I am doing some work on ABC’s new show “Pushing Daisies”, and although it has been a challenging job, there are high hopes amongst the production crew. The feeling is that we are working on something a little different, a show that has a tone and a look that could set it apart. The early reviews of the show created by filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld, are very good. Its seems like they are going for a quirkiness of maybe a “Twin Peaks”, and a unique style and look of the show. The period in which the show takes place is also skewed, it is a created world that is contemporary, but there is a 1950’s feel for the costumes and hairstyles of the characters. Also a mixture of old classic cars are used for set dressing to throw the period of the show off a bit more. The basis of the production challenges are that the producers are trying to cram a lot of high quality content into each episode of the show. In episodic TV, shows are normally shot over 8 production days, for each episode. For what this show is trying to achieve an 8 day schedule per episode is not enough. If the show is a hit the schedule should change from 8 to 10 days. Expanding the schedule would make this complicated show more feasible.
The concept of the show is also unique, about a guy who can touch dead people and bring them back to life. Because of a suspension of belief factor for the audience, as far as the story goes, the show is not a shoe in to b a hit. Ultimately the audience will have to buy what’s going on, and then enjoy the interesting look of the show. So we’ll have to wait and see how it’s received, starting on Wednesday night. ABC has done major promotions for the show and has real high hope for it.

Here’s some season premiers worth watching this week:

Tuesday, October 2nd

8:00 PM- “Cavemen” (ABC) – This show has been brutally panned leading up to its premier this week. A show based on some funny commercials, does not sound like a good idea to start with. The idea of how Cavemen could get along in current day, seems like it could be funny, like a “Third Rock”. I’ll watch the premier, but this show better prove itself quick. It won’t get a 2nd chance if it doesn’t deliver early.

8:30 PM- “Carpoolers” (ABC) – Looks like a much better show, and has a solid concept. This show might have a better shot to make it then “Cavemen”.

Wednesday, October 3rd

8:00 PM- “Pushing Daisies” (ABC) – I hope people get the show, because if it does get people to watch, it could be a groundbreaking television. I have high hopes, check it out.

10 PM & 10:30 PM (Comedy Central) – Comedy Central starts a new season of the hilarious animated show “South Park”. Always fun to watch, not a must see for me because I can only take so much of watching cartoons. The network does have high hopes for its new show, “Sarah Silverman Program”, Sarah is a very good stand up comedian, and has a good screen presence. She has killed as host of a couple awards show recently, I think she will do well.

Thursday, October 4th

8:30 PM- “30 Rock” (NBC) – The Emmy Award winning show for Best Comedy is back, and I’m sure will pick up right where it left off. With Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, and a very talented writing team, this funny show has quickly turned into a can’t miss on the dial.

10 PM- “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” – Always a solid show in past years. With its season premier on Thursday night, there is no reason to think that the show has slipped in quality at all. Always a good watch, but I watched “ER” in the same time slot over the past years. You can’t miss with either show.

Friday October 5th

9 PM- “Friday Night Lights” – A well done show, produced by Peter Berg, about high school football in Texas. This show was on the bubble last year with poor ratings towards the end of the season. It won’t have a long leash this year and it will be tough for it to make it through the season, if the ratings aren’t there. I do like the show and feel like it has an audience, now it needs to grow that audience. A tough nut to crack on Friday nights at 9 PM when most people are out on the town.
…tv DEEP!

