Wow, reading that makes me think the final scene of the series will be Tony dying from a hit, but then that is too simple for David Chase (or is it?)
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'Sopranos' to Air Its Season Finale
Wed Jun 2, 10:34 PM
By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer NEW YORK
Poor Adriana: Scuttling on all fours across dead leaves in a forest until Silvio, Tony Soprano's consigliere, popped her with two shots. That was Adriana's ghastly end on the most recent episode of "The Sopranos," underlining how business is business in a mob family _ even for Ade, a terribly reluctant FBI informant whose own fiance, Soprano soldier Christopher Moltisanti, set in motion the hit Tony ordered.
"The Sopranos" airs its fifth-season finale Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO (unavailable for preview). Then 10 more episodes in 2005 will close this magnificent saga.
Exactly what awaits Tony, his New Jersey mob and the family at home is known to only one man: series creator David Chase. But mounting evidence ensures that few, if any, of these characters will dodge some measure of damnation. Or deserve to.
Just consider their accelerating moral slide this season.
Early on, Tony (James Gandolfini) welcomed back from prison his cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), who resolved to go straight, but quickly caved. Then, after joining the Soprano mob, he betrayed that cause, too, by settling a grudge against a member of another gang. "Tony B." has now put "Tony S." in the grim position of sacrificing him to appease New York boss Johnny Sack (Vince Curatola).
The season found Tony in turmoil over his separation from wife Carmela (Edie Falco), while their sulky teenage son, A.J. (Robert Iler), sank further into life as a hump. Spoiled daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Discala) became engaged to Finn, a squeaky-clean fellow college student whose health has already been endangered by his ties to her.
And in the most recent episode, Tony made a successful bid to reconcile with Carmela, vowing that "my mid-life crisis problems will no longer intrude on you anymore." Dubbioso. Nonetheless, Carmela has reclaimed her place in his world just in time, it seems, to join him as he swirls down the drain.
Ever since the show's first episode, when he had a panic attack beside his swimming pool, Tony has lived on shaky ground. This season, viewers got new information why.
He's been plagued by guilt since missing the heist that sent Tony B. away for 15 years. And, worse, his absence wasn't from a mugging hours earlier that put him in the hospital, as he always claimed, but, shamefully, because he had a panic attack after an argument with his mother _ then collapsed and cut his head.
He is still pained by memories of high school sports, which inspires one of the season's most touching moments: He tries to reason with Alzheimer's-afflicted Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese), who keeps bringing up Tony's failures as a jock.
"Why does it gotta be something mean? Why can't you repeat something good?" Tony asks. "Don't you love me?"
And he discovers, to his shock, that his cherished childhood dog ended up in the home of his father's mistress and her kid, after his monstrous mother made his father get rid of it.
One measure of the greatness of "The Sopranos" is how Tony's increasingly stark image as a fiend is counterbalanced by these new revelations into what shaped the fiendishness.
From the beginning, Tony has wrestled with his tortured psyche in therapy sessions with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). But during a memorable episode this year, his psyche was laid bare in a 21-minute dream sequence that, among other startling sights, found Tony in his living room astride the racehorse that last season perished in a fire. From the sofa, Carmela laid down a condition for his moving back home: "You can't have your horse in here."
This season, as usual, "The Sopranos" has been rich with violence and blood, and, even more, with brooding tension. But, as always, it's been funny, too.
Poor Adriana (Drea de Matteo), tormented by her status as a snitch! She fretted herself into a case of irritable bowel syndrome. Sad _ but funny.
Meanwhile, not-so-wise-guy Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) was good for an inadvertent howler, such as when he counseled Tony B. against doing business with Koreans: "Word to the wise: Remember Pearl Harbor!"
And maybe the funniest line of all came from serial screw-up Christopher (Michael Imperioli). Summoned by his Uncle Tony for a reaming, he came armed with excuses, but for the wrong offense: "This about the Easter baskets?"
"I don't even know what THAT is," Tony sighed. "And to tell you the truth, I don't want to know."
What is awaiting Tony this Sunday, and beyond, that he doesn't want to know? Viewers are itching to find out!
By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer NEW YORK
Poor Adriana: Scuttling on all fours across dead leaves in a forest until Silvio, Tony Soprano's consigliere, popped her with two shots. That was Adriana's ghastly end on the most recent episode of "The Sopranos," underlining how business is business in a mob family _ even for Ade, a terribly reluctant FBI informant whose own fiance, Soprano soldier Christopher Moltisanti, set in motion the hit Tony ordered.
"The Sopranos" airs its fifth-season finale Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO (unavailable for preview). Then 10 more episodes in 2005 will close this magnificent saga.
