Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Mob Wives: Does Boxing Reduce Aggression?

Drita trying to control anger and aggressive tendencies with boxing.


Today’s blog is a lesson in psychology, based on studies, that have focused on whether or not boxing reduces anger and aggression. I researched this primarily because, after taking boxing lessons, Drita still let the first punch fly at Renee’s party. It aroused my curiosity as to whether or not the premise, that boxing would help reduce aggression, was in fact true. What I found out may be helpful to Drita, who now has to answer her daughter’s question about her “fighting history.” I, myself, have suggested anger management, as a solution to her problem, in several blogs. However, as sincere as I am in my wanting to help, I am sure no one has passed my suggestion along to Drita. But Drita needs to know and she, herself, asked on the show, "What do I do?"

I have an answer that may help.

What does the research show? Does letting off steam in the ring help one manage anger and aggression? Well, as I suspected, it showed that boxing, a highly physical contact sport, does not help to reduce aggression. An interesting experiment was conducted in 1999 by Brad Bushman, Roy Baumeister, and Angela Stack and written up in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.  In the experiment, people were manipulated into getting angry. The participants were told to write essays about a sensitive topic which would then be critiqued by others in the group. The feedback was controlled by the experimenter, who assigned very poor comments to the essays to make people upset. The group was then divided into two groups; one who was allowed to punch a punching bag for two minutes and the other group, who did nothing. Afterwards, all the participants had to play a game against an opponent in which they could punish the opponent with blasts of noise. The volume of the noise and the length that it lasted, was used to measure the amount of aggression. They were trying to see if the group that was allowed to punch the punching bag would have less aggression than the group that was not given that opportunity. They found that the results were the opposite of what they expected. The group that was allowed to release their anger on the punching bag actually showed more aggression than those who did not. They determined that punching a punching bag actually reinforces anger and aggression, not reduce it. They recommended that people who are angry, actually go sit alone and meditate to calm themselves down rather than try to vent their anger in an aggressive way.

Hopefully, at some point, Drita will consider an option other than boxing to managing her anger; one that might actually have a positive effect on her behavior. Anger management techniques are known to work; mediation and yoga may be helpful; high level exercise such as running, walking, weight lifting; and various other methods to relieve tension.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Mob Wives: Pretty On The Outside!



I came across a website, "Pretty On The Outside," a while back, because it was recommended by one of our readers. The artist, David Gilmore, started doing caricatures of Big Ang and she thought we would be interested, and I was. I love caricatures. The artwork is fantastic and I have gone back often to check on his new additions. He actually has drawn portraits of many of the real housewives plus many celebrities and you can purchase originals or prints from him, if you like. So far, he has focused only on Big Ang, from Mob Wives. I would personally love to see his interpretation of all of the others mob wives too. I will have links to his blog, where you can view David's artwork and his Etsy store. He also has a facebook page you may want to "like" to keep up with his latest work.



I wrote to David Gilmore to ask him if it would be ok with him for me to blog about him and asked his for a brief biography so we could learn something about him. He was more than happy to have us display his work and he provided me with this short bio. David says:

I started my blog at the end of 2006 and my intention was to gently (and at times not so gently) poke fun at pop culture figures with my caricatures.  In 2007 I stumbled across a little show called The Real Housewives of Orange County and as Vicki Gunvalson was airing some dull grievance about a fellow cast mate during one of those confessional interview scenes, I hit pause on my tivo, did a quick pen sketch, and then posted it on my site.  I've drawn the women (and some of their husbands) from all of the Real Housewives show in that same manner as well as other reality tv shows.  Thanks to Mob Wives, I now have a new muse--- Big Ang.  To me, she the ultimate reality tv character and I'm enjoying trying to capture her larger than life-ness.  Someone even tattooed my first Big Ang illustration on their body which is beyond wild to me.  I owe Big Ang a thank card for being my new inspiration.  :)


David's latest piece, Big Ang as Marilyn Monroe, from the cover of Next magazine


Please check out David's site if you are a fan of Big Ang or the many other Real Housewives. I think you will fall in love with his work and I predict you will go back time and time again! He is one very talented artist!


David's Blog: Pretty On The Outside Blog
David's Etsy Store: David Gimore's Etsy Store

Monday, February 27, 2012

Celebrity Apprentice: Victoria and Teresa Round 2



The very beginning of the show starts with the end of last week’s show, with Victoria coming out of the board room narrowly escaping being fired. Lisa is scared that Victoria will kill her in her sleep for mentioning the fact that she made personal phone calls while she was supposed to be working. She apologizes. Victoria replies it’s going to be tough to work together if they are going to turn on each other, but she is ready---bring it on!

Now let the games begin. Literally! This week’s task is for each group to create a 15 minute show for Medieval Times and it will be judged by the audience on creativity and entertainment value. I have been to Medieval Times and it can be quite an experience. The outside looks like a castle. Inside, they serve dinner while they have knights jousting on horses, horse tricks and various other types of medieval entertainment. The teams need to pick their project managers and get started. The men’s team, Unanimous,  picks Penn Jillette. The women’s team, Forte, picks Lisa Lampanelli. The project manager of the winning team will walk away with $40,000 for their charity.

Keep in mind I am only concentrating on Victoria and Teresa, if you want a complete recap of the show this is not it, but there are plenty online.

Lisa comes up with the idea of doing something current in a medieval setting. She decides, since they are performing in New Jersey, to do a parody or spoof of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. The idea translates into The Unreal Housewives of Camelot fighting for the love and affection of Sir Donald of Trump, king or knight of Camelot, played by Lisa Lampanelli herself.

Dayana asks if there will be a lot of children the audience because she isn’t sure this idea will appeal to them. Lisa basically tells her to shut up and wear her nude leotard, ride in on a horse and look pretty…like Lady Godiva. That’s all she is good for. Neither Teresa nor Victoria have anything to say. To be honest, Lisa doesn’t want to hear from anyone but Aubrey, who becomes her second in command.

Lisa is excited about doing a clean and funny show. She assigns the roles to the women. She wants to use each individual’s specific talents appropriately. She decides to give Victoria the hardest job of creative director working with the lights and sounds. Victoria isn’t happy and says, “Why don’t you just put me in the closet?” She feels left out and that everyone has a role except her.

Victoria proves to be a whiner not a winner!

It’s time to pick out the costumes for the various roles. Everyone is excited and it gets a little noisy, Lisa loses her patience because people are interrupting her. She acts like a tyrant. Teresa’s role is the table flipping housewife (apparently there was a famous scene in RHONJ where she flipped a table). They (Lisa and Aubrey) feel this is a great idea because they are playing to the NJ crowd with a popular show they can relate to. Teresa has to work hard to learn her lines, she is used to reality television where you say whatever comes to mind. One of her lines is “Bring it on wench!” 

