Who knew there was so much to say about Staten Island. Slate writer Jonah Weiner has written a breathless piece on The Island of Self-Identifying Guidos — tying it all together with three central characters: Angelina, Vinny and The Situation. That's right, three Jersey Shore cast members are, unsurprisingly, from there (if you can even count Angelina, who left the show early due to a sudden case of being terrible). The author notes that while Staten Island can be a historical haven for mobsters, "it is best known today as Planet Guido," and nothing we've seen on the big or small screen has done anything to negate that image. While other boroughs can lure city folk to their far-off corners, Staten Island has had less success — being "politically, culturally, and sociologically the strangest bedfellow in the city's ménage à cinq." But who's to blame — has pop culture single-handedly created the stigma the island can't seem to shake? [via Curbed] more ›

MTV is readying to roll out their latest reality show, Jersey Shore, with promos already airing that describe their latest round of reality robots as keeping "their hair high, their muscles juiced and their fists pumping all summer long!" They also depict their Italian-American beach-going stars as the "hottest, tannest, craziest Guidos." more ›

Yesterday during Belmar, NJ Mayor Ken Pringle's tour of Staten Island, the NY Post sent a reporter dressed as a guido to confront him. The mayor was in Staten Island for a photo op tour in an attempt to smooth relations over with the borough after a stir arose around comments he made in a newsletter about guidos and "over-bleached blondes" from Staten Island who visit the Jersey Shore town throughout the summer. more ›