An Open Letter to Toni Marie Ricci…

Clearly someone’s been in this good lady’s ear….

Dear Toni Marie:

I am writing this because I cannot begin to explain it all on Twitter and I feel it needs to be said. I have always liked you and blogged about you and your events freely and often. We enjoyed a very cordial and friendly relationship and I loved meeting you. I feel that I personally have done my best to promote and support all your past, current and future projects, especially your upcoming book. Mob Mistress has also interviewed you and, I can tell from the questions, that she took great care and compassion not to hurt you, even apologizing for a past blog that was written concerning your ex-husband, which may have hurt you.

Yesterday, you came to me in DM on Twitter, and sent me a link to your blog radio interview. I said I would check it out. You said you thought it was strange that I hadn’t retweeted your interview link. I explained to you that we were in the process of doing our first blog radio show right before yours was airing, and I was distracted preparing for that because I had just learned of it. Then you told me, in that case, I should forget about listening to yours. I don’t know what one radio show has to do with the other, but I sensed you were either offended or felt slighted because we, neither Mob Mistress or myself, retweeted your link that night. In any case you found that odd because you had a relationship with both of us and “helped” MM out. Then you went on to say you were not upset with me. I thought that was the end of it.  But then you seemed to have taken issue with Mob Mistress, saying that you noticed something different (never saying what that was), she has no integrity, a bad attitude and that you give Carla credit for saying what she did about her. You asked me to relay a message to MM, which I did. When MM asked you directly what your problem with her was or if she did anything to you, you never replied. I asked MM myself, if anything had gone on between the two of you, because I was baffled by the whole exchange, which seemingly came out of the blue. I can attest that MM has never uttered one single, bad word about you to me, ever. So I feel that there is something else going on that we are not privy to, but the words you used against MM were uncalled for and unprovoked. I still do not know what brought this about.

Let me explain that we do not blog for a living, it is a hobby. We cannot monitor Twitter 24/7, but we do and have always retweeted all of your significant tweets. Okay, one fell through the cracks, but it was nothing to get offended about, it happens. I did a simple search of our blog and since May of 2012, we have posted at least 13 blogs about you or mentioning you and, in addition, I know I personally retweet several items a day from your account. I am sure if you had asked us to retweet the link to your radio interview, and we saw the request, it would have been done.

Now, although I feel very badly about what happened between the two of you, I have been placed in a very difficult position because of yesterday’s exchange. I had planned to blog about the additional paintings Michael Bell was working on, your book release, book signings and any other events associated with you. But how can I? People use the words loyalty and respect, but I take them to heart. Mob Mistress was a good friend of mine before we ever began this blog. She has stood up for me and defended me more times than I can count. I owe her my loyalty and she has always had my respect. How can I remain loyal to her and not disrespect her and still blog about you? It would be like me saying, I noticed something different about your husband, he has a bad attitude and needs to get integrity, and adding now I believe what Carla said about him…and then I still expect you to invite me to your home for dinner with him at the table. I hope you see what I mean by my analogy. While my allegiance is always going to be to Mob Mistress, I am trying to be honest and direct with you out of consideration for your feelings, which is a courtesy I normally would not extend if you were anyone else.  In the same vein, I also have not included the actual tweets and DM’s from yesterday’s conversation. I do hope you understand and I sincerely wish you all the best.

Chiara

Mob Wives Chicago: Renee Fecarotta's Beef With Mob Mistress

Mob Drama seems to be spilling on to Twitter and into our blog. I can't even sleep for six hours without missing some drama on Twitter. I found this conversation between Renee Fecarotta and Mob Mistress first thing this morning. Now, if you have been reading my recaps on Mob Wives Chicago, you know I have been saying that Renee F. likes to fight with everyone. Even so, I was surprised to see this exchange between her and Mob Mistress, because Mob Mistress came to Renee's defense when Renee's cousin called her a "joke."  Mob Mistress has never been disrespectful towards any of the Chicago mob wives and has no time for drama. So why were Renee's underwear in a bunch yesterday?

