Snooki

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Snooki
Snooki in Chicago adj.jpg
Polizzi attending a party in Chicago in October 2010
Born Nicole Elizabeth Polizzi
(1987-11-23) November 23, 1987 (age 25)
Santiago, Chile
Residence Marlboro, New York, U.S.
Education Marlboro High School
Occupation Television personality
Years active 2009–present
Known for Jersey Shore
Partner(s) Jionni LaValle[1]
Children Lorenzo LaValle (born 2012)
Website
snookienicole.com

Nicole Elizabeth "Snooki" Polizzi (born November 23, 1987)[2][3] is an American reality television personality who is best known for being a cast member of the MTV reality show Jersey Shore and currently stars in Snooki & JWoww. Since the show's debut in 2009, Polizzi has gained popularity by appearing on talks shows including The View, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Show with David Letterman and The Wendy Williams Show, as well as the wrestling program WWE Raw. She is also one of the highest paid reality stars, earning $150,000 per episode as of season five.[4]

Contents

Personal life

Polizzi was born in Santiago, Chile.[5] She was adopted when she was six months old and was raised by Italian American parents.[6] Her father is a volunteer firefighter and auto-salvage supervisor and her mother is an office manager.[7] Polizzi received her nickname, Snooki, in middle school when her friends named her after "Snookie", a male character in Save the Last Dance, because she was the first of her friends to kiss a boy.[8] She grew up and attended school in Marlboro, New York, where she was a cheerleader.[5] During high school, she suffered from an eating disorder, at one point weighing 80 pounds (36 kg).[9] Polizzi attended community college after graduating from Marlboro High School, where she studied to become a veterinary technician.[5]

In March 2012, Polizzi announced her engagement to Jionni LaValle.[1][10] Polizzi gave birth to the couple's first child, Lorenzo Dominic LaValle, on August 26, 2012.[11]

Polizzi lives in Marlboro, New York.[5] She identifies as bisexual.[12][13]

Polizzi took to the front page of the March 2013 issue of Us Weekly, claiming to have lost 42 pounds post pregnancy.[14]

Career

Reality television

MTV first introduced Polizzi in Is She Really Going Out with Him?,[15] a show that focused on women dating obnoxious or arrogant men. Polizzi and her boyfriend, Justin, appeared in episode 14, "Jerz Pud".[16]

Polizzi at James Madison University, 2010

Polizzi became part of the reality TV series Jersey Shore after being scouted by the casting director, Josh Allouche, an employee of Doron Ofir Casting. The New York Times identified her as "the breakout member of the cast".[5] According to The New York Times, her actions on the show have caused her to be the target of public disdain while having a "strange appeal".[5] One reported measure of her appeal was that she was one of the most popular celebrity Halloween costumes of 2010.[17] Polizzi's popularity on the first season of Jersey Shore, which earned her $5,000 per episode, now earns her $30,000 per episode. While shooting in Seaside Heights, Polizzi was punched in the face by New York City school gym teacher Brad Ferro.[18][19] The punch, while shown in previews, was blacked out during showings of the episode. Videos of the punch went viral on YouTube and were featured in many news media. After the punch was made public, Polizzi's appearance fees increased from $2,000 per event to $10,000 per event.[3]

In 2011 Polizzi and her Jersey Shore costar, Jennifer Farley, signed a contract to star in a 12-episode spin-off show, Snooki & JWoww, which premiered on MTV in 2012. The first season followed Polizzi and Farley moving in together,[20][21] and they describe their show like a modern-day Laverne & Shirley.[22] 495 Productions filmed the first season over the course of six weeks at a former two-story firehouse located near Grove and Mercer Streets in Jersey City, New Jersey.[23] The second season relocated to the stars' actual permanent residences and began airing on January 8, 2013. This season had an expanded one-hour episode format. The March 2012 confirmation of Polizzi's pregnancy gave cause to speculate as to how the creative direction of her spinoff would be affected, as she would be unable to engage in the "hard-partying, booze-swilling" antics that had previously garnered high ratings for MTV.[24][25][26][27]

Other television appearances

Polizzi was a presenter at the 2010 CMT Music Awards.[28] On July 27, 2010, the cast of Jersey Shore appeared at the New York Stock Exchange and Polizzi rang the opening bell.[29] Polizzi and the cast of Jersey Shore appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.[30] Polizzi also appeared on TLC's Cake Boss episode "Snookie, Super Anthony & a Ship" on November 8, 2010, in which she orders a cake for her mom. On November 7, 2010, Polizzi appeared at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid, Spain. She was subsequently parodied in the South Park episode "It's a Jersey Thing", and is frequently parodied on Saturday Night Live by actor Bobby Moynihan.[episode needed] She also hosted the New Year's Eve special MTV's Club New Year's Eve 2013 with Jwoww and Jeff Dye on December 31, 2012 from Times Square to ring in 2013.

