Real Housewives Of New York: What The Hell Moments S5E14

Ramona grills Tomas like a steak on a BBQ

Even though I was away on vacation, I couldn’t pass up the chance to see the second episode of the St. Barths trip…aka “the white trash” episode.  There were plenty of “What The Hell Moments,” during this hour long fiasco of a trip. The new wives had to have known all would NOT go well…all they had to do was tweet a fan who saw their trip to Morocco…like me. Anyway, let me rant and rave a few minutes, it will do me good.

Sonja's bruises easily and content smile = Tomas

Why the hell was Ramona tormenting poor “Tomas/Johnny Depp” about his liaison with LuAnn? She was relentless with her questions, trying to trip him up to get him to admit he was with LuAnn the night before. Anyway, shouldn’t she have better spent her time bonding with the “girls” and leaving Tomas alone? Didn’t her cross examination take away from the dynamics of the trip? I wonder if she will ever give him the third degree on his hooking up with Sonja? Just asking? I mean, what the hell were those bruises on Sonja’s arm from anyway? Wasn’t anyone concerned? Maybe Heather knows? Heather mentioned walking in on Sonja and Tomas during “anal sex.” If that’s not a What The Hell Moment of moments, I don’t know what is! Does "anal sex" take away from or add to the dynamics? Why is anyone walking in on anyone in a huge 40 million dollar house? Who can answer these questions for me? BravoAndy???

Half naked in the pool? 

Is there such a thing as too much bonding?

Aviva and Reid arrive to St. Barths. Reid made the supreme sacrifice of accompanying Aviva to spend time with her friends, because of her fear of small planes. Ramona and Sonja knew they were coming, but they were in the pool half naked, when they arrived. Aviva must have felt, “What the hell are they thinking?” She ended up saying a lot more than that. I just want to know how many women go swimming topless with their friends? Is this why they needed an all girls vacation? There was so much talk about Reid ruining the trip that I didn't get. What difference did it make that Reid was there? He made himself scarce AND he was invited by the hostess, Carole. Carole tried to point that out, but these women never let Carole get a word in edgewise. I guess they will be reading about their obnoxious behavior in her blogs and her upcoming book about her experiences this season. 

"You're nothing but white trash, quite frankly!"

One thing leads to another, because Aviva is incensed, and there is the big fight scene! Aviva is so upset she calls Sonja and Ramona nothing but “white trash!” Aviva never really calms down for the rest of the episode. She demands that the girls, Ramona and Sonja, apologize to Reid, thank him profusely for coming and then maybe kiss his feet a few times. Nothing seems to appease her. Not even Ramona’s undying pledge that she will apologize to Reid. Maybe that’s because Ramona says, off camera, that she is only apologizing to calm Aviva down, not because she means it. I think we all got that insincerity without Ramona’s explanation. Sonja, however, refuses to apologizes and even cries because she was called “white trash!” How believable is that? 

Sonja: Boo Hoo, she called me "white trash!" 

I want to know if Aviva knew Sonja and Ramona went hotel shopping “just in case” they couldn't take Reid’s presence? What the hell was that about? The 40 million dollar house wasn’t big enough for all of them and Reid? Maybe that’s why Aviva was extremely upset? She may had gotten wind of that from a cast member or production staff? That is really insulting, especially when you add it to everything else that happened, like their trying to appoint someone to ask Reid to stay at a hotel? Really now, how classless is that?

LuAnn to Ramona: I never said Reid was unwelcome...or did I?

I love the way LuAnn kept herself out of the argument. Ramona was right. Wasn’t LuAnn the one who said Reid’s presence would disturb the dynamics of the trip? I have déjà vu of blogging this before. LuAnn can sleep with Tomas, Sonja can kiss the butler and sleep with Tomas, Carole can see Russ during the trip all she wants (and I am totally onboard with that), BUT Reid working in an out of the way office, on his computer, would disturb everyone’s dynamics??? 

These women know how to kill a trip, don’t they? Carole was nice enough to invite them all for a get away. She had intentions of spending time with her boyfriend, Russ, who was working there, so it wasn’t an accident that she picked that location. For all their talk about wealth and class, these women leave so much to be desired. 

Carole is still my favorite. People say she is boring. I find her witty and intelligent…when they let her get a word in. She is down to earth and treats everyone with dignity and respect. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t take any of them seriously. I am glad she gets along with Heather. I think Heather is a straight shooter who doesn’t like or have time for drama, but she will not back away from an issue. Why the producers allowed both Ramona and Sonja to bust her chops all season long, I don’t know. But Heather has been doing a great job of holding her own on both fronts. Was Aviva too pissed at Ramona and Sonja? I don’t think so. If she was a mob wife she would have pulled all their hair out. Instead, she just calls them “white trash.” Pretty mild mannered. So far I am siding with the new wives over the old wives! Let’s see what part three of St. Barths brings?

For everything Real Housewives check out @stoopidhousewives.com they are the BEST in covering all BRAVO shows!

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Paranormal Witness EP 205 Recap: “Lady On The Stairs”

The ghost of a Victorian-era mother may be haunting the home of newlyweds.

