Ciao Sopranos

Yesterday marked the end of a era for me as I watched the last episode of "The Sopranos." It has left me a little hollow in the gut, like the way you feel when you have to say goodbye to someone you love, not knowing when you'll see them next. That series has been my companion for the past few years. It has conned me into feeling sorry for murdering sociopaths and adulterers and sad when main characters met their inevitably untimely, but predictable tragic fates.

Creator David Chase did a brilliant job with this series which features some of the best dramatic acting, particularly in the roles of Carmela and Tony Soprano (Edie Falco and James Gandolfini), that I have ever seen. Cinematography, editing, locations and soundtracks have also been excellent. I know I will venture back in re-runs to this show for many years to come. If you haven't seen the series and can deal with the content, I couldn't recommend it more and I suggest the real episodes, not A&E's edited versions. Come on, we all know guys who make their living stealing and killing don't use the word, "freakin,' " and isn't editing the violence out of a show about the mob like decaffeinated coffee? What's the point? Fuggetaboutit!

From my beloved imdb.com here is some interesting Sopranos trivia:

* The show has one 5 Golden Globes, 76 other various awards and has been nominated for 209 more.

* The "Bada Bing" strip club is actually a go-go bar in Lodi, NJ, called Satin Dolls. It used to be a nightclub called Tara's. Before that it was a diner called Hearth 17.

* Before David Chase chose "Woke Up This Morning", he originally wanted to use a different song in every episode's opening sequence. HBO executives convinced him that viewers needed to be able to identify the show with a theme song.

* Tony Sirico only agreed to sign on for the show if it was guaranteed that his character Paulie 'Walnuts' Gualtieri would not be a "rat", an informant.

* Lorraine Bracco was originally asked to play the role of Carmela Soprano, but she felt that the part was too similar to her character in Goodfellas (1990). She decided the role of Dr. Melfi would be more challenging.

* In Season 5 a story about Feech La Manna was told, concerning his killing a New Jersey longshoreman for refusing to give up his favorite seat in a bar. This story was based on a true-life incident involving former Philadelphia/Atlantic City crime boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo.

* Six of the regular cast members appeared in Goodfellas (1990): Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Vincent Pastore, Frank Vincent, and Joseph R. Gannascoli.