MTV’s plan to film ‘Jersey Shore’ in Italy

Washington: MTV is facing more flak, and this time from Italian American organizations that were enraged by its announcement that it will be filming its popular reality series ‘Jersey Shore’ in Italy. The show’s fourth season, which will be centred on a group of foul-mouthed and badly behaved Italian-ish Americans, has sparked outrage for its deploring portrayal of Italian Americans. “We are disappointed that this irresponsible programming will be brought to Italy because it affects the image of all Americans, not only Italian Americans,” Fox News quoted Joseph V. Del Raso, President of The National Italian American Foundation, as saying. “There is a perverse curiosity in wanting to watch the show and the Italian audience, like the American audience, may be attracted to the show out of curiosity. “But we know that the Italians’ good taste will immediately recognize this genre of programming for what it’s worth,” he stated. Carlo Sclafani, Co-President of the Westchester Coalition of Italian American Organization is also concerned that shooting the show in Italy will further deplore the image of Italian Americans. But according to Richard F. Pellegrino, President of the Italian American Political Coalition, the filming location is not as important as the fact that ‘Jersey Shore’ is not a true reflection of Italian American culture. “Whether filmed in Italy or on the moon, the characters of ‘Jersey Shore’ do not reflect a realistic image of the Italian American Community,” an upset Pellegrino said. The National Organization of Italian American Women, which prides itself on tolerance and focuses on the positive contributions Italian-Americans have made to the United States, is equally as appalled by the MTV show and its portrayal of Italian Americans. UNICO National, the largest Italian-American Organization in the USA, also expressed its dismay at MTV’s decision to film abroad and is encouraging audiences to turn their backs on the provocative program which regularly features bar fights, binge drinking and derogatory language. ANI