Friday, January 31, 2014

Mob Wives: Recap “Purgatory,” Ep 409


Mob Wives of The Corn
that should have been the title of this episode!

Remember the old Wendy's commercial where the old lady says, “Where’s the beef?” when she opens her hamburger bun and sees something the size of a half dollar in it? Well, that what this episode is all about. Lots of scripted “filler” scenes without any “beef” or substance. It’s really too bad. Here we go...

A recap of last week’s sit down is provided at Big Ang’s house when Renee shows up. Renee tells her about her sit down with Alicia. “She came in like a deer and went out like Godzilla…she is nothing like she claims to be,” says Renee.  It was a vicious meeting. Renee is very upset that Alicia is accusing her of leaking information to the newspaper. Renee says she really doesn’t like Alicia and only befriended her because of her friendship with Eddie. Ang says Alicia shouldn’t believe everything she hears. I say Alicia should tend to her own business, her criminal case, her children and her Boo.

At the same time, Alicia tells Natalie about the sit down. She is upset that Renee denied everything she "knows" is true. Alicia says people are coming to her from every direction to tell her Renee is trying to get dirt on her. Natalie agrees with everything she says about Renee. Will someone please explain to me why Renee has to ask anyone for any “dirt” on Alicia? All you have to do is Google her name on the internet and it’s all there in black and white and 50 shades of gray. Is Renee really her only enemy? What about all the truck drivers she stole pension funds from? What about all Eddie’s goumadas? What about her Boo’s wife? I’m sure there are plenty of other people out there willing to leak information. Hell, I have read comments on other sites, from people in Philly, who have a lot to say about her…most of it not good and none of them Renee.

Toto we are back in Kansas! Tell me if any of you believe that 40+ women would actually go pumpkin picking, without children, if there were no show or cameras around? Well, that’s exactly what they are trying to sell us this week! Ang, Natalie, Drita and Alicia meet for some pumpkin picking. Renee didn’t show up. Thank God someone had some sense.  Now for “Mob Wives of The Corn.” Natalie wants to scare the girls with the haunted corn maze. Natalie loves Halloween and loves to be scared. Ang and Drita are scared. Ang isn’t into cornfields. They leave the fields and go get some pumpkins. Alicia loves these moments with the girls because they make her laugh. Please Alicia, couldn’t you come up with a better line? This whole episode would make me laugh if it wasn’t so ridiculous. Natalie says she is planning a huge Halloween bash and is pulling out all the stops. It will be held at the Carto Funeral Home. This is so unbelievable that…

@Dondig tweets, “Do they do Christenings too.” I chime in, “how about weddings?”  And @TweetPolice adds, “Maybe a Briss?”

I mean come on, this is a funeral home for Carto’s sake. They are supposed to have some decorum, and a reputation for dignity. How good can this be for business? I just popped in to the Carto Funeral Home website. It all looks very professional and no “parties” have been added to their services. And, while Natalie says she is part owner, her name or picture is nowhere to be found. The only license I can find for her is one in cosmetology (make up), NOT a funeral director license. I wonder if she greets grieving customers in her usual attire…which don’t strike me as professional at all. Well, that’s their problem. I don't know how they run things in Philly.

The ladies all love the idea of a party, but then tough girl Drita gets cold feet when she hears it will be in the funeral home. Natalie thinks she should invite Renee because she is including everyone she knows. She decides to call right there and invite Renee. But Renee doesn’t answer her phone, so she leaves a message. Drita thinks this is the best opportunity for Renee to make peace with the Philly chicks. Really Drita? One of them is calling her a snitch and accused her of sleeping with her husband. The other one has been disrespecting her for several episodes and you think this is a great time to mend fences?

Renee and AJ go out for a bite to eat. They talk about his girlfriend and how “serious” the relationship is. Renee doesn’t believe in getting married young. AJ says he and his girlfriend want to get an apartment together. Renee doesn’t want him to leave, he’s too young. Renee tells him she is happy with her business, things are going well, and she is expanding her line. The cookbook, How To Use A Meat Cleaver, is going well too, it’s about to come out soon. She doesn’t have time for the BS with the girls.

Drita is back to the rapping scenario. She hopes her lyrics are good enough for Method Man to hear them. Anthony wants to hear some of it. As Drita reads the lyrics, Method Man comes in and Drita freaks out, but she thinks she is playing it cool. Now she has to rap in front of Method Man. I’m not impressed with her rap and nether is Method Man. He has a problem with the beginning, I have a problem with all of it. He adds some words to make it sound better. Method Man reads the lyrics and they sound 100% better. I think he could rap the phone book. Drita tries it, and to me it sounds so amateurish…which it is. It’s obvious, even to me, that Drita’s rapping skills are weak at best. Considering she has been rapping since she was two years old, she really hasn’t come very far. Next.

Drunken Monkey. Ang and Neil are back to the baby talk. Ang isn’t getting any younger at 54, so they better get on it. Ya think? She doesn’t want to give birth to it…and couldn’t if she wanted to. So they need an egg donor and a surrogate. Just like that, it’s simple. Neil just wants to have a baby and tells her to just make it happen, he doesn’t care about the details. If anyone believes any of this nonsense, I’ll pray for you.

Renee house. Renee picks up her phone and sees she missed Natalie’s call and a prison call. She plays Natalie’s message for her friend Nikki. Natalie invites her to her Halloween bash. Renee says she will not go, it didn’t even sound like a sincere invite. On the message, Natalie mentions she was with the girls. Renee feels they used to be her girls, but now they’re hers. Renee thinks Natalie is only inviting her to the party to look good in front of the girls. Renee ain’t done with her. After Vegas, this is the first time Natalie calls her, and it’s to invite her to a Halloween party? I say “What about the damn prison call?” That’s the only thing that sounded interesting all night!

Did Drita go as an Anime Manga Doll?

Welcome to the first OFFICIAL Carto Funeral Home Halloween Party! Yeah right! And tell me this isn’t scripted? Natalie is wearing next to nothing…nothing at all. Drita says she is wearing “No clothes, just contacts.” Natalie says she is supposed to be Purgatory, the place between heaven and hell. Right now I am leaning towards hell. Drita looks like one of those anime manga dolls, as best as I can figure it. Natalie got a text message from Renee, it’s a novel. She can’t read it. Drita reads it for her. Renee texts that she wants to meet her face to face, one on one. Natalie says no. She invited her to the party to make things better. Renee texts she feels like she might be walking into a “setup,” like she did in Vegas…which pisses Drita off; she feels insulted and Ang does too. Drita says Renee did everything wrong in Vegas, so they couldn’t stick up for her. Alicia is dressed like “Wonder Woman“…hmmm I feel some jokes coming on. I wonder where the pension funds went. I wonder what she said on the Fed wire taps. I wonder if she cut a plea deal. I wonder if she would meet Karen in the finale... All I can say is Alicia always leaves me wondering about one thing or another. I’m surprised she didn’t come as her favorite Goddess of Thieves, Laverna. Big Ang is dressed as a zombie. No one can get over how little Natalie is wearing, one tiny step above naked. Natalie wants to make Halloween parties a tradition at the funeral home...between wakes? Now Ang is talking against Renee, for not coming to the party and for the text message saying “setup.” There was no set up, says Drita and Ang, and they find this comment extremely offensive. Now all four of them are talking about Renee. Drita and Ang are going to have a sit down with Renee. Goody!

Natalie's guests dancing the night away, oh brother!

