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

"The Walking Dead" Mid-Season 3 Teasers

Hey guys! With "The Walking Dead" taking a winter break, I've been indulging in some "Mob Wives" like everyone else on here. But on February 10, 9/8c, the mid-season 3 of "The Walking Dead" premieres! So between "Mob Wives" and "The Walking Dead", it's going to be a pretty exciting TV season for us! I will be very happy when it's back on the air because I've been suffering from serious Daryl Dixon withdrawls. So here are two sneak-peak trailers to check out!

 

I've also drafted up a Season 3 recap as a memory refresher for viewers I will post sometime close before the season premiere date. Keep an eye out for that!

Trailer Credit: AMC/Youtube 

Follow me on Twitter @janespringfield

Mob Wives: Recap “Of Vice & Men” Ep. 304

First, what we didn't see!

Carla says, “She needs to button up the lip a little. Maybe she’ll f*cking stop barking so much.”

Big Ang and Carla meet at the nail salon. Big Ang has new hair, but it’s not really hers, it’s a permed “Cher” wig. Drita joins them. Drita tells them that Renee has moved to a new house around the corner from Carla. That doesn’t make Carla too happy because she will be running into her all the time. Big Ang says that Renee is going to Florida for a month of rehab. Carla says she needs a lot of help. Big Ang feels that rehab is helping her son and it will help Renee. Carla says she can’t take being attacked any more. Drita says she is proud of Renee. Carla hopes that when Renee comes home she won’t bash her any more. And while Drita and Big Ang are proud and supportive of Renee, Carla reacts with her typical, “bashing attitude” and says, “She needs to button up the lip a little. Maybe she’ll f*cking stop barking so much.” Hmmmm.

Joe says, “I want a divorce, I want a divorce, I want a divorce!” 

Joe has been out of prison for a year and he has some unfinished business...Carla. He meets with his lawyer, Ralph, and they discuss his past criminal history. Joe explains that he was pinched for money laundering and stock fraud. He is trying to redeem himself now. He tells the lawyer he has a girlfriend and they are living together. The lawyer advises him that if he is getting along with Carla things will go a lot easier with the divorce. Joes says, “I want a divorce, I want a divorce, I want a divorce!” Joe wants to move on with his life. He knows he has to take baby steps with Carla because their relationship swings back and forth from good to bad. The lawyer stresses that it’s important they get along.

“This is probably going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life,” Renee says.

Back at Renee’s house, AJ, Ramona and Karen are going to take Renee to the airport for her trip to Florida. Renee gets nervous about missing her plane because Karen and Ramona haven’t arrived yet. She says prescription pills have taken control of too much of her life. She has a lot of anxiety and she and AJ are getting on each other’s nerves. Karen and Ramona arrive and they all head out to the car. Renee says she is looking forward to rehab. Karen says she is being very brave and she is proud of Renee. Ramona is very supportive. They all say good bye at the airport and Renee and AJ walks off to the gate of the flight to Florida. AJ accompanies Renee to the rehab center to drop her off. He wants her to find a way to deal with her problems and be happy. AJ says things are hard as hell, but he wants Renee to be strong and get clean and sober. Renee is nervous about entering the rehab and says it will be the hardest 28 days of her life.

Love says,  “I didn’t actually hit him, I went all around him,” she clarifies. “So he knew that I loved him.” 

Love is applying Karen’s makeup while Karen fills her in on what is going on with Dave. She tells her about the girlfriend and Love thinks she it is amazing that Karen hasn’t killed anyone. But, Karen’s story triggers some emotion in Love, who has her own story. Love dated a guy named Ray Merole, who was head of one of the largest car theft rings in the world. She says they were inseparable and she thought he was her one true love. Then he cheated on her and the police said she allegedly tried to shoot him. But she says she shot all around him because she loved him, if she didn’t she wouldn’t have missed. Love just found out that Ray had twins who are three years old. It seems that Ray had his sperm frozen before going to prison and two different women were artificially inseminated and had his children. Love gets very emotional. She always felt, in the back of her mind, that she and Ray would be together. Karen is very angry about Dave. Where is the loyalty and respect for their relationship and all she has done for him to help him get back on his feet after he got out of prison?

Drita and the girls go to visit Lee. It’s been two years since they last saw him. Drita has a lot on her mind and is full of emotion. Drita says she needs to see how she and the girls feel being around him. Her girls don’t know what it feels like to have a father. She tells them that Lee has his girls and that is the best reason for him to change. They all get on a plane and land in Buffalo.

Meanwhile, at the Florida rehab, Transitions, Renee says good bye to AJ. Renee has to confront some serious issues. They ask her a lot of questions about her life events and drug use. She says on her worst day she took about 20 pills. She goes 3 to 4 days without sleep. She suffers from depression. She mentions several different types of prescription drugs that she has taken.

Once Drita and the girls get off the plane, there is a long drive to Bradford, Pennsylvania. They check into a hotel to spend the night. They have to get up very early the next day to go visit Lee. Drita is concerned about whether or not there will be a future with Lee and if so, what if he hurts them all again?

“From what Joe tells me,” Raquel explains, “Carla is just very…nasty.”

Carla is walking her dog, Elvis. “Elvis is a real man,” she says. Carla hasn’t spoken to Joe since they had that little conversation about Raquel moving in with him, which didn’t end well. Joe says Elvis was his dog, until he made one too many visits to Carla’s with the kids and she just kept him. Joe talks to Raquel about what the lawyer had to say. He tells her if Carla contests the divorce it could take two years for him to get one. Joe believes that Carla is afraid he will marry Raquel and have more kids. He adds, she should be scared because that is exactly what he wants to do.

Drita and the girls get up early and get ready for their visit with Lee. They dress and do their hair. Aleeya is excited. They get in the car. Drita is nervous, she feels like she is going on her first date. Aleeya says the first thing she will say is “I love you, daddy.” Drita’s anxiety is running very high because she has no idea what to expect from her visit with Lee.

Ramona says, , “I would choke him until he had no breath left in him.”

Ramona and Karen meet. Karen tells her she hasn’t talked to Dave yet. She says that Karina doesn’t want her to tell Dave that she told him anything about the girlfriend. And, Karina told her that she doesn’t want to move back to New York because she finally has a good relationship with her father. She tells Karen that Dave’s girlfriend, Rebecca, is helping her with stuff and she doesn’t want Karen causing problems. Ramona advises Karen to go out to Arizona, it’s her house. Karen feels she is between a rock and a hard place. She wants to kill Dave, but she doesn’t want to alienate her daughter.

Drita and the girls leave the prison. She is on cloud nine. She says there was a lot of hugging and kissing. It’s like they were all never separated. It just goes to show you blood is thicker than water. Drita says she felt happy, peaceful and comfortable with Lee in spite of all he did to her. She tells Big Ang it was amazing. Giselle went over to Lee screaming like they were never apart. She says she and Lee didn’t even need to talk. She misses him a lot and she now realizes how much. She says she felt so good being with him. It was a 5 hour visit. The girls were very happy and Drita was very emotional.

“How the f*ck do you do that to me?” Love asks.

Love visits Big Ang. Ang tells Love she threw Neal out because he isn’t a good husband. He took her for surgery and left her there. Drita is the only one doing good in the men’s department right now. She tells Love that Drita had a good visit with Lee. Love tells her she always thought she would end up with Ray. Then she tells Ang about how he had his sperm frozen and two girls used it to have his babies. Love wants to write him a letter and demand an explanation of how he could do this to her.

“What do you mean, insecure? I’m MAD!” Karen tells Dave. “I have been the most loyalist person to this man in his entire life, and the fact that I want that back in return, he’s gonna say insecure? Nah, motherf*cker, I’m not having it.” 

A very angry Karen is in her apartment and decides to call Dave. She is angry because he hasn’t been taking her calls or calling her back. He says he has been busy working. Karen wants to know what he is so busy working at? She asks if he has a girlfriend. He says he was going to tell her eventually, he isn’t hiding anything. Karen feels that they should have always kept an open line of communication. He tells her now that he has a girlfriend she is being insecure. He says he doesn’t have to answer any questions. She wants to know why Karina doesn’t want to move to New York? She is the only who raised her for twelve years by herself.

