Staten Island Law: Joy Behar Meets Elura & Michele

This is the short version of the interview

This week Joy Behar had the ladies from Staten Island law, Elura and Michele, on her show, “Say Anything!,” on Current TV. The ladies were smart, funny and entertaining, much like on their OWN show. You can see there is absolutely no pretense whatsoever. They are down to earth and refreshingly honest, for lawyers. They both talk a mile a minute, so you get a lot for your viewing time.

Throughout the interview, Joy, Elura and Michele throw in some Italian lingo and culture, which really makes me laugh because most of my relatives are gone and I don’t get to hear those phrases being bandied about any more.

If you haven’t watched Staten Island law yet, you really should. The ladies give an intro to the show which is about two Staten Island lawyers who met in New York law School and became best friends. They got married around the same time, had their children about the same time and went into business together as mediators for people who can’t resolve their own problems. The ladies are full time mothers trying to juggle home life and business and strike a healthy balance. One day, after being told they should be on television because they are so funny, Michele says she started Googling how to get on television while her daughter was napping. She started to call New York production companies and pitch their idea for a show. They used videos they made for their other business, tutoring law school students” as a sample of their personalities. The production company was interested and pitched the show to other companies. They got their best offer from OWN and accepted. Four of the six taped shows have aired. The last two are being reserved for a new day and time to attract more viewers. I will definitely be announcing that information as soon as it has been decided. Meanwhile, you may be able to catch the first four episodes if they are being rerun on OWN.

Now for the rest of the interview. They are currently in the early stages of a case where the gay community wants to march in the Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day parade. It’s a Catholic parade and those who run it don’t want them marching…Joy says, “What about the priests who are marching? Never mind.” Michele answers, “Thank God you said it.” And then they push right past that controversial issue back to the difficulty of getting a resolution for this case. Joy feels, “Not for nothing, but Staten Island is a little bit backward in their thinking a lot of times.” Elura and Michele agree. Michele says, “Once the old guard goes they bring the sauce with them.” (See Carmela, even Michele knows it’s legally called sauce, NOT gravy!). Michele is making the point that we don’t want to lose everything from the old ways o thinking, especially the recipes.

Joy brings up the Kim Khardashian/Chris Humphries case to get their opinion on it. The couple was married 72 days. Kim offered Chris 10 million dollars for a divorce as she is now pregnant with Kanye West’s baby. Chris wants an annulment so that she can remarry in church. He wants her to admit the marriage was a sham/fraud. They say they would advise Kim to find other grounds, a different fraud, for an annulment, because she would never say she married him for the publicity as it would open her up to all kinds of legal problems. They would tell Chris to stick to his guns. He is hurt, wants her to admit she was wrong and wants her erased from his past, so no amount of money is going to sway him. But they feel this situation is not right for mediation because they are not in the right place to be receptive.

They touch on Casey Anthony who wants to be a paralegal. Michele is revolted. Joy says would they ever hire her…they both say no. Michele can’t seem to stomach the thought of Casey Anthony. Then the both think she should be “sentenced” to law school, that would be a punishment! Then when she graduates she can spend a lifetime working with other lawyers who find a thousand ways to call you stupid everyday.

Elura and Michele have never met Oprah but they would love to one day. They want to give her the “Staten Island” treatment at the nail salon… Joy interupts them by saying that these two ladies are the first guests to come to the show and bring her pastries and two mozzarellas. Michele says she was raised right, you don’t visit someone’s home empty handed.

This interview was absolutely delightful. I am posting the link below. It runs about 14 minutes and I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Video Credit Current TV

Full Interview Link: Joy Behar "Say Anything!" with Elura and Michele

Mob Wives: Recap “Reunion Show Part 2” Ep 219

Joy advises: "Don't get up and fight!"

The fight from part 1 continues…Renee wants them to talk about the party, Drita walks out, Carla tells everyone to talk nice and not be disrespectful. Joy wants everyone to talk and not get up. Talking is not harmful, but fighting is. Drita swears she will never fight on camera again. Ramona says Drita is a misfit who likes to fight. Drita says Ramona is a gang member who stabs people. Karen yells at Renee to keep quiet so Joy can run her show. Joy asks Drita why Ramona couldn’t be the referee during the balcony fight. Drita says it was a bad situation and they weren’t getting along. She felt corned and thought she was going to be jumped. Ramona says regardless o what she thought, Ramona was genuinely trying to stop the fight, she wasn’t there to jump her. Karen says Drita is afraid of the truth so she will change her story or fight.