Lisa is writing the script and Don Jr. shows up. She asks if his father will mind if she plays him with a wig. He thinks it will be funny and she can’t get fired for that, the audience picks the winner. Don Jr. also likes their concept. Lisa mentions the tension with Victoria and tells him she doesn’t think being stage director is important. She sent her shopping to get her out of the way. 

All the women are practicing their sword fighting. They look to Victoria for instruction on how they should “act.” Victoria backs away from being stage director, she isn’t comfortable with the role. So, they tell her to take a sword and fight. Victoria is swinging her sword all the while she is wearing her Louis Vuitton bag! No one is happy about that. So then they move Victoria into doing some research with Lisa. They need to look up medieval words to use in the script. Lisa almost has a stroke! Instead of googling “medieval” which is right on the stationery in front of her, Victoria is typing in mid-evil into the search bar. Lisa is pissed because Victoria can’t even look at the paper in front of her. 

Victoria whines that she isn’t happy, she feels left out of the task, unacknowledged and invisible. Lisa tells her she has the most important role. Victoria seems to come around.

Dress Rehearsal! Victoria seems to take control in the sound room. Lisa starts to feel a little confident. However, Victoria doesn’t have the updated script so the lights and sounds are not happening when they are supposed to! Lisa is pissed again.

Show Time! The men perform first, under the leadership of Penn Jillette, and seem to do well. The next performance is by the women. Problems from the get go!

Teresa proves to be a winner!

Victoria is in charge of lighting and sound, however, when King Lisa/Donald comes out on stage there is supposed to be a trumpet flourishing his entrance…there was none, so Lisa had to use her voice to create the trumpet sound! The fighting begins for Sir Donald’s love. Teresa and another wench sword fight and Teresa wins the battle. She asks if she has done enough to win his heart. The Donald says, “You’re fired!” Teresa gets angry and flips over a table. When both shows are over the crowd votes for their favorite team.

Back at the boardroom, Donald begins his interrogation. He asks Victoria about Lisa. She says Lisa was a strict project manager, a good leader, but Donald senses some hesitation. Lisa explains that there was some tension between them from the start when she assigned the roles and Victoria felt that stage director was not important and that she was pushed aside. Teresa played a housewife and says she was challenged because it was so different from reality tv, but she was able to use her emotions from RHONJ to “act” in the show.

Donald wants to know from Lisa, who she would bring back to the board room. She chooses Victoria and Dayana. Victoria because she threatened to quit the team and go to the men’s team, she didn’t want her assigned role to be stage director and Lisa said she felt she was emotionally left out and she didn’t have time to “mother” her.

Lisa says she picked Dayana because she didn’t contribute anything except for being pretty on a horse (however, that is exactly what Lisa told Dayana that was all she wanted her to do). Dayana says that she was never allowed to voice her opinion, though she tried several times to make suggestions.

The VOTES are in and the men win it, 558 to the women’s 363. Now the men can go relax while the women trash each other in the boardroom. 

Lisa begins listings all of Victoria’s shortcomings: the missed cues, the inability to google, the threatening to quit. Victoria says she did a lot to work with the team. Apparently, all the work Victoria did with the costumes went unacknowledged or filmed, but Dayana agreed with her. Victoria thinks Lisa should be fired.

Both Victoria and Lisa breakdown crying in front of Donald, out of frustration. But, Donald has to make a decision. He decides that due to the missed cues and the fact that Victoria even thought about quitting the team, leaves him no choice but to tell her “You’re fired!”

An unhappy, fired Victoria

I am very disappointed and happy at the same time. I feel let down because this is not at all how I thought this was going to go. I was sure Victoria had the stuff to get ahead and succeed and she was going to leave Teresa in the dust. But, it turned out to be just the opposite. We have a TKO! Technical Knockout for Victoria and Teresa is still left standing without a mark on her. Not one complaint about Teresa in two weeks while Victoria had a laundry list full of issues. 

I am happy because now that Victoria is out, I will not be blogging this show any more. It was a lot of work because it is on the same night as Mob Wives, and my loyalty is to that show first and foremost. I thought this would be an interesting competition to blog, but I sure as hell didn’t see this ending coming, and not so soon. Maybe I underestimated the real housewives OR Victoria Gotti is not the badass mob wife I expected her to be. She whined and complained and didn’t rise to the occasion. Teresa, on the other hand, played her cards smart. She was quiet and unassuming and did what she was asked with a pleasant attitude. Even though I didn’t hear or see much of her, whatever she did kept her off the chopping block and everyone loves her and that is one sure fire way to get ahead.

Kudos to Teresa Giudice! TKO in Round 2 of Celebrity Apprentice! Congratulations and I wish you much success throughout the rest of the game!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Mob Wives: Karen, Ramona & Geraldo!



Our Mob Wives do get around quite a bit and it’s hard, even sitting at home on the computer, to keep up with all of them. This morning I find out, for the first time that Karen and Ramona paid a visit to Geraldo Rivera. Now I was never a fan of Geraldo, especially after he drew the map in the sand, while on air in Iraq, showing where our troops would be located. However, I am a fan of Karen and Ramona and found this interview interesting.

After a little clip of Geraldo bothering John Gotti and being chased away, and more clips from Mob Wives, out come Karen and Ramona. As Geraldo introduces Karen, he says her father Sammy was a mass murderer and then says Ramona is the granddaughter of Lefty Ruggiero, who killed EVEN MORE people than Sammy…Ramona get a very surprised expression on her face. I don’t think either of them were expecting such a brutal intro. Then Geraldo begins by reading a quote from Karen’s book, and he says that Karen seemed more upset about Sammy turning informant than she was about his involvement with 19 murders. Karen explains she felt betrayed because her father was going against everything she ever knew and was taught. 

A very surprised Ramona!


Then he asks Ramona if she ever discussed what grandpa did for a living and if she saw the movie? Ramona says she saw the movie, but as far as her grandfather was concerned, he was never convicted of anything, everything he was accused of doing was “alleged.” He never confessed to anything, it was just what they said he did. Geraldo says he knows what alleged means but he was under the impression that “Lefty” confessed to 26 murders. Ramona says “My grandfather? No.” Geraldo says that is what he is alleged to having committed. Ramona responds that he never confessed to it and it was never proven, so he took it to his grave. Ramona says she celebrates her grandfather and the love the gave her. What he did outside the home really wasn’t her business. She only knew him as her grandfather and what he did was never discussed.

Karen answers tough questions without flinching!

Back to Karen, Geraldo wants to know how men dated her knowing her father, Sammy, was so connected. She says her boyfriends were probably a little nervous dating her and they were very respectful. But, she adds, if they ever did anything to hurt her, he would deal with them as a “father” not as Sammy the Bull Gravano, the gangster.