Drita meets her close friend, Jessica, who she went to high school with. She tells her about her visit with Lee. She is thinking about giving Lee another chance and wants to hear what Jessica thinks. Jessica tells her that the worst time is Drita’s life was when Lee went to jail. But, Jessica adds, she remembers how happy Drita always was with Lee. She encourages Drita to give him another chance.

Renee survived the rehab interview, now she wants to know why she is addicted to pain medication. She asks, why her son, who has two addicts for parents, isn’t addicted. They tell her it’s a matter of choice and self control. Renee tells them there is a girl in her group that makes her angry [Carla]. She is a whore, a douche bag, something you use and throw away. They tell her to take the energy she is putting into this b*tch and put it into something positive. Anger comes from fear. By focusing on Carla, Renee is giving her power. Renee says she has to let it go.

MY TWO CENTS

Oh boy, we have an episodes built around so many different situations, all very emotional! I guess I’ll break them down one by one.

Renee is dealing with her addiction to pain medication. How will she be able to cope without the pills? It’s not going to be easy getting clean. It takes a lot of work. Everyone is supporting her decision to go get help…everyone but Carla. Despite the fact that Carla is well aware of everything Renee has been through in her life, she can’t even find an ounce of compassion for her, as a human being, to even “fake” being concerned. After all, being fake is something Carla is very good at, but she won’t even make an effort. What does that say about her? Even Big Ang and Drita find fault with Carla’s attitude. Thank God Renee has the love and support of her son, AJ, her family, friends, and fans.

Drita not only had to face the prison visit, she has to consider the future of her family. She is full of emotion from fear and anxiety to being happy and excited. It’s hard to make decisions when you are experiencing so much internal conflict. Drita is a very good mother. She raised two beautiful girls. Aleeya, who is intelligent and mature, and Giselle, who is independent and adorable. She always puts her children’s well being before her own. Drita was always close to her own father growing up. I’m sure she wants the same for her girls. Everything that’s been said on the show leads me to believe she is going to give Lee and their family another chance. Let’s hope Lee doesn’t screw it up this time. He is very blessed and I hope he appreciates what he has now.

Love’s story just gets more and more bizarre. There is nothing ordinary about Love’s life. Now she has to deal with the fact that the man she thought was her “one true love” betrayed her in a way. He froze his sperm before going to prison, in case he wanted to have a baby. Then he finds two women to get inseminated with his sperm at the same time and have his children? Who the hell does that? It seems to me Love never got any closure from that relationship. I think she should write that letter and see what he has to say. She never really let go of Ray. This might be just what she needs to move on. And maybe Love should ask herself if Ray had asked her to have his baby, would she have said yes with him being in prison? Somehow I doubt it. I think this is a lose end she just has to wrap up, just like Joe’s unfinished business.

Speaking of Joe’s unfinished business (you knew I was saving the best for last right?), and by unfinished business I mean Carla. Joe is adamant about getting a divorce. I can’t say I was crazy about Joe’s criminal past, because I wasn’t, but I am very happy with his present and future. This is what we know. Carla has been seeing Handy Man before Mob Wives started two years ago. By other accounts I have heard she has been with him as long as four years. So, if she is so “in love” with Handy aka “Baby,” why wouldn’t give Joe a divorce? Why would she contest it? It makes no sense unless she wants Joe back in her life, which she claims she does not. She said she was done with him when he got out of prison…the feelings, the closeness were gone…maybe that’s because she had moved on with her life and Handy?

Joe has a chance to start over with Raquel. Raquel is wonderful with his children, she loves them. She wants to have children of her own. It’s all natural and wonderful. But they have to deal with Carla and, as we know, Carla is not about other people, Carla is about Carla. She is selfish and egotistical. Carla grills her children about their weekend with Joe, and when they come back with happy glowing reports, she is determined to find something bad. How dare another woman mother her children? You would think she would be happy to have them spend time with someone so nurturing while she is off at appearances, or selling Wives for Wine, or filming, or on her many dates with Handy. Joe’s home appears to be happy and stable. A good home for his children to grow up in.

I have been accused of being harsh on Carla. That isn’t going to change any time soon, especially if she gives Joe a hard time about the divorce. Joe has said, in so many words, how difficult Carla can be. She is argumentative, she can be nasty. We have seen those sides of her. By the way, are there other sides? He is afraid to talk to her about certain subjects. She doesn’t want anyone telling her what to do and yet she thinks it is okay for her to tell Joe what he should and shouldn’t do. I sense Joe is very frustrated because he anticipates that Carla is going to be a road block to his future happiness. From what I have seen of Carla, I think she will do whatever she can to give Joe a hard time. I hope Joe’s lawyer has a few tricks up his sleeve. I don’t see how she can contest the divorce. What grounds does she have? Doesn’t the fact that Carla has been with Handy all this time and doesn’t want to be with Joe, something the courts should consider? They have it all on video tape! Roll it!

I rest my case!

What did you think of all the turmoil in this episode? I’d love to know.

Video Credit: VH1

Carmela's Food Blog: Italian Wedding Soup

The finished pot of Italian Wedding Soup!

I couldn't help but wonder if Mob Wives Season 3, Episode 4, will bring any talk about wedding bells for Joe and Raquel. I am totally guessing here, but they certainly make a great couple and it made me think of a recipe my father taught me. I think this week Italian Wedding Soup would be a great thing to serve for Sunday dinner while we wait for Mob Wives to air at 10 pm. At least this Sunday I can make my soup and not throw my family out right after dinner so I can watch Mob Wives.

Italian Wedding Soup...

When my dad cooked, it was not at home. I watched and learned inside a restaurant kitchen. He had  big pots on every burner constantly at a simmer. So when he made something he always took a little of this and a little of that from each pot. The downfall is he never measured anything so neither did I. It wasn't until now, since I began putting recipes on paper, that I found myself in my kitchen with a pen in hand. My dad always had a pot with a whole chicken in it that he used as his chicken stock, and another one with various cuts of beef and bones for beef stock. Nowadays I rely on College Inn broth, a tip that I learned from my aunts. I am going to give you the traditional recipe. We rarely ate spinach back in the day, and escarole was usually always on hand as it easily doubled for making escarole and beans in a pinch.

Mini-meatballs ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg-beaten
2 gloves of garlic chopped
2 slices of stale white bread grated (you can use store breadcrumbs 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons of milk
1/4 cup grated cheese
2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
2 pinches of salt, 1 of pepper

Add 1/3 cup of water to the breadcrumbs and set aside. Mix together the ground beef, egg, chopped garlic, milk, grated cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the breadcrumb mixture, mix well and form into mini-meatballs. Drop into hot olive oil in frying pan and brown the meatballs on all sides cooking them 3/4 of the way thru. Shut off heat on pan  and don't throw away the oil.

Pasta: Prepare 8 ounces of cooked pasta your choice: orzo, tubettini or ditalini. Set aside.

Diced Veggies

Soup Ingredients:

10 cups of chicken broth or stock
1 onion diced
3 carrots diced
4  cloves of garlic chopped
2 celery stalks, not the bottom part, the rib part-diced
1 head of escarole chopped (or substitute a bag of spinach)
1/2 cup of white wine - any
1 can diced red plum tomatoes

Generously coat bottom of pot with olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots, garlic & celery together till onions are transparent and everything else is soft. Add the 1/2 cup of white wine and stir.  Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and chopped escarole and cook until escarole is wilted. Then add the rest of the chicken broth and the can of tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add the mini meatballs and go ahead, add the olive oil left in the pan. This will add some great flavor.  Cover and cook 20 minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the pot, stir well and serve with grated cheese sprinkled on top.

I hope you enjoy this soup. If you make it please leave your comments below and let me know how it was!!

Please follow me on twitter @carmelacorleone

Boss Lady: New Show Starring Pia Rizza!

I just woke up to find that Pia Rizza is starring in a NEW SHOW called BO$$ LADY! And guess what? Leah DeSimone is Co-Starring with Pia, as well as, Pia's dear friend Franky Forliano, and daughter, Bella, who we saw on Mob Wives Chicago. The show promises to put the real back in reality and where have we heard that before?

We at the blog could not he happier for Pia Rizza and Leah DeSimone! I always said they were my favorites on Mob Wives Chicago and they were the "cream" that rose to the top! I am thrilled that they will be getting another opportunity to star in a show together. Let's all support them in their new venture, via Twitter and other social media, so that maybe, when Mob Wives season three is over, we will have a brand new show for summer!