Exactly what awaits Tony, his New Jersey mob and the family at home is known to only one man: series creator David Chase. But mounting evidence ensures that few, if any, of these characters will dodge some measure of damnation. Or deserve to.
Just consider their accelerating moral slide this season.
Early on, Tony (James Gandolfini) welcomed back from prison his cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), who resolved to go straight, but quickly caved. Then, after joining the Soprano mob, he betrayed that cause, too, by settling a grudge against a member of another gang. "Tony B." has now put "Tony S." in the grim position of sacrificing him to appease New York boss Johnny Sack (Vince Curatola).
The season found Tony in turmoil over his separation from wife Carmela (Edie Falco), while their sulky teenage son, A.J. (Robert Iler), sank further into life as a hump. Spoiled daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Discala) became engaged to Finn, a squeaky-clean fellow college student whose health has already been endangered by his ties to her.
And in the most recent episode, Tony made a successful bid to reconcile with Carmela, vowing that "my mid-life crisis problems will no longer intrude on you anymore." Dubbioso. Nonetheless, Carmela has reclaimed her place in his world just in time, it seems, to join him as he swirls down the drain.
Ever since the show's first episode, when he had a panic attack beside his swimming pool, Tony has lived on shaky ground. This season, viewers got new information why.
He's been plagued by guilt since missing the heist that sent Tony B. away for 15 years. And, worse, his absence wasn't from a mugging hours earlier that put him in the hospital, as he always claimed, but, shamefully, because he had a panic attack after an argument with his mother _ then collapsed and cut his head.
He is still pained by memories of high school sports, which inspires one of the season's most touching moments: He tries to reason with Alzheimer's-afflicted Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese), who keeps bringing up Tony's failures as a jock.
"Why does it gotta be something mean? Why can't you repeat something good?" Tony asks. "Don't you love me?"
And he discovers, to his shock, that his cherished childhood dog ended up in the home of his father's mistress and her kid, after his monstrous mother made his father get rid of it.
One measure of the greatness of "The Sopranos" is how Tony's increasingly stark image as a fiend is counterbalanced by these new revelations into what shaped the fiendishness.
From the beginning, Tony has wrestled with his tortured psyche in therapy sessions with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). But during a memorable episode this year, his psyche was laid bare in a 21-minute dream sequence that, among other startling sights, found Tony in his living room astride the racehorse that last season perished in a fire. From the sofa, Carmela laid down a condition for his moving back home: "You can't have your horse in here."
This season, as usual, "The Sopranos" has been rich with violence and blood, and, even more, with brooding tension. But, as always, it's been funny, too.
Poor Adriana (Drea de Matteo), tormented by her status as a snitch! She fretted herself into a case of irritable bowel syndrome. Sad _ but funny.
Meanwhile, not-so-wise-guy Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico) was good for an inadvertent howler, such as when he counseled Tony B. against doing business with Koreans: "Word to the wise: Remember Pearl Harbor!"
And maybe the funniest line of all came from serial screw-up Christopher (Michael Imperioli). Summoned by his Uncle Tony for a reaming, he came armed with excuses, but for the wrong offense: "This about the Easter baskets?"
"I don't even know what THAT is," Tony sighed. "And to tell you the truth, I don't want to know."
What is awaiting Tony this Sunday, and beyond, that he doesn't want to know? Viewers are itching to find out!
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
Was there ever any announcement about when to expect season 6?
Quote:
2012? 
| Originally posted by Redfin Was there ever any announcement about when to expect season 6? |
Quote:
I've been thinking like more of a war, or a slaughter... Like at the end of goodfellas when all the bodies turned up to the tune of Layla. Either way, I think the show will definately end up with a bang.
| Originally posted by foxeng Wow, reading that makes me think the final scene of the series will be Tony dying from a hit, but then that is too simple for David Chase (or is it?) |
Quote:
No, but I caught this quote from Peter King, Sports Illustrated football writer and huge Sopranos fan:
Quote:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...mqb/index.html
| Originally posted by Redfin Was there ever any announcement about when to expect season 6? |
Quote:
| THE SOPRANOS CAN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN LAST WEEK. From Craig McNaughton of Pontiac, Mich. : "Told you: Carmela is a big-time user. Who do you think will get whacked considering that the show will end next season -- Tony or Johnny Sack?'' Neither. There's no way the next season doesn't open with both men vying for control of the New York mob. I hear, much to my chagrin, that the next season will have only 10 episodes and will begin in the spring of 2006. All that hype -- and I think it will be the biggest buildup in television history, throughout 2005 and early 2006 -- for 10 hours or programming. Amazing. |
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...mqb/index.html
"All that hype -- and I think it will be the biggest buildup in television history, throughout 2005 and early 2006 -- for 10 hours or programming. Amazing."
