'Barbers' rap makes the cut on MTV's 'Shop'"

[bigted]

Barbers' rap makes

the cut on MTV's 'Shop'

From l., Bobby, Teddy, producer Cory Rooney, Deb, Van, Pop and Tim

THE SHOP. Tonight at 10:30, MTV.

There's a lot of promise in MTV's new reality show "The Shop."

It's just not delivered in the first episode.

"The Shop" is set in Mr. Rooney's Barbershop in Queens, and revolves around a group of barbers and their customers. Mr. Rooney, in this case, is Cory Rooney, a record producer who pops in sometimes, along with real-life music acts such as rapper Tony Yayo and R&B star Chris Brown. Sean "Diddy" Combs, Busta Rhymes and Bobby Brown will visit in future episodes.

"A lot of stars come through here," says Rooney at the top of the show. "If it ain't jumpin' off here, it ain't jumpin' off nowhere."

Yet, it's not the stars that will make or break this show. In fact, they get in the way.

The real barbers are ones to watch and their ongoing banter is what makes the show fun. That back-and-forth ranges from who's supposed to be sweeping the floor, to what they wear, to girlfriends, to music videos and performers.

It's a real view into a slice of life displayed before in two "Barbershop" movies starring, among others, Cedric the Entertainer and Ice Cube.

"I want to know what happened to Dave Chappelle," inquires one barber.

"He might not want to be funny anymore," says another. "Y'all don't know the things they go through."

"I want that problem," adds another, "I want to say 'There's too many girls dancing, I can't take it.'"

Another riff is on how a barber named Van, described as the rebel of the bunch, refuses to wear a barber coat like the others.

"If you want them to respect you as a professional," Rooney tells Van, "you've got to carry yourself as a professional."

That, of course, sets them off.

"You don't see the dude in McDonald's making a hamburger in his wife-beater [T-shirt]," shouts one.

"If a bus driver pulls up and opens the door, and he's got on a throwback [jersey] and Tims [boots]," Rooney says. "You gonna get on that bus?"

Says another: "I'm gonna get on that bus, it's a project bus."

It's at precisely those moments that the potential of "The Shop" comes shining through. The talk is fast and furious, with the barbers joking, and jockeying to score with funny lines on everyday issues.

And that's what needs to be exploited in upcoming episodes.

The make-or-break factor for any reality show is whether the audience connects with and cares about the cast. That's true for every show - ranging from "Survivor" to "Laguna Beach." Based on the first installment, there are glimpses of the barber's personalities, though not enough to guarantee the audience is involved.

If anything, the celebrity cuts take away from the real stars of the show. When a celebrity is in the chair, the focus is on them, rather than the barbers, and that's too bad.

There is one funny celebrity moment, though, that felt real. While Chris Brown is getting his hair cut, Van holds up a copy of Vibe magazine with Brown on the cover.

"Chris, why you look darker here?" Van says. "Is it makeup or something?"

"Why you hating," Brown asks, as the room busts out laughing.

He's laughing, too.

It make take a few episodes for this series to jell, but based on the first one, it's worth a return trip for a second look.