Geraldo wants to know how real is Mob Wives? Ramona says the fights are real, and she and Karen are equal when it comes to fighting. She says others on the show aren’t real, but they are real, maybe too real for tv. He asks if that’s because their dads were real mobsters and theirs are wannabes? Ramona and Karen laugh before answering. And then Karen says an emphatic “yes.” Ramona says they aren’t acting for television, they are being themselves, but a lot of people get behind that green screen (the confessional) and become green screen gangsters. Geraldo asks Karen if reality is real. She says “Yes it is real.”  Karen says the show brought her back to something she is trying to move past. Geraldo brings up her book, Mob Daughter. 

Unfortunately the video would not allow me to post it here but do watch it, it's one good interview! 

Link to video: Geraldo Grills Karen and Ramona

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Mob Wives: Big Ang & Wendy Do Thelma and Louise!



Big Ang and Wendy re-enact the end of Thelma and Louise in this hilarious clip! I think Big Ang makes anything she is in a comedy! Now that I saw the end with her playing "Louise" I would love to see her re-enact the entire movie. Had to watch it twice before I could tear myself away to bring it here to the blog! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. I am still wiping the tears from my eyes so I can see enough to type.




Picture and Video Credit: The Wendy Williams Show

Monday, February 20, 2012

Celebrity Apprentice: Victoria and Teresa Round 1

Let the games begin!


Well last night was the premiere of Celebrity Apprentice. I watched it just to follow Victoria Gotti and Teresa Giudice! Mob Wife versus Real Housewife, New York versus New Jersey. I am going to assess their contributions in the competition and at the end tell you who I think won round 1, although it might be obvious!

First a few details. There are 18 people competing this season, now 17. It’s set up as the men versus the women. Each group has to pick a project manager and a team name and then meet Donald in the board room for their task. On the women’s team, Teresa suggests an Italian name, “Vincitori” which means winners. No one likes it. Lisa Lampanelli suggests “Forte” another Italian word that means strong or strength, everyone loves it. Then they need a project manager and Patricia Velasquez volunteers. I was disappointed that neither Victoria or Teresa stepped up to throw their hat in the ring. I have to wonder why?

Off to the board room to meet Donald. The task is to make celebrity sandwiches and the project manager whose team makes the most money plus tips will get all the money made in this task from both teams, for their charity. The losing team loses a member.

Now they split up and the women have to decide what they are going to do next. Patricia suggests a carnival and Victoria says you need a permit in New York for that or the police will shut you down and that theme has nothing to do with sandwiches. Lisa Lampanelli says she will not disrespect Victoria, no matter what she says or does, because she has mob connections. They decide to create a Celebrity Club Room at a deli and the most recognizable person should be outside to draw a crowd to send in to buy sandwiches. That job falls on Teresa Giudice. Everyone calls up friends to donate money, however, they are all holding back because they want to save their calls for help for when they are project manager in the future.


They have lots to say, but do they deliver the goods?


At Café Metro, in the VIP lounge, the Celebrity Club room is set up. Teresa is in the kitchen making her secret recipe of red roasted peppers. While Victoria Gotti has not shown up for her team and isn’t answering her phone. I heard she slept in late, but later she claims that she had an accident with her eye and her cornea or retina was torn. I am not believing that, sorry. I want to see a doctor’s note. Everyone is a little ticked off at Victoria. A customer comes in saying he will pay $10,000 for a vegan sandwich. They have none, but Victoria quickly whips one up for $10,000 for him. No one gives her any credit for that. I thought she deserves some and that it made up for her being an hour late.

Next part of the task involves each team taking their best sandwich over to the Rachael Ray show for her to taste and pick a winner. The winning sandwich will get a bonus of $35,000. Lisa and Victoria show up with their Celebrity Club International Sandwich. However, the men’s team wins the challenge, according to Rachael.

Time to see who earned the most money. The women’s team earned a total of $126,962; the men’s team earned $332,120 plus the $35,000 bonus, bringing them up to $367,120. The men win, but it disturbs me and the women’s team too, that they got $305,000 just from one person. It’s doesn’t seem fair, but those are the rules.

Patricia has to decide which women were the weakest links on the team. She picks Cheryl Tiegs because she says she didn’t bring in any money; Cheryl disagrees. And she picks Victoria Gotti (as did a few others on the team), for not being a team player, showing up late and not answering her calls. No one said a word about firing Teresa at all. Lisa added that Victoria was heard making personal phone calls while she was supposed to be working. It’s time for Patricia to make a decision. She decides Cheryl is the weakest player and I agree. 

Whose team are you on? So far I'm losing!!!

Victoria came dangerously close to being fired on day one! No one complained at all about Teresa Giudice. Therefore, I have to say that Round 1 goes to Teresa, and Victoria comes out on the losing end. Very disappointed in Victoria Gotti. We’ll see if she bounces back next week. 

Mob Wives: Recap “Mob Daughters” Ep 207

Little Louie steals the show! (for Mob Mistress, ugh!)


At the boxing studio, Drita shows up for more lessons. She tells the instructor she got into a fight at a birthday party. She is on a mission to control her anger and she also needs not to be around “douche bags.” She tells the story of how, when she was 5 years old, her parents sent her to school with a crew cut, blue dress and earrings and set her up to be abused. The instructor teaches Drita some boxing techniques and he thinks she is doing well. Drita blames her anger on Karen and Ramona.

Karen and Ramona meet for dinner and to discuss Ramona’s meeting with Carla. It went well. Ramona says that Drita told Carla things to turn Carla against Ramona. Ramona says she and Carla can build their own friendship. They both agree that Carla is loyal by sticking by Drita and they like that about her. They feel Drita is jealous and is poisoning Carla’s mind against them. Ramona says, “No Drita, no Drama.”

Drita's not happy Carla met with and made up with Ramona!

Vesuvio restaurant, Carla meets with Drita to tell her about her meeting with Ramona. Carla wants Drita to eat first so as not to get upset, but then she tells her about the meeting and Drita is shocked. Carla says Drita is her best friend and she was honest with Ramona. Carla told her she thought she was a troublemaker based on what she heard. Ramona told her she thought that Drita was molding her mind. Ramona says everyone in Staten Island knows the truth, only Carla doesn’t know the history because she came from Brooklyn and wasn’t around to see it. She is the only one Drita can tell her lies to. Drita says Ramona is a manipulator and she thinks it’s sick that she is interfering with her friendship with Carla.

At the pup Hollywood store, Big Ang enters with her 5 month old puppy, Louie, a Pomeranian. She wants to buy him a nice coat. The wise guys used to buy her everything. She couldn’t even get the last guy she dated, a real weirdo, to buy her a f*ckin’ puppy, she had to buy him herself. Little Louie is very spoiled.

Karen gets good advice about how to handle difficult questions.