Kind of a strange comment, when you consider the hype and build-up that surround the release of movies..Star Wars AOTC, Lord of the Rings, etc, that last at most three hours. Personally, I scan Google daily for any nuggets on the release of Gigli II.
Kind of a strange comment, when you consider the hype and build-up that surround the release of movies..Star Wars AOTC, Lord of the Rings, etc, that last at most three hours. Personally, I scan Google daily for any nuggets on the release of Gigli II.
Quote:
Those Nuggets are in my Cat Box.
| Originally posted by MnGuy "All that hype -- and I think it will be the biggest buildup in television history, throughout 2005 and early 2006 -- for 10 hours or programming. Amazing." Kind of a strange comment, when you consider the hype and build-up that surround the release of movies..Star Wars AOTC, Lord of the Rings, etc, that last at most three hours. Personally, I scan Google daily for any nuggets on the release of Gigli II. |
Quote:
Naaa, the funniest line was from Pauly.
"Tony, the guy jumped out of a tree with a chainsaw and tried to attack me." hehe.
| And maybe the funniest line of all came from serial screw-up Christopher (Michael Imperioli). Summoned by his Uncle Tony for a reaming, he came armed with excuses, but for the wrong offense: "This about the Easter baskets?" |
"Tony, the guy jumped out of a tree with a chainsaw and tried to attack me." hehe.
Quote:
Isn't it right there in the article?
Quote:
Or is that just a guess by the reporter?
-Sp
| Originally posted by Redfin Was there ever any announcement about when to expect season 6? |
Quote:
| "The Sopranos" airs its fifth-season finale Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO (unavailable for preview). Then 10 more episodes in 2005 will close this magnificent saga. |
-Sp
Quote:
Awesome, just in time before the alien colonization .
| Originally posted by foxeng 2012? |
.
Quote:
Even MORE strange , when you consider the comment came from a football writer and the Superbowl is possibly the most hyped television event every year.
| Originally posted by MnGuy "All that hype -- and I think it will be the biggest buildup in television history, throughout 2005 and early 2006 -- for 10 hours or programming. Amazing." Kind of a strange comment, when you consider the hype and build-up that surround the release of movies. |
From the Boston Globe:
----
ON TV
The beauty of Edie Falco: Her stellar portrayal of Carmela Soprano is complex, subtle
By Matthew Gilbert, Globe Staff | June 3, 2004
In the most recent episode of "The Sopranos," Carmela Soprano sold her soul for a $600,000 parcel of land. But it wasn't a despicable move. It was an awesomely executed power play, in which she reminded herself -- and viewers -- of her great worth to Tony. It was a financial and emotional triumph, even more empowering than the time she assured Meadow's college prospects with an innocent ricotta pie. And it was solid evidence that Carmela, with a temper as sharp as her fingernails, will never be left to crawl with the worms, like Adriana.
If "The Sopranos" has psychological arcs that reach back to the first episode, one of them is Carmela's coming into consciousness. Slowly, she has been changing from a spoiled wife in blissful denial into a knowing woman who has to fight for herself. As her children have defected, leaving her without easy leverage over Tony, she has been forced into ever more deliberate action to protect her way of life. She has had to smarten up, when playing dumb like other mafia women is a whole lot easier.And the peeling away of Carmela's denial is only one of the beauties of Edie Falco's work in her years on HBO's "The Sopranos," which wraps its fifth season on Sunday night at 9. Falco has made her mafia wife into a multilayered woman ping-ponging between avoidance and painful awareness, between the beige heaven of her bourgeois manse and the moments when her moral compass is pointing to hell. Carmela could easily have become a purely kitschy creation, easy to mock with her hairsprayed coifs and her complaining New Jersey accent. See Michelle Pfeiffer and Mercedes Ruehl in "Married to the Mob." But Falco has protected her brassy character from comic reduction, turning Mrs. Soprano into not only the heroine of "The Sopranos" but pop culture's most formidable mob spouse.
Indeed, Edie Falco is the best dramatic actress on TV -- right now, and possibly ever. While there have been many classic comic actresses on TV over the decades, from Carol Burnett and Jean Stapleton to Mary Tyler Moore and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, there have been only a handful of great serious turns. Yes, Sada Thompson was a fount of strength and love on "Family"; cast members on all of the Zwick-Herskovitz series (including "thirtysomething" and "Once and Again") deserve note; each of the leads on "Six Feet Under" is extraordinary; and some would argue that Tyne Daly has brought unequaled emotional intensity to "Judging Amy."
But TV drama series have tended to be about ongoing narrative, plot evolution, and ensemble interaction, rather than individual performances that are richly layered each week. The Joan Collinses and Richard Thomases of TV history are entertaining, and sometimes captivating, but they're usually not models of acting chops.
Falco, on the other hand, delivers movie-level performances each time the writers hand her a scene. Earlier this season, for example, she provided a delicately subdued climax to an episode called "Unidentified Black Males," during which Carmela learned that Tony had tainted all the divorce lawyers within reach. At the end of the hour, Carmela is talking to Meadow on the phone while watching Tony floating in the backyard pool. When Meadow says she's engaged, we see a flood of feelings cross Carmela's face -- envy of her daughter's innocence, anger about her own marital problems, grief over the lost ideals of marriage. It's an exquisitely quiet storm, as Falco plays these emotions, and others, all at once, making it clear that Carmela's tears are not joyful.
Falco can also let loose like few others on the small screen, as she proved in last season's explosive finale, when she laid into Tony for his infidelity and kicked him out of the house. Those were disturbing scenes, as visceral as many of the show's mob fights, and they brought her a third Emmy for best dramatic actress. Carmela frequently operates on only a half-conscious level, such as when she seduced AJ's school counselor into her service. But when she emerges into full-blown comprehension, Falco makes her into a force to be reckoned with. Who can forget the dressing down of Father Phil in season one, when Carmela took him to task for using spiritually needy women for food and company? Or her insistence that Tony donate $50,000 to Columbia, not long after a confrontational therapist tells her about Tony's business, "One thing you can never say -- that you haven't been told."
Falco's achievement is more impressive when you realize that she's working among a cast of powerful actresses. The memorable women on "The Sopranos" have included Nancy Marchand's murderous Livia, Annabella Sciorra's self-annihilating Gloria, Aida Turturro's twisted Janice, and Drea de Matteo's Adriana, so breakable and so lost. Even the secondary women on the show are vivid -- Katherine Narducci's Charmaine Bucco, for instance, and Sharon Angela's Rosalie Aprile, who brings irresistible inflections to lines such as "At least Judas didn't go into any Apostle Protection Program." This season, guest star Polly Bergen delivered a standout turn as Fran Felstein, Tony's father's onetime mistress. She was a pathetic, self-absorbed creature.
But Falco has topped all of them with her consistency and her shadings. She has been the perfect acting partner for James Gandolfini, as they push each other into ever-darker areas. Truly, it's hard to imagine "The Sopranos," and TV in general, being quite as compelling without her.
----
ON TV
The beauty of Edie Falco: Her stellar portrayal of Carmela Soprano is complex, subtle
By Matthew Gilbert, Globe Staff | June 3, 2004
In the most recent episode of "The Sopranos," Carmela Soprano sold her soul for a $600,000 parcel of land. But it wasn't a despicable move. It was an awesomely executed power play, in which she reminded herself -- and viewers -- of her great worth to Tony. It was a financial and emotional triumph, even more empowering than the time she assured Meadow's college prospects with an innocent ricotta pie. And it was solid evidence that Carmela, with a temper as sharp as her fingernails, will never be left to crawl with the worms, like Adriana.
If "The Sopranos" has psychological arcs that reach back to the first episode, one of them is Carmela's coming into consciousness. Slowly, she has been changing from a spoiled wife in blissful denial into a knowing woman who has to fight for herself. As her children have defected, leaving her without easy leverage over Tony, she has been forced into ever more deliberate action to protect her way of life. She has had to smarten up, when playing dumb like other mafia women is a whole lot easier.And the peeling away of Carmela's denial is only one of the beauties of Edie Falco's work in her years on HBO's "The Sopranos," which wraps its fifth season on Sunday night at 9. Falco has made her mafia wife into a multilayered woman ping-ponging between avoidance and painful awareness, between the beige heaven of her bourgeois manse and the moments when her moral compass is pointing to hell. Carmela could easily have become a purely kitschy creation, easy to mock with her hairsprayed coifs and her complaining New Jersey accent. See Michelle Pfeiffer and Mercedes Ruehl in "Married to the Mob." But Falco has protected her brassy character from comic reduction, turning Mrs. Soprano into not only the heroine of "The Sopranos" but pop culture's most formidable mob spouse.
Indeed, Edie Falco is the best dramatic actress on TV -- right now, and possibly ever. While there have been many classic comic actresses on TV over the decades, from Carol Burnett and Jean Stapleton to Mary Tyler Moore and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, there have been only a handful of great serious turns. Yes, Sada Thompson was a fount of strength and love on "Family"; cast members on all of the Zwick-Herskovitz series (including "thirtysomething" and "Once and Again") deserve note; each of the leads on "Six Feet Under" is extraordinary; and some would argue that Tyne Daly has brought unequaled emotional intensity to "Judging Amy."
But TV drama series have tended to be about ongoing narrative, plot evolution, and ensemble interaction, rather than individual performances that are richly layered each week. The Joan Collinses and Richard Thomases of TV history are entertaining, and sometimes captivating, but they're usually not models of acting chops.
Falco, on the other hand, delivers movie-level performances each time the writers hand her a scene. Earlier this season, for example, she provided a delicately subdued climax to an episode called "Unidentified Black Males," during which Carmela learned that Tony had tainted all the divorce lawyers within reach. At the end of the hour, Carmela is talking to Meadow on the phone while watching Tony floating in the backyard pool. When Meadow says she's engaged, we see a flood of feelings cross Carmela's face -- envy of her daughter's innocence, anger about her own marital problems, grief over the lost ideals of marriage. It's an exquisitely quiet storm, as Falco plays these emotions, and others, all at once, making it clear that Carmela's tears are not joyful.
Falco can also let loose like few others on the small screen, as she proved in last season's explosive finale, when she laid into Tony for his infidelity and kicked him out of the house. Those were disturbing scenes, as visceral as many of the show's mob fights, and they brought her a third Emmy for best dramatic actress. Carmela frequently operates on only a half-conscious level, such as when she seduced AJ's school counselor into her service. But when she emerges into full-blown comprehension, Falco makes her into a force to be reckoned with. Who can forget the dressing down of Father Phil in season one, when Carmela took him to task for using spiritually needy women for food and company? Or her insistence that Tony donate $50,000 to Columbia, not long after a confrontational therapist tells her about Tony's business, "One thing you can never say -- that you haven't been told."
Falco's achievement is more impressive when you realize that she's working among a cast of powerful actresses. The memorable women on "The Sopranos" have included Nancy Marchand's murderous Livia, Annabella Sciorra's self-annihilating Gloria, Aida Turturro's twisted Janice, and Drea de Matteo's Adriana, so breakable and so lost. Even the secondary women on the show are vivid -- Katherine Narducci's Charmaine Bucco, for instance, and Sharon Angela's Rosalie Aprile, who brings irresistible inflections to lines such as "At least Judas didn't go into any Apostle Protection Program." This season, guest star Polly Bergen delivered a standout turn as Fran Felstein, Tony's father's onetime mistress. She was a pathetic, self-absorbed creature.
But Falco has topped all of them with her consistency and her shadings. She has been the perfect acting partner for James Gandolfini, as they push each other into ever-darker areas. Truly, it's hard to imagine "The Sopranos," and TV in general, being quite as compelling without her.
....in which Silvio learns that when Tony S said "Take care of Adriana" he meant to take her to a safe place away from the FBI .So this week Tony S. asks Silvio "Where's Adriana??"
Also, this week Tony's cousin says he's got a part in another Coen Brothers film while Johnny Sacko has to report back to the set of Third Watch. They both bring notes from their agents to be excused from the whackings this week. Will Tony accept them?
Stay tuned.....
Also, this week Tony's cousin says he's got a part in another Coen Brothers film while Johnny Sacko has to report back to the set of Third Watch. They both bring notes from their agents to be excused from the whackings this week. Will Tony accept them?
Stay tuned.....
I like where Christopher said "I can F***King Multitask!
It should be a fun ride Sunday night!
-- And there is this preview from Friday's USA Today:
Who gets whacked in 'Sopranos'?
By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
Is Adriana really dead? Will Christopher get whacked? Or is crazy Tony B. next?
Will Tony be able to thwart a war between the New Jersey and New York families?
HBO
Fans have been debating possible murders and floating fantasy plot lines for HBO's hit Mob show, The Sopranos, when it ends its fifth — and second to last — season Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
"I cannot wait for Sunday's season finale," Barbara Walters said Wednesday on her talk show The View.
"I hope it's good," says Ivy Hover, founder of fan Web site sopranoland.com. "After this last episode" — when sweet, trusting, neurotic Adriana was shot for talking to the feds — "it's going to be tough. The last episode was so good."
Topping last season will be tough, too. The show's fourth-season finale, in December 2002, pulled in 12.5 million viewers, huge numbers for a cable show.
This season, The Sopranos is averaging 9.7 million viewers through 12 episodes, down from last season's average of 11 million.
As for how big the numbers will be Sunday, Brad Adgate, senior vice president of ad-buying firm Horizon Media, says, "There's some buzz on who's going to get whacked, but the show doesn't have the heat that it did the first couple of seasons."
Much like the gold-rush drama Deadwood that follows it on Sundays, The Sopranos always seems willing to kill off popular characters, among them Salvatore "Big *****" Bonpensiero (played by Vincent Pastore), Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) and most recently Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo).
"That was so sad," says Lorraine Bracco, who plays Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Tony Soprano's therapist. "I loved her."
Bracco says she doesn't know about any whackings in the finale. "The only thing I can tell you is that Melfi gives Tony a good tongue-thrashing."
Earlier this week, HBO posted a synopsis: Tony's crew circles the wagons as Johnny Sack turns up the heat. Carmela counts her blessings; Christopher is freaked out by an unexpected visitor (and no, it's NOT Adriana); Benny's connection to the plumbers union comes in handy; A.J. demonstrates his business acumen; and Tony ponders whether to execute a "sacrifice bunt."
Fans on HBO.com boards are wondering:
•Does Carmela counting "her blessings" mean she's pregnant?
•Does A.J. demonstrating "business acumen" also mean he stops acting like a spoiled brat?
•Does a "sacrifice bunt" mean Tony Soprano offers up one of his beloved relatives as a sacrifice to Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni?
And if he does, would it be Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), Tony's cousin, who has been stirring up trouble since he got out of jail this season?
Or could it be Tony's nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli)? He's a hothead and a heroin addict, and lately he has been more of a liability than an asset.
On Tuesday, Imperioli appeared on Fox News' morning show, Fox & Friends, to promote a movie coming out on DVD. When asked whether he was getting whacked Sunday, Imperioli answered, "Well, there's a decent chance of that happening. ... There's a strong chance of that happening."
It could be a plot spoiler — or just misdirection. De Matteo, for example, didn't exactly come clean about whether she'd be back when asked during interviews for her new role in NBC's fall Friends spinoff, Joey.
Says Hover: "I guess people think Christopher's going to get whacked. I didn't really think that. I feel that Johnny Sack isn't going to be around next season." She adds, "Everyone's analyzing every little detail."
A sixth, shortened season of 10 episodes is to start filming in March, Bracco says. HBO hasn't announced when the final season would air, though late next year or January 2006 are most likely.
So what will viewers think of Sunday's season finale? Will they be surprised? Satisfied? "This finale?" Bracco asks. "I don't think the audience will be satisfied at all. Makes no difference if it's good, bad or mediocre. They're mad it's the last episode."
-- And there is this preview from Friday's USA Today:
Who gets whacked in 'Sopranos'?
By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
Is Adriana really dead? Will Christopher get whacked? Or is crazy Tony B. next?
Will Tony be able to thwart a war between the New Jersey and New York families?
HBO
Fans have been debating possible murders and floating fantasy plot lines for HBO's hit Mob show, The Sopranos, when it ends its fifth — and second to last — season Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
"I cannot wait for Sunday's season finale," Barbara Walters said Wednesday on her talk show The View.
"I hope it's good," says Ivy Hover, founder of fan Web site sopranoland.com. "After this last episode" — when sweet, trusting, neurotic Adriana was shot for talking to the feds — "it's going to be tough. The last episode was so good."
Topping last season will be tough, too. The show's fourth-season finale, in December 2002, pulled in 12.5 million viewers, huge numbers for a cable show.
This season, The Sopranos is averaging 9.7 million viewers through 12 episodes, down from last season's average of 11 million.
As for how big the numbers will be Sunday, Brad Adgate, senior vice president of ad-buying firm Horizon Media, says, "There's some buzz on who's going to get whacked, but the show doesn't have the heat that it did the first couple of seasons."
Much like the gold-rush drama Deadwood that follows it on Sundays, The Sopranos always seems willing to kill off popular characters, among them Salvatore "Big *****" Bonpensiero (played by Vincent Pastore), Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) and most recently Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo).
"That was so sad," says Lorraine Bracco, who plays Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Tony Soprano's therapist. "I loved her."
Bracco says she doesn't know about any whackings in the finale. "The only thing I can tell you is that Melfi gives Tony a good tongue-thrashing."
Earlier this week, HBO posted a synopsis: Tony's crew circles the wagons as Johnny Sack turns up the heat. Carmela counts her blessings; Christopher is freaked out by an unexpected visitor (and no, it's NOT Adriana); Benny's connection to the plumbers union comes in handy; A.J. demonstrates his business acumen; and Tony ponders whether to execute a "sacrifice bunt."
Fans on HBO.com boards are wondering:
•Does Carmela counting "her blessings" mean she's pregnant?
•Does A.J. demonstrating "business acumen" also mean he stops acting like a spoiled brat?
•Does a "sacrifice bunt" mean Tony Soprano offers up one of his beloved relatives as a sacrifice to Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni?
And if he does, would it be Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi), Tony's cousin, who has been stirring up trouble since he got out of jail this season?
Or could it be Tony's nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli)? He's a hothead and a heroin addict, and lately he has been more of a liability than an asset.
