I Married A Mobster: Meeting Toni Marie at Launch Party

Toni Marie, even more beautiful in person!

Last night I was invited to the Premiere Party of season two of I Married A Mobster, by Director, Kevin Kaufman! The season premiered with the episode, “Scarred For Life,” the story of Toni Marie Fappiano and her ex-husband, Michael “Mikey Scars” Di Leonardo. The event was held at I Tre Merli restaurant in Soho, Manhattan. I am usually a homebody, but I am very happy I was able to attend and meet Toni Marie, who was very sweet and gracious. 

When my husband and I got to the restaurant, the front of the building was all open and we just strolled in. The tables were full of people enjoying their dinners and the food looked and smelled delicious. I only had to take a few steps before I saw Toni Marie chatting with some friends. I waited until she had a moment, to approach her and introduce myself. Someone told her I wanted to say hello. She looked at me wondering who I was, so I gave her a hint. I said, I am the person who loves your recipes! She thought a minute and said, “It has to be someone from Twitter,” and then immediately after she said, “Chiara?” I said yes. We both laughed. We chat every day about her wonderful recipes and the pictures she posts of her prepared meals, that look like they were made at a four star restaurant. The woman is a fantastic cook, I verified this later in the evening, with a reliable source. I let Toni Marie get back to her dinner and family while my husband and I strolled on to the back of the restaurant.

Soon I was approached one of by Toni Marie’s PR people, Laura Carlucci. We had a very nice chat about Toni Marie and some of the future projects she is working on. We chatted about the blog and how I got started writing it. Then she asked for my business card. I’m sorry to say that I busted out laughing. I told her I don’t have business cards, I do this for a hobby. She gave me her card and I will email her later. I want to make sure I am kept up-to-date on all of Toni Marie’s future plans! 

A gentleman comes over to me and asks if I would mind taking a picture with Toni Marie? I say of course not. He literally escorts over to where she is standing. Toni Marie introduces me to her husband, and then I take a picture with her and then the two of them. When we are done, the gentleman who came to get me, insists on escorting me back to my husband. That’s how things are done. 

A few minutes later, who shows up? None other than my favorite I Married A Mobster star, Love Majewski. I almost thought she wasn’t coming because she has been sick for a week. But no, there she was, a real trooper and as effervescent as ever! We hug and chat a couple of minutes and it was really so good seeing her again. As she leaves to say hello to Kevin Kaufman, the woman next to me, who I had been chatting with about the blog and the Sopranos, is impressed. “Who was that she asked?” I tell her that’s Love Majewski from season one of IMAM. “Oh, she says, they all know you!” I said, “Yes, they all know me, but not all of them love me.” And I laugh.

Toni Marie with Kevin Kaufman

My phone rings. Guess who wants to talk to me during all the noise at the party? Right! Mob Mistress. She is always checking in on me to make sure I am having a good time and to give me orders. “Did you get pictures of Toni Marie?” “Did you introduce yourself to Kevin Kaufman?” “Did you say hello to Nancy DeLucia?” I tell her I got pictures, but that wasn’t enough to make her happy. “What are you waiting for, be assertive!” she says, in a voice I know too well that says, I will never hear the end of it if I don’t.  So I get off the phone and make sure I fulfill all her expectations. I walk over to Kevin Kaufman and introduce myself. We have a brief chat and he says he appreciates all the time we devote to the show. I tell him we love mob wives! He laughed and said he knows. I ask him where I can find Nancy DeLucia, because I want to say hello. Well she happens to be three feet away from where we are standing. Kevin introduces me and Nancy and her husband, Mickey DeLucia aka Carfella, who already know who I am. They follow us on Twitter and read the blog. They thanked me for promoting the show. Then Carfella volunteers he just sold Big Ang a new car…it’s a small world isn’t it? Well it is in Staten Island.

Toni Marie with Nancy DeLucia

Toni Marie with Mikey DeLucia aka Carfella

When Toni Marie’s episode ends, my husband and I are ready to leave. It’s past our bedtime. So I say good bye to Love, who doesn’t let me leave without getting a picture of the two of us, and a hug. I make my way to the front of the restaurant to say good bye to Toni Marie. We chat a little more about her recipes and she gives me a hug. A beautiful lady is there and wants to take another picture of me with Toni Marie. She looks familiar too. I ask her, who are you? She says, “I’m Lisa, Toni Marie’s sister.” “Oh that’s great,“ I say, “more for me to blog!”  I ask her, “Does Toni Marie’s food taste as good as it looks?” Without hesitation she answers yes. I knew it! Toni Marie adds she gave me her chicken cutlet recipe to try. I answered, “Don’t worry, I won’t give it to anyone!” I ended by telling them what a nice family they have, and it’s true. I felt welcomed and right at home. 