Well, I was shocked to see that she apparently got offended by one of Underboss' humorous blogs that just went up called, Battle Of The Eyes. She took issue with something he said in that piece and then the conversation above took place. Poor Underboss rarely gets a blog up there, and our readers love his humor, but Renee did not. I think this is another case of Renee reading too much into something, like she did with Dave and Pia's knowing each other. Whatever the case, the following conversation ensued:

Renee seems to think someone is talking about her to Mob Mistress too. Just like she assumed Pia and Dave had a little past romance. Mob Mistress thinks Renee was already upset over some other issues and took it out on Underboss. Frankly, knowing Mob Mistress as well as I do, I am surprised she let Renee off so easy after that. I called Mob Mistress to see if she was okay about me doing a blog about this conversation and she said, "You know me, IDGAF." I can see Mob Mistress shaking her head, thinking who gets so defensive over a lousy humorous blog? 

Well readers, if you don't have a Twitter account and follow the cast of the shows and our bloggers, then you are missing out on half the drama. I try to bring it all here to you, but sometimes I just can't. Make sure to tune into VH1 Sunday night for more Mob Wives Chicago drama and then check out my recap and famous "two cents" the next morning! 

Picture credit: Twitter

Mob Wives: The Birth Of Our Blog!

~Our first blog, April 10th, 2011~

Baby Pictures: One day old!

On April 17^th, the premiere episode of Mob Wives aired! Has it only been four months ago that Mob Mistress and I started this blog? It seems like 4 years ago. I blog so much that I barely come up for air. I got to thinking, maybe our readers would like to know how these two “miserable often b!tchy housewives” got into this blog business in the first place. Let’s see if I can make sense of it for you.

Mob Mistress and I met almost a year ago in an online forum discussing other television housewives. We soon grew tired of the drama in that forum, where the posters were taking remarks, about their favorite housewives’ bad behavior, very personally. They were even forming alliances with each other behind the scenes, like Big Brother. Soon, instead of individuals arguing with each other, there were groups hurling insults at each other and it really got ugly. The drama on the forum was ultimately far worse that the behavior of the women on the show could ever be. In the process of all this, Mob Mistress and I gravitated to one another. The reason for this is that we both enjoyed each other’s writing and respected our differences of opinions, and believe me there were plenty. But, instead of arguing like the others, we discussed our different views and agreed to disagree. We also have in common the fact that we appreciate intelligent, articulate, logical people, like ourselves! And “likes” do attract!

The housewives forum was no longer fun. The once seemingly intelligent conversation literally went to pot on a few short weeks. One day, Mob Mistress tells me she wants to write a blog with me, a little place where we can have a fun and peace, just the two of us. I ask her, what would we write about? I can’t just write about anything, I need to care about what I write about. She answers that we will pick different topics and each voice our opinions on it. She thinks it would be interesting because we have very distinct and different writing styles and opinions and it could be a success.

Well, we let that idea marinate in its juices, and while it was sitting out there in cyber space, I started talking to her about watching Mob Wives. VH1 did a great job of promoting the show and the clips had plenty of drama and excitement. The next thing I know, Mob Mistress has a blog up for us, ready to write about the show, two weeks before it premieres. She asks me if I want to blog about the show, since we will both be watching it. We will be equal partners, it will be a joint venture. I say yes, but I hesitate a little at first because, after all, we are going to write about the “mob.” How will we be able to say how we feel and think if the “mob” is reading our blog? Of course this is of absolutely no concern to Mob Mistress. Just so you completely understand, let me be clear. She has always made a very strong point that she doesn’t care who likes her opinion or who doesn’t like it. She will say what she wants, to who she wants, when she wants, always with honesty and integity, but always what she wants. She will not censor herself for anyone, or be censored. However, she understood my concerns eventually, even though it took me a while to get my point across. We decided to make “pen names” or aliases so that we would be freer to express ourselves. I felt better about that. Next thing I know she has two or three blogs up and gives me the green light to start writing.

