Author Topic: R.I.P. James Gandolfini  (Read 2034 times)

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Online DCPatriot

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R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« on: June 20, 2013, 12:04:21 am »
R.I.P. James Gandolfini

http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/r-i-p-james-gandolfini/

EXCLUSIVE: I’ve learned that actor James Gandolfini died suddenly in Italy after a suspected heart attack. He was 51. Gandolfini will be forever known for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano on the seminal HBO series The Sopranos, which won him three Emmy Awards. Chris Albrecht who greenlighted the crime family saga at HBO and gave Gandolfini his start, just emailed Deadline’s Nikki Finke: “Absolutely stunned. I got the word from Lorraine Bracco and just got off with Brad Grey who had just heard from David Chase. We had all become a family. This is a tremendous loss.” Grey was the executive producer and Chase the creator of The Sopranos. Overweight, balding, with a thick New York accent, Gandolfini was the opposite of a marquee leading man and yet he proved through his masterful acting that he could make Tony Soprano sexy and smart. Gandolfini remained in business with HBO starring in film Cinema Verite and executive producing Hemingway & Gellhorn. He was set to topline a new limited series for HBO, Criminal Justice, one of several projects he had in the works. Gandolfini was most recently seen in the features The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Zero Dark Thirty.  MORE


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"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2013, 12:07:55 am »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpRTIl9bHlk

Inside the Actor's Studio with James Gandolfini
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2013, 12:11:32 am »
Terrific lead actor in the finest TV series in history.  RIP. 

Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2013, 12:16:27 am »

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2013, 12:23:10 am »




He played the part of a mob hitman "Virgil" in the movie "True Romance".  It was 1993.

IMO, that scene alone earned him the audition for Tony Soprano.

It's a fight scene between Patricia Arquette "Alabama" and "Virgil"....quite memorable and remarkable.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2013, 12:35:49 am by DCPatriot »
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2013, 01:04:36 am »
I have never heard of the movie True Romance, but people sure are talking about it now that he's passed. 

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2013, 01:12:08 am »
He was a great actor.... he was very funny in Get Shorty...and we never missed an episode of The Sopranos........
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2013, 03:28:31 am »
I have never heard of the movie True Romance, but people sure are talking about it now that he's passed.

That's the movie that Senator Robert Dole....or his wife...cited when they said that gratuitous violence and sex in movies (as well as musical lyrics) needed to be boycotted or something.

The movie a blood and guts thriller with a kick-ass cast.  And at least three memorable classic scenes....one of which is Gandolfini surprising Arquette in the hotel room while Clarence (Christian Slater) unwittingly goes for some burgers and just drops her off at the motel.
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline mrclose

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2013, 03:39:16 am »
BAD @$$ VIDEO!

Alabama 3 "Woke Up This Morning" (Sopranos Theme Song) Live





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3edGUEBL3Tg
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Offline mrclose

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2013, 04:27:19 am »
The female in the group has one b!tch!n voice!
(Is it okay to say 'female'?) :whistle: :silly:
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Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2013, 01:25:09 pm »
That's the movie that Senator Robert Dole....or his wife...cited when they said that gratuitous violence and sex in movies (as well as musical lyrics) needed to be boycotted or something.

The movie a blood and guts thriller with a kick-ass cast.  And at least three memorable classic scenes....one of which is Gandolfini surprising Arquette in the hotel room while Clarence (Christian Slater) unwittingly goes for some burgers and just drops her off at the motel.

Hopefully it will be on Encore or something soon.  I don't do the Netflix thing.

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #11 on: June 20, 2013, 08:22:03 pm »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgvAxNRtHW0



Believe it or not......it's VERY realistic that a kid wouldn't know what a gutter is.    :silly:
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline mountaineer

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #12 on: June 20, 2013, 08:40:47 pm »
There were some genuinely hilarious moments in that show, from AJ's abject stupidity to funny malaprops, e.g., Tony to Dr. Melfi: Revenge is best served with coldcuts.
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Offline mountaineer

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #13 on: June 20, 2013, 08:46:56 pm »
From a small-town newspaper near me:
Quote
The verb 'Tony Soprano' defined
June 20, 2013 - Paul Giannamore



A long, long time ago (you’re either thinking “in a galaxy far, far away” or “I can still remember how that music used to make me smile”) I wrote a screed against “The Sopranos.”