Joy addresses some “hot topics” that concern all the mob wives. The first issue that comes up is clearing the air about the definition of “friendship,” that has been an ongoing battle between Karen and Drita. Joy wants to know what they mean by friendship? Karen says when people are her friends, they are friends for life, unless there is some kind of falling out or you hurt someone I love. Drita says she and Karen used to be friends, but if you don’t see someone or keep in touch, the friendship is over. Right now they agree they are not friends, by either one’s definition. They have called a “truce,” but they are not hanging out together. They have agreed to a pact, like Carla and Ramona, to call each other if they hear rumors on the street that one of them said something about the other. However, Ramona speaks up and says she heard that, “Carla has been talking smack about her” after they made their truce. Carla accuses Ramona of talking about her off camera. "Roll the tape." They both deny breaking the pact.

Next up is Joe Ferragamo and Dave Seabrook! Joy wants to know what it’s like behind bars. Dave says he went to prison for some bad charges, like attempted murder, and the worst part about being incarcerated is missing his family and loved ones. He says he was a product of his environment. Joe went to prison for wire fraud and tax evasion, in other words white collar crime involving money issues. They all heard that the prisoners love the show, Mob Wives. Joe says he wasn’t too happy when Carla first told him about it, and thinks their behavior and cursing is over the top, but after seeing it he thinks it’s okay.

About the girlfriend's age, Joe says, "I didn't ask for her pedigree."

Cheating issues…they have all had them. Lee, Big Ang’s husband Neil, Joe, Dave’s been dating, and of course Junior. Joy asks Joe if there is anything romantic between him and Carla; he answers no, it’s just a friendship. They are good friends. In fact, he adds that Carla is #1 and his girlfriend is #2 and it’s always going to be that way.  Joy doesn’t buy the fact that Joe and Carla don’t have romantic feelings for each other. Carla says she is okay with the girlfriend, and thinks it won’t be long before she is gone. Carla thought that when Joe came home they could build on their friendship and getting to like each other. Joe says he is 43 and his girlfriend is in her 20’s, he made sure she was of age before he did anything. Carla called Joe “the single man” when they were married because he liked to cheat on Carla all the time, going from girl to girl. Carla says they never had sex after they split up because she didn’t want to bring Joe in and out of the kids’ lives. He says it would not bother him if Carla found another guy. Renee wants them to get back together. Carla still says there is hope for them in the future. "Never say never." But Joy says, “A serial cheater does not change his stripes, remember that.” 

Hmmm, Does she look like a younger version of Carla?

We'll just call her #2, for now.

Joy asks Dave if he is moving back to New York. Dave says no, he has a good job and is doing well in Arizona right now. Karen says Karina, their daughter, is coming to New York to live with her. Dave says for the summer. Karen says no. Joy wants to clear up something Karen said on the show about Dave sleeping with another woman in her bed. Dave said that’s what she said, but that never happened. He added, it would be disrespectful and he cares about Karen too much to do that to her. Joy wants to know what Karen meant when she said Dave put it down in the bedroom. There is some laughter and hesitation and then Ramona says, “he lays the pipe down.” More laughter and they move on. Joy says we have seen two sides of Dave, the “hot under the collar” side and the “sweet” side. Which one is the real Dave? He answers the “hot under the collar” side. Dave explains the reason he and Karen had issues is that he went to prison for 10 years and when he got out he had to restart his life. The time apart created a distance between them. 

Joy says that Ramona’s father will not talk to her because she didn’t marry an Italian, but Karen went outside her culture and her race. Karen explains that she was not taught to be prejudice and she judges Dave as a person, period. Renee wants them to get back together. Dave says he sees a couple of more kids in their future. Drita says her thoughts go back and forth on Lee. She can’t forgive him for cheating, but he is being nice to her and that makes it hard for her to stay mad at him. They are still friends. Everyone on stage thinks that Drita and Lee will get back together. Big Ang married a sanitation worker who is very handsome and looks like Russell Crowe. He cheated on her too.

Ramona says that she visits her boyfriend, Joe, in jail every week and he doesn’t want her to wait for him because he is facing some serious charges and jail time. Ramona says she has known Joe her whole life and that’s how they got together. Renee jokes that she wants a criminal for a mate, so that when they lose their job they still know how to support the family. Everyone laughs.

