• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Manhattan Digest

All you need to know about Manhattan culture and so much more...

  • LIFESTYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • LGBT
  • OPINION
  • TECHNOLOGY

jersey shore

The Show is an Offbeat Affair, But Could Use A Little Longer to Simmer

by Michael Tyminski

Vinny Guadagnino, the host of The Show w/ Vinny on MTV (Source: MTV)
Vinny Guadagnino, the host of The Show w/ Vinny on MTV (Source: MTV)
Vinny Guadagnino, the host of The Show w/ Vinny on MTV (Source: MTV)

The Show w/ Vinny: Thursdays at 10pm Eastern on MTV

It’s been four years since Jersey Shore became a surprise hit, spurring the careers of eight twenty-somethings that weren’t actually from Jersey with their off-beat combination of drinking, fighting, and taking back a mild ethnic slur. Since then, we’ve seen a variety of side projects, from DJ Pauly’s new-found music career to The Situation’s appearances on Dancing with the Stars and his own Comedy Central Roast to spin-off Snooki & JWOWW. Tonight mark’s the debut of another of these new projects, with nice guy Vinny Guadagnino’s new talk show, simply titled The Show w/Vinny.

The Show w/Vinny is designed to be an unconventional take on the talk show format. In lieu of a studio, much of the action is supposed to place in a variety of locations, including the Guadagnino’s Staten Island Household. Vinny’s family also plays a heavy role in the action, including his mother, Paola, whom plays a large role in much of the promotional material.

Tonight’s show featured two guests: Our first half featured Lil Wayne, whom enjoyed a nice meal at the Guadagnino household before teaching Vinny how to skateboard at a skate park somewhere in Staten Island. The second half of our show involved YouTube sensation Jenna Marbles, whom was interviewed by Vinny before being hooked up in a video chat with Snooki, whom she did a piece about a while back.

So how does this show turn out? Well, it’s pretty uneven. Vinny is a pretty affable host, but he seems somewhat unpolished and occasionally sounds like he’s reading off of cue cards at times. However, in those moments where Vinny is interacting with his family or doing a bit with his guests that he seems more comfortable. The show also seems to be teasing that Vinny will hit on just about any female guest that crosses his path, which seems to help liven up some of the proceedings.

Vinny’s family is around in limited doses, but provides a nice change of pace, and allows Vinny to introduce his guests by describing them to Paola, who rightfully should not know most of the guests most relevant to MTV’s audience (I know my mom wouldn’t know who Lil Wayne or Jenna Marbles were either). Its’ also in Vinny’s family that we get the overarching feel of the show: that household where there’s always something going on in the kitchen.

If there is one aspect of this show that particularly peeved me it was the random cutting of the camera to wide and occasionally off screen angles. There’s not really much of a reason to capture the empty half of a living room or the crew cracking up at something during an interview. It also takes away from the flow of a show that tends to stop and start quite a bit to begin with (each half of the show contains three segments, meaning that on average each piece of the show runs around 3 minutes) and tends to be visually jarring, two words I never wish to associate with my late night talk shows or the “comfort food” vibe.

The Final Verdict: The Show with Vinny has some good, some bad and some ugly. It feels like the producers provided a lot of structure to protect Vinny (with the absence of a monologue and two segments of the show where he doesn’t really have to do more than provide the occasional one liner), but ultimately sent the show in a direction where matters occasionally feel forced. Vinny could work as a talk show host, but definitely needs a little more comfort in his interviews, which will come over time. Overall, I get the vibe that this is a wait-and-see sort of show, as there’s room for improvement but it could work as mellow, offbeat, late night comfort food.

Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, OPINION, REVIEWS, TELEVISION Tagged With: jersey shore, mtv, The Show, TV reviews, Vinny Guadagnino

The 2013 MTV Movie Awards Red Carpet

by Ryan Shea

The 2013 MTV Movie Awards were last night at the fashion never fails to intrigue me.  The MTV Movie Awards bring out all walks of the celebrity life.  From movie stars to musicians to your favorite reality stars.  There were a few great ensembles on the red carpet last night and, true to Movie Awards tradition, there were some outlandish fashion train wrecks!