On Tuesday, Imperioli appeared on Fox News' morning show, Fox & Friends, to promote a movie coming out on DVD. When asked whether he was getting whacked Sunday, Imperioli answered, "Well, there's a decent chance of that happening. ... There's a strong chance of that happening."
It could be a plot spoiler — or just misdirection. De Matteo, for example, didn't exactly come clean about whether she'd be back when asked during interviews for her new role in NBC's fall Friends spinoff, Joey.
Says Hover: "I guess people think Christopher's going to get whacked. I didn't really think that. I feel that Johnny Sack isn't going to be around next season." She adds, "Everyone's analyzing every little detail."
A sixth, shortened season of 10 episodes is to start filming in March, Bracco says. HBO hasn't announced when the final season would air, though late next year or January 2006 are most likely.
So what will viewers think of Sunday's season finale? Will they be surprised? Satisfied? "This finale?" Bracco asks. "I don't think the audience will be satisfied at all. Makes no difference if it's good, bad or mediocre. They're mad it's the last episode."
For anyone who missed it last week, in five minutes The Late Show With David Letterman is repeating last week's show where the entire principal cast of The Sopranos does the Top Ten List, "Top Ten Things Never Before Said on 'The Sopranos'". Screamingly funny and not to be missed.
EDIT: Oops, no it's not being repeated tonight. The CBS website is apparently out of date.
You can still view the Top Ten video online at cbs.com. It looks like the cast had a ball doing the list.
EDIT: Oops, no it's not being repeated tonight. The CBS website is apparently out of date.
You can still view the Top Ten video online at cbs.com. It looks like the cast had a ball doing the list.
The Top Ten List rerun was on Thursday night.
"All that hype -- and I think it will be the biggest buildup in television history, throughout 2005 and early 2006 -- for 10 hours or programming. Amazing."
Ten hours of programming is no small deal.
The average TV sitcom is 22 half hour shows, of which about 22 minutes is the show itself, which adds up to about 8 hours of programming for an entire season of, say, Friends or Frazier. Two hours of "Troy" costs about 200 million dollars to get on film.
Most hour episodes of The Sorpranos far exceed the artistic and dramatic quality of anything else on television, and even most feature films. The reason that both the critics and the viewers love the Sopranos is that both the writing and production values far exceed anything else in its class.
In my opinion, the only solid "ten hours of programming" on a single theme that was better was Lord of the Rings, and that costs over a zilliion dollars, adjusted for inflation.
Ten hours of programming is no small deal.
The average TV sitcom is 22 half hour shows, of which about 22 minutes is the show itself, which adds up to about 8 hours of programming for an entire season of, say, Friends or Frazier. Two hours of "Troy" costs about 200 million dollars to get on film.
Most hour episodes of The Sorpranos far exceed the artistic and dramatic quality of anything else on television, and even most feature films. The reason that both the critics and the viewers love the Sopranos is that both the writing and production values far exceed anything else in its class.
In my opinion, the only solid "ten hours of programming" on a single theme that was better was Lord of the Rings, and that costs over a zilliion dollars, adjusted for inflation.
And from the Boston Herald:
Good to the last bullet: `The Sopranos' has made a killing this season
By Sarah Rodman
Friday, June 4, 2004
Is David Chase preparing ``Sopranos'' fans for the day when the mob drama is officially iced?
What other explanation could there be for this penultimate season's litany of dramatic chills?
From Tony's (James Gandolfini) therapeutic epiphanies - and complete disregard thereof - to cousin Tony Blundetto's (Steve Buscemi) abrupt and wholehearted return to crime to the outing of Vito Spatafore (Joseph Gannascoli) and the whacking of Christopher's fiancee Adriana (Drea de Matteo), creator and executive producer Chase packed the season with drama and intrigue - and, for the people who want it, a body count.
The fifth season of HBO's premier water-cooler series comes to a close Sunday at 9; the series will sleep with the fishes after concluding a truncated 10-episode run sometime next year.
If the demise of Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) cast a pall of depressing inevitability and repetition over season four, the beauty of season five has been Chase's ability to infuse even the predictable moments with elements of surprise while simultaneously revealing the deep flaws and duplicitous natures of almost every single character. In short, there were fewer Columbus Day-style tangents, and the show was better for it.
The season began with Tony coping with the fallout of his separation from Carmela (Edie Falco) and the paroled mobsters returning to their crime families, including cousin Tony, the brilliantly acerbic Buscemi.
We all knew lovable dimwit Adriana was not long for this world after confessing to Christopher (Michael Imperioli) that she was an FBI informant, but it was an ingenious move to have Silvio (Steven Van Zandt) serve as the triggerman. It deftly reminded viewers who have cozied up to this ostensibly likable, often comic character that he is as cold-blooded as his partners.
