She's probably not going for her South Park character though.
Bumpit? It's as good as Prince, right?
Nicole Polizzi, also known as the character Snooki on MTV reality show Jersey Shore, is nixing her nickname. "I miss my real name," the 23-year-old tells the Associated Press. "I miss people calling me Nicole."
The pseudo star's currently in a transition phase, as both names appear on the cover of her novel A Shore Thing (recently reviewed by CultureMap's Sarah Rufca). This isn't the first time a celebrity has attempted to rebrand with a new name — just look at Sean Combs or the artist formerly known as Prince. But her birth name is a bit bland for the fun-loving character, so we've culled a list of potential new nicknames for Ms. Polizzi.
1. Pickles: When a preferred snack becomes a primary personality trait, you're just asking to take it on as a nickname. Dressing up as a pickle for Halloween sealed the deal on this one.
2. Bumpit: The reality star's now-iconic updo has potential as a real-life ad integration campaign for the "As Seen on TV" classic.
3. Smoosh: It's classier and more melodic than going by "slut." But only slightly.
4. Cuffs: It's a cute reference to this summer's drunken arrest. Snooki seems like the type to bring out the cuffs in the bedroom too, in that powerful Italian mama way.
5. Snook Mama: Speaking of Italian matriarchs, this pet name lends a feminine appeal to the hip hop original. Likely to be bud JWoww's favorite.
What do you think Snooki should go by in the future?
There have been a number of films in the past decade or so that have confronted police brutality and/or corruption, detailing both fictional and real-life events. The seriousness of the topic has mostly kept stories confined strictly to the drama category, but the new film Rebel Ridgedares to take things into the action/thriller genre while still remaining thoughtful about the larger subject at hand.
As the film begins, Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) is traveling by bicycle down a country road when he is followed and then crashed into by a police cruiser. Over his objections, the two officers conduct a search of his backpack, where they find a large amount of cash that Terry was going to use to bail his cousin out of jail. Without due cause, the cops confiscate the money and leave Terry to fend for himself.
While clearly upset about his mistreatment and the injustice heaped upon him, Terry continues to try work within the system to get his cousin released, only to be stymied at every turn. Left with no other option, Terry decides to confront the small-town police department, led by Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson). His background in the Marines, especially a certain set of skills he learned there, make him a formidable threat, even in the face of a group of highly-armed men.
Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room), the film is striking in how calm Terry remains, even when he decides to resort to violent means. In his multiple interactions with the police in the first half of the film, he remains in control of his emotions at all times, refusing to give the cops any extra reason to take their anger out on him. This behavior rings true to life, a subtle but strong commentary on the expectations put on Black people in such situations.
With a low-but-pulsating score and a carefully-crafted building of tension, Saulnier gives the audience permission to want to see Terry enact his revenge on the cops. And yet, the film is far from exploitative. At the same time as he’s growing angrier by the minute with the police, he’s working with Summer McBride (AnnaSophia Robb), a court employee, to free his cousin legally. The combination of the two storylines works well, especially when the story takes a turn in the final act.
Saulnier is careful to keep the action in the film relatively realistic. While there are some moments when Terry shows extraordinary abilities, they make sense given the character’s training and never turn him into an unstoppable superhero. Even more pointed is how Terry eschews the use of guns. There are multiple times when picking up a gun is an option, and yet he picks something else every time, a moral code not often seen in films such as these.
Pierre proves to be the perfect actor for this particular role. While he’s big enough to be intimidating and has eyes that seem to pierce the soul, it’s the level-headed demeanor that he brings to the role that makes it a great performance. Johnson has just the right amount of charisma and malevolence for his part, and Robb shows a maturity that may signal the start of the next phase of her career.
Rebel Ridge plays with ideas formed from real life and similar movies to become a stirring film that hits almost all the right notes. It doesn’t necessarily have any answers for the systemic problems it includes in its story, but the righteous anger it provokes make it highly memorable.
Snooki doesn't want to be Snooki anymore.
Just call her ... Nicole.
She's probably not going for her South Park character though.
Bumpit? It's as good as Prince, right?