Mark, a recently widowed man after 25 years of marriage, met Mari-Lynn and they moved pretty quickly as he married her a year later. The happy newlywed couple moved into the home Mark shared with Robin, his deceased wife. “It was a whole new life for me” Mark said. “I never had kids and have always wanted a little boy. Now I have this beautiful woman who also has a little boy.” Mari herself was in wedded bliss; “I felt privileged…I had nothing and all the sudden, had a husband who can provide for me and my son,” she said. She further explains her love for her new home: “When I went into the house, I was amazed. I have never seen so much beautiful furniture in one place. I was worried Jessie was going to damage something that was irreplaceable”. On the other hand, she still felt something off about the house with the blinds being shut and there being no light. “It felt dead,” she said. “I always felt uncomfortable, maybe I shouldn’t be there…like eyes were just on me”. Mark also noted that he knew she felt uneasy about the home from the first day.

Beautiful but haunted house

The house was originally decorated by Robin. Robin had a rather large collection of angels, which “freaked out” Mari. “Let’s just say me and Robin have different taste,” she said. Mark didn’t change anything in the house and still maintained Robin’s room upstairs as it was when she passed. Mark warned Mari and Jessi to not enter the room at all. Mari convinced Mark to hold a garage sale to sale Robin’s belongings. “I couldn’t wait to get rid of the angels!” Mari said. “It was a very successful garage sale. We sold about 75 angels”. While Mari was cleaning up after the garage sale, she noticed her son Jesse was playing in the yard nearby when something caught his interest. He was staring at a tree. Mari walked to Jesse and asked him what he was looking at. “Mama, there’s a lady in the tree!” Jesse said. Mari didn’t see anything and assured Jesse there was nothing. However, he saw Jesse seemed scared so she yelled “You go away mean lady, leave my son Jesse alone!” A few minutes later, Mari asked Jessie if the “mean lady” went way. He then said she was in a grove across the street. Mari still couldn’t see anything. One day, Mari was downstairs in the kitchen and heard a cry. She thought maybe she was hearing things and tried to brush it off. She then heard what sounded like Jesse scream and cry. Then Mari realizes Jesse wasn’t home. Mari went into every room and no one was in there. Mari began hearing a lot of noise. They were coming from Robin’s room. She had a horrible feeling but insisted on going into Robin’s room. She saw in her room that the bedroom window was open, the curtains were blowing and things were scattered on the floor. Mark came home and was outraged when he realized Mari went into Robin’s room. Mari concluded that it must’ve been her.

Guardian Angels?

One night, Mark and Mari were in bed. Mari woke up to the sounds of children laughing and playing. She tried to wake up Mark but Mark was sleeping. Mari got up to investigate. They had a swing set outside the window so Mari thought maybe kids were outside playing there. When Mari went out, she couldn’t find anything about these things she was hearing. There was nothing at the swing set. Mari didn’t know what she was going to find exactly and was still confused as to what was happening to her. On another night, Mark and Mari were sitting in the living room watching TV. Jesse began screaming, like he had been hurt. Mark wondered what he was screaming about and assumed it was for attention. Jesse kept screaming that there was a lady in the closet. Mari looked in the closet and nothing was there. Mari went onto comfort Mari. Jesse wouldn’t stop crying. Mari didn’t know what to do. Mari couldn’t see what he was seeing but decided to lie down with Jesse to comfort him, seething at the fact that Mark didn’t seem to care. “It’s really hard as a mom to watch your child be terrified and be terrified about something you don’t know what it is,” Mari said.

One Sunday morning, Mark was working at his antique store and Mari was doing housework. Mari heard something “big” crash and she went in the kitchen to see what happened. She saw both water faucets on full blast. “Jesse couldn’t do that, he wasn’t tall enough!”. Then Mari heard banging in the garage door in the laundry room. Mari mustered up courage to open the door really fast. No one was there and nothing was happening in the garage. But a few seconds later, the garage door was being beaten on and the lights were all flashing on and off. Mari went to a frightened Jesse and made a desperate call to Mark. Mari cried and begged Mark to come home. However, Mark still wasn’t convinced and thought she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Mari began questioning her sanity. She then contacted her sister Lora. Lora came over and with her background and education in phsychology, both women looked up disorders like schizophrenia. Lora concluded Mari didn’t have the classic symptoms of schizophrenia. Mari and Lori then looked around the house. “It was a very lovely house…my eyes were just wandering everywhere, room by room” Lora said. As Lora was approaching the door, she noticed she felt different; her heart raced and she felt anxious. Lora went into Robin’s room. Lora rushed downstairs and explained to Mari she felt so anxious. 

From the outside, wondering what's inside...

Mari concluded it must be Robin. 

Mari tried to tell Mark and again, Mark just brushed her claims off. “Robin would never do anything that,” he said. Later on, Mari worked with Mark in the antique store. “Anytime I wasn’t in the house, I felt great,” Mari said. “Jesse was safe at school and I was safe”. The antique store was a 2-story old building that was constructed in the 1800s. One of the antique store’s devoted customers was a young man named Peter who began befriending Mari. Mari wanted to hire him but the business couldn’t afford to hire him; however, that didn’t stop Peter for wanting to work there as a store assistant. One day at the shop, Peter noticed a picture frame leaning against the counter. All the sudden, it “lifted up” and fell over. Mari also saw what Peter saw and said that “the pic flew up across the room and landed face down”. Mari and Peter looked at each other and were dumbfounded at what they saw. But more strange phenomena happened at the shop. Peter and Mari were closing the store and just as they were leaving, they heard footsteps on the second level. They thought maybe it was a customer upstairs that they forgot to check up on. Peter swore there wasn’t anyone upstairs. They checked the surveillance cameras and no one was up there. But there were still footsteps being heard. Peter decided to go upstairs but the more steps he took, the more anxious he got. He then heard a “pounding noise” and jumped, rushed downstairs and ran out. Mari was frightened. “It wasn’t going away, it was getting worse!” she exclaimed. Mark went in the shop, but saw no one there. He got scared…but not because of the strange thought but because he questioned where Mari was slowly going insane. Mari begged him to move out. However, Mark didn’t have the resources to just pack up and move. “I should’ve left…I should’ve gone out of there….” Mari recalls. 