Karen goes to see Patricia Stark to prepare for her media interviews about her book. Patricia mentions “hot button” topics, things she doesn’t want to answer. Karen says her father was involved with 19 murders and there are some things that are sensitive subjects. In one interview Karen recalls the interviewer called her father a “snitch” and that caused a defensive reaction in Karen. Patricia tells her that she can’t be defensive, but has to learn how to deflect questions she doesn’t want to answer, steer them away from them. Karen is very open about what is in her book because it’s all true.

Renee gets upset with Junior's take on their marriage.

Renee and Junior go to their first couples session in therapy. They talk about how they met, they were young, 23, he had just gotten out of jail. Junior did a lot of lying and cheating. Whatever Junior said about things moving too fast, gets Renee upset. She doesn’t remember their relationship that way. The therapist wants to know what she heard. She remembers they were in love and now she feels it wasn’t what she thought it was. He says they fought a lot about her mood swings. She says maybe she had mood swings because he didn’t come home at night and because he told her to get liposuction making her believe she was fat and unattractive. She says, he just told her he looks at her now because she is thin. She always felt she wasn’t skinny enough and he made her feel insecure and paranoid by going out with other women. Junior is uncomfortable with the session. The therapist wants to know why they are getting together now and Junior shuts down and won‘t speak.

Big Ang and Drita go to the dog park so Louie can have a little play time while they talk. Big Ang tells Drita she went on a date with a “mental case.”  Drita tells her that Carla made up with Ramona. Big Ang says she hopes she knows what she is doing. Big Ang says get over it, it’s all nonsense.  Big Ang tells Drita they (Ramona and Karen) must have a diary to keep bringing up the past. Drita tells her she took up boxing to relieve the stress.

Renee is in the park waiting for Ramona to come out of court and decides to call Junior to apologize. Junior is not receptive to Renee and hangs up on her. Ramona comes over, they are both having a bad day. Ramona just saw her boyfriend in court for a few seconds before they took him away. She feels shot and drained by the whole situation. Renee understands what she is going through, she has done it many times before. She tells Ramona that she is there as the support system. Renee says prepare for the worst and don’t expect him to come home anytime soon.

At Drita’s house, Aleeya asks her mother if she ever got into a fight. Drita changes the subject because she doesn’t know what to say. Then the phone rings, and it’s Lee. He says, “Remember me?” She thinks he wants to contest the divorced, but in the end what he did was apologize and admit to his cheating. He wants to talk and for things not to get ugly between them because he intends to be part of the girl’s lives. She wants him to be involved with the girls too. Drita was shocked, she wasn’t expecting Lee to own his mistakes and say he was sorry.

Ramona tells her kids the truth about what happened to her boyfriend.

Ramona is at the park with her four kids. They are sitting in the grass and she tells them she has something they need to know. They are close to her boyfriend and she tells them that he is in jail and she doesn’t know how long he will be away. He says he loves them all. She tells them they can pray, miracles do happen. Then she tells them that she had to spend a couple of hours in jail, but she did nothing wrong. She tells them that she always wants to tell them the truth.

Karen calls David in Arizona to tell them about her Mob Candy photo shoot the next day, but Dave sounds angry. He is upset that she has been gone so long and that he is a single dad. Karen is understandably upset. Dave was in prison for 10 years while she was single mom. On top of that she is in New York working and trying to support her family. She tells him not to worry, she will be bringing her daughter to New York to live with her. He wants her back in Arizona, she tells him he can’t tell her what to do. Karen is doing what she needs to do.

Karen is at her Mob Candy photo shoot, getting her makeup on for the pictures. Writing the book has helped her close some of the chapters of her life and understand who she is. She has no idea how the book will be received when it comes out. She has had some hard questions to answer. She is asked, more than once, about her father “ratting” on the mob. Karen seems to get a little choked up, but handles herself well.

At Drita’s house, Renee and Carla meet so Drita can tell them about Lee’s phone call; he confessed about his cheating and apologized. He wants to be friends and be part of the girls’ lives. Drita feels better because he stopped lying and denying what he did. Renee says these men work and cheat all the time and have no time left for their wives and children. Drita says Lee is a good dad. Renee says, “Hmmm, “good dad”? How good a dad is he when he abuses the mother of his children? Renee realizes she could be saying the very same things to herself and her own situation. Renee gets very emotional.

Carla is worried about Renee having a breakdown or getting sick with all the things she has on her shoulders. Renee is very sad as she realizes things are not going to work out with junior. After everything he has done to her, she can’t trust him. Then she reveals, that while they were married, he got another woman pregnant and had a baby with her.

MY TWO CENTS:

Drita blames her anger on Karen and Ramona? They are the douche bag-jerk offs that are getting her riled up? Excuse me, but I have been paying close attention for two and a half seasons and Drita doesn’t need much of an excuse to strike out at anyone. She brags about her “good old days at Nocturnal” when she would fight and send people to the hospital; she brags about her good old school days when she had a more than a few run ins with other students; she even likes to think she gave Ramona a bloody lip when it was her own eye that was on fire; and she claims she hurt Karen’s ribs and sent her to the hospital…never happened. Drita has a propensity for violence and she needs anger management, not boxing lessons!

A lot of this episode deals with Ramona and Carla’s meeting to iron things out. They both say they have heard that the other one was talking about them. They seem to get past their issues and agree that if they hear anything being said in the future they will call each other to ask about it. I don’t see a blooming friendship coming out of this imperfect union. Why? My opinion is that Ramona is real, genuine and up front about what she has to say and doesn’t hide anything. Carla is the opposite. She is fake, superficial and insincere. She loves gossip. She doesn’t tell the truth, even about her own age, let alone things that matter. In this case, opposites don’t attract. If these two continue to have anything to do with each other, in Carla’s own words…“it won’t end good, trust me.”

Little Louie steals the scenes he is in, but don’t be fooled by that cute face! I have a Pomeranian and he gets me up at 5:30 AM every morning and barks for every little thing. After a while, cute wears off. If you are thinking about getting your own little Louie, please do the research and choose wisely. That’s all I’m sayin’. Of course, the fact that little Louie peed a couple of times here and there, while he was in the store, should give you a hint! Tip for Big Ang, avoid weirdos and murderers, stick with dogs.

Karen has a couple of major things going on in this episode. She got some great advice on how to handle tough questions about sensitive topics in her book. I’ve seen almost all her interviews and she handled them extremely well. However, I can also see times when she had to take a momentary pause to gather her thoughts, when interviewers want to provoke with questions about her father and call him a “snitch” or a “rat.” Obviously, her first impulse is to defend her father, but she always managed to keep it under control. Kudos to her for that!  

