning Loft on a cold winter day
A jet blue flight from Miami via NYC the day after the closing of the Winter Music Conference
The pizza line outside L&B Spumoni Gardens
Harrah's pool party on a Saturday night in AC
Swim up bar @ Rehab in Vegas
or
The line inside Forever21 at 8:30 pm on a Friday night at the Staten Island mall.
If MTV really wanted to see Italian-Americans in their element, they could've easily found them at any of the above.
Sure, get a group of friends together & document away. But, 7 IA's from the East Coast -- throw them in dingy condo in Seaside & slap the Italian flag on the garage?
MTV should know better.
E, don't make the same mistake with Brighton.
Now, let's talk Russians.
I personally have a fond love for the Russian people, particularly the couture-gown wearing, Benzino driving Russian Jews in Brighton, so I have a few suggestions for your filming...
A short list below (and if you're Russian, you'll totes appreciate this.)
Tatiana's on brighton 6th
Spa 88 on Fulton
Baku restaurant on Emmons Ave.
The International Supermarket on Brighton Beach Ave.
ANY discount designer outlet in the tri-state area (Russians will stalk and find anything Cartier, Dior, Versace, Gucci, Fendi), which includes Century 21 on 86th.
Any mountain around the Poconos in the winter, check out the people in designer ski gear (they have no intention of actually skiing)
Last but not least..
Russian Samovar on W. 52nd. (A watered down Russian spot, serving great vodkas and caviars, but doesn't capture the true Brighton: 12-people-in-a-one-bedroom-apt-S500-in driveway Russians.)
Good luck, Elina!
By 
OMG ! haha! i love this! and sooooo true.
forev. 21 @ 8:30 pm hahaaaa (INSERT BBM THUMBS UP!)
SO TRUE!! Who wants to go to Sleeze-side?? I have my own "Situation" stories and let me tell you, he is no pretty fella, but we all know that already!!
When one conceives the topicat hand, i have to agree with your conclusions. You clearlyshow knowledge about this topic and i have much to find out after reading your article.Much salutations and i will come back for any further updates.
I will be back for the next installment although ome of these comments are killing me.
I found this on google, many thanks for writing this, it was just what I had been browsing for!
http://ezinearticles.com/?Teeth-Whitening---What-is-it-All-About?&id=4282619 whiter teeth
Sometime the submit might be as well subjective. And some post might just misguide user in some methods. It's really a great practice for people to study the submit and may some relection prior to producing up their individual conclusion. By performing this, they may capable to obtain the point on what the submit heading to tell and able to grasp on it.s
Given below is a brief description of the historical development of ladies purses and men wallets around the world over. A purse is defined as a small money container that is typically used by women and includes a compartment for keeping money.
This needs to be matched off with high heels for the illusion to be complete. Full length petite dress, one that goes straight to your ankles is also a wise choice.
http://junctiontacoma.sjfr.net/
Stone-washed jeans can also be found in the latest collection. These jeans come in gray color, are embellished with metallic rivets and come in fashionable destroyed effect.
There are so many different designs, that everyone is catered for, further more each style of tee shirt has its own style of design, with this in mind there is an unlimited amount of possibilities of styles and designs, meaning everyone's style is available.
bangin
Fashion boots designed for the spring are made from different materials. Leather is of course the leading one and is very thin and light. Other styles are made of fabric and man-made materials that look like a quilt. Another pair comes with pink fabric ruffles in the front.
In the beginning his shoes were expensive but not exuberantly expensive. Once his designs started getting recognised and he started getting fame the footwear he made started becoming out of reach for the admirers.
Blogging is about time bound communication, a successful blog communicates very well with its visitors. There are no obvious rules to find success with blogging. A simple blog which is able to say something, tell a story, an incident from a home or business or road can make good success over time. You are doing good!
BKR problemen? Nu Geld lenen zonder BKR toetsing? Op zoek naar betrouwbare aanbieders? Wij vergelijken banken die u toch kunnen helpen aan een betrouwbare
Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It's always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! I'm sure you had fun writing this article. Thank you
hey very nice blog!! Man ..Beautiful..Amazing..I will bookmark your blog and take the gucci handbagsfeeds also...
Lenen zonder BKR toetsing gaat vandaag heel gemakkelijk. Binnen een paar uur geld lenen zonder BKR toetsing doet u hier, lees snel verder
howdy! I've been a student at nj college for about 4 years now and its been a cool experience :) I've been watching jerysey shore quite a bit, I super love jwoww.
Hypotheek informatie, hypotheek aanvragen of afsluiten? Hypotheekrentes bekijken. Hypotheek aanbieders vergelijken, hypotheek vormen, bijkomende kosten,
Hi, just thought you'd be interested to know that I have added you to my Google bookmarks because of your fantastic blog layout (LOL). But honestly, I believe your site has one of the cleanest theme I've came across. It honestly helps make reading your blog a lot easier.
Interesting point of view. I will follow your blog.
That was a pretty practical insight for me personally