Still in Philly at the Halloween party…where is plenty of lame dancing. Did you see all those people flopping awkwardly around, like fish just pulled from the water? They were “dancing” like the kids in a Charlie Brown episode? The text from Renee put a little damper on the party. Ang and Drita go outside for a smoke. Ang says Renee should have been there. Drita says she is alienating herself. They agree they have to confront Renee because they need her to explain. I’ll tell you what I need…more reality and some of my original New York mob wives back!

Confrontation time! The last few minutes we have the confrontation between Renee, and Ang and Drita, who show up at Renee‘s house together. Drita is so pissed about the word “setup.” One of my followers on Twitter, Brenda, pointed out that Drita accused Renee of “setting her up at the celebration of life party,” but I guess that was okay? (Thanks for reminding me Brenda!) Anyway, Drita wants to know why Renee didn’t go to the party. Renee says she didn’t want to be in Natalie’s company. This is understandable. Drita wants to know if Renee is mad at them for what happened in Vegas. Ang wants to know if Renee used the word “setup“…Renee says she used the word setup, but it wasn’t about Drita and Ang…that leaves Natalie and Alicia! Renee says she needs to keep the right people in her circle during her sobriety. Drita believes Renee when she tells her she wasn’t talking about them. Happy days! Drita asks about Renee telling Alicia that she didn’t like her. Renee says yes she did, she changed her mind about her. Ang thinks they should support each other. Drita feels she and Ang are stuck in the middle. Renee says she and Natalie have a lot of unresolved issues. Renee says she isn’t good at pretending, maybe they are. Drita gets offended, she doesn’t want to be called fake! Renee says she will meet with Natalie and settle this once and for all. Drita wishes her luck. Will somebody wish me luck…I have three more episodes to recap!


Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Mob Wives: Sneak Peek "Drita & Ang Confront Renee"

Drita is all ears as she listens to Renee

According to the information disclosed about this sneak preview, Drita and Big Ang are confronting Renee about why she didn't attend Natalie's Halloween Party. It's a very short clip. Renee does not make excuses. She says she doesn't feel comfortable around Natalie and she can't "pretend" or fake it. When she says maybe Ang or Drita can "fake" being nice, Drita blows a gasket. There has to be more to this scene then we are seeing. Renee does say she needs to talk to Natalie and I hope it's to fire her from her business. I am still puzzled why Ang and Drita, who could not stand Natalie in episode one, are now turning on Renee? Have a look for yourself. 


Sunday, January 26, 2014

Mob Wives: Is Alicia DiMichele The Goddess of Thieves?

By her own anointment, she dubs herself "Goddess"

Let me start by saying I do not follow Alicia and she does not follow me on Twitter. In this case, "opposites do not attract." So I was a bit blown away by her comment in the last episode, "Eat Worms B*tch," when she openly declared to Renee that she was a "Goddess." Funny thing is that she actually seemed to believe it. Mob Mistress, writer on our blog team, quickly tweeted "Goddess of Embezzled Pension Funds and Cooking Books." I got a laugh out of that, but as someone of you may have noticed that my wheels never stop spinning when it comes to Mob Wives. I love the brilliant concept of the show, I just do not like what that have done to it this season. Anyway, I got to thinking, maybe there is something to this Goddess thing? And what do you know? Alicia not only stole pensions funds, she also stole her Goddess title from Laverna, the Roman Goddess of thieves! Who knew? They say you learn something every day.

Laverna was a Goddess of the "criminal" underworld. "Laverna was the deity of thieves, dishonest tradesmen, cheaters, and frauds...Laverna’s attributes were darkness and secrecy." (see Laverna) Does that sound familiar? 

On another site I found a story about Laverna. "In one story, Laverna tricks a priest and a lord into handing over an estate and castle, saving she would pay at a later date. However, she sold off all the crops, grain, cattle, wood, and poultry and anything of value. On the day fixed for payment there was no Laverna to be seen. The priest and the lord appealed to the gods, complaining that they had been robbed by a goddess." (see how it turns out at Laverna 2)

And yet another site has Laverna saying: "I am the snatching hand, the purse lifted and the coin lost; and I am the woman in the shadows, watching, always watching." (check out Laverna 3)

Does she ressemble Alicia?

A very creative artist, Thalia Took, has made an image of Laverna on her website Thalia Took, where she has prints and shirts of many Gods and Goddesses along with their stories...check them out!

I blog for fun and amusement. Today is no exception. An idea marinates in my head an voila, we have a blog. Now, thanks to Alicia DiMichele, we all learned something new.There is a Roman Goddess of thieves and she lives among us!


Friday, January 24, 2014

Mob Wives: Recap “Eat Worms B*tch,” Ep 408

Renee stands alone...again!

Drita meets with her music producer, Anthony, in the studio. She did great on “the last thing” says Tony, almost like it was so long ago he couldn’t remember it. Neither can I. She wants to lay down a new track that sounds different and “Money Bags” is just perfect, she loves it. She is going to “blow it out the f*ckin’ box.” Method Man was there, says Anthony, and Drita freaks out because he is her favorite rapper OR one of her top five rappers, you decide. So she is buggin’ out over do a rap song with him. See, maybe it’s just me, but if Drita was going to do another rap song shouldn’t it have been on the heels of the first one? Anyway good for her. (Insert eye roll)

Renee is justifiably furious after leaving Alicia’s house because she all but called her a “rat.” Big Ang blames Alicia’s comments on her being on edge. Renee says Alicia was insinuating she was a “rat” and “no one in 44 f*ckin’ years” has ever said Renee was a rat because she is not. Big Ang thinks Alicia still has a thing about Renee and Carla on the wire tap. Renee reads her a text from Alicia saying she knows she has her best interests at heart, but whoever she is talking to does not. Renee is pissed about her allegations. Renee is trying to get past her own problems and now Alicia wants to bring her down! Seems like Ang keeps making excuses for Alicia, even though she is supposed to be very close with Renee and her family, I don’t get it. Alicia didn’t have any proof and yet she attacked Renee at her dinner table when Renee went there to support her. No one said a word in Renee’s defense. WTH? Big Ang defends Renee on Twitter?


Next thing we know, Drita is “apologizing” to Alicia for stressing her out more with their visit. Really Drita? What did anyone do to stress out Alicia?  Drita says she thought the comment she repeated, about Alicia knowing everything her husband does, came from Alicia to Renee. Alicia is pissed that Renee is digging up dirt about her, from other people who heard the wire taps, and is afraid it is going to hurt her case. She feels Renee is behind her business being leaked to the press. Seems like Alicia wants her business kept private so is that why she put herself on national television airing all her own dirty laundry? Why doesn’t anyone say that to her face because I am dying to hear the answer! But, Drita seems to be siding with poor, poor pitiful Alicia. Once again a friend of Renee’s is siding with the “outsider” she just met 5 minutes ago. Alicia says she wants to sit down with Renee and give her a chance to explain herself. Excuse me? “Explain herself?”  I don’t think Renee has anything she needs to explain. If you don’t want people talking about you, then don’t give them anything to talk about, Alicia!

Drita is trying to write a rap song to go with the words “money bags,” but she is completely stumped. She says writing is usually easy for her, but apparently she has writer’s block. She shows Aleeya what she is doing, writing words to the beat. I could do without these rapping scenes, I think they are “fillers.” Next.

Natalie is out with her boyfriend, London. They have been together a year and a half now. She loves him. She wants to talk about their future, long time goals. He lives in New York and she lives in SOUTH Philly. She wants him to move to Philly where her family and business are located. The long distance relationship is hard. He says he is taking it one day at a time. She can’t keep doing the back and forth forever. I agree with her, she should stay in Philly and let him go back and forth, and leave us all the hell out of their bedroom scenes.