Big Ang tells the story of when she was in prison. She got in trouble and was charged with the possession and selling of cocaine. At the time she was struggling as a single parent. The outcome was that she was placed on house arrest after spending a day in jail. It turned out that a close friend of hers wore a wire and recorded her.  One day, on her way to meet a date, Big Ang was surrounded by a group of cars. The Feds let her hear the tapes and told her that her friend made them. Big Ang says it’s always the closest friends that do these kinds of things. Big Ang is more upset at the betrayal of her close friend than being arrested. Big Ang says, never be a rat, never forgive a rat. She says the Feds wanted her to rat out other people, but she refused to do it. Karen says she was arrested in Arizona for selling ecstasy, but her father took the brunt of the blame for the family and was sentenced to 20 years.

Next topic, the child rearing challenges for mob wives. They seem to overcompensate because the men are always in jail. The question arises about bringing kids to jail for visits. Is that appropriate? Karen says it doesn’t matter where you bring the child, it matters who they are going to see. Ramona says she wants her kids to know that people who are incarcerated are good people who made bad choices. Renee says that AJ has been going to prisons since he was 5 years old to visit his father and grandfather. Aleeya has been to visit Lee, and Ramona’s daughter has been there to visit her boyfriend, Joe. 

Joy talks about their temper and rage. Aren't they afraid they will turn they children into "rage-aholics?" Drita says she is not that way with her kids. She doesn't ask them to "get a Mother F*ckin' bowl of cereal." Joy asks who has cursed the most in the show. This question is followed by many, many clips of Renee saying the “F” word. The final tally is Renee using the “F” word 407 times and she wins for the dropping the most F bombs. Renee says, “My mother is gonna be really upset now!” None of them curse like that in front of their kids, except Renee.

On to other projects! Drita becomes a rapper. They show clips from the studio. Joy asks if she makes it big as a rapper, will she leave the show? Drita laughs. Karen says Drita nailed it. Carla thought she did a great job. Joy asks if she would write a rap song about her co-stars? Karen says she calls them crickets. Drita says, no, she calls the "real haters" crickets. Those that don't want her to succeed. As for Karen, she published a book. Regarding Karen’s book, Drita says she didn’t read it, but she heard Lee wasn’t trashed in it. Karen says if she wanted to trash Lee she would have done it 14 years ago. Karen adds, the book was about her life and she didn’t feel she could leave out parts of it because she had to be true to her story. Karen also has a spa now.

Ramona says to Drita: "You saw me in LA and took off like a G6!"

Drita counters with: "In LA? You were stalking me!"

On to the Drita and Ramona conflict, which has gone on all of season two. A large number of clips are shown, with both Drita and Ramona saying pretty bad things about each other. Joy wants to know if Drita did say that if Ramona was five feet in front of her she would punch her?  Drita doesn’t want to go there. Drita says she knows Ramona because she was friends with her sister and Karen years ago. The issues between them both started when Ramona came back a couple of years ago. Both Drita and Ramona heard that the other one was talking about them behind their backs. Ramona heard that Drita was trying to block her from getting on the show, Mob Wives. Drita says she heard that Ramona was going to start something about her that wasn't true, on the show, and that she was trying to prevent it.

Carla is cool as a cumber. Joy says she’d rather tangle with the Taliban than with Ramona.She comapres Ramona to the Godfather, quiet, cool and deadly. Another Drita and Ramona issue had to do with what was said about Junior. Drita said that she heard Ramona said Junior only married Renee for her father. Ramona says she never said that. Joy wants to know who Renee believes. Renee says she believes everyone. Renee believes this was some kind of misunderstanding or miscommunication and that all the ladies have her best interests at heart.

Joy wants to know if Drita and Ramona can ever be friends. Drita says there are too many issues between them. Ramona says she can be cordial, but will never forgive her for attacking Karen.

MY TWO CENTS:

First of all, part 2 of the Reunion was definitely a lot more subdued than part one. I was expecting fireworks and none really took off except in the beginning which continued from last week. It went downhill from there. If I were to give last week’s episode a 10, I would give this week’s episode a 5 or 6. Even the questions weren't intense, they were just so, so. Sorry, I even watched it twice, and that’s the best I can do. It was borderline boring…and so are my two cents.

The fight at the beginning was explosive. I just wish I could have heard every word. Joy looked like a scared rabbit. I don't think she will be doing it again next year. Drita will never accept the fact that Ramona really did go out there to stop a fight from happening. I believe her. She didn't have to say she respected Drita as a mother, and didn't want her to get hurt. Ramona speaks the truth, good or bad, she has nothing to gain or lose. It's clear that she never liked Drita, and if her intention was to attack her, she would have done it instead of saying this is not the time or place.

On the friendship definition, we have heard too much on this already. It's been discussed to death. What I would have liked to get into was what Ramona and Carla had to say about who was saying what behind each other’s backs. That peaked my interest. A lot goes on behind the cameras that we don't see, this might be one of them. There were some strong feelings of “dislike” on both their parts for the breaking of the “pact” they made and I want to know was said. 

