“I don't want to dream, I just want to live it. So baby, not lets miss a thing." Big Bang by Rock Mafia
The Players:
Father is Anthony Graziano - mobster and former consigliere (counselor - refer to the God Father movie for more on the word) to the Bonanno Family. He’s currently incarcerated to be released in 2012
Producer: “What do you know about the mob?”
Renee: “What mob?” (then smiles)
First rule of Fight Club is you don’t talk about Fight Club
So far she’s my favorite, even with her idiosyncrasies that are going to come out, like all of ours do at some point in our lives.
She enjoys the power she has being Anthony’s daughter and the gifts she received as a child from her father who got her things that “fell off the back of a truck”
They showed early pictures of her and she was a good looking woman at one point. I think I just like her strong nature.
She has a 16 year old boy and believes that family is everything. Ok, which family you talking about. Your family as in your son or THE FAMILY as in the mob? Just asking. I personally think she's speak of both.
“Code of ethics in the underworld in general is taking very seriously. We’re brought up on honor, respect, loyalty. You never rat, no matter what. A rat is someone who doesn’t mind their f**kin’ business and they get involved with the cops. Oh if you’re a rat you’re not in my circle. In fact I’ll make your life so miserable you won’t be able to hang out in anybody’s circle.” Renee Graziano
She loves her fur coats and her bling and she makes no apologizes for it.
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Father: Sammy "The Bull" Gravano - underboss of the Gambino crime family. He brought down John Ghotti, who was the boss of the family by becoming an informant and turning state's evidence.
She's my least favorite.
Side Note: Well I'm sure you can figure out that Graziano and Gravano don't get a long. They used to be childhood friends until Karen's father ratted out the mob. After that Renee's father told her she couldn't associate herself with Karen anymore.
She states her father was the one that brought down the mob, but I remember way back when (my days as a mobster (insert rolling eyes here) there was a guy named John Valachi who ratted out the mob. He was the first to acknowledge there was a Mafia. He also made Cosa Nostra ("Our Thing") a household name. Basically, Valachi brought the Mafia into the spotlight and gave the whole history of the mob and so forth.
Her father was her best friend and when he ratted people out everyone turned their back on her. She eventually moved to Arizona and been there ten years trying to rebuild her life. Cry me a river. They showed her house and she's doing fine for herself.
She has an 11 year old daughter named Corrina and that's her best friend.
The only reason she's going back to Staten Island is because she's writing a book and as she puts it, "I want get into that mind frame of being Sammy The Bull's daughter." Really? You have to go back to SI to get in that mind frame? Really? Good luck with that one.
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Husband: Joseph Ferragamo is incarcerated for stock fraud. Hmmm....ok (insert confused look here). How is he a mobster. Oh because you hung around a lot of street people, that makes a mobster wife? Wait, hold the phone. I'm lost here. I hung around stoners in high school, does that make me a stoner now? Shrugging shoulders and moves on.
Her and Renee have known each other since they were 16. Carla's father and uncle have gone away to prison, so her husband (or as she puts it, "her soon to be ex-husband) went away it was no big deal.
She has two eight year old twins (boy and a girl) named Joseph and Carmen. The kids don't know their father is in prison. She tells them their father is away on business. Um, well they know now he's in prison, don't they sistah?
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Husband: Lee D'Avanzo is incarcerated for robbing a bank. Second time incarcerated.
She has a daughter named Aleeya who is nine and another daughter named Gezelle who is three.
She's 100% Albanian - "legit, straight, no illegal activities". When she married Lee she was completely disowned by her family.
She gets a collect call from her husband from the pen (which she states he calls five days a week and the days he doesn't call he probably is either in the hole or got his phone privileges taken away) and this is his grocery list he wants her to get:
"Get lots of cold cuts. Get roast beef, get turkey breast, corned beef. I would like two pounds mozzarella. Get some swiss, get some olives too. Some black olives, some green olives. Get a couple of soppressata (Italian cured or dry salami). Get a box of wing dings and a box of twinkies. Get vanilla coke too."
She told Lee she has a hard time finding vanilla coke. He said it's there somewhere because guy in here have it. Well, if guys in there have it, then get it from them, fool!
When Drita was pregnant (Lee was in jail) she met Carla and Karla's parents bought Drita's first house. I don't get that one either.
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MY THOUGHTS ON THE SHOW SO FAR
First of all I love the theme song, Big Bang by Rock Mafia and then there's another song they play called Good Man by Raphael Saadiq. I also like how they pretend they are doing surveillance on the women when they are going from one scene to another.
Renee doesn't like Karen for what her father did. Drita and Carla see Karen differently because they don't hold what her father did against her. Like Drita said, she doesn't want her daughters being judged for what her husband did. I can kinda see all their points. I sometimes believe in the sins of the father are the sins of the son - the apple don't fall far from the tree. But Renee has this belief that was instilled in her by her father that you don't rat people out. I have the same belief and I stand by it- to a point. What I mean is, I would never rat anyone out unless they rat me out first, then I will sing like Valachi on you and ONLY you. I would never through anyone else under the bus.
Carla is having a birthday party (she claims she's turning 35 - she looks more like 45, but whatever) and Renee asks if she's going to invite "Karen now that's she's home." Renee doesn't understand why Carla doesn't have a problem with Karen when they all grew up in the same lifestyle. As Renee puts it, "She needs to make a decision and either play on Team Renee or Team Go Away!"
Carla thinks her birthday party is a good time to break the ice between Karen and Renee, so she's going to invite Karen herself to her party. Good luck with that one.
In a nutshell, Karen does show up to the party and Renee is none to pleased about it. She and Drita go outside and have it out. Karen gets frustrated and decides to handle things herself. She confronts Renee. Karen doesn't understand why Renee has a problem with Sammy ratting out a lot of people and destroying a lot of families but Karen brought up a good point that people have gotten killed and that destroyed families as well so what makes what Sammy did any different. Renee's argument is that he ratted people out and she just believe strongly that you don't do that.
I have to admit I did enjoy the first show and looking forward to the rest of the season. I know a lot of it is staged, edited and/or scripted but what "reality" show on VH1 isn't, right, or Bravo for that matter.
Wrong Mob Wives...see below for the correct mob wife.
Tonight's episode (yeah, I'm writing this a week later, but oh well), shows Drita putting her hands on Renee and it setting Renee off. I can't wait!
Until next time...
"I seek you out, flay you alive, one more word and you won't survive." Eyes on Fire by Blue Fountain
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