Actress Crystal Reed looked classy and trendy in her coral and nude lace overlay dress.  The bottom was pumped up with a tulle and looked like a beautiful tutu.  And the nude pumps made her legs looking miles long!

Crystal Reed
Crystal Reed

 

Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy rocked all black with gold accessories.  I think the was a great pick for Melissa the funny girl looks slim and glowing!

 

Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy

 

Model Karlie Kloss’ all white skirt and crop top was sexy!  The shoes were by far my favorite part of the outfit!  I am obsessed with ankle straps right now!  So chic.

 

Model Karlie Kloss
Model Karlie Kloss

 

My best dressed male goes to my secret crush … The legendary Taylor Hanson!  He is so handsome and well dressed.  This MMMbop boy surely grew into one handsome man.

 

Taylor Hanson
Taylor Hanson

 

And now for the worst of the worst … drum roll please !

 

Ke$ha…

What is this chick thinking?  I think she is so talented and beautiful and yet she insists on looking like a hobo.

You would never believe this girl had hit songs almost every other month.  Apparently hippies have gone goth, which is not a good look!  I don’t know what the worst part of this look is … the hat … no the fringe vest … nope definitely the pants … This outfit is just all wrong!

Ke$ha
Ke$ha

 

This next one is really hard for me to do … I am absolutely head over heels with musician Macklemore.  I think his style and look are perfection, most of the time.  I love his swag and his ginger features!  But his outfit last night was really disappointing.  The royal blue did look cool but the cape was such a let down.  I would have rathered a big fur jacket and a onesie.

Don’t worry though I still love you!

 

Thrift Shop rapper Macklemore
Thrift Shop rapper Macklemore

 

There’s always one who has to be a statement maker, and expecting it to be Lady Gaga again, I was surprised to see a burnt cigarette butt hat on Pitch Perfect’s Hana Mae Lee.  Lee was one of my favorite characters in Pitch Perfect and her one liners were the most laughable moments in the movie.  My favorite line “I ate my twin in the womb.”  Befitting to her character’s, shall we say, uniqueness, Mae Lee rocks a interesting hat at the Movie Awards.

Hana Mae Lee
Hana Mae Lee

 

Last night’s MTV Movie Award fashion definitely had some note worthy looks.  But the overall trend for the awards had to be the pointy toe pump.  I have to say I was a little worried about this trend coming back but the new style of pointed toe pumps has a shorter point and is something I am actually excited to try out.

 

Kim Kardashian really was the first celebrity to rock this look when she stepped out in her neon green Loubitan’s.  Last night she showed off her baby bump in a sleek black dress and black satin pointed toe stiletto’s.

Kim Kardasian
Kim Kardasian

 

Carrie actress Chloe Moretz kept it casual in a denim romper by Louis Vuitton and stunning t-strap pointed toe pumps.  The shoes were the focal point in this outfit, beautiful!

 

Chloe Moretz
Chloe Moretz

 

Kim K in training younger sister Kylie Jenner looked fabulous in her nude pencil skirt and white crop top.  The nude pointed toe heels were to die for!  I am absolutely passionate about these pumps.  I must go buy a pair now!!

 

Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner

 

I have to say, I am totally into trying out this re imagined trend.  The only issue I have is after I take my shoes off at the end of the night they usually get thrown in a pile of my collection of shoes and then they get all smushed.  After they are flattened enough you can never get your toe in right and if someone steps on it, forget it, a little heel dent can ruin a pair of pointed toe heels.  Luckily in my never ending online shopping habit, I found the answer!  http://www.tiptopshoesaver.com/ sells all different tools to keep your hoes in new condition.  Their product, conveniently titled, The Tip Toe Shoe Saver, is a triangular piece that you insert into the toe area of a pointed toe shoe to keep the shape.  I ordered a pair and can’t wait to use them in my new heels.

