Cosa Nostra News

Moretti was killed in an empty restaurant at lunchtime. Which mobster inspired  The Godfather ? None of them. Mario Puzo told us that Don Vito Corleone was based on his mother. Why shouldn't we believe him? The problem is that the historical focus has been misaligned. The big question was always,  was Puzo writing from experience or research?  In   other words, take Francis Ford Coppola's reply in a recent  NPR interview . "I  knew nothing about five crime families which had recently become exposed to the public with the publication of "The Valachi Papers." But neither did Mario Puzo, who was also Italian-American. But he knew nothing about it, and he wanted to write this book sort of to get some money for his family. He thought it could be commercial, and he did everything on research. He knew nothing. He never had met any of these figures, and he advised me never to meet them, which I never did....  " The question: Well, WHAT resear...

Vince Cassel may have thought he was joking.  The Italian voice-over industry acts like the Mafia, French actor Vincent Cassel said. Now, he's probably using hyperbole to draw attention to an issue that annoys him. I am not for one minute suggesting what he said is true! Not at all..... But if one considers what he says in light of what we know about the mob's infiltration of labor, then the Italian film dubbing industry is actually the perfect example of how the Mafia takes over entire industries by controlling the labor force via unions. Still, I am not saying this is the case. Not at all. Consider this an educational exercise -- and that only. I mean nothing more or less.... 

Not under my purview, but while researching something, I came across this: Rare photo suggests Nazis used Italians in Normandy defenses - English - ANSA.it : "Rome, June 6 - A rare photograph of Italian troops evidently surrendering to American soldiers on a Normandy battlefield has fuelled speculation about possible Italian military involvement against Allied forces after D-Day. Also surrendering with the Italians in the picture are German soldiers. The Italians in the photo wore military uniforms but some of them wore typical Sicilian "coppola" flat caps favoured by shepherds.