Renee’s house. Renee hates the words “leak, rat, snitch” that Alicia throws around. Then she gets a letter from Junior and her skin begins to crawl. She is in complete shock. She calls her friend, Nikole, to tell her about his letter. Junior’s letter says he has a year to go and then he wants to get back together with her. He loves her and wants to start over. He says he can forgive her and hopes she can forgive him. Renee has nothing to be forgiven for and wants nothing to do with him. AJ walks in and she asks him to have a seat. She is agitated and she wants him to see Junior’s letter. AJ stops her cold, and he says if this has to do with his father he doesn’t want to hear it, he is moving forward. Renee says she wants to be left alone and doesn’t want Junior bothering her. I don’t understand how anyone in witness protection are allowed to write letters home which could make an “enemy” aware of their location? Junior cooperated with the Feds on several mobsters, including Renee’s father, and he thinks he can just stroll the streets of New York again? The skeptic in me doubts there even is a letter from Junior, but it makes for good television.

Natalie drops in on Alicia. Alicia says she is irate. She says she called Renee to invite her to lunch to discuss what happened at her house. One of Alicia’s friends told her to look at Renee’s twitter, she has a message on it for Alicia. Why hasn’t Alicia seen it for herself, they follow each other on Twitter? Anyway, Alicia is beyond pissed. People are telling Alicia everything Renee is tweeting, oh dear, and they are hurtful and malicious things about her. Poor, poor pitiful me. Alicia says Renee is sharing everything about Alicia with her best friend Carla. Natalie is more convinced than ever that she wants nothing to do with Renee. So does that mean she will quit or be fired from Mob Candy and Mob Wives? We can only pray! Alicia wants Renee to come clean and admit she is talking about her. I’m still waiting for Alicia to come clean about lots of things, but it ain’t happening.

Renee meets her friend Carla, who she has known for 35 years. They grew up together with many other friends, in Staten Island. She is filling Carla in on all the stuff going on with Alicia. Renee says Alicia came to her house and talked about Renee and Carla being on the wire taps. Carla tells Renee that years ago she got a letter from the Federal government saying that she was on the wire tap. Renee now knows that the tapes are not as secret as Alicia thinks. Renee tells her that Alicia doesn’t want Carla to be friends with Edward. Renee feels Edward is still close to Carla. Carla says he even asked her to help pick out a gift for Alicia. Carla says Alicia can’t comprehend the term “friendship.” Carla is a married woman with a child, and she remained friends with Edward. Renee says Alicia is implying that Renee is feeding Carla information and Carla is spreading it all over Staten Island. Carla says if she has an issue with her then she should take it up with her, “her door is open and her phone rings…ring it.” Renee says she isn’t the enemy but Alicia is treating her like she is. Carla says Alicia needs to come to her if she has any problems.

Back to London and Natalie in bed…with all the camera men around, how romantic! Love and chemistry…TAKE 1! They talk about getting a place together in New York, she feels it’s a step in the right direction. This is a step towards settling down and she seems happy. And really, who cares? Another filler scene as far as I am concerned.

Here again Ang sides with Renee on Twitter, but
never speaks up on the show?

Drita pops in at Ang’s to tell her about Alicia freaking out over Renee’s tweets. “Tweets?“ Really? Is that what should be of concern with her sentencing hanging over her head? What about the restitution to the truckers whose pension money you took? What about the fines the Feds want you to pay? I would think those two things would bump down the “tweets” on your list of concerns. Ang says she knows Renee wants to kill Alicia. Drita and Ang thinks it’s “nice” that Alicia invited Renee to lunch to discuss their issues. But now Alicia is pissed because of Renee’s tweets about the “damsel in distress act is getting old.” They both feel if someone has something to say, say it to the person’s face, not on twitter, text or facebook. Drita tells her Alicia is hurt and no one has ever treated her that way. Drita and Big Ang side with Alicia yet again. They feel Renee needs to respect Alicia if she wants respect. Hold up! I think it’s the other way around…Alicia attacked Renee twice without provocation! Wow what backstabbers! Is there even enough room on this blog for my comments?

***

TWO CENTS time out: Alicia confronted Renee twice, in an aggressive and accusatory manner, at what should have been a couple of nice gatherings. First she accused her of not telling her that Carla and Eddie were still “friendly” and eating Chinese food, because she heard her name on the tapes. This is what I want to know…WHY is Alicia just now listening to the tapes and hearing Renee’s name? She has already pled guilty to the embezzlement charges that happened 3 years ago. You mean to tell me she didn’t listen to the tapes during the past 3 years to see if she could explain away the “guilty” parts before pleading guilty? I think listening to the tapes on the show were, at best, a scripted “reenactment” of what may have happened long ago. And if so, she already knew Renee was mentioned long before signing up with Mob Wives. How about that?

This was pretty much Alicia's expression
all through the sitdown, enough said.

Then she went ballistic and accused Renee of talking to the newspapers about her “business” because who else could it be? Gee, I don’t know. It could have been anyone in Staten Island or Philly, that’s who. The media, especially The New York Post, seems to be especially interested in Alicia’s business. She has been dubbed the “Wise Gal.” So when she posts her “sexy” pictures in Vegas on social media, she should expect them to pick up on it and ask lots of questions. Alicia put her business out there…by being on a nationally televised REALITY show and tweeting her own pictures. Then she wants to point the finger at Renee without one iota of evidence? Stick a fork in me I’m D-O-N-E, done.

***

Doesn't Renee look great?

Renee and Alicia, both wearing black, meet up at a restaurant. They are going to have it out, like a showdown at the OK Coral. I can hear “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” theme song playing in my head! The tension is so thick you can cut it with a “butter knife!” Where is that Facciolo chick when you need her? Renee denies saying anything malicious to anyone about Alicia. Renee says it was simple conversation with people she knew, many of whom heard the tapes themselves. Renee tells Alicia she is getting defensive. Alicia is screaming. Renee doesn’t know what Alicia’s issue is. Alicia says she has every right to be mad at Carla. Alicia says she feels Renee is going back to Carla with everything she says. Renee wants to know if Alicia is implying Renee is a snitch. Renee is furious to be accused of something that is the worst thing you can call someone in her lifestyle. Alicia says she didn’t call her a rat. Alicia insists Renee was tweeting about her. “The Damsel in distress act is old,” tweet. Renee says those tweets were not about her. Alicia becomes more irate because Renee won’t own her tweets. Alicia says she knows what Renee is up to and she should bring it on. Renee says Alicia is out of her mind. Alicia asks if Renee was talking about her “supposedly” having a boyfriend. Renee says yes she had conversations about that, everyone on SI knows everyone’s business. Don’t forget the people in good old Philly, Renee, they know lots of things too. Alicia accuses Renee of trying to get all kinds of dirt on her and then tweets it out and won’t own it. They keep screaming at each other.

"I am a f*ckin' Goddess!"

Alicia thinks she is a goddess. Mob Mistress dubs her the “Goddess of Stolen Pensions & Cooking Books.” Renee tells her, “You are not that f*ckin’ interesting! You are not my type of person and I don’t like you as a person, I truly don’t, you are the ignorant fool.” Way to go Renee! Alicia says a so called friend of Eddie’s would never talk to her like that. What about the way you attacked a friend of Eddie’s when she was there just trying to help you, Alicia? Renee believes that ever since Alicia heard Renee’s name on the tape she has had it in for her. I believe the words “Chinese food and Carla” seem to set Alicia off. Alicia should get off Twitter and tend to her restitution, fines, boutique, children, and her Boo.


CHECK OUT the final scene of last night's show!