Karen’s other issue is with David, her daughter’s father, who is whining about being a single father the past year or so. Meanwhile Karen has been working herself to death, writing a book, doing media tours, appearances promoting the show, a book signing tour and doing Mob Wives, a show that turned into an overnight sensation, all the while flying back and forth from Arizona as much as possible! I almost had a stroke myself. Karen was a single mom for all the years he spent in prison, I think it was 9 or 10 years. I’m sure Karen didn’t call whining to him. Besides, I was also under the impression that Karen’s mother was doing quite a bit to help Dave raise his daughter. What the hell is he thinking? Obviously he wasn’t thinking at that moment. I’m happy to hear that Karen will be bringing her daughter to New York permanently and we will see what develops after that happens.

Drita is proud of her fighting record, but not enough to tell her daughter, Aleeya, about it so she changes the subject. Here is where you see the difference between her and Ramona. Ramona sits her kids down and tell them the truth about her boyfriend and herself and going to jail. That’s the smart thing to do because first of all that’s the way to build trust and set the right example for your children. Second, if they have a problem of their own they won’t be tempted to lie about it. Now in Drita’s case, she has been keeping things from Aleeya all along. First it was the divorce, because she didn’t want to hurt her. Now she asks her mother about fighting and Drita plays dodge the question. Maybe if you are embarrassed by your behavior, too embarrassed to tell your children, it’s time to correct it? In any case I cannot believe that Aleeya doesn’t hear about the show in school? Even if none of her classmates watch it, which I doubt, all of Staten Island has to be talking about it, according to Drita. I would not want my child finding out anything about me on the street. So far the show has shown Drita’s violence, discussed her divorce, her husband cheating and her history of fighting. If Aleeya doesn’t know about it all, she soon will.

It’s amazing that Lee called to confess and apologize. it’s even more amazing that we didn’t hear either of those two things happen. At least I didn’t. He said he wanted them to be friends and he “f*cked up?” Well, you know I don’t trust Lee as far as I can spit anyway. He may be trying to worm his way back into Drita’s good graces so he has a place to land when he gets out of prison, now that she is making the big bucks legally.

Last, but not least, Renee and Junior’s therapy session and relationship. Renee has been so damaged by the past that she was kidding herself if she thought she could rebuild a relationship with Junior. For once Carla is right to worry about Renee. It’s like trying to build a house of cards on sand, it’s just not going to stand up. The fundamental ingredient necessary for any relationship, trust, is missing. Trust can take a lifetime to build and a second to shatter. Junior has shattered Renee’s trust time and time again. The bombshell that he not only cheated, but had a baby with another woman, while they were married, is something Renee can never get over. When she told the story, it was like it had happened yesterday. I think Renee is in love with the man she wants Junior to be, not the man he is. Renee needs a good man, who treats her the way she deserves to be treated, once she has healed emotionally from the scars Junior has left.

Renee sums up her breakthrough moment with "the finger."

Renee has a breakthrough moment when she tells Drita that a good father doesn’t abuse the mother of his children. Suddenly she realizes that her words apply to herself as well. Maybe Renee will take stock of her relationship with Junior and see it for what it really is.



Sunday, February 19, 2012

Mob Wives: Renee & AJ At Seminole Casino



Renee went to Florida to this weekend to be at the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek. She took her son AJ and his girlfriend, Sydney on the trip. While there they visited an Italian Restaurant. Renee, always out tirelessly promoting Mob Wives, was kind enough to tweet some pictures of their experience for fans. It's like she takes us all everywhere she goes! Gotta love Renee!



AJ and Syndey re-acting "Lady And The Tramp!"

Looks like they all are having a very good time to me! Tonight is episode 7 of Mob Wives, entitled Mob Daughters. Check out our blog and sneak peek of this episode before tonight. You won't want to miss it!

Picture Credit: Renee's Twitter Account

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Mob Wives: Mob Daughter Book Release Party Video!

The author poses with her book Mob Daughter.
I wasn't there.  I never get invited or evited anywhere.  However, The Mob Wives Blogspot was in the house never the less.  Chiara gets invited everywhere.  I'm truly pleased 'we' were in the house for Karen Gravano's Mob Daughter release party. 

The Greenhouse was packed last night with those who love & support Karen Gravano of Mob Wives.  Some Mob Wives were missing in action.  I imagine many of you can guess who did not attend.
I see Chiara!

One of my favorite pictures from the night was Ramona Rizzo, Mob Daughter author Karen Gravano, Renee Graziano and Angela Raiola a.k.a. Bigg Ang posing for the cameras.

Mob Wives Ramona, Renee and Angela supporting their fellow mob wife.
Chiara came across a quick video capturing a bit of the party plus a few words from Miss Gravano.  Chiara is all pooped out from being a party girl.  So I decided to put it up for those who are interested.  I see Chiara was staying close to the action.  I just adore her so.  Seeing Chiara in the video tickled me so.  One can even see the sexy Love Majewski of Deadly Sins & I Married Mobster make her way through the party.  Underboss is going to be so very disappointed that all his fantasy women put away their cleavage for the night.



Photo Credit: Zimbio
Video Credit: NJ Rock Star Media

Mob Wives: Karen's Book Release PARTY!

The "evite"!


I feel very honored that I was evited to Karen Gravano’s book release party last night! It was AMAZING. It was held in NYC at the Greenhouse, a beautiful club with great music by DJ WHOO Kid. I honestly don’t know where to start, but here goes.



As I go to enter the club, I am asked for my name to check the guest list. When I say Chiara Soprano, it brings a smile to the girl’s face, who promptly finds my name and allows me to enter with my daughter. Before entering I have to sign a “release” and I am thinking, they are shooting footage for Mob Wives tonight and I might end up on the show! Wouldn’t that be crazy? When I enter the club the first person I see is Big Ang! The club is practically empty so I run over and introduce myself and ask if she will take a picture with my daughter. Big Ang was very sweet and gracious. She took off her mink coat and went to pose with my daughter for a great picture that she could bring to work and show her friend, who is crazy about Big Ang!




As we are standing there waiting, Renee and AJ walk into the club. She is smiling and I already know who the life of the party is going to be. Renee starts dancing every time she hears a note! Renee sees me and runs right over to give me a hug and a kiss! It’s like we are family. She calls AJ over to introduce us, because she knows I love him, and I introduce her to my daughter. It’s so exciting! AJ gives me a hug and kiss like I’m an aunt at a holiday party. I love that kid!

Renee and Big Ang waiting for Karen to arrive.


Then, there is a commotion gathering at the entrance and what we see next is Ramona walking in like a star on a red carpet runway. She looks gorgeous and she says hello right away. Soon after, I spot Jennifer Graziano and she stops a minute to say hello and meet my daughter. Jennifer is looking slimmer since starting her diet! She looks great!

The next person I see walk in is Love Majewski, from I Married A Mobster. Love is a long time friend of Karen’s and she looks fantastic. By now I am kicking myself for forgetting my camera! We are still waiting for Karen, and Love introduces me to Karen’s brother Gerard. He was such a gentleman and you could see he was full of love and pride for his sister. Of course, Lisa Pulitzer, who assisted with the book, was also there.

