Mob Wives: Renee Speaks On Disloyalty

Renee On The Issue of Loyalty

Renee and I had a little chat today. I asked her to clear up a few things concerning what some fans consider her “disloyalty,” by getting in the middle of Team Karen and Team Drita. 

Hi Renee, I see you are having a good time out in LA. I know you are pressed for time,  but can you clear up some questions fans have about where your loyalties lie? They seem to feel you are taking sides at times and don’t understand.

I want to say that I am not picking a team. I know who has my back rain, shine, sleet and hail…Ramona and Karen for sure.  I also know that if I needed a woman to talk to about family, I could go to Carla. And, if I needed to talk to a strong woman to talk to about a subject such as a cheating husband, I could go to Drita. I would go to Big Ang to rest my head on her heart. So I am not being disloyal to anyone, I am being loyal to myself and loving them all as individuals.

Can you explain a little more about why it looks like you are taking sides in the show? I know sometimes editing plays a part in what we see or is there more to it?

I don’t think it’s fair to judge me as being disloyal and I’ll tell you why. These episodes were filmed months ago while I was struggling with my surgery and the complications after the fact. At the time, I was being sedated by doctor ordered medication for the pain I was suffering from the open wound in my back that wouldn’t heal. I was not thinking clearly. I always knew that Ramona and Karen had my back, but I was trying to figure things out on my own. It might have looked different because of the medication.

So where do things stand now with the medication and your relationship with the other women?

I was going through a lot the past few months with my Dad, Junior and the girls. I had [something like] a nervous breakdown and I went to the hospital for four days. It was a great stay and now I am only on Prozac for depression, no other drugs. I can see everything clearly now and I see everyone for who and what they are.

But months ago, at the time of the filming, I insulted Ramona by the way I approached the situation. And, I just want to say that her loyalty to me and my loyalty to her were never in question. I should have never questioned her loyalty. But, when you are on medication prescribed by doctors, you sometimes think the whole world is against you and you are willing to attack anyone and anything because you aren’t thinking clearly. 

Thank you Renee, I think that clears up a lot of confusion and misconceptions people had over what was being aired on the show. Now, you know I follow you on Twitter and I happened to catch a couple of pictures you tweeted last night of two handsome men! Would you care to tell us who they are?

Quincy and Aunt Renee

I really would like to talk about both of them. The first one is Quincy, Kim Porter and Puffy’s son. I’m his favorite mob wife, aka Aunt Renee. I’ve known him since he was a baby and he is like family to me, just like a nephew. Kim and Puff should be so proud of their son. I just want everyone to know not to mess with that boy or they will have to answer to Aunt Renee.

And the other handsome man on your arm? You know inquiring minds need to know.

Renee with her gorgeous "mystery" date!

That is the most gorgeous gentleman ever! I met him in California and he is a very dear friend of my cousin Lori and Uncle Ronnie. I asked him to go out on a date last night. He came through wearing all black Gucci, looking so sexy and mature and he is an honorable man.

My objective is to clone him and make sure that all good women get one. But as far as the original goes, hands off chicks! LA has way more than sunshine!

So what will you be doing next?

I’ll be flying back to New York to attend Fashion week.

Well thank you so much Renee, it’s been a pleasure as always, and I appreciate your taking time away during your trip to address questions the fans have, as well as, sharing your “men” with us! Talk to you again soon!

And that concludes our little interview this week. I just want to add that Renee sounds great on the phone. She is doing well and having a ball out in LA. I find it remarkable that she always makes the time to chat and promote the show and give us details of difficult issues in her life. Can’t wait till tonight’s show!

Mob Wives: Growing Up Gravano

Karen’s interview tried to cover a lot of things in less than 20 minutes. I’m glad I write for the blog and knew more details to fill in the blanks. I wish they had given her more time, but I will recap some of what they covered. 

Karen’s father, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano committed or was involved in 19 murders. Karen is asked what kind of father was he? Karen says, “He was a great father.” He was always at their bedside when they were sick and he was at dinner every night. She thought he was in the construction business. And he really was in construction. Sammy controlled all the unions that built New York City.

When Karen first heard the word gangster, she took it as a positive thing. The reason is that she and a classmate passed by a very large house, almost a mansion, and the friend said to her, “you see that big house, a gangster lives there.” So Karen associated the word with being a good thing. 

They discuss the 1982 murder of Frank Fiala. Karen was ten years old at the time and asked her father if she could have a sleepover with a friend that night. Sammy told her it wasn’t a good time, as he tucked a gun in his pants. Later that night Frank Fiala was found dead. Karen was just a kid and says she didn’t know how t react to what her father was doing. 