Toni Marie with her sister, Lisa

And now, it’s time for me to really leave. I really had a good time and am glad I went. I had a trying day and was having second thoughts about going, but it did me a lot of good to get out and I met such wonderful people. 

I Married A Mobster is on Wednesday nights on Investigation Discovery. Check your local listings for show times. Next week the show will feature Nancy DeLucia’s episode, “It’s Me Or The Mob,” at 10:30 PM ET. There will also be a new episode of IMAM at 10 PM, so make sure to catch them both. You can check the schedule and show summaries on this link: I Married A Mobster Season Two and then set your DVR’s!

And, here is Toni Marie's interview with Mob Mistress: Toni Marie Interview

P.S. If I get more pictures I will insert them later! 

Picture Credit: Toni Marie's Twitter Account

Mob Wives: Recap “What Goes Around” Ep. 213

Carla is at the "heart" of all rumors!

Check out the necklace if you don't believe me.

Renee has to deal with the realization that Junior wore a wire for months and was taping her father. In the blink of an eye Junior took everything from her. He used her to get close to her father. They replay all the moments where Junior was trying to get close to Renee and promising her a future together, all the while knowing he was working for the FBI and there was no future for them.

In Karen’s apartment she gets a call from her mother. Karen’s mom asks about Renee. She compares Junior’s situation to Sammy’s, and she feels for Renee as a mother trying to protect AJ. News spreads like wildfire. She says Karen and Gerard came through it stronger and so will AJ. Karen says her mother is the glue who kept the family together. Karen’s mother tells her that Drita was never a real friend. Renee will learn who her real friends are now. She says she is proud of Karen for going back to Staten Island with her head held high and true to herself.

Drita reads the newspaper article and is sick to her stomach. She decided to go see Renee even though they haven’t spoken since the Poconos. She wants to be there for Renee. Renee opens the door and hugs Drita. This proves to Renee that she was wrong about Drita, and that she is loyal to her and their friendship. Renee appreciates it. Drita says it is killing her to see what this is doing to Renee. How could Junior do this?  She can’t understand it. Renee says Junior is not “ratting,” it’s a betrayal beyond everything. And Junior cooperated before he even moved in with her, just to put her father in prison! Drita says what Junior did is beyond lying and cheating, much worse than what Lee did. Junior’s betrayal of Renee is worse than anything. Renee wants to know, deserves to know if Junior really did love her? She needs to know if it was real. She says, if he loved her he wouldn’t have hurt her like this. Was it all just a lie? Were the last three months all just a lie?

Karen goes to record her audio book, chapter 11. Karen gets emotional. It’s a hard chapter and the turning point of her life when her whole world changed. It’s the part where Sammy tells the family he is going to cooperate, and everyone they knew turned their backs on their family. Karen recalls reacting with so much anger at the time. Karen reads on and then reads a few parts about Lee. She put Lee in the book because he was a big part of her life. She mentions Drita and how they became friends. Karen says that people who don’t like the truth, won’t like the book. 

At Drita’s house, her trainer, Anthony, shows up. He mentions that her boxing match is coming up soon. They practice sparring in the yard. Drita is nervous about the match, but she wants to do it. Drita brags about her “rocket” and her “right hook” as she displays her fist proudly in the air. Boxing makes her feel good, she gets a rush from boxing. However, she has to protect her face because she has gone back to modeling and is doing well. Her trainer thinks she is good to go.

At Renee’s house, Bigg Ang stops by because she is worried about Renee. Renee tells her she is avoiding people because of what Junior did. Renee is upset because she is being called a “rat’s something.” Renee is worried about AJ. Bigg Ang tells her to leave AJ alone. Renee wants to save her son from people who want to hurt him for what his father did. Renee has an attack of guilt and blames herself for the way she treated Karen so badly years ago. Bigg Ang tells her to pull it together for AJ. Renee says she will never forgive Junior.

Karen goes to see Renee. Renee is busy packing Junior’s things up in boxes and she tells Karen she is moving on with her life. There will never be a future for them, she knows that now. Renee appreciates having Karen there because she understands what AJ is going through. Renee cries and tells Karen that she apologizes to Karen’s parents over and over every night. Karen tells her that they have to separate themselves from their father’s choices and from Junior’s choices. Renee decided she has to be loyal to herself. She has to stand up for herself, she wants to live and be happy. She has a new life. She can’t call her dad or Junior if she needs someone now. She hugs Karen and tells her she loves her. She goes back to her packing and Karen tells her she is proud of her for letting go.