The gist of it, as I recall, and it’s not electronically saved here, nor have I ever kept any kind of paper clippings every blessed word I’ve ever written, was that “The Sopranos” was Italian stereotyping at its worst. That if they put a TV show on called “The Muhammads” about a group of fun-loving terrorists all of whom had Middle Eastern surnames, there would be an outcry. And that would be politically correct and just plain correct. But it was OK to continue, year after year after year, the stereotype that Italians own sausage shops for one really bad reason.

But... Doggone it, there was some really good acting going on in "The Sopranos."

As time has gone on, I, grudgingly at first, started appreciating the art of the thing. Here was this hulking mobster who should be ruthless, and he was as conflicted about life as anyone. Indeed, except for the murder and crime and hooligan thing, my brother often said Tony Soprano was a lot like me, both in the therapy thing and the annual smashing of the cell phone, though my cellphone smashes were not the result of intentional violence ... usually. And it got expensive, and I am way kinder to Mr. Motorola nowadays.

But around our house, we have the verb: to Tony Soprano, defined as ruthless destruction of an electronic device or violent interaction with a mechanical object.

As in: “That darned first-gen iPad of mine shut down on Facebook again and I practically Tony Soprano’d it.” Or: “To get the horn to work in Enrico the Cruiser, sometimes I have to Tony Soprano the middle of the steering wheel.” Or: "My brother is rebuilding his H-P laptop because he Tony Soprano'd the screen after he read my last column."

Don’t get me wrong. There still is a lot of stereotyping that went on with that show. So did a lot of good acting.

Maybe that was the whole hangup I had with the show back when I was riding high on the “don’t tread on Italian-Americans” horse.

The actors, led by Mr. Gandolfini, made the show so believeable that I had no problem relating to their less mobster characteristics. Which I know made the art of portraying the mobsters more believeable. That it finally dawned on me that the cast was a bunch of Italian-Americans also eased the blow. When they talked about food, it was pronounced properly.

And, despite my “hey, that’s stereotyping” viewpoint when the show first came on, I was hooked once I watched the first episode. Grudgingly, at first.

The whole thing was so layered and nuanced that it became impossible for me not to appreciate the show for what it did for the form of modern drama.

So, here’s to you, James Gandolfini. You did such a good job of being a human behind the mobster mask that you lanced my sensibilities.

At first.

And, I appreciate it.
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Offline Rapunzel

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #14 on: June 20, 2013, 09:21:51 pm »
There was just so much to really like about this show...  one of the best-written shows I can remember...
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #15 on: June 20, 2013, 09:24:02 pm »
I don't know of any, ever.  I'm a big fan of Downton Abbey, but that show can't touch The Sopranos.


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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #16 on: June 21, 2013, 01:48:32 am »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VwGZinTeodc


"....and DON'T you ever call me English....AGAIN!"
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline Lipstick on a Hillary

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #17 on: June 21, 2013, 02:40:15 am »
Hey, remember this one?   :bolt:

"You blow your father with that mouth?"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzJzUKa1b0A

Offline mountaineer

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #18 on: June 21, 2013, 12:37:29 pm »
Quote
“Sopranos” star James Gandolfini, who struggled with booze addiction in his final weeks, scarfed down a decadent final meal that included at least eight alcoholic drinks, The Post has learned.

Gandolfini guzzled four shots of rum, two pina coladas, and two beers at dinner with his son — while he chowed down on two orders of fried king prawns and a “large portion” of foie gras, a hotel source in Rome said.

The Emmy Award winner had attended several Alcoholics Anonymous meetings on Perry Street in the West Village, but people who saw him there “didn’t think that he was serious about getting sober,” said a source familiar with the matter.

“I can confirm he has been known to blow lines and drink like an Irish sailor on weekend leave,” said another source.