Her father was her protector, her provider, her friend. At Karen’s Sweet 16 Party her father introduced her to John Gotti as “Uncle John.” Gotti handed her an envelope with ten $100 bills. When Karen graduated high school, her father bought her a flower shop and it became a booming business.

On December 16th, 1985, Paul Castellano was killed. She knew her father was involved. People were glorifying it at the time. 

In 1991 Sammy Gravano was in a New York prison. He was the underboss of the Gambino crime family. He told Karen he was going to cooperate with the authorities. She was always taught “you never tell” and now he was going against everything he taught her to believe in. Karen says that when her father turned informant she felt her dad was betraying her, how could he do this? She couldn’t deal with the betrayal. He was a “rat” and that was worse than his killing 19 people. None of her friends were allowed to talk to her. She was so upset Sammy almost reneged on the deal with the government. 

Sammy was also involved in the murder of her uncle, her mother’s brother. His defense was that when you join the mob you take an oath to kill if you have to. Karen says they don’t talk about it. When Sammy is done serving his time the family moves to Arizona. 

In Arizona, Sammy starts a new construction business and Karen says she felt more comfortable “being bad.” Sammy revert to crime by financing a drug ring and having his own “family” He is currently serving time for that. Karen’s brother, Gerard, got 9 years and Karen and her mother each got house arrest for their involvement.

Today, Karen is a single mom with an 11 year old daughter, Karina. She divides her time between New York and Arizona. Sammy is due to be released from prison in 2019. While in prison he creates art. They show some of his work, he is very talented. Karen never knew how artistic he was. Sammy doesn’t like the show Mob Wives and always calls Karen the day after it airs and says, “ Watch your mouth” or “Why  are you cursing on TV?”

They ask Karen if her father is still capable of murder? She says yes, if someone tried to hurt her he would kill them in a minute, but he doesn’t want to kill people.

That concludes the interview.

If you want to know more about Sammy Gravano’s life in the mob, you can read his book Underboss. Karen’s book, Mob Daughter, is coming out Tuesday, February 14th and it promises to be a best seller! Below I am posting a link to the blog on Sammy Gravano’s interview with Diane Sawyer that took place years ago. 

Sammy Gravano's Interview with Diane Sawyer: Our blog on Interview

Video Credit: abcnews.com, 20/20

Mob Wives: Renee Talks About Junior's Betrayal

Renee was recently interviewed by thisis50.com regarding her ex-husband, Junior’s, involvement in the Federal Mob Bust that caused her father to return to prison. This is a very emotional subject for Renee, but she seems stronger and better able to discuss it now.

Renee says that Junior was responsible for putting her father back in prison and she does not forgive him. Renee still goes by what she said in season one, “a rat is a rat, a snitch is a snitch, so if Junior falls into that category, that’s on him.” It has nothing to do with her or her son, AJ. The host says she never expected Junior to do anything like that and Renee says neither did she. Renee says she agreed to do the show in hopes that her life would help someone else and she isn’t going to quit just because things got bad. She is going to keep going. She admits that she has weak moments like when she collapsed after the news came out about her father going to prison again. 

Renee explains that her father got rearrested November 21st, 2011. What broke her down was everyone else getting arrested after that. In November she had no idea that Junior was responsible for her father’s getting arrested because he was cooperating with the Feds. She says there were lots of rumors, but she was denying they were true because she couldn’t imagine he could do anything like that. And Renee is also upset  because they were back together and Junior was acting like they were a family when all the while he was betraying her and their son. In the beginning of February she couldn’t cope with the situation any more. She suffered a panic attack and went to the hospital.

They ask about how AJ is handling things. Renee says he is really a trooper. Renee says he is more of a man then the men she is watching going to court, and he is only 17. She says the day they went to court, they were sitting on her father’s side because they were there for him. When they were walking out, The Daily News was there and the NY Post. The Daily News snapped a picture and AJ had his head down because he was so disturbed about what his father did to his 71 year old grandfather, who had spent the last 11 years in prison. And then, when he finally comes home, his father has him put back in prison. Renee explains how hard it is on AJ because he loves his father and his grandfather. And, then Renee makes it very clear that AJ is his father’s grandson, there is no doubt about it. 

They ask Renee if she will ever speak to Junior again. She says it’s a dead issue. It was sealed at court. She admits for the first time that she was very confused. In this lifestyle you are brought up to stand behind your man, to respect your man so if a man cooperates with the Feds you are suppose to stick by him. But Renee can't stand behind Junior because she has to stand by her father, that’s what's right. So now she has to disregard everything she was taught to believe.

