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Occhio contro occhio

May 23, 2008

Linking the Diaspora Cinematically

Joseph Sciorra

Australia’s Federation of Italian Migrant Workers and their Families holds its “The Weird Mob 2: The Italian Invasion” Film Festival.

May 14, 2008

Sinatra, a Morality Tale.

Joseph Sciorra
Harry Benson
Frank Sinatra at Truman Capote's "Black and White Ball," New York City, 1966

Musings on Italian-American masculinity, power, and bullying on the tenth anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s death.

May 1, 2008

Holy Land USA, a Religious Vision in Ruins

Joseph Sciorra
Joseph Sciorra
Holy Land USA, Waterbury, CT, 2005.

During the 1960s and 1970s, 40,000 people visited Waterbury, CT annually to pray at Holy Land USA, a Catholic theme park created by John Greco. Now it lies in ruins.

April 17, 2008

Pippa Bacca, performance artist, is murdered during "Brides on Tour."

Joseph Sciorra
"La partenza," from the performance piece "Brides on Tour," March 8, 2008, Milan.

Italian performance artist Pippa Bacca, hitchhiking from Milan to Tel Aviv in a wedding dress as part of a performance piece promoting peace, was raped and killed in Turkey.

April 14, 2008

Folk Performances of the Italian-American Prominenti

Joseph Sciorra
Joseph Sciorra
A banquet hall passageway.

Galas, banquet receptions, and award ceremonies are some of the most enduring Italian-American folk performances that reveal much about how group identity is created and...

April 1, 2008

Tags I Like

Joseph Sciorra

In joyous celebration of April’s National Poetry Month and Fool’s Day, I offer these four “found poems” made entirely from tags I found on i-italy.org.

March 29, 2008

Gino Vitale, Brooklyn developer and shrine builder.

Joseph Sciorra
Joseph Sciorra
Gino Vitale, with one of his Red Hook shrine buildings in the background, March 24, 2008.

Brooklyn developer Gino Vitale adapts the centuries old edicole sacre (devotional shrines) to his newly constructed buildings.

March 25, 2008

"Jersey Boys": Recreating A Lost Era in the Life of the American Working Class

Joseph Sciorra
"Big Girls Don't Cry," Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Fordham University history professor Mark Naison recently emailed his thoughts on the Broadway musical "Jersey Boys" and has allowed me to post them here verbatim.

March 24, 2008

An Ex-W.O.P. Casts His Vote

Joseph Sciorra
Joseph Sciorra

Born in the USA and now an Italian citizen, I’m asked to vote. So, what do I know?

March 19, 2008

St. Joseph's Altar, Barese Style

Joseph Sciorra
Joseph Sciorra
Antonietta Vitucci's St. Joseph's altar, March 18, 2008.

Celebrating St. Joseph in Brooklyn and some thoughts on lived religion.

March 8, 2008

Tony Soprano Made Me Do It!

Joseph Sciorra

Turncoat mafioso’s statement about media depictions of Italian Americans is “smoking gun” say some Italian-Americans. No kidding.

March 5, 2008

Italians in Hollywood

Joseph Sciorra
Anna Magnani in The Fugitive Kind (1959).

Anna Magnani's and Raf Vallone's portrayals of Italian-Americans seen anew in New York.

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