Polizzi made an appearance on the March 14, 2011 episode of WWE Raw, where she got into a brawl with LayCool, which led to the formation of a six-person Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania XXVII. Polizzi and her partners Trish Stratus and John Morrison won the match.[31] On December 12, 2011 on WWE RAW she was awarded the WWE 2011 A-Lister of the Year Slammy Award which she accepted via satellite.

Other ventures

In January 2011, Polizzi's book, A Shore Thing, was released: it described her search for love on the boardwalk.[32] Despite a promotional campaign that included appearances by Polizzi on The View, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the Late Show with David Letterman, the book was not a sales success, selling approximately 9,000 copies within its first month of release, during which it accumulated 16 one-star customer reviews on Amazon.com. One publishing executive said that the book sold poorly because "rather than a tell-all, it was disguised as a novel."[33][34]

In April 2011, Polizzi was paid $32,000 to speak at Rutgers University. Topics she spoke about included what it’s like being a celebrity, and also what she thinks is important in school, including the advice "Study hard, but party harder". Some students complained the school's money would've been better used on speakers other than Polizzi. Rutgers spokesman Steve Manas responded that the extension of the invitation to Polizzi was the result of canvassing by students who indicated who they wanted to invite. Over 1,000 people attended Polizzi's engagement.[35]

On October 25, 2011, Polizzi's second novel, Confessions of a Guidette was released with Gallery Books. The novel was marketed as a part-memoir, part-guide of how to "rock it Jersey-style."

Polizzi's third novel, Gorilla Beach will be released on May 15, 2012. The novel is a sequel to Polizzi's first novel, A Shore Thing.

In February 2013, Polizzi sold her customized 2011 Cadillac Escalade EXT on eBay for $77,510, earning her $15,000 more than what a standard 2011 Escalade EXT with similar mileage would cost. The pickup truck was customized with hot-pink grilles, wheels and badges, wrapped in black vinyl lizard skin, and leopard-print floor mats.[36]

Film career

Polizzi and some of her Jersey Shore co-stars appeared as themselves in the 2012 comedy The Three Stooges.[37]

Legal troubles

On July 30, 2010, Polizzi was arrested in Seaside Heights, New Jersey for disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and criminal annoyance of others. In a September 8 plea bargain in which the latter two charges were dropped, Judge Damian G. Murray sentenced her to a $500 fine and community service. In handing down the sentence, he characterized Polizzi as "a Lindsay Lohan wannabe".[38] Her arrest was taped during production of season three of Jersey Shore.

On May 31, 2011 in Florence, Italy, Polizzi was briefly taken into custody by local police after the car she was driving collided with a parked traffic police car. According to Italian police, Polizzi was cited and released. Two police officers sustained minor injuries.[39]

In late 2011, she sued SRG Ventures, a licensing company she had signed with a year earlier to bring out Snooki-branded merchandise such as watches, shoes, lingerie and school supplies, for breach of contract. She alleged the company had failed to adequately seek such licensing opportunities. The company countersued, alleging she and her manager had undermined its efforts by negotiating directly with manufacturers and delaying their decisions.[40]

Team Snooki Boxing

Gnome globe current event.svg
 This section is outdated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2012)

In January 2012, Polizzi's newly created Team Snooki Boxing co-promoted a cooperative venture with Final Round Promotions, a boxing card at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, featuring Irish featherweight boxer Patrick Hyland fighting and winning in the main event before a capacity crowd.

Patrick Hyland's two brothers Eddie and Paul, also boxers, appeared in preliminary bouts. The event attracted considerable publicity in the boxing press.[41] Team Snooki's next boxing card will be in May 2012 in Poughkeepsie, New York.