Visitors of the past stopping by

One night, Mark woke up and looked down; he saw he had 3 scratches on his hand. Then when Mari woke up, she saw 3 marks on her side. They were frightened and what scared them even more was they didn’t feel themselves getting scratched.  On another night in the living room, Mari and Mark are watching TV in the room. Mari kept telling herself to watch TV and to just focus on the TV show. All the sudden, Mari felt someone was watching her. She turned around and saw “people” looking at her. She immediately panicked. Mark turned around and saw nothing, but Mari saw them with her two eyes. She called for Jesse. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She saw a woman in a black “mourning dress” from the Victorian-era and with her was a small boy in a black suit. Mari ran to Jesse to protect him. 

Paranormal Scars

On a separate occasion at dinnertime, Jesse, Mark and Mari were all out in the kitchen, fixing their plates. Jess reached up and just as he touched plate of food, he started screaming and shaking like he was being electrocuted. He kept crying “my side, my side!”. They lifted up his shirt and saw he had a red mark. It kept growing as they were looking at it. There was nothing hot around him. “I wish I had taken him to the doctor but how can you explain that?” Mari said. “I couldn’t lie about it.” Startled at what happened to Jesse and also with Mari and Jesse locking themselves in the bedroom, Mark was slowly “waking up” and seeing how the strange phenomena was affecting his family. “I knew there was something evil in this house,” Mari explained. ”They were watching me.” Mark didn’t know what to do at this point and soon enough, he began experiencing phenomenon. On one occasion, Mark was in the kitchen when he looked over and saw a woman go down in the basement. He walked over there. The door was shut. Mark was trying to really sink in what he just witnessed. I saw a woman in a dress walk through the door. Meanwhile, Mari would witness the familiar “ghost woman” carrying an infant.  Mark began seeing the things now and began believing Mari and that she wasn’t crazy. Mari made a few phone calls and came in contact with Kat and Bev, two local historians. When Bev and Kat met up with Mari to hear her story, the two ladies noticed that she looked “haunted” and assumed that she could possibly be a troubled woman.  The women then began actively investigating the history of the house; they spent hours upon hours looking at land records, birth certificates, death certificates and more. Their research revealed that the antique store Mark worked at used to be called “Porter & Wright” hardware store and it was right in the center of town. The hardware store was also (literally) the center for gossip. “They didn’t have Facebook back then!” Bev joked. “So all the gossip was at the store.”

Secret letters

Meanwhile, the property where Mark and Mari lived used to be a farm in the early 1870s. A young woman named Theresa Stisen lived with her Uncle Phillip and her aunt. The uncle and aunt also took in an orphaned boy named Nate. Months later, Theresa became pregnant. The historians noted that during the  Victorian era, it was unthinkable that a single woman was pregnant so her uncle sent her far away to a local sanitarium. Theresa’s pregnancy was tough but her birth was much more difficult, as her newborn son had died. Because Theresa was so far away from home, no one in town knew…except Porter & Wright. During her stay at the sanitarium, Porter &Wright was a liason between communication with Theresa and Phillip, where both would send each other anonymous letters. Theresa became very ill after childbirth and on her death-bed, she confessed that her Uncle Phillip was the father of the boy. Theresa then died at the young age of 19. Phillip was sent to trial and Nate, the orphaned boy, testified about the relationship between Phillip and Theresa. While Phillip was charged guilty, the findings were thrown out because the judge of the case stated that the case was based on hearsay. Upon this discovery, Mari believed that Teresa died with people thinking she was having an affair with her uncle, when in fact, Theresa was molested.  “I was seeing her and her baby,” she recalls, speaking softly about Theresa; “I am most honored she chose me to told her story too. She’s a huge part of my life now.” Mark also confessed that he could’ve been more supportive during the paranormal nightmare Mari had endured. “All these connections were unebelievable!” Mark said.

An exorcism took place at the house in March of 2009. There has been no reported paranormal phenomena at the house since then….