Drita is back at the gym to get some sparring in. Anthony, her trainer, sets her up with Andrew, her sparring partner. Drita says she has won most of her fights. She is in “fighter mode, dying to get into the ring and feels like ROCKY.” Drita finds it hard to stick with the boxing rules, she just wants to let loose. She says boxing is supposed to control her temper, but it’s “getting her heated!” She thinks maybe it’s not healthy.

Think before you speak, just sayin'

At Fusion, Carla and Karen go to have a bite to eat. Karen says she thinks Renee is stronger than she thought. Carla says they all thought that Junior wasn’t good for Renee and maybe this is a blessing. Carla says there was a lot of talk from Renee about Junior’s attitude changing and they were fighting a lot and Junior was acting weird. She says she thought something was up with him. Karen thinks it had to do with Renee being upset that Junior was going back to prison. But Carla says a few people on the street have been asking what’s up with Junior. Karen is confused by what she means. Carla says she thinks Renee “knew something was coming.” Karen gets the feeling that Carla is insinuating something and she should be careful how she chooses her words.

It’s Christmas time. Renee goes to a yoga class for peace and quiet in her life. “Breathe, serenity, peace and quiet” are words Renee is not used to in her life. Renee’s friend Nikole is there and Renee confides in her that someone told her that Carla thinks Renee knew Junior was cooperating with the Feds. Renee says she would never set her father up. Renee loves her family and she would never do anything to hurt her father. Renee says she will confront her on this. Nikole says throw out the garbage (meaning Carla).

"I'm done being nice, how much more can I be nice?"

Maybe just a little more...read on

Drita, Bigg Ang and Carla meet at the spa to get their nails done. Carla is pissed from the get go. She says she hasn’t spoken to Renee since news has come out. She says Renee is psycho. She says Renee is totally wrong about her, she is bi-polar and she has convinced herself that Carla said something just to get mad at her. She says Renee is paranoid since Junior became a rat. It’s not her fault Junior’s a rat. Drita says she has only heard people say they feel bad for Renee. Carla says Renee has a big mouth and talks about everyone. She should feel glad that people support her. Carla says Renee is not a true friend, she is a puppet with strings and has people talking in her ear. Carla is done being nice. Renee should go be friends with someone else.

Drita goes back to the Evolution gym and wants to talk to her trainer, Anthony. She says she doesn’t want to call off the fight, but she needs to call it off. She enjoys fighting too much to the point she is willing to box in order to “sugar-coat” her desire to fight. She says she is being smart and walking away. Her kids come first. The best thing for her to do is not to fight. Her trainer feels she has some skills and he is disappointed she won’t be fighting, but she has to do what is best for her. She is proud of herself.

Joe pops in to Carla’s house. It’s Christmastime and Carla isn’t going to worry about Renee. She wants to focus on her children and spending Christmas all together with their father. She is concentrating on her family. Joey says he wants Joe to stay over Christmas Eve and wake up there to open presents in the morning. 

AJ and Renee go out to eat. Renee is concerned about AJ. She feels he will be disappointed in Christmas because his grandfather and father won’t be spending it with them. He says he is ok, but that won’t stop Renee from worrying. AJ says, “That’s life.”

MY TWO CENTS

Oh where do I start? I woke up with my brain running with this blog. Here’s what I decided to do. I will take on the women one by one this time, instead of situation by situation. 

Ramona wasn’t even in this episode. I missed her “keeping it real” attitude and there were a couple of scenes that could have used her input…enough said.

Bigg Ang did not play a major role, as usual. Though Renee loves her to death, I didn’t find her very comforting at all, but at least she did go to see her. I don’t know how many times she said the words “rat” and “snitch,” but it was a lot. I didn’t think it was cool for her to take the newspaper over to the clothing store owned by her sister to show her the headlines. I would have been more concerned about being with Renee than adding to the gossip.

Karen proved herself to be Renee’s best friend throughout this whole mess. No one could have predicted, when the series started, that any of this was going to happen. It was only a year ago that Renee wasn’t very welcoming of Karen and was judging her for what her father did, yet Karen put that all behind her soon after season one started. She, of all people, could have been bad mouthing Renee now, but she proved her loyalty to Renee and their friendship time and time again. My heart ached a little for Karen when she got choked up reading the part of the book where Sammy tells them he is cooperating with the Feds. Her emotions flooded right back as though she went back in time for a moment. I’m glad she read a few parts about Lee and Drita. Although she didn’t read significant amounts of those parts, it was enough for Drita to get a small taste of what she missed by not reading it. And, I was glad to hear from Karen’s mother on the phone. She said all the right things, namely, that she is proud of Karen for coming back with her head held high and Drita is no real friend of hers. Just when I think I couldn’t respect Karen more…I do!

