You may not have heard the name Rita Ora yet, but it’s seemingly only a matter of time before she becomes a household name. The UK-based pop star is Jay-Z‘s latest protégé, and is already being called “the new Rihanna.”Ora, whose song “How We Do (Party)” is in the running for this year’s Song Of The Summer crown, was born and raised in Albania, so when she popped by our offices here in Times Square recently, we made sure to ask her about a member of the VH1 family with Albanian roots: Drita D’avanzo from Mob Wives.
“I love her, she is my GIRL!,” Rita joyously explained. “She’s the prime example of an independent woman … [Albanian women] sometimes do come across as agressive, but it’s always from a good place, you know? Unless you trigger us wrong!” Then, Rita turned directly to the camera to proclaim, “Keep doing your thing on Mob Wives, and I’ll still be watching you Drita. I really am supporting her!”
Well, apparently the feeling is mutual. Drita and Rita exchanged complimentary tweets the other night, which we have for you below!
Rather than asking what the biggest, baddest fight of the year was, we’re posing that question in a different way: We want to know who you think had the fiercest, most volatile onscreen relationship of 2011. Because as we’ve learned, even some of the biggest fights, like Laura and Malaysia‘s episode one blowout on Basketball Wives L.A., can still end with no hard feelings. But these women we’ve listed below, well, it’s pretty safe to say they may never be friends. So whose situation is the realest, meanest definition of “frenemy”? You tell us. To refresh your memories, look after the jump for GIFs and clips of some of the more intense moments these women shared.
Cast reunions are some of the most heated, exciting, eventful episodes of the year, and we’ve had a ton of great reunion moments from all of our shows in 2011. But if we had to pick one moment to reign supreme over all the others…well, that’s a tough choice to make. We’ve narrowed down our four biggest reunion moments and want to know which one you think was the best. Watch each moment below and then take our poll!
Evelyn Lozada
After putting up with Meeka Claxton all season, it seemed like the ladies on Basketball Wives might tear her apart during the reunion. Surprisingly, Meeka and Tami, though they exchanged words, kept things fairly civil during the taping. However, it was during an argument with Meeka over the design of her earrings where things got heated. Evelyn, who has an earring line of her own, got into a dispute with Meeka’s earring designer and after a brief back and forth, shouted her now infamous “Security!” and gave a double snap of her fingers, getting the designer booted from the set. In time, Meeka followed suit, choosing not to return to the show.
Somaya Reece
Somaya may have said some not-so-nice things about Olivia during season one ofLove And Hip Hop (“I’m making you relevant again” ring any bells?) and it came back to bite her at the reunion when Olivia’s manager Rich Dollaz took her to task. However, it was Somaya who had the last laugh when she repeatedly called Rich a “vagina,” turning your every day anatomical reference into an insult and causing him to angrily walk off the stage. (Somaya even apologized to fans of the show for Rich’s behavior.)
Renee Graziano
Renee and Carla came to blows during season one of Mob Wives when Renee accused Carla’s boyfriend of inappropriately touching her. The women agreed to disagree over what kind of “bad touch” this guy actually tried, but it made for the most explosive conversation of the reunion, with Renee breaking down in tears and finally shutting Carla down saying “Restylane! ‘Cause you’re nothing but a filler, bitch.”
Draya Michele
Draya had the best lines of the night during the Basketball Wives L.A. reunion and she definitely held her ground when she had to. When she was describing how she was treated, she told host John Salley “The underdog rose to the top on this show!” Later, when the women were ganging up on Jackie and conversation turned (half-jokingly) to Jackie needing medication, Draya joked “Do you have a doctor? She got Michael Jackson’s doctor!” (“Michael Jackson’s” actually trended that night on Twitter, so we KNOW you loved it!)
Oh, Reneeand Drita, how we heart you guys. These two Mob Wives might be hard-a**es, but they’re also a comic duo for the ages. They appeared on VH1′s 40 Winningest Winners Of 2011 special this week (the full list of winners is over here!) and we have a special clip of them terrorizing host Amy Schumer. “Give me one good reason why we should let you host this year end special,” Renee asks. “Like, did you ever date a basketball player, a rapper, a wiseguy, a gangster, anything? Like, what the f—?” Drita follows up. After a pep talk and a mobalicious makeover, they turn Amy into a host VH1 can be proud of. And after the jump, watch as the pair steal poor Amy’s lunch money. [click to continue…]
We all know how Renee Graziano and the rest of the Mob Wives family hates a rat, so things on the show are about to get complicated. Renee, whose loyalty and anti-snitching views are well known, received a big shock when she learned that her ex-husband Hector “Junior” Pagan was just revealed to be an FBI informant. The New York Post reported today that Pagan has been wearing a wire and cooperating with the FBI as part of a deal he struck after his prominently featured arrest during the first season of the show. Making the situation even more volatile is the fact that one of the people Pagan allegedly informed against was none other than Anthony Graziano, his ex-father-in-law. This is going to make for a seriously dramatic season two.
