The problem remains that legitimate theatrical and television production, such as Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order SVU etc will not come to NJ to shoot on a regular basis due to the lack of a film & television tax credit - such a tax credit program was not renewed in NJ and as a result all we are left with in many instances are these reality shows. The Fort Lee Film Commission continues to lobby our legislators to reinstitute the tax credit as it is the quickest way to get quality film / TV productions back in our state that will provide a real economic asset - all other corporations are eligible for this tax credit from the state except the industry that was born here - film. Again, New York State via Governor Cuomo has a tax credit for film and TV and as a result production is booming in NYC. With the proper tax incentive and perhaps some creative thinking via use of part of the American Dream Mall in the Meadowlands for a TV / Film production facility, we can create a climate that would lead to not only quality productions but quality industry jobs here in the birthplace of the American film industry, New Jersey.

Tom, that is why all the film and television production is jumping ship and swimming across the Hudson to NYC.Great move NJ !!!!

Exactly! So all we are left with is the dregs..the way to get quality production is not to pass laws against reality shows but to rather encourage this industry just like the state encourages every other industry.

And nothing of value was lost.

What we lost is jobs and a connection to our heritage as the state that gave birth to the American film industry - this issue isn't about a low rent reality show - it should be about bringing into the state high end television and film production that would economically benefit NJ, a state with an unemployment rate higher than the national average - lets speak to the point - this is an economic issue and right now New York is cleaning our clock.

Yet another dumb law chasing away the productive members of our society. Both parties are ruining our state! This dancer idiot needs to primaried next year and sent home.

I bet Snooki smells yucky.

There was a poll a few months ago about Snooki and JWow coming to Morristown for filming. The comments ranged from, "we don't want that trash here" to, "it would be great for business" (those are not exact quotes but you know what I mean).

I think Tom has great points but I don't view "reality" (yeah right) shows such as these as anything other than a voyeuristic society celebrating mediocrity at best.

A tax break for filming quality shows and movies would be wonderful. But I would relinquish the tax break if it meant that the Jersey Shore cast were filming next door to me or in my town.

New Jersey is a wonderful state with many wonderful people in it, but unfortunately a big part of our problem is that we really have people like the cast of the Jersey Shore here. Take our governor for example.

Let's get some REAL film and television production going on in NJ, NOT a Snook and Wow show.

Word on the street is that NBC is considering a new addition to the Law & Order franchise right here in NJ : Law & Order Montclair : Special Parking Unit

Why not just ban Snooki and the idiot housewife of wherever altogether.

While I believe that shows such as "The Jersey Shore," "The Snooki & JWoww Show," "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," and "The Soprano's" denigrate New Jersey and people of certain ethnic backagrounds; to chase the shows and their production companies out the state is economically counterproductive. We have chased away much of the manufacturing and industrial production from the state; let us hope that we can learn from history!

All this is going to do is just make it harder for film companies to film in NJ. Just another barrier to doing business in the State of NJ.

I remember under former Mayor Sharpe James Newark was a hot bed of TV and film activity. Even a house one block from me was used for a TV movie. Now under Mayor Cory Booker, it never happens - except for his publicity stunts activities.

Snookie is a piece of trash and so is everyone one of those "people" and i use the term loosely. Does everyone realize that these people arent from NJ, but people all over the country think that they are and take this as "normal jerseryians". They not only have given the rest of the country a dim whitted view of our state, they also portray italian people in a very stereotypical way that i find disgusting. Now snookie is reproducing??? Pass a law to ban that. WTF is wrong with society these days that people are idolizing them? Please stop the lunacy

The tax credit law would obviously benefit the state. How much more industry can we lose? Pharmaceuticals are almost gone, BASF, and the Nets! (the Brooklyn Nets just doesn't sound right.) But, then be prepared for the bad with the good. The state needs jobs! You could write restrictions into the law concerning those crap reality shows? But please don't call it the "Snookiville Law!" Please don't give the no-talent little witch anymore press!

Why is everyone dogging Snookie? Given the opportunity to be a television show (drama/reality) most would jump at the chance. Snookie is not the creator nor the producer of the shows. Get at MTV and leave Snooks alone.

She's on there because of her "personality!" That particular audience wouldn't watch the show if she were "Miss Goody-Two-Shoes!"

Interesting that most people seem to agree or disagree based on personal preference although there are a few posts above that aren't showing personal biases. But I don't see anyone questioning the validity of such a law.

Hopefully any such law will be challenged and found to violate the first amendment of our nation's constitution. I have heard elsewhere that this proposal would allow towns to require extra police etc. I would expect such public safety portions of this law would and should be upheld.

How would it violate the 1st amendment? It's not forbidding production of the show.
It's asking for reasonable conditions, ie: public safety; payment for cost of extra police, etc.