P.S. I do not know what s going on this season, but something stinks like limburger cheese!  I expected to see more of a New York/Philly war, but what I see is everyone against Renee. Four against one. It’s unbalanced and doesn’t have the ring of truth to it. What long time friends are going to side with an outsider over their own very long time friend? Drita and Ang are either following a script or have lost it.

P.S.S. I think I speak for all fans when I say we would love for Karen to step in, at least in the finale, and she tell Alicia what she didn’t like about all the things she had to say! Now that would be the dream finale of season four!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Mob Wives: Sneak Peek "Eat Worms B*tch" Ep 8

Renee tells Alicia off! Yes!


Well, well looks like Renee has had enough of Alicia! Join the club Renee! I don't know who Alicia thinks she is, but her inflated ego is getting knocked down a few pegs by Renee and I couldn't be happier. I am Team Renee. Renee has been nothing but supportive of Alicia and Alicia turned on her two times without reason. Let's sum up Alicia's record so far...let's see if that "innocent" act holds water! Here's my two cents worth...

It's true I have been having a little fun on the blog at Alicia’s expense. I consider it like a “hazing” or initiation like to the Mob Wives sorority. She is the new comer and she immediately got off on the wrong foot by throwing Karen’s and her father’s name around right off the bat. It came across badly to anyone who is a fan of Karen Gravano or has a sense of right and wrong. The things she was saying weren’t true. To make matters worse, Karen wasn’t even on the show to defend herself. So that was my first impression of Alicia, and it wasn’t good.

And then Alicia’s issues with Renee started when she heard her name mentioned on the wire tap recordings. I have a big problem with this. Alicia and Eddie were arrested three years ago and she already pled guilty before the show started filming, so WHY is she just now listening to wire taps and just learning Renee’s name was mentioned in them? Interesting.

Then, we come across conflicting stories on the show and in the media for just about everything that concerns Alicia. She swears she did not have a clue her husband worked for the mob. Big Ang says she had to have known, his father was whacked by the mob, what else could she think?  Did she know her husband worked for the mob or not? Like Big Ang, I find it hard to believe that she was that naïve and didn’t know about it…so I think that was a LIE.

Next she says she was arrested by the Feds for embezzling money, but swears she never “cooked the books.” The Feds have five years of wire taps recorded and she is on them. They felt there was enough evidence there to convict her of embezzlement. Alicia pled guilty to the charges, even though she still claims she is “innocent” and it was all her husband’s fault. She was the bookkeeper. She saw where the money went. I think she is guilty as charged. The innocent act sounds like a LIE.

The Feds asked Alicia to fill out papers disclosing her income before she was cast on Mob Wives. She failed to go back and correct the disclosure when she learned she would be earning roughly $8,000 an episode or $96,000 for the season. The Feds want her to pay restitution and fines to the truckers whose pension funds she allegedly pocketed. Failure to report her Mob Wives income may appear to some as a LIE.

Then I read about the Gucci lawsuit. According to several media stories, Gucci believed that she was selling items with their logo and passing it off as theirs. We don’t know all the details, but Alicia says they have dropped their lawsuit. Apparently, from what I gather, the boutique was selling handmade baby items adorned with little frills made with material that had designer logo patterns all over them. Maybe that’s not an infringement on their logo? Who knows? Gucci will not return my calls. I’ll give this one to Alicia.

In her personal life, at least  on the show, she is crying a river over Eddie, who was imprisoned three years ago. One would think she “doesn’t know what to do” when he comes out. She loves him, but this was such a huge betrayal. Should she stay or go…that’s the impression I got. After all he was her one true love. Turns out, according to people in Philly, that Alicia found herself a new man very soon after Eddie’s incarceration. Alicia says he is an old family friend, there is no truth to the rumors they are “together.” Yet, people are saying he rarely leaves her side and his car is always parked outside her house. Who are we to believe, the people from Philly, the city of love, or Alicia? I’m going with the word on the Philly street, which would make Alicia’s version a LIE.

Now for the Vegas picture and newspaper articles! According to Alicia, it’s NOT the picture that’s the problem, it’s the lies told to the newspapers about her going to visit her son in WV and then going to Vegas instead. She blames Renee for leaking the information. Why? I don’t get it. Why would Renee tell the media lies and why would the judge be upset by the content of the article? Alicia is not responsible for what the media prints or what their sources may tell them. The judge evidently knows that Alicia asked to go to Vegas, it was approved and her lawyer did not seem concerned about that. BUT, Alicia is responsible for tweeting out her own picture in a skimpy swimsuit with Drita...the picture that Alicia discussed with her attorney on the show...the picture he was concerned about because it could leave the judge with a negative image of her as a party girl and not the stay at home mom she tried to portray to the court. So, the way it was presented on the show, it leaves us to believe that the pictures were indeed the problem. The pictures that, by Alicia’s own admission, were released on her social media accounts by her. So which one is the problem…the pictures or the content of the article? Maybe neither? After all who stands to benefit from those articles? Everyone! The media, VH1, Mob Wives Producers, the cast and Alicia herself, because it has created drama for the show to film…and drama = $$$.

Let's go to the video tape! May the best Mob Wife win!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Mob Wives: Jenn Graziano Cookbook Interview!

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Chiara dubbed me the "Mob Chef," so it's only natural that I am very interested in "How To Use A Meat Cleaver," by the Graziano Girls! I can't wait for the book to come out so I can try all the recipes. I will even blog a couple of them and let you know my expert opinion. In the meantime, I tracked down Jenn Graziano so she could answer a few questions about their book while we wait for the February 4th launch date! 

Thank you Jenn, for graciously taking time out of your busy schedule to answer what we need to know!

Jenn, please describe your cookbook, "How To Use A Meat Clever," and what readers should expect.

Obviously, by the name,  you can tell it is a tongue in cheek approach to our lives and what is in our kitchens!  However, the recipes are as authentic as they come. They are recipes passed down from our grandmother to us, as well as some from friends and family along the way.  We pay homage to all of the cooks in our lives who we have come across and what they have taught us. But mostly these are family recipes straight from Italy.  Something you would eat if your grandmother was cooking it herself!

How is this cookbook different from all the ones already out there?

In addition to recipes, we share with the reader unique, funny, and heart felt family stories centered around food - like how Renee once ran out of bread and used potato chips in her meatballs instead or how to sneak meatballs into prison.  The stories give you an inside look into how we grew up, how we eat, and how we are a family.

What was the earliest age each of you started cooking?

My grandmother and I used to make the chicken cutlets together starting when I was about 4 or 5 years old.  I always enjoyed breading them and getting my finger tips full of bread crumb.  Lana started very early as well, and did the most cooking as she was the oldest and some times responsible for cooking for me and Renee.  Renee cooked a lot with my dad starting when she was about 7 or 8.

Where or from whom do your recipes come from?

Mostly from our maternal grandmother, dad, mom, cousin Jimmy, and for me - even Big Ang!!

Lana and Renee whack a filet!


Who would you say has the best culinary skills?

Lana by far has the best culinary skills of the three of us.  She has owned and operated several restaurants - some where she even cooked herself.  Her last restaurant - Mangiare - had lines around the corner every day for years.  Renee is the most eclectic in the kitchen.....I did mention the potato chips right?? She is a great cook as well however.  I have never proclaimed to be the best cook, but the dishes I do make are amazing.....and just like grandma, mom, dad, and Lana have taught me....and are still teaching me.....we want this book to teach everyone how to make real, authentic, home style Italian food.

Do each of you have a favorite recipe or type of food you prefer cooking?

