Meet Vinnie Medugno!

 I am pleased to introduce you to Vinnie Medugno, a very close friend of the Detore family. The Detores consider him family and he feels the same way about them. 

So, who is he? Let's start at the beginning. 

Born and raised in Staten Island, Vinnie just turned 27 on May 30th, and is one of two children in his family. His older brother Emilio is in the music business and works for Sirius XM Radio. Here's Vinnie and Emilio at a WWE event(they are big fans!): 

Courtesy Vinnie's personal collection

Vinnie with his parents
Courtesy Vinnie's personal collection

Even though it is just Vinnie and his brother in their immediate family, their mom is one of ten children and their dad is one of fourteen (!) so family events are a BIG deal. Vinnie says that some gatherings "look like sporting events." :) Vinnie is very close to his family and is beyond grateful for all their support. 

Vinnie with family
Courtesy Vinnie's personal collection

Vinnie's first love is music and is already involved in the music business part time. He credits Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra as some of his inspiration. 

Whether it is spinning or singing, he hopes to make the music business his full time career someday. Vinnie went to college and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Media Studies and first got a job working at WCBS FM 101.1. This was just the start of his involvement in the entertainment business. 

Vinnie at WCBS
Courtesy Vinnie's personal collection

Not only does he work in the music industry, Currently, Vinnie works full time teaching performing arts to high school students and history to special education students. He is earning a Master's Degree in Special Education. 

When it comes to his students and teaching them about the performing arts: 

 "I am able to mix both of my worlds together at this job. There is nothing more rewarding in seeing children do productive things and make something of their lives. It is great to be a role model and through them I become a better person because they teach me to continue to be the best at what I try to do so they can model that behavior. My students contribute to the individual that I am and continue to become and strive to be."
Here's Vinnie and some of his students after they had participated and performed in a Prom Showcase at the Staten Island Mall. You can see how proud he is of them! 

Vinnie and students
Courtesy Vinnie's personal collection

Back to the music side of things, Vinnie is extremely talented as a DJ, singer, board operator and producer and this is what he hopes to spend his life doing. He is well on his way. Check out this one of many videos showcasing his talent: 

This video is fantastic. You can really hear Vinnie's great singing voice in this where he is singing at the San Gennaro Festival in New York. Look for Janine's cameo in this as well as Leah DeSimone (from Mob Wives Chicago) in this one. He's so entertaining! 

Which brings me to how Vinnie knows the Detore family.Get ready because it is an "It's a small world" story:  Vinnie's dad used to tend bar and had a cousin that Janine's sister, Angela was close to. So, Vinnie's dad got to meet Angela years ago and said she had the "larger than life personality well before she ever was on television." So, Vinnie began visiting Angela's bar, Drunken Monkey and watching her show with her once it aired. However, at that point, he didn't know Janine...yet.

Vinnie is passionate about charity work and as we know already, so is Janine. Vinnie would be hosting various charity events and would see gift certificates that she would send from Country Mouse for raffles. And then finally, he was asked to host a fundraiser for a young child with cancer. Janine was involved in this fundraiser, they met and it was only then that he learned she was Angela's sister. After that, he and the whole Detore family became great friends. 

Vinnie says that Dom will call him for any job that needs a DJ and adds that he loves all of them.

Vinnie with some of the Detores at a show
Courtesy Vinnie's personal collection

Vinnie and Janine
Courtesy Vinnie's personal collection

Vinnie and Angela "Big Ang"Raiola
Courtesy Vinnie's personal collection

Here's a direct quote from Vinnie about the Detores: 
"I don't look at them as friends.They have become my extended family and I am truly grateful for them, because through them a lot of doors continue to open and we all support each other and that's really what it's all about. In life, a lot of friendships are give-and-take but with them I feel like it's an equal go around of support love and growth. What you see is what they are in reality just all-around great people."

And Janine feels the same way. "Vinnie is family. We love him dearly." 

Vinnie credits a lot of his success in his life to his faith. A devout Catholic, he enjoys attending Mass. And while his faith is strong and unwavering, he doesn't press his beliefs onto other people. He simply just wants to live serving his faith and others well by giving back to the community. It is way of showing thanks for all the blessings in his life that he has received. He also continues working on remaining a positive role model, especially for today's youth. 
Vinnie has a lot of plans for the future.Someday, he wants to settle down and have a family and also wants to continue all that he is currently doing as far as music is concerned.   Here are a few shots of Vinnie doing what he does best! 