Vampire Slaying kit from the Main St. Antique Store

Janes Notes: This story has me boggled because of Mari-Lynn's position in all of this. I will admit, the fact she was so hellbent on getting Robin's angels out of the house and selling her things left a sour taste in my mouth and I can admit when I said, I was a slight judgemental jackass towards her. But then my opinion on her softened up when she showed compassion for Theresa once she realized the dark, disturbing hitsory behind the two locations that Mari associated with at home AND work. It's one thing to experience paranormal phenomena in one location (work, home, etc) but BOTH? I tried to do some google searches and eventually found some results googling the Main Street Antique Store in Holly, MI. It also seems that Mari-Lynn hasn't been a stranger the paranormal activity aside from the spirit of Theresa and child. This article here talks more about her experiences that have gone on in the antique store. I also saw the Facebook page for the store it seems Mari has had the courage to speak out more about her experiences and even embrace the world of the Paranormal. Their most recent post shows they are holding a Fall Antique show and will also be featuring people doing Tarot, Dragon, and Angel card readings, which are interesting, whether you believe in Tarot or not. If you look on their Facebook page here, it's a pretty active page and it's interesting to see all the stuff they have collected! With the amount of things that must come to them (let's hope no Dybbuk boxes!), it can be that certain energies have attached to the items and manifest themselves into ghosts. Pretty cool photo albums they have on there! But one more question. What is UP with the men on these shows?? Has anyone noticed that in most of these shows (save the cops on the Capitol Theatre recap), the men are in total denial and just brush it off? Note to self: marry a gentleman that believes in the paranormal so in case  I get scared and need a lap to jump on, he won't consider sending me to an asylum.

Picture Credit; SyFy, Main Street Antique Store's Facebook Page 

Follow me on Twitter @janedoemessage or visit my personal blog at Message In A Bottle. 

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Big Ang: Episode 10 Finale

The Big Finale has creeped up to us along with the last weekend of summer. This final episode rounded out Big Ang's summer.

Big Ang and Linda drop into Casale Jewelers browsing at diamonds. Big Ang says she loves going to the jewelry store, it's like therapy. The jeweler shows her a few rings but when he shows her a 15 1/2 carrot diamond Big Ang says that's exactly what I want. The list price is $750,000 and Big Ang realizes that  she has extravagant taste for Neil's pockets. After looking at many rings she pulls out a very large stone she bought at an auction that she would like a setting for. I hope Janine was there to seal that deal! 

Big Ang wants a ring because Neil and her did things backwards. First they got married but never got engaged. Big Ang says she never once had an engagement ring. 

Big Ang, Linda and Sandy the plumber were invited to Lil Jenn's house for dinner. Big Ang is a bit worried cause she says Lil Jenn can't cook. Lil Jenn says she made her best dish.....grilled cheese. Big Ang says she's been cooking for Lil Jenn for 30 years and that's all she gets? Linda wants to know if they are going to eat the sandwiches one at a time. Lil Jenn tells them how her mother doesn't want her to use her good pots. Everyone seems to be worried that Lil Jenn may start a fire! Big Ang gives a big eye roll and says Lil Jenn is still living with her mother and father. Big Ang tells the girls that she heard from AJ and that he is coming home on an 11 hour pass.She says she wants to have a pool party. The girls mention strippers and Lil Jenn says oh no, strippers come with getting high and partying. They talk about the salon that Big Ang is opening and ask her how much she put into it. Big Ang says the sign alone with the neon cost $10,000. The girls gasp but Big Ang says she's  hoping to make it all back. Lil Jenn says her life has been one big roller coaster but Big Ang says more like one big party. I'll agree to that! 

Big Ang Secrets salon opening is here and Big Ang has champagne on ice for everyone. The store is decorated without sparing the zebra print. There are 2 large chairs in the shape of a shoe adorning the print with hot pink trim. There is also a matching rug. Everything in the store sparkles. There is a queen chair and Big Ang takes a seat and Lil Jenn calls her the godmother and says  everyone should come in and kiss your ring. It's a wonder this is the first time Big Ang was called the godmother! All Big Ang's friends are there along with her staff. Even Renee Graziano who gives us all a big smile shows up. She talks to Big Ang about AJ and Big Ang invites her to the pool party she is going to have. Big Ang calls a staff cheer meeting and everyone salutes with patrone! Big Ang annouces that now it's time to get some treatments!  Janine asks everyone if they know what Big Ang's secret is and she exclaims " to make money!" Well good thing for Janine cause she really puts an effort out and is ready to make some money! I thought that was Big Ang's secret?! 

At the Drunken Monkey Drita stops by to visit Big Ang. They haven't seen each other the whole summer. She wants to ask Big Ang about AJ and what's happening. Big Ang tells her he is in a rehab and at least she can put her head down on a pillow at nite knowing he's safe. Drita comments that AJ is a smart young man and he will be ok. Big Ang tells her about the party and Drita says she can make it. Big Ang says it's going to be no booze, no trouble, some clean fun! She's going to invite everyone and  AJ's friends then she retracts and says oops, no not his friends. 

At home Big Ang and Neil are eating lobster. Neil seems to be having trouble getting the lobster out of the shell. I'm thinking...Neil works in sanitation right? Clearly there are bigger things that get stuck in that truck than a lobster tail right? Big Ang comes to his help and gets the lobster out in a second. Big Ang says he's  like having a 3rd child. I think Neil likes Big Ang's motherly touch. She tells Neil she went to the jewelry store looking at diamonds. He says he's heard enough about the diamonds and to wait. She says if she waited for him, she would be homeless, clothes less and everything-less.I want diamonds, diamonds diamonds! She tells Neil to wake up and smell the f***ing coffee. That's one thing about the wiseguys Big Ang says there's always bling bling and fur fur. 