Renee is asked if she ever wondered why Junior would agree to be on the show, knowing how Renee’s dad was against the show and he himself has been involved in plenty of criminal activity. Renee says that’s a good question and no one has ever asked her that before. They say that gangsters generally would not want to be in front of the camera. Renee seems stunned by the question and says it never occurred to her to think of why Junior would expose himself that way. Renee felt it was something he was doing for her, that he had to be a part of everything in her life and she never questioned his motives. Renee says she never put that together and Superstar J says he is kind of smart that way. Renee says if you are so smart you should have called me.

Picture and Video Credit: thisis50.com

Mob Wives: Karen Gravano's 20/20 Interview

Karen's Sweet Sixteen Party!

Karen will be on 20/20 (ABC) this Friday Night at 10 PM ET. On the preview clip below she talks about her Sweet 16 Party and how she was introduced to John Gotti as Uncle John. John Gotti gave her an envelope with ten $100 bills in it. There is footage from Karen's actual party (see photo above). Karen describes her party as being with warm people, good food and nice gifts. Karen looks great in the clip too. Can't wait to see 20/20 this Friday night. I'm sure Karen is going to discuss more of what is in her book, Mob Daughter, being released next Tuesday, February 14th...also known as Valentine's Day! Be sure to preorder your copy or get it while it's hot off the presses!

Picture and Video Credit: 20/20 ABCNEWS.com and Karen Gravano

Mob Wives: Karen's Interview With Cherry!

Cherry Martinez interviewed Karen Gravano this week at Power 105.1. They begin by talking about Mob Daughter, Karen’s new book, being released on February 14th (Valentine’s Day gift, hint, hint). 

Karen says she is very proud of this book, it is her foundation. In it she talks about her life from the time she was born up until the present. It’s her story and it tells about experiences she went through in her life because of who her father was and the lifestyle he chose. The book explains more about who Karen is and why she decided to be on Mob Wives. Karen says it’s a really good book and it’s about family and the culture they grew up in. 

Cherry wants to talk about the time Karen went about to have her beautiful baby. (With a shout out to gorgeous Karina!) Cherry is going to verify Karina’s bloodline and then give Karen a certified “hood pass.” Cherry asks, she is definitely mixed, right? Karen says, yes. Cherry says she has heard Karen on the phone with Karina’s dad, Dave, and asks if they are in a relationship? Karen says she feels they will always have a relationship because they share a child together. Karen says, “are we a couple?” it’s complicated. They have been through  a lot of things throughout their relationship, which has been for 14 years now, but he spent 10.5 years in prison. Karen adds, she will always have a love and respect for her daughter’s father and he will always be a part of her life. Cherry says that Dave wants her home. Karen says he did, but we will see that play out on the show. And Karen reveals that Dave might be doing a special guest appearance at some point (which means yes, he will be on the show!) Cherry is excited about that! Karen says he is light skinned and fine! And she says she doesn’t discriminate when it comes to men as long as they are real. She says Dave if from New York and she met him at the China Club, in 1997, right after New Year’s. Karen says they were both there with friends and she introduced herself to him as “Gina,” which was her aka name at the time, because she was a “weed dealer” and she writes about this in her book. She gave him the first bag complimentary, but he called the next day. She thought he was calling for more, but he was calling for her and they have been together ever since. And Cherry makes a big point of saying he moved to Arizona to be with Karen, which is a huge deal for a black man. 

Then they watch a little Mob Wives. Cherry wants to know how Karen feels watching the episode? And then Cherry asks, is there any way that Karen and Drita can ever come together and have a sit down and iron this thing out? Karen answers, we can have a sit down and she thinks they should have a sit down because she thinks that she and Drita are unclear about certain things and to Karen it’s all about the meaning of friendship. Karen says that when she returned to Staten Island, she got in contact with Drita because she believed they had a relationship that Drita is saying they didn’t have. Karen felt they could reconnect. Karen never felt that they were no longer friends. She felt betrayed, but not that the friendship was over. And what Karen wants from Drita is for her to explain to her how it is she felt that she and Karen were no longer friends. In Karen’s mind, when you are friends with someone, you are friends with someone until you have a falling out.  And Karen says, neither she nor Drita had any kind of argument, all that happened was that Karen moved away. Karen says she has been living in NY almost a year and she has friends in Arizona that she hasn’t talked to so does that mean they all aren’t her friends? She says when Ramona went away they didn’t talk for a couple of years. Karen and Jennifer found out she was stuck in a foreign country and they reached out to her to try to get her back. And they are as close as ever. Not talking during a separation didn’t change the fact that they were friends. And here the interview ends!