Lana likes to cook everything.... and everything she makes is delicious.  My favorite type of dishes to cook are the seafood dishes - linguine and clam sauce, shrimp oregonata - but, as Chiara knows, I make some mean chicken cutlets.  Renee and I are in a battle over who makes them the best, but she also loves to make a Sunday Sauce and meatballs.

Who makes the best desserts?

Lana and I are really the only ones that like to bake, but I must say my niece Sonni is the absolute best.  So much so that we told her if and when we ever do a dessert book she must be included. 

What's Cookin'?


What did you enjoy most about the making of this book?

It really brought us back together as sisters again.  Renee and I have been so busy with Mob Wives we hadn't spent much time with Lana.  The book gave us an opportunity to make up for lost time and laugh with one another.  Also, the making of the videos for the promotion of the book was fun.  They are really meant as funny vignettes and not literal cooking demonstrations.  Our favorite is the sausage and peppas with Renee's hilarious rendition of a guido!!

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Famous Graziano sausage and peppas

Can you tell us any of the book signing dates and locations where they will be held.

STATEN ISLAND, NY
Tuesday, February  4
6:30 PM arrival
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM ET
author event. bookstore.
BARNES & NOBLE
Staten Island
2245 Richmond Avenue
Staten Island, NY  10314
 _______________________________________________________

BROOKLYN, NY
Wednesday, February  5
6:30 PM arrival
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM ET
author event. bookstore.
BOULEVARD BOOKS & CAFE
7518 13th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY  11228
_______________________________________________________________________

NORTHVALE, NJ
Thursday, February  6
6:30 PM arrival
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM ET
author event. bookstore.
BOOKS & GREETINGS
271G Livingston St
Northvale, NJ  07647

AND in other locations:

Feb 19
Miami Beach location of Books & Books at 6:30pm

March 5
Book Soup
Los Angeles, CA
7:00pm

Thanks for the interview, Jenn, and the inside scoop on "How To Use A Meat Cleaver"! I cannot wait to get my hands on the book and try out your traditional Italian recipes! And PRE ORDER the book today!

Written by: Carmela Corleone, Mob Chef

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Mob Wives: "How To Use A Meat Cleaver" CONTEST!

preorder_book_cover_copy
COMING OUT February 4th!


Well, we all know the saying "Go big or go home!"- well these girls are definitely going big. Jennifer Graziano, the Executive Producer of Mob Wives is on a mission and she isn't stopping at anything. Collaborating with her sisters Renee and Lana, they have written their own cookbook. I asked Jenn a few questions and she gave us some insight in what to expect. A detailed interview with Jenn will be posted tomorrow!  To promote their book's release they have posted a few very funny videos. The one below is great interaction between the sisters, while making sausage and "peppas." If you want to learn how these girls get down and dirty in the kitchen pick up your copy of "How to Use a Meat Clever" and join in on the fun and learn some authentic family recipes.



Don't forget to pre-order your copy of the book by February 3rd and enter into the contest. The winner will get to have Jennifer, Renee and Lana come to their home and cook with you.

Contest Rules

Everyone who Pre-Orders their copy of How To Use a Meat Cleaver by Renee, Lana & Jennifer Graziano before February 3rd 2014 will receive:

1. A signed photo not seen in the book of Renee, Lana and Jennifer

2. An Exclusive invite to a private webinar session with Renee, Lana and Jennifer to watch them cook a dish and answer all your questions!

3. Be entered in the ” Cook with the Graziano’s” Contest.  One lucky person will be selected to have Renee, Lana and Jennifer travel to your home for the day and cook with you in your kitchen! They will teach you how to cook their favorite recipe from the book and eat with your family!

How to Win?

1. Purchase your pre-order from one of the online retailers

2. Email us your email confirmation after you purchase to preorder@reneegraziano.com

More Videos!







Written By: Carmela Corleone, Mob Chef

REMEMBER to look for my interview with Jennifer Graziano tomorrow AND PRE-ORDER your copy of How To Use A Meat Cleaver today!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Mob Wives: Recap "Loose Lips" Ep 407

SHOCKING!

We start out at Drita’s house where she is talking to Ang on the phone. Drita had a nightmare and she feels something really bad is going to happen. She dreamt that two people were in her house and creeping up on her and she shot them dead, one in the face and the other who knows, who cares. Drita says all her dreams MEAN something. As soon as she says this I immediately know where this is all leading…the big “REVEAL” that Alicia’s picture is in the newspaper! She says when she was little she would see things in her dreams and they would really happen…her mother and other family members have the same “gift.” She had a dream that Lee’s friend was going rat him out and he did. She feels she is going to be in a bad situation. She ties the dream into Renee and Natalie or the girls. She needs to know what her dream means. I need to know if the script really had to go into that much detail about Drita’s dream “gift?” All this proves to me is that she has no “gift,” as we will see later.

At Alicia’s house, her brother walks in. She tells him she is disappointed that Eddie’s sentence was postponed, it leaves her life in limbo, but her brother makes her feel better. He wants to talk to her about her sentencing and the possibility of her going to jail. That scares her to death instead of cheering her up. Oh well. He says she has to prepare for it and talk about it. She can’t imagine being without her kids. He wants her to be ready for whatever might happen. Meanwhile, all the while he is talking to Alicia, he doesn’t appear to be one bit concerned. Did you notice how he was joking, smiling and relaxed? Last week, her son Anthony didn’t seem too concerned about jail when he asked her almost the same questions. Interesting. Do we think that maybe Alicia has a plea deal in place and the sentencing is really being held up by the restitution and fines the FEDs want her to pay? That’s what I think.

Natalie pops in to visit Big Ang and they greet each other with a kiss at the door, like old friends. She came all the way from SOUTH Philly just to get advice about what to do about Renee. Drita pops in too. Lots of popping this episode. Natalie apologizes to Drita and Ang because she helped ruin their trip. She says Renee apologized to her…yada yada yada…and she told her she wasn’t a kid or trash. Renee told her she did think of her like that. Drita and Ang are “shocked” to hear this. Natalie doesn’t think Renee’s apology was sincere. Drita says Renee will never get over what Natalie said, it’s her nature. Ang says Renee doesn’t let anything go. Ang thinks it will be an ongoing thing. Excuse me a minute, but whose friends are Drita and Ang? I thought they were Renee’s friends. If I was Renee I would be more pissed at them than I am at Natalie.

At Big Ang’s house everyone is stuffing their faces with her home cooking. AJ and his girlfriend are there, along with Neil. They start to talk about her son, AJ’s, baby that is on the way. Ang thinks his girlfriend should get a job, but all she does is stay home and sleep. Ang wants to tell AJ that she wants to have a baby with Neil. When she finally tells him she could have a baby, she can’t even keep a straight face. Neither can I. They tried this same storyline in the RHONY with Luann and Jacques. When 50+ reality stars start talking about having babies on the show it means they ran out of storylines and are desperate to create something out of nothing.

Renee and AJ talk about Vegas. She admits to raising her hand to Natalie and she apologized, but Renee doesn’t think that they are over it. Renee feels she has to let Natalie go from her company. Natalie insulted her clothing line and, for Renee, that is the last straw. AJ makes sense, he says get over it. I’m with AJ. Renee finally realizes she has to let Natalie go as an employee, a friend, an acquaintance. Where’s the pink slip? I’m sure this will be a nice juicy scene in the near future. No way is Natalie coming back next season.

WARNNG: The next scene is a SHOCKER and may contain content that will make your eyes pop out of your head!  NOT!

"What the f*ck is this Ang?"