My favorite actor on “Pushing Daisies, Kristin Chenoweth

Check out Kristin’s hot FHM photo spread

Full Fall Primetime Scedule

Technorati Tags: ABC’s new show “Pushing Daisies”, Barry Sonnenfeld, “Twin Peaks”, ABC, “Cavemen”, “Carpoolers”, “Pushing Daisies”, Comedy Central, “South Park”, “Sarah Silverman Program”, “30 Rock”, NBC, Emmy Award, Best Comedy, “Law and Order: Criminal Intent”, “ER”, “Friday Night Lights”, Peter Berg, Texas, Kristin Chenoweth

OK the television season officially starts this week. There have been a few shows that have already premiered, but tonight the flood gates open. The highlights of the week for me and some of my favorite shows “Heroes” Monday night, “Boston Legal” Tuesday night, “The Office” Thursday night. Not much for me on Wednesday night, “Bionic Woman” looks like it could be interesting. Friday and Sauturday nights there is absolutely nothing on, rent a DVD or go to the movies. Sunday is for football and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” HBO & Larry David’s classic comedy series is back, also one of my favorites.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Ken Burns has a documentary airing on PBS, “The War”, about World War 2, for 15 hours over seven nights. It started last night, on PBS Sunday through Wednesday, then September 30 to October 2, at 8 p.m. EDT; check local listings.) Burns is a master filmmaker, his documentaries are by far the best in the business. A guy like Michael Moore should bow down to him, and tune in to learn something.
Here are the shows that open up tonight, a pretty solid lineup.

Monday Night September 24, 2007
8:00 p.m. (ABC) “Dancing With the Stars.” Among the new dance competitors as this season begins: a billionaire (Mark Cuban), a former Spice Girl (Melanie Brown, aka Scary Spice), Jennie Garth (of “Beverly Hills, 90210″), Marie Osmond and model Josie Maran. Can be fun especially early in the season, it takes itself too seriously as the season wears on.

8:00 (CBS) “How I Met Your Mother.” The third season begins with the reintroduction of the show’s long-shelved theme: learning how Ted met his future spouse. Tonight, he meets a lovely young woman, played by guest star Mandy Moore.
A good show to watch once in a while, there are some good laughs there. Who would have known Doogie Howser was so funny?

9:00 (NBC) “Heroes.” We pick up the action on this series four months after it left off – and because NBC didn’t provide a preview, I’ll be watching just as eagerly as you. And some new characters are introduced this season, including Nick D’Agosto, who proves that Hayden Panettiere’s cheerleader character is vulnerable to at least one thing: young love.
I loved “Heroes” last year, it turned into one of my favorites. There is a lot going on story wise, so you really have to pay attention and not miss an episode. Set the TIVO machine.

9:00 (CBS) “Two and a Half Men.” This show’s fifth-season opener acknowledges the growth of Jake: He’s old enough now to be entering that hormone-fueled holding tank known as junior high school – and Uncle Charlie has words of questionable wisdom.
As much as I like to think Charlie Sheen is arrogant and annoying, I can’t help but like him in this role. Some really great laughs, and you don’t need to see every episode to keep up.

10:00 (CBS) “CSI: Miami.” This unfathomably popular forensics spinoff series returns for its sixth season. Take away the leaden one-liners leading into the opening credits, and David Caruso’s aria-like removal and replacement of sunglasses, and what have you got? Not much, except for an absurdly plotted mystery series with maddeningly inconsistent characters.
I was never a real big CSI fan. The original show is the best version. CSI MIAMI is the worst of the lot. Still a quality production. I usually watch it when reruns of the other shows are on.
…TV DEEP!

Technorati Tags: Hayden Panettiere, “Heroes”, “Boston Legal”, “The Office”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, HBO, Larry David’, Ken Burns, Michael Moore, “Dancing With the Stars.”, “How I Met Your Mother.”, Doogie Howser, “Two and a Half Men.”, Charlie Sheen, “CSI: Miami.”, David Caruso

“The Sopranos” finished its seven-season 10-year run fittingly, as the outstanding dramatic series of the year at Sunday’s 59th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. David Chase’s show, long touted as one of the finest series in television history about a mobster coping with mixing the challenges of his domestic life and running his crime family. The show had only won best drama once before, in 2004, and was the favorite to win it again last night.

