CBS boss says no way to 'Jersey Shore'

It doesn't matter how many body shots and tanning sessions you offer her -- CBS' entertainment honcho wants no part of "Jersey Shore."

At a TV executives' panel in Beverly Hills Tuesday, moderator Jeff Probst of "Survivor" fame asked his boss, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler, if she would buy "Jersey Shore" -- MTV's smash reality soap about hard-partying, hardly-if-ever introspective young people -- if she had the chance.

Tassler laughed and remarked that her husband is from New Jersey, so she's "familiar with that whole world."

"You would have made 12 cents on that show!," Kevin Reilly, Tassler's counterpart at Fox and a fellow panelist, said.

"Exactly," Tassler agreed. "It's not delivering the kind of numbers we need to have a hit TV show" on CBS. Tassler spoke at a lunch sponsored by the Hollywood Radio and Television Society, an industry trade group.

So -- "Jersey Shore's" numbers may be fine for MTV, but not all that for CBS? Calling Snooki and the Situation: Consider the gauntlet thrown down! Will you stand by and allow your show to be slandered so? Or will you arise, after your hangover passes, of course, to defend its honor?

And as for non-guido Trackers: Do you think "Jersey Shore" would be a good fit with CBS' programs?

ALSO:

Rosie O'Donnell bombs in OWN talk premiere

Kim Kardashian wedding special a hit for E!

Hank Williams Jr. slams Disney and ESPN

-- Scott Collins
twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT

Photo: Moderator Jeff Probst, left, with ABC's Paul Lee, CBS' Nina Tassler, Fox's Kevin Reilly, NBC's Jennifer Salke and CW's Mark Pedowitz. Credit: Chyna Photography

Tony Bennett disses ‘Jersey Shore': 'They’re all morons and gangsters’

  Tony Bennett may have gotten himself in hot water with his comments about Sept. 11 to Howard Stern earlier this week. But he also has strong opinions about a less geopolitical topic: MTV’s "Jersey Shore."

The performer, who’s set to play a big date at Staples Center this weekend, doesn’t have terribly kind words for the MTV reality hit. “They're all morons and gangsters,” Bennett said of the Situation & Co. “It’s terrible.”

In an interview with Show Tracker promoting his new "Duets II" album, the singer said he had, on principle, not watched the series. But he was sufficiently familiar with it from clips and secondhand reports to find it offensive.

"Jersey Shore" drew controversy when it first came on the air two years ago, particularly for its use of a potentially offensive word for Italian Americans. But as the show has become more established, there's been less noise about it.

Making his comments more notable: Bennett is a staple on MTV (he recently was seen on the MTV Video Music Awards next to Lady Gaga) and in fact owes much of his late-career renaissance to appearances on the cable network beginning in the early 1990s.
 
Bennett, who is of Italian ancestry, said that he found shows like "Jersey Shore," "The Sopranos" and even 'The Godfather" evidence of a double standard when it came to Italian Americans.

“If you depicted Jews in a stereotypical way, there would be parades in the street, and rightly so,” he said. “Same thing with Chinese people and Poles. So why aren't there any here?

RELATED:

Stevie Wonder, John Mayer to join Tony Bennett at Staples

— Steven Zeitchik

twitter.com/Zeitchik/LAT

Photo: "Jersey Shore." Credit: MTV.

Emmy Awards: Let's imagine the possibilities

 
The hours are winding down until the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards telecast. As we gear up for a night of glitz, glamour and long-winded speeches, let's imagine what we're in for, shall we?

— Last month, Cloris Leachman got tanned and absurd with the gals of "Jersey Shore" at MTV's Video Music Awards. (Wasn't that strange?) Well, Emmy host Jane Lynch is not to be outdone. In fact, she appears to be very committed to the role, judging from the photo, above right, that "Jersey" queen Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi  posted on Twitter. We don't know what they have in store, but with a poof like that, it can't be good for us. Let's just hope Lynch doesn't pull a move like Mike "the Situation" Sorrentino and bash her head into one of those stage dividers. But if she does, at least they're not concrete, right?

— "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen Ashton Kutcher is among those slated to present during Sunday's telecast — so are costar Jon Cryer and creator Chuck Lorre. Could it turn into a sequel of the Charlie Sheen roast?

— When Jane Lynch appeared at the Television Critics Assn., she pledged that snarky Sue Sylvester, the character she plays on "Glee," would not hijack the whole show. We know Sue would never keep such a promise ... but can Jane be trusted?

— Given the response to the "Born to Run" opening number in 2010's telecast, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, it would be in Lynch's best interest to consider a follow-up to the hilarity, right?  Maybe ditch Kate Gosselin for Nancy Grace? And definitely add more shimmies from Jon Hamm and Betty White. But we'll switch the channel if the song chosen is Rebe    cca Black's "Friday." 

