Mob Wives: Recap "Cabin Fever" Ep 209

Renee's Arrival at the Poconos!

The episode begins at Belmont racetrack with Big Ang, Carla and Ramona watching the horses run. Big Ang loves gambling. Ramona knows nothing about racing, she just knows it’s a good excuse to dress up. They go for drinks and Karen meets up with them. Karen jokes saying she wants a cut of the winnings. She tells them that Barnes and Noble took her out to lunch and they told her that her book, Mob Daughter, is going to be a best seller.

Carla asks about Ramona’s Halloween party. Then she volunteers that she thought Ramona’s party was going to be over at 1 AM and that’s why she didn’t show up (cough, cough, will get back to this in my two cents!).  Ramona says she will have another party. Karen suggests the Poconos as a girls’getaway, for fun. Big Ang can’t go, she is having thyroid surgery. Big Ang asks what about Drita. Karen says, “What about Drita?” Carla says she doesn’t like the looks she gets whenever she mentions Drita’s name.

"It's nice." Just nice????

At Renee’s house it’s Junior’s birthday. Renee calls Junior and AJ down for breakfast. Renee explains to AJ that Junior is not really 46, because you are supposed to subtract the years spent in prison, where you are “preserved.”  Junior gets a couple of happy birthday texts. Renee doesn’t trust Junior’s ex. She gives Junior a very nice black wrist watch with a card. He says he likes it. But, he doesn’t react as excited as Renee thinks he should about the gift. She is not happy with him.

Drita and Carla take a walk in the park and discuss the Halloween party. They talk about how Renee was stressed out about having to leave to go to Ramona’s party. Carla tells Drita that Karen put together a trip to the Poconos. Drita isn’t going. Drita feels bad that Carla is going. Carla feels weird going, she is afraid it’s going to be a Drita bashing trip. She doesn’t trust Karen and Ramona 100%. They call Renee on the phone. Renee says her patience is running out with Junior. She says his ex called the other day. Renee is looking forward to getting away. Renee and Carla both wish Drita was going with them.

"I can't sleep alone!"

The car ride to the Poconos is drama free. Carla is happy to be getting away from Staten Island for a couple of days. Renee wants to get away and focus more on herself than Junior. When they get there, it’s dark out. It’s a cute house surrounded by the woods. Renee gets spooked by the woods and is upset right from the start. She calls them all crazy. Carla wants to see a bear or a deer. Ramona has her Louis Vutton bags and Renee has “all her f!ckin’ furs, her poor furs!” Ramona says the comforters on the bed smell like her grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather slept there. Renee starts to freak out saying that she cannot sleep alone. Carla reassures her saying there are two beds in one of the rooms. Renee says she can’t sleep alone in the bed. Oh boy! She tells Carla to sleep in the bed with her. Carla says with disgust, “I will not!”

At the Drunken Monkey, Drita meets up with Big Ang to chat. Drita says she wants to move forward with Karen at some point, but Ramona is a liar and hates Drita so much, they can never get along. Drita says, Ramona jumped into her fight between her and Karen, two on one, and it wasn’t cool. Big Ang and Drita talk about anger management. Big Ang is all for it. Drita says she has to learn to walk away from things that upset her.

At the Poconos Karen feels like a kid again because she grew up on a farm. They are going horse back riding. The horses scare Renee. Carla had three horses as a kid. Renee is jealous of the horse’s ass. They start moving and tell Renee to kick the horse so he will start moving. Renee doesn’t want to. The horse takes off and Renee is scared, but finally they are all laughing and having fun bouncing on the horses’ backs. When they are done, Carla and Renee say they need some marshmallows to roast. Then Renee opens up and says she is still bothered about what Drita told her that Ramona said: that Junior married her for her father and he would be a loser without her. Renee says she has been holding it back and wants to confront Ramona about this issue. Carla says Drita wouldn’t make something like that up, it must be true.