The audience gave Chase and the cast of “The Sopranos” a well deserved standing ovation when the winner was announced by Helen Mirren. The star studded crowd rose to its feet for the show earlier in the night after a tribute to “The Sopranos, that featured Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” cast and the The Sopranos cast coming out and taking a theater like bow.

“The Sopranos” also won Emmys for direction and writing, one of just a few shows to win multiple awards Sunday night. The top 10 categories, outstanding comedy, outstanding drama, and lead and supporting male and female performers in both genres were split among 10 different shows. David Chase “The Sopranos” creator personally received 2 Emmys last night. However, James Gandolfini and Eddie Falco, who played Tony and Carmella Soprano, got robbed and did not get the trophies last night. James Spader from “Boston Legal”, an actor and a show that I like, beat Gandolfini shocking everyone. Gandolifini’s loss begs the question: How could the TV show “The Sopranos” win the award for outstanding dramatic series, but the actor that played Tony Soprano, the driving force behind the success of the show, does not win? It seems like there is something wrong there. The Emmy voters have always been known to have agendas, and do not always give the award to the most deserving. I think what was on the agenda this year was, to give David Chase and “The Sopranos” it’s due for a ground breaking piece of television history, but not give them too much because Chase has never worked as part of the Hollywood system. I am a big fan of James Spader, a fine actor, and the show “Boston Legal” is well done. This however should not have been Spader’s year, the voters made a big mistake this time.

“I feel like I just stole a pile of money from the Mob,” Spader said, looking back at the “Sopranos” troupe arrayed behind him.

The other big part of their agenda this year was to honor Al Gore and make him a part of the show. So now Gore has an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year. Maybe now the bleeding heart liberal crybabies of the entertainment industry can finally get over the fact that GORE LOST THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. I’m tired of hearing the crybabies cry in Hollywood.

Sally Field, the “Flying Nun”, taking the trophy over Falco was not as surprising. Field went on to give a prepared long rambling political speech that no one cared about. She thankfully wound up getting dumped by the sensor because she used foul language. I think the producers should have got a big wooden hook and pulled the blathering idiot off the stage. Or maybe they could have put the nun hat on her and flew her into the rafters, that would have been cool.

“Entourage’s” Jeremy Piven, “Lost’s” Terry O’Quinn, “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Katherine Heigl and “My Name Is Earl’s” Jaime Pressly won supporting honors. The AMC miniseries “Broken Trail” was roundly honored at the show, winning three awards during the evening — for best actor, best supporting actor and best miniseries or movie. It was great to see one of the great American actors of our time, Robert Duvall get his due. Tony Bennett and his special “Tony Bennett: An American Classic” were honored several times Sunday night, most notably for outstanding variety, music or comedy special. “The Amazing Race” won best reality/competition program for the fifth time.

Ultimately it was the last time the television academy voters could recognized one of the best TV shows we will ever see on the air. In typically Hollywood fashion, they gave them some love, but fell short of doing the right thing. I think today any who watches TV realizes that James Gandolfini’s work on “The Sopranos” was arguably the best portrayal of a character by any actor in television history. Congratulations certainly go out to Mr. Spader, but Tony Soprano got ripped off this time.
…Going DEEP!!!

Technorati Tags: “The Sopranos”, 59th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, David Chase’, “The Sopranos”, Helen Mirren, Broadway, “Jersey Boys”, Emmys, James Gandolfini, Eddie Falco, Tony and Carmella Soprano, James Spader, “Boston Legal”, Gandolfini, Tony Soprano, Emmy, television history, Mob, Al Gore, Oscar, Hollywood, Sally Field, “Flying Nun”, Falco, “Entourage’s” Jeremy Piven, “Lost’s” Terry O’Quinn, “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Katherine Heigl, “My Name Is Earl’s” Jaime Pressly, AMC, “Broken Trail”, American actors, Robert Duvall, Tony Bennett, “Tony Bennett: An American Classic”, “The Amazing Race”