Joe and Dave seem like two very likable guys. They have charisma, there’s no doubt about that. Joy was right to call Joe a “serial cheater.” He cheated on Carla many times when they were married. As much as Carla might love to be back with him, I doubt she will ever be able to trust him out of her sight. If they ever get back together, I don’t think it will last. Joe likes young girls, Carla seems to like younger guys. At least that’s something they have in common. Maybe they can arrange a play date for their “side dishes?” Joe’s girlfriend can bring her Barbie Dolls and Carla’s boyfriend, their G.I. Joes. Oh, I almost forgot and maybe Joe did too. Joe didn't mention the stock fraud he committed (unless the catch phrase is wire fraud), swindling many old people out of their life savings by selling them worthless stock...that really irks me to no end. Especially when both Carla and her mother said they didn't consider that a "bad" crime. I wish Joy would have probed into that with Joe. How could he live with himself knowing he made so many old, vulnerable people penniless?

I was hoping that Dave was going to agree to move back to New York. I agree that Karina needs to be with Karen now. She did the right thing, not to turn her daughter’s world upside down, while she was trying to get herself established here in NYC. But now that things are going well, it’s time for mother and daughter to reunite. It will be a big change for Karina, but kids adapt fairly quickly. And, besides that, Karen will be taking Karina back to Arizona often to see her family and friends there. Dave and Karen still have feelings for each other and I hope they get the chance to “rekindle” their relationship and get to know each other as the people they are today. Dave sees more children in their future, so we already know how he feels. 

Ramona might be in over her head with her boyfriend and his serious legal issues. Maybe she is confused about what to do, or is waiting for the outcome of a trial to decide. Hopefully, we will learn more about this in season three. In any case, she doesn't seem like herself the past few weeks and hasn't even been on the show much. I hope she gets more air time next season. I love Ramona.

She did get one thing right, I am a lady!

Joy talks about some of the successes a couple of the mob wives have had outside the show. Drita, for instance, has made her rapping debut. Does she have a potential career as a rapper? Who knows? Anything is possible. However, when Joy asked her to write a song about her co-stars, and Karen mentioned “crickets,” and that hit a nerve. The word, “cricket” is what Drita reserves for her “haters,” (people who don't want to see her succeed) and she counts me as one of her biggest. She tweets that I write about her all the time, which is not true. I don’t consider myself a “hater” because, in my opinion, I am just telling the truth or poking fun at it. It's what all the parodies do. I even make helpful suggestions, like anger management, which the show seems to have taken to heart. I'm happy for Drita's success and wish her nothing but the best. But, you can’t please everyone, so I’m going to please myself! Drita did all but admit she was wrong about Karen’s book. It didn’t trash Lee, or so she heard. She could have settled that issued a long time ago had she taken the time to READ chapter one and the book, but no, that would have been too easy. If I were Joy I would have asked Drita if she feels she owes Karen an apology for jumping to conclusions about the book and what would be in it? (Maybe she owes Ramona one too for jumping to conclusions that she was going to jump her?) I think she does.

The Ramona and Drita storyline is explosive. The clips said it all. These two cannot have a civil conversation if their lives depended on it. Drita, with her extremely short fuse, is ready to misinterpret anything Ramona says and turn it into an insult. Ramona, who says she can be cordial, is carrying too much animosity towards Drita for attacking Karen. If Ramona didn’t like Drita before, she is beyond accepting her now, except for the sake of the show. The show must go on. 

And so ends season two. I can’t wait for season three! How about you?

Picture credit:  Twitter, Drita's Facebook

Real Housewives Of NY: Jill Zarin On Joy Behar

Jill has plenty more to say about her being let go from Real Housewives Of New York on Joy Behar"s show.  She said she was told about the firing over the phone and that she would not be coming back next season.  No reason was given other than they were looking to make a change.  However, when Joy read Ramona's comments regarding Jill to her, Jill had a very negative reaction.  Ramona's comments included that she felt Jill became "a negative force in her life, cancerous."  Jill was highly offended and said that it was a horrible thing for her to say, especially when she was just fired.  Joy agrees. It was like Ramona "put the last nail in the coffin" of Jill's being fired.  Jill thinks she should have been graceful when speaking about their relationship on the show, and said that they had had their ups and downs and wish her the best.  They also discuss Taylor Armstrong and her selling pictures to ET for $125,000.  An interesting video clip!  Have a look.

