“Lindsay Lohan Wannabe” Snooki Hit with $500 Fine

"Jersey Shore" actress was annoying beachgoers before July arrest

"Jersey Shore" star Snooki was back in front of the cameras - appearing in a New Jersey courtroom where a judge accused her of "acting like a Lindsay Lohan wannabe" when she was busted in July for disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance.

The diminutive MTV star, whose real name is Nicole Polizzi, 22, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in the incident, stemming from a July arrest in Seaside Heights. Before fining her $500 and giving her two days' community service, Seaside Heights Judge Damien Murray wondered aloud if Snooki's actions were scripted and she was "trading your dignity for a paycheck."

"You seem to be acting like a Lindsay Lohan wannabe," he said, calling he actions "rude and self-indulgent."

Snooki, who could have gotten as much as 90 days in jail, said she was sorry and vowed to stay out of trouble, at least off camera.

"I would definitely like to apologize to anyone who was hurt," she said. "When I saw what happened and everyone told me what happened, I was very embarrassed. I've never been in this situation before, and I'm very sorry."

Her attorney acknowledged that Snooki had been drinking and was shooting scenes for the show when she tripped some beachgoers. Earlier, she had been seen drinking heavily and falling off a bicycle. Initially after being arrested, Polizzi told MTV News she was “too pretty” for jail and did not understand why “people are taking it so seriously.”

"Jersey Shore," in its second season, is a wildly popular cable reality TV program that follows the exploits of a pack of 20-somethings living at a beach house. In seasons one and the not-yet-aired season three, the crew lived in Seaside Heights. Season two had them in Miami Beach.

The show has offended Italian-American groups, but its popularity is so big even President Obama made reference to Snooki in a punchline at the White House Press Correspondents Dinner earlier this year. But in an appearance on ABC's "The View" July 29, Obama backtracked: "I don't know who that is," he said when the ladies brought her name up.

Selected Reading: MTV, The Associated Press, New York Post.

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