Longtime TV host and game-show producer Merv Griffin passed away yesterday at the age of 82. He had been battling prostate cancer since 1996.
I must be getting old, the talk show hosts of my youth keep dying off. I spent many an afternoon watching the “Merv Griffin Show”, after school with nothing to do. When you talk about daytime talk shows, it all starts with Merv Griffin, not Oprah, not Ellen, not Rosie, or any of the other daytime talk superstars of present. Merv and his buddy Mike Douglas invented it, and made it what it is today. I, personally, was more of a Mike Douglas guy to be honest, they both were a bit corny, but had top guests, and entertained me as a youth. Merv always had a kind of weird quality that creeped me out a bit, but through longevity, he became part of our daytime household. If Oprah is a daytime TV icon, then Merv is a daytime TV god. Like comparing Tom Snyder to Larry King, there is no comparison when discussing daytime talk host of today with Merv.
Merv the business man is a different story. This guy was a showbiz visionary, seeing what was popular on TV, and producing it. Talk Shows and Game Shows in some form or another will always be a hit, and Griffin recognized this long ago. He started to produce and create a variety of game shows from the 70’s through present. The wildly popular shows, “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune”, were both his creation, and will live on as part of his legacy for a long time. He also was a forerunner to all the dance shows that are popular today, coming up with “Dance Fever”, capitalizing on the disco craze of the late 70’s. The rumors about the shows host Deney Terrio and Merv being gay lovers, turned people off a bit back then. Terrio ultimately sued Merv for sexual harassment. Like I said, Merv was always a little weird, but a TV icon none the less.
He also was super successful in real estate, opening Resorts Int. casinos in Atlantic City before anyone ever even heard of Donald Trump. In L.A., buying the famed Beverly Hilton Hotel, home of the Golden Globe Awards, and running it with class for years. He made a fortune from both of those ventures. Merv built a billion-dollar empire, over the years. He certainly understood the business of show business.
…RIP MERV

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After having a couple of months to think about it, and come to grips that “The Sopranos” is over for good. David Chase’s final episode’s brilliance was THE perfect ending. Was it what it seemed? Did it just end with a family dinner, and life went on? But why did it just cut to black? Why did it stay black for 10 seconds? Didn’t Tony and Bobby Bacala have that conversation about everything going black for 10 seconds? There are no answers to these questions, even if you ask Chase he’ll tell you, it’s how ever you saw it. He left the interpretation up the audience, and most people’s opinions differ. I’ve talked to many who were die hard Sopranos fans, and are still angry about the final episode. They wanted absolute resolution of the story. It annoyed them not to know what happened, and they still want to know.
Unfortunately they will never know, “The Sopranos” is over. No movie, no return to HBO, no sequel series, no mini series, it’s over. One sure sign of this is that Satriale’s Pork Store, is gone.

The Associated Press reports:
Owner selling bricks from ‘Sopranos’ hangout

Satriale’s Pork Store building is being demolished to make way for condos

KEARNY, N.J. – The meats and sandwiches are long gone, but fans of HBO’s “Sopranos” can comfort themselves with some of the rocks that made up the facade of the fictional Satriale’s Pork Store, one of Tony Soprano & Co.’s favorite hangouts.

The owner of the building is selling the white stones online before the structure is demolished next month. A condominium complex named The Soprano will be built on the site.

Building owner Manny Costeira said the 2,000 bricks will sell for $25 to $50 apiece, and will include a serial number and certificate of authentication.
Costeira told The Jersey Journal of Jersey City the “silly idea” popped into his head. But he also said he’s received a few angry e-mails from people asking why he’s demolishing Tony’s joint.