Be sure to get your copy of Mob Daughter on February 14th, for yourself or for a loved one who loves Mob Wives or the Mob! It’s hard to imagine growing up in that lifestyle and Karen is letting the world know exactly what was involved.

Picture and Video Credit: Power 105.1, Cherry On Top

Mob Wives: Christening Parody!

Starring: 

Sophia Bush, Drea de Matteo, Karen Gravano, Carla Facciolo

Another hilarious parody has been created about Mob Wives! Funny or Die and VH1 Blog are both promoting this video which is about a "Christening" for Drita's nephew. The four women get into several arguments because, as it turns out, they all come wearing the same f*cking dress! No one can stand for it and they all have wardrobe malfunctions as they fight to the death about proper etiquette regarding wearing the same dress as one another. 

 At the end, Karen and Carla make an appearance as "NUNS" no less and for me that was the very best part! Kudos to Karen and Carla for stealing the show! Please watch and let us know what you think. 

Picture and video credit: VH1 Blog, Funny or Die

Mob Wives: The MOB’s T-Shirt Business…

The Mob has come a long way, from committing crimes to using their past criminal history for future fame and fortune through books, movies, television shows, museums, articles, internet games, and so much more. And now we can add a new business venture to the mob, T-Shirts. 

Almost all the mob wives have their own websites now, and on each one there is a store where you can buy T-Shirts with their own personal quotes on them. Now, I will admit that I have called the show scripted a time or two here on the blog. However, the more I watch it, the more I think it is less scripted and more reality. I mean you can’t make this stuff up! No writer would ever have envisioned Renee's “crumb scene” or make up the lines that come out of these women’s mouths. It’s just not possible. Every week they come up with their own original expressions, ones I never heard before. I love them! I have posted a few of my recent favorites on the shirts above. I am sure some will add them to their already hilarious and growing T-Shirt line.  And, I know they don’t make these lines up and insert them here and there, because they just come out too naturally on the show. I wish I had made a list since the first episode aired. I may have to watch them all just to do that!

These classic quotes, when they are said, almost jump out at you. You know one when you hear it. So, let’s pay some attention to future shows and collect some of our favorite expressions. By the end of season two I may do another T-Shirt blog and add our favorites for the mob wives to see. Who knows, they may become a hot new trend? These shirts just might be coming to a Mob Store near you! Let’s call it “Mob Garb?” What do you think?

See if you can match the mob wife with the shirt. Got a problem, just ask in the comments below!

Casting Alert: Pregnant with Mom

Many would like a chance at fame.  When I was growing up the goal was to do good in school.  When one was an adult they would get a job & work to provide for themselves.  Well it's 2012 and I could be mistaken:  It seems the new goal in life is to be famous or the next best thing appear on a reality television show.  To each their own, right?

VH1 always aiming to please came up with an interesting idea for a new reality series, Pregnant with Mom.  You guessed it.  They are casting mothers and daughters who are pregnant at the same time.  I'm cringing at the thought of my mother having sex or getting pregnant!  Hell I'm cringing at the thought of me having sex and getting pregnant.  My cringe factor doesn't matter.  What's important is VH1 is giving mothers & daughters an opportunity to spend some quality time together knocked up.

Are you a mother pregnant at the same time as your daughter?  Are you a daughter pregnant at the same time as your mother?  Either circumstance works out for you!  You could have the opportunity to be part of reality television.  If you meet the pregnant criteria and are interested email MothersAndDaughtersExpecting@gmail.com or PregnantWithMom@gmail.com.   You can also contact Alicia with any questions: 646.278.7652!  Please if you are not pregnant don't call your mother or daughter and make a pregnancy pact.  It would suck if you weren't cast in the upcoming series.

Mob Wives: This Is 50 Radio Interviews Ramona Rizzo

Ramona Rizzo of Mob Wives is getting her interview grind on.  Ramona a.k.a. The Riz shares she use to live in Atlanta.  Man, I'd love to see Ramona on The Real Housewives of Atlanta.  She also states she's working with a R&B group Final Draft.  The interview starts @ about 1:10 mark of the video.