Here are a couple of tweets confirming this new development!

Stay tuned for more developments in the up coming months, which I hope to bring you as fast as I hear about them!

GOOD LUCK BO$$ LADIES!

Picture credit: Twitter

Mob Wives: Sneak Peek Ep 4 Karen & Dave

"My daughter is not going to live with anyone!"

In this sneak peek, Karen confronts Dave on the phone. She is very angry with the fact that Karina decided not to move to New York and that Dave is placing their daughter in the middle. They exchange words about Dave's girlfriend, and Karen is angry. After all she has done for him, he isn't doing the right thing by her!

PLEASE BE ADVISED MOB WIVES WILL BE ON AT 10/9C FROM NOW ON.

Picture and video credit: VH1

Mob Wives: NEW Time Slot!

In case you haven't heard AND before you have a meltdown on Sunday night, January 27th, 2013, let me advise you that Mob Wives is OFFICIALLY being moved to 10 PM ET/9c. 

I am one unhappy blogger. Unlike the blogger at VH1 who gets to preview the show before it airs, I have to watch and take notes as the show airs. You can imagine how hard that is when there is so much being said and so many scenes to account for. Then I have to type it all up coherently while trying to read my chicken scratch handwriting. The recap part takes about two hours. Then I shut down the computer and go to sleep. While I sleep, my brain marinates on what I just saw and works on coming up with my two cents. The following Monday morning, I get up, have breakfast and turn on the laptop. I pull up the recap and add my two cents. I love adding my two cents, especially when something or someone really irks me. Right now VH1 has irritated me. Aside from cramping my style, I think it's a little late notice for all fans to find out about the time change and reset their DVRs. Plus, they make it seem like they are doing us a favor, but I have seen nothing but unhappy comments on their facebook page and Twitter about the time change.

There is also word that the show will not be on February 3rd, the night of the Super Bowl, for obvious reasons. Then the following week it will come back at 10 PM, its NEW, regular time slot. Ugh!

Thanks a lot VH1!

American Horror Story: Asylum - Spilt Milk & Continuum

Apparently, for those in the know, Ryan Murphy has been leaving clues as to what Season 3 will be about in the last 3 episodes, starting with The Name Game.  Anyone pick up on any clues so far or have theories?

Onto the recap

SPILT MILK

Kit speaks to Grace about her abduction and their baby.  She says time moves differently up there, so that's why the baby is so big now.  Of course, Father Timothy is having the baby put in an orphanage, and Kit and Grace are outraged.  But this is like the least horrible thing Father Timothy has done because these two are BONKERS.  As evidenced by the fact that Kit proposes to Grace because he thinks Alma is dead.  Well why wouldn't he?  It's not like anyone has ever been abducted by aliens and then come back, right?  Oh wait.

Mother Superior helps Lana slip out of Briarcliff.  Kit is speaking to Thredson as Lana comes down the stairs, and works overtime to keep Thredson distracted until she gets out the door.  Thredson runs outside just in time for Lana to flip him the bird as she drives away in a cab.

Lana finally got a break!  Now she'll go straight to the police with the confession tape and... what?  Oh she went back to Thredson's apartment.  No that's totally cool, that's exactly what I would have done.  Lana has a gun, and Thredson is hiding a gun as well, and is about to shoot Lana as the police approach, but Lana blows his brains out first.  And that's the end of Bloody Face.

One of Lana's friends gives her a number for a woman who can help her get an abortion.  Lana is all set to do it, but backs out at the last moment. Which was a good call on her part.  On a scale of one to three rattails, that definitely rates as a three rattail decision.

Kit is released from Briarcliff as Lana has proven that Thredson was Bloody Face.  Kit tells Father Timothy to let Grace out with him and get their son back because according to the records, Grace is dead anyway.  Yeah, let's let an ax murderer loose.  Sounds good to me.

Lana goes back to Briarcliff to get Jude out, but Father Timothy tells her Jude is already dead.  Lana leaves but it's revealed that Jude is actually being kept in solitary.

And that's all that happened in this episode, weirdly enough.

CONTINUUM

This episode opens with a lot of heavy breathing, and then Kit heaving around a bloody axe with blood slashed across his wife beater and tighty whiteys.

This episode spanned a few years, starting in 1967, 3 years after most of this season takes place.  So Kit is living with Alma and Grace.  Grace feels their abduction was a religious experience because it brought her back to life.  Alma doesn't feel that way since the whole thing pretty much ruined her life.  Kit is sitting with Grace in one room when all of a sudden Alma comes in with an ax and starts hacking at Grace.  Now Kit has two wives and they're both ax murders.

Lana has written a book about her story of survival.  I guess it wasn't crazy enough for her so she embellished some parts.  She also became a huge diva, moaning that her assistant didn't pack almonds or chill her Tab cola.  Kit attends her book signing and tries to light a fire under Lana to get Briarcliff shut down once and for all.  Alma was committed there and died, but Kit saw Jude still living there when he visited.  Lana doesn't feel too sympathetic because Jude made that place what it was.

Meanwhile Jude slips further and further into psychosis as Briarcliff gets taken over by the state.

In 2013, Dylan McDermott starts putting a plan into action, to get an autographed copy of Lana's book so he can hand it to her before he kills her.  That'll show her.

One episode to go! Any thoughts on those clues?

Mob Wives: Recap “Threats and Thongs,” Ep 303

First what we didn't see, bonus clip!

Drita defends Renee against Junior's threats!

Renee: “He’s gonna kill me.”

Renee meets Ramona at the hair salon to tell her about Junior’s letter. Renee is a nervous wreck, she reads the letter to Ramona. They both agree it sounds threatening. Junior doesn’t want Renee to turn AJ against him. Ramona wants to know how the prison let a letter like this go out, they screen all mail. Renee thinks he is coming back to kill her, she doesn’t even know where he is. Ramona advises her to talk to someone, but Renee doesn’t know who she should talk to about this and doesn‘t want to be a “rat.”

Love: “My mother used to call me Satan’s spawn.”

Love is with her mother, Lorraine. Love was so bad as a kid her mother used to call her “Satan’s spawn.” Her mother moved the family into a nice Italian neighborhood. That’s where Love met all her mobster boyfriends and Karen and Ramona. They grew up together. Karen arrives and they reminisce about the old days. Love says she broke 14 noses and then lost count. They say they grew up fast and at 14 or 15 they were like 21.. Love wants to meet the right guy and settle down and raise a family…but what guy can she tell she poisoned, shot and stabbed boyfriends and then let’s have a baby?

Ang: “We need to support her. Come on, give the girl a break.” 

Big Ang and Carla meet up. Carla tells her Joe is doing good and is moving in with his girlfriend, Raquel. Carla is bothered that Raquel is playing the mother role with the kids. Joe has a new family without her. Ang is annoyed that Carla didn’t come to the botox party. Carla says no one talks to her, it’s uncomfortable. No one likes her right now (she got that right).  Ang says the other ladies all say they have no problem with Carla. Carla says she had a sit down with all of them and Love, the new comer to their little click, will probably be next. Carla says Renee is unstable and it’s probably because of the pills. Ang says she should give Renee a break, she needs support and Carla responds, no she is done with Renee.

Karen says that everything in her life is looking up. She goes to see a financial advisor to invest her money and provide for Karina. She tells the advisor that her father didn’t keep his money in the bank, he kept it in a wall. Then she explains how she helped Dave when he got out of prison by letting him live in her house in Arizona without paying rent while she pays the mortgage because he is the father of her child. The financial planner says she has got to talk to him and have him pay rent.

Ramona and Ang meet up and Ramona tells her they are waiting on a court date to see how much time her boyfriend, Joe, is going to get. There have been no plea deals. They are in limbo right now and the future is all uncertain. Ramona tells Ang about Junior’s letter to Renee. Ang thinks he is psychotic and she doesn’t trust him. Ang says he is still manipulating and terrorizing Renee. Renee told Ramona she feels like a rat telling anyone about his threats, but Ang and Ramona do not agree with that. She needs to protect herself.

Renee: "I don’t even take pills to get high,” she says. “I take them so I can’t feel."

