Paul DelVecchio -- otherwise known as Pauly D -- is leaving The Shore behind (for now) as he ventures to Vegas to follow his DJ dreams in the premiere of MTV's new "Jersey Shore" spinoff, "The Pauly D Project."
The series, which Pauly D compared to HBO's "Entourage," will mainly chronicle Pauly D's new venture as a celebrity DJ, travelling the world, spinning dance record after dance record and definitely misbehaving along the way. However, Pauly D is just excited that his fans will get to see a different side of him. "I'm pretty much just a small town dude from Rhode Island," Pauly D told HuffPost TV. "I'm excited to show the world this side of me and for everyone to see where I came from, and meet my friends and my family."
Of course, fans of "Jersey Shore" won't be disappointed in Pauly D's new venture because all of his signature Pauly D-isms -- "Cabs are here," "Yeah, buddy!" and "Oh yeah" -- are still in full effect.
"I've been talking like that my whole life," said Pauly D. "All of my friends talk the same way, so when we filmed 'Jersey Shore,' they just came out. I definitely brought it to The Shore, and now everyone talks like that."
The season premiere of "The Pauly D Project" follows Pauly D's audition to be the resident DJ at The Palms in Las Vegas, and while it's well-known that he landed the gig in the summer of 2011, now viewers will get to see Pauly D behind the scenes. Yes, the celebrity DJ still gets nervous for big gigs; yes, he's still on the hunt for D.T.F. (down to f---) girls; and yes, he still needs to get his G.T.L. (gym, tan, laundry) on.
You can take the boy out of The Shore, but you can't take The Shore out of the boy.
However, Pauly D takes his career as a DJ quite seriously, as HuffPost TV learned. When asked whether he would give up his life in front of the camera for a life behind the spin table, Pauly D said, "I really enjoy filming and television, but DJing is where my heart's at. I just love music, and I love to make people happy with my music. I've spent my whole life listening to music, in my car or in my room. I just love it."
So what's on Pauly D's setlist? "Rihanna, Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia and anything by Nicki Minaj," he said, before adding that Madonna's new album MDNA is "dope." He's currently working on his debut album, which will feature "The Pauly D Project's" opening track "Night of My Life."
Viewers also meet his entourage, which pretty must consists of his best friends from Rhode Island. There's Gerald "Big Jerry" Gialanella, his bodyguard; Ryan Labbe, Pauly D's "social director"; and Michael "Biggie" Morgan, Pauly D's road manager and DJ mentor.
Unfortunately for Biggie, he's also burdened with being the responsible one -- and the only one in a long-term relationship. "He's a great friend," said Pauly D. "But he's got it rough. Imagine being on the road with us, and he's the only one with a girlfriend? So it was really tough for him."
Just because Pauly D has a new entourage, doesn't mean that his "Jersey Shore" cast mate Vinny Guadagnino won't make an appearance on "The Pauly D Project."
"Vinny is a good friend of mine, and he's a part of my life right now, so we got him on the show," he said. And even though Pauly D acknowledges that fans want to see a spinoff starring him and his "dude" Vinny, there haven't been any official plans yet.
Filming may have wrapped on "The Pauly D Project," but Pauly D can still look forward to filming Season 6 of MTV's hit "Jersey Shore" this summer. Of course, this season will be a little different for the cast, as Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is currently pregnant, and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is currently in rehab.
"It's going to be different this year, for obvious reasons," said Pauly D. "But I'm excited. I'm happy for Snooki and the baby. I feel like we're all having this baby because she's a part of our family. And I hope that Mike can get well soon so that he can be a part of it this season."
"Jersey Shore" aside, Pauly D says his dream role actually lies on the West Coast. "I need to get on that 'Entourage' move," he said. "That would be huge."
"The Pauly D Project" premieres Thursday, March 29 at 10:30 p.m. ET on MTV.