The Emmy telecast will air live at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific on Fox.

— Yvonne Villarreal

twitter.com/villarrealy

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'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Deadliest Catch' score big at Creative Arts Emmys

Left photo: Jane Lynch at the rolling out of the Emmy red carpet Wednesday. Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

Right photo: Deena Cortese, left, with Lynch, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Sammi Giancola. Source: Polizzi's Twitter page

Mamma Mia! 'Jersey Shore' Italy edition scores record ratings

What a "Situation!"

The fourth season premiere of MTV's "Jersey Shore," in which the New Jersey housemates invade Italy, scored record ratings, attracting a total of 8.8 million viewers.

The episode, which featured the usual explosive chemistry among Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and the other cast members marked a 4% increase over the Season 3 premiere of the popular reality series.

Also, the return of "Jersey Shore" delivered the largest audience ever for an MTV series for a season premiere, and marks the third highest rated MTV broadcast of all time, behind two Season 3 installments of "Jersey Shore."

RELATED:

Complete "Jersey Shore" coverage

Vinny's family preps the "Jersey Shore" guys for Italy [Video]

"Jersey Shore" in Italy: A look inside their Florence Dwelling [Video]

-- Greg Braxton

Photo: From left to right, "Jersey Shore" cast members Deena Cortese, Sammi Giancola, Jennifer "JWOWW" Farley, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Vinny Guadagnino, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro in Italy.

'Jersey Shore' in Italy: A look inside their Florence dwelling [Video]

Get out your maps, it's almost time to travel to Italy by way of the fourth season premiere of "Jersey Shore."

When The Times visited the cast's Florence abode in May, creator and executive producer SallyAnn Salsano gave us a tour of the renovated bank that would be the site of their Italian antics. Get a glimpse of their kitchen (yep, Vinny's mom made sure to pack his suitcase with iced tea), the girls room where Jenni can be seen cleaning and the unfortunate look at the bathroom shared by Mike "The Situation" and Ronnie (it surely has to be a health hazard to do anything in there), and a tour of Pauly D's side of the room, which he shared with Vinny and Deena, by the spikey-haired DJ himself -- advance apologies for being unable shake hands and keep a camera still.

Had the smush room not been occupied, we would have given you a glimpse in there too -- though, that would have required lots of disinfectant.

"Jersey Shore" returns to MTV with new episodes on Thursday.

Videos after the jump.

TV This Week for July 31st - August 6th

Click here to download TV listings for the week of July 31 - Aug. 6 in PDF format

TV listings for the week of July 31 - Aug. 6 in PDF format (from latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv)

Weekly TV Listings and more can be found at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv

This week's TV Movies

---

SUNDAY

Cue the cello: It's a “Great White Invasion” and then “Jaws Comes Home” as Discovery Channel launches its annual “Shark Week.” And watch for “SNL's” Andy Samberg when he visits a “Shark City” off the coast of the Bahamas. (9 and 10 p.m.; 9 p.m. Thu.)

We already miss the sadly canceled series “The Chicago Code.” But maybe we can make do with “Against the Wall,”  a new police drama that also takes place in the Windy City. Rachael Carpani, Treat Williams and Kathy Baker star. (Lifetime, 10 p.m.)

MONDAY

The documentary “Koran by Heart” profiles three youngsters (like Rifdha, left) as they endeavor to recite, chapter and verse, the 600-page Muslim holy book at the prestigious International Holy Koran Competition in Cairo. (HBO, 9 p.m.)

TUESDAY

Go ahead, no one's looking. “Take the Money and Run.” One hundred large, in a nondescript briefcase; stash it someplace safe. But beware: Real-life police detectives are hot on your trail, and then it's finders keepers in this new reality competition. (ABC, 9 p.m.) 

WEDNESDAY

It's not the destination, it's the journey. But you still gotta gas up, grab some grub and a beverage, and otherwise avail yourself of the facilities. And you can do all that and more at “Truck Stop, Missouri” in this new docu-series. (Travel, 10 and 10:30 p.m.)

THURSDAY

Mamma mia! There's a Situation on the streets of Florence, Italy — and a Snooki, a JWoww, a Pauly D and the rest of your too-tan-for-their-own-good favorites when the hit reality series “Jersey Shore” begins a sojourn abroad for Season 4. (MTV, 10 p.m.)

FRIDAY

It's like “Fringe,” for kids: The new animated TV movie “Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension” sends the cartoon cutups and their pet platypus Perry into an alternate reality where they encounter their own goofy doppelgangers. (Disney, 8 p.m.)

SATURDAY

Reese Witherspoon (right) plays the prettiest side of a romantic triangle — Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson being the second and third prettiest sides, respectively — in writer-director James L. Brooks' uneven 2010 dramedy “How Do You Know.” (Starz, 9 p.m.)