I Married A Mobster: Andrea Giovino Ambushed

So last night I was dying to watch Joy Behar as she interviewed the ladies of I Married A Mobster.  Previously Joy had interviewed Cheryl Caruso, Linda Scarpa & Diondrea Nicosia.  Each women answered questions and were respectful to one another.  Well last night was a whole different show.

Joy Behar was her usually funny opinionated self.  This time around it was two mother & daughter duos.  Linda Schiro with her daughter Linda Scarpa sitting behind her on the left side of our television screens.  On the right side we had Andrea Giovino with her gorgeous daughter Brittany Fogarty sitting behind her.  Joy starts asking the ladies questions.  Linda Schiro smiled as she discussed her golden years with Greg 'The Grim Reaper' Scarpa.  We hear of her days @ the Copa Cabana & the Peppermint Lounge.  Linda matter of factly discusses witnessing Greg murder someone over collectible stamps.  Joy asks her if witnessing a man murdered affected her.  She says, "No."  She presses her a little more and Linda painted in a corner says something similar to, "....it was hard. It didn't affect me."  I raise one eyebrow and shake my head.  I think, 'Come on lady, anything hard affects you.  Stick to the truth, it didn't affect you.' 

Joy turns to Andrea Giovino to ask her some questions.  Big Linda tenses up, crosses her arms and appears to be uncomfortable.  As Andrea answers Joy's questions articulately & polished. Big Linda rudely interrupts her with questions.  My opinion is she was trying to discredit Andrea.  I think, 'Am I watching The Joy Behar Show or The Ambush Andrea Show?'  Joy appears caught off guard.  Andrea seems a little surprised.  Andrea intelligently states the facts of her life.  She doesn't lower herself by getting dirty in the mud with Big Linda's antics.  I applaud Andrea Giovino.  I would've asked Big Linda, "Aren't you a known liar?  Did you not change your story regarding Lindley DeVecchio?  Why would you lie and say Greg wasn't a rat when he ratted out his own son Greg Sr.?"  However, Ms. Giovino didn't and I applaud her for taking the high road.

Why attempt to discredit your fellow I Married A Mobster cast mate?  Why take issue with Andrea's alleged drug involvement when you knowingly lived the good life with a murderer and documented rat?  It was just low rent on Big Linda's part.  She's never appeared to me to be a vicious individual.  So I have a strong feeling someone has an axe to grind with Andrea and used Big Linda.  My future suggestion for this individual is do not bring a dull knife to a Desert Eagle battle. 

A little later in the segment we see Big Linda take issue with Little Linda's take on her experience growing up Mob.  Joy caught it too and mentioned it.  I enjoy drama like the next person.  However, I enjoy it on my own terms.  When I want chaos and/or foolishness, I watch Mob Wives and Bad Girls Club.  When I want to be informed I watch I Married A Mobster and 60 Minutes.  I tuned into The Joy Behar Show to watch the Lindas, Andrea Giovina and her daughter Brittany Fogarty share information about their life experiences.  I did not tune in to see an ill equipped elderly long past her prime attack an quick witted and polished woman.  It was desperate and sad.

Don't forget to watch Discovery ID's I Married A Mobster tonight.  I've been waiting to hear about Mama Fama & her husband's shenanigans.  It airs tonight @ 10:30PM.

I Married A Mobster: The Joy Behar Interviews

Joy Behar Grills the Ladies

Last night, August 2^nd, Linda Schiro with daughter Linda Scarpa, and Andrea Giovino with daughter, Brittany Fogarty, were on Joy Behar. Let me start by saying this was one hell of an interview! Joy never hesitates to ask what everyone wants to know. Here are all the details:

“Big” Linda tells how, at age 17, she met Greg Scarpa while growing up in Bensenhurst, Brooklyn, where the neighborhood was full of mobsters. Linda insists, when questioned, that everyone in her neighborhood was a mobster. Finally Joy and Linda agree, that not every household was in the mob, but a lot of them were. And Linda tells how her grandmother ran crap games in her basement, so she grew up around the mob. The first time she witnessed a hit was when Greg took her with him to meet someone, got out of their car and walked over to the car across the parking lot. He tells her he is getting some collector’s stamps, but what he does instead is whack the guy and then take the stamps. But Schiro wasn’t at all afraid that she was with a murderer at 17. It was like a normal thing and afterwards they went out to dinner. Joy is somewhat shocked that a young girl would take murder in stride…bookies and crap games yes, but murder is a stretch. But, it didn’t phase Linda. Then they discuss Greg’s “work” for the FBI. And how he got the information for the KKK as to where civil rights workers bodies were located. Schiro says he wasn’t a rat, he just did jobs for them.