 

So all in all, I think the fashion at the MTV Movie Awards last night was interesting, but slightly disappointing.  The one’s that got it right last night definitely brought in the Spring 2013 trends.  White was big and nudes, as well.  For accessories, I was happy to see the ankle stap and pointed toe heels were back and modern.

 

 

 

*Just on a side-note, I’d like to send my prayers out to the families involved in the tragic terrorist bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon today.  This is a sad and frightening event and if there is anyway I can help I will and hope my fellow Americans will do the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, FASHION, MOVIES, MUSIC, OPINION, STYLE, TELEVISION, U.S., uncategorized Tagged With: 2013, 2013 mtv movie awards, Album Review, black, boston, bridesmaids, celebrity, chloe moretz, christian loubiton, coral, dance moms, fashion, gay, hana mae lee, help, j woww, jamie foxx, jersey shore, jewelry, justin timberlake, ke$ha, kim kardashian, macklemore, melissa mccarthey, movie, mtv, mtv movie awards, music, nude, pitch perfect, pointed toe, pumps, rebel wilson, red carpet, rupauls drag race, selena gomez, snooki, spring, the boston marathon, the situation, white

Is Macklemore the new Eminem?

by Ryan Shea

Credit to Wweek.
Credit to Wweek.

I don’t think that title is really premature in saying what a lot of people are thinking.  Macklemore really can be the next Eminem if he plays his cards right.  The Seattle native continues to take 2013 by storm again last night with his performance of his new single “Can’t Hold Us” featuring Ray Dalton at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards.  Many said that was the highlight of the night and this is a  freaking movie award show (then again it’s MTV, so we are lucky it wasn’t a Best Teen Mom Shore Buckwild Show).

Macklemore was known by many a hip-hop tastemakers for a while now but no one really understood who this guy was until late 2012 whe a song about a thrift shop came into play.  Little do people know this guy, who turns 30 later this year, has been in the game for over a decade now, right around the time that Eminem broke through.

He released his first full fledged EP back in 2000 under the name “Professor Macklemore”.  He quickly dropped the professor aspect of things but substance abuse plagued his chances of really becoming the star that he is today.  These substances had him relapse on a number of occasions, most recently in 2011.  Yet during this time he released some truly amazing music, such as “The Unplanned Mixtape” and “The VS Redux” in 2009 with his constant companion and DJ Ryan Lewis.  That is some of his best work in my opinion, as you can tell what he was going through during that time.

Now with his album “The Heist” in full swing, “Thrift Shop” topping the charts for weeks and his subsequent song “Can’t Hold Us” climbing up the charts, we gotta wonder, is he the next big thing? The next Eminem? Let’s weigh this in and see.

Going beyond race, Eminem truly defines what an MC is and how, at least for my generation, he was our Kurt Cobain.  He was our Elvis Presley, he was our Michael Jackson.  He was a movement in itself for the simple fact that he went so far outside the boundary lines of what an artist is supposed to do and speak from his heart on what he was going on.  “The Marshall Mathers LP” and “The Slim Shady LP” are in my opinion two of the best hip-hop albums ever with the former being the best one to be released in the new millennium.  He has even impressed as a featured artist on other people’s tracks, most notably Drake’s “Forever”.  He truly understands his gift of gab and uses it to its best extent.

What i just wrote is something that Macklemore is getting the hang of.  “The Heist” is an amazing second album and is reminiscent of things that Eminem did.  They both have that juxtaposition of being able to do funny songs (Thrift Shop) and then serious ones that really make you think (Wings).  The stand out track here is “Same Love”, written in the support of same-sex marriage.  It’s truly an amazingly written song and something really out of left field when it comes to a straight dude and hip-hop head writing about a very controversial topic.  This can parlay to any of the controversial topics that Em wrote about, including anything from “Love The Way You Lie” about domestic violence and “Stan” about a deranged fan.  Regardless, they make you think, something other rappers can’t seem to make you do.

So what is the verdict overall with this? Macklemore could no doubt be the next Eminem in my book.  No doubt, even though he has been in the game for a minute, that he will be all over the Best New Artist categories at a ton of award shows and be on everyone’s forefront similarly to how Eminem is.  Could they do a duet one day? Only one can hope.  For me, he’s got it in him to go the long haul.  Best of luck to him in the future.