The day of the pool party while Big Ang is setting up, she gets a phone call from AJ. She tells AJ all about getting his favorite Chinese food. He tells her that the whole place is on lock down. No one can leave the property. The cameras roll over to Kilo (AJ's dog) and Little Louie and even the dogs are frowning. Lil Jenn, Linda and Janine show up and take one look at Big Ang face and know something is wrong. She tells them that AJ isn't coming. They want to know why and Lil Jenn explains how when something goes wrong sometimes everyone gets punished. Well Linda says now that AJ isn't coming-get out the alcohol! The guests arrive. Tan Tony ( I guess I decided to call him that) and Franky along with Little Dave from the Atlantic City trip, Mimi from the draq queen nite at the Monkey and Sandy Stitches. Then of course there's our little mix of a mobwive, Renee. There's some talk about going into the pool and Renee says she'll go in right now. And there she goes. Renee does a cannonball! I hope I got a good shot! She's swimming and flirting with Franky and Big Ang says she better watch out, that's Sandy's guy! Big Ang says this is really scary and laughs. Everyone has on wax lips to emulate Big Ang and it's a kiss fest. Neil calls out to Janine and asks her to come inside. He shows Janine something he got for Big Ang and asks Janine if she thinks Ang will like it. Janine says omg you're going to give her a heart attack. 

Neil comes out side and tells everyone to listen up. He tells Big Ang he has some special chinese food for her. He hands her a wonton container. Everyone asks Big Ang what it is and when she opens it and find many strands of confetti she says "lo mein"! and everyone laughs. Of course there's a black box and Big Ang is already smiling. I'm sure at this time Big Ang is hoping it is BIG! She takes a look at the ring which is BIG and beautiful. She asks Neil what bank did he rob? She's so happy cause now she has bling bling for the fing fing. Renee has a moment and everyone is oohing and ahhing Big Ang and congratulates her. Big Ang wishes AJ was there. Neil asks her if he can finally say "wife" and Big Ang is not short of another eye roll. She says that Neil made the toughest day for her the best! Someone yells out now it's an engagement party! And the fun continues. Big Ang sums it up by saying this year she started a new business- Big Ang Secrets, her old business blew up at the Drunken Monkey, she bought a condo, she tried new things-the motorcycle ride for one and she had a few heart attacks. She says she survived and now she's engaged to her husband. You never know what can happen Big Ang says so she says keep on living and keeping it big. I have it all, friends family and diamonds! 
This ties it up for Season 1 of The Big Ang show. I've enjoyed watching these episodes but most of all I've enjoyed meeting Big Ang , her family and most of her cast. Thank you to Jenn Graziano for bringing us fun every sunday. I look foward to Season 2 of The Big Ang show. 

Please follow me on twitter @carmelacorleone 

During the hiatus I will try to bring you news and events about Big Ang and her crew. She has written a book and will start doing signings very shortly. 

Thank you for everyone's support reading the blogs. Thank you to Mob Mistress and Chiara for giving me the opportunity being part of this blog-site.

Written by Carmela Corleone

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Mob Wives: Season Three Mafia Wars!

From Renee Graziano's online T-Shirts store!

http://reneegrazianoonline.com

Season three is a long way off, January 2013, but we can’t wait to know what is going to happen. Every time a mob wife gets interviewed, the first question on everyone’s lips is, “Can you tell us a little bit of what we will see in season three?” Of course, the “Omerta” code applies to production story lines, so we aren’t going to get a lot of information this early in the game. However, you know I am ready to jump out of my skin when I hear anything at all regarding upcoming drama details.

First, Drita drops a bomb, saying that she and Ramona are going to get into it and it’s World War III! She says she is cool with Karen, they have maintained the truce struck at the end of season two. We know that Drita and Ramona barely tolerated each other in season two. Ramona’s beef with Drita is the way she treated Karen during season one, particularly the fact she physically attacked her on the rooftop. That seemed to be the breaking point for Ramona and why she went out on the balcony when Karen talked to Drita. Drita’s issue with Ramona isn’t quite so clear to me. I know she felt Ramona was trying to turn Karen against her and prevent them from getting over their differences. A lot goes on in Staten Island that we don’t know about. People are always gossiping, just ask Carla, she always seems to have her phone in hand to compare stories. Ugh!

And now, speaking of Carla, Renee recently dropped a bomb of her own, during an interview On The Couch. She says that she isn’t getting along with Carla in season three. AJ doesn’t care for Carla either! Carla must have done yet another unforgivable thing to Renee. We all know the first two: Calling her a liar over the boyfriend, Handyman; and not visiting her or calling her when she almost died after surgery. Renee forgave her for those things, but I am sure she didn’t forget. But now, from the sound of it, Carla has done it again. Whatever it is, it’s something Renee is NOT willing to forgive so fast. I, for one, am looking forward to Renee giving Carla a piece of her mind. Carla is all about Carla, she is nobody’s friend. Team Renee all the way!

Also, I hear we are going to see a lot more of AJ Pagan in season three! Finally! AJ is very popular with the ladies, young and older. Some people think I have a strong bias towards AJ. I do. I love this young man from his first scene on the show. I would have said “kid,” but I think AJ has had to grow up a little faster than most, because of the lifestyle. So I look forward to seeing more of him on season three and I know many others do too!

Rumors keep swirling around about new mob wives being added to the mix. I think there will be, but who she/they are is still a mystery to me. I was informed that Big Ang will still be a regular part of the cast, as well as doing her own show. Karen is writing a second book last I heard…will Drita be in it? And as for Drita, she mentioned she will be paying Lee a visit in prison. Will that be part of season three? I would bet on it. Lee is due to get out of prison in six months, says Drita. Will they get back together? Will season three end with Lee coming “home,” like season two ended with Joe’s homecoming? Stay tuned!