As for Renee, it’s heartbreaking to watch her whole world turned completely upside down. As a mother, as a daughter and as a (ex) wife, her emotions are raw and her spirit is broken. I think Renee never really let go of Junior emotionally, in the past. Deep down I think she always considered him her husband and that they would get back together one day. His betrayal of her, their son and her father is as bad as it gets in that lifestyle. It’s even beyond all comprehension that he could turn on his own family and the man who considered him a son. Maybe it’s a good thing that all this happened during the filming of Mob Wives, because Renee has gotten tremendous support, prayers and love from fans. I always thought Renee was a strong woman, but she not only surprised Karen with her strength, she surprised a lot of us. I’m glad this was filmed months ago because we now know how well Renee is doing and that she is moving on with her life and living it to the fullest. 

Drita, Drita, Drita…where shall I start? Shall we start with the good news or the bad news?  Ok the good news first. Drita went over to support Renee! She did the right thing even though she was concerned about what she heard from Carla about the trip to the Poconos. I am going to hand it to her, I did not expect that at all. It certainly was a step in the right direction for the sake of their friendship. You don’t stay away from friends during times of crisis, something not everyone on the show has learned (cough, cough).

Now the bad news…more boxing. Too much of the episode was about boxing. First, Anthony, Drita’s trainer from Evolution, comes to her house for a “workout” in the yard. How many trainers would do that? Maybe just the ones who want to be on television and promote their business? It’s just not practical. But anyway, it seems he has set up a “match” for Drita, where she can fight an opponent. Drita wants to do it. And, as always, she is back to her old ways talking about her fist, as her weapon, her “rocket” her “right hook.” Boxing makes her feel good and gives her a rush! Not exactly the kind of talk of someone turning over a new leaf is it? Her trainer thought she was ready for her “match” I do not. Frankly, I don’t think Drita has actually had more than the three or four lessons we saw on the show. I can’t see Drita getting in her car and driving over the Verrazano Bridge a few times a week for lessons or for practice, but that’s just lazy me talking. 

Later in the show, she goes to Evolution for a sparring session with Andrew. She brags again how she has won most of her fights (though she left out the cheeseburgers and standing up against bullies this time, very disappointing). Then she says the sparring is putting her in “fighter mode,” and she is “dying to get into the ring,” and she “feels like ROCKY!” (I suddenly hear music playing as I type). And low and behold, Drita herself comes to the same conclusion I wrote about in another blog. Remember that study that showed boxing actually increases aggression not decreases it! Evolution explained to me that the discipline of boxing is what reduces aggression, however Drita said flat out she can’t be bothered with the “rules of boxing.” She ends her scene saying, boxing is supposed to control her temper, but “it’s getting her heated.” So, guess what, I was right about Drita and boxing and I love being right! Hold the applause, I haven’t gotten to Carla yet.

Last and certainly not least, is my little Carla. Carla has always been my least favorite mob wife. I did a blog on that months ago and maybe I should update it? Anyway, where to begin? Carla is in two major scenes concerning Renee. No, she never did go see Renee, she just talked about her behind her back. To be fair, I am not going to put words in Carla’s mouth or state what she may have implied, I am just going to deal with what she did and di-ent say.

First Carla meets with Karen to discuss Renee’s situation. I ask myself why? Why is Carla sitting there with Karen and not at Renee’s house, her friend of 27 years, whose whole world has come crashing down around her? Carla makes some stupid statements. Like what you ask? Well, she says that Junior was never really good for Renee so maybe this whole thing (Junior’s turning informant, getting her dad arrested, and disappearing) is what’s best for Renee. Really Carla? Think again. Carla casually mentions to Karen that a “few people” have been asking “what’s up with Junior?” Who would those few people be and why would they be talking, and why would it be relevant now unless he was said to be doing something shady? Carla doesn’t say. I almost got the impression that Carla knew something was up based on what she heard from the rumor mill.  We know how Carla loves gossip (remember she wanted to get all the “dirt” on Renee’s party so she could compare stories?). Not much gets by Carla. Then Carla says something, innocently or not, that could be misconstrued, because she fails to elaborate. She says, she thinks “Renee knew something was coming.” Carla di-ent say what. Now, I will not leap to the conclusion that she meant Renee knew Junior was wearing a wire and taping her father, but it sounds like she was trying to imply something without saying it out right. Karen heard some kind of “insinuation” and we don’t know what was edited it out. Enough said.