At Café Latte, Big Ang and Drita meet. “Have you seen this???” Ang asks Drita as she flips open the newspaper. Drita’s eyes literally almost pop out of her head. Drita says this “MUST BE” what her dream was about. Of course, what else can two people sneaking around in your house that you shoot dead, mean? Isn’t it obvious? It was all about Alicia’s picture appearing in the paper. Ang says the article says Alicia was supposed to go to her son’s college and ended up in Vegas with them. The article has way too many details, says Ang, it has “rat” written all over it! Somebody must have given the newspaper Alicia’s picture, but who? Oh yes, it was Alicia herself. She tweeted it out on social media and somehow the newspaper got a hold of it. Turns out Alicia is her own “rat.” OR, maybe Alicia tweeted it out on purpose so it could be found? Did someone tip the paper off and add a few details so they would print it? After all, this little fiasco turned into a whole scripted episode or two. Meanwhile, Ang and Drita feel it is making Alicia look bad to the judge. Drita is nervous for her. They are both in total shock. I’m not worried, are you?

Alicia is with Natalie and shows her the newspaper. Alicia tells her she asked for permission to go to Vegas. Do I think she asked the judge, yes I do. I think she told her the trip was necessary for her job. I read she gets paid $8,000 an episode and eight times three episodes in Vegas is $24,000. She thinks someone is feeding things to the press. I think someone is too. I think she purposely tweeted her own picture out so the press could print it and probably threw them a few extra details to create a story. She says all this is interfering with her case and her husband’s case. She told her lawyer to look into it. It has to be someone with a personal vendetta against her who is behind it all. She feels sorry for whoever did it because Eddie is coming home one day and he will take care of it. Now isn’t this all ridiculous? Maybe it was someone who had something to gain from leaking the picture? And, think about it, if they do two episodes about “the rat who leaked the pictures” that is $16,000 more in her pocket. Where oh where has the “reality” gone?

Drita is her home with Giselle. Giselle’s personality has blossomed, she is a little diva, but her father’s daughter. Drita used to model. Drita wants to take her to an agent  for casting calls. Drita thinks she will love it and have fun with it. Nice little scene, Giselle is a doll.

Someone in the inner circle is out to get me!
Paranoid much?

Alicia meets with her lawyer. She says she plead guilty to embezzlement. She is afraid the lies in the newspaper could affect her sentencing. The paper says they got her picture from her social media. And who posted the most damning item that could go against her own case? Duh! It’s still there. The lawyer thinks it could be a problem, it may make the judge react negatively. She seems nervous and her world is unraveling. It makes it look like she doesn’t care what her image is, it’s not exactly the image of a poor single mom that she has been selling to the court. The lawyer says things like this affect people’s attitudes. The lawyer says she can go to jail for up to 5 years. But if you watch the scene carefully, he doesn’t seem too concerned either. Maybe he is enjoying the free publicity?

Big Ang finds more pictures of Alicia in the papers and the article says she is lying about how much money she makes. She calls Alicia to check on her. Alicia says someone is feeding information to the papers. Eddie is upset over it. Ang says it takes a lot of balls to rat. All these stories in the paper are lies says Alicia, who knows all about lies. Alicia says it could be pissing off the judge. Alicia doesn’t know who it could be leaking the information, but it’s someone close to them. Someone closer than she thinks. Someone as close as the nearest mirror. Look, the FEDs figured out that Alicia would be making money for being on Mob Wives. That money probably didn’t appear in her earnings because she hadn’t been paid anything by them at the time. Now the money is rolling in and they want it. It’s as simple as that. No one leaked anything that everyone didn’t already know. It’s like karma. She didn’t think anything of taking truckers’ pension money and now the FEDS want to return the favor and take hers. What goes around…comes around.

Renee’s house, Drita is there. Big Ang calls to tell her Alicia is in the paper again, they want to know how much money she makes and they want her money to pay fines. Ang says this will not look good in front of the judge. Renee defends Alicia saying she isn’t hiding money she is a single mother. Ang tells them the judge asked to see her in the courtroom and that’s not good. Again Drita thinks this is what her dream was about. If anyone can tie Drita’s dream to Alicia’s situation I would appreciate your dropping a line in the comments. The only similarity I see is that both are as fake as her designer knockoffs.

Drita’s house. Alicia arrives. She says she had one moment of fun in Vegas and these articles are making her out to be someone she’s not. Poor poor pitiful me.  Drita wants to know who she thinks is telling the newspapers what she is doing so she will be sentenced to prison. Alicia says the image they are putting out there is not her, she isn’t a party girl, she is content to be home with her kids. But they both feel someone is trying to take her down with all these “lies.” Alicia says it’s someone close to them who knows what is going on. She prays she is wrong. What lies? Lies that she went to Vegas, lies that she tweeted out her own picture in a skimpy bathing suit, lies that she is earning a salary for being on the show?

Drita, Ang, Renee sitting in a restaurant discussing Alicia and her articles. Renee says there is a strong possibility she could go to jail. They are all very serious about it. Renee describes Alicia as a homebody. Drita says she is a nice woman. They worry about what will happen to her in jail. She is not a fighter. Drita says Alicia didn’t realize she was cooking the books, it’s all Eddie’s fault. Renee says Alicia said “I know everything my husband does” on the tapes and that is what got her in trouble. Ang thinks they should all go see her before the sentencing and show their support. Let’s see how well this works out.

Poor Renee tries to do good and,
as my mother would say, gets it up the ass

In SOUTH Philly, at Alicia’s house, the girls are going to meet and support her. They all feel someone is trying “to get her.”  Renee feels an obligation to help her because she has been friends with Edward for over 30 years. Alicia wants to get to the bottom of this “snitching” to the media. Alicia says her case was in a good place until all this came out in the paper and now she could get up to 5 years. Renee tries to give Alicia advice. Alicia says she did the books because she is straight and narrow and was the one to do the books the right way. She blames Eddie for all of it. He must have gotten her to cook the books without her knowing it. Now she thinks an evil person, with inside information, is feeding the media. “Someone in this circle,” says an accusing Alicia. Drita is confused. Ang says no one at this table would ever snitch. Alicia says someone is out to get her. Then Drita "subtly mentions" what Renee said about the wire taps and Alicia starts attacking Renee over it. Renee mentioned that Alicia is heard saying “I know everything my husband does” on the tapes. Alicia wants to know how Renee knows what is on those tapes? She doesn’t even give Renee a second to explain as she angrily screams at her across the table. Renee says there were 8 other co-defendants who heard the tapes. They were people she knows in Staten Island and they were discussing what they heard. Alicia wants to know who is talking about her tapes? Alicia continues screaming. Renee is shocked. She came to show her loyalty and support, and she gets attacked! Well now let’s see…

It seems all Alicia’s problems are everyone else’s fault, not hers. She seems to be the innocent lamb who didn’t know her husband worked for the mob; who didn’t know she was cooking books and embezzling money; who doesn’t know she was selling knockoffs of designer items at her boutique; who didn’t realize that when you tweet and instagram your pictures in social media they are public information; who didn’t know she should report her Mob Wives earnings to the FEDs; who doesn’t think the FEDs can figure out she would be paid for being on reality television; and, who isn’t smart enough to know that if you want to portray yourself as a stay at home “June Cleaver” mom then don’t wear a bathing suit showing 90 per cent of your body, get slap happy drunk in Vegas, be on a show that is televised nationally and air all your business! Now someone please tell me which part of that is Renee’s fault?



Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Mob Wives: "Loose Lips" Sneak Peek Ep 407

"What the f*ck is this Ang?"
asks Drita, when she sees the picture of her and Alicia in Vegas.