This proposed law is pure grandstanding - all NJ towns have the ability to control or prevent film / TV production already. In Fort Lee where we encourage film / TV production we still have a municipal ordinance re rules for said productions and all police are provided by the film crews directly re their hire of the borough's "off duty" police officers so this doesn't cost any towns any money as the crews pay off duty officers for security / street officers etc. The real problem remains that without a tax credit for film & TV production in NJ we cannot attract high end prestige TV and film production - so if any politican wants to do the right thing it would be to restore the state tax credit for film & TV prduction in the state where the American film industry was born.

And then there are the "unintended consquences" such as crowds. Business is booming at the Cake Boss...and to what benefit of Hoboken. There is no sales tax, business tax or any other way the town gets a share of all the dough Buddy is raking in. But the town does get crowds, tour buses and maybe some parking fees/tickets.

The benefit goes to the businesses in these towns and believe me most productions are not intrusive. For example, a large production like Law & Order SVU has great location and crew professionals that make these shoots very non-intrusive. We have huge traffic jams due to more and more development and malls - mall jobs mostly pay minimum wage - if we encourage film and TV production and eventually have studios set up shop in NJ the jobs in that industry, film & TV, will be high paying jobs. And why is the state offering tax credits to every industry except the one industry born in NJ - film?????

I think the state should give tax credits to the film industry. As far as extra traffic, crowds, etc.---have you tried going to the shore during the summer?! NJ is in a perpetual state of road construction so we should be used to delays & detours. Going to a mall on a Sat. Is a day-long drill. A film production company, even if it's temporary, would bring revenue to its location. The associated people are going to spend money in the town--food, gas, hotels, etc. They would have to obey local laws & ordinances, get permits, pay for security. NJ needs to get in on this, especially with so many companies leaving the state. (As for the film industry having been "born" in NJ, due to Mr. Edison's being a resident, it did not grow up here; Hollywood has been raising it since WWI.)

Actuallythe Ameircan film industry did grow up in NJ - Mr. Edison did create the industry and built in 1893 the first American film studio - but by 1908 the whole concept of a "film town" was born in Fort Lee NJ - DW Griffith from 1908-1912 shot much of his Biograph exteriors in Fort Lee with his cameraman Billy Bitzer and his stock company of players that included Lionel Barrymore, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Donald Crisp, Mack S ennett, Mabel Normand and others. Carl Laemmle shot his first fiilm here (Coytesville, NJ) in 1909, Hiawatha, and in 1912 he bought the Champion Studio here and founded Universal Studio - in 1914 he built one of the largest studios in the world on Fort Lee's Main Street for Universal and after Universal moved to California in 1915 they still retained ownership of that studio until 1930 and leased it to other film pioneers including Sam Goldwyn and Lewis Selznick.

Fort Lee became the first American film town and for a time more film was produced here than anywhere else in the US - in 1912 the first woman director in cinema history, Alice Guy Blache built her Solax Studio in Fort Lee and here she produced, wrote and directed hundreds of films. Of course Hollywood by World War I and after became the center of film production in the world BUT let us not discount that NJ saw the birth of the American film industry and had the first American film town within its borders. See Rutgers University professor of film Richard Koszarski's 2004 book "Fort Lee the Film Town" or view the first 2 parts of TCM's groundbreaking documentary on the American film industry "Moguls and Movie Stars" as this info is repeated in both the book and the doc.

I know all that. I'm not disputing it was born here, but It's been growing up in Hollywood for over 90 yrs. They've been hosting the Oscars in LA since 1929, not Fort Lee. I'm just saying the state should make it easy for it to come back!

The purpose of this history of the film industry is hopefully to educate people who don't know this history - obviously you do - and I totally agree with you re making it easier for the industry to come back...the shame is that most leaders on both sides of the aisle have no knowledge of this history - frankly we as a state would have been much better off had our leaders scrapped the America Dream aka Xanadu mega mall in the Meadowlands and instead fostered the creation of the largest Film / TV production sound stage in the north east combined with an aggressive tax credit program and then you would see great activity come back to NJ re film / TV production with all the added benefits to many, many NJ communities and job creation within this industry. And the location of such a facility in close proximity to both the NFL stadium and the nearby Newark Arena would have created great synergy. But alas we are left with yet another mall,

I think snookie is another way to make fun of New Jersey and Italians. I don't like it.
But each to his own.

Surprise! I totally agree with you, Tom. But sadly, after the fact is too late to enlighten the "leaders."
And "Xanadu" is ridiculous. Somebody's getting bucks out of that....

Liberty, leaders are not enlightened with ideas but with money. Tom has some great ideas but maybe not the money to enlighten our leadership or, if he has the money also has the integrity not to use it that way.

It was not that long ago that the late, lamented Celeste Holm worked tirelessly as head of the NJ Film Commission to bring quality film production to NJ. I remember Vincent Gardenia filming near my house at Our Lady of Sorrows, and Zach Braf filming Garden State at Columbia. Bring it back!!!!!

This law would outlive the reality show(s) as we know it today.....things like Snookie and Jersey Shore will slowly fade away with viewer interest. And having a restriction law within NJ will scare away future film projects and local business revenue.
It's always nice / fun to see NJ locations used in movies and TV shows......if this law goes into effect say goodby to new productions leaving us to say "Thank God for reruns"

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