I guess I’m going to buy some bricks.
…Totally

Technorati Tags: “The Sopranos”, David Chase, Tony, Bobby Bacala, “The Sopranos” is over, HBO, Satriale’s Pork Store, Associated Press, HBO’s “Sopranos”, Tony Soprano

Normally I could care less about the ridiculous woman’s daytime talk show The View. I’m not sure how women even can stomach those broads yacking it up every day. Since my friend Whoopi Goldberg has replaced blow hard, Rosie O’Donnell, I thought I would wish her luck. Whoopi has had it a little rough the past few years. She hasn’t gotten any movie or TV roles, and her stand up comedy dates have dwindled to nothing. She is a great actor, and I think could have a lot to offer to a movie or TV as a comedic presence. I don’t feel like she can carry a show or movie anymore, but she certainly can be a supporting actress for comedy relief. She went and did a stand up at Madison Square Garden during the Democratic National Convention, ripping George Bush and his administration a new a** hole. John Kerry ultimately had to apologize for it, and it seems like Whoopi hasn’t worked at all since.
She’s an Academy Award winning actress, for God’s sake, and she can’t get a job. I worked with Whoopi on one of my first jobs in the business. I was a PA who ran first team on the movie “Ghost”. Running first team means you deal with the actors on a daily basis. Making sure they are taken care of, getting them important information, and telling them where they have to be when. Whoopi and I hit it off right away, she’s one of the nicest and greatest ladies in show business.
I was asked by the producers of the movie to be an extra in the film. The Director, Jerry Zucker, also liked me and wanted me to play one of the movers at the beginning of the movie. It was fun, I was naive and thought it would be cool to be in the movie. I also had to do my regular job those 3 days, running around in costume, and jumping in front of the camera when needed. After my extra bit was done, the next week I was informed by the same Producers that they couldn’t pay me to be an extra as well as my regular pay. I was told that it was against Paramount Pictures policy and that regardless that I did both jobs, I had to pick one. So I did , but I wasn’t happy about it. Whoopi recognized that I was pissed, so I told her what happened, and she flipped out. I tell you I never seen someone raise so much hell, so quickly. She dropped everything she was doing and marched right into the producers office, with me there, and called him an asshole. She told him that he better get me paid, or else she wasn’t going to lift another finger for him. He was embarrassed and said he would see what he could do, and tried to calm her down. She went off again, this time calling him a f***ing asshole, and whipping 6 hundred dollar bills, and handed them to me. She told him, ‘now you owe the money to me jerkoff, and I expect to be paid back.’
I heard about a week later, that she got paid back. I thought the producer was going to give me hell after that, but he never gave me a hard time again, and was a lot more respectful to me and the job I was doing. Whoopi won an Academy Award for her role in “Ghost”.
Whoopi Goldberg is good people, and a true Hollywood heroine. To me the Lindsay Lohans, and Paris Hiltons, and Jennifer Lopezs in todays Hollywood should wish they were a little more like Whoopi. Too bad she has to be on that annoying show, but it’s a gig. All the best Whoopi, give em hell.
…Totally DEEP!

Technorati Tags: The View, Whoopi Goldberg, Whoopi, Madison Square Garden, Democratic National Convention, George Bush, John Kerry, Academy Award, “Ghost”, Jerry Zucker, Lindsay Lohans, Paris Hilton, Jennifer Lopez, Hollywood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiSEbyhAR0k

Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow Show highlights

Tom Snyder, talk show host and news anchor, died today in San Fransisco, from complications associated with leukemia, at the age of 71. I normally try to keep it light in this space, I don’t cover many deaths. Tom Snyder, however is someone I grew up with, watching him every night. I feel like in some weird way, as quirky and straight laced as he seemed, he helped shape my sarcastic sense of humor at an early age. Snyder was the host of the Tomorrow Show, it came on after Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show for many years. Being a night owl even when I was a child, I used to sneak my TV on and watch Johnny and then Tom really late on school nights. I felt, even back then that Tom always had better and edgier guests, and carried his straight man approach, in many interesting interviews, that always had a subtle under layer of humor. In some classic interviews, a cigarette smoking Snyder asked Jerry Garcia, John Lennon, Elton John, Howard Stern, Muhammad Ali, Howard Cosell, Cheech and Chong, Charles Manson, and many of the other biggest names in news at the time, the tough questions One of the most underrated interviewers in television history, never did a cream puff interview, and always entertained. If Larry King is considered an TV icon, Tom Snyder is the forerunner that that created a format for a show like Larry King Live, and paved the way for all late night interview shows. Tom’s sense of humor was so subtle sometimes it was not recognized and he was even considered a square in the 70’s and 80’s in the entertainment world. Not until Dan Aykroyd parodied Snyder on the original Saturday Night Live was Tom Snyder’s sarcastic wit and dry sense of humor, brought to the forefront. Celebrities and news makers of the time, did The Tomorrow Show with Snyder, when they wouldn’t do any other talk show. Mr. Snyder, with a cigarette in hand, would lean in toward his guests and aggressively extract information, as if he were putting on a performance. He was happy to follow his guests wherever they might go, often turning his interviews into conversations.
Thank You Tom, for being cool in a not so cool sort of way, for that stupid laugh, and for shaping my sarcasm to this day. RIP Tom Snyder.
…deep

Classic Tom Snyder interview with Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead

Technorati Tags: Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow Show highlights, Tom Snyder, San Fransisco, leukemia, Tomorrow Show, Johnny Carson’, Tonight Show, Jerry Garcia, John Lennon, Elton John, Howard Stern, , Muhammad Ali, Howard Cosell, Cheech and Chong, Charles Manson, Larry King, Larry King Live, Dan Aykroyd, Saturday Night Live, Classic Tom Snyder interview with Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead

The prime time Emmy Award nominations were announced today. HBO’s The Sopranos, led the way with 15 nominations in for their final season, including best drama. James Gandolfini, who played the emotionally damaged mob boss on HBO’s “The Sopranos,” and Edie Falco, who played his wife, both received top acting nominations. Joining Gandolfini, in a tough field, lead drama series actor nominees were Hugh Laurie of “House,” Denis Leary of “Rescue Me,” James Spader of “Boston Legal” and last year’s winner Kiefer Sutherland of “24.” Falco will compete with Patricia Arquette of “Medium,” Minnie Driver of “The Riches,” Sally Field of “Brothers & Sisters,” Kyra Sedgwick of “The Closer” and last year’s winner, Mariska Hargitay of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and its spinoff, “The Colbert Report” with Stephen Colbert, both on Comedy Central, received nominations for outstanding variety, music or comedy series, along with “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” (NBC), “Late Show with David Letterman” (CBS) and “Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO). In the category of outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program, Messrs. Stewart, Colbert and Letterman were also nominated, along with Ellen DeGeneres (as host of the 79th Annual Academy Awards) and Tony Bennett, for “An American Classic,” an NBC special. Conspicuously absent were the “Tonight” show and its host, Jay Leno.
In a category known as “outstanding reality-competition program,” the most popular show on television, “American Idol,” will once again seek its first victory; its challengers are “The Amazing Race” (CBS), the winner the past four years; “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC); and “Project Runway” and “Top Chef,” both on Bravo. As part of those nominations a make up artist I am currently working with on ON THE LOT reality show, Melanie Mills is nominated in the best make up category for “Dancing With The Stars”. Good luck Melanie!
Emmy Snubs CLICK HERE

The Sopranos 15 Emmy nominations

Technorati Tags: prime time Emmy Award nominations, HBO’s The Sopranos, James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos, ”, Edie Falco, Hugh Laurie, “House, ”, Denis Leary, “Rescue Me, ”, James Spader, “Boston Legal”, Kiefer Sutherland of “24.”, Patricia Arquette, “Medium, ”, Minnie Driver, “The Riches, ”, Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters, ”, Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”, Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”, “The Colbert Report”, Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central, “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”, “Late Show with David Letterman”, “Real Time with Bill Maher”, Ellen DeGeneres, 79th Annual Academy Awards, Tony Bennett, “Tonight”, “American Idol, ”, “The Amazing Race”, “Dancing with the Stars” (, “Project Runway”, “Top Chef, ”, Bravo, ON THE LOT, Melanie Mills