Well, Carla isn’t done talking. She meets Drita and Bigg Ang at the spa to get their nails done. Carla is pissed at this point. Apparently, word got back to her that Renee is mad. Renee got the idea that Carla said or implied that she knew Junior was wearing a wire and maybe even taping her dad. Carla still hasn’t talked to Renee since all this happened. I think I would wonder a little about Carla too. She’s not too busy to talk about Renee behind her back, but hasn’t made the time to pay her a visit? Carla goes on a hurtful tirade about her dear friend Renee, who had her world ripped out from under her. She says Renee is totally wrong, she is bi-polar, she is paranoid, she has a big mouth and talks about everyone, she is not a true friend, she is a puppet and then Carla adds she is done being nice. If that’s being nice I’d hate to see her being mean! Carla has a history of NOT being there for Renee. I’m not surprised she wasn’t there now. But, she could have at least keep her mouth shut about what is going on. The way she talked to Karen about Renee, she probably talked to at least 50 other people. Who needs a friend like that? Can’t wait for next week when Renee confronts her about all of this and I hope she gives her a good piece of her mind (and mine)!

One touching scene I have to mention is when Joey asks Joe to come over Christmas Eve and stay over till Christmas morning to open presents together. I hope they had a very Merry Christmas and that it made up, in part, for the years they all missed together. Joey and Carmen deserve to have some wonderful Christmas memories with their dad.

So what did you think? What did I miss? I was seeing red and it colored my view of the television screen! Chime in any time, I’d love to hear what you have to say!

Shout outs to some of our followers: @princess92477, @MizTaken4, @BigT1545, @Ruben1924m, @CrystalOrtiz18, @47Crawford, @NCDIVA14, @LisaLisaQuinn76

Mob Wives: Recap “Mob Daughters” Ep 207

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

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

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

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

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

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

Karen gets good advice about how to handle difficult questions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MY TWO CENTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mob Wives: Season 2 Is Shooting As We Tweet!

Our favorite wives looking great!

I am pretty sure season 2 of Mob Wives is shooting by now. I know this because the mob wives’ tweets have declined to a trickle, and that must mean they are busy, busy, busy. I can’t help but wonder what is going on. I want to be a fly on the wall. We have three or more months before it airs and I’m not sure I can be that patient. And yet, what choice do I have? I already put in my requests for what I’d like to see happen next season. I don’t know if anyone was paying attention, after all I am just a blogger. Still, it’ll be interesting to compare my “wish list” with what actually happens on the show.

Of course, no one is going to reveal a thing. The storyline is as top secret as a mob “hit” and we know these women can keep a secret. They barely acknowledge that the mob exists. Don’t you love it when Renee says, “Mob? What mob?” What have they really told us anyway. Drita told us Lee was a burglar, he robs banks without weapons. Carla says Joe was in prison for stock fraud, which she doesn’t consider a bad crime. Karen didn’t have to tell us anything, her father already spilled the beans in his tell all book, Underboss. And Renee, well she mentioned her father was incarcerated, which is no secret. Of course there was the episode of the “Mob Bust” and Junior was arrested for gambling. It was hard to avoid some discussion on that, it happened while they were filming and it did boost ratings. All of this information is a matter of public record, so there were no cats let out of the proverbial bag this season.

But what about next season? A lot of insults were hurled and feelings were hurt. Was the damage done bad enough to tempt one or more of the women to reveal some indiscretions from their past during season two? Will Karen and Drita bury the hatchet, or will there be a chapter in the book about Lee that will rile Drita up? Karen pretty much said he will be mentioned, but he is an insignificant part of her life. Will Carla and Renee resolve their issue about the groping boyfriend? At the Reunion Show he still was a very “touchy” subject. Renee had to leave the set and compose herself because she became so emotional. And, even in Mob Mistress’ interview with Carla, Carla is not backing down on her stance that Renee made it all up. If I were Renee, I would not be able to let it go. And, if he does come up again, I am sure there is going to be a showdown. Although this time I don’t think it won’t be so much about the boyfriend. I think it will be more about the “friendship” and lack of loyalty and respect that Carla is showing Renee by not believing her and saying she is lying.

And what about the adding of one or two new wives? Will big sister Lana Graziano be added to the cast and make Mob Mistress’ wish list come true? Would her presence add more drama or tip the delicate balance of the relationships of the four mob wives originally cast? I can’t say for sure, but I am going to go out on a limb and say she would be on Team Renee and Karen. All I can do is sit here and wonder aloud and in print and beg.

Jennifer Graziano, if you are out there, can you please leak us a little information about season two? Pretty please…with sugar on top? Even a crumb will hold us for a few weeks. What do you say?

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