Spinning, singing and hosting!
All courtesy Vinnie's personal collection.

So,time for my two cents! I had the pleasure of meeting Vinnie. What a charmer! He is extremely polite and he is the type of person that you know  really wants to hear the answer if he asks you a question. And let's be honest (time to embarrass myself AND Vinnie-lol), what a looker! Seriously, he is a very sweet, down to earth person. 

One of his specific goals is to have a big record hit the charts. You can already buy some of his work on iTunes! I just know he is going to go far.

Follow Vinnie on Twitter-@VinnieMedugno
                                Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/VinnieMedugno?fref=ts



I want to say thank you to Vinnie for the time he took to answer questions and provide pictures and videos. Thank you for reading. 

Angela "Big Ang" Raiola

Probably the most famous out of the Raiola clan is Janine's older sister, Angela.  Angela or "Big Ang" as she's known, is a fan favorite on VH1's Mob Wives and also stars in her own spin off show titled "Big Ang." 

Donna, Angela and Janine-The three Raiola sisters!

On Mob Wives, Angela is the voice of reason. She doesn't like the fights and she doesn't like the drama. She also tries to keep the peace between the other women and just wants everyone to get along. 

On her own show, the first season showed more of just her own life including time spent with her family and friends, including Janine, Dom, Little Jen and Linda. If you haven't already seen it, get ready for some laughs. Angela's outlook on life is to have fun while you're on this earth. But, she's also honest and upfront enough to share some of the hardships that she has been through as well. The second new season of "Big Ang" will  air on VH1 this September. You can also download the first season on iTunes. 

Most people would assume (incorrectly) on how Big Ang got her nickname. It's not what you think. When Angela was younger, she had a friend-another girl named Angela. Well, they called this Angela "Big Ang" because she was taller than her friend, who was then known as "Little Ang.

A lot of people only have seen Big Ang as she looks today, but check out these two blasts from the past photos. One of Angela and her brother Stephen and one of Angela and her mom: 

Family is important to Angela.  She's a sister to six, a wife to Neil and mom to two kids (and Little Louie!), and a friend to countless others. She's also absolutely in love with her grandson, Baby Sal. She must be one cool grandma because Janine's son, Ronnie calls her Grandma, too! :) 

Louis, Donna, Ronald, Angela, Janine and Stephen
The Raiola Siblings!

Angela and hubby Neil

Angela just had a birthday on June 30th and is beyond busy between filming both her shows, making appearances, and taking care of her two businesses. She has a strong work ethic and Janine will be the first person to say what a hard worker Angela is. 

Her first bar, Drunken Monkey, located at 1205 Forest Avenue in Staten Island has been seen on both of her shows and is a modest, welcoming local  bar. Janine's husband remodeled it not too long ago and did a beautiful job. 

And now, more recently, she has opened the Miami Monkey,on the second floor of  the Netherland Building at 1330 Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.  

Another project Angela has done is her book, Bigger is Better, Real Life Wisdom from the No Drama Mama.  It is a really fun, quick read and reveals a lot about how Angela feels about many different aspects of life. Some of it is  hilarious and some is downright practical but all of it is very entertaining. It includes quotes from different family members and friends, too. Make sure you get it if you haven't already. 

 I have met Angela twice. Once was for the premiere party for Season 3 of Mob Wives at the Drunken Monkey: 

And the other time was when I went to see Janine play a role in the play, Italian Bred. Here's Janine, me, Angela and my husband at the FANTASTIC restaurant, Ignazio's in Brooklyn, New York. 

I found her to be down to earth, and very nice.  What really struck me was how soft spoken she is in person. She's really laid back and approachable.  

Angela is very receptive of all her fans. She never refuses a photo when someone requests one. I saw people coming up to her at the theater before the play started.  Now, mind you, she was just there to see her sister in the play, but she still took the time to pose for photos with people. She also has a very large following on Twitter. Follow her @biggangvh1. Also, follow Neil @MrBigAngvh1. 

Angela lives life on her own terms and not too many people are brave enough to do that.

Courtesy Janine's personal collection

She even seems surprised herself sometimes about how her life has changed very quickly from being a bartender to accumulating legions of fans. However, that hasn't changed her. Ask anyone from her family or her friends, and they will tell you that Angela has remained the same -true to herself, loyal to her friends and family and not afraid of living life to the fullest. Big personality, big sense of humor, big heart. Big Ang, indeed. 




Please do not copy or use any part of this blog without my permission.