Will the real media informant please stand up? So here is the sneak peek I have been waiting days to see and blog. Ang and Drita find Alicia and Drita's picture, taken in Vegas, in the papers and are in shock! Total SHOCK! How could this happen? Alicia is out on bail! So did Alicia LIE to the judge in order go to Vegas? Big Ang, who has been there, done that, knows that when you are out on bail you have to ask the judge for permission to travel. Ang adds if you don't ask and get caught, you go directly to jail. Hmmm, very interesting. So let me see if I got this right...I made up a list in the form of a multiple choice question for all fans:

So far we have heard which of the following about Alicia's trip to Vegas?

a. Alicia says she is under travel restriction and cannot leave tri-state area.

b. Alicia lied to the judge about going to West Virginia, and then made a detour to Vegas.

c. Alicia's lawyer said Alicia is allowed to go anywhere in the US, including Vegas.

d. Alicia's lawyer said he thought she was home in New Jersey, when asked if she was in Vegas.

e. Alicia tweeted and instagramed pictures of herself and cast in Vegas.

f. All of the above.

g. I wouldn't believe Alicia if her tongue came notarized.

h. f & g

I chose f & g. We have heard or read all of the above lies/excuses over the Alicia pictures and trip to Vegas, which of them is true is anyone's guess. And this is supposed to be reality? Pah-lease!


Sunday, January 12, 2014

Mob Wives: What's The Problem with Vegas Pics?

alicia draya mob wives
Brought to you by Alicia's social media accounts


Back in September, the girls' trip to Vegas was filmed for season four. Alicia tweeted and/or instagramed pictures of herself and other members of the cast having a great time there. Some media outlets said she went there after lying to the judge that she needed to go to West Virginia to help her son, Anthony, get settled in his dorm. This was the story printed in the Reality Tea article. HOWEVER, Alicia's lawyer, John S. Wallenstein, reported that Alicia has always had permission to travel anywhere in the United States as long as she provides the court with notice of her intended plans. This story was covered by the New York Daily News.

So which is it? Did Alicia have the permission of the courts or did she sneak out of town?

The only reason this matters is because of Thursday night's episode 7, entitled "Loose Lips," where Alicia is pointing fingers at all the girls for leaking the information she was in Vegas to the press. You see, the Reality Tea article indicates, and my memory has a clear recollection of having seen, Alicia herself tweet and/or instagram her own pictures in Vegas out on social media. If that is correct, why is she pointing fingers at anyone accusing them of having "loose lips" and speaking to the press??? And, in the second scenario, if what her lawyer says is true and she had the permission of the court to go anywhere in the United States, then why the need to point fingers at all? I have to say I am a bit confused. Do you think this is yet another scripted episode creating drama where there totally isn't any?  Hmmmmm?

It seems clear to me that at worst, Alicia was her own "rat" and at best there was nothing to snitch about because it was all legal. I cannot wait to blog this episode!


Friday, January 10, 2014

Mob Wives: Recap “Vegas Part 3” Ep 406


BONUS CLIP: First, what we didn't see!
Let's milk this thing a little more!


Here we go! We are still in Vegas. Where are my dry crackers, I'm getting nauseous. Time to drive a few race cars at 200 miles per hour. Now that’s the way to relax! Natalie knows Renee is pissed about being blown off, but still says she will talk to Renee in her own good time. Natalie is joking with the other girls and it’s making Renee sick. Passing the dry crackers to Renee. Renee is having a bad day again, says Ang, who is afraid to drive a car. Natalie takes off like a bullet in her car. Renee goes to sit alone, she is upset that Natalie disrespected her and the girls are joking with her like everything is good. Drita takes her turn at driving. When Renee brings it up, Ang defends Natalie and Alicia sides with Natalie. Renee feels their loyalty lies with Natalie. Ang gets pissed. Alicia says this is about right or wrong, not loyalty, and Renee is wrong and ridiculous. Renee calls them backstabbers. Look, I would have to rehash everything I said in the last two blogs to deal with this mess. Alicia should have never invited Natalie, but it was in the script. No way were they going to have any kind of vacation the way Renee felt towards Natalie. Both Big Ang and Drita knew this, but they let it happen anyway? It just doesn’t make any sense. And why the hell are we in Vegas for three episodes? That’s two episodes too many. Let’s just move on, stick a fork in me, I’m done!

They get back from racing and Natalie and Renee go to get some (scripted) rest, while Drita, Ang and Alicia try to have some fun alone. Why the hell does Natalie, the youngest of them all, need any rest? I just want to laugh out loud! Drita tells them she lost the money she was saving to open up a second store. Does anyone believe Drita really lost $8,000? I think she lost nothing. I think the whole gambling scenario was staged for our benefit and the storyline. Look at all the free publicity the Palms hotel is getting outing of all this filming! Of course they will let them have some fake gambling time. Ang says she thinks Natalie is fired and laughs. I can only pray Ang is right. The three of them are determined to go out and have fun together and stay out of the fighting. They go to a restaurant all dressed up. Drita says she wants to tell Renee to stop acting like Al Capone. They think Renee picked on the wrong person to get gangster with…Natalie. Drita calls Renee a spoiled brat…when things don’t go her way she acts up. Again, Drita and Big Ang know Renee well enough to know she was not going to be happy on this trip if Natalie went along, but they kept their mouths shut about the invitation. Who the hell is Alicia that she can take it upon herself to include Natalie? But, that's how the script was written.

"I'm a grown ASS woman!"

Meanwhile, Renee calls AJ and starts crying. She’s very upset and doesn’t know what to do. She is disappointed in herself. She is angry with herself because she raised her hands to Natalie. AJ tells her to stop thinking about it and let it go. Ang thinks Renee has gotten worse since Junior's betrayal. Ang says tragedy is going to happen if Renee doesn’t snap out of it. Really? Then why I don’t see her supporting Renee or trying to get her any help? Hmmm. She seems to be annoyed with Renee more than anything else. Renee decides to leave her room and go find Natalie to talk to her. Renee tells Natalie she can’t remember a lot of what happened yesterday, but she knows the argument escalated. Renee says she is very big with respect. She tells her the word “delicious” hit her the wrong way. And there it is! The final “delicious” that sent me to bed nauseated!  Natalie says she tried apologizing more than once that night and Renee didn’t want to hear it. When she called Natalie a puppet, Natalie says she lost it. Natalie says she felt betrayed and stabbed in the back. She tells Renee she isn’t a little girl. Renee says she was wrong for raising her hands to her and she is sorry. Natalie says they hurt each other and were in a dark place, and she accepts her apology. Now they can move on. I cannot imagine this conversation being for real after all that was said and done, but that’s reality television and editing for you. And I am going to add that if Renee was that aggravated on girls’ night out, when the comment was first made, then Natalie should have been fired right then and there or the next day. What did she have to lose? Natalie's face? There is no mention, no picture, no ad that I have seen for “Mob Candy” with Natalie’s picture or name in it. If she is the “face” of Mob Candy then where is her face? She could have easily been replaced and no one would have cared.

Now they plan to go to a strip club, The Crazy Horse. Natalie told them that she and Renee made up so they can all go out together. Isn't that wonderful? Ang wants to have fun and make up for all lost time. They all seem to be enjoying themselves. Drita says Natalie dresses exactly like a stripper. Is that a compliment? These strippers are all over the mob wives, touching them and rubbing their bodies on them and kissing them. What the hell BS is this? I don’t get it. It’s ridiculous and unbelievable. Renee decides to do some pole dancing. They didn’t get any sleep and are all hung over the next morning…thank God that’s over.

Time to go home! But first a little breakfast. Renee says she is done with the alcohol. Drita is worried she has to tell Lee she lost all the money she was saving for her new store. Drita says she learned a lot. She learned not to go back to Vegas. Alicia has to go back to deal with Eddie’s sentencing. Renee says she needs to get back on track.