I think she needs "Restasis" cause she is suffering from "dry eye!"

Drita goes to see an “anger management doctor” or in common terminology a professional therapist. She tells him she has an issue with her anger and physical altercations. She relates the “perfect example” the “wheelchair/cheeseburger” story. A teary-eyed Drita tells the therapist that one day she witnessed some bullies laughing at a kid in a wheelchair and then they threw a cheeseburger in his face. She got weak in the knees (she grabs a tissue to dab her eye, but I don’t see any tears) and says she couldn’t control her anger and lashed out. The doctor says her feelings had to do with offending her sense of right and wrong, but anger is usually a result of someone screwing you over in some way. Drita tells him she is upset with herself. Karen is her husband’s ex and Ramona is her friend. They had issues and she tells him she punched Ramona in the mouth (more in my two cents). She learned as a kid to “stick up for herself or catch a beating.” He says unless someone is physically threatening you, she has to work on walking away from upsetting situations. As she leaves she says to herself, the therapist doesn’t know she is dealing with animals.

The vodka and Renee confront Ramona!

At the Poconos the vodka comes out…devil water. Renee has a few drinks and no antidepressants, that leads to double trouble. She says Junior’s ex called her three times last week telling her Junior is reaching out to her. Junior made the mistake of texting her back. They change his number and the ex still calls and says, “Ha ha ha b!tch he’s still lookin’ for me.” Renee goes off about the ex and that this has been going of for four years. The ex also called her son. Ramona thinks Junior is at fault and he should be the one to break it off and tell her off. Renee gets even more agitated at Ramona because she seems to just want to blame it all on the ex. Karen tries to calm Renee and tells her Ramona is just trying to defend Renee over Junior. Renee says she just doesn’t want him to cheat. But all the ladies acknowledge that cheating has always been part of the lifestyle: the goumada, the side chick, the b!tch. Carla just wants Renee to stop crying. Uh oh, Renee decides this is the moment to confront Ramona about what Drita told her she said about Junior, that he married her for her father and he is a loser without her. Ramona says Drita is lying and she never said it, period. Ramona says she didn’t even know Junior. Ramona can’t believe that Renee would actually think that she would say anything to Drita, let alone something about Junior. Renee has a meltdown. Renee calls Junior and wants Ramona to talk to him. Renee yells at Ramona to swear on her four kids that she never said it. Without a second’s hesitation, Ramona swears on her four kids and her grandfather. That is enough for Renee, now she believes Ramona is telling her the truth and feels Drita was lying to her. Carla speaks up for Drita and says she should be there! Then Renee turns on Carla and says she is blind and she should open her eyes. Carla is offended that they say she being molded by Drita. By lying to Renee about her family, Ramona feels Drita is manipulating her. Ramona says Drita is a lying, crumb snatcher and, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out” of their circle of friends.

Ramona's parting gift to Drita!

The next morning the ladies are having breakfast. Karen is making French toast. Renee says she overreacted about what Drita said without having talked to Ramona first. She believes Ramona over Drita now. The ladies decide to go fishing. Renee seems the only one ok with worms, she could care less about them. She rips them in half for the hooks, everyone else is disgusted. Then they call Big Ang to see how she is doing and say they wish she was there with them. Renee has a flashback to her childhood and her father’s 36 foot boat. Renee loves fishing and would love to tell him about it, but their relationship is still strained. Karen just wants to catch something.

Thanks to Karen and Ramona having Renee's back, the jerk gets kicked out!