Photo credits: "Koran by Heart": HBO; "How Do You Know": Columbia TriStar

Exclusive: Vinny's family preps the 'Jersey Shore' guys for Italy [Video]

"Jersey Shore" fans who tuned in to "Teen Wolf" a couple of weeks ago already got a glimpse of what can be expected from the super-tanned cast's voyage to Italy. But if that wasn't enough, Show Tracker has an exclusive look at more of their antics, specifically Pauly D. and the Situation visiting Vinny's Italian family for a primer on what to expect overseas.

"There's nothing more authentic than my family," Vinny promises. Watch a taste below of their expletive-filled dinner.

— Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy

RELATED:

'Jersey Shore' in Italy: Actions louder than (unknown) words

MTV goes spin-off crazy with three 'Jersey Shore' castmembers

With Persian show, Bravo, Ryan Seacrest seek their own Situation

3 reality shows 'Jersey Shore' producer SallyAnn Salsano wishes she'd created

Photo: Cast of "Jersey Shore." Credit: MTV.

Video credit: MTV

'Jersey Shore' in Italy: Actions louder than (unknown) words

 

“There was a little bit of language barrier — although, I didn’t have a language barrier with women. At the end of the day, between men and women, it’s all eye contact. That’s my language. I’m fluent in it.” -- such a quote could only be said by a man who coined himself “The Situation” 

Mike Sorrentino, one-eighth of the uber-tan cast of “Jersey Shore,” recently recounted his time in Italy, which viewers will get a glimpse of when the fourth season of MTV’s plum reality series premieres Aug. 4. It was clear that verbal miscommunication didn’t prevent the smush room from getting utilized.

But it’s not like Sorrentino didn’t try to learn Italian. He had Rosetta Stone — though, he never used it. And when The Times visited the cast’s Florence abode, lying in pristine condition was an “Italian for Dummies” book near his dazzling shoe collection. 

When Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi first got word that the show would be shooting in Italy, preparing by learning a few key phrases wasn't a concern.

"I didn't prepare," she said. "I just thought I'd go and do my thing."

Instead, it seems, the cast relied on Vinny Guadagnino and Sammi Giancola for their translation needs. Pauly DelVecchio relied on phrases like “non lo so” (I don’t know) and “non parlo italiano” (I don’t speak Italian) to get through the weeks-long production. But, mostly, he did a lot of hand gesturing.

And maybe it's a good thing most of them didn't understand the language, considering all those reports of Italian outrage over the posse's visit.

"We saw all those reports," DelVecchio said. "I was nervous. I thought they were going to throw rocks at us from the way the media made it seem. That wasn't the case. People were welcoming. If they were talking junk, I couldn't understand them anyway."

Read more about "Jersey Shore's" Italian getaway.

RELATED:

MTV goes spin-off crazy with three 'Jersey Shore' castmembers

With Persian show, Bravo, Ryan Seacrest seek their own Situation

3 reality shows 'Jersey Shore' producer SallyAnn Salsano wishes she'd created

-- Yvonne Villarreal
twitter.com/villarrealy

Photo: The cast of "Jersey Shore" get ready for Italy in a promotional shot for their fourth season. Credit: MTV

Wednesday's TV Highlights: 'The E! True Hollywood Story' on E!

Click here to download TV listings for the week of July 24 - 30 in PDF format

TV listings for the week of July 24 - 30 in PDF format (from latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv)

Weekly TV Listings and more can be found at: www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv

This week's TV Movies

---

 

A GIRL CALLED SNOOKI: The “Jersey Shore” star is profiled on “The E! True Hollywood Story” at 10 p.m. on E!

SERIES

Biography Remembers: A special installment profiles the late R&B singer Amy Winehouse (7 and 11 p.m. Biography).

So You Think You Can Dance: Lady Gaga and “Chicago” director Rob Marshall sit in at the judges table (8 p.m. Fox).

Sons of Guns: The crew from “American Chopper” helps give a machine gun a motorcycle-style makeover in this new installment (9 p.m. Discovery).

Primetime Nightline: Celebrity Secrets: The newsmagazine profiles several “Hollywood Moms” (10 p.m. ABC).

Deadliest Warrior: This new episode imagines a contest-of-arms between French heroine Joan of Arc and William the Conqueror (10 p.m. Spike).

Legend Quest: The team seeks the whereabouts of the Holy Lance, also known as the Spear of Destiny, in this new episode (10 p.m. Syfy).

SPECIALS

Mob Money: Murders and Acquisitions: It's business, not personal, in this organized-crime exposé (6, 7, 9 and 10 p.m. CNBC).

Meat America: Our nation's longstanding love affair with beef, pork, chicken, etc. is celebrated in this new special hosted by chef Jamie Stachowski (9 p.m. History).

