http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100...ation+here
We've got a Situation here
At 10 p.m. Tuesday night, as he dropped the needle on Tiffany’s rendition of “I Think We’re Alone Now,” the DJ made the announcement that those souls gathered at BlackFinn were waiting to hear: the guest of honor would be arriving in 45 minutes.
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And as sure as the sun will rise upon the shores of New Jersey, in walked Mike Sorrentino at 10:45. Yes, everyone say it together – we had a situation.
Sorrentino, better known by his nickname “The Situation,” made a paid appearance at the downtown bar, capitalizing on his newfound fame as the most polarizing member of the ensemble cast of MTV’s hit reality series “Jersey Shore.”
• Photos: "The Situation" visits Blackfinn
BlackFinn charged a $5 cover (or $10 for women ages 18-20) and drew a crowd of about 800. There seemed to be three camps of ladies who came to catch a glimpse of Sorrentino, who’s portrayed as a tireless womanizer on the TV show. Some touted his hotness. Others believed the opposite to be true. And some said he’s the embodiment of the good-time, fist-pumping, clubbing lifestyle.
For his part, the “Sitch” was rather low-key. He wore a baseball cap with the bill pulled over his eyes and spent his three-plus appearance hours in a roped-off corner in the back of the club or in the kitchen taking breaks. Patrons swarmed to the New Yorker whenever he walked to and from the kitchen and crowded around the velvet rope when he sat and drank with those lucky enough to keep him company.
Sorrentino eased into the DJ booth on a couple of occasions as if he were Pauly D. He spun Jay-Z’s “On to the Next One” – East Coast represent! – and then got on the microphone.
“I do about four cities a week, and even on a snowy Tuesday, Cincinnati shut it down,” Sorrentino said. “If you know how to fist pump, then fist pump!”
Billy Sarge of Alexandria called himself a BlackFinn regular but noted that Sorrentino’s appearance made the night special. “I just wanted to see how live it’d be,” he said. “He’s a celebrity. To be on MTV is a big deal.”
Though Sarge wasn’t the only man paying his respects – several others snapped cell phone shots of the Situation just like the women did – it felt more like ladies’ night.
When asked what drew her to BlackFinn, Nicole Stone of Clifton replied, “I just love the show, and I want to meet him in person.” And if she were to meet the Situation? “Hopefully I’d kiss him,” she said.
Friends Emily Heiser, Bansi Vallabh and Kelly Cocanougher weren’t so smitten with Sorrentino.
“I got out early for work, and I wanted to see how ridiculously girls would be dressed,” said Heiser of Over-the-Rhine.
“He’s nasty,” said Vallabh, who lives downtown. “He’s slept with a multitude of women on the show.”
Cocanougher of Mt. Adams was not as scornful. Instead, she was there to pay tribute to Sorrentino’s signature dance maneuver, the fist pump. She described Sorrentino’s method, perhaps with a measure of sarcasm: “You start from the floor, you feel the beat, and you let it take over,” she said.
There was no doubting the sincerity of Keena Colada and Lindsay McFarland, both of Amelia. Each wore a pair of what they called booty shorts with the words “I love the Situation” inscribed on the backside.
“We’re Italian, and we love to fist pump, because we’re hip-hop dancers,” Colada explained.
McFarland corrected her on one point. “I’m not Italian,” she said.
Speaking of Italian-Americans, the talk of a protest outside the bar didn’t come to be. The cold and snowy weather could have been the reason for the no-show. Boycotters have targeted “Jersey Shore,” which has been criticized for portraying Italian-American stereotypes and using derogatory terms.