Say goodbye to the guido and guidettes of Jersey Shore. MTV announced that the show will conclude after it's upcoming season, which starts on Oct. 4.

At its height, the show drew more than 8 million viewers. According to a June report at nationalledger.com, the "stars" salaries are:

Snooki, Mike and Pauly are each paid $150,000 per episode, and every season has roughly 12 episodes, which gives them each an estimated grand total of $1.8 million dollars per season.

Those figures are a very big increase over their $10,000-per-episode take for Season 2 (premiering July 29) — and a huge increase over the $5,000-per-episode they earned in Season 1.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, JWoww earns a bit less and brings in about $100,000 per episode and Vinny Guadagnino makes $90,000 per.

Ronnie and Sammi each bring in about $80,000 per show installment, while newcomer Deena Cortese earns $40,000 an episode.

Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2011 yearly mean pay for a firefighter was $45,250. A family social worker: $44,410. An EMT: $34,030.

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I received an enormous press release today about the renovations going down at NoRTH Modern Italian Cuisine, which we mentioned yesterday. The gist of it is that NoRTH is getting a more casual feel - apparently the theme is "Tuscan farmhouse," which I can't quite wrap my head around - and a new menu.

And although it will still be called North, it looks like they might stop doing that weird thing where they leave the "o" in lowercase while capitalizing the rest of the name. Hallelujah!

I will post this behemoth of a press release here and you can peruse it at will. I started yawning after the third paragraph, but I'm sure fans of the restaurant will want to know all about it.

Tucson, Ariz. - August 30, 2012 - On September 4, NoRTH Modern Italian will temporarily close and emerge a few weeks later on September 19 as North Fattoria Italiana, complete with a new design, experience and menu — a modern take on a warm, friendly Tuscan farmhouse.

Fattoria means farm in Italian - a locale where food is handcrafted. “Made from scratch” is a main ingredient at North Fattoria Italiana, a theme abundantly found on the menu in savory pastas and pizzas — two cornerstones of the approachable menu.

Indie musicians and fans now have a new way of selling their merchandise: www.rekiosk.com. The site, described as an alternative distribution solution for independent creatives, launched last week.

Basically anyone can open a free account to sell music and books. You don't need to be a musician or writer, though. You can sell media from your favorite indie band or author.

Sale commissions are generous. Here's an explanation from the site:

We make sure that for every sale made on the site, the creator or their authorized agent always gets 70% of the sale price. But unlike other digital vendors out there, we let the user who made the sale collect the distribution commission — which is often as much as 25% of the sale price.

The site is also a social media platform where you can connect with other users with similar tastes. A "discover" tab allows you to view best sellers and search by category.

Check out how it works here.

Somewhere between passing an open-carry law and the failure of concealed carry on campus, Arizona suddenly came out on a national stage as one of the most gun-friendly states in the Union. This piece takes GQ correspondent Jeanne Marie Laskas to Sprauge's Sports in Yuma in a fascinating look at firearms dealers and our gun culture from an East Coast point of view.

From "Guns 'R Us":

"I didn't really want to buy an assault rifle, or even a handgun, but I was curious to know what buying one felt like, how the purchase worked, what-all was involved. Nobody in my circle back east had guns, nobody wanted them, and if anybody talked about them, it was in cartoon terms: Guns are bad things owned by bad people who want to do bad things. About the only time the people where I come from thought about guns was when something terrible happened. A lunatic sprays into a crowd and we have the same conversation we always have: those damn guns and those damn people who insist on having them.

I had come to Arizona, the most gun-friendly state, to listen to the conversation the rest of America was apparently having. One in three Americans owns a gun. About 59 million handguns, 46 million rifles, and 28 million shotguns—nearly 135 million new firearms for sale in the U.S. since 1986. We are the most heavily armed society in the world. If an armed citizenry is a piece of our national identity, how is it that I'd never even met it?"

Read the full story here.

