MTV IGGY

http://blog.mtviggy.com/2010/04/30/asian-american-jersey-shore-producers-speak-were-still-confused/

Source: MTV IGGY, April 30, 2010

Asian-American Jersey Shore Producers Speak! (We're Still Confused)

BY: Samantha

We are so confused. First, we hear about an Asian-American version of MTV’s smash hit Jersey Shore from somewhere else. Then we hear it’s open to non-Asians. Then we hear hot former-model Tyrese Gibson (um, clearly not Asian) is producing the show and that it will be open to Blasians.
NOW we hear the producers are all Asian American?
What’s going on with this show!?!
iamkoream.com interviewed producers Eugene Choi, Mike Le, and Eddie Kim.  Here’s what they say:

Jersey Shore Cast

– The show will be set in Koreatown in Los Angeles and feature K-Town rites of passage
– “We’re going to show Asian Americans like they’ve never been seen before to the rest of the world”
– They’re not interested in featuring typical Asian stereotypes like the “nerd, martial artist, sexpot/slutty girl”
– They want to show that there are “so many different types of us, we all don’t look the same”
Okay, so this sounds sort of…culturally redeeming. Thoughtful. Intelligent, even…
So it’s the exact opposite of the JERSEY SHORE?? I mean, c’mon!! We love that show because it’s cotton-candy. It’s being able to point and laugh without feeling guilty about being mean because the whole thing is an over-tanned, over-gelled, over-’rioded, Drakkar Noir doused hell hole of hilarity.
The orginal Jersey Shore took stereotypes and cemented them. Snookie, J-Wowww, The Situation, et al are beyond larger than life. They are human cartoons. These producers sound like they want Asian American version to break stereotypes.
{{Brain hurts. So confused.}}
Ok, whatever. We don’t know what’s going on right now, but hey we’re MTV. This is supposed to air here sometime…ahem, right? Maybe we can get to the bottom of this.
Creating a show that bridges the vast chasm between stereotype breaking and stereotype reinforcing would be neat trick to pull off. But here’s a glimmer of hope: About the fact that people from all over the country auditioned, a producer says — “I’d never met a Asian person with a thick, thick New Jersey accent…and now I’ve met two!”
 The casting call posted over on ChannelAPA was for last Saturday, April 24. Did you try out? Do you know anyone who did? How did it go? Tell us in the comments or tell us how we can contact you for more info!!