Forget “Engaged and Underaged.” Hello, “Brooklyn.”
MTV, in a nod to the borough’s red-hot “cool” factor, is developing a reality show with local teenagers, to be dubbed, “Brooklyn.”
And, in a move as clever as a teenager’s deceit, MTV first leaked the news to students and teachers at Brooklyn Technical High School, in Fort Greene — where the network will stage casting calls.
“The premise is to paint an accurate picture for America of what life is like for the average Brooklyn high school student,” wrote Marc Williams, an English teacher, in the Brooklyn Tech student newspaper.
MTV told The Brooklyn Paper that it doesn’t comment on shows in development, but Marge Feinberg, spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Education, confirmed the news.
“[Brooklyn Tech] has allowed a partner of Russell Simmons, who is doing work for MTV, to use a room for a casting call for a reality TV show on Brooklyn, the borough,” said Feinberg.
But MTV may not have chosen wisely. Brooklyn Tech, on Fort Greene Place at Dekalb Avenue, is one of the city’s elite “specialized” high schools, with a student body gearing up for institutions like Harvard — not the schools of hard knocks that play so well on national television.
“No matter what the show is about, I’m wholly uninterested in it,” said Josh Margul, 17, who writes for the student newspaper.
“The people I’ve heard express interest in it are in drama and chorus. Until I know what MTV wants to get out of this, I wouldn’t throw my name into the ring.”
He’s not the only less-than-enthusiastic student.
“When I’ve had glimpses of things MTV’s done with high school students in the past, like ‘Laguna Beach,’ it seems like they’re trying to drag drama out of it…trying to manufacture a story,” said Alex Faust, 18, who heads up the school’s newspaper.
“I don’t know a lot of people who would be interested in [participating]. A lot of the parents would be uneasy about it, too.”
(For the record, neither Margul nor Faust could audition even if he wanted to — the casting call is limited to sophomores and juniors.)
And for parents worried about the prospect of their children humiliating themselves on MTV, Feinberg had some words of comfort.
“Parental permission will be required [to participate],” said Feinberg, adding, “We don’t allow filming during school hours.”
