Posts Tagged ‘The Sopranos’

Lillo Brancato Jr. Cleared of Murder

December 23rd, 2008

Lillo Brancato Jr., an actor who appeared in The Sopranos and starred in A Bronx Tale alongside Robert De Niro has been convicted of attempted burglary in a case that had him on the line for murder, according to the Associated Press.

 

Prosecutors were trying to show that the actor was at fault during a botched attempt to steal prescription drugs in 2005, when he was with Steven Armento, who shot at and killed off-duty cop Daniel Enchautegui after he caught them trying to break into an apartment. Both men were shot as well.

 

Brancato will now serve three to fifteen years in jail for his role in the crime.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler Turns 27!

May 16th, 2008 / Author: OK! Staff

Jamie-Lynn Sigler got charitable on her 27th birthday when she brought brother Mark and sister-in-law Whitney to an Operation Smile event held May 15 at Skylight Studio in NYC. But, OK! wanted to know how the recently single actress pent the big 2-7.

“I slept in really, really late,” The Sopranos star tells OK! “I got a huge balloon bouquet from my girlfriends back in L.A. It was a surprise. I got a lot of nice e-mails and phone calls. Birthdays are a nice time to catch up with people you haven’t spoken to in awhile. Later I’ll meet up with some friends.”

One thing Jamie-Lynn looks forward to this year is becoming an aunt for the first time. Her brother and sister-in-law are expecting a child. She’s also moving to the West coast for a new TV gig. That sounds like quite a busy 2008!

By Valerie Nome

Posted to: ,

Clooney, Margulies Headed to ER?

March 13th, 2008

Facing a shortened development season brought on by the writers’ strike, NBC is in the final stages of renewing ER for a 15th and, most likely, last season next fall.

 

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the network is courting former ER alums, George Clooney (Dr. Doug Ross) and Julianna Margulies (nurse Carol) for the final season. Original cast member Noah Wylie has already signed on to reprise his role as Dr. Carter for four episodes. Also on board for next season: Goran Visnjic (Dr. Kovac).

 

"We’d love to get them all back in some way," says executive producer David Zabel. "We want to revisit characters that have existed on the show over the years and say where they are now."

But let’s get down to business: Can George Clooney the movie star be swayed to return to the show that made him a household name? Zabel says it’s actually another ER alum that has him worried.

"The toughest will be getting Tony (Anthony) Edwards (Dr. Green), because his character is dead!" Zabel laughs. "That’s a little tricky, but there are ways to do it that we’ve thought about, even if it were like a lost episode from 1996, featuring him and Wyle."

 

In the meantime, the show will keep things buzzing for the remaining six outings this season by bringing in Aida Turturro (The Sopranos) for a three-week stint as a patient and adding a hot new doc (possibly an unknown actor from Australia) who’s supposed to make Dr. Gates (John Stamos) look like a plain white-coat.

"He’ll be a sexy rake, a devil you can’t resist," Zabel says, adding, "a dynamic new character has the ability to motivate everybody, though it’s easy to get excited about next season considering it will be the last."

 

No Country, Sopranos Top SAGs

January 27th, 2008

No Country for Old Men? How about No Room for Competition?

The drama picked up two statuettes at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, Cast in a Motion Picture and Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem.

“This is Javier’s 497th award,” Josh Brolin quipped when accepting the cast trophy.

He’s not far off — the Spanish actor has been sweeping the award circuit, as has their film, which is looking good for Oscar gold now.

Also looking good is Daniel Day-Lewis, who won Best Actor for There Will Be Blood. A near-lock for the Oscar now, the Brit dedicated his award to Heath Ledger.

“In Monster’s Ball, that character that he created seemed to be almost like an unformed being retreating from themselves, retreating from his father, from his life, even retreating from us, and yet we wanted to follow him and yet was scared to follow him almost. It was unique,” he said.

“And of course in Brokeback Mountain, he was unique and perfect," he continued. "That scene in the trailer at the end of the film is as moving as anything that I think I’ve ever seen. I’d like to dedicate this to Heath Ledger."