Renee goes to a support group with other women who are also addicted. She tells them her story and how Junior was overmedicating her after her surgery while he was cooperating so she wouldn’t know what was going on. The letter has her very scared. She tells the group she takes pills so she won’t feel anything. She takes Xanax. She has been in a place where she didn’t want to live any more, but she has to save herself.

Love: "The psychopath was stalking me."

Love and Drita catch up since Drita wasn’t able to come to the botox party. Drita reminds her of how they met as teenagers. Drita thought Love was cool. Drita asks Love if she has a problem with Carla. Love says no, but she hears that Carla that been trashing her all over the place. Drita says Carla never mentions Love to her. Love tells her that Carla started dating her ex at the same time she was dating him. Love broke up with him and he was stalking her. She tells Drita that Carla better be careful. Drita thinks this is something Carla should know. Love says she will talk to her, but Carla better not tell her that the boyfriend said this or that, implying Love is lying, or it won’t go well. Drita says she doesn’t want to get in the middle of this situation or in a fight.

Karina: "Don’t be mad or bust a cap or anything, but he has a girlfriend."

Karina has come to visit Karen and they are playing volley ball. Karen wants Karina to have a better life than she had. Karen is a little confused about what to do with the house in Arizona after talking to the financial planner. She tells Karina she has been calling Dave, but he is not returning her calls. That’s when Karina says maybe it’s because he has a new girlfriend and they are spending all their time together. It might be serious. This news makes Karen upset because she feels Dave should have been the one to tell her, not Karina. Karina tells her she found a g-string in her bedroom. Karen holds her temper for Karina’s sake. Then she tells her daughter that it is her house and if anyone goes over boundaries and is disrespecting it then she needs to know so she can take care of it.

Renee: "I want everything to go up in f—ing flames!"

Renee is packing all her belongings. She found a new house and she is moving. She is going to get rid of all of Junior’s things. She wants no part of him. Ramona comes over to check on Renee. They look at the pieces of the watch that Junior wore when he was wearing a wire and taping Renee’s father. They go through pictures with Junior in them. Renee is burning everything, it’s all going up in flames. She doesn’t want to remember him, he has been a dark cloud over her for 23 years. She has her son and that’s all she needs.

Renee, Karen and Nikole are all busy emptying out the house of furniture. The mattress goes out to the curb. Renee doesn’t know if Junior slept with anyone else on it. Everything is cleared out. Renee moves into her new house. She is closing this chapter of her life and a world that she doesn’t want to be attached to. She is moving forward to enjoy her life. The ladies all walk into her new home and they love it.

At Drita’s house, Drita and Aleeya talk about the trip to visit Lee. Drita explains how that have very strict rules about what kind of clothing you can wear on visits. She points out that many of the things Aleeya picked out are not allowed. They will have to stay overnight at a hotel because the prison is so far away. Drita says that it has been physically and mentally exhausting preparing to see Lee. Aleeya says, “I love daddy.” and wants to know if she can give him a hug at the prison. Drita tells her she can and if they try to stop her they will have a problem with Drita. Drita admits that she is nervous to see Lee and she says she cares about him a lot. There is a lot of pressure on her because she wants her family back together.

Ramona: “Your house ain’t no Hotel, Motel 6. Your house is basically the Ritz-Carlton of Arizona, so if they’re gonna be f*cking humping in your house, you’re gonna need to service them with a bill.”

Karen and Ramona meet. Karen tells her she has been trying to call Dave. He has a girlfriend and it sounds like they have been together a while. She tells Ramona that Karina said the girlfriend picked her up once without Dave. Ramona has a little stroke, she wouldn’t be happy about that. Then she tells her Karina found a thong in her bedroom. Ramona goes ballistic, saying your house ain’t no hotel, motel six! Karen feels she is being disrespected. They speculate why Dave wouldn’t tell her himself. Maybe he wanted to get a reaction out of Karen because he still has feelings for her? Ramona tells Karen that she needs to go out the Arizona and see what’s up for herself. It’s her house.

AJ: “Don’t think I’m not on your side."

Renee feels safe in her new home with AJ. She calls him down to have a little chat. She says she is moving again. She says she has been self-medicating and has decided to go to a rehab for treatment. She has a disease. AJ is 18. He tells her that doing drugs is a choice not a disease. He thinks it’s a weakness.  She says she is going away for the both of them. The rehab is in Florida. He tells Renee he is not trying to be mean, he wants her to get well and knows she can do it. He is supporting her.

Drita goes to see Carla. Giselle tells Carla that she is going to see daddy. Giselle looks just like Lee. Drita tells Carla she is nervous because things can either go very good or very bad. Carla says of course he will try to come back home. Carla says Joe tried to come back home, but she lost her feelings for him and it couldn’t work. Drita says Lee will be home in six months. She wants to do what is best for her family.

MY TWO CENTS

I woke up with my two cents writing itself in my head. First of all, the episode should maybe have been called “Bad Boys,” because almost everyone of the ladies is having some kind of man trouble.

Renee has had her fill of Junior, what more can this man do to her? He has abused her, cheated on her, and betrayed her, AJ, her father and family by wearing a wire. Now he is sending her threatening letters too? I can understand why Renee would be afraid to report this letter to the authorities. I wouldn’t worry about being a rat, but more about his retaliation if he finds out. She has been through so much and she knows what he is capable of doing. Everyone said they didn’t know where Junior was right now. What I want to know is did the letter have a postmark on it? That might tell us if he is in New York or elsewhere. Was it hand delivered to her mailbox? Then that would even be more troubling. It’s details like this that keep me up at night. I give Renee tremendous credit for how she has handled all the situations that have come up the past three years. Her decision to go to rehab makes me very proud of her, especially because she is still under a dark cloud after receiving that letter. I pray for the day she finds peace and happiness in her life.

Karen might bust a cap over Dave’s disrespect of her home and subjecting their daughter to a woman and her underwear that he never bothered to mention. She would have every right to put him out of the house. She has been nothing but supportive of him since he got out of prison and this is how he repays her? He didn’t even have the decency to tell Karen himself, instead he avoids her phone calls. That put Karina in the middle and in an awkward position. Once her mother brought up the topic of Dave, she had to tell her what was going on. I can’t believe how well Karen held it together, because I would have had a stroke on the spot. I’m with Ramona on this one. Karen needs to go to Arizona and confront Dave face to face. Give him a 30 day notice to vacate the premises. Then I would see a realtor about selling the home. Karen can stay at her Mom’s when she visits or get a nice condo if she wants to keep a residence there, until she decides if she will move back there in the future or not. Dave said he had a good job which is why he didn’t want to move to New York. If he has such a good job, why didn’t he offer Karen rent money instead of spending his money on a girlfriend?

Ramona’s boyfriend, Joe, is still waiting for a court date. What happened to a “fair and speedy trial?” It’s taking a long time to see what he will be charged with and how much time they will sentence him to serve. I am getting the impression it could be a very long time. Meanwhile her life and future is in limbo because she was planning to marry Joe before he was arrested. I hope that court date comes soon so she knows what kind of situation she is dealing with and can make some decisions about where to go from here.

Drita has the opposite problem of Ramona. Lee is due to come out of prison and now she has a decision to make. Does she try to keep her family together and forgive his cheating or proceed with her divorce? Of course she is taking her children’s feelings and interests into consideration. It’s obvious how close Aleeya is to her father. I t would mean the world to her to have him back home. That is going to be hard for Drita to disregard in her decision making. Also, Giselle doesn’t even remember Lee and needs to spend a lot of quality time with him to make up for time lost. Drita, herself, admits to still having strong feelings for Lee. What I have heard through the Staten Island grapevine is that Lee has come out of prison since this was filmed and he is at home. Whether he is there to spend time with the kids or if he and Drita are working things out, I don’t know. I guess we will find out later in the season. P.S. Kudos to Drita for sticking to her guns about not getting into fights!

Big Ang is worried about her son, AJ. He is in rehab, but she hasn’t been able to see him. That would drive me crazy too. I’m sure he could use his mother’s support in getting through this time of his life. I hope she doesn’t have to wait much longer.

