Billy Batts and Tommy DeVito have it out in Goodfellas. Damn, this scene is an absolute classic!

Understanding Your Obsessive Compulsive Addiction to the Sopranos

PART 5 in a weekly 6 PART mini-series here on Planet Zman, entitled: Great Actors, Great Acting

I ask you, what would the bad-guy list be without the late Johnny Sack’s number two man in the NY crime family, the always malevolent, Phil Leotardo (played by my pal, Frankie Vincent). I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Frank for the cover story in the 2006 Winter issue of the national publication, Cigar Magazine™. Read the full story

Understanding Your Obsessive Compulsive Addiction to the Sopranos

PART 3 in a weekly 6 PART mini-series exclusively here on Planet Zman, entitled: JERSEY’S FINEST

The much-maligned state of New Jersey is often the brunt of many a comedian’s off-color jokes. But The Sopranos has brought a new and interesting sense of pride to the Garden State. I personally happen to be half Italian on my mother’s side, and have lived all my life in northern New Jersey. I know all of the show’s landmarks and have even frequented the Bada Bing (actually known as Satin Dolls, on Rt. 17 in Lodi.) When you live in this area, you learn to recognize that when streets are closed, traffic is diverted, light towers are up, and large production trucks surround the grounds, The Sopranos are shooting a scene.

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Understanding Your Obsessive Compulsive Addiction to the Sopranos

PART 4 in a weekly 6 PART mini-series exclusively here on Planet Zman, entitled: Character Assassins

Great character development has always been critical to this show, but Chase will be the first one to say that’s it’s the actors that make them who they are. Read the full story

Understanding Your Obsessive Compulsive Addiction to the Sopranos

PARTS 1 & 2 of a weekly 6 PART mini-series exclusively here on Planet Zman.

ADMITTING YOU’RE AN ADDICT

Good Lord in Heaven, this family is an abomination – a psychologically disturbed, ethically bankrupt, spiritually void gene pool. To put it more in their terms – they are essere fottuto – all fucked up! But, YOU are nothing like this in any way – yet, you’re infatuated beyond reason. You are obsessed with the lives of these people and you love them unconditionally as if they were of your own flesh and blood. Several times during the day on Sunday, you would think to yourself, “Sopranos on tonight.” And when nine o’clock hit, that magical, hypnotic theme song by the band A3 began to play… Bum, ba bum, bum, bum, wa wa wa…”Woke up this morning and got your self a gun…” Like one of Pavlov’s dogs, you propped up in front of the TV in a semi-lathered state as Tony drives through to the Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel, lighting his cigar, pulling the Turnpike ticket from the booth, cruising past, Pizzaland, Satriale’s Pork Store, and the rows of refinery tanks in lovely Newark. For the next 60 minutes, YOU were a full-fledged, blood sworn Soprano.

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