Show producer Jennifer Graziano tells the Post “The first inclination is always to say, ‘Shut it down.’ It is a reality show, and I knew this was going to be personal to me going into this. But I didn’t know this was going to happen.” She also hinted at how Renee is dealing with the situation, saying “Renee is an open book and lets people into her life because she wants people to understand what she’s going through.”
[Photos: Getty Images/Twitter]
Wow. Just wow. This new Mob Wives season two promo is amazing. The show, which premieres on New Year’s Day, receives a treatment befitting of the tale of rivalry, passion, glamour and occasional hand-to-hand combat these women weave. The only problem is waiting almost a month to see it unfold. Mob Wives premieres January 1, 2012 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Finally, we get to hear whatDrita D’avanzo thinks of Twilight. [RealityAired]
Matt Barnes alleges that Gloria Govan cheated on him with his friend, in a statement he released this week. [LA Times]
Dave Coulier wants to team up with his Surreal Life co-star and friend Flava Flav for a show called Dave And Flav. If there is a God, this will happen. [HuffPo]
Want to be in Somaya Reece‘s new video? Check out her Twitter to see how you can appear, it’s taping on 11/26. [Twitter]
Do we sense a Basketball Wives and Love And Hip Hop crossover episode? Well, maybe not, but Jim Jones and Jennifer Williams hosted a turkey drive in New York City this week. Check out TheYBF for pics! [TheYBF]
T.I.’s show T.I. And Tiny: The Family Hustle will premiere in two weeks, but he released his newest song, “Pyro,” which you can listen to online now. [NYMag]
Well, it’s about time to call it a week here at the VH1 Blog. We’ll be taking off the next couple of days to stuff our faces with a harvest of fall colors, from sunset-orange hued sweet potato casserole dotted with mini marshmallows to the deep burgundy color of the gelatinous cranberry sauce I plan to scoop out of a can, but in case you want an idea for something a little more gourmet, allow Mob Wives starCarla Facciolo to assist. Carla contributed her recipe for stuffed artichokes to Hollywood Life earlier today and, well, Carla, let us know if you have an extra spot at your holiday table, I can bring the wine. Happy Thanksgiving!
[Photos: Keep Wine Simple/Getty Images]
Ramona Rizzo better prepare herself, because she’s about to become a household name. The granddaughter of Benjamin “Lefty Guns” Ruggiero has just signed on to be a castmember on the second season of Mob Wives. Rizzo, who is a childhood friend of Karen Gravano, will make her debut on the January 1 premiere of the show. The New York Post reports that Rizzo was incredibly close with her grandfather, who was portrayed in the film Donnie Brasco, by Al Pacino. Mob Wives executive producer Jenn Graziano says “Her grandfather is the one person — aside from her father — who’s probably Ramona’s biggest hero…When they were making ['Donnie Brasco'] — and this is Ramona’s personality to a T — she went to the set, called Pacino out of his trailer and said: ‘I understand you’re playing my grandfather. You’ve got a job to do. You need to play him right. This is what he was, and this is what he wasn’t.’”
Graziano also describes the relationship between Gravano and Rizzo, saying “Karen and Ramona grew up together, did their first Communion together and slept over each other’s houses. They’re really close and call each other ‘cousins.’ They’re probably tighter than real blood cousins, but they’re not related.” Get to know Ramona even better by following her on Twitter (@RamonaRizzo888), and make sure you tune in to the season premiere of Mob Wives on January 1, 2012.
They don’t usually set off fireworks for New Year’s Day, but we’re definitely going to see some sparks fly when season two of Mob Wives returns to the airwaves on January 1, 2012. In addition to the confirmation that our four favorite Staten Islanders are back to finish what they started in season two, we’re also going to get a dose of the Windy City when VH1 launches Mob Wives: Chicago in the spring as well. For information about both shows and a word from creator Jenn Graziano, read on.
THEY’RE GANGSTER AND THEY’RE BACK!
VH1′S SMASH HIT “MOB WIVES” RINGS IN SEASON 2
ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
The Family Expands in Spring 2012 with its First Spin-Off “Mob Wives: Chicago”
