Because the only way to make gripping television this year involves ripping off Jersey Shore, a Canadian production company is already at work on Lake Shore. Producers want “eight vibrant and volatile 20-something Torontonians from different backgrounds, cultures and sexual orientations,” and they let web visitors vote on who to add to the cast. One of those possibilities is Salem Moussallam, a stylist and designer, dubbed “The Lebanese” in his audition video. He’s a homosexual, surprise!
Salem is apparently BFFs with Lady Gaga and Missy Elliot, because they once wore his clothes, and he wants to be on Lake Shore not to party and get wasted, but to teach viewers … values.
The casting judges wanted to know about Salem’s sexual “preference” (that dreaded word!), but he refused to budge. Except the world already knows: Xtra notes a 2005 fab profile spilled the secrets:
Salem’s system, whether shopping for himself or for a client, is first to determine a total gift budget, and then to break that down into an amount for each gift. For Salem, category A, the bigger-ticket items, are for his family, while category B, the smaller share of the budget, is divided among friends. Where does a boyfriend fall in this scheme? “It depends,” Salem replies. “Depends if you consider him A, family; or B, just a fuck.” Leaving holiday shopping till the last minute, Salem admonishes, is not the most cost-efficient plan. “All the mainstream labels, you can get at a fraction,” he says, by shopping at sample sales where designers sell overstock of their product to retail stores. Many well-known labels have their Canadian head offices in the Dufferin/Lawrence area; giving your email or mailing address when you shop at retail stores gets you on the list for those companies’ one-day sales.
[…] While Salem would spoil a boyfriend “like crazy” with gifts, he makes clear that it’s not the price tag that gives a gift meaning. He cites a friend who knew that Salem was longing for a pair of shoes. The friend didn’t have the budget for them, so he bought Salem a tiny charm in the shape of a shoe to wear on his bracelet. “It’s always the thought that counts,” says Salem, shrugging at the truth in the adage.
Is the appropriate thing to say here … “Good luck”?
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Ken S
GODDAMMIT!! “A Canadian Jersey Shore?” Why the fuck are we trying to emulate that shit??
Salem- sweetie- if you want to “bring values” to television? You should have walked in there with a stick of dynamite and blown the people behind it to kingdom-come before it could even writhe out of the stale, fetid twat of pre-production. Another lame ‘reality show’ (a misnomer, of course, since they exhausted their tolerance for the ‘reality’ of mundane, unscripted humanity about 15 mins after Survivor first launched) that glamourizes celebrity-seeking little idiots and encourages them to behave badly to trump up ‘drama’/ratings is the LAST thing that television needs. These shows bring out the worst in their participants, they dumb down the public, and by slavishly repeating what was profitable last season ad nauseum they smother industry creativity like it’s a baby girl in China. Grrrr >:-/
jason
Being gay isn’t a sexual preference, it’s a sexual orientation. If these Canadian dumbtards can’t understand the difference, they truly are retrograde Neanderthals.
To all Canadians, let me say this: sexual preference is whether you prefer bald men, hairy men, fat men etc etc.
Will
@jason: Jason, are you really comparing all Canadian’s to one casting agent for a low-budget version of Jersey Shore? Having lived in both Canada and the United States I have to say the Neanderthals are the ones that want to beat you up because you are gay, not the ones that mix up their wording.
Soupy
There are hundreds of casting agents in Toronto. It’s second only to L.A. You take the work that you can get.
Soupy
And trust me when I say that our “dumbtards” have nothing on those south of the 49th.
WTF?
What is that thing with the sunglasses and mullet/died blonde/hair and purple barney the dinosaur suit? I wonder what “its” sexual preference is………
rj
Good grief, Canada. Stick to maple syrup and lumberjacks. Let America take care of the entertainment.
Soupy
Check out the list of Canadian actors/singers/writers that are successful in your country. We can always call them home.
Jack E. Jett
@jason: Canada seems to have it’s shit together a lot more than the United Fucking States at this moment in time.
You are calling them Neanderthals on a night that our country elected a bunch of dumb fucking hick tea baggers as potential executives of our country. One who doesn’t even think people should masturbate. A country that took the world into a war that was useless and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands.
And Canada is neanderthal because of a possible casting choice for a dumb fucking show that started here?
MONTREAL
u are a fucking idiot..go suck ur dads cock and shut the fuck up u american bitch.. u want me to slap u around come pay me a visit asshole
kenny
They seem nice all of them.Canadians are literally some of the nicest people you could ever meet. I cant stand Jersey Shore only reason id watch this show is because of Salem hes a cutie 🙂
kenny
Earth to morons who thumbed me down I never said I WAS GOING TO WATCH THIS SHIT.Hell no I have better taste silly me complimenting some other guy because I find him cute omfg i should die for that ! Morons. Not to mention the people commenting here have every damn right to retaliate with the hateful comments towards Canadanians ive noticed here.