Heath was also honored in the In Memoriam segment, closing out the tribute, and by nominee Ryan Gosling and his sister Mandi, who wore black ribbons for the late actor.

(CLICK HERE for a video report on the SAGs)

Veterans also fared well at the ceremony — 66-year-old Julie Christie took home Best Actress for Away From Her while 83-year-old Ruby Dee was named Best Supporting Actress for her brief but powerful turn in American Gangster.

Over in the television categories, The Sopranos got a nice farewell (no, no Jersey Boys this time) and went 3-for-3 in its categories, snagging Cast in a Drama Series, Drama Actor for James Gandolfini and Drama Actress for Edie Falco.

"This is the last official act as Sopranos together," James said.

In the comedy races, 30 Rock almost sweeped — it won Actress and Actor for Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin (who repeated), but missed out on Cast to The Office, the defending champion.

Elsewhere in the broadcast, Kevin Kline and Queen Latifah, both no-shows, won for their TV movies, As You Like It and Life Support, respectively, while Charles Durning received the Life Achievement Award.

Click here for OK!’s blow-by-blow of the night and here for the full list of winners.

By Joyce Eng

James Gandolfini Engaged

January 11th, 2008 / Author: cwillett

While his hit HBO mob show The Sopranos may be only a memory for star James Gandolfini, the actor is now all set to embark on a journey of a different type as the 46-year-old prepares to walk down the aisle with girlfriend, former model Deborah Lin.

No date was given for the impending nuptials, but a rep for the fiercely private award-winning thespian confirms that the pair recently got engaged during the holidays.
This will be the second trip to the altar for James, who divorced first wife Marcy in 2002. It is reported that he was also briefly engaged in 2004 to Lora Samoza, a director’s assistant on Gandolfini’s 2001 film The Mexican.

The Sopranos Chow Down for New Show

December 6th, 2007

After being whacked in one of the final episodes of the beloved series The Sopranos, alum Steve Schirripa is famished, and he’s doing something about it. He’s launched his own TV show, Steve Schirripa’s Hungry, a new Italian-themed cooking series, for the free on-demand network, Lifeskool TV.

Steve celebrated the launch of his show at famed New York City Italian restaurant Il Cortile last night. “The show is about Italian American culture and cooking. I went to different chefs, some famous, some not famous, and they basically paid me to eat, which I would have done for free,” he told me during the family-style culinary feast.

 

All of Steve’s closest friends were in tow, including his castmates from the hit HBO series. “Everybody comes out, James Gandolfini, Tony Sirico, Dominic Chianese. They come out to support me, they’re close friends. Lorraine Bracco is here. It’s great,” he said proudly. Despite the cast reunion, that highly anticipated Sopranos movie is still just a fantasy. “No, there’s no movie, no movie. We’re eating,” Steve declared. And his favorite Italian dish? “The meatballs are my favorite. I’m a meatball guy.”

Indeed, they were delicious.

Steve Schirripa’s Hungry debuts Thursday, Dec. 6 on Lifeskool TV.

Drea de Matteo Gives Birth to Baby Girl

November 29th, 2007 / Author: cwillett

Sopranos alum Drea de Matteo has some new lullabies to sing.

E! Online has confirmed the 35-year-old actress gave birth to daughter Alabama Gypsy Rose on Wednesday night. Alabama clocked in at 8 lbs. 3 oz. This is the first child for Drea and her long-time boyfriend, musician Shooter Jennings, 28.

Little Alabama arrived a wee-bit early — Drea was due in December, but on a Tuesday posting on his official site, Shooter hinted that the birth was near.

"So I’m gonna take about a week off here, got a daughter comin’ you know!" he wrote."Y’all pray for drea and hope for a good delivery of the little hellraiser. This girl sure ain’t gonna take no SHIT from NOBODY!"

He promises an update next week to "give ya the good word!"

The Emmy winner had tried to keep her pregnancy on the down low but was forced to confirm it after she was outed by Veronique Maternity in May.

The Sopranos Movie Might Happen

October 19th, 2007 / Author: OK! Staff

Jerry Adler, who played Hesh Rabkin on HBO’s hit Mafia drama The Sopranos, reveals to OK! his hopes for a Sopranos movie.