(Diehard Ade fans continue to hold out hope for her resurrection as the teaser for Sunday mentions a ``surprise'' visitor for Christopher.)
It also seemed a foregone conclusion that Tony and Carmela would reconcile, but if anyone's treachery has been spotlighted this year, it has been this superficially long-suffering wife. Gone is the hand-wringing and spiritual tumult of seasons past. First she spun her sexual web around A.J.'s school counselor Wegler (David Strathairn) to boost her dim son's college prospects. After his blisteringly accurate appraisal of her manipulation, she turned on a dime and threatened him and then negotiated Tony's return to the tune of a $600,000 plot of land. And when her own mother turned up her nose at Tony, Carmela defended him and, by extension, her own choices fiercely.
With Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), Tony made breakthroughs in recognizing the roots of his depression, his short fuse and his father’s culpability in shaping him. That he then chose to neglect and then physically threaten his son A.J. (Robert Iler), drive his sister Janice (Aida Turturro) to the brink of mania and proclaim his ailing Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) as ``dead to me'' underscored his primal maliciousness in disturbing new ways.
If anyone got short shrift this season, it was Melfi and Soprano daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn DiScala). But even in a brief appearance, Meadow was true to her roots as she manipulated boyfriend Finn (Will Janowitz).
What happens on Sunday's finale, titled ``All Due Respect,'' is anybody's guess. But given Tony's blunt rebuke of Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola) regarding cousin Tony's whereabouts, it's a good bet that violence will be involved and that ``Respect'' must be paid - both to Tony and creator David Chase.
Good to the last bullet: `The Sopranos' has made a killing this season
By Sarah Rodman
Friday, June 4, 2004
Is David Chase preparing ``Sopranos'' fans for the day when the mob drama is officially iced?
What other explanation could there be for this penultimate season's litany of dramatic chills?
From Tony's (James Gandolfini) therapeutic epiphanies - and complete disregard thereof - to cousin Tony Blundetto's (Steve Buscemi) abrupt and wholehearted return to crime to the outing of Vito Spatafore (Joseph Gannascoli) and the whacking of Christopher's fiancee Adriana (Drea de Matteo), creator and executive producer Chase packed the season with drama and intrigue - and, for the people who want it, a body count.
The fifth season of HBO's premier water-cooler series comes to a close Sunday at 9; the series will sleep with the fishes after concluding a truncated 10-episode run sometime next year.
If the demise of Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano) cast a pall of depressing inevitability and repetition over season four, the beauty of season five has been Chase's ability to infuse even the predictable moments with elements of surprise while simultaneously revealing the deep flaws and duplicitous natures of almost every single character. In short, there were fewer Columbus Day-style tangents, and the show was better for it.
The season began with Tony coping with the fallout of his separation from Carmela (Edie Falco) and the paroled mobsters returning to their crime families, including cousin Tony, the brilliantly acerbic Buscemi.
We all knew lovable dimwit Adriana was not long for this world after confessing to Christopher (Michael Imperioli) that she was an FBI informant, but it was an ingenious move to have Silvio (Steven Van Zandt) serve as the triggerman. It deftly reminded viewers who have cozied up to this ostensibly likable, often comic character that he is as cold-blooded as his partners.
(Diehard Ade fans continue to hold out hope for her resurrection as the teaser for Sunday mentions a ``surprise'' visitor for Christopher.)
It also seemed a foregone conclusion that Tony and Carmela would reconcile, but if anyone's treachery has been spotlighted this year, it has been this superficially long-suffering wife. Gone is the hand-wringing and spiritual tumult of seasons past. First she spun her sexual web around A.J.'s school counselor Wegler (David Strathairn) to boost her dim son's college prospects. After his blisteringly accurate appraisal of her manipulation, she turned on a dime and threatened him and then negotiated Tony's return to the tune of a $600,000 plot of land. And when her own mother turned up her nose at Tony, Carmela defended him and, by extension, her own choices fiercely.
With Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), Tony made breakthroughs in recognizing the roots of his depression, his short fuse and his father’s culpability in shaping him. That he then chose to neglect and then physically threaten his son A.J. (Robert Iler), drive his sister Janice (Aida Turturro) to the brink of mania and proclaim his ailing Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) as ``dead to me'' underscored his primal maliciousness in disturbing new ways.
If anyone got short shrift this season, it was Melfi and Soprano daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn DiScala). But even in a brief appearance, Meadow was true to her roots as she manipulated boyfriend Finn (Will Janowitz).
What happens on Sunday's finale, titled ``All Due Respect,'' is anybody's guess. But given Tony's blunt rebuke of Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola) regarding cousin Tony's whereabouts, it's a good bet that violence will be involved and that ``Respect'' must be paid - both to Tony and creator David Chase.
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