 Follow Ramona Rizzo @RamonaRizzoVH1 on Twitter!  Later on in the video Ekko a.k.a. Young Ancient drops a righteous freestyle. He had this grandmother taking it down to the ground with her walker he's that dope.  I'd loved to hear Young Ancient's drop some sick verses showing the Mob Wives love.  Ekko a.k.a. Young Ancient comes in the 1:43 mark.  He was featured in the October issue of XXL Magazine on page 67.  If you are a hip hop head, I'd follow Ekko @YoungAncient on Twitter.

Mob Wives: Ramona's Q&A With Cherry!

Ramona doesn't hold anything back

I have to say I was very impressed by Ramona's interview with Cherry. There is no pretense at all. Ramona is very open and up front about anything asked of her. I can't do the interview justice because Ramona has a way of using words that is all her own. You have to watch all 8 minutes and see for yourself. Here is the meat of it:

Cherry welcomes Ramona and calls her “the real deal” meaning her grandfather is “Lefty Guns” Ruggiero, and the story of Donnie Brasco was about him. Cherry asks her if she feels like “royalty?” Ramona says that she and Karen never grew up that way, they never threatened people saying they were going to call their uncle or so and so. They never dropped names, they always handled their own business. They never used the “name card” to get into places, they didn’t want anyone to know they were getting into places because they weren’t allowed to be there. To Ramona, her grandfather was just her grandfather.

Ramona talks about going to see Karen after getting arrested. She says her voice was cracking a little bit because her emotions were real and it had just happened. The worst part about being in jail for her was that she was freezing, and because of that her voice was hoarse. All she could think about were her children. She knew she didn’t do anything and the truth would come out, but she was cold, tired and thinking about her kids. Ramona says she has been released and her part has been resolved, but her boyfriend is incarcerated. 

Ramona was there when they filmed the “sizzle reel” before season one because Jennifer Graziano is her lifelong friend. Jennifer asked her to be on the show, but Ramona had personal reasons why she couldn’t do it at that time. But, even though she wasn’t in the show, she says she was always there when Jennifer had parties and all the mob wives were invited. She adds, “So to sit here and watch Carla say, lies always come back to bite you in the ass anyway, that girl Ramona; that girl Ramona was always at places where you were.” She says she doesn’t know Carla for many years, she is from Brooklyn and Ramona isn’t. So these are Ramona’s friends and Carla just came into the circle now. When she says “that girl Ramona” it could be just something she is saying for television. Ramona says she has known Renee for about 25 years, their families have been lifelong friends. She grew up with Karen. And she does know Drita, that part of the circle, they tried that it didn’t work. 

Cherry says it's been said that Ramona came on the show to back up Karen, when all along Ramona was supposed to be part of the original cast. Ramona says she and Karen have been always been friends, but people on Twitter who write “I hate you, I want to kill you” are just computer thugs who would never say that to her face, but they might ask for a picture if they met her. She doesn’t respect people who want to get all gangster on the computer and more than that she doesn’t respect people who take time out of their day to write something negative towards her.

Cherry goes back to ask how Ramona tried getting to know Drita in the past and why didn’t it work. Ramona says it was prior to the show. Drita hung out with her sister, Jennifer and Karen for many years. Her sister hung out with Drita in the clubs, they fought together. Drita was in her parents home, but she never hung out with her much. Drita was never her cup of tea, she isn’t into that type of girl. So when Ramona came back, Drita was married to Karen’s ex-boyfriend, Lee, who Ramona grew up with.  Drita was also very friendly with Jennifer at the time and they tried to go out a couple of times. But people who have jealousy and tell lies, they become the most dangerous things in life, and that's what Drita really has created. She has said so many things that are such lies and her ego on television has gotten so large that it is what it is. As far as fighting, I don’t need to be a man, but I will have to go that route if you are going to raise your hands to me. But she has created this persona on television and they only live five minutes from each other. Ramona says, let her come knock on my door and put me in the hospital. 

Cherry asks if she wants to clear up anything from the fight and how is her lip. Ramona says she didn’t get punched or she would have had a bruise. She got a cut on her upper lip so obviously something sliced her. But she never got knocked out and no ambulances ever came, so right their people’s credibility went right out the window. Ramona says she went out there to stop a fight because she knows Karen’s temperament and she knows Drita’s temperament. She could see it was getting heated. Ramona says, “A we are at a party, B I don’t want my friend to catch a case, and as much as I don’t really like Drita, she does have two children so let’s just stop the madness. Why do we all have to fight.” So she went over to them to diffuse the situation, neither of them needed to get more riled up. The interview wraps up. Watch it, you'll like it!

Picture and Video Credit: Cherry On Top, Power 105.1