The girls get dressed for a night on the town. Karen says Renee used to be fun, but in her current state of mind, who knows what will happen. They go to a nice little place called Shenanigans for some fun, drinks, partying and a good time. Karen likes to flirt and talk to guys. A guy comes over to talk to the ladies. He starts flirting with Ramona. He starts getting out of line talking about his anatomy. Renee gets more and more annoyed. Finally she tell him “If you tell me about your hot tub one more time they’re going to find you floating in your f!ckin’ hot tub!”  He says he has one nut and he is still good in bed. Renee can’t take it, that did it! Ramona says he went after the biggest drama queen and now the situation gets loud, ugly and “dramafied.” Renee says he is disrespecting them. Karen backs up Renee and tells him to back off and Ramona gets up, raises her voice and tells him to stop disrespecting mothers! The jerk gets thrown out. Renee grabs her coat and screams she is leaving. They tell her not to let someone else ruin her good time. She has her phone out screaming, “Junior, I’m comin’ home!”

MY TWO CENTS (Opinion)

Holy Canoli! Where do I start? I’ll just focus on the main events because my brain is on drama overload. Carla! She tells Ramona and Karen a bold face lie! She says that she didn’t go to their party because she thought it ended at 1 AM. We just saw the clip where Carla tells Renee she is NOT leaving Drita’s party, Drita is her friend. There was no mention of what time Ramona’s party ended, she didn’t care, she had made up her mind. I’m sure Karen and Ramona would have understood why she didn’t show up if she had just told the truth. By now they have watched the show and can see she lied. I don’t get it, Carla claims not to like liars and although she talks the talk, she doesn’t walk the walk!

Junior is one big disappointment to Renee. He doesn’t take care of his business with his ex once and for all, knowing how insecure Renee is and how she feels about his cheating. That is not a man who is serious about working things out. His reaction to the gift was underwhelming. I’m sure Renee put a lot of thought into picking out a special and meaningful gift for him. His general, overall attitude has been bad. The relationship is toxic, as neither one of them are happy. The damage between them has gone beyond the magic of couples therapy. It would have never worked, even if Junior had not turned informant. I’m sorry that he is in so many episodes and Renee has to relive these hurtful moments again and again and then be expected to talk about them. I couldn’t do it.

I can understand why Karen suggested they all go to the Poconos for a weekend getaway. She has fond memories of spending time with her family there. But maybe the woods wasn’t the best choice. The only drama free time was the car ride up there. As soon as they get out of the car, the drama starts. I almost died laughing when Karen mentioned Ramona’s Louis Vutton bags! I would have bought a set of $79.99 luggage at Target for this trip. Renee is the last one to get out of the car and already she has major issues crying over her furs. Who takes furs into the woods? As soon as she gets in the cabin it dawns on her that she might have to sleep alone. Maybe she should have left the furs at home and taken her teddy bear instead? Carla makes an effort to reassure her there are two beds in one of the rooms, but that’s not good enough. Renee wants Carla to sleep with her in a twin bed! Sorry Renee, but no one is going to co-sign on that. But, I will say this, I would have spent good money to see a scene where Carla and Renee get into a twin bed together. Now that would have boosted ratings!

I suggested anger management for Drita right in this very blog several times. So, when I saw she was actually going, I was happy to watch. But, having said that, let’s get real. Before heading off to her first session, Drita meets with Big Ang and says Ramona is a liar and she stepped into to jump her with Karen, two on one. The video tape already shows this is not true, but whatever. Maybe if she thinks it’s true in her mind, it is to her. At her anger management session, Drita opens up about her past. What does she start with? The one fight she says she had in high school against bullies picking on a kid in a wheelchair. As she tells her story she reaches for a tissue, but I don’t see any tears! The story itself isn’t credible, but I wasn’t there so I don’t know. But the therapist says something interesting. He says that anger is the result of someone “screwing you over” (that must be the new medical jargon). So if Drita is having bar room brawls, it must have been for the fun of it. But she never gets into her Nocturnal fights, at least not yet.  Then she tells him about her fight with Karen and Ramona and how she punched Ramona in the mouth! Come on, we all know that was a lie already. Yes, she threw a punch…the first punch…but it never landed. Ramona did get a cut, but wasn’t even aware of it until someone else mentioned it. Ramona was never bruised or in pain. No one even knows whose jewelry scratched Ramona in all the chaos, but Drita wants to take credit for it and call it a punch? That’s just a figment of her imagination. Well I think Drita needs a few more sessions with her new therapist, maybe they will end with her punching him in the mouth?