References

  1. ^ a b "Snooki: Yes, I'm Pregnant and Engaged!". Us Weekly. March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012. 
  2. ^ "Larger than life Snooki wears a rather unflattering feather dress to her birthday party". Daily Mail. November 23, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2011. "The reality star, who actually turns 23 on Tuesday [Nov. 23, 2010] ..." 
  3. ^ a b "Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi's Biography". PopEater. AOL. Archived from the original on October 17, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2010. 
  4. ^ "Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi Net Worth". Celebrity Net Worth. Retrieved April 23, 2012. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f Horyn, Cathy (July 23, 2010). "Snooki's Time". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2011. 
  6. ^ "'Jersey Shore' Stars All Full-Fledged Italian? Fuggedaboutit!". Access Hollywood. NBCNewYork.com. February 17, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2011. 
  7. ^ Erik Hedegaard (March 17, 2011). "Snooki!". Rolling Stone. 
  8. ^ "Snooki". How Vogue likes them. Vogue.it. Retrieved 3 April 2012. 
  9. ^ Pepey, Tracy (January 20, 2010). "Snooki of 'Jersey Shore' Battled an Eating Disorder". iVillage. Retrieved March 7, 2011. 
  10. ^ "Snooki's fiancee and is pregnant". E! Online. 8 March 2012. 
  11. ^ "Snooki Gives Birth to a Boy". People. 26 August 2012. 
  12. ^ Michelson, Noah (February 7, 2012). "The Jersey Shore's Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi And Jennifer 'JWoww' Farley Discuss Sexuality, Feminism, And More". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 8, 2012. 
  13. ^ "Snooki: I Would Consider Myself Bisexual". toofab. February 7, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2012. 
  14. ^ "'Jersey Shore' star Snooki loses 42 pounds, poses in bikini post baby". 
  15. ^ "Snooki: Before She Was on Jersey Shore!". US magazine. January 11, 2010. Retrieved November 27, 2010. 
  16. ^ "MTV's Is She Really Going Out With Him? Ep.14, Jerz Pud". MTV.com. July 7, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2010. 
  17. ^ Ward, Michelle (October 29, 2010). "Lady Gaga and Snooki Are Top Bestselling Celebrity Costumes". People magazine. Retrieved November 11, 2010. 
  18. ^ Jackson, Joe (December 11, 2009). "Nicole (Snooki) Polizzi, MTV 'Jersey Shore' cast member, punched by Queens teacher Brad Ferro: cops". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 1, 2011. 
  19. ^ ""Jersey Shore" Punch Thrown By Brad Ferro, Queens Teacher (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. December 11, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2011. 
  20. ^ "MTV ANNOUNCES TWO "JERSEY SHORE" SPINOFFS" (Press release). MTV. April 7, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011. 
  21. ^ "PHOTOS: Snooki, JWoww move into old Jersey City firehouse for 'Jersey Shore' spinoff". NJ.com. February 26, 2012.
  22. ^ "Snooki, JWoww: 'Jersey Shore' spinoff will be a modern-day 'Laverne & Shirley'". Fox News. February 8, 2012. 
  23. ^ Huff, Richard (February 8, 2012). "MTV’s JWoww and Snooki spin into Jersey City after being kicked to the curb in Hoboken". Daily News.
  24. ^ "Snooki confirms pregnancy, first thought was 'I've been drinking'". New York Post. March 7, 2012
  25. ^ "Snooki lied — she’s preggers". New York Post. February 29, 2012
  26. ^ Collins, Scott. (February 29, 2012). "Snooki pregnancy reports cloud MTV 'Jersey Shore' spinoff". Los Angeles Times.
  27. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (March 1, 2012). "Snooki Pregnancy Rumors Continue To Swirl". MTV.
  28. ^ Gilbert, Calvin (June 9, 2010). "News: It's Carrie Underwood's Night at the 2010 CMT Music Awards". CMT. Retrieved November 27, 2010. 
  29. ^ Lee, Joyce (July 27, 2010). "'Jersey Shore' Cast Rings Opening Bell at New York Stock Exchange". CBS News. Retrieved March 7, 2011. 
  30. ^ "Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi: Biography, Latest News & Videos". TVGuide.com. September 9, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2011. 
  31. ^ "SNOOKI IS RAW". 
  32. ^ Rosenthal, Phil (October 3, 2010). "Literary world snookered by glitterati authors". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 15, 2010. 
  33. ^ Halperin, Shirley. "Despite Media Blitz, Snooki's 'Shore Thing' Fails to Sell", The Hollywood Reporter, January 27, 2011
  34. ^ Friedman, Megan. "Shocker: Snooki Book Not A Shore Thing in Sales", Time magazine, January 29, 2011
  35. ^ Saad, Nardine (April 1, 2011). "Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi talks at Rutgers for $32,000 about what it takes to be Snooki". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 9, 2012
  36. ^ "Snooki sells pink-on-black Cadillac for Jersey-quality payday". Yahoo! Auto. Motoramic. Retrieved 26 February 2013. 
  37. ^ Bustos, Kristina (December 7, 2011). "'Jersey Shore' stars, Sofia Vergara in new 'Three Stooges' trailer". Digital Spy.
  38. ^ Parry, Wayne (September 8, 2010). "MTV's 'Snooki' fined $500 for bothering beachgoers". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved March 7, 2011. 
  39. ^ Lu, Anne (May 31, 2011). "MTV's Snooki crashes into police patrol car in Florence, Causes traffic jam". AHN. All Headline News. Retrieved May 31, 2011. 
  40. ^ Hyman, Vicki. "'Jersey Shore': Snooki countersued for $7 million by licensing company". 
  41. ^ http://www.saddoboxing.com/18091-irish-patrick-hyland-goes-to-25-0-at-resorts.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nicole Polizzi
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