Love may not have “man” issues, but she shares some history with Carla’s current boyfriend, Handy Man. Love knows a few things first hand that maybe Carla should know. Should she tell her? I don’t care either way. For my part, Carla could find out by watching the show when it airs months later, like last night. However, this meeting between Love and Carla, over Handy Man, is just too good for television to let slide. I would bet my last dollar that there is going to be a meeting and it won’t go well. Carla is always on the defensive. Even though Love would be going to warn her with all good intentions, Carla will not believe it. That’s my take. I hope VH1 hired a few security guards when they plan this meeting. Carla antagonizes everyone.

Sorry, but I have to add that I do not believe Carla when she tells Drita she lost feelings for Joe and that’s why they didn‘t get back together. It sounds to me like she wants to save face. I recall something about her allegedly being with Joe and Handy, when Joe got out of prison. Only Joe didn’t know about it.  I once saw a tweet from Joe calling out a “LIAR.” Could that have been a reference to Carla? And, why do we see an very angry Joe demanding a divorce in next week’s previews? I hope the whole story comes out!

Love’s mother, Lorraine, is adorable! I hope we get to see more of her this season. Having spoken to her on various occasions, I can tell you she is a lovely, outspoken woman with old fashioned, decent values and we see eye to eye on many things.

Now, I want to congratulate Jennifer Graziano for bringing us real and significant issues in her reality show. This drama is not just manufactured for television purposes, it is real and it is happening while we go about our own lives waiting for the next season. Jenn captures it all and brings it to us. There is no comparison between the reality we see on Mob Wives and that of any other reality show out there. She isn’t afraid to tackle tough issues, issues that concern her own family, her closest friends and she allows us into all their lives. I recall talking to Love when I interviewed her last about being on the show. She said what surprised her most is how much of their real lives the viewers get to see. Nothing is off limits. So kudos to Jenn for sticking with her purpose and intention of putting the “reality” into reality television. It just doesn’t get more real than this!

Video Credit: VH1

Staten Island Law: Recap of Episodes 3 &4

Elura and Michele

Episode 3 begins with the ladies going to Michele’s kick boxing instructor for a class. Elura isn’t thrilled. They do a little boxing on punching bags and Elura tells Michele that her son, Franklin, wants a birthday party with the theme of modern China. Elura takes parties very seriously, more important than the bar exam. So the ladies go to Manhattan’s Chinatown to find all the supplies they need for the party. They look at some dresses which are designed for flat chested girls, not boobs.

In this episode the case involves a landlord/tenant dispute. Michele and Elura go visit LaQuana, the tenant, who did not get her security deposit of $1700 back when she left her apartment. She was friends with Bob, the landlord, and lived there for four years. When she sent her 30 day letter and asked about getting her deposit back, he told her to speak to his wife. The wife told her she wasn’t getting anything back. LaQuana went to pursue the matter in small claims court and found she was being countersued for even more money than she was owed. She says the apartment was not in good condition when she rented it, there were issues. The stove never worked right and there was a leak under the sink. She complained, but nothing was fixed. She is upset Bob is suing her now.

The ladies then go meet with Bob, the landlord. He says he had to do a lot of work in the apartment after LaQuana left. He admits she always paid her rent on time or early and they were good friends. He also says the apartment was renovated just 10 months before she moved in. When she moved out he had to replace a three year old stove. It cost him $3,000 to repair all the damage. The ladies go see the apartment, which looks very nice. There is a new stove and cabinets. Bob also complains that the countertops are chipped. Michele and Elura believe this is a matter of communication and if it can’t be resolved they go back to court.

Time out to prepare for Franklin’s party. Everyone is assigned a job to do. The party takes place in the yard and there are lots of kids there.

Next thing you know, the ladies are back at the salon…Salon Nouveau! They are there to get some feedback about their latest case while they get their hair and nails done. Everyone has to offer their two cents. There is money and friendship at stake. Bob is willing to go along with whatever Michele and Elura come up with as a fair resolution.

Its hard to tell who is telling the truth, but the apartment had to be repaired. LaQuana agrees the apartment needs painting, the stove needed a cleaning and the countertops were chipped. Painting the walls comes out of the equation, that falls under normal wear and tear. The stove issue is troublesome because Bob said it was new and LaQuana says it didn’t work… they will split the replacement cost. They both agree the counter was chipped, they will split that cost too. There was $1329 total damage that they will split and she will get back the remainder of the money from the security. The pair are friends again.

*****

Episode 4 begins with some family issue. Elura’s mother has a room on the side of the house that she refers to as the cottage and she wants to turn it into a little business that will be open 100 days a year. It’ll be like a little yard sale, antique sale type of place. She needs free legal advice and uses GUILT to get it, like any good Italian mother would.. Elura says the county requirements will run about $10,000 which comes to $100 a day for time the store is open. She advises her mother that she needs to make $200 a day for the venture to be worthwhile. The cottage is very pretty and full of items for sale. They decide they will help her have a real garage sale and see if she can make $200.

This episode’s mediation concerns a mother/daughter dispute called Robin/Robin because they both have the same name. The ladies meet with the mother first. She wants her daughter to be a responsible young adult. All she does is go to college and sit at her computer when she is home. She wants her to get a job and help out more around the house without her having to ask her to do things. Mother Robin says she cleans her bathroom three times a day. No one cane get over that. When the ladies look at the bathroom they say “You could fry an egg on that toilet.” They both feel three times a day is excessive. The mother shows them her daughter’s room and then imitates her laying on the bed with the computer.

Next they have a meeting with the daughter, Robin, to get her side. They ask her what responsibilities she thinks she should have. She says she goes to college full time and doesn’t want to work, her mom doesn’t need her to help out financially. She says her mother wakes her up screaming and telling her to clean the bathroom. She just wants to be treated with more respect.

At the yard sale they are trying to help Elura’s mother sell  $200 worth of stuff to see if she can make a go of the business. At the end of the day they have sold $147 worth of merchandise. Elura doesn’t think that’s too bad. Then it’s off to the salon to discuss the mother/daughter issue and cleaning the bathroom three times a day. Everyone adds their two cents. Elise, the secretary, was assigned to poll 20 students and learns that they all have jobs in addition to college and do chores. Now they will try to work out an agreement between mother and daughter.

Daughter Robin doesn’t want to get yelled at. Her mother yells at her before she even asks her anything. The plan Michele and Elura come up with will use legal concepts as tools to resolve the problem. They will create a contract. They write in it that the daughter will attend college full time during spring and fall and part time in summer; they want her to at least look for a job; they tell the mom cleaning the bathroom three times a day it OUT, instead they let the daughter pick specific chores she will do (washing dishes and mopping floors). The mother has to show her daughter more respect. She cannot say things like “I’ll knock your teeth out.” The mother really just wants her daughter to be able to take care of herself without depending on anyone else. They want her to change her communication style. The mom says she is proud of her daughter and loves her. Tears. Problem solved.

MY TWO CENTS

I just found out there will ONLY be two more episodes next week and that is the end of season one. I am really surprised because how can you establish a following of viewers in just three weeks? I don’t think that’s enough time to get the word out about the show. Frankly, I only found out about it at the last minute because they interviewed Jennifer Graziano to see how she felt with more Staten Island ladies being on television. If not for that newspaper interview, I would have been clueless. If there was any promotion of the show I didn’t see it. I hope people will give the show enough support for a season two. The premise of the show and the ladies have great potential and are very likable.

Now for this week’s episodes. The format is basically the same for each episode. I still feel too much time is spent on things that aren’t that relevant to the primary purpose of the show, mediation. What I want to see is less punching bags, less shopping at Chinatown and more law and mediation. The shows are only a half hour long and there isn’t enough time for all the personal stuff and the legal stuff too. I think one personal event plus the mediation of a case is more than enough for 30 minutes. For example, episode three could have had just the birthday party and the case; and episode 4 pretty much did that with the garage sale and mother/daughter dispute. I’m not sure how I feel about the salon interlude where they kick the case around. Once in a while it may be good idea, but every week, I’m not loving it. I would rather see Michele and Elura bouncing ideas off each other and discussing some legal tips, like taking pictures before you rent an apartment, for both the tenant and landlord. This show is an opportunity to entertain while teaching every day legal concepts and laws to the viewers, like Judy Judy does.

I think the show should be expanded to an hour an episode. Then there would be time for all the things they want to include without it feeling so choppy. I like the format of the Long Island Medium. She handles her personal business and talking to the dead, without the show feeling crammed with too many events. It has a nice flow to it. Maybe Staten Island Law could be modeled after Long Island Medium? If it remains in it’s 30 minute format, then something has to give.