Over to Andrea Giovino, who says she was 16 or 17 when she started becoming attracted to mobsters. She says she had low self-esteem at the time. She had no education and didn’t feel good about herself and she felt comfortable around mobsters; she could be herself with them, she didn’t fit in with other people. Joy asks if Andrea would have reacted to witnessing murder like Linda did, and Andrea says no, it would have been devastating. Andrea adds she has never witnessed a murder, although she did know about many of them. They discuss her marriage to John Fogarty. Andrea says he was a “freelance” mobster. He couldn’t be in the mob because he wasn’t Italian. But the crime families would give out work to associates to do for them. That’s what John did. Eventually she became a mobster herself. But then Andrea clarifies, she wasn’t exactly a mobster, but she did need to go out on the street and collect the money that was owed to John when he went to prison. Then she lent out the money to make more money to support her family. But a time came when she was arrested for giving out information or instructions to mobsters, was recorded, and got in trouble with the DEA. Linda Schiro blurts out Andrea was in the drug business…this starts a little war of words.

A little tiff between Linda Schiro and Andrea ensues when Linda is trying to make it sound like Andrea was dealing drugs and collecting money for it. Schiro insists that Andrea was selling drugs and Andrea denies it. Andrea explains she was not selling drugs, she was arrested for putting the money up, like the bank. And that money went into drugs deals. She says she never sold or was a party to drugs! Schiro clarifies, saying Andrea was indirectly associated to drugs. Andrea agrees. Joy adds so you were part of the problem…time for break!

Andrea says the day the DEA came to her house was the worst day of her life. Andrea’s whole crew was arrested. Both Andrea and Linda Schiro answer that they were never afraid of all the violence of the lifestyle. Neither was worried their husbands would get killed. Linda says Greg was so powerful she felt he was invincible and she was always safe with him.

On to the daughters…”Little Linda” Scarpa says she realized her father was in the mob when she was a teenager. Joy wants to know what Little Linda thinks when she hears her mother had no reaction to witnessing a murder. Linda answers, she doesn’t get it, her mother doesn’t see things the same way she does when it comes to the mob. Linda thinks her mother knew nothing else but the life her father showed her, and he had her trained for the lifestyle. And she was even trained before she met her father, by her grandmother. Linda Scarpa says there was nothing normal about her childhood. Schiro says they tried to give them a normal life inside the home. Andrea interjects, saying she can see what both Linda’s are saying. She explains when you grow up in that environment that is what your “normal” is, you don’t know anything different. Then Schiro says it was normal in her neighborhood to have mobsters and crap games…and Joy says that’s what is abnormal and Schiro doesn’t get it. Joy explains, you go to school just like other kids while your father is a murderer, that abnormal. Other kids fathers aren’t murderers. Scarpa tries to explain on her mother’s behalf.

Over to Brittany, Andrea’s daughter. She was eight months old when her father, John Fogarty, went to prison. She says that when she was about two the family was relocated to Pennsylvania and she has no memory of any of the mob life. Joy wants to know if it was shocking that her mother was a mobster? Brittany says not shocking, because it was always openly talked about in their household. She grew up hearing all the stories. Her father, John, is currently in witness protection. When asked about her relationship with her father, Brittany says he came back when she was about 11 and tried to establish a relationship with his children. But, the years of bonding were lost.

Joy asks Linda Schiro if she has fond memories of Greg and she says she does. Joy seems shocked. Linda says Greg was always giving gifts and the greatest gift she got was a Mercedes. They always had family dinner on Sundays and Greg and their son would always be home at 5 for dinner during the week. It was like living two lives, the one outside with violence and the one inside with family.

Linda Scarpa says that she also has some find memories, but she has a lot of anger issues with both her parents and the whole mob lifestyle and everything she saw. Schiro doesn’t understand why Scarpa is angry with her. Scarpa says her mother lived the life and she enjoyed it. But, Scarpa says she lived the life and enjoyed it up until the time she knew what was really going on. Until countless guys came up to her and her father’s cars shooting.

Schiro mentions that she didn’t like it that her son was murdered. She says it wasn’t a mob hit it was a kid fight. And Joy says that her daughter “Little” Linda was almost killed. So those are the risks you take when you chose to live that lifestyle. Linda says but aside from that, her 30 years with Greg were good, until he died of AIDS in jail.

Well I hope Joy keeps doing interviews with the women of I Married A Mobster. She seems to be getting more out of them then the show is. Kudos Joy for a job well done, and it looks like there was a little unforeseen pressure this time around!