This is the sum total of all I know right now. As I learn other little tidbits, I will be passing them along. But, it looks like we are going to need one of Renee’s T-Shirts for all of season three. What do you think?

Picture Credit: Renee's online store 

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Gangster Wives: Angelina Spicer Parody

What was I thinking when I wore this jacket?

Mob Wives Chicago season 1 ended over a couple of weeks ago.  I really miss Leah.  Don't you?  I can admit to being still a little mad about her stealing Wolf's bath mat & bejeweling it.

Many of Mob Wives Chicago viewers were left wondering if there would be a reunion.  The answer is a big breezy no.  With no reunion many viewers went into a Facebook & Twitter frenzy wondering if there will be a season 2 of Mob Wives Chicago.  I do not know.  A source claims there are plans for a season 2 in the works with a shake up with the cast.  I can neither confirm or deny with absolute certainty.  The flagship of the Mob Wives franchise is in season 3 production as I type.  Many of the ladies have been filming away especially Renee Graziano.

There are several rumors swirling in the wind about a new mob wife joining Angela Raiola, Carla Facciolo, Drita D'avanzo, Karen Gravano, Ramona Rizzo and Renee Graziano.  We hope it's someone who's a character with a huge personality.  We enjoyed Big Ang  & Ramona Rizzo so very much season 2.  They were sugar & spice literally and sometimes not very nice.  The big personalities are what keeps me tuning in each Sunday!

An Angelina Spicer tweeted me recently.  She shared a link.  Of course, I checked out her Twitter page first to make sure she wasn't a spammer.  I was pleasantly pleased that she wasn't & clicked the link.  It was a video parody.  Anyone who reads us every so often knows Chiara and I love a good parody.



Angelina Spicer is a funny lady.  I don't know if I'm ready for Gangster Wives.  However, I can honestly share, I'm truly ready for season 3 of Mob Wives to air already.  I only have 4 shows that are must sees right now on air I Married A Mobster, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Judge Judy & Project Runway.  I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend.

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Mob Wives Chicago: Leah Meets Big Ang

Big Ang and Leah DeSimone

I love Twitter! Thanks to Twitter I can better keep tabs on what is going on with all of our favorite Mob Wives. On Wednesday and Thursday some of the wives were talking about Big Ang's trip to Chicago. They were excited about meeting her. One of the wives is Leah DeSimone. Leah has been supporting her mother through her battle with breast cancer and had to take her to the doctor yesterday. Leah tweeted she hoped her mother would be feeling well enough to meet Big Ang...and her prayers were answered!

Big Ang and Jacquie

Of course we are keeping Leah's mom in our thoughts and prayers throughout this ordeal. We know, if she is anything like Leah, she is going to kick cancer's ass! And, not only did Leah's mom get to meet Big Ang, but her father, Wolf, did too!

Wolf and Big Ang

Wolf looks a little smitten!

Leah managed to spend time with Big Ang for both nights and I was glad to see her having a little fun and relax because she has been under a lot of emotional stress. Leah tweets, "I had the time of my life!"  Maybe Leah can fly in for season two of Big Ang and be on an episode or two? I know New York would absolutely love that!

And for Leah fans who do not have twitter accounts, I managed to find a picture of Leah, as a child, when she was really "daddy's little girl." How cute is this?

Wasn't she adorable?

Picture Credit: Leah DeSimone's Twitter

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Paranormal Witness - EP 204 Recap

Dybbuk/ דיבו  - A malevolent or demonic spirit in Jewish folklore

Kevin Mannis is an owner of an antique store in Downtown Portland and collected small, unique items that he could retail. The best place he said to find them was at garage sales, state sales and auctions. He went to a family garage sale to search for more lost treasure for his store. Some of the items that intrigued him were a steamer trunk, a sewing box, and a wine cabinet and so he purchased them for his shop. The wine cabinet turned out to have belonged to a grandmother who was a Holocaust survivor. One woman saw what he purchased and said "I see you bought the Dybbuk box”. Kevin, being Jewish himself, knew what the term “Dybbuk” meant and explained it was a term used to scare children (“don’t do that or the Dybbuk will get you!”). The woman said they never mentioned about the box and whenever they did, the grandmother would spit between her fingers three time and said it was never to be opened. The story, in Kevin’s opinion, was just another piece of Jewish folklore. 

Kevin and his haunted discovery

Kevin went back to his shop with his new treasures and took them down to the basement. He examined the box and noticed a brass hasp with brass padlock on the wine cabinet. Kevin used a screwdriver to bend the hasp of the lock. When he did this, the doors opened by themselves. He figured it was a mechanism. A couple items were inside; there were 2 pennies from the 1920s, a candlestick with a “fat pear shaped body”, a small wine goblet and a statue out of granite that had "Shalom" carved into it in Hebrew, along with 2 locks of hair. Kevin figured they were items kept in there for sentimental reasons and didn’t think much more of it. Jane, one of Kevin’s employees, took over the shop one day while Kevin left the shop to run errands and left the box in the basement. While Jane was cleaning up the basement, she felt a sense someone was watching her. She explained she’d been in the basement many times but never felt anything like that until then. The phone rang and Jane picked it up. During her call, the light she switch she turned off turned back on. She heard what she described as glass breaking. She saw a chair fall in front of her. Panicked, Jane immediately called Kevin and was yelling at him to come back. Kevin picked up and she told him it heard like someone had a baseball bat and breaking glass and other items. When Kevin suggested she call the police, the phone call died. Kevin was scared to death for her and assumed it was a burglar/robber. Kevin went straight to the store and into the basement. He noticed the rod iron gate was locked which was odd because he didn't lock it. He opened it up and turned on the lights. He flips the switch and the lights wouldn't go on. So he got a flashlight. He noticed that all the light bulbs in the basement had been broken. He noted there were ten 4-ft flourescent fixtures and they all were broken. When he finally found Jane, he saw she was extremely upset, cursed at him, and left the store. She never came back. At this point, Kevin didn’t know what to really make of the situation. 