Regardless, I think this show is a winner and I would like to talk to Oprah and share my thoughts! Hopefully there will be a season two at some point. I am really disappointed that season one is so short.

Picture credit: Staten Island Law Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Staten-Island-Law/474156585939159

Carmela’s Food Blog: ADDICK-TING Stuffed Peppers

We all say hello to a new year and promise to make new choices. I always start off by weighing myself at Weight Watchers and end up becoming the queen of the point system. I don't know what happens, but I slip off come spring. This year the lovely Jennifer Hudson has me inspired. So, in between my mozzarella making and restaurant visits, I am trying to keep the healthy eating up. I made this recipe up myself and find it satisfying and very low in points and calories. When I run out of time to make dinner I just heat one of these up!

Hope you like them!

What you will need:

8 peppers (any color-your choice) try to find ones that have a flat bottom so they can stand up in a pan by themselves without falling over

1 lb ground turkey (be careful of the calories and fat, read the label)

1 can Manwich original sloppy joe mix

1 can of peas drained (frozen ok too)

1 small onion

1 cup cooked brown rice (I ordered a container from my local Chinese take-out) I like it better than the packaged ones.

Directions:

To make the stuffing: Spray a frying pan with pam spray. Dice the onions and sauté till onions are transparent. Add the ground turkey. When turkey is 75% cooked add the can of Manwich. Add the peas. Then the cooked brown rice. Mix well. Turn off heat.

Prepare the peppers: Pour a 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of your roasting/baking pan.

Cut the top of the peppers off and take out the membranes and seeds. Spoon the mixture in the peppers. Fill to top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check halfway through to make sure the water has not evaporated. If so, just add more to the bottom of the pan. Serve.

If you are counting points I estimate it at 4. If you are counting calories, I estimate they are approximately 200 calories each.

Enjoy!

Follow me on twitter @carmelacorleone

P.S. If you make them please let me know how you liked them!!!

Mob Wives: Sneak Peek Video Season 3 Episode3

Renee Graziano fears for her safety in the Mobfessional.

We love, love, love when the VH1 Gods share a sneak peek of an episode.  It helps get us through our Mob Wives addiction until Sunday arrives.  We get a glimpse of Ramona Rizzo getting her do done.  Renee walks in needing to tell her something.

The something is Renee Graziano's ex-husband Hector "Junior" Pagan has sent her a letter.  Apparently Mr. Pagan doesn't want Renee turning their son against him.  Now I don't know any of the individuals personally.  However, from the little I do see of A.J. Pagan he seems to make it no secret that he loves his mother, father and grandfather.  The situation is unfortunate for all involved.  Watch the video for yourself:

Get More: Mob Wives (Season 3), Mob Wives 3

Do you think the letter was a threat?  Do you think Renee Graziano has seen the last of Hector?  Let us know your thoughts on the video in the comment section if you feel like it.  Tune in on Sunday January 20 to watch Mob Wives @ 8PM on VH1.  Am I the only one who thinks Emilio & Uli were robbed once again on Project Runway All-Stars?  Random, I know.

Picture Credit: VH1

I Married A Mobster: Karen Archer Shares A Bit About Linda Schiro

Linda Schiro Scarpa spending beach time with Karen Gravano of Mob Wives.

Usually I wouldn't link the site that belongs to an individual who has lied about me & our site.  However, one of her bloggers has shared sides of Linda Schiro a.k.a. Linda Scarpa that many may or may not be aware of.  Recently Linda Scarpa of I Married A Mobster made the mistake of accusing our site of passing on e-mails her or her niece allegedly sent to us.  We have never passed on any such e-mails, comments, etc.  What Karen Archer blogged about is her take on some of Linda's flip flopping ways.  Where she attained her information is her business.  We had nothing to do with it.  You can read Karen's blog by clicking here.

I'd like to add you can read my blog on Linda's Drita Rap here.

It must suck being someone's favorite and then being called fake.  I am sure Drita D'avanzo of Mob Wives gives about as many f*cks as I do.  We don't write blogs to hurt people.  We write blogs based on facts, our opinions and what we've seen on I Married A Mobster, Mob Wives and information we've obtained with a dash of our humor.  If one takes issue with how we blog, the smart move would be to not read our site. It's truly that simple folks.  I am of the opinion that if you continue to read this site & you do NOT like it, you're not very bright.  It's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.  By the way Ms. Schiro Scarpa has made bigoted remarks directed towards Love Majewski of I Married A Mobster,  Deadly Sins and now Mob Wives time & time again.  One could easily start to believe Linda is extremely jealous of Ray Merolle's ex-girlfriend.  Let's say it together 1-2-3 green with envy.  Before Linda pitches a Twitter fit, cries wolf & plays victim, I don't think Linda considers Love's feelings.

I'd like to share I've spoken with Linda Scarpa.  She can be very kind & thoughtful when she chooses to.  I've equally notice when she gets irritated or mad she can fly off the handle.  Today she started going after Chiara for something she nor our site had anything to do with.  She went on to claim we're lonely & unhappy individuals.  If that helps her feel better about where she is in life (CLICK HERE to read The Daily Beast about the state of their lives), GREAT FOR HER.  If one does not get the facts, opinion, inside information and/or humor we share, NOT OUR ISSUE OR CONCERN. Thanks for reading!

Mob Wives: Carla's Slurs Strike Again

I have taken a lot of heat from people this week because my blogs have been ragging on Carla and pointing out all her issues and shortcomings. The comments in favor of Carla have accused me of everything from being a narcissist, to a hater, to being jealous and wanting to be like Carla. Nothing could be further from the truth. But, everyone is entitled to their opinion and I am sticking with mine. To those who say this has turned into the Carla blog, I say that Carla is the one making herself look bad in the public eye.  Carla Facciolo is the one who decided to become part of Mob Wives.  She signed on the dotted line.  I am just the messenger. If you don't like what I write about Carla, take it up with her and encourage her to change her behavior. I just blog it. Now for all of you who don't follow her on Twitter, you may have missed alleged tweets she made last night. When is it acceptable to use the F-bomb?

This morning, as I turned on the computer, I was wondering what I would write about today, if anything. I was only on a few seconds when I saw the comments about a tweet Carla Facciolo supposedly made, all over my timeline, with people's comments. I came across a print screen of it that was made before she is said to have taken it down in haste. I never saw the original. I didn't see any comments praising Carla or making excuses for her. I just saw comments that were disgusted with the derogatory, hateful use of a slur towards Mike Granata. I don't know Mike, but I read some of his tweets concerning the incident and it's clear to me he was hurt. He said he blocked Carla and asked everyone not to tweet him and her together in the same tweet. He no longer wants to see her name. Here are just a few of the comments that were expressed by different people during the night

As you can see, Mike got a lot of support from twitter friends and Carla got none that I saw. I don't know what brought on this "captured" personal attack from Carla, but nothing anyone says on Twitter should make anyone stoop this low. But then again, Carla has had a habit of stooping low. Even Joe, who probably just saw the comment this morning like I did, believed she wrote it and felt the need to apologized to Mike on behalf of Carla. The question is, will Carla publicly apologize for herself? Will VH1 apologize for her? I get the impression hell would have to freeze over before she ever apologizes.

And now mob wife, Love Majewski weighs in with:

I have gay family and friends who I care very much about. They have had a hard time growing up and living in a world of intolerance. So I too am appalled when anyone uses a derogatory slur, which not only hurt Mike, but many gay & heterosexual people. Yesterday, I didn't think my opinion of Carla could get any lower, but I was wrong. It has. Now let's let the hater's hate on me for this blog. 

ADDENDUM: I have been looking to see, in fairness to Carla, whether she ever denied tweeting that comment. A couple of her followers asked about her alleged tweet of the slur, this is how Carla responded:

Mob Mistress' Take:  For those claiming her Twitter account was hacked,  I have a beautiful bridge I'd like to sell you called The Golden Gate.  Carla Facciolo of Mob Wives has a history of using the F-bomb.  I noticed her method of operation was to use the homophobic slur  f__ or f__ wannabe  then delete her tweet a little while later.  So back in July 2012, I just happen to catch yet another F-bomb on her timeline.  I decided to archive it in case she caught a case of denial.  Believe what you want to believe.  She's used the derogatory term plenty enough.  I would like her to expand her vocabulary beyond the F-bomb & clown. *blows nose*

Picture Credit: Twitter

Mob Wives: A NEW and Improved Drita…

A happier Drita in season 3!

