‘Mob Wives’ Latest Diva Relishes Her 15 Minutes

OK, for me it is inexplicable. I am talking about the level of media attention and celebrity now showering upon former drug-dealing mob moll Big Ang  Raiola. But since I don't think it is a subject worth a great amount of philosophical introspection, I will pass it by.

From the BostonHerald.com interview below, two things struck me. One is that there is actually a "Mob Wives" fanatic out there in the world who is brainless enough to have actually gotten a tattoo on him- or herself of Big Ang's face. I can't help but wonder where on the body they had that ink inserted.... Two, the Chicago version of the show will debut before the end of the year with an entirely different cast (well, geez, we'd sure hope so!).

Have at it:

Photo
Big Ang is on the far right; Drita is in the middle and Renee on the left.
America's newest sweetheart is a chain-smoking Staten Island diva with a passion for plastic surgery. She's Angela 'Big Ang' Raiola, the latest cast member on the VH1 reality show "Mob Wives."

Raiola debuted on the Jan. 1 second-season premiere when she tried — unsuccessfully — to get feuding "Mob Wives" co-stars Karen Gravano and Drita D'Avanzo to settle their differences. [CNNews Editor's Note: This was not a serious attempt to stop a feud by Big Ang; to me, who viewed the episode, it looked like she was just trying to stir the pot, force the women to argue and fight. This is a reality TV show, and this is the kind of stuff viewers eat up, like cats devouring catnip.] The result may have been a massive, punch-throwing fight that disrupted a lavish party for cast mate Renee Graziano, but it also put Raiola on the fast track to fame.

One fan even got a tattoo of Raiola's face — with her trademark collagen-enhanced lips — and the image went viral.

"I'm very overwhelmed at how big I became," Raiola told the Herald. "It's been crazy, out of control. Everywhere I am, people are stopping me. Or they're sending fan mail to my bar."

That's the Drunken Monkey, for those unfamiliar with Staten Island hot spots. "I never thought this would happen," added Raiola, 52, niece of late mob captain Salvatore "Sally Dogs" Lombardi. "But it's fun. It's very exciting."

"Big Ang is like the godmother of all of us. She has all the wisdom," D'Avanzo said in a recent episode.

... Raiola said she's friends with all the cast members, but feels closest to Graziano, saying: "I like everything about Renee. I've known her since she was a teenager. She's a good person and has a big heart. She's very sensitive. I really like her."...

See full article here, at BostonHeral.com.

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