On October 28, 2001, it was Ida’s birthday; Ida was Kevin’s mother. Ida came into the shop quite early before opening. She sat down on one of the pieces of furniture in the shop as Kevin presented her with a birthday gift. It was the cabinet. Ida was rather perplexed at the gift and mentioned she had received strange gifts in the past but nothing like this….she actually felt the box “stare” back at her. Kevin went to take a phone call, leaving Ida alone with her gift. Ida inspected the box when the doors of the wine cabinet opened up by itself. “It was just like a cold breeze coming out...I can't describe it,” Ida recalls “It felt just pure evil.” Ida immediately began to feel numb and terror take over her body. “I couldn't run away or get up...my mouth contorted and my eye pocketed. I knew I was having a stroke!" Ida then wondered if she would take one more look at Kevin before she passed on. She sincerely felt she was dying. Kevin then came back to his mother to immediately find out she was suffering a stroke. He called the paramedics and when they arrived and were checking on her, Kevin noticed a look of pure terror in her eyes. “She was pleading to say something, to get something out" he said. Ida wanted to desperately tell him to get the box out. “If it did me a stroke, what would it do to him?” she explained. 

Paramedics rush to the aid of a terror-stricken Ida

Thinking back, Kevin sheepishly explains, “Maybe I should’ve picked a better gift. I never thought that it was something more than a small box!” Kevin immediately knew that all the events that occurred to Jane and his mother were stemmed from the box. Kevin then sold the box to an old couple, thinking he got rid of it. But time went by and he found it at the front door of the store with a note on it saying “there’s an odd darkness to it”. Frustrated that the box was back in his possession, Kevin stored it in a storage unit. But then, Kevin began having reoccurring dreams that he described as “being with someone that was pleasant to me…” But then, this pleasant person he was with would slowly morph into what he describes as “the most gruesome, evil looking hag that he ever seen”. That hag would then begain beat him. When Kevin woke up, he realized he was covered in bruises. It happened every single night. That moment, he knew that the box was cursed and wanted to get rid of it. Kevin decided to sell the box on Ebay and didn’t forget to disclose the experiences that happened to him when he had the box. Kevin was hoping that someone who dealt with the Occult would see it, purchase it and properly dispose of it. 

*             *             *             *             *             *             *             *             *             *

It was the year 2003 in Kirksville, Missouri when Brian and his roommate Sam, both college students, saw a post on Ebay of a haunted box and how the owner was experiencing unusual, dark phenomena with it. Brian didn’t want to spend money on something that could possibly be a hoax. Sam thought differently and ended up purchasing the box. Brian would come to find out about this about 3 weeks later when in the middle of June, Brian came home after lunch and opened up the front door which went into the living room. The living room had a stench of urine and in the middle of the living room was a boxed ripped open with packaging peanuts everywhere. Brian was infuriated over who could make such a mess and who would urinate in the living room. Brian goes in the kitchen and sees the wine box on the table. Brian later on laughs that Sam purchased it. Sam, amused by the supposed “haunted” box, slept with the box in his room. Sam recorded his experiences in a personal blog. About 2 weeks passed and nothing happened so they put the box in the middle of the living room. One night, the boys were throwing a party and Sam and Brian were joking to everyone how it was haunted and decided to open it in front of everyone. Brian and Sam open it and jokingly stick a girl’s arm in it. The girl became very upset and was concerned for her safety. Brian and Sam just laughed it off. But what would happen afterwards was no laughing matter. 

You know this won't end up well....

Brian and Sam began experiencing unusual things with electronics. Their laptops would crash, along with the Xbox, toaster, TV, and watched. Brian would see one of the roommates at school have unusual bloodshot eyes. Dozens and dozens of bugs were crawling all over the living room, the bathroom sink, the wall and the mirror. Over the summer and into the fall, Sam became much more reserved. It went as far as his hair falling out.  Sam put the box on Ebay and wanted to get rid of it. 

It was February of 2002 when the box eventually caught the attention of Jason Haxton, who was the director of the Truman State University’s Museum Osteopathic Medicine. Jason was always on the lookout for objects he could figure out and solve like a puzzle. Jason would read Sam’s personal blog regularly and became fascinated with his experiences with the box and wanted to buy it. The bid for the box went from $45 to $280. Jason’s expensive bid sealed the deal. 