The last word on The Sopranos, and I’m done with it…for now.
Millions of fans of the HBO television mafia series “The Sopranos” watched the hit drama’s final episode two Sundays ago amid a flurry of speculation over the fate of its top mobster, Tony Soprano. Producer, creator writer, director and driving force of the show, David Chase said he knew “about three years ago” how the story would end, and that “from the beginning, my goal was always to do a little movie every week,”
He has said in recent interviews, “It has all been planned out, we always knew exactly where it was going, but within that framework, we left a lot of room for each episode to have its own character and to invent stories that would fit in with the continuing story.”

Rest In Peace, Sopranos. I always thought the show’s story would return in some form, but thinking about it for a couple of weeks, I now think it is over for good. Always a fan of the genre, I have to say I was a little skeptical at first. I mean what TV show has ever done justice to the Mafia, Cosa Nostra, Mob, Organized Crime genre. It does make for great dramatic and comedic subject matter, though.
Of course movies like “The Godfather”, “The Godfather Part II”, and “Goodfellas”, are the standards in classic Mafia film making. There has been other really good mob movies, “Donnie Brasco”, with Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, for one, is a great and authentic film. Way back, Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, and James Cagney made some great mob movies. “The Godfather”, however was the first to capture the sense of family, tradition and honor, but as the same time they were ruthless criminals. The Sopranos TV show was born on HBO, Sunday January 10, 1999. Over the run, the show became the best and most successful television portrayals of the genre of all time. We saw it unfold every week, when they happened to be airing their season, it became a weekly event for people. I had many a dinner with friends and family on a Sunday night and watching “The Sopranos”.
Hats off to David Chase, his genius shined through from the first moment the show came on the screen, until the last 10 seconds of black on the show’s final episode. He made some of the most riveting, and talked about television of all time. I give HBO credit for allowing Chase to make it real, no holds barred, and making it into a weekly event during their seasons, always the same night and same time. HBO notoriously among industry professionals can be cheap, and always try to make deals and pay lower rates. They can be hard to work for, but producers like my friend, Henry Bronchtein, stayed the course and made television history.
I was working with Henry, a 1st AD for many years, on a movie called “The Out of Towners”. I received a message for Henry to call, so and so at HBO about the Sopranos. That is exactly the way I wrote it down. I thought it was a TV show about opera singers and would never work. Henry filled me in a bit about the story line, but we were both skeptical that a TV show about the mafia could work, even on cable. I was wrong, and Henry went on to mega success with the show as a producer and director.
R.I.P. “The Sopranos”, a tribute to a show that was the winner of 6 Emmy Awards, and nominated for many others. The show and its cast also won and were nominated for several different awards over the years. Click Here for The Sopranos award deatails
I’m still crying in my sausage and peppers.
… 10 seconds of black…DEEP!

Henry Bronchtein and I. Pretty goofy, can’t remember why.

