Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

TV wisegay ('Sopranos' fella hits the other way)
NY Daily News ^ | May 3, 2004 | MICHELE McPHEE

Posted on 05/03/2004 7:40:46 AM PDT by presidio9

It's a first for "The Sopranos" - a gay mobster. On last night's episode, capo Vito Spatafore was caught in a compromising position with a male security guard - definitely not the kind of behavior that would go over well with the oglers at the Bada-Bing.

"It adds a lot of depth to the character," actor Joseph Gannascoli, who plays the newly outed mobster, told the Daily News.

In the real mob, being gay can add real depth - about 6 feet underground.

Vincent (Vinny Ocean) Palermo, former boss of New Jersey's DeCalvacante family, said to be the model for "The Sopranos," testified last week there is one way to handle gay gangsters: Kill them.

"What's the rule ... about this?" federal prosecutor John Hillebrecht asked the mob turncoat on Wednesday.

"You die," Palermo replied.

That was the punishment meted out to DeCalvacante wiseguy John D'Amato in 1992, whom Palermo ordered whacked after being told his underling had rendezvoused with another man at a swingers club.

Over lunch at a Brooklyn restaurant, Gannascoli took pains to point out he is not gay - adding just as quickly, "Not that there is anything wrong with it."

"My problem is, I love women," he said.

Gannascoli did say he relished the challenge of playing a homosexual. "It was my idea many years ago to have my character be gay, having read and known about gay wiseguys," he said. "I want to be effeminate but knockaround."

Still, Tony Sirico, who plays Paulie Walnuts on the show, grabbed Gannascoli by the arm last week and asked: "You okay with this? You want me to have a talk with [the show's creator] David Chase?"

Gannascoli knows he's in for a little ribbing or worse.

"I'm going to have to deal with a lot of grief in the neighborhood. I'm a little worried about how my family is going to react," Gannascoli said, just as his elderly father walked by a window of Paneantico, a bistro on Bay Ridge's bustling Third Ave.

"But I wanted to really act," he added. "I don't want to just play mob guys for the rest of my career."

Gannascoli refused to reveal whether Vito will face repercussions, saying only, "In the mob, it's about money."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: gaymobsters; homosexualagenda; johndamato; jumpedtheshark; mafia; paneantico; roadhead; sopranos; vitospatafore
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140 ... 161-169 next last
To: governsleastgovernsbest
engaging in good-natured ribbing, and suddenly over a joke no worse than any of the others were making,

Specifically it was a joke about homsexual activity...in the presence of Vito...which was intended to give us some insight into Vito's motivation later in the episode.

101 posted on 05/03/2004 2:59:15 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,Election '04...It's going to be a bumpy ride,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: justshutupandtakeit
This call appeared to be on her own.

True, but a technicality IMO. :)

Now, is it just me, or is Deadwood a way better show than current day Soprano's?
102 posted on 05/03/2004 2:59:21 PM PDT by Daus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 98 | View Replies]

To: CoolPapaBoze
Physically she is attractive, but I do not find her attractive as a person. I think that actress is pretty. Somebody would have to be nuts to want to get involved with LCN in any way shape or form.
103 posted on 05/03/2004 3:08:30 PM PDT by CollegeRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 99 | View Replies]

To: stuck_in_new_orleans
oh well...one less idiot

That was uncalled for. Who pissed in your Wheaties this morning?

104 posted on 05/03/2004 3:10:20 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,Election '04...It's going to be a bumpy ride,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: Daus
It is not just you. Al Swearagen is the type of crime figure that I wish Tony Soprano would be like. Funny, sinister, and smart. Not passing out, snorting coke, and crying everyother episode.

I also like that Deadwood picks up each week where it left off. Of course it is hard to compare a series that is in week 7 and a series that is into 60 episodes now.
105 posted on 05/03/2004 3:12:12 PM PDT by CollegeRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 102 | View Replies]

To: CollegeRepublican
Of course it is hard to compare a series that is in week 7 and a series that is into 60 episodes now.

Yes, by season 3, everyone will be gay and David Lee Roth will be doing cameos at the Gem... :) But for now, the Calamity Jane character is just cracking me up.

Speaking of cameo's, on the credits scrolls for last night's Sorprano's, I could have swore I saw Tony Siragusa listed. Did I miss him?
106 posted on 05/03/2004 3:22:32 PM PDT by Daus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 105 | View Replies]

To: presidio9
"But I wanted to really act," he added. "I don't want to just play mob guys for the rest of my career."

Oh yeah, this will really expand his career options! /sarcasm

107 posted on 05/03/2004 3:27:07 PM PDT by SuziQ
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Daus
Yeah, he was in the beginning of the show. I can exactly remember what scene, