'Sopranos' ends after 8 years
TORONTO (CP) - In the annals of countless "Sopranos" whackings, this one was arguably the most harrowing: Tony Soprano, his eyes hooded like a horror-film killer, slowly snuffing the life out of his once-beloved henchman, Christopher, in a gloomy drizzle.
It was a particularly cold-blooded murder in a series that's been full of them, and also perfectly symbolized this season's stunning developments: Tony's steady slide into depravity and paranoia, and his growing distrust of even those closest to him.
On Sunday night on the Movie Network/Movie Central, "Sopranos" fans will find out whether the New Jersey mob boss dies for his multitude of sins or survives the bloody turf war that's erupted between his band of thugs and their New York counterparts.
More significantly, it marks the end of a cultural phenomenon - a show that has often been lauded by critics as the best in the history of television.
The buzz is such that polls have been conducted in the U.S. on how "The Sopranos" should end its thrilling eight-year run. In one survey by a Connecticut NBC affiliate, 82 per cent of respondents said Tony, played with consistent brilliance by actor James Gandolfini, should go on to eat another Satriales capicola sandwich.
Will "Sopranos" creator David Chase end the series with the ultimate bang - the death of his tormented protagonist? Tony was last seen, after all, holed up in a deserted house, a massive automatic weapon in his arms, trying to get some sleep as his minions - minus Bobby and Silvio, both gunned down earlier in the episode - stood guard downstairs awaiting the certain arrival of New York hitmen.
Apparently Chase's own cast doesn't even know Tony's fate. Chase has reportedly filmed three different endings of the HBO series in order to ensure the outcome remains a secret.
But if Chase has proven anything in his eight years writing and producing "The Sopranos," it's this: viewers should expect the unexpected, and prepare at every turn for a sudden shift of gears. The series finale is just as likely to end ambiguously with quiet and introspective scenes of Tony and his wife and children enjoying some baked ziti as it is in a spectacularly bloody showdown that leaves no man standing.
"There'll be people who will like the finale and people who won't like it," Chase recently told Entertainment Weekly magazine. "But I think that if people look at what the show was, or could even watch the whole story again, they'll understand what the ending is."
"The Sopranos," in fact, has been a masterpiece of contradictions in its years on the air. It's been outrageously violent, suspenseful, poignant and funny - usually all in the same episode.
From the moment the show hit the airwaves, it was clear that viewers were seeing something they'd never witnessed on the small screen before - a drama populated by callous killers who frequently revealed confusingly human and compassionate elements of their sociopathic personalities. Tony, in fact, sees a psychiatrist to battle his demons, although he's often seen leaving her office to orchestrate or participate in the next whacking.
An early episode in the first season set the tone. Tony and the apple of his eye - his beloved daughter, Meadow - embark upon a sweet father-daughter tour of a leafy college campus in Maine. But Tony soon spots a made man-turned-rat who went into the witness protection program, and takes a quick break from the campus walkabout to choke the life out of his old pal before returning to Meadow.
Chase has long said that "The Sopranos," truly, is about family - both Tony's mob family, a collection of social misfits that includes one of the funniest onscreen mobsters ever, Paulie Walnuts; and his immediate family: wife Carmela, kids Meadow and A.J., sister Janice, and his manipulative and possibly psychotic mother, Livia, whose lousy parenting skills left Tony with permanent scars.
Chase apparently based the character on his own mother, and even though Livia dies early in Season 3 (actress Nancy Marchand succumbed to cancer), her presence loomed large over Tony throughout the series, particularly in light of his knowledge that she tried to have him whacked.
Chase's real gift was his ability to combine into a consistently accomplished narrative universal problems - childhood traumas, marital discord, infidelity, the difficulties dealing with teenagers and elderly relatives - with the story of the New Jersey mobsters and their fellow con men, their victims and their "goomahs," anglicized Italian slang for mistresses.
The show also had some lighter moments, most notably the episode entitled "Pine Barrens," considered a classic by "Sopranos" junkies. The episode features the dumb-and-dumber pair of Christopher and Paulie in pursuit of a Russian mobster. The duo get lost in the woods while on the hunt in a farcical bit of genius that put Chase's love of showing the sheer buffoonery of his crooked characters into the spotlight.
But this season, there have been few moments of light or laughter save for one Uncle Junior-focused show that was replete with politically incorrect Junior jokes - until that episode, too, took a dark and depressing turn.
Tony's degeneration this season has been so astonishing that even his therapist dumps him, fearful that their years of working together have only sharpened his sociopathic skills of manipulation.
It all seems to suggest Tony might deserve to be doomed. Even Gandolfini recently told The Associated Press that he's lost faith in a character he once felt affection for.
"I used to (like Tony). But it's difficult toward the end. I think the thing with Christopher might have turned the corner," said Gandolfini, who's won three Emmys for his turn as Tony. "It's kind of one thing after another. Let's just say it was a lot easier to like him before than in the last few years."
A look at some memorable 'Sopranos' whackings
"The Sopranos" ends its blood-soaked eight-year run on Sunday night. Here are some memorable whackings:
Fabian (Febby) Petrulio: It's not every father-daughter excursion to college campuses that sees Daddy take a brief break from the tour to choke the life out of an old pal. Tony garrottes Febby, a made man-turned rat, with a wire, then swiftly returns to his sweet-faced daughter's side.
Tracee, the stripper prostitute: Ralphie Cifaretto relentlessly beats the life out of his goomah in the Bada Bing parking lot, one of the show's most horrific whackings. Tracee's crime was to find herself pregnant with his child, and slapping Ralphie when he insulted her. But the whacking helped seal Ralphie's own brutal fate.
Richie Aprile: Janice scored one for Tracee and other abused "Sopranos" women when she blew her fiance away after he slugged her during an argument - first in the chest, then another bullet to the head just to ensure he would not rise to smack her around again. Tony is soon enlisted to literally clean up his sister's mess.
Sal (Big Pussy) Bonpensiero: When Tony discovers the affable Big Pussy is an FBI informant, Bonpensiero is taken out for a fishing excursion and then blown away in a hail of bullets by three assassins: Paulie, Silvio and Tony himself. His last frantic words? "Not in the face, OK? Give me that? Keep my eyes." The whacking haunts Tony, and Big Pussy frequently returns in the mob boss's dreams.
Ralph Cifaretto: After Tracee's grisly demise, this was a "Sopranos" whacking that was somewhat satisfying to watch. When Ralphie admits to burning down the stable where Tony's beloved racehorse was housed, Tony beats and strangles him in a rage. Tony enlists Christopher to help him dismember and dispose of Ralphie's body, and the scene in which Ralphie's head is passed around between the pair - and his toupee falls off - is one of the most darkly hilarious "Sopranos" moments ever.
Adriana LaCerva: The most heartbreaking whacking of the series. The sweet and guileless Adriana, a reluctant FBI informant, is driven to a remote rural area and blown away by a flinty-eyed Silvio as she crawls away and pleads for her life. Sold out by her boyfriend, Christopher, and tricked by Silvio to get into the car, Adriana's whacking had some "Sopranos" fans pondering a switch of allegiances after cheering for the New Jersey mobsters against their New York rivals. It seemed unimaginable that Johnny Sack would have stooped so low.
Vito Spatafore: Another tough one to watch since poor Vito was whacked simply for being gay. Some goons from the New York crew, upon orders from Phil Leotardo, beat him lifeless and, as an added message to any other mobsters thinking of coming out of the closet, shoved a pool cue up his rectum.
Christopher Moltisanti: Even though he'd been nothing but a liability for Tony since the first episode, watching the mob boss methodically suffocate his once-adored henchman after they were both injured in a car crash was perhaps one of the most macabre moments of the series, and indicative of the depths of Tony's depravity.
Some of the funnier malapropisms heard during the eight-year run of "The Sopranos":
"Revenge is like serving cold cuts." - Tony Soprano.
"Create a little dysentery among the ranks." - Christopher Moltisanti.
"You're at the precipice of an enormous crossroads." - Little Carmine Lupertazzi.
"There's no stigmata connected to going to a shrink." - Carmine Lupertazzi.
"I was prostate with grief." - Tony Soprano.
"A guy like that is going out with a woman, he could technically not have penissary contact with her Volvo." - Tony Soprano.
"You're very observant. The sacred and the propane." - Little Carmine.
"Quasimodo predicted all of this." - Bobby Bacala.
U2 Recording New Songs In Morocco With Eno, Lanois
U2 is in the midst of an extended songwriting and recording session in Fez, Morocco, with longtime collaborators Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Sources say the band has already flashed out a number of ideas, but, writing on U2.com, Bono claims it's still too early to tell whether any of them will appear on U2's next studio album.
"We have no plans for the music yet," he said. "We're just going to make it until we can't not put it out!"
Although Eno and Lanois have respectively worked with the band on some of its most classic material, they have never previously teamed with U2 in a "purely songwriting capacity," according to drummer Larry Mullen Jr. "So it's very different, quite experimental and kind of liberating because of that."
U2.com is promising an insider's look at the sessions throughout June. Meanwhile, the band recently previewed its upcoming concert film, "U23D," at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
McCoy gets a new 'Law & Order' job
LOS ANGELES - Prosecutor Jack McCoy is getting a promotion to New York district attorney on "Law & Order" but viewers could see less of Sam Waterston, the actor who plays him.
McCoy will take over from New York D.A. Arthur Branch, who was played by Fred Thompson. A former U.S. senator, Thompson asked to be released from the NBC drama as he weighs a bid for the Republican nomination for president.
Waterston will begin his 14th season as McCoy, who was an executive assistant D.A., when the show returns in midseason. In past episodes, the district attorney's character generally has been seen in brief scenes offering counsel to his staff.
"It's premature to comment on any changes to the D.A.'s role as well as any story lines affecting the transition from Branch to McCoy," Pam Golum, a spokeswoman for series creator Dick Wolf, said Thursday.
In a statement Wednesday announcing his character's new job, Waterston called it a "logical next step" for McCoy.
"On the other hand, politics isn't his game. There'll be fireworks. I'm looking forward to it," the actor said.
"Law & Order" will begin its 18th season next year and is the second longest-running drama series ever, behind "Gunsmoke," which ran 20 seasons.
Bob Barker Offers to Be 'Price' Fill-in
LOS ANGELES - After 35 years as the host of "The Price Is Right," Bob Barker hung up his microphone for good on Wednesday. Or did he? After taping his last show, the 83-year-old icon said he would happily return to the "Price" stage if a replacement host isn't found by the time the new season starts in the fall.
"They're having trouble finding someone to do the show," Barker told reporters during a post-show press conference. "And I've told members of the staff here that ... if they wanted me to do it for a few more months, I would do it.
"I don't want to walk out on CBS or the company if they're in that position because they've been too good to me."
FremantleMedia North America, which produces "The Price Is Right," did not respond to a call seeking comment Thursday.
Barker taped his last episode — his 6,586th — of the popular CBS game show Wednesday, retiring after five decades on national television. The episode is scheduled to air twice June 15: once at its usual time and again that evening.
The silver-haired host ended his record tenure by blowing kisses and working in the same low-key, genial fashion that made him one of daytime TV's biggest stars. He closed the show with his usual, "Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered. Goodbye everybody."
Once the cameras stopped rolling, he told the studio audience: "I thank you, thank you, thank you for inviting me into your home for more than 50 years. I'm truly grateful, and I hope that all of you have enjoyed your visit to `The Price Is Right.'"
Reruns of Barker-hosted shows will play throughout the summer.
A new host has yet to be named. Among those reportedly in the running are Todd Newton of the E! network, Mark Steines of "Entertainment Tonight," George Hamilton and John O'Hurley.
Sean Connery won't be back for `Indy 4'
LOS ANGELES - The next "Indiana Jones" flick will not be another father-son affair. Sean Connery says he will not return to play dad to Harrison Ford's globe-trotting adventurer Indy.
Connery played Indy's father in 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," the third installment of the franchise directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas.
"I get asked the question so often, I thought it best to make an announcement," Connery, 76, said in a statement posted Thursday on Lucasfilm's "Indiana Jones" Web site. "I thought long and hard about it, and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an `Indiana Jones' film."
"I love working with Steven and George, and it goes without saying that it is an honor to have Harrison as my son," he said. "But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun."
The fourth "Indiana Jones" film, not yet titled, is again directed by Spielberg and produced by Lucas. Shooting begins the week of Monday, June 18, at an undisclosed U.S. location, and the movie is due out May 22, 2008.
Lucasfilm also announced Thursday that Cate Blanchett, John Hurt and Ray Winstone will be joining the cast, which along with Ford, includes Shia LaBeouf.
Connery — who played the bookish Henry Jones Sr. in "The Last Crusade" and affectionately called his son "Junior" — did have some words for the 64-year-old Ford.
"I do, however, have one bit of advice for Junior: Demand that the critters be digital, the cliffs be low, and for goodness sake keep that whip by your side at all times in case you need to escape from the stunt coordinator!" Connery said. "This is a remarkable cast, and I can only say, `Break a leg, everyone.'"
Lucas and Spielberg have been working with a variety of screenwriters over the years on the long-awaited sequel. The filmmakers have kept the story under wraps, with Lucas, Spielberg and Ford saying in interviews only that it would take place sometime after World War II. The first three movies were set in the mid- to late 1930s.
Among speculation the filmmakers have yet to confirm or deny is whether Karen Allen, Indy's romantic interest in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," might return. There also have been rumors that Kate Capshaw — Spielberg's wife and Indy's love interest in 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" — might appear in the fourth film.
Lucas and Spielberg are maintaining tight secrecy because details on story and casting are still being worked out and because they want to save some surprises for audiences, said Spielberg spokesman Marvin Levy.
"This is the closest to the vest I've seen. Does Indy wear a vest?" Levy said. "We have more speculation about a number of people than anything I have ever encountered."