Jersey Shore
Writes Books
'Jersey Shore' Cast Goes On Strike, Writes Books
July 20, 2010Gossipwelove
Jerritt Clark/WireImage.comThe cast of "Jersey Shore" is said to be close to a deal after going on strike over contract negotiations. While it's unknown whether these increased demands are as high as Snooki's pouf, The Hollywood Reporter says MTV will soon get the gang back for somewhere around $30,000 per episode - a 200 percent increase over last season.
Most of the uber-tan, disgruntled cast reportedly went on strike over the weekend, refusing to shoot new "Jersey Shore" scenes until they got a more lucrative contract deal. MTV was trying to keep most of the "Shore" residents earning $10,000 an episode (i.e., what they made during the already-filmed but yet-to-be-aired second season).
The cast, however, reportedly feels like MTV is tricking them out of money by filming what will essentially be Season 3 and calling it the second half of Season 2. The production company naturally isn't too happy with the strike, and a source close to the show says if push comes to shove, they are willing to dump the cast and start from scratch.
That hard-line approach may not apply to breakout star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, however. MTV has already offered The Sitch a one-time $60,000-$180,000 bonus if he signs on for a possible fourth season. But The Situation, Snooki, and Pauly D are the select few breakout stars MTV is willing to bargain with. As for the rest of the cast, the "Jersey Shore" producers aren't bearing these troubles lightly. "The show is not about famous rich people with managers coming to the Shore," a source told TMZ.
['The Situation' Also Set to Release 'Couture' Clothing Line]
But "Jersey Shore" does seem to be turning into exactly that, whether the producers like it or not. Even if MTV dumps the cast, whose crazy 'dos and hard-partying ways have become the source of imitation and parody, some "Shore" residents already have other sources of income lined up. More reality show gigs? No, some cast members have turned to a career path that is sure to raise some perfectly plucked eyebrows: writing self-help books.
The Situation is already set to release a self-improvement (what else?) book called "Here's the Situation." The advice tome will find the muscular "Jersey Shore" star handing down wisdom regarding proper grooming, tanning tips, and hitting the gym to get those ripped abs.
His fellow "Shore" residents are horning in on the world of letters as well. Jenni "J-Woww" Farley and Ronnie Ortiz-Magro are set to publish "Never Fall in Love at the Jersey Shore" this summer. That self-help book will advise an eager public on how to live "an authentic Jersey Shore" lifestyle, according to Publishers Weekly.
[Pauly D Explains His Gravity-Defying Hair]
This move naturally has some critics wondering if "Jersey Shore" fans are interested enough in the inner thoughts of the cast to fork over money for a book. Sure, 4.8 million people tune in to watch the "Shore" stars tan, work, tan some more, and romance strangers, but do those viewers have any interest in taking lifestyle advice from the cast?
That's an especially hard question for "Never Fall in Love at the Jersey Shore," since it's not even written by the show's most popular members. Then again, the book is set to hit shelves right when new episodes begin to air, so it can piggyback on the publicity for Season 2. Furthermore, according to PopEater's fancy economic calculations, a paperback version would need to entice only 3% of the show's audience into buying the book to break even. And it's fairly conceivable that 3% of "Jersey Shore" devotees do, in fact, read.
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