Italians, Gangsters, and Christian Bale

Italians, Gangsters, and Christian Bale

On Saturday, we went to Festa Italia in Fitchburg, WI. It is a small festival celebrating the Italian culture. I go every year, because: 1. I am Italian 2. I love the Italian Sausage 3. I want some connection with my ethnic heritage. My father was full-blooded Italian and my grandparents came here from Italy (my maiden name is Maramonte). My husband is 1/4 Sicilian--which is where Alioto comes from.

It is so unfortunate that so many of us are out of touch with our cultural backgrounds. I had an assignment at school, wherein we needed to bring a box with things representing our culture. You wouldn't believe how few of us had any true, cultural traditions.

When I think of the word culture, it makes me think of costumes, dance, and wonderful foods. When I first thought about my own culture, I first thought "Italian". When it really comes down to it, however, I don't have very many Italian cultural traditions. We certainly eat a lot of great Italian food. We are Catholic, like many Italians are. However, I don't know the lanugage, music, or other traditions of Italy.

My culture is probably more "American" than anything. We celebrate the typical holidays and eat all kinds of foods. I typically wear jeans, t-shirts and tennis shoes. We speak English. We listen to a variety of music, most of which is typical American made music. Our family really enjoys learning about OTHER cultures. We attend cultural festivals and eat many types of foods.

As I get older, I have more interest in learning about my ethnic background. Someday I hope to go to Italy, to see where my ancestors lived. For now, though, I guess I will continue living our "Madison, Wisconsin,--Alioto Family" culture.

This is a picture of the pasta eating contest at Festa Italia. They couldn't use their hands.

Now, on to gangsters. Are you ready for Part IV of "Movie Star Filming Public Enemies"? When last I wrote, our hero, "Movie Star" was in hollywood withdrawal. Universal Studios had moved on to Oshkosh and even filmed here in Madison, without him. His 15 minutes of fame were over. Or so we thought. In late April, he received a call from the casting agency. They wanted to double check which scenes he had been in. If he was quite visible in the scenes, he wouldn't be able to be an extra in other scenes. So, he told them which scenes, they said thankyou and that was it. Then they called back. They wanted him to be the stand-in for Baby Face Nelson! This meant that 1. He IS VERY VISIBLE in the scenes he was already in, and 2. He gets to work on the movie again! So he was told that he would be needed in the Wisconsin Dells area for an all-night shoot. He had to be there in the early evening and wear his thermal underwear under a regular dark suit. It turned out to be near Mirror Lake. He didn't find out the when and where until that afternoon. If you don't know what a stand-in does, they basically stand wherever that actor will be, while they set up the lighting, cameras, etc. Then, when they are ready, they actor is called in to do the actual filming. Not super glamorous and he won't be seen in those scenes. BUT--he had a front row seat for EVERYTHING GOING ON. He didn't get home until 7:00 in the morning. He didn't say much and went straight to bed for the whole day. I went to school and work and was in suspense all day, waiting to hear about his evening. The only think I got out of him was, "Johnny Depp wasn't there, Christian Bale was. I'll talk to you after I sleep." Ugh. I'll let all of you digest this, so you can feel my anticipation.

To be continued.

Movie Star