New York, U.S.A. – Season 2 of VH1′s hit reality series, “Mob Wives“ is ending just as it began… on an emotional roller coaster as all the ladies end up in the same room for the first time this season.

The explosive 2-part reunion special, hosted by The View’s Joy Behar, is set to air on May 20th and 27th and will reveal even more laughter, tears and drama than was already packed into the 17 episode season.  And for the millions of “Mob Wives“ fans out there, there will officially be a season 3 premiering in early 2013.

When the season began, Renee was in the hospital after her nearly fatal plastic surgery debacle and Drita’s feud with Karen was still heated, to say the least. We also met two new Mob Wives, Big Ang and Karen loyalist, Ramona.  Along the way we saw Junior turn ‘rat’ after wearing a wire to send Renee’s father back to prison.

We also saw the rest of the women struggle as the men in their lives dealt with the harsh realities of life both in and after prison.  In this season’s finale, Drita and Karen decide to have a private ‘sit down’ to see if they can finally put the past behind them. But after all their animosity, is there any way this can end well? Is it just another recipe for disaster?

Joy Behar hosts the reunion special airing in two parts on May 20th and 27th. And she digs deep into the lives of the Mob Wives, unearthing new details about Junior’s devastating betrayal and the feud between Drita and her arch enemies, Karen and Ramona.  Joy does her best to resolve the women’s differences, with mixed results.

As a host, Joy is also able to get to the bottom of many of the unanswered questions from the season like “Where is Junior now?” to “What is really going on between Carla and Joe?” as well as updates on the divorce proceedings between Drita and her husband Lee, and even the burning question, “What is Big Ang’s bra size?”

Also on the reunion special – for the first time ever, viewers will hear the story from the perspective of the men in the Mob Wives’ lives as Carla and Karen’s exes take the stage. Jennifer Graziano, upon whose concept the series is based, will step out from behind the scenes to describe how she kept the cameras rolling even as the shocking details of her sister Renee’s betrayal by her ex-husband unfolded for all the world to see.

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Friday, April 13 at 7:00 PM, the 2012 Florida Film Festival officially got under way. It is the 21st annual Florida Film Festival and it kicked off in style. The festival began at the Regal Cinema in Winter Park, Florida, even though the featured theater is the Enzian. There was a big buzz outside the theater and around the small red carpet in anticipation of the 10 days of films to come.

There was excitement and eagerness around the opening movie, and for many reasons. For one, the opening film only screens once, while most other films will screen on at least two separate occasions. Another reason was the film itself; Renee is a movie based on real life events that inspired the “To Write Love On Her Arms” movement. The real life events for the story took place only a few minutes away from the screening in Orlando while adding to the local flavor is that the movie was filmed in Orlando as well.

The theater had a miniature red carpet set up outside, which many fans, press, and crew gathered around. Many people involved in the film stepped onto the red carpet for some brief interviews. The director, writer, some actors, a plethora of technical people, and even the real life people the movie portrays, were all in attendance.

The theater was at maximum capacity for the screening; it was even being shown in two theaters. There was a microphone set up at the front of the theater and Matthew Curtis from Enzian declared the festival officially open. The crowd cheered and we were presented with an opening short film.

The short was Fresh Guacamole, a little two-minute film in stop motion fashion. It was simply a man cutting up household items as ingredients for a bowl of guacamole dip. It was very clever and quite delightful to watch in its style of animation. Then came the feature presentation.

The film Renee is based on the story of Renee Yohe; a girl with a vivid imagination but also tormented by drug addiction and self-cutting. The movie was directed by Nathan Frankowski and stars Kat Dennings as Renee along with Chad Michael Murray and Rupert Friend.  The film portrays her imagination beautifully with fantasy like sequences with a mix of special effects and music.

Much of the technical work was done at local institutions like Full Sail University, University of Central Florida and Dave School. Many of these people were in attendance and enjoying seeing their work on the big screen.

Along with these wonderful imagination sequences, the movie also has an emotionally heavy heart. The story of Renee’s journey from screw-up to attempted recovery really conveys a good message of finding help for yourself and for others. After the film ended, the audience gave a well deserved round of applause. Then, all of the people associated with the film filled the front of the theater for questions and answers.

There were many good moments from the Q&A discussion, but the highlight for me was hearing from the people who experienced it in real life. They said that the movie sparked memories for them and made them remember what they went through. Hearing from the real Renee after hearing her story was surreal and inspiring, seeing how far she has come and where she is today. After it was all said and done, the Florida Film Festival was off to a fantastic start.

Image Courtesy of   talktogabriel

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With ratings as high as the on-set drama, VH1 announced that its one-hour hit reality series “Mob Wives” will be immediately followed with a half-hour post-show titled “Mob Wives: The Sit Down,” beginning Sunday, January 29 at 9pm ET/PT. The series will also be produced by TWC, Electus, Left/Right and JustJenn Productions who also produce “Mob Wives” and the upcoming “Mob Wives: Chicago.”