With Persian show, Bravo, Ryan Seacrest seek their own Situation

With MTV continuing to hit it big with the Italian Americans of “Jersey Shore,”  Bravo believes it has an answer on the other coast: Persian Americans.

 The “Real Housewives” network announced Wednesday that it was developing a show with Ryan Seacrest tentatively titled “Shahs of Sunset" that will document  Los Angeles’ colorful Iranian expat community.

“The series will offer rich characters and relatable storylines about everyday life — love, work, friendship and family — steeped in a diverse culture, which is wildly entertaining and fun,” Seacrest said in a statement.

Los Angeles is home to as many as 800,000 people of Persian ancestry, largely on the city’s Westside. Many came to the U.S. after the shah fell in 1979, with a number of them — or at least a number of them in this show — achieving a degree of economic success. “Armed with chromed-out cars, logo-ridden purses and designer outfits, they've got it and they're not afraid to flaunt it,” Bravo said in a statement, while adding that the group also “knows the value of family and tradition.”

Seacrest, who will serve as the series’ executive producer, has been honing his reality chops; he’s the producer of several Kardashian-centric series as well as “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.”

While Bravo has fashioned a niche out of its professional competition series, "Shahs" would follow in the path of the “Real Housewives” franchise, which looks at the dynamic among a cluster of outspoken types in a given city. The network didn’t say whether characters would live together outside their natural environment a la "Jersey Shore" or separately, as they do in “Housewives.”

"Shahs" is the latest attempt to replicate the success that MTV has had with the likes of Snooki and the Situation, shining a light on the adventures of a second-generation subculture.

Other efforts have not quite worked out. The production company behind the highly rated “Jersey Shore,” whose fourth season premieres in August, has been trying to get its own Persian version off the ground for some time, and a casting process was initiated for an Asian edition that was never produced.

ALSO:

Fast Track: 'Jersey Shore' wreaks havoc in Italy

Snooki's Italian car accident: License lost; lawsuit possible

TLC's latest reality show will look at Muslim families in America

— Steven Zeitchik
twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

Photo: Snooki and the Situation from "Jersey Shore." Credit: Scott Gries/MTV.

3 reality shows 'Jersey Shore' producer SallyAnn Salsano wishes she'd created

Sure, SallyAnn Salsano is the creator-producer of MTV’s hit show “Jersey Shore,” which returns to MTV for a new season August 4th, but she can’t help but be a little envious that she didn’t dream up other shows.

Here are three she wishes she had created:

“Sister Wives” (TLC)

“I love it more than anything. I just want to get in there and interview those [women] and see what’s going on in their heads. Cause, for me, I’m like, ‘Seriously, how is this OK?’ I’ve never missed an episode. I’m insane about it.”

“Vanished With Beth Holloway” (Lifetime)

   “It’s the one with Natalee Holloway’s mother. I always grew up watching all the [‘America’s Most Wanted’ host] John Walsh stuff. I was so into it. And it was interesting because, yes, he was the host of the show, but also he was the whole reason behind it. I love to see [Beth Holloway] out there literally going through it and helping others in her situation.... I’m nerdy like that.”

“Bad Girls Club” (Oxygen)

“I love me some ‘Bad Girls Club.’ Those girls have bad behavior and they don’t apologize for it. When doing a reality show, you’re always trying to find people with no rap sheet and no problem background and people who won’t cause problems — but that show is like the calling card for crazies.”

ALSO IN SHOWTRACKER

On the set with "Jersey Shore" season 2

Viacom likes the Situation with "Jersey Shore"

"Glee"'s Lea Michele, Chris Colfer and Cory Monteith won't be back?

— Yvonne Villarreal

Photo: Top: SallyAnn Salsano in January 2011. Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images. Bottom: "Bad Girls Club." Credit: Oxygen.

MTV UK's 'Geordie Shore': Like 'Jersey Shore,' with more posh juiceheads

 

In the midst of the Great American Royal Wedding Frenzy, it's hard to remember that not everything British is upscale and quaint -- which is why we're totally gobsmacked to hear about "Geordie Shore," the British version of "Jersey Shore."

Watching this trailer, it's amazing how similar the cast looks to our homegrown ladies and gorillas. There's the Diva Jay, the British version of the Situation who, according to his bio, is "rarely pictured with his top on, but who can blame him with a body as buff as his?"

There's James, the British version of Pauly D, who "would completely lose it if someone stole his hair straighteners."

And there's Sophie, who "has no problem dancing on tables or flashing her boobs." Which means she's exactly like ... wait. JWOWW? Snooki? Angelina? Deena? Even Vinnie isn't above flashing his boobs once in a while.

And dancing with your top off is so much classier when you do it with a British accent. Which makes us think: Wouldn't Kate Middleton look awesome with a good spray-tan? 

 -- Melissa Maerz