The Coronation of "Queen" Victoria
Growing Up Gotti Commentary
By Eleanor Meilinger
August 22, 2004
If "Growing Up Gotti" remains a top-rated show on A&E it will be due, in no small part, to the unprecedented amount of media coverage this show has attracted. Usually, a reality show, even the most popular like Survivor and American Idol, has a traceable amount of coverage. Some pre-premiere conjecture and hype, a blitz during the premiere week followed by sporadic coverage as "newsworthy' developments arise or juicy dirt is uncovered and finally the speculation and anticipation leading up to the finale. An episodic show like "Growing Up Gotti" has never garnered as much attention as a competition based show. This time things are different. Hardly a day has passed since the week leading up to the premiere on A&E that we have not seen or read about Victoria and her sons
Victoria Gotti may soon be crowned the reigning "Queen of all Media". She has been featured in a vast amount of magazines & gossip columns; has appeared on almost every television and radio talk show; her books have seen an increase in sales. This past week she even completed a role on the daytime drama "Passions", a show she had previously appeared on playing herself as a talk show host (perhaps she has her eye on Oprah's throne?). A feature about the family was done on the ABC news magazine 20/20. Newspapers are sending their reporters out to the barbershop where the boys have their hair styled to experience the amount of effort that goes into keeping the Gotti boys hot. I-C-E Gel sales have skyrocketed, women are confidently wearing white and young girls are vying frantically for a chance to meet the "Hotti s" - three boys who remained relatively anonymous up until the beginning of August. Reporters have also flanked the prison where Carmine Agnello (patriarch of the now (in) famous clan) is incarcerated, hoping he will break his silence on the whole notion of his offspring and ex-wife replacing the Osbourne's as TV's favorite family.
It is not surprising that this buzz is being created at a time where many of the summer series have ended and the fall line-up has yet to be launched. People must be curious to see what the hype is all about. A&E would do well to be consistent in their scheduling of re-broadcasts, as there is a growing interest in the early episodes. The series is quickly becoming "must-see" TV.
Victoria has had years of experience dealing with, and later working for, the media. Upon close examination it becomes obvious where she holds influence and where the coverage remains unbiased. For instance, on August 18th, word got out that her middle son John was not headed to Harvard as she had been quoted in many interviews and press releases, at least not to the knowledge of administrators there. Two days later the family was the subject of stories on competing tabloid entertainment shows. EXTRA interviewed Victoria, where she told amusing stories about the "Harvard" miscommunication and about fans following the limo carrying her and the boys from a New Jersey radio station all the way home to their front door on Long Island. She also announced that it was very likely a second season would be filmed. At the same time, Entertainment Tonight aired a closed circuit video of a 1998 visit between Victoria, her son John and unnamed uncle to John Gotti Sr. in prison. This tape showed Victoria adamantly informing her father that John would grow up to be a lawyer. The boy contradicts her and says he wants to be a professional basketball player or a cook. Grandpa is not pleased with the sass and disrespect shown by his grandson. He launches a tirade about how spoiled his grandsons are and dismisses the boy, who is visibly shaken. If such tapes of private visits to the prison are available to the media, you can be sure that this one was selected as a direct result of an MSNBC story in which Victoria explained her claim that John was "going to attend Harvard" was the result of the hopes she had harbored for years. MSNBC quotes: A spokesman for Victoria Gotti concedes that her boasting may be a tad premature. "It has been her son's dream to attend Harvard since he was in grade school," the rep told The Scoop. "That is his goal and that is his focus. He is about to start his senior year in high school and has not been accepted to Harvard. It is his dream and belief that he will be accepted." We should note that the favorable coverage comes from a show that employed Victoria as a celebrity interviewer in the past.
Victoria is set to launch her own magazine next month called "Red Carpet", a celebrity interview magazine with contributions from the celebrities themselves. This should make a welcome change to the existing tabloids that are notorious for twisting the facts gleaned from their celebrity interviews to produce the juiciest headlines. Keep in mind though, the same group that bring us Star magazine, where Victoria has been a columnist for several years, is publishing the magazine. This will certainly prove to be a powerful position for our heroine whether the show continues its success or not.
Considering that the boys, Carmine, John and Frank were labeled "Hotti Gottis" long before their show ever aired, it is no wonder that they have become immediate teen idols. Here, the manipulation of public opinion is blatant. After viewing the show there is little to recommend them as potential boyfriends, but it seems that teenage girls are oblivious to the values being portrayed on the screen. They are too busy buying into the opulent lifestyle, the fake tans and perfectly coiffed 'dos. They are watching and hanging on every detail. They are begging for more. The fact is, whether they buy into the hype or not, as long as they are tuning in this makes a new demographic for A&E, one that they are sure to welcome. Last week, a scheduled episode featuring Victoria was replaced with one in which the boys claimed more airtime. No wonder they are signing "Growing Up Gotti" for a second season, this show comes with advantages that few others have: 1) A media savvy matriarch who can provide unlimited PR and perhaps create enough curiosity to lure viewers from the networks. 2) A lock into a demographic that is no longer being catered to by network TV 3) A really good story - the truth is turning out to be so much more interesting than the myth. It's real; it's funny and a vicarious thrill. It is also a reflection of what we are and what we fear we will become. Throughout all of her fiction, Victoria Gotti seemed to create characters that are larger than life - here we discover that they are simply viewed from her skewed perspective. She "grew up Gotti" and it has influenced everything she is today.
One thing is certain, by the time this show is over, Victoria will have achieved one of her goals. The first image conjured by the Gotti name will no longer be that of "The Dapper Don". She may never erase the stigma of the family name no one can deny that she has certainly polished up it's image and re-introduced it into the limelight. She has also, unwittingly perhaps, labeled herself the head of this Gotti family. In that role she has won over a very demanding audience. If the show can survive the onslaught of reality shows slated for the fall she just may become the reigning Queen.
Eleanor is a NYC girl managing her own "Mob" in the Pocono Mountains. She maintains her sanity by watching "Reality TV" and convincing herself that it is all "REAL".
She can be reached at ifyouaskme@msn.com
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