Photos of Gandolfini in Rome show the actor looking haggard in the days leading up to his death — and he spent a lot of the time with a drink in his hand. ...
Read on
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Offline mountaineer

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #19 on: June 21, 2013, 11:30:23 pm »
This is insulting.
Quote
NJ Gov. Christie orders all state flags to fly at half-staff on Monday in honor of 'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini
By CARL CAMPANILE
Last Updated: 2:39 PM, June 21, 2013
Posted:  2:29 PM, June 21, 2013



New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is ordering all government buildings in the Garden State to fly flags at half-staff on Monday to honor “Sopranos” star and Jersey native James Gandolfini.

“James Gandolfini enjoyed an extraordinarily successful acting career across television, film and Broadway, including his popularly acclaimed role as Tony Soprano in 'The Sopranos' and advocated for United States service members and veterans in his two documentaries, 'Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq' and 'Wartorn: 1861-2010,'” Christie’s office said in a press statement.
 
“James Gandolfini was an iconic actor and will be remembered for the timeless impact he left upon television and film in the State of New Jersey and across our nation,” the Christie statement said.

Christie said Gandolfini was a Jersey boy through and through. Born in Westwood, he graduated from Park Ridge High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University.

Gandolfini died of sudden heart failure on Wednesday while vacationing in Italy, shocking his legions of fans and friends.
NY Post
« Last Edit: June 21, 2013, 11:44:05 pm by mountaineer »
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Offline EC

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #20 on: June 21, 2013, 11:39:42 pm »
Heart attack, according to the Italian papers report of the coroners findings. Not found an English story yet, but then again, not looked much.
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Offline mountaineer

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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #21 on: June 25, 2013, 12:43:15 pm »
‘Sopranos’ raging over Joe
Last Updated: 7:51 AM, June 25, 2013
Posted: 12:02 AM, June 25, 2013
EXCLUSIVE - NY Post, Page Six


The cast of “The Sopranos” is furious at Joe Gannascoli, who played gay gangster Vito Spatafore, for doing a series of glowing interviews about James Gandolfini — when in fact they were not close friends and hadn’t talked in years.

Sources tell Page Six that Gandolfini and his series co-stars were turned off years ago by Gannascoli’s “grandstanding” and self-promotion. One said, “After joining the show, Joe hired his own p.r. person and would do all this press for himself, and it just became too much. Jim was very much a team player, and would only do interviews if it was to help someone in the ‘Sopranos’ family, or as a group.
 
"But Joe was the opposite; he kept grandstanding and it became a turnoff for Jim and [‘Sopranos’ creator] David Chase. It also rubbed most of the cast the wrong way. Then, as soon as Jim died, Joe was grandstanding again. He wasn’t close to Jim. They probably haven’t spoken in around seven years. Some members of the cast feel like Joe is using Jimmy’s death to get his own name out there.”

Gannascoli has done a series of TV, radio and newspaper interviews since Gandolfini died, at 51, of a heart attack in Rome on Wednesday.

An emotional Gannascoli told the Daily Mail that Gandolfini was “a tremendous guy,” adding, “He came to my wedding with his son and spoke beautiful words in front of everyone to me and my wife.”

In another interview, in which Gannascoli described “being a part of history with Gandolfini,” he said, “I didn’t leave on the best terms with all the cast members, but Jimmy was really cool, and he told me not to worry about it. He never turned his back on me.”

Amid numerous posts on Facebook, Gannascoli admitted, “Jimmy and I were not the closest of friends, But I am forever indebted to him . . . he also said he would go in and talk to David Chase with me if I didn’t want to play my role on the show. Just a humble and gifted actor and person.”

In response, Gannascoli said, "This is a vindictive plant by [another cast member]. The problem that Jimmy and I had [was] long ago solved, he knew it was not my fault ... the press I did was when I was killed off the show and at that point it didn't matter. I was done. Cast members told me [the cast member] was envious of all the attention and work I was getting in season 6 of the show. He resented it and now he resents me paying my tribute to Jim. I always lead off with saying we were not the closest of friends but he touched me in three ways I will always remember."
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Re: R.I.P. James Gandolfini
« Reply #22 on: June 25, 2013, 12:51:26 pm »
Gannascoli  is a victim of bad timing.

Can you imagine playing a homosexual gangster in TODAY'S social climate....which favors homosexuality and lesbianism to the point one would think there's something in American drinking water.
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald