September 17, 2008
Fans of General Hospital have always been accustomed to mafia-related storylines. Soon, however, the show is bringing in some big names from the organized crime circuit. According to Soapcentral.com, Vincent Pastore has signed on to join the long-running soap as a mob boss.
Best known for his stint on HBO's award-winning series The Sopranos, Pastore returns to his mob roots after years of portraying Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero. On General Hospital, he'll be playing the character named Maximus Giambetti, a big-time mob boss who is frustrated to learn that his firstborn son, Max, is not following in his footsteps. Apparently, the younger Max is presently a bodyguard for a mob boss instead of actually being a mob boss.
July 7, 2008
When last we saw Meadow Soprano, she was having troubles parallel parking outside of a diner, late for a family dinner. After that The Sopranos episode's controversial final scene – in which the show quietly ended with Journey's “Don't Stop Believin'” playing before the screen going to black – Meadow's actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler left HBO for new projects, along with the rest of the The Sopranos cast.
Word has just been leaked by Kristin over at E! Online that Jamie-Lynn Sigler will soon be returning to HBO, however. She has just been cast for several episodes on Entourage's upcoming fifth season.
July 3, 2008
After playing Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos, Michael Imperioli is heading back to the small screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 42-year-old actor has signed on to star in ABC's new pilot, Life on Mars, which is based on the series that aired on BBC.
Although perhaps best known for portraying Tony Soprano's (James Gandolfini) protégé on the HBO mob series The Sopranos, Imperioli is also known for his role on Law & Order as Detective Nick Falco, Vincent in the recent drama The Lovebirds and as Jim Fortunato in the fantasy drama The Inner Life of Martin Frost.
May 28, 2008
The Sopranos may have ended its 8-year run on HBO but that doesn't mean that fans can't have what's left of the Emmy Award-winning mafia series. James Gandolfini, who played mob boss Tony Soprano, is selling his personal costume wardrobe in Popular Culture, a new auction category at Christie's that features iconic 20th and 21st century material from the worlds of film, rock and roll, celebrity, entertainment and sport.
For those who are not familiar with The Sopranos, the series was set and produced in New Jersey and revolved around mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faced as he tried to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he headed. Described as the most financially successful cable series in the history of television, the show earned many positive reviews and garnered numerous awards, including 21 Emmys and five Golden Globes.
May 8, 2008
Moving beyond Carmella Soprano, Edie Falco has signed on for a Showtime comedy where she will play a strong-willed New York City nurse who takes on the broken healthcare system while also steering an unpredictable and frustrating personal life.
The series is described as a dark comedy in the tradition of Weeds and will be shot in New York. Showtime is hoping for a premiere sometime this year. And although the unnamed half-hour comedy is just a pilot at this point, positive comments from the network's entertainment president make it sound like almost a sure bet to become a series.
January 27, 2008
If you watched the Screen Actors Guild Awards, you may have had some flashbacks to the most recent Emmy Awards. At the Emmys, The Sopranos and 30 Rock took home the awards for Outstanding Drama and Comedy Series. At the SAG Awards, those shows dominated over all else, taking five of the top six TV awards.
On the drama side, The Sopranos swept, taking the awards for Ensemble, as well as individual acting honors for stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco. On the comedy side, 30 Rock reaped awards for its leads, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, while fellow NBC comedy The Office won for Best Ensemble. Both shows feature casts that include writers, and their wins can be seen as a continued sign of SAG's support of the writers' strike.