In what starts out as a harsh (but fair) commentary on our fair pueblo's inundation of crap gift stores (Walgreens, I'm looking at you), Gizmodo writer and former Tucsonan Cord Jefferson lets both Tucson and Las Vegas have it in this story of his trip to ASD Las Vegas, one of the largest consumer trade shows in the world.

In nearly every corner store in Tucson, the thrifty shopper can find posters that read, "Arizona: It's a dry heat!" above a drawing of two skeletons roasting in a desert; keychains in the shape of saguaros; roadrunner magnets; and, for the true desert memorabilia connoisseur, a dreamcatcher adorned with a kokopelli, an American Indian fertility god that's about as prevalent in certain parts of the Southwest as meth.

For years and years in Tucson—and then after, in places like Key West, Honolulu, New York City, even Sarajevo—I have drowned in the mediocrity of so many tchotchkes, and wondered where they were born. From what warehouse in what ring of hell do ceramic dogs holding signs that say, "Wipe Yer Paws," originate? Or is it opposite: Does God make "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" t-shirts? I finally found out where the world gets all the garbage with which she fills her card shops and gift stores and gas-station toy racks. This stuff doesn't come from hell. It comes from somewhere innumerably worse: Vegas.

The whole story can be found here.

As part of my ongoing effort to make sure Tucson Weekly readers have the best Labor Day cookout/meal ever, I direct you to a series of wine tastings starting today, Thursday, Aug. 30, and ending Saturday, Sept. 1.

The action goes down from 4 to 8 p.m. at Cata Vinos at 3063 N. Alvernon Way. The focus will be on wines to complement the Labor Day repast. From the CataVinos website:

If you cant beat 'em join 'em is what they say. So it's hot. Instead of whipping yourself into a frenzy let's find a way to enjoy it all and this Labor Day Weekend. How about a BBQ with some big bold flavors and some wine to match? How about a relaxing stint at the patio and a refreshing wine to cool you down after a long day at work? Or hanging out with friends at the pool? Whatever you plan to do this holiday these wines are great crowd-pleasers and if not already some of your favorites they are poised to become your favorites for a long time to come. Chill out with us and enjoy some great wines that are designed for a Tucson BBQ.

The cost is $10, which buys you tastes of six wines. If you spend $10 on wine, the tasting is $8. If you buy a case, the tasting is free. More over here.

If you enjoy the Phoenix music scene and the bands that have come out of it in recent years (Jimmy Eat World and The Format stick out prominently in my mind) then you'll dig this mini-documentary from Sliding Door Productions about concert promotion company Stateside Presents and its founder Charlie Levy.

Bigger Than Sound from Sliding Door Productions on Vimeo.

If you've got 20 minutes, it's definitely worth the time.

A new restaurant called The Little Greek is open at 1101 N. Wilmot Road, in El Dorado Plaza. You can take a look at the menu right here.

It was a bit early when we called this morning for more details and nobody was in yet, but we did find this description on the restaurant's Facebook page:

John Kranis, restaurant owner and designer, with son, Ryan Kranis, senior manager/owner, are pleased to announce the reopening of the improved Little Greek restaurant located at the El Dorado Plaza on the northwest corner of Speedway and Wilmot. The Kranis's offer three generations of local restaurant history and experience and are excited to offer another creative restaurant to the community.

The president of the United States did what appears to have been a surprise AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on Reddit today, following in the illustrious footsteps of such luminaries as the Mars Curiosity Rover team, Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, Woody Harrelson, and someone who is currently passing a kidney stone.

Truth be told, it didn't seem like anything more than simple politicking. He didn't stray far from his usual platforms and didn't answer anything too weird, as Reddit can be known for.

He did make a point of answering a question about Internet freedom:

Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too. We will fight hard to make sure that the Internet remains the open forum for everybody—from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business. And although there will be occasional disagreements on the details of various legislative proposals, I won't stray from that principle—and it will be reflected in the platform.

If you want to read it for yourself, take a look here.

Just ... wow.

Watch at around the 1:20 mark, where Jan Brewer talks about who she hopes wins the presidency in November.

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