On a positive note, I like to give credit where credit is due. Some may not agree with me, but Drita deserves some credit. We seem to be seeing a new Drita. She said she wanted to stop fighting and be a better role model for her girls. So far, in the first two episodes, she is sticking to her guns. I can see her almost biting her tongue not to intervene and take sides. It’s not easy. Renee and Carla have both been good to her over the last two seasons, Carla especially. She been there for Drita at every turn. She has had her back and defended her on many occasions. All the cast members have said, no matter how they feel about Carla, they give her props for being loyal to her girl, Drita. Drita is well aware of this. At the same time, Drita knows the hell that Renee has been through and she has compassion for her. Carla seems to be on the “outs” with everyone in the cast and could use some support. So when it comes to taking sides, Drita is in a tough place right now.

I have often taken a hard stand with Drita on the blog. A large part of that was due to the fighting. I suggested anger management and then, low and behold, she went to see a therapist…not that it did any good, but she went. She did try boxing as a remedy too. But I think what really helped her was watching the show and seeing herself fighting. I think that was really the key to fixing the problem. There is nothing like watching yourself in action, doing something you don’t like, to make you want to change. I really hope she can stick to this new attitude. I like it.

Drita has a lot to be thankful for. She has a huge fan base and lots of business opportunities, thanks to the show. She has gotten her new business off the ground, and for all I know, she has or is trying to reconciled with Lee. I have heard rumors he is out of prison and they are together. If nothing else, it will give the girls a chance to spend real quality time with their father. I know how much Drita’s heart ached for Aleeya, who missed her father and couldn’t wait to see him again. As a mother, Drita comes across as very loving and there is no question in my mind that her daughters are her first priority. We even discussed that in an interview I had with her early on, before I was dubbed the “cricket.”

I really don’t know how the rest of the season will unfold. I know a lot is going to happen and Drita may be backed into a corner of having to choose sides. I am anxious to see what develops. Meanwhile they are still filming and I really hope that Drita can get through the whole season without incident. Her focus is on family and business and building that empire for her children. She seems much more relaxed and happy, and that’s a good thing. I wish her the best of luck in season three. Chirp, chirp.

Picture Credit: VH1

Mob Wives: Recap “Bad Boys,” Ep 302

First, here is what was cut out of last night's episode. Drita's NEW image and

Carla still dissing Joe and Raquel. Interesting, no? The last part is all Carla so wait for it!


RECAP: At Renee’s house, Karen and Ramona arrive and see the for sale sign outside. Ramona thinks it’s a good thing to get rid of bad memories. Renee is very happy to see them. She tells them everything that went on with her sit down with Carla. “She called me a junkie. She says I am a whore and slept with married men. Carla’s addiction is to married men.” Karen and Ramona want to know what did Big Ang and Drita do? Renee says they did nothing. “Carla picked up a butter knife.” Ramona can’t believe it, she doesn’t know if she should laugh because it’s like a bad joke. Ramona says, “What did she want to do, get some butter and whip it all over you?" They all laugh about the butter knife. Renee says Carla has no respect, “the only thing she knows how to do with her hand is j*rk a guy off.”

Carla says she used to feel sorry for Renee, but she can’t any more. “What goes on in my life is my f*cking business.” Then she says the kids like being at daddy’s big house. She doesn’t know why he got such a big house. The kids tell her he cooks and cleans a lot. They tell her they went to Coney Island. Carla says maybe if he cleaned when she was with him they would still be together. Then she asks about Raquel and questions why this younger girl wants to be with Joe, who just got out of jail, is much older and has kids. Carla seems overly concerned about what goes on in Joe’s house. She pumps the kids for information.

Drita goes to the pet store with Lucky and runs into Ang and her new puppy Chanel. They talk about the sit down. Ang says Carla is a maniac, a lunatic. Drita says she went bonkers. Drita feels bad for Renee, but she is glad they both said what they needed to say and agreed to be civil around each other. So, Big Ang wants to have a botox bash with ALL the girls. Drita just found out Love was back, when Ang says who she is inviting. Drita describes Love as Renee without the crying.

Drita, Carla and Ang walk along the boardwalk at Coney Island, they are going to Brighton Beach. Ang tells them about the botox bash. Carla says she can deal with Renee in a room full of people. They ask about Joe’s girlfriend because Carla told them they wouldn’t be together long and they still are. She tells them she doesn’t care about Raquel because she doesn’t want to be with Joe. “Raquel is a young, sweet, matronly girl to powder his balls.” Drita tells them Lee is coming home in six months. Ang thinks Drita should give Lee another chance for the kids, they need their faher. Drita gets a call while they are talking and it’s Lee. He wants Drita and the girls to come and pay him a visit. Drita says if the girls want to go she will definitely take them.

AJ gets home from his grandfather’s sentencing hearing. Renee didn’t go because she was afraid Junior would be there. He tells his mother he is getting 27 months and 6 months off for time served. Everyone asked where Renee was. Renee said she didn’t know if she could sit there and  handle it. AJ tells her about his grandfather’s letter of apology to his wife, all the children and grandchildren. Renee starts crying, but is relieved and happy to know that her father doesn’t blame them for what Junior did. She worries it’s a big burden on AJ to know that his father is responsible for putting his grandfather back in prison. Renee says she is ready to move on with everything in her life and they are moving out of that house. AJ thinks it’s a good idea.

Drita is at the park with the girls and Lucky, kicking the soccer ball around. Drita tells them she could have been a professional soccer player, but she made bad choices and hung out with the wrong people. She is confused about how she feels about Lee. She tells them Lee is coming home soon, but he won’t come directly home, he has to go to a halfway house first. She wants to go see him. Aleeya says she wants to go, but Giselle says no. Drita won’t force her, but they talk about Lee a little more and Giselle changes her mind. Drita is very happy about that.

Joe and Raquel play basketball in the park. Joe says he spent 6 years in jail, it’s a different world there, and now he appreciate all the little things more. He says Raquel is a conversationalist and Carla is argumentative. Their personalities are very different. Raquel says they are happy together and their relationship is solid. That’s all that really matters right now. Joe says things are so easy with her. She asks him if he talked to Carla yet. He says, not yet, soon, he is waiting for the right time. All Carla knows is that he is dating Raquel, but he has been stalling about telling her that Raquel is moving in with him because he is afraid Carla will have a negative reaction. Raquel thinks Carla is upset because when the kids are with her and Joe they look like a family. She may not like to see another woman involved with her kids. He tells Raquel that Carla liked it better when he was in jail. Raquel is moving in regardless what Carla says.

Drita is opening a makeup store, but can’t find one that works for her. Then she goes to see Big Ang at the Drunken Monkey and tells her what a hard time she is having finding a location. Big Ang tells her there is a store right across the street for rent. They go over and look at it. Drita is thrilled. It’s exactly what she is looking for . She calls the number and asks about the rent. It’s $950. Perfect! She wants to see the inside and says she will pay them when they get there. She want to build an empire for her girls.

Karen goes with Renee to look at houses for Renee. Renee has issues with all the houses. She is afraid someone will break in. She is afraid of doors, windows, basements, attics and cars on the street. She is worried about her safety and she need security. She tells Karen she wants to live in a home with one door and you have to climb up to get to the windows.

Carla and the kids are in the car heading off to Joe’s house to be dropped off for the weekend. She mumbles something about how she hopes Joe spends quality time with the kids. “Hope Joe and Raquel are not locked in a room doing fun things.” The kids go in the house and Joe and Carla talk. Right off the bat Carla tells him he doesn’t need such a big house. He says he won’t be a bachelor his whole life. He tells her there is more than enough room for everyone and he didn’t know Carla was sleeping with the kids till they were nine. Then he tells her he has been seeing Raquel for months and he is asking her to move in with him. Carla has a little fit. “I don’t know who Joe thinks he is putting this little young girl in her face.” She doesn’t like the idea, it’s not her home. She thinks Raquel is looking for Joe to be her sugar daddy and pay for everything. Joe tells her he met Raquel at work and she has a job and contributes to the bills. He tells her Raquel is moving in. Carla says she is still the mother of those kids and Raquel is still the girlfriend…kiss my ass.”