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC, OPINION Tagged With: 2013, buckwild, eminem, hip hop, jersey shore, macklemore, marshall mathers lp, mtv movie awards, ray dalton, ryan lewis, same sex marriage, seattle, slim shady lp, teen mom, thrift shop

An interview with Snooki and JWOWW at Rupauls Drag Race

by Ryan Shea

4951adf53bffa3ba6f402b33f7959635

Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Jenni “JWOWW” Farley are best known as MTV’s “Jersey Shore” superstars. Last night they were hosts at the premiere party for the fifth season of “Rupaul’s Drag Race”, taking place at Club XL in the heart of Times Square.

They were looking their finest last night when I introduced myself. Dressed like Hollywood Starlets they stole the show with their appearance. As we gathered together for our interview they thought they recognized me, to which I replied “Nope, first time for both”. Snooki replied- “You got a twin out there somewhere”. I don’t really know if there can be two Ryan Shea’s in this world, that might be too much for people to handle. This was a brief interview where we focused questions around hosting an event for the LGBT and how the LGBT cause rings true in their own lives.

It turns out JWOWW and I have more in common than our good looks and large breasts.
We are both from Long Island, JWOWW reps Franklin Square, I rep East Northport.

What is your favorite restaurant is on the island?
JWOWW replied “Easton”. Never heard of it before but thats not a surprise seeing as she is a Nassau County girl. JWOWW’s eyes lit up as I told her my restaurant, in all of the other hemisphere / Long Island, is “All American Burger” in Massapequa. JWOWW then informed me that “All American Burger” is both “the place you can get a to go burger” and simultaneously “get a white girl wasted”. I will remember that one girl!

“We just love that we are just so much more mature than a lot of people.”
Snooki replied, as I asked both girls if either were aware as to how famous they had gotten from the show. Jenni simply shook her head and said “No”. as Snooki continued “We get a lot of hate, and the fact that fans support us, look up to us and tell us that we don’t really care what people say about you makes us feel good.”

Snooki and JWOWW deal with bullying on daily basis.

They choose do continue being themselves because “their fans support them and because of who they are as women”.  They have been longtime supporters of the LGBT community but rose to prominence in this community after they posed for the cover of Next Magazine.

“We want to make this community acceptable around the world, not just in cities like New York and Los Angeles”. “We want to scream it through the rooftops that this is a great community, and you have to accept it”.

Snooki brought up some personal relationships, “I have three best friends I go to- Brad, Joey and Derrick. They are all gay and fabulous”. We then talk about how it’s essential to have a gay friend as we will tell you the outfit you are wearing doesn’t look great as opposed to you buying something and us lying to you about it. That’s what friends are for.

When I asked what their future plans are, JWOWW hopes for a season three of Snooki & JWOWW, where as Snooki simply says, “I want her to get pregnant” while looking at JWOWW.

As the briefinterview winded down I left with a positive impression of both ladies, that they genuinely had altruistic reasons to support at an event like this. They are using their celebrity for the better and I think they are doing a damn good job at it!

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, LIFESTYLE, TELEVISION, uncategorized Tagged With: all american burger, bullying, jersey shore, jwoww, long island, massapequa, rupaul, rupauls drag race, snooki

Primary Sidebar

Navigation

  • HOME
  • OPINION
    • REVIEWS
  • BUSINESS
  • LGBT
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • MOVIES
    • MUSIC
    • TELEVISION
    • THEATRE
  • LIFESTYLE
    • TRAVEL
    • FASHION
    • HEALTH
    • FOODIE
    • STYLE
  • POLITICS
  • SCIENCE
  • SPORTS
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • U.S.
    • NEW YORK

Footer

  • ADVERTISE
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • CAREERS
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • Home
  • Contact
  • Legal

Copyright © 2023 · ManhattanDigest.com is run by Fun & Joy, LLC an Ohio company · Log in

 

Loading Comments...