The “devil water” vodka should not have gone to the Poconos with the girls because it only fueled the drama to the max. Renee has a bag full of prescribed medication with her for her pain from the botched surgery and complications. She says she isn’t taking her antidepressants, so her depression is being enhanced by the alcohol, which is a depressant. Renee is obviously extremely stressed over Junior. She is outraged with his ex-girlfriend, but the real issue is with Junior and her lack of trust in him. Her feelings mixed with vodka and no antidepressants, make her a loose canon. Yet she still comes to his defense and decides this is the perfect time to confront Ramona about what she allegedly said to Drita about Junior. I don’t know why Renee chose to believe Drita all these weeks and didn’t just ask Ramona outright. But, from my interview with Renee, she explained to me that she wasn’t thinking clearly part of this season due to the prescribed medication, and that explains a lot of her erratic, “dramafied” behavior. Renee asks Ramona to swear on her kids lives that she never said it. That’s a huge deal. When Ramona immediately does so, it changes everything for Renee. Now she has to question Drita’s honesty. And, Renee tells Carla she is blind if she can’t see Drita was lying. The lines are drawn! But the biggest issue is about just how angry is Ramona at this “manipulating, lying, crumb snatching b!tch.” This sounds like a finale fight to me. Seriously, if Drita told that lie to break up Renee and Ramona’s friendship, all hell is going to break loose. That’s a good reason for a fight. I would not want my face on the other side of Ramona’s fist if I told that lie. I just wonder how this is going to play out in the next couple of weeks.

Nuts and Hot Tubs! I’m sorry, but now my skepticism gets the better part of me when they meet the jerk at the bar. Why can’t I shake the feeling that he was a plant and told to go over to their table and start some trouble or more drama? I think the only people surprised that night were the customers at the other tables. It just didn’t have a ring of truth to it. He flirts with all the women, Renee gets upset over nuts and hot tubs, and the other women have Renee‘s back…meaning Karen and Ramona…because Carla wouldn’t ever get involved. The final piece of drama for the night ends with the guy getting kicked out and Renee storming off screaming for Junior on her phone. That last few seconds got me laughing.

Finally, I have to take this last breath to give kudos to Karen, who made the most insightful comment of the night when she said that Drita’s issues are not so much about her fighting as they are about her lying! I guess we need to sign her up for “lying management” now?

Picture Credit: @UniqueRoses1002

Mob Wives: Recap “Mob Daughters” Ep 207

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

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

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

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

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

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

Karen gets good advice about how to handle difficult questions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MY TWO CENTS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mob Wives: Rachael Ray's Make Unders!

This morning Renee, Big Ang and Drita were on the Rachael Ray show for "Make Unders" and it was so much fun to see them all together. So they all sit down and have a chat at the table. Rachael is confused about the fact that the mob is all about keeping secrets and they are on television. Renee says they aren't giving secrets away. Drita says the show is about their struggles and you can Google all the men in their lives if you want to know what they did. Renee credits her sister, Jennifer Graziano, for putting together a great cast in hopes that women can see their struggles and learn from them. 

Rachael brings up the article in the papers about her ex husband, Junior, turning rat. Renee says first of all she wants to thank the NY Post for taking a great picture. Then she says that this is an extremely personal matter to her, not just because it involves her father and ex-husband, but because her son is involved. Renee says her ex is an absolute disgrace and he made his bed and should lie in it.

Rachael wants to know which of the three is the biggest pot stirrer? Renee says of these three I am, I make a nice thick sauce with meatballs.

They are there to get Make Unders today..not 6 feet unders and then Rachael is dying to know where Big Ang gets her under garments. Does she get them custom made? Big Ang says she gets them from Victoria Secret online. Rachael is shocked and they joke that they have a Big Ang Department. Then Rachael wonders how she can sleep, and Big Ang says on the side.

