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My surprise sit-down with Tony Soprano

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 20:09:00 +0000

CINCINNATI — The Village at the Lift publicity tent has massive, thick walls of white canvas rising high enough to support a second floor balcony. Normally used for large parties, the tent was eerily empty despite it being the opening Friday of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Back in a corner, sinking so low into a couch that he seemed to be touching the floor, was James Gandolfini, who passed away last Wednesday from a heart attack. But when I saw him he was in in Park City, Utah to speak about the political comedy In the Loop, his first major role since wrapping eight years as mob boss Tony Soprano on HBO’s The Sopranos.

For whatever reason, maybe Sundance gridlock, perhaps some competing publicity events, none of the other journalists showed for the interview. So I spent solo time with the normally press-shy Gandolfini inside a tent that could hold a thousand Tony Sopranos.

What Tony Soprano taught me about motherhood

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 17:45:00 +0000

I didn't know James Gandolfini. And when other entertainers have passed, I haven’t necessarily felt like writing about them beyond the respectful tweet or two. But Gandolfini is so intertwined with my recollection of my daughter’s first year that I often can’t think of her as a baby without thinking of him.

She was my first and my most difficult baby, mostly because I had no clue what I was doing, despite my good intentions. You can’t call a baby bad – that’s just rude. Let’s call her … consistent. I breast-fed her all the time, round the clock, mostly because the public health nurses scared me shitless about giving her a soother – which would have been extremely helpful considering half the time she was on the boob it wasn’t for food but to go to sleep. Some advocates will tell you this is wonderful, a testament to her connection to you, but though I support breast-feeding, I will not tell you to put that baby to breast every time she cries because that baby will then be completely unable to put herself to sleep without your nipple in her mouth and this will lead to her being a cranky demon-baby and you being a sleep-deprived, sore bitch to everyone you love until you are forced to withdraw from this co-dependent arrangement because not doing so will result in you murdering her or yourself, which is far, far worse than letting a baby learn how to settle herself to sleep in the first place.

James Gandolfini: “No character captured the longing and melancholy of American life better than Tony Soprano”

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 11:45:00 +0000

There's a scene from the last season of "The Sopranos" where Tony, Carmela, Janice and Bobby are playing Monopoly together and everyone's drinking too much. Janice launches into an anecdote about her dad shooting a hole in her mom's beehive hairdo, and Tony starts to look visibly sick. "I can't believe you never told me that story!" Carmela laughingly yells at Tony. "Yeah, what's the big deal?" Janice says to Tony. "Because it makes us look like a fucking dysfunctional family!" Tony growls. A few minutes later, though, after Tony insults Janice, Tony and Bobby are trading blows. And then, Tony is laying on the floor, covered in blood. (I guess the cat's out of the bag on the dysfunctional family thing, huh, Tone?)

In another actor's hands, that scene is just your typical snapshot of a hotheaded patriarch in denial, an Archie Bunker or a Rabbit Angstrom or a "Great Santini" for the new millennium. James Gandolfini, though, knew just how to tease out the storms raging inside Tony Soprano. His bullying always had this faint hint of self-consciousness to it, suggesting the vaguest whiff of guilt behind that surly mug. When Tony felt anxious, Gandolfini made us feel anxious, too. We could hear Tony start to breathe through his nose, like a bull growing agitated at the sight of the color red. His words got percussive and clipped as his heart raced faster.

R.I.P. James Gandolfini: Where Tony Soprano lives on

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:09:00 +0000

Last scene of "The Sopranos"

More than an hour of obsessive "Sopranos" highlights:

Tony kills Ralphie:

The last scene with Tony and Junior:

The death of Christopher:

James Gandolfini dead at 51

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:10:00 +0000

UPDATE: The Associated Press reports that Gandolfini died of cardiac arrest.

Multiple outlets have confirmed that James Gandolfini, star of "The Sopranos," died late Wednesday while on vacation with his family in Italy. Initial reports suggest he may have suffered a heart attack. Gandolfini earned a Golden Globe and three Emmy awards for his performance on the cable series, widely hailed as one of finest dramas in television history.

HBO has released the following statement:

We're all in shock and feeling immeasurable sadness at the loss of a beloved member of our family. He a was special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect. He touched so many of us over the years with his humor, his warmth and his humility. Our hearts go out to his wife and children during this terrible time. He will be deeply missed by all of us.