Lisa Pulitzer with Karen!

A little after 8 PM the guest of honor, Karen Gravano, is announced and walks into the room. She looks strikingly stunning in her purple gown and bling. I loved her dress. She is trying to say hello to everyone there and stops to give me a hug. I congratulate her on her book and wish her success.

A.J. Pagan showing Karen support with his lovely mother Renee Graziano.


The Mob Wives spend the evening dancing and mingling with guests. They all know how to have a good time. Men with huge cameras are running all over the place, weaving in and out of the crowd, trying to catch every conversation. I almost got “boomed” a couple of times myself.  I’m sure we will all get to see some of that footage on the show. This is a major event for Karen, and they will have to incorporate it into the storyline.

Karen mingling with Guests!

A little after 9 PM, Ramona gets up to say a few words for her dear friend, Karen. She is proud of her for writing the book and says that Karen has made a few mistakes in life, but it has made her who she is today. Karen takes the microphone and thanks everyone for coming and welcoming her back. She looks radiant when she says, “I’m an author.” A lot has gone into the writing of this book. Karen has had to examine her whole life in the process, where she came from and where she is now, and she feels she has come full circle by being back in Staten Island. Then Jennifer has a few words to say about her close friend, Karen. She lovingly says that she doesn’t think Karen made mistakes, just a few missteps.

Ramona, Renee and Big Ang!

Ramona, Renny and Florina of Bad Girls Club


From what I saw last night, there was a lot of love there for Karen. Renee, Ramona, and Jennifer were so happy for her, and proud of her. You could see it in their smiles and their eyes. Whatever differences they may have on the show, there is an obvious close and loving bond that these women share that will never be broken. They share so much more such as growing up in a lifestyle that most people just read about or see on television and film. They are wives, mothers, sisters, friends. They know the pain of having loved ones sent to prison.  They belong to the same cultural background where raising your voice or screaming doesn’t have to mean you’re angry, but passionate about what you have to say.

Karen was surrounded by love last night by people who are proud of her accomplishment and success. It may have been called a book release party, but what I saw was a celebration of Karen and her life and an outpouring of love and affection by all.

Best of Luck with your book Karen, but from the sound of the reviews, I don't think you'll need it!

PS If I find more pictures, I may post a part 2 Blog so you can get more glimpses of everyone!

Karen has a BOOK SIGNING today! If you missed the party and want your book signed, please visit her at Tribeca Barnes and Noble at 97 Warren Street in Tribeca, NYC at 6 PM

All written content is exclusive property of The Mob Wives Blogspot and is protected by copyrights or other intellectual property rights. You are prohibited from using, copying, altering, modifying, or changing our work. Unauthorized use of this is strictly prohibited. Violators are punishable under federal law. In simple English, stop f*cking jacking our work.

Mob Wives: Rachael Ray's Make Unders!


This morning Renee, Big Ang and Drita were on the Rachael Ray show for "Make Unders" and it was so much fun to see them all together. So they all sit down and have a chat at the table. Rachael is confused about the fact that the mob is all about keeping secrets and they are on television. Renee says they aren't giving secrets away. Drita says the show is about their struggles and you can Google all the men in their lives if you want to know what they did. Renee credits her sister, Jennifer Graziano, for putting together a great cast in hopes that women can see their struggles and learn from them. 

Rachael brings up the article in the papers about her ex husband, Junior, turning rat. Renee says first of all she wants to thank the NY Post for taking a great picture. Then she says that this is an extremely personal matter to her, not just because it involves her father and ex-husband, but because her son is involved. Renee says her ex is an absolute disgrace and he made his bed and should lie in it.

Rachael wants to know which of the three is the biggest pot stirrer? Renee says of these three I am, I make a nice thick sauce with meatballs.

They are there to get Make Unders today..not 6 feet unders and then Rachael is dying to know where Big Ang gets her under garments. Does she get them custom made? Big Ang says she gets them from Victoria Secret online. Rachael is shocked and they joke that they have a Big Ang Department. Then Rachael wonders how she can sleep, and Big Ang says on the side.

Rachael asks them to describe how they dress. Renee says crazy, sexy, cool. Drita says she dresses how she feels and Rachael calls it South Bend look. Big Ang describes her look as hot.

They go off for their makeovers and the stylist who does it says he learned a few things. Sicilians go crazy of you put high heels on the table and garment bags also double as body bags. 

Now I snagged a couple of pictures off my television for you of the "after" look!




Picture credit: Rachael Ray Show and my camera

Link to preview: Rachael Ray and Mob Wives

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Mob Wives: Dareen Hakim Bags

Mob Wives Karen Gravano, Ramona Rizzo, Angela Raiola with Dareen Hakim, handbag designer.
Today I was cruising twitter.  I came across a picture of Ramona Rizzo looking stunning in a green dress.  Sometimes I want to drop kick her.  How in the hell does she look like that after four kids?!  I had 3.  My last one was years ago and I still look 7 & 1/2 months pregnant.
 
Apparently Ms. Rizzo visited The Playboy mansion.  I suppose it was a nice time.  Frankly, I'm not an animal fan.  Hell I don't even like the zoo unless you count The Bad Girls' Club Las Vegas.  Moving along, I got a glimpse of Uncle Moan My Name Mone again.  Jennifer can get mad if she want to that man is fine.  I'm just typing out loud.  Uncle Mone posed for a picture or two with Jennifer Graziano's bestie Ramona.
Ramona poses with Uncle Mone.

Yes, that is one good looking man.  Nice! I also see Ramona poses with Chris Brown.  I'm not a Chris Brown fan either.  I will type my panties aren't in a bunch that he performed at The Grammys.  He was nominated for a Grammy in which he won.  It's a celebration of an artist's musical contributions.  Yes, he assaulted Rihanna.  He was also prosecuted.  I don't know him or research him enough to have an opinion or whether he's made some anger management changes in his life.  What I'll type is: I laugh at people who go to a Roman Polanski or Woody Allen movie but want Chris Brown banned for life from The Grammys.  Anyhow here's a picture of Tinkerbell, Chris Brown and Ramona Rizzo of Mob Wives.
Tinkerbell, Grammy winner Chris Brown and Ramona Rizzo

Ramona Rizzo working a green dress with a banging clutch.
I really want that green dress.  But it's not the only fashion item I have my eyes on.  Ramona's clutch is to die for dreamy.  So, I had to find out from who and/or where The Riz scored it.  It's a Dareen Hakim Le Icon clutch.  The V Clutch is a must have in my book, take a gander.
The V clutch, need I type more?

