Some credit “Jersey Shore” with reviving MTV, a network that was trying to find its place in pop culture after “The Real World” ratings dwindled, “The Hills” came to an end, and music videos became an online, on-demand commodity.

But, it almost didn’t happen. The original concept for “Jersey Shore” was actually intended for VH1.

“When I applied for it, there was actually a VH1 application,” revealed Seaside Heights star Vinny Guadagnino. The Staten Island-born partier sat down with me at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT before signing copies of his new book, Control The Crazy: My Plan To Stop Stressing, Avoid Drama, and Maintain Inner Cool. “It was asking for ‘orange’ people that have really spike-y hair and big muscles and stuff.”

Offended that the casting directors thought all people who partied on the Shore looked like this, Guadagnino applied, despite lacking the tan, hair, and muscles. Producers loved him and the reality TV star was a part of the first show pilot, entitled “Guidos.” Initially, the plan was to take the “Flavor of Love” or “Rock of Love” dating competition model and apply it to Seaside Heights. But fearing that there was already too many shows similar on television, Viacom executives changed the concept to a more “Real World”-like model. Vinny was left, but some younger women, such as Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi were brought in. Suddenly, the show was more MTV friendly.

“You need diversity in the cast,” explained Guadagnino. “You need a spectrum from light to tan (laughing). That’s why you pick me, because people want to identify with different types of people. So if you had all the same cast member, it wouldn’t really be an entertaining show, right?”

Probably not, and perhaps the series would not be gearing up for its sixth season. Filming in “the house” begins this summer.

“When I first started, I didn’t know what I was walking in to,” Vinny recalled. “Now at least I know who is going to be there. I know that ‘Snooki’ is pregnant and Mike [‘The Situation’ Sorrentino] was just going through something so, I just know as much as you do. I’m just going to go there and make the best of it.”

That “something” Guadagnino referred to is probably the reports that “The Situation” found himself in rehab, allegedly over addictions to alcohol and prescription pills. The abuse of drugs is one of many lessons Vinny touches on in his new book, as he tries to help others cope with anxiety issues.

“Whenever Mike does something bad, he always comes to me,” Guadagnino said. “He’s like, ‘Vin, I’m gonna do something.’ And I’m like, ‘Alright…’ because he knows that I’m going to give him “the look” afterwards.”

As Vinny found himself needing help, he went to an on-set therapist, who he refers to in the book as “Dr. B.” But not even a professional could prevent the anxiety from getting the best of Guadagnino, and he reveals in the book that it was his personal struggle that led him to temporarily leave the show during season five.

“When it was happening to me, they really didn’t know what to do,” said Vinny, before revealing that his cast-mates offered him amongst other things, strippers, to help him out. Guadagnino appreciated the sentiment but declined. “Anything that ever happens to you can be looked at as a positive thing because the reason why I know all this stuff and I have a book and that I’m very knowledgeable in spirituality is because I’ve gone through it.”

As he said earlier in the interview when referring to himself, Guadagnino truly is the “Dalai Lama” of the house on “Jersey Shore.” If nothing else, he certainly adds to the cast a diversity that he credits with the show’s success.

On WBRE’s “PA Live!” for this week’s “The Ralphie Report,” I played Donnie Wahlberg’s response to the new surge of boy bands, talked about Fun.’s stance for LGBT rights, and highlighted the amazing efforts of students at Riverside High School, who started an online campaign surrounding a senior at the school who is battling cancer for his second time.

On WBRE’s “PA Live!” for this week’s “The Ralphie Report,” I played Paul Rodriguez’s comments on Kim Kardashian, talked about the recent indie-rock surge on “Glee,” and talked about an Entertainment Weekly interview with J.C. Chasez where he shot down an N’Sync reunion… again. It’s gonna be May!

On WBRE’s “PA Live!” for this week’s “The Ralphie Report,” I reported on The Ting Tings, emcee Hoodie Allen, and Nicki Minaj’s return to Twitter.

The Ting Tings are managed by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Jay is an artist who has managed to stay true to himself while maintaining relevancy. Jules de Martino and Katie White hope to do the same, and that alone could explain the four-year gap between the duo’s breakout debut We Started Nothing and its latest release, Sounds From Nowheresville.

“We have to tour this record for two years because of the time we took and probably the awkwardness that we behaved like almost to get it done,” White told me during my sit down with the English band. “We feel like we have something to say, which is [important] to us.”

The singer said she would have hated the alternative: to release an album that the band simply couldn’t or wouldn’t want to speak about.