Hosted by VH1′s own Carrie Keagan (Big Morning Buzz Live), the post-show will feature 2-3 of the wives each week along with a special celebrity guest to discuss the episode immediately after it runs and to share some exclusive behind-the-scenes info.  The series has an initial order for 7 post-show episodes.

Now in its second season on VH1, “Mob Wives” (Sundays, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT) gives viewers an unfiltered look into the private worlds of six struggling “allegedly” associated women – Renee, Karen, Carla and Drita, along with new season 2 cast members Ramona and “Big Ang” – all of whom must pick up the pieces while their husbands or fathers do time for Mob-related activities.

United by a bond which few understand, the women are all struggling with their identities and their futures as they raise their kids as single parents in the New York City area. Season two premiere episodes have averaged a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demo, up +63% from season one’s average.  The premiere episodes have also averaged 2.2 million total viewers, up +67% from season one.

“Mob Wives” has also consistently won its time period, making VH1 the #1 non-sports cable network among adults 18-49 all three weeks of its current season in the time slot.  This spring the network will debut a spin-off, “Mob Wives: Chicago,” where the hometown of Al Capone will serve as the backdrop for a new group of syndicate sisters.

Carrie Keagan is the host of VH1′s entertainment show ”Big Morning Buzz Live.”  She boasts well over 7,000 interviews to her credit with “Big Morning Buzz Live” and her own No Good TV, including an impressive list of exclusive and uncensored sit-downs with some of the biggest celebrities and public figures of our time.

Keagan produced and hosted 2 seasons of VH1 Classic’s “One Hit Wonders” and has co-hosted the live red carpet preshow for the Critics’ Choice Awards and co-hosted The Daily 10 (E!) along with live Emmy, Oscar and Golden Globe red carpet coverage. VH1′s Co-Star app will also be an element of the show.  Carrie will read fan tweets from Co-Star and additional fan tweets will be featured in the lower third graphics.

Users can ask questions all week long using #TheSitDown for their chance to have their question read on the show.  For additional information about “Mob Wives,” visit the official VH1 Mob Wives site at MobWives.vh1.com. Viewers can also find series updates on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mobwives and on Twitter @VH1 with the hashtag #MobWives.  For additional information about VH1 please go to https://twitter.com/#!/vh1.

Created and produced by Jennifer Graziano of JustJenn Productions, “Mob Wives“ is produced by The Weinstein Company (Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein), Electus (Ben Silverman, Jimmy Fox) and Left/Right (Banks Tarver, Ken Druckerman and Nina L. Diaz), with Electus International owning distribution rights across all platforms including television, motion picture, and digital.

Executive producers for VH1 include Shelly Tatro, Kari McFarland, Rick Hankey and Jeff Olde.  Sean Gottlieb serves as supervising producer for VH1.

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VH1′s hit series ‘Mob Wives’ started off 2012 with a ratings bang on New Year’s Day. The second season premiere episode at 8 PM averaged a 1.4 in the adult 18-49 demo – a +56% increase over the first season’s premiere episode – and ranked as the #1 telecast on basic cable in its 8 pm time period slot among adults 18-49, women 18-49 and women 18-34.

The 8 PM telecast on January 1 was seen by 2.4 million total viewers. The premiere episode attracted 3.5 million total viewers when combined with its 9 PM encore.

‘Mob Wives’ generated heat on social media platforms that evening with 11 trending topics on Twitter, including #MobWives, as well as for the wives themselves: Drita, Carla, Renee and Karen and new cast members Ramona and “Big Ang.”  In addition, VH1′s Mob Wives page on Facebook saw tremendous activity resulting in more than 10,000 new “likes.”

The second season of ‘ Mob Wives’ picks up where the first left off – with each cast member dealing with major personal life issues. The rift between Karen and Drita is far from over – will they ever be able to “bury the hatchet?” Renee goes under the knife for major plastic surgery that may have some unexpected consequences, while also contemplating her future with her ex-husband Junior.

Drita is considering her options when it comes to leaving her husband Lee – while Carla’s relationship with her estranged husband Joe may take an unexpected twist. And, of course, everyone wants to know what’s in Karen’s soon-to-be-released book – the one she moved back to New York to write!

Last season, ‘Mob Wives’ gave viewers an unfiltered look into the closed-door society of Renee, Karen, Carla and Drita, four struggling “allegedly” associated women who have to pick up the pieces and carry on while their husbands or fathers do time for Mob-related activities. United by a bond which few understand, the women are all struggling with their identities and their futures as they raise their kids as single parents in the New York City area.

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