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I Married A Mobster: Joy Behar Grills Mobster’s Wives

Joy Behar never tires of mob wives. She had a nice chat with the women of VH1’s Mob Wives when their show premiered a few months ago. Last night she chatted with three women, who will tell their stories, from ID’s “I Married A Mobster,” which premieres tonight at 10:30 PM.

The three women featured on the show were Cheryl Caruso, whose story airs tonight, Linda Scarpa and Dion Nicosia, a new addition to the lineup. The ever curious Joy, fired questions faster than a semi-automatic, trying the get the most information out of them in the 30 minute segment. She scored some “hits.“ The women all were very forthcoming about their stories and why they appreciated the opportunity to tell people what they went through.

Cheryl speaks first. She has been divorced from Philly a long time now. She says she never knew he was involved with the mob. As far as she knew, he was a businessman with a successful printing business in Manhattan. She never asked any questions about his work or how much money he made. When he went to jail, she had no money and was completely in debt with two very young daughters to raise. Up until that point, Philly had taken care of everything. She finally learned of his crimes when she walked into court and heard the judge rattled over a long list of crimes and sentence him to 15 years to life. That was all she heard and she couldn’t comprehend it. The bottom feel out of her ideally perfect world. She had to get three jobs to pay the bills and was literally working around the clock, while her mother helped her raise the children. She had to rebuild everything. When Phil was released, after serving 7 years, he was on her doorstep begging for her to take him in. Cheryl said she couldn’t allow him back in the home, she didn’t know who he was. She worked too hard to establish herself and make a life for her and the girls. Sure she liked the perks that the mob life afforded her, but she didn’t know that was where the money was coming from. One day her life was perfect and the next it was ruined. She is telling her story to close the door on it and move on.

Dion says that after her husband went to prison there was no money left. The lawyers ate it up. She knew her husband, Angelo Nicosia, was well connected in the mob. It was nice and she enjoyed the lifestyle. Joy wants to know if Dion, who is African American, experienced any racism from the mob. Dion answers, “No, she was surprised, everyone was wonderful to her. The men were all charming.” Joy adds, “Yeah, other than the murders.” Dion says her husband was arrested and convicted in 2008 of extortion and will be out in March 2012. Joy asks, if her husband has ever gotten violent with her. Dion says, “no he hasn’t, but I have hit him a few times.’ She says people are fascinated with the mob and she finds telling her story is very therapeutic.

Finally, we hear from “Little” Linda Scarpa, whose father was Greg Scarpa. Greg was known as a notorious killer and because of that earned the nickname, The Grim Reaper. He was head of the Colombo family. Linda comes across as quiet, demure woman with an air of sadness about her. She begins by saying that her father was a great dad, a typical dad, and that she grew up in Brooklyn. She found out about her father’s lifestyle when she was 16 years old. She had a Sweet 16 Party and she said about 200 made men showed up. She says, if you see the video of it, it was pretty morbid. Joy pipes in, “I’d love to see it.” She tells the story of when there was an attempt made on her father’s life. She was in the car behind his, which her baby boy in the back seat. They were pulling out of the driveway, her car behind her dad’s, when men jumped out of a van across the street and started firing shots at her father’s car. She was “in the way,” so some stray shots entered her car. She was 21 at the time. She says she loves her father, but she has anger and resentment towards “the life.”

She has four children, but is not currently married. She says that when you marry someone in the mob or are conceived by someone in the mob there is really no way out of it. There is so much pain you can’t get over. She says she has never spoken about her pain before. She has never gotten over the death of her brother. Her brother died from being shot on the streets because he no longer had protection from the mob. But, she never felt she had the right to express her grief because her father killed so many people and caused so much pain for others. Her father, Greg Scarpa, died of AIDS while in prison. He was sick and needed a transfusion. One of his friends, who had AIDS, donated blood which was never screened because he was a friend. Linda says she wanted to speak openly about what she went through and show the lifestyle is not glamorous. She says she is speaking because there is no one left to speak about it. No one who is left to worry about what she has to say. The Colombos were at war with each other, killing each other, and there is no one left. The only ones left to talk about the mob lifestyle are the women and children.

All in all, a very informative set of interviews skillfully “executed” by Joy Behar. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was made an honorary “mob wife” at some point in the future. The mob wife phenomena is quickly catching on and we are keeping on the look out for new shows in the near future. Are you listening Jenn Graziano, from JustJenn Productions? We need to know!