“We’ll see,” he tells OK!, “We got together the other night and we prayed as a group. So we’re all hoping there’ll be a movie. But… we don’t know. It’s up to [show creator] David [Chase].”

Jerry also theorizes a little about what he thinks the movie should be about. “Well, we’d have to go back in time to Tony’s childhood I suppose.”

And his thoughts on who would play him as a young man? “John Travolta. Maybe younger…That Jake Gyllenhaal kid.”

Nice choice, Jerry!

 

By Jocelyn Vena

A NIGHT WITH EMMY

September 17th, 2007

I usually watch the Emmys with a group of friends who’ve coined their own drinking game, taking a swig any time any TV star I’ve interviewed pops on the screen. To write my commentary on the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, I stayed among the sober (time will tell if it was a smart decision).

The telecast opened with a musical number featuring Brian and Stewie Griffin from Fox’s animated series Family Guy. With a pre-taped segment, there was no chance to view a train wreck of a live opening like Britney Spears‘ gave at the VMAs last week. Just like OK! told you, Brit was a no-show at the awards.
Really, what good would it have done her to appear at one awards show
to apologize for her behavior at another? Brit knows she needs to save
that for her comeback cover story with OK!. Fox did make good on its usual self-deprecating form as Family Guy’s precocious baby and talking dog sang about how craptastic TV can be, yet we still watch (and ‘Til Death thanks us!).


Fox’s biggest gamble of the night was its award host, Ryan Seacrest. I’m pretty certain the execs figured if someone accidentally tuned in, they’d think it was another telecast for Idol Gives Back. Ryan pretty much told us he wasn’t comedian from the start, and it showed in his forced timing of the opening monologue. He did get in one or two good liners: His cheeky hello to girlfriend-for-about-a-minute Terri Hatcher; pointing out how Idol co-star Paula Abdul would have a blast at the Weeds after-party; getting sexually ambiguous while strutting around in The Tudors‘ tights. But I’m thinking the general consensus is for Ryan to stick to Idol. Maybe when Fox does the awards again, they can get So You Think You Can Dance’s Cat Deeley to host?

In an attempt to guarantee a few bonafide chuckles during the broadcast, the show had several comedians perform mini-sets before announcing their categories. Some worked, like Ray Romano and Steve Carell and his Office co-stars. Some didn’t. Ellen DeGeneres seemed off her usually tight game, while The Daily Show’s Lewis Black chewed out his bosses — TV executives — during his two-minute rant. Who missed that during the table read?

As for the awards themselves, talk about surprises! Jamie Pressly for Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series! Ricky Gervais for Lead Actor In A Comedy Series! Sally Field for Lead Actress In A Drama Series! Everyone-thought-it-would-be-the-other-James Spader for Lead Actor In A Drama Series! The Sopranos were supposed to clean up, evidenced by the Broadway tribute to the critical darling (though it was kind of strange to hear the Jersey Boys singing about love when the people on the screen behind them were getting whacked!). The Sopranos was left feeling more like it took a hit itself: The series was awarded more as an ensemble effort for Writing, Directing and Drama Series, but went home empty-handed in the acting categories.

A few things I learned from tonight’s broadcast:

There is much love for legendary crooner Tony Bennett, who scored three awards for the Tony Bennett: An American Classic special. Got to pre-order his "Tony Bennett Sings The Ultimate American Songbook, Vol. 1" CD pronto!

To Richard Shepard, winner for Directing In A Comedy Series, Ugly Betty. My mother used to take away the TV too!

The cast of Roots hasn’t aged a day. You all looked marvelous!

30 Rock’s win for Comedy Series proves my theory that Emmy voters like their comedies quirky and unique.

Dangly earrings are the hot accessory! Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera, ‘Til Death’s Joely Fisher, Project Runway’s Heidi Klum, Debra Messing and a ton of other actresses were rocking them.

And yes, I do feel like shopping at Macys today. Hope they’re having one of their famous One Day sales.

 

All and all, I’ve give the show a six. It didn’t stink, but not exactly water cooler worthy conversation. Except for those all those dangly earrings. Now that’s something to talk about.

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