I looked at the blog and it’s beautiful! The third post, “The Big Bang” could not have been more appropriate for the show’s take off and our blog’s launching. Mob Mistress posted it April 11^th, just six days before the premiere. I hated the song at first and quickly learned to love it. Mob Mistress loved the song at first and then, well, she got tired of it.

It’s one week before the premiere. I need to do some investigating. I know nothing about these four women, except what is in their tiny VH1 bio. Hardly enough information to use to write a blog. But, I soon found, through my research, that there was tons of information available. And on top of that, viable sources started reaching out to us wanting to share information.  The problem is that the information we learn about isn’t always reliable. Mob Mistress and I, although we never had to discuss it, both strive for the truth and accuracy in what we say and write. I think that’s another thing that we bonded over. We wanted to write about the facts and feel free to voice our opinions based on what we read online, view on television and research. If we could not verify our facts, we sat on the story until we could. By the time the show aired, we had several blogs up related to the women, their families and their connections to the mob. It was fun discussing who would write what and when to post the blogs.

Once the show aired, we were getting hits. A lot of hits! People found our blog immediately and loved it. Neither one of us expected our little pastime amusement to grow and blossom the way it did. We loved the show, we loved the writing, and before we knew it, we were on the first page of every Google search on everything Mob Wives. Believe me when I say that we were not aiming to be so big and we do have to thank the success of the show for putting us on the map so fast. In June, just two short months into the show, Mob Mistress was interviewing the Mob Wives, and I met Renee and Jennifer Graziano in person! This was just too crazy! It was like I was in a blogger’s Twilight Zone. I felt like I had stepped out from behind the computer and into the show itself. Imagine how it must feel to one minute be blogging about the mob wives at a club on the show and then, almost literally the next minute, I am at a club with the mob wives! It was surreal.

Not only that, the blog keeps getting bigger and bigger. We added, ID’s I Married A Mobster, along with others shows and bloggers, and are talking with the women from those shows too. We seem to have become a phenomena without even trying. We just wanted to have a little fun and write on a small blog. It was just supposed to be a shared mutual interest between two friends who love to write, with a few regular readers. But, if Season 1 is any predictor of what is going to happen in Season 2, we just might have a Blogging Empire!

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Mob Wives: My Meeting With Renee Graziano @ Sugar

Chiara Soprano meets her favorite Mob Wife Renee Graziano

All I can say is WOW! I should have just stayed up and blogged last night because between the wine and meeting Renee and Jennifer, I was not in sleep mode at all. I kept waking up during the night thinking about what I was going to say. If not for the fact that I pitied my poor husband and he needs his sleep, I would have had an all night writing session. So here is what you have been waiting for, the blow by blow account.

I had dinner reservations for 8 PM at Sugar. I was celebrating my wedding anniversary and the finale of Mob Wives. We arrived promptly on time and I asked the hostess if she knew when Renee was getting there. She informs me that Renee has 9 PM dinner reservations. Now, I am super excited, because I know I will still be there and maybe get a chance to say hello. My husband and I sit down and order four things off the menu. The menu at Sugar’s is like none we have ever seen before. Our waitress, Dana, explains how the menu works. They serve a variety of dishes, ranging from $12 to $18 each, which they are called hors d’oeuvres in any other restaurant. You get 4 of each item, so on average, you should order 2 to 3 plates per person. This is what we ordered from the menu: Grilled Shrimp a l’Orange, Smoked Pulled Pork Mini Tacos, Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, and Baked Spinach & Artichoke Fondue. The food was delicious! And, it was Ladies Drink Free from 8:30 till 10 PM so I had two complimentary glasses of white wine.

We finished eating and it’s approaching 9 PM. There is a big, empty table about four feet behind us. My husband keeps saying they are saving that table for Renee. I say to him, what are the odds I will be sitting this close to Renee? I jokingly say, I can practically pull my table over and join her, if she is sitting there. Well, at 9:10 there is a lot of activity around that big table. They were adding seats and dishes and utensils etc. and making sure everything was just right. A couple of minutes later, I turn around and there is Renee. I say to my husband, who may think I am crazy, “There’s Renee!”

