newjerseynewsroom.com

BY LINDA MOSS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Five months ago, The Gatsby Salon was a local beauty parlor known mainly just to its clientele in central New Jersey. The mother-and-daughter team that owns and runs it didn't have fans Down Under. And the nasty feud between a big-haired blonde hairstylist and deeply tanned brunette makeup artist was a private matter.

But that all changed when a TV program called "Jerseylicious," set in The Gatsby, became The Style Network's most-watched new series. "Jerseylicious" was the latest in a string of Garden State-based reality TV hits, following in the footsteps of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" and MTV's "Jersey Shore."

The second season of "Jerseylicious" debuts tonight at a new time, 8 p.m., versus its former 10 p.m. slot. This 20-episode season will have a new young cast member, Daniella, who wasn't on board when the show's first season premiered March 21. In fact, she wasn't even born then.

Part of the plot line in Season 2 is the Aug. 14 birth of Daniella, the daughter of Gatsby manager Christy Pereira and her husband Danny. Now Peirera's mother, Gatsby owner Gayle Giacomo, has a grandchild.

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Flame-haired Giacomo viewed doing the "Jerseylicious" show as an opportunity to promote her salon, which had moved from one location on a strip mall on Route 22 in Green Brook, N.J, to a space a few doors down, and undergone a costly renovation.

Giacomo's gamble paid off.

"My life is totally changed: All for the good," she said.

"Jerseylicious" — which chronicles the business side of The Gatsby's relaunch as well as the lives and loves of its owners and its oft-times irascible, feuding employees — has succeeded in boosting business at the newly relocated salon, according to both Giacomo and Pereira.

"We've gotten a lot of new clientele, a lot of really nice clients, and a lot of them have become repeat clientele," Pereira said. "Our regular repeat clientele loves the show. It really ended up to be a fun, good experience. And I'm really happy that it got picked up for a second season and we got to enjoy the ride for a little bit longer."

"Jerseylicious" has also brought worldwide fame to Gatsby, its mother-and-daughter team, and ever-battling makeup artist Olivia Blois Sharpe and her nemesis, hairdresser Tracy DiMarco. DiMarco is dating Sharpe's ex-boyfriend, which caused quite a few shouting matches and angry blow-ups in Season One. And cast members, including DiMarco, said the tension won't ease off.

"There's more drama in this season than in any other show!" DiMarco said via e-mail. "I will finally be justified for why I'm always mad at Olivia! She is not a good person. She is manipulative, vindictive, sneaky and a compulsive liar! Don't let the dimples fool you!

Sharpe couldn't be reached for comment.

If you watched "Jerseylicious," you'd believe that every Jersey girl: shows off lots of cleavage; loves spandex and 8-inch heels; can't live without animal prints; believes the tighter and the shorter the better; and spends a fortune on eyeliner and acrylic nails each year.

That's a big element of the "docu-soap," a show that appeals to more than just Americans. "Jerseylicious" has a fan base that not only reaches across the United States but worldwide, attracting a big following in Australia, Pereira and Giacomo said.

"I get e-mails from people from Australia," Giacomo said. "I had a guy from Italy e-mail me in Italian, which I don't understand....I even met a girl yesterday who lives in New Jersey, but her friend in Scotland bought her a gift certificate (for The Gatsby)."

And the Gatsby women have achieved some celebrity status.