The botox party is at the doctor’s office. All the girls were invited. Carla and Drita have not arrived but they begin without them. Love goes first and says it hurts bad, but she is joking. Karen goes next. Ramona screams it burns. Renee arrives and sees Drita and Carla aren’t there, but then she sees Love. Renee tells Love she wants to make sure that they are both okay. Love say she meant what she said and reassures her that she doesn’t date married men. Renee doesn’t have an issue with her any more. They go get some botox done. Drita calls Ang and says she can’t make the party because she has a toothache. Then Drita adds Carla won’t be coming because she feels uncomfortable. Renee announces that Carla isn’t coming because she has a problem with Love. Love says she will leave and go ask her what her problem is. The fact is that Carla is “dating” the guy that Love broke up with (Handy Man). Love is irritated with Carla. Karen says Carla should run if she has a problem with Love. Love has a long history of violent behavior.

Renee goes through her mail and opens a letter. She reads it. It’s in Junior’s handwriting. She feels chills go up her spine. She is thinking she is dead. She is calling all the girls but no one is picking up. She is very afraid he is going to kill her. She takes off with the letter. She finally gets Ramona and says she needs to see her.

MY TWO CENTS

Here goes. I have a headache and it’s bound to get worse after this recap, but I have no choice, do I? I am going to be called a “hater” again today. Let’s get it over with.

This is the first time I take issue with the title of the episode, “Bad Boys,” I think it should have been called “Bad Girl.” I will explain why later, or maybe, if you know me by now, you have figured it out. Let’s break the episode down, shall we?

Where the hell are Karen and Ramona? I mean yes, we saw them, but I hope they aren’t going to be just supporting cast members the whole season. I understand that time has to be devoted to developing new cast members and their storyline, but I want my dynamic duo back on the scene!

Renee’s issue with security and safety are understandable under the circumstances. Her house being broken into and her feeling threatened by Junior is more than enough for her to feel paranoid about her well being. I would too. I don’t know if there is any way to help her over that feeling. It will probably take a long time. I’m glad she has Karen and Ramona to help her try to get over it. A new house is a move in the right direction, but she may have to have bars or gates installed on all the windows, a secure front door and a good alarm system to feel better.

Drita has done a 180 this season and I for one am happy to see it. She looks so much more relaxed and happy. Things are going well for her. She seems a lot less stressed. I know she is excited about how things in her life are going. And she seems to be sticking to her resolve not to get involved in any fights! I’m not sure if she should get back together with Lee, although that may have happened by now because this was filmed months ago. Maybe Big Ang is right and she should see if he has changed and they can work on putting their family back together. Time will tell. In any case, the truth is those girls need their father in their lives and I hope Lee works hard to rebuild a relationship with his daughters. I wonder if Lee will be on the show this season…Jennifer?

Love seems to fit right in with everyone…except Carla. I have to wonder why Carla has an issue with Love? Oh, right, it’s because Love went out with Handy Man for a short time and broke up with him and now Carla has her leftovers. That shouldn’t be a problem for Carla, if it’s not a problem for Love. Looks like there is more to come on this storyline so stay tuned. I think Love is going to want to have it out with Carla. Carla might want to take Karen’s advice and run.

Way to start the New Year off right!

Let's get to know Raquel. Joe and Raquel are very likable as a couple. They seem happy to me. I have followed Raquel on Twitter since Carla first told the girls on the show that he was dating a “young girl” and asks Joe if she brought her Barbie dolls when she spends time with the kids? This is what I know about Raquel from Twitter. The girl loves to take pictures. She loves her dog. She takes pictures of herself, her and Joe, her family and friends and Joe’s children. She tweets she goes to work and the gym. She loves Joe. She seems to be a lovely lady. In all this time there hasn’t been one tweet that would lead anyone to think otherwise. And you know if there was one I would have found it.

Raquel and Carmen doing homework together!

Joe and Raquel have a little chat while playing basketball. Joe gives us an assessment of the different personalities of these two ladies: Raquel is a conversationalist, Carla is combative. It seems Joe has intentions of having Raquel move in with him, but he is afraid to tell Carla because she might have a negative reaction. Ya think? Joe is waiting for the right moment to break the news that Carla is moving down to the #2 slot and Raquel is #1. Raquel may have hit the nail on the side of it’s head when she said Carla may not like her because when the kids are with them they look like a family (we did a blog on Joe’s picture perfect family not long ago). She thinks Carla doesn’t like seeing another woman mothering her children. But, Rachel doesn’t think Carla is jealous of her…and that’s where I think she missed hitting the rest of that nail. I think Carla is jealous of Raquel for two reasons: one she has Joe and they are happy, two she is very young. Enough said.

Now for my title suggestion…Bad Girl! Have you figured it out? Yes, I am referring to Carla. Where do I begin? I won’t rewind and go back to last week’s episode of butter knives and “junkie” because that’s been done to death. Let’s move on to this week.

Carla says, “What goes on in my life is my f*cking business!” 

I agree 100% with her. But...

then she proceeds to spend the rest of the episode in Joe’s business. Go figure. She pumps the kids for information about what goes on at Joe’s house. I am going to cut her slack for that because I don’t know if some producer put her up to that or not. But, then she starts saying things like, “I don’t know why he got such a big house,” “he doesn’t need a big house,” she insinuates that Raquel is a gold digger and only with Joe for his money and then stoops to an all time low, saying she hopes Joe and Raquel haven’t locked themselves in a room doing “fun things” and leaving the kids unsupervised. I don’t know what her problem is, but it doesn’t end there. Nope. She tells the girls:

“I don’t know much about Raquel, but knowing Joe, she’s probably a young, sweet little matronly girl. You know, someone to do his laundry, powder his balls…”

What does that sound like to you? Bitterness? Jealousy? That’s what I am hearing. She has been with her Handy Man for 2, 3 or 4 years depending who you listen to. She has had him around the kids. I never heard a word from Joe about that. Oh, maybe I did. I think Carla was leading him on to believe there was a chance for them to get back together when he got out of prison, but all the while she was allegedly seeing Handy at the same time. So I think Joe found out about that and was pissed. Then he met Raquel and he has been happy ever since. If Carla is so happy with Handy, why can’t Joe be happy with Raquel?

Tweeted: "Life can't get any better."

Ok so who in the world uses the words YOUNG and MATRONLY in the same sentence to describe the same person? Carla does. Let’s go to the dictionary for a minute and tell her what matronly means: “Like or characteristic of a matron, esp. in being dignified and staid and typically associated with having a large or plump build.” So I think we can all agree that Raquel is far from matronly, for that matter, so is Carla.

Tweet: "My love."

So happy together

Now when Joe decides to talk to Carla, after she drops off the kids, things don’t go well, as he expected. When he tells her Raquel is moving in with him, her thoughts are, “Does he think I’m gonna go for this? I don’t think so.” I guess Joe’s life isn’t his business? She is concerned about the welfare of her children, so she says. I guess maybe she thinks Raquel will be a bad influence? I saw a picture of Raquel doing homework with Carmen. I was pretty impressed. It’s obvious to me that she really cares for those children and Carla has nothing to be concerned about. If anything she should be happy that Joe found a nice woman who cares for his children. Now if anyone has a right to say something and be concerned, it’s Joe. Carla has had Handy Man around both her kids for a long time. He has a criminal record…"a rap sheet." So maybe Carla should focus on her own “f*cking business” as she calls it, and stay out of Joe’s. Carla’s parting words: “I don’t want my kids to feel uncomfortable because she’s living in that house now,” Carla says. I'm still the mother of those kids, you’re the girlfriend. I don’t care where the f*ck you live.” Did anyone hear the kids complain? I didn’t. Then she adds, “Kiss my ass,” and drives off! What class! Joe had the decency to tell her about Raquel before doing anything, but you see where that got him?

And now I may have exceeded the length of last week’s blog so I need to wrap this up. Bad Girl Carla got down with her bad self…again! Let the haters begin, but at least read the blog before you attack. I think I was more than fair.

Video Credit: VH1

Picture Credit: Raquel's Twitter