The Mob Wives Blogspot's version of Charlie's Angels: Renee Graziano (Mob Wife), Chiara Soprano (Blogger) & Jennifer Graziano (Executive Producer)

As Renee gets a little closer to me, I stand up and say, “Hi, Renee.” Thinking I am a fan, she comes right over to say hello. I seize the chance to tell her who I am: “Hi, I’m Chiara from mobwives.blogspot, and can I have a picture?” She gives me a hug and announces to her whole table of friends that I am from mobwives.blogspot. Then I see her sister Jenn! And like the genius I am, I tell Renee, “That’s your sister Jennifer!” And before my mouth gets in touch with my brain, I blurt out to Jennifer if I can take her picture. Renee jumps on it. She tells Jennifer to take a picture with her and me and asks one of her friends to use my camera. Then Renee has someone use her phone to take a picture of the three of us so she can tweet it. I am just blown away and in shock. The whole blog experience is only two months old and here I am standing between Renee and Jenn! I thank them, go back to my table and Renee follows me. She has a picture of herself that she is going to autograph right there for me and my husband, for our anniversary. So, I ask if she can please give me one for Mob Mistress, so I can mail it to her. Renee jumps right up and brings back another picture and autographs that too! I cannot tell you enough what a sweet and charming personality Renee has. In a couple of minutes it was like I had known her all my life. Meanwhile, people are calling her over to their table, and she keeps telling them all she will be there in a minute. She tells my husband how much she loves our blog and that she reads it all the time. It’s really quite a compliment coming from her. I don’t have to tell you that she won me over, right? She is not only my favorite Mob Wife, she is my favorite of all the Housewives on Reality TV!

As she is done with the autographs she tells me she will be back. She has to mingle with the other fans. By this time, she has already exceeded all my highest expectations, but I say to her, can I tell you one thing before you go? She says, “sure.” I told her what I have been wanting to say to her all season long. I said, “your son AJ is a remarkable young man. I cannot get over what a great kid he is.” In this day and age to see a child raised the way he has been raised, who loves and respects his parents, who is so mature, who shows that he has a good moral upbringing, who does well in school and so many other things…that’s a huge accomplishment. Her eyes light up (she has beautiful eyes), and she thanked me, as any mother would, who loves to hear nice things about her child. AJ means everything to his mother and as a mother I totally understands how she feels. She is so proud him and she has every reason to be. But, I also wanted to get across to her, and I hope I did, that Renee deserves the credit for that. She practically raised AJ by herself and she did nothing short of an amazing job as his mother. I really mean that from my heart. And, mothers aren’t told often enough, when they raise wonderful children, that they have done an extraordinary job. So I hope she understood, from one mother to another, that I appreciate all it took on her part, for her son to turn out to be a young man that any mother would be proud of. She thanked me again and with that she left, promising to be back.

We can only hope Renee keeps that phone safe from fellow Mob Wife Drita D'avanzo

My husband and I finished our drinks while I texted Mob Mistress to give her a quick update on what was going on. I couldn’t talk because of the noise. We stayed there until 10:15 PM, and then a gentleman from the restaurant came over. He seemed to think I “knew” Renee, and I almost feel like I really do. He told us he would need to remove our table, along with a few others to make room for a dance floor. I told him it wasn’t a problem, we were leaving in a minute. I went over to Renee to say good-bye. She gave us each a hug, and I said I would love to talk to her again. I passed by Jennifer and stopped for a second to wish her the best of luck on her spin offs and told her I couldn’t wait! As we headed for the car, I dialed Mob Mistress to fill her in on every detail of the evening. I should thank her too, not just for her idea to blog the show, and for her help and guidance, but also for strongly suggesting I attend last night’s Mob Wives, Finale Party. It was just amazing. I’ll never forget it.