“We wouldn’t have been able to tour,” she said. “We wouldn’t have been able to do interviews.”

Surely that thought crossed de Martino and White’s mind a few years ago. After a recording session in Berlin that yielded countless songs, the group played its record label 10 final tracks. Columbia executives were excited beyond belief; the duo was far from satisfied.

“We weren’t not feeling them because [Columbia] loved them,” White clarified of the songs. “We just felt like we had more to do really.”

A single from that session, “Hands,” would eventually make its way on to radio. The Calvin Harris-mixed track serves as the bridge between what was The Ting Tings’ first album, what could’ve been its sophomore LP, and what is Sounds From Nowheresville.

“We totally respect dance music and what it does,” de Martino noted. “What we didn’t want to do is just jump on a bandwagon of fads and trends.”

So the group took its rhythm-based, multi-instrumental act to Spain and wound up recording its second album amidst isolation.

“We started to realize we wanted to make a record that represented music how we listened to it,” de Martino explained. “We felt that this record we made represented a playlist of lots of different genres of music.”

But the playlist isn’t exactly on shuffle: there is cohesiveness to Sounds From Nowheresville. During the interview de Martino mentioned The Killers’ Hot Fuss and the rollercoaster of emotions and stories the album takes its listener on from start to finish. That idea is certainly mirrored in Sounds: the ride begins slowly with Silence, and seems to hit full steam by track three, the catchy in-your-face single “Give It Up.” Energy peaks two songs later in the defiant “Guggenheim.” From there, the tempo slows gradually to a near halting stop on the final track, “In Your Life.” Coincidentally enough, the group wrote that song in Berlin, and recorded it in one take.

“I really wanted to make [Katie’s singing ability] prominent on this album,” de Martino said. “So to contain it we felt well why not a nice way to end is rather than end on a big track, why don’t we just let the album live there in this space, so people can sort of reflect on it, and talk about it.”

The plan worked with me, as I asked the question de Martino hoped for: Why did you end the album on such a soft note? Thankfully for de Martino and White, neither will mind having that conversation for years to come.

My last day of co-hosting WBRE-TV’s “PA Live!” was Friday. Monica and I chatted with Life & Style Weekly‘s Juliet Izon and acting coach Penny Templeton, plus more seafood in the kitchen with Basso’s Restaurant.

I’m co-hosted WBRE-TV’s “PA Live!” all week with Monica Madeja. On Thursday’s show, I filed my Ralphie Report, interviewed local artist Dani-elle Kleha, and ate some excellent BBQ from Gerrity’s. Tough life, someone had to lead it.

I’m co-hosting WBRE-TV’s “PA Live!” all week with Monica Madeja. Wednesday’s show began on a difficult note, as we learned just minutes before air time that Dick Clark had passed. We also cooked seafood in the kitchen and spoke with Bargain Mom Jenna Urban.

I’m co-hosting WBRE-TV’s “PA Live!” all week with Monica Madeja. Tuesday’s show was a blast. I had the chance to host a “Trend Hungry Tuesday” segment on camera with our resident fashionista Jessie Holeva, we cooked shrimp soup in the kitchen, and had a little fun at Drew Speier’s expense…

How hands-on is Antonio “L.A.” Reid with the artists on Epic Records? In the case of “The X-Factor” finalist Chris Rene, very.

“It’s track by track,” Rene said of the Chairman and CEO of the label’s involvement with his forthcoming album. “It’s like, I’m not going to make a track that I’m not happy with or that I don’t think represents me fully. He wants the same thing.”

From a technical standpoint, the formula worked because Rene is only a track away from the LP’s completion. The singer believes the album does represent him as a whole, for both better and worse.

“It’s not just all going to be one thing,” Rene said of the song content. “It’s going to be a mixture of all kinds of different things… the highs and the lows.”

Rene has experienced both during his career, which started as a young teen. His path took a detour when he became a trash collector in his hometown of Santa Cruz, California. Then, he battled a drug addiction that landed him in rehab. But just 10 weeks after exiting the program, Rene found himself auditioning for a show that would yield his big break.

“It’s been a trip,” Rene said succinctly. “Going on to ‘The X-Factor,’ coming off, signing with Epic… it’s crazy, it’s a whole another life.”

The singer isn’t trying to exit stage right from the lifestyle anytime soon either – his track “Young Homie” is gaining traction and available on iTunes now, and his almost-finished album should drop before the end of the year.

By the way, Rene plans on keeping his personal lifestyle intact as well. His one-year sobriety anniversary is April 20.