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Mob Wives: Joy Behar Interviews Her "Paesans"

Joy Behar, an opinionated and outspoken Italian American woman, invited the four mob wives to be guests on her show Thursday, April 21^st. They had a lively discussion and the thing that struck me most was the lack of any and all profanities used. Not one single F-Bomb. I barely recognized the women at all, if it were not for their grating voices.

Joy starts with Karen Gravano and gets right to the point of asking what her father’s claim to fame is in the mob. Karen nonchalantly answers that it’s either being an underboss for the Gambino crime family or his cooperation with Federal authorities by turning state’s evidence against John Gotti. Joy says, “Some people call that a ‘snitch’ how do you feel about that?” Karen justifies her father’s actions because John Gotti “betrayed” him and “double-crossed” him. Joy adds, that many people are not happy with Sammy Gravano so “are you afraid of getting whacked?” Karen answers she is not afraid, she refuses to live in fear. At first she says her family was angry with her father for cooperating, and didn’t go into witness protection with him. But later on, her father explained to her why he felt he had to “rat” after hearing the tapes the Feds had where Gotti was trying to throw him under the bus.

Joy moves on to Renee Graziano, the second “big name” in the group and archrival of Karen. Renee is careful to say that “According to the government” she is the daughter of “high-ranking mobster” Anthony Graziano. Which leads us to her sister, Jenn, who is creator of the show, and described as “brilliant” for putting these four women together. Renee admits to being the “sensitive” one who cries at the drop of a hat. Funny, but I don’t recall seeing that side of her. Now we get to the question of the day from Joy: “But, isn’t your father upset or perturbed, that you guys are on this show?” Implying, of course, that the women may divulge mob secrets such as “where all the bodies are buried.” Karen volunteers that her father wrote a tell-all-book so he has no secrets to hide. Renee is not talking, as far as she knows, her father hasn’t killed anyone, yet Joy seems to think, it’s part of Mafia initiation, based on all the mob movies she has seen.

On to Carla, whose father was in the mob, but she married a stockbroker. Interestingly, Carla immediately claims her father was not in the mob! So, Joy wants to know how is it she is affiliated with the mob. She says, “They say my uncle was involved.” And finally we get somewhere, if she is telling the truth, that her uncle is Bruno (Facciolo). Moving on to Carla’s husband, who was just released from prison for stock fraud, which Carla now considers a crime. She says they are in the process of getting divorced and are no longer together anyway. I get the impression Carla is not very comfortable discussing anything Mob related and I notice her husband‘s name is not even mentioned. Later in the interview Joy goes back to question her affiliation again and comes away with the same answer from Carla…the uncle Bruno connection.

Joy addresses Drita: “You are not even Italian…you are Albanian.” And, in the way of background information adds, that Lee D’avanzo has been in prison 10 out of the 12 years they have been married. Lee is still in prison with no release date as yet. Drita admits that life has been difficult and has no idea what she will do about her marriage, if and when, her husband is released.

After the commercial break Joy is asking about the fact that Karen was with Lee before he married Drita. “What happened there?” Karen seems to downplay her relationship of seven years and living with Lee by saying, “I used to date Lee for a while and then I moved to Arizona…then she started dating him…and they got married.” It is implied that there will be an episode where these two women finally have it out about Lee.

Jump to Jersey Shore…that show bores Joy, whereas she likes Mob Wives. Drita volunteers that the difference between the two shows is that “they” have responsibilities and have lived hard lives, while the kids on the Jersey Shore just party wild all the time. Joy, as an Italian American, is quite offended by Jersey Shore, but not Mob Wives. Her reasoning is this: she feels that people know the mob is a subculture of Italian Americans, and all Italians do not belong to the mob. But, Jersey Shore is a different matter, because they are portraying all Italians as “gafoons” (fools, idiots) like they are. Somewhat of a compliment to her four paesans, who she doesn’t find offensive at all.

Joy asks Renee about her ex-husband, Hector Pagan, who isn’t Italian…what’s up with that? Renee tells the story of how Hector was coming to pick her up and her father asks her what’s his name. Renee answers, when he gets here he will tell you. They go back and forth a couple of times until Hector arrives. Graziano asks him his name and he replies Hector Pagan Jr. Graziano answers, according to Renee, your name is Junior, forget all that other stuff, you’re Junior. And, for 23 years, he has been going by Junior.

Joy poses a poignant question: “What do you think is the biggest misconception about the mob and the mafia?” They answer that the biggest misconception is that people look at mobsters as bad men when actually they are good husbands and fathers…family men.

Yes indeed, they are “family men” in more ways than one!


Video Clip of show: http://joybehar.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/20/mob-wives-sneak-preview/?hpt=tv