Isn't it gorgeous?!  Even if you don't like it, I do!  I visited Dareen Hakim's site and viewed several bags I'd love to add to my bag collection.  The Le Icon would be one of my choices.  I love the fact that you can customize it. Of course I can't forget The Casanova.  I love to see a female designer getting her grind on.  You go Dareen and don't stop until your bags are a household name!  There is no denying Mob Wives have style, Drita not included.

Photo Credit (purse): Dareem Hakim

Monday, February 13, 2012

Mob Wives: Karen Gravano on "The View"



The View only gave Karen about five minutes to cover her life, her show and her book. I was a little disappointed they didn't give her more time. They tried to cover a little of everything and I'll sum it up for those who missed it.

Karen suspected her father was a gangster when she was about ten years old. But when she heard the word gangster, it had a positive meaning to her because gangsters got respect and lived in big houses. When she was 19, her father, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, turned informant. Karen was upset by that because it went against everything she was taught to believe and it ripped the world out from under her. She didn't understand at the time, why he was doing what he was doing by turning informant for the government, but she did much later. Sammy brought down the Gambino family and John Gotti. Karen is asked if she was scared or felt in danger. Karen said no, many people protected their family. At the same time, many family members and friend turned on them. 

Sammy was in the witness protection program for 6 months. He didn't like being away from his family and all the restrictions, so he signed himself out. They moved to Arizona where the whole family got involved with an ecstasy ring selling drugs. She says her father took the rap for the whole family and is serving 20 years. 

They ask Karen how Karina feels about the show and all the fighting? Karen says that in every fight she has been in on the show, it was always self defense. It's real fighting, not scripted. She teaches her daughter not to fight, but to stand up for herself if she needs to.

A new issue has emerged with the release of Karen's book. The families of the victims of Sammy Gravano are saying she is profiting from those murders and they want to be awarded the profits from the sale of her book. Karen responds by saying that she is not profiting from her father's crimes. The book is about her life, which has come full circle since she moved back to Staten Island.

Karen says that Mob Wives is about the struggles the women go through when their loved ones go to prison.

They aske Karen how do you reconcile your father with the crimes he committed? Karen has ten seconds to answer: "I loved him, he was my provider and my protector." The end!

Karen's Book is hitting store shelves tomorrow, so get your copy of Mob Daughter then!


Mob Wives: Recap “Fights and Facials” Ep 206



The episode starts at Renee’s house with Renee talking to Junior. She tells him that she feels like “gloom and doom” with all the girls fighting. She feels distant from her friends. Renee keeps thinking about what Ramona said about Junior, that he married her for her father and would be a loser without her. She doesn’t want to confront Ramona at the spa party, but it is obvious that it is very much on her mind. Junior tells Renee she thinks about everybody else, but everyone else only thinks of themselves. Renee wants to focus on Junior and she is upset he is going back to prison in a couple of months. She feels like she is losing him again just when they are reconnecting. He says it’s only for 21 months and it will never happen again. Renee says she loves him and is depressed.

At Drita’s house, Drita is planning to have a long over due talk with Aleeya about the divorce. Aleeya talks to her dad everyday and Drita asks her if she wonders why she doesn’t talk to Lee. Aleeya wants to know why. Drita asks her if she knows what divorce means. Drita is sad about the divorce, no one in her family has gotten divorced, they work through things. Aleeya says when dad comes home he is taking all of them on a vacation and Aleeya wants to go to Hawaii. Aleeya is sad, Drita cries and tells her she is going to make everything good for her.

Karen arrives at Renee’s house for the spa party with Ramona and Adriana. She says “if I can’t have sex I might as well have a spa party!” Karen wants it to be fun and relaxing for everyone. Renee and Big Ang are already there. Big Ang wants a massage, a facial and a buzz. They all have drinks. Nikole is on her way. Carla said she was coming. Renee announces that she invited Drita…the room gets quiet. She says she didn’t want to leave anyone out like she did for her birthday and that’s it! Karen doesn’t look happy. Renee says it’s her house and she will invite who she wants.

Carla's not coming to the party? Big surprise there?


Karen says it’s her party and yes Renee threw her off her game. Ramona and Karen both say they will respect Renee, it’s her house. Renee says Carla told Drita about the party and Renee told her she could come. The women get spray tans and facials. Renee tells Karen that Carla told her she was afraid to go to the spa party for fear she would be ambushed. Karen says she doesn’t need to throw a party to ambush someone. Carla calls to say she isn’t coming, she is going out with Joe and the kids. Karen is very gracious and tells her she can have a rain check, but she wants to know if it’s because she thinks she was going to be ambushed like she told Renee? Renee says Carla would never have told Karen the truth if Renee hadn’t said something. Renee is upset that everyone doesn’t just say how they really feel.

Ramona says she doesn’t need to ambush anyone. Big Ang decides to leave, she doesn’t want to be involved with any drama. Ramona says she would never do anything in Renee’s house and feels bad that Carla wouldn’t come because of her. Karen wants Ramona to call Carla. Renee says, no don’t call now. Ramona says she wants to make peace for Renee’s sake because that is what she wants. Renee is still pissed about Ramona’s comment about Junior that he married Renee for her father and would be a loser without her. Ramona doesn’t understand Renee, and says you put me with “sh*t” (meaning Carla) and the other one is even a bigger piece of sh*t (meaning Drita). Renee says she didn’t put her with sh*t and she should stop defending her. Ramona says, no she won’t stop defending her. Renee gets very emotional and starts crying, saying she feels disloyal, like she is playing both sides of the fence. Karen says the spa party is dead, they killed it. So much for relaxation.

Another day Renee has Drita come over to do her makeup. Drita asks about Junior. Renee says that have had a fight the last three days. Drita says she should enjoy him while she has him. Renee says he is home every night and is doing all the right things, but Renee still gets upset with him. She thinks she is sabotaging her relationship on purpose, maybe because he is going away for two years and she can’t deal with it. Drita tells her not to sabotage it.

Karen and Ramona are out riding bikes. They talk about the spa party. Karen is fed up with the Carla thing. Ramona sees Carla as Drita’s puppet. Karen says she likes to address issues head on not by talking behind people’s backs. Ramona wants to talk to Carla and address the “archenemy” comments she was told Carla made.

At the Drunken Monkey, Carla and Drita meet up with Big Ang. Big Ang says the spa party was really nice, but Carla did the  right thing going out with her kids. Drita agrees. Big Ang says Karen was disappointed that Carla didn’t come. Carla doesn’t like what Ramona has been saying and it wouldn’t have gone well. Big Ang says Renee and her wanted Drita to come, the girls were there. Carla says who was there, Adriana? And she laughs, another good reason for  her to have stayed away. Apparently, with one guess, Carla knew who Ramona’s friend was and, as it turns out, Carla had issues with Adriana and is even more glad she didn’t go to the party. Carla says everyone has a problem with her.

