VH1 Mob Wives Starts Filming after the Holidays + Cast Member Revealed

Karen Gravano (one of the cast members)

The daugther of legendary Gambino turncoat Salvatore (Sammy Bull) Gravano stars in a new mob reality show - and that's not sitting well with relatives of her dad's victims.

Karen Gravano has started shooting for "Mob Wives," set to possibly air next year on VH1.

In one scene, she receives a well-timed prison phone call from her father, who is serving 20-years for Ecstasy trafficking, a preview copy obtained by the Daily News shows.

Gravano, 38, is one of five women tracked on the show - the other four in the preview video are actual wives; she's the only daughter.

Relatives of her 65-year-old murderous father's 19 victims say she should keep her mouth shut - and her face off TV.

"She grew up a little spoiled brat on blood money," said Jackie Colucci, whose slain brother Joseph was Salvatore Gravano's first victim in 1970.

"She should be ashamed that her father is a murderer and a drug dealer. I would be ashamed and crawling in a hole and staying out of the limelight.

"We're the victims. My brother's kids grew up without a father."

Karen Gravano's connection to the show is all part of an effort to reinvent herself. The self-proclaimed "aesthetician and makeup artist" hopes to open a beauty business.

Gravano said her dad's notorious past is his past - not hers.

"As far as the situation with my father, for the last 20 years I've always had that attention so it's nothing new," she said. "I'm trying to get out of that shadow."

"I'm sure it's going to be a good show," she said of the VH1 project, which is largely set inBrooklyn and on Staten Island

In one scene, she gets a call from Sammy Bull and gushes over a drawing he made of her daughter.

"Mommy showed me the picture you drew of (Sammy's granddaughter), it's beautiful!" the mob princess chirps.

Gravano also describes what it was like when she learned her dad broke his mob oath and agreed to testify against mob boss John Gotti.

"When he told me he was going to cooperate, it was devastating. . . . Finding all this out didn't matter because he's my father," she said on the video excerpt.

It should matter, the family of her dad's victims say. Capitalizing on the Gravano name trivializes the destruction he wrought as a gangster, they say.

"Doesn't she realize the aftermath of her father's actions? She has put him on a pedestal and they want to keep making money off Sammy," the relative said. "She's feeding off him."

"Mob Wives" is being produced by Jennifer Graziano, the daughter of Bonanno capo Anthony (T.G.) Graziano.

Her sister, Renee Graziano, praises Karen Gravano in one scene.

"Karen has got a huge set of b----, yes, she does," Graziano says.

A spokesman for "Mob Wives" declined to comment, insisting the show's cast is not set and "real production doesn't start until after the holidays."


via nydailynews.com

Mob Wives Coming Soon To VH1

VH1 is going to have yet another Wives type of show.  VH1 announced today on their site that they are going to have a show called Mob Wives. This one will different than Basketball Wives and Football Wives. This one does not have to do with sports, it deals with real women dealing with their husbands doing time in prison for mob related activities.

Here is the press release:

The project is the first to unite the feature film sensibilities of The Weinstein Company and the television and multimedia content expertise of Ben Silverman and his new venture, Electus. The companies look forward to exploring additional opportunities as they arise across all media. Electus and TWC will serve as co-executive producers on the show. In addition, Electus Distribution, the studio’s international distribution arm established in 2010, will have international distribution rights across all platforms including television, motion picture and digital.

“As evidenced by his groundbreaking shows such as Ugly Betty and The Office, Ben Silverman is a true innovator in the medium of television whose opinion we greatly respect,” stated Harvey Weinstein. “We are thrilled to partner with him on the first of what we hope will be many TV projects to come.”

“Harvey and Bob are fantastic producers with incredible taste and more trophies than the New York Yankees,” said Ben Silverman, founder and CEO of Electus. “We are thrilled to partner with them and VH1 on this supercharged series and are actively developing multiple projects across all media.”

“It’s really exciting to have a groundbreaking series from such legendary talent as the Weinstein brothers and Ben Silverman on a project as intriguing as Mob Wives,” stated Jeff Olde, EVP, original programming and production, VH1. “The women featured in the series are compelling, real-life characters with amazing stories to tell. Viewers will get a chance to follow them as they enter the next chapter of their lives.”

The series is the first created by Jennifer Graziano, who will serve as an executive producer. The experience of escorting “Mob Wives” to VH1 led The Weinstein Company to forge an exclusive deal between TWC and JustJenn Productions to create original television programming in the reality and scripted space. JustJenn will be based in TWC’s offices in New York and L.A.

“All of us at TWC loved Mob Wives, especially Harvey, and our enthusiasm wasn’t only for the project, but for Jennifer. She is a bright creative talent whose relationships and marketing experience will help us move more aggressively into television,” said David Glasser, COO of The Weinstein Company. Among its current television projects is the popular Bravo series Project Runway, its Lifetime spin-off On the Road with Austin & Santino and HBO’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

“Partnering with two legendary filmmakers and unique content providers like Harvey and Bob Weinstein is a dream come true, and I look forward to working with them on a daily basis to create the best shows on television,” stated Graziano.

Graziano began her career at Sony Entertainment in 2001, segueing to its A&R department before leaving the company to manage R&B/hip hop artist Frankee, for whom Graziano also wrote the #1 hit single, “F.U.R.B. (F U Right Back).” Most recently, she served as a director in the consumer lifestyle marketing department of MWW Group, a New York/New Jersey-based marketing communications firm, while leading her own company, Bounce Marketing, which aligns entertainment artists and properties with major brands such as Sony and Dodge.

Premieres March 2011