Growing Up Gotti

I remember seeing ads for a new show called "Growing Up Gotti" on a couple of networks I watch. However, I only ever saw the end of the commercial and me living in a dark corner of the universe hadn't a clue who John Gotti was. It wasn't until after the first episode my friend felt it best to inform me.

"You have to watch this show, Victoria Gotti is my new role model. She's great, an older version of us and did I mention her sons are hot, hot, hot!"

Now, keep in mind my friend usually thinks anything that has two legs and is remotely cute is gorgeous, which is why I tuned into the show reluctantly. However the minute I saw "Mothers Day" I found a new favorite show.

Now, some people say the show uses sex appeal by the guys to keep viewers around which is somewhat true, I agree to an extent that they do, but that is not however, what makes them stay. No my friends, what makes you watch every week is how "real" this reality show really is.

Victoria and the boys are just being themselves. And when you might be outraged by the boys rude and crude behavior and think Victoria is to old for her antics you're secretly addicted. Come on, admit it, you know you want to. I swear it feels better once you get it out, trust me.

Did you not laugh when Victoria posed Luigi as a count? Did you not watch and wonder what Victoria had up under her sleeve as punishment for John and his tattoo? Are you not amazed at all the yelling and screaming over one little bottle of hair gel? We are a curious society and when we find something new and peculiar, we cling to it.

That is why my friends I was and still am sucked in and you probably are to.

The dumbest show I have ever seen!!! These people are ignorant and have nothing to be proud of in the name Gotti! This is a waste of air/time for the networks, they should put something on its is place. Actually, I'd rather watch paid programming then this crap! I'd love to bump into Victoria Gotti on a street or in a mall and tell her just what I think of her with her knotted, dried out, straw-like hair that suffers from way to many chemicals! Her face is hideous and her eyes look like they are going to bulge right out of her head! The network is supporting criminals and their behavior bye keeping this show on the air. The only reason Victoria even has anything at all is because of her criminal husband and father. Furthermore, her show about her going on dates was all for show. She will NEVER be free from her husband. This was just staged for the FBI, as if they are that stupid! Grow up Victoria! As for the comment about the name "Gotti", who cares what it means???? That is just stupid. Victoria Gotti is ignorant and rude to everyone she comes into contact with and her ungrateful children are NO different! One day one of her boys will say the wrong thing to the wrong person and get just what he's got coming because there are a lot of people out there that could care less who the Gotti's are!

What is it about Victoria Gotti? She's got something doesn't she? I mean, she must have something, because she's become a household name long after all that Mafia and FBI stuff.

I remember her from, years ago, when she blurted out to a local newsman, "My father is the last of the Mohicans." Mind you, she said this as she was getting into her Cadillac and it was classic.

I knew then and there that she was not going to wind up making marinara sauce for the guys. She was an American original.

So, after years of wiretaps and heavy-handed prosecution, the whole government thing was one-upped by Victoria's quick-witted and memorable sound bites. Her off-handed remarks are more or less the Rosetta Stone for anyone who might find themselves thrust into the national spotlight for infamous reasons.

She's so darn intelligent and savvy, yet she surrounds herself with such dopey people? Luigi? What's his purpose? I hate to think that he's some comic relief thrown in by the producers. The guys she gets to chaperone her sons are morons -- she gets rid of them but it's always after the fact. Her gay friend is on the ball -- why not a little more about him? Yes, I like Victoria -- she's a good mother and a good role model for women in general. Don't bother me with Mafia stuff or that Daughter-of-a-Mafia-Don baloney -- watch the show and see what it means to be a mother with ultra energetic sons. Smart women and good mothers can come from anywhere -- don't watch this show with prejudice.

Victoria never hijacked a truck, but she might hijack your heart. Damien

I admit that some notorious criminals may hold a certain fascination to viewers of reality shows. I am even sufficiently endowed with a huge circle of friends of many 'preferences in entertainment' to grant you that even minor criminals (still murderous but less stylish, say) can grab your attention for a few episodes. I am far more dubious about people whose only claim to notoriety is being the wife / daughter / grandson of some petty hit-man. It's not their ignorance, cursing, rudeness or immense self-indulgence that puts me off. I can endure that if the people in question display ANY kind of talent, interesting quirkiness or even clinical schizophrenia. I cannot endure it for more than the 15 minutes I was exposed to by a not-all-that-well-meaning friend when it's a case of "Watch us! See how brainless AND rich we are. Look how it's possible to live on Blood Money and no talent whatsoever in modern America". It is idiotic but not in a funny way. And creepy but in a way that diminishes the humanity of the God knows how many victims these people founded their money, vulgarity and tastelessness upon. As a half-Italian good old fashioned communist girl I took particular offense at the implied witless remarks suggesting Italy is still ruled by the Mafia. That is only the South, so kudos for getting Naples right and Tuscany wrong. And general shame on you as to the cable A&E or "Bio." channel I saw this on. You used to be better. Not by any means good (except when borrowing British whodunits) but so much better than this purposeless, offensive yet somewhat strangely impossible-to-make-compelling farce.

K,so many ppl hate this show and cry bloody-murder..First of all,I am a young Sicilian & I LOVE this show because my family and I can relate soooo much to it! We have our world war 7 arguments all the time, because we LOVE each other ENOUGH TO! Unlike most families we can scream and yell--the whole bit because we never second guess the love we have for each other and that fighting can never be enough to break that bond. So many ppl I know who hate this show can never have as opened a conversation or subject as we or the Gottis do! They would never take up the topic of arguing with their parents...Why, afraid it's enough to destroy your relationship? Afrais it just might put you in a completely awkward situation where you could'nt even look at one another? I believe so, yes, and you do, too. We can yell, because as i just stated, we can. As Victoria says herself..." We love hard, we fight hard." Ain't no doubt about it. And what I don't understand is so many ppl who say Victoria is a bad mother and her kids are the worst children out there.

How can you disrespect the single mother of 3 teenage boys and then disrespect them for disrespecting the women YOUR DISRESPECTING?! Oh, the agita I get from the ignorance! Carmine or Frank said it best in InStyle magazine : " Everyone thinks we're bad children...But they're filming 24 hours a day....And you only get to see 30 minutes! Where's the rest of the 23 1/2 hours?! " Good boy! As shown on the Gottis, we say our own family saying : " There ain't no greater enemy than that who isn't family". Nuff said.