Jason examining the box

When the box arrived, Jason took it up to his office after campus closed down for the night. Jason was very aware about the illnesses and infections that seemed to occur to people who were in the box’s presence so he put on gloves to make sure when he touched it, he wouldn’t get contaminated. He then examined it and detected a “glow”. The “glow” was detected candle wax dripped down on the box. He felt it was a box used for rituals. The moment before opening the doors, Jason wondered what would happen if he opened the doors...but when he did, he felt nothing and wondered about the artifacts in the box. He figured it was just a box full of historical, sentimental pieces. But within days after Jason’s inspecting the box, the museum was thrown into a whirlwind of chaos. Computers were crashing and valuable information and data were being lost. The light bulbs around the box begin to burn out. The staff felt a decrease in energy and felt sudden illness. Jason then knew he had to take the box out of the museum. Jason locked it in the trunk of his car. Jason didn't want to take it home but he felt he had no option as it was affecting the livelihood of the staff. That night, he felt restless but eventually fell asleep; he would have dreams of old women and their face would dissolve into these "ghastly injuries" as if the face was being torn and ripped. Jason would go back to sleep and it would happen again. Jason would wake up and his eyes would be bloodshot red. Things in Jason’s life were taking a turn for the worse. One night, Jason and his son were watching TV when all the sudden, his son calls for him. Jason and his son see what Jason describes as a “misty, black flame…this black mass". Jason had already explored the scientific side of the box and still couldn't find the reasoning behind it all. Jason felt if this box had something trapped and he released it, he felt he had to seal it back in. Jason had property he had rented and took the box over there. He felt the basement area of this property was the best place to isolate the box away from everyone, from him and his family. 

Jason took a warm bath, hoping to relieve his body of whatever it was that attached itself to him as a result of the box. Meanwhile, his wife was doing the laundry downstairs. All the sudden, Jason felt something tear inside of him and a "jelly substance" like mucus came out of him. It was something he didn't recognize and Jason was in disbelief. At this moment, outside the bathroom door, his wife is yelling at him about poison ivy and the jeans she just washed. Jason opens the door and discovers his wife is covered in “watery blisters with blood broken” out all over her arm. Jason needed to find the owner of this box and resolve this issue. Jason contacted Kevin back in Portland and Kevin picked up the phone, only to hang up because he somehow knew it was about the box. The phone rang again and when Kevin picked it up, Jason urged him to talk to Jason. Within a few minutes of talking to Kevin, Jason knew he wasn’t alone in his experiences with the box. Jason and Kevin decided to team up and figure out how to dispose the box. 

Seeing red and dead....

The next day, Kevin drove back to the house where he purchased the box at the garage sale. When Kevin knocked on the door, the woman opened the door, and Kevin explained he needed to get information on the box. The woman demanded him to leave. As Kevin was ready to walk away, an old woman appeared at the front door and told Kevin “I know exactly why you’re here.” Kevin turned around and felt the old woman was drilling him with her eyes. The old woman’s name was Sophie, the cousin of the grandmother that had passed away. Sophie invites Kevin in the house and tells him the history of the box. Sophie explains that the grandmother’s named was Havala and tells Kevin the story of Havala and the box. Sophie and Havala lived in Poland prior to WWII and at the time, conducting seances was all the rage and acceptable among most. Havala made an ouija board out of woven cloth with the alphabet and numbers stitched in. She used a pendant to conduct the seances. During a seance, Havala and other women present contacted a spirit that started asking them to bring them over to the dark side, as if the entity wanted to take one of their souls. The women devised a ritual where they would be able to trap this entity in a box. Once Jason was informed of this story, he felt it was all true. “It was just too impossible to makeup,” he said. Jason then contacted a few Rabbis to get information on the best means to seal away the spirit and the box for good. The box was sealed away in a secret location and since then, no demonic activity has occurred….yet…..

Jane’s Notes; As far as scare factor goes, I still think last week's episode took the cake. But as far as subject matter goes, this episode has been the darkest as it covers demonic activity, which is something that can become very dangerous and as you can see, life-threatening. In my personal opinion, Ouija Boards are bad, bad news and during the Victorian era, seances and other forms of divination were very popular worldwide so what Havala participated in wasn’t unusual at the time.As for Jason Haxton, it was interesting to see that he noted that the box was used for “rituals” before finding out it was a box that was used in a séance. Personally, I liked Jason’s account of the story because while his occupation involves scientific research, he also seemed open-minded about the fact that whatever had happened could be paranormal and he was not afraid to admit that he misjudged the power of the box. I found a link that was from the Truman State University’s blog about the box and the media attention it has received. The link can be found here.

I also noticed on commercial break, there were trailers for the movie “The Possessed”. When I first saw the commercial awhile back, I rolled my eyes (no pun intended) and figured it was another hyped up Hollywood film taken from true events and overdramatized. Actually, the movie “The Possessed” is based off the cases surrounding the Dybbuk box;

A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child. (IMDB) 

I’m not usually one for hyped up, over-dramatized Hollywood horror movies but after finding out this disturbing information on the story surrounding the Dybbuk box, I might just have to take a peek at it and  view it for myself (with someone else with me so I have a lap to jump on during the scary parts…any volunteers?). Overall, even doing this recap, looking up more info on it and knowing what I do know now about the Dybbuk box (something I never heard of before) was slightly disturbing. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to Church, bless myself with holy water, then go home and put on “Big Ang” for some comedy relief! 

Picture Credit: Syfy, IMDB

Follow me on Twitter @janedoemessage
Have a ghost story to tell? Visit my blog at www.janedoemessage.com and tell me!

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