Now we are in Philly…in the funeral home. Natalie is putting make up on a dead body, or so it appears. She says she basically running the business by herself. She deals with the grieving families and making arrangements. Natalie is still talking about Renee disrespecting her. She is a grown “ASS” (I agree) woman and runs a company, so she deserves respect. Meanwhile, Alicia is bellyaching about Eddie’s sentencing again. She calls it a “bomb.” Oh her son Anthony is home packing his stuff for college. I thought he was already in West Virginia in his dorm, but I guess Alicia decided to go to Vegas first, before helping her son move in (like she told the judge). She reads an old letter Eddie wrote in 2010 to Anthony, expressing his feelings that he is his son (Alicia’s son from her first marriage) and that’s WHY she is sticking with him. “Sticking with him???” I hear she left him three years ago when he was arrested and found herself another Boo right away. And yet, she is still crying over Eddie? This woman is as fake as a three dollar bill. Anthony wants to know what will happen to the younger boys if Alicia goes to jail. Who will take care of them? I want to know who took care of them while she was in Vegas? Anthony? But, even he doesn’t seem to look one bit concerned…maybe he knows she isn’t going to jail? She says she can’t think about it, it‘s too difficult and then she throws in a few more crocodile tears for the cameras. She says she is scared as hell right now, but she sure seemed fine in Vegas.

$8,000 in the hole

Drita is back at work and not relaxed…she played referee between Renee and Natalie and also lost $8,000. She hasn’t told Lee she lost the money, but decides it’s best to tell him over the phone, where it’s safe. Lee is pissed she lost $8,000, and he is verbally abusive about it, cursing at her every other word. Drita seems to take it in stride and says she has to get back to work. She will have to save up all the money she needs again. You know what went through my mind? Drita’s girls hearing their father talking to their mother that way. I know Drita says she won’t let them watch the show, but there is always the possibility they will hear about it from a friend or see it on the internet. There is also a chance that this is how they really interact at home, in front of the girls. I hope not.

I didn't think anyone could out-lie Carla
but yes, she did!

Back to Alicia’s house. She tells the boys about Eddie’s sentencing coming up tomorrow. Ang recalls when she was arrested and it was disgusting being in the holding cell. Alicia tells her younger son that they will do a calendar countdown and once they know how much time Eddie will get. Really? A calendar countdown? Let’s see, Eddie got seven years and 365 times 7 is 2,555 days. That’s a long countdown. But wait. He has been sitting in prison for three years already, so will they subtract those years from the seven he was sentenced to?  All this prison stuff makes my head spin. Ang and Renee talk, and Ang says Alicia knew her father in-law was whacked by the mob so how could she not know Eddie was working with the mob? Finally, the voice of reason! Ang is telling it more like it is this season. Alicia says she was naïve and didn’t see the signs. Please Alicia! You can cry us a river, but you sure as hell knew what your husband was doing and those books didn’t cook themselves! Alicia asks the boys, when their dad gets out will they go live with him or stay with her. What the hell?  Is this supposed to make them feel better about what is happening. This is where Alicia could use a “script” with better writing. Ang says she feels bad for Alicia, waiting for a sentence is hard. Alicia has been waiting hours and hours to find out what time the sentencing is and she is nervous. She flashes her LV phone case at the camera. Is it a fake, a knockoff, or did her Boo get it for her? After all, all her assets are frozen by the Feds. I can’t help but notice that she is wearing a very skimpy halter top dress with at least half her breasts exposed…can the producers tell her to put some clothes on…and a bra, she has her three sons there for pete‘s sake. More fake tears for Eddie, who she left three years ago when she met her Boo, the restaurateur. Is there anything credible about this woman? Her rap sheet of lies make good OLD Carla look like Snow White!

LV case, Courtesy of @Dondig's iphone!

Renee meets Alicia for lunch to talk about the sentencing and to see how she is doing under the circumstances. Renee knows it’s not good news from the look on Alicia’s face. Alicia says the sentencing has been postponed and she is frustrated. She wants to cry and scream and feels helpless for him. If we didn’t already know the truth, we just might buy into those faux tears, but instead it just adds to her phoniness. She says she tries to be positive every day. She is the one who keeps the family together. Renee is very supportive. Alicia is still crying over Eddie (Lord help us), she was clueless about the lifestyle. Renee tells her to be more concerned about herself. I don’t know how Renee could be so compassionate towards Alicia when Alicia was pretty cold and callous towards Renee in Vegas. But then again, that’s Renee for you.

P.S. Now I cannot keep quiet until next week about these previews. From what I saw, it seemed Alicia was accusing someone of leaking information to the press that she was in Vegas. We all know she was under a travel restriction and the judge did not approve this trip. But why is she pointing fingers at anyone, especially Renee, when she was the one tweeting and instagramming pictures of herself in Vegas! The pictures came from her own social media accounts. If I recall correctly, it even says that in the article. She is her own rat, her own snitch! If this is the way VH1 plans to show this scene the way it looks, the credibility of this show is shot!



Monday, January 6, 2014

Mob Wives: "The Backstabbers" Sneak Peek Ep 406

"Backstabbers"


A sneak peek into episode 6, Vegas Part 3, yes I said it, part 3! In this clip, all the ladies go to the track to drive race cars. Drita and the two SOUTH Philly girls get there first and they have bonded very nicely. Big Ang and Renee arrive shortly after. Renee's disposition changes immediately upon seeing Natalie, who is apparently enjoying herself. Renee is fuming and walks off, as all the ladies take a turn at the wheel. While Natalie is driving, Renee approaches the other girls, who all come to Natalie's defense. They feel she apologized and did all she could and none of them want to be caught in this nasty argument. Renee feels they don't know the meaning of the word loyalty. Ang gets insulted. Alicia says it's not about loyalty, it's about right from wrong, and Renee was wrong. Renee takes off on her own, calling them all backstabbers while Ang and Alicia find her annoying.

I'll tell you what's annoying...dragging out an argument, over the disrespect of the word "delicious," for three episodes. Ugh!


Sunday, January 5, 2014

Mob Wives: Is Karen Gravano Back???

Back in New York for starters!

Pure Speculation! But is it possible that Karen left the warmth of her family and the Arizona weather to come back to New York, during it's coldest temperatures just for dinner? Well leave it to Twitter to get my hopes up! I literally poured cereal into my coffee cup this morning because of a tweet I saw on my timeline from Jennifer Graziano. First Renee tweets:

Who wouldn't want to be a fly on the wall for this meeting?

When many fans heard that Karen was in New York, it created a buzz. The buzz got even louder when Renee Graziano tweeted she, and her sister Jenn, were having dinner with Karen. Renee said some of us would love to be "flies on the wall." I asked if I could pay a waiter to take notes for me on the conversation and then Jenn retweeted me and replied!

What they discussed BEFORE dinner would be way more interesting to me?

Am I reading too much into this? The only thing I have been interested in, since the first episode of season four, is bringing Karen back! Jenn knows that because she follows my tweets and I think she glances at my blogs every now and then too. It's no secret that I think Karen belongs on the show, she was the reason for much of it's success and she is as REAL as it gets. Of course I am just a blogger, and I can make something out of nothing every now and then...so is this something or nothing? You decide! I already made up my mind! 

I hope Karen comes back soon and sends those SOUTH Philly wives packing! 

Now I will remove the cereal from my coffee and get back to having breakfast!

PS Here is a picture of a "fly on the wall" my good friend, @Dondig, last night with Jenn and Karen for drinks!

Welcome Home, Karen!