Drita visits Renee. Renee shows Drita Junior’s phone and she is going to break into it to see what he has been up to. Renee tries a couple of passwords and gets in. She starts checking messages. A woman leaves a message, but it’s just his cousin. Drita says she is having a heart attack. Renee says the other night his ex texted him and Renee found out about it. Junior walks in, Renee hides the phone. Then Renee calls Junior and tells him she found his phone in the couch. Renee and Drita have a laugh. 

At Carla’s place the phone rings and it’s Ramona. She wants to meet Carla, one on one, to talk. Carla is not interested in meeting Ramona, she doesn’t want to deal with a screaming match. Ramona says she only screams at her kids. Ramona wants to clear the air. Carla relents because she knows Renee wants everyone to make peace. They decide to meet and talk things out.

Drita meets her friend Bridget for lunch and they talk about Lee. Bridget said she heard that Lee is contesting the divorce and wants to know if it’s true. Drita says she didn’t hear anything about it, but it could be a rumor or true. In Staten Island people talk about everyone’s business. Drita says he better not contest it or she is going to be more angry than she already is. As far as she is concerned the marriage was over the day she found out he cheated. She is hurt and there is no forgiveness. If he contests it she won’t be nice any more, she will get ruthless in court.

Carla and Renee meet and Carla tells her that Ramona called to set up a meeting. Renee offers to go with her. Carla says it’s better if she meets her alone without a 3rd party. She doesn’t want Renee in the middle or defending her. Carla wants to confront Ramona and wants to see what she has to say. Renee says Carla should be afraid of Ramona because she fights hard. Carla just wants to talk it out and be done.

Ramona isn't buying what Carla is selling.

Ramona meets Carla for lunch. Carla says she is sick of sit downs, she has had one with everybody. Ramona wants to clear the air with her. She says she doesn’t know Carla, so she was surprised to hear from people that Carla was calling her her “archenemy.” Carla wants to know where she heard it and Ramona answers, from two boroughs, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Carla looks down and denies she ever said it, saying it wasn’t “her word.” Ramona knows she said it because it came from a very reliable source. Then Ramona tells Carla that Drita is a liar and she feels Carla’s brain has been molded by Drita. Ramona says all of Staten Island knows the history between Drita and Karen, Carla doesn’t know it. Carla only knows what Drita says and that’s why Drita can lie to her. Carla is offended at the “molding” of her brain insult and says she has a mind of her own. Carla looks down for most of the conversation. Ramona says she has no history with Carla so she should get to know her. Carla says that if she ever hears anything again she will call and ask Ramona herself in the future. 

My Two Cents: Where to start? A lot went down in this episode. First let’s start with Renee and Junior. This was filmed before all the news came out that Junior turned informant and Renee’s dad was arrested. Renee is under the impression that they are getting married and working things out at this point. (Let me make it clear, that right now, according to Renee, she will never forgive Junior for what he did and she is not on speaking terms with him.)  However, a relationship has to be built on trust if it is to go anywhere. It’s obvious that Renee will never trust Junior again. She will be questioning his every move and checking his phone, which she is entitled to do after all he put her through, but he would not have put up with that. Even if Junior had not cut a deal with the FBI, their relationship would have been doomed from the start…no trust means nothing to build on. Sometimes love just isn’t enough.

Drita finally tells Aleeya about the divorce. It was a touching scene, but it seemed like there was a lot missing to me, like Aleeya already knew or sensed this was coming. I do not think it would have been appropriate for Drita to address this topic with her daughter, for the first time, in front of cameras and common sense tells me she didn’t. Aleeya probably knew before now and they re-enacted it for viewers. That’s just my opinion. As for Lee contesting the divorce, I have to laugh. He has no grounds to contest it and will never get away with it. Why? Because I do believe that incarceration is very good grounds for divorce, PERIOD. Here is the NY State law: “Three Consecutive Years Imprisonment - This is a ground for divorce if your spouse has been in jail for three or more years in a row beginning after your marriage. Once your spouse has been in jail for three years in a row, you can file for divorce: while your spouse is still in jail and up to five years after s/he is released.” So Drita doesn’t have to lose any sleep over it and it’s something her lawyer should have already explained to her, don’t you think?

The “spa party” was shot to hell the second Renee invited Drita. That was the bad omen that things were not going to go well. Even though Carla and Drita weren’t there to create any tension, drama still exploded at Renee’s house. I’m sure Karen and Ramona both felt blindsided hearing for the first time that Renee invited Drita. Personally I would have flipped out if I were either of them because Renee didn‘t mention it ahead of time, but they both said they would respect Renee and her house. Sure Renee can invite who she wants to her house, but under the circumstances, she maybe should have given them a heads up? Renee is very on edge. It’s not just that she upset over what Ramona said about Junior, but she explained to me yesterday what was going on (See blog “Renee Speak On Disloyalty“) and that she was on pain medication and not thinking clearly. Big Ang ran out of there as soon as things got a little heated. Carla called and cancelled. I’m not sure if she was really going out with her kids or just chickened out. I am going with the latter. Once again Karen extends an olive branch by inviting Carla to the party (like when she gave Drita the first chapter of her book) only to get a slap in the face for it. I can hear Ramona’s words, “STOP…BEING…NICE echoing in my head.

Now the best for last, Ramona and Carla’s sit down! Carla says everyone has a problem with her…when someone says that, they need to look at themselves because it means it’s either you or it’s everyone else and chances are it’s you. Carla definitely wronged Renee twice in a big way: once with the boyfriend and once by not calling or seeing her at the hospital. Karen was pissed with Carla for running around Staten Island spreading lies about Drita beating her up and putting her in the hospital. Karen also has some personal issues with Carla that goes back to their families and Carla knows what they are because they had words on Twitter about it. Now, Ramona has an issue with Carla, who she doesn’t even know, calling her her “archenemy.” Maybe Carla needs to look at herself in the mirror and ask why everyone has an issue with her? But if she can’t find the answers in the mirror, she can read this blog.

Hey Carla, You can't hide your lying eyes...or so the song says!


I hope everyone noticed that 90% of the time, when Ramona was asking Carla about the “archenemy” statement, Carla could not make eye contact with her. She was looking down. That is body language for lying and guilt. Carla should have just admitted it that she said it and looked Ramona in the eye. Ramona would have respected her for doing that and would be more prone to believe her in the future. However, Ramona knows Drita is a liar and now, as far as Carla goes, she has just lied. Not much hope for a budding friendship is there? 

NEWS: I’ll try to blog “The Sitdown” later today so watch for my tweets. Also Karen Gravano will be on The View at 11 AM ET today and I will blog about that! Karen’s book, Mob Daughter comes out tomorrow, so be sure to get your copy early. Everyone will be talking about it. The Mob Wives: Big Ang, Drita and Renee will be on Rachael Ray this Thursday, set your DVRs!