We've had Elaine Bramhall on Wife Swap. We've had Anwar on American Idol. Now meet the latest local victim to be fed to the Reality TV lions: Vinnie Tunnero, owner of So Cal Studio and Salon in Verona, who swapped lives with a posh Boca Rato hairstylist for a hair stylist swap show called "Split Ends," which premieres on the Style Network this month.
But, woh horsie, if we're used to being the suburban sophisticates in swap TV, think again. In this press release, Verona is portrayed as a distinctly downscale burg with a blue collar vibe:
Meet Vinnie, a twenty-nine year old, macho bad boy who likes to party. His home base, Verona, New Jersey is where Livia's (Tony's Mother) house in the Sopranos is filmed. His staff has a kind of gothic, Harley style, who "had lots of tattoos and pierced just about everything as far as I could tell," says Jody [Jack, co-owner of Salon Oasis in Boca Raton].
Salon Oasis, on the other hand, has white sheer curtains that flutter from a two-story height and serves its clients mimosas on silver trays.
No wonder Jody missed home so much. At So Cal Salon---a work in progress-- she found herself discarding towels, trying to keep clients out of the drips of an air conditioner leak, and spackling and repainting the walls herself. She says she tried to manage with grace and charm in an environment to which she was unaccustomed, but as the camera crew video taped from dawn through the night, we'll know what really happened come November.
To make matters worse, Vinnie took all his haircutting tools with him to Florida, not even leaving Jody a pair of scissors.
But imagine our haughty hair-oine when she had to take over Vinnie's night-job, deejaying at Red Cheetah in Montclair.
When she's at home, Jody is what one might call a health nut. She eats healthy, exercises, takes vitamins and does not drink alcohol well. Much to her dismay, Vinnie is a radio personality who MCs and deejays a couple of nights a week at a Red Cheetah Dance Club in Montclair, NJ. Jody consumed a few shots and went on the air (103.5 KTU) for about a ½ hour to be a good sport. Instead of the booze helping her to garner the courage to emulate Vinnie's dancing energetic performance on stage, Jody landed (not too gingerly) on her tush, as she went to step off the stage after the show.
We can't even imagine how she dealt with the plastic cups. Tune in Friday, Nov. 24 at 9 pm on the Style Network.
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Comments (18)
Professional haridressers are supposed to carry their own set of hairstyling tools.
Verona is portrayed as a distinctly downscale burg with a blue collar vibe
I don't see where in that press release it directly implicates the Town of Verona with its description of So Cal Studio & Salon.
Is anyone else getting tired of this formula of "reality television" (swap polar opposite personalities/families and watch what happens)?
Here's a "swap" show I'd like to see:
"Red State/Blue State" Have a liberal from Marin County, CA, or right here in Baristaville trade places with an arch conservative from maybe Salt Lake City or Texas for a week. Let the fireworks begin...
maybe the babe from CA ain't a professional
There certainly is a lot of worthless crap on TV.
Here's an idea...
As for the "red state/blue state"..
The FX Show "30 days" has done a few interesting shows along this line:
http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/30days/
They made a "minuteman" who "protects" the borders live with an illegal alien family for 30 days.
They had an atheist live with an evangelical christian family.
That had a pro-life activist work at a "pro-life" pregnancy home.
I'd like to have a camera on Lasermike as he listens to the Rush Limbaugh for a week.
I'd like to have a video camera on you when you run out of beer and the bars are closed!
I bet we'd learn new curse words.
I know Vinnie from his old salon (Vincent Dennis in Little Falls, now called Shag). He is a great kid and a talented stylist but a MAJOR Drama Queen. A world-class shouter. Thanks for the heads up. This should make for some interesting albeit dysfunctional tv.
SoCal is across the street from Contessa Designs. I understand the Contessa is making an appearance is this reality spot, and gives Jody (the Botox Boca Babe) the business, in his sophisticated way of course...
so i could park my black Ford Crown Victoria (license plate ending 227p) illegally directly in front of the Cozy End Monday about 1:30 p.m. so I could enjoy a leisurely lunch while two elderly people waited for the rain to abate and they could walk to their legally parked car far, far away.
Vinnie colored and blew out my hair yesterday. It has never looked so good or felt so soft. He has the touch and I LOVED the show -I thought he was very funny.
I'm originally from Verona now living in Los Angeles for the past 20+ years. Whenever I go back to visit I am amazed at how "Sopranos" my hometown really is. All street smart and no sophistication. Vinnie is the perfect composite of MANY guys I grew up with. Very "fahgeddaboutit".
I'm originally from Verona now living in Los Angeles for the past 20+ years. Whenever I go back to visit I am amazed at how "Sopranos" my hometown really is. All street smart and no sophistication. Vinnie is the perfect composite of MANY guys I grew up with. Very "fahgeddaboutit".
I'm originally from Verona now living in Los Angeles for the past 20+ years. Whenever I go back to visit I am amazed at how "Sopranos" my hometown really is. All street smart and no sophistication. Vinnie is the perfect composite of MANY guys I grew up with. Very "fahgeddaboutit".
I'm originally from Verona now living in Los Angeles for the past 20+ years. Whenever I go back to visit I am amazed at how "Sopranos" my hometown really is. All street smart and no sophistication. Vinnie is the perfect composite of MANY guys I grew up with. Very "fahgeddaboutit".
I'm originally from Verona now living in Los Angeles for the past 20+ years. Whenever I go back to visit I am amazed at how "Sopranos" my hometown really is. All street smart and no sophistication. Vinnie is the perfect composite of MANY guys I grew up with. Very "fahgeddaboutit".
I'm originally from Verona now living in Los Angeles for the past 20+ years. Whenever I go back to visit I am amazed at how "Sopranos" my hometown really is. All street smart and no sophistication. Vinnie is the perfect composite of MANY guys I grew up with. Very "fahgeddaboutit".