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It’s Sunday night and The Sopranos are done for good. It’s hard for me not to anticipate another installment of the show on HBO tonight. Just one more, I want to know what happened. The story’s conclusion, as it stands now will forever be shrouded in mystery. While watching he final episode, I was feeling content, as it wound down. Phil Leotardo was dead, his guy Carlo was flipped by the FBI. Paulie stayed loyal to Tony, and Tony stayed loyal to his family and his sister. He even went to see Uncle Junior, in a scene that summed up the ‘Life Goes On’ theory. AJ gets better, Meadow is engaged to Parisi’s kid the lawyer. Tony shows interest in AJ’s therapist. The family meets as they have many times for dinner together at a restaurant. Even with suspense building in the last few minutes, the strange characters, Meadow parking, AJ eating onion rings, the bell ringing, “Don’t Stop Believing”, it seemed like the show was ending. Then the screen went black, for 10 seconds just like Bobby said. Those 10 seconds changed everything. It added another layer to interpreting the conclusion, a reasonable doubt that maybe it wasn’t what it seemed. The brilliance of David Chase continued through to the very last seconds of the story. What happened? The 10 seconds of black were there for a reason, you decide. Those fans who picked up on the ‘10 seconds’ theory immediately, I’ve got to give it to you. I didn’t put that all together until a 2nd viewing. Or it could be that the 10 seconds represented the viewers switch being turned off. Just like that, The Sopranos life goes on, without us watching, Tony as the centerpiece.
David Chase’s comments on the ending, “I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there. We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people’s minds, or thinking, ‘Wow, this’ll (tick) them off.’ People get the impression that you’re trying to (mess) with them and it’s not true. You’re trying to entertain them.”
James Gandolfini said, “I have no idea what happened to Tony. You have to ask ["The Sopranos" creator] David Chase that. Smarter minds than mine know the answer to that. I thought it was a great ending. You decide.” Gandolfini insisted. “The ending was exactly what it should have been,” he said. “Don’t look at me, I don’t have an answer. All I know is that it’s over.
The shows stars defended the ending which had the screen cut to black as Tony’s family sat down to dinner.
Edie Falco offered. “I think the ending was just great. I mean that. I have never second-guessed David Chase, and I’m not about to start now.” Yes, I was at that table, but I have no idea what happened after the screen went blank.”
“I have no idea why I had so much trouble parallel parking at the end, but I loved the ending. I can’t think of a single better way to have ended this show.”" said Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano.
Tony Sirico couldn’t understand the criticism of the finale. I thought the ending was outstanding. We got Phil Leotardo. We went back to our lives,” he said. “What do people want? More blood? A whole family whacked? I like that David Chase let the viewers decide.”
“A conventional ending would have been a fraud,” said Stevie Van Zandt. “Life doesn’t have tidy little endings. Even some great songs just fade out like the last episode of The Sopranos. It’s also a lie that we shot three or four endings. David Chase, who wrote and directed the last episode, did one ending. He knew what he wanted, and it was great. Like the show.”

**Read what I think would have happened….

I prefer not to think that an attempt to kill Tony was made at the restaurant. I think Tony gets arrested the very next day. It’s serious this time, the feds have a good case implicating Tony to the murder of Phil Leotardo. With Carlo as a witness, who wore a wire in the meeting with Tony. He also still has the gun charge hanging over him, from Johnny Sacs house. In addition the Feds have hours and hours of recordings and video of Tony and his crew. Implicating them in every facet of organized crime in New Jersey. Like Harris said, maybe the Feds are starting to win. Silvio still living, is also indicted as the number two man in the organization. Tony puts Paulie in charge, but still calls the shots from inside prison. Little Carmine takes over New York, but the FBI are on him too. Paulie cultivates the next generation crew. Some of the want to be gangsters we saw in the last few episodes, move up in the ranks. AJ’s movie career fizzles, with Carmine’s FBI trouble. He joins the ranks with Jason and his other friends. AJ proves to be the real deal, crazier and even homicidal, but smarter then the rest. People come to respect and fear AJ. Paulie turns to AJ to help him run the family business. AJ becomes a made man, a ruthless capo. Meantime they are working on Tony’s case. The FBI with the recordings have him red handed on a laundry list of charges, that include the murder of Leotardo. Tony facing a life sentence plots with Paulie and AJ to fix the jury. There is a long drawn out trial and appeal. Meantime AJ takes over as the boss Paulie is his trusted number two Consiglieri. Paulie “Walnuts” faithfully serving three generations of the Soprano Family. The story goes on, Meadow and her husband clash with AJ, as he tries to save Tony. Paulie and AJ are successful in the jury tampering and get a hung jury. Tony gets out after 3 years in jail. The story continues with Tony, AJ and Paulie running things. Silvio recovers and does some time in jail also. When he gets out he also comes back to the family.

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