Rachael asks them to describe how they dress. Renee says crazy, sexy, cool. Drita says she dresses how she feels and Rachael calls it South Bend look. Big Ang describes her look as hot.

They go off for their makeovers and the stylist who does it says he learned a few things. Sicilians go crazy of you put high heels on the table and garment bags also double as body bags. 

Now I snagged a couple of pictures off my television for you of the "after" look!

Picture credit: Rachael Ray Show and my camera

Link to preview: Rachael Ray and Mob Wives

Mob Wives: Unwelcome In Chicago Eateries!

It's hard for me to imagine that anyone would turn away a chance to be part of the Mob Wives show and phenomena, but VH1 found some such people in the windy city, Chicago!  As we know, the cast members need places to film their scenes, many of those places include restaurants, where the wives sit down and have friendly or unfriendly discussions about ongoing issues.  It turns out that Chicago is not a very welcoming city, at least not for Mob Wives.

It seems that Tony Durpetti, owner of Gene &Georgetti’s steakhouse, was approached by VH1.  They wanted to know if Tony was interested in having the Mob Wives series filmed at his establishment.  Tony flatly refused their offer to have them film there, and added the cast was not welcome there at all.  Several other restaurant owners have expressed similar sentiments towards the cast members due to the stereotypical image of Italians presented on the show.

While some seem to be taking a strong stand on this issue, I am more than sure there are many restaurants who will accept VH1's proposal and benefit from the publicity of being part of an extremely popular reality show.  So many have readers have asked us about the places where the mob wives of Staten Island eat and shop last season, so they could visit those places. I have no doubt the viewers in Chicago will want to do the same.

Picture Credit: Gene & Georgetti's website (It looks like a great place to eat IF you aren't a mob wife.)

Mob Wives: What City Is Next?

       Mob Wives of Miami      OR      Mob Wives of Los Angeles

Which one is next?

Jennifer Graziano has sealed the deal for a Chicago franchise of Mob Wives. A city as rich in mob history as Chicago is bound to have some great personalities for a reality show.  In fact, the cast has been picked because filming is due to start very soon.  In true mafia tradition though, almost to the point of taking the Omerta, no one is talking about who is going to be in the cast.  They must like to keep us guessing?

As I sit in front of my laptop, I am wondering which lucky city will be next. I follow all the mob wives and their executive producer as closely as I can.  When they tweet, I read between the lines and blog about what I think.  It may not be fact, but I clearly separate what is fact from my own opinion.  I draw conclusions based on logic.  So what is the next city or cities we can expect to see in the Mob Wives future?

Based on Jennifer’s flyer miles the past few months, and she must have plenty of frequent flyer rewards coming to her, the next two probable cities are Miami and Los Angeles.  In fact, Jennifer is in Miami as I type, and she is working.  What could she be working on?  The Mob Wives of Miami maybe.  After all, the mob seems to be a big presence in south Florida. In March, 2010, the FBI arrested three men allegedly part of the Cosa Nostra operations of extortion, money laundering and drug trafficking.  The Miami family allegedly has connections to the mafia in Palermo and Trapani, Sicily.

What about Los Angeles?  Jennifer has made several trips to the west coast in recent months.  Los Angeles has a long and very fascinating mob history.  The history dates back to the early 1900’s and they secured their business during prohibition by bootlegging.  They rose to power during the 1940’s and 1950’s under the direction of Jack Dragna.  The LA operation never was as big as New York and Chicago and these days is considered to be a small operation dealing with fraud, extortion, money laundering and drug trafficking.  However, there were plenty of made men and associates there over the years and a downsized “family” is still up and running today.

With all the talk and success of our Staten Island Mob Wives, I expect many mob wives to be coming out of the Miami and Los Angeles woodwork to contact Jennifer.  After all, how do you advertise for a cast of a Mob Wives reality show and keep it hush hush? (I should do a blog on that!)  I think all the behind the scenes stories would make for an excellent book.  Meanwhile there are many more years of Mob Wives ahead of us, that much I am sure of.  Miami and Los Angeles bring it on!  The more Mob Wives, the better!

*************

P.S. Guess where Karen Gravano is this morning?  She is off recording the audio version of her new book, MobDaughter, coming out February 14th, 2012. You can pre-order the book now and avoid long lines later!

Mob Wives: Chicago's Mae Capone

Mae Capone was a beautiful and private woman

Jennifer Graziano has managed to pull off a huge coup!  A Chicago spin off can only be a hugely successful show, after the already popular Mob Wives of Staten Island. It got me to wondering about the mob wife behind the notorious mobster, Al Capone. Who hasn’t heard of Al Capone?  Capone’s name is synonymous with the Chicago mob.  I wonder if his wife, Mae Capone, had any stories she could tell?  If she did, they are gone with her.

Mae (Mary) Coughlin Capone was born on April 11, 1897 in Brooklyn, N.Y. and died on April 16, 1986, in Hollywood, Florida.   She lived a long life of 89 years. She was born to Irish parents. Mae worked as a sales clerk in a department store when she met Al.  She didn’t married Al until after giving birth to their first and only child, Albert Francis Capone (Sonny) on December 4, 1918.  The marriage took place on December 30, 1918, three weeks after Sonny was born.

Mae Capone was beautiful.  She was also a mystery because she liked to keep her private life, private.  It’s very hard to find anything of substance on her or any pictures.  Maybe that’s because Al, like all good mobsters back in the day, kept his family life and mob life separate.  Also, like virtually all mobsters, Al was known to have his share of mistresses and contracted syphilis from a prostitute he had known before marrying Mae.  The disease went unnoticed.  Capone became the mob boss, in 1925 at only 26 years old.  By the time he was 32 years old he had gotten into a lot of legal trouble, and by 1934, was sent to Alcatraz.  Mae stuck by her husband through it all. While at Alcatraz, the long term effects of syphilis had taken hold of Al and he began to become disoriented, had convulsions, slurred speech, and shuffled walking.  He was paroled in 1939.  Mae took him to many doctors, none of whom could help him.  She then took him to live out his remaining years in his home in Florida.  Al died at the age of 48, on January 25, 1947.  Sonny grew up to be an upstanding citizen with no mob ties.

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Mob Wives: Chicago Done Deal!

Biggest Mobster of Chicago: Al Capone

In case you don’t follow every little thing that is going on with Mob Wives, you definitely should.  Those of us that do, know that Jennifer Graziano has been making trips back and forth to various locations working on deals for new shows.  As we mentioned in earlier blogs, Jennifer has been looking for other cities to add to her successful hit show.  One of those cities is Chicago, the home of Al Capone, one of the most notorious mobsters in American history.

Negotiations for a spin off show of the Mob Wives of Chicago seems to be a done deal according to Chicago's "Sun-Times."  The word is that the new show is set to start filming next month! The only thing yet to be revealed is who are the cast members willing to expose their mob lives?  The series is expected to start airing in the spring.  Jennifer is quoted as saying, “I’ve got some family contacts here, people that have known my family and friends of mine.”  I guess it would be safe to say that the new cast will some of  Jennifer’s family associations.  Jennifer still vows that no mob secrets are going to be revealed unless they have already been in the media.

Back in the day, Al Capone’s mob wife, Mae, wasn’t so anxious to be in front of the cameras, even for a picture.  Today we have mob wives coming out of the woodwork to tell their stories, and that of their mobster husbands and fathers, on television, in interviews, and in books.  Boy have times changed!

I wish Jennifer the very best of luck with the Chicago deal.  Everyone keep your fingers and toes crossed that filming goes off without a hitch.  Maybe, when our Staten Island Mob Wives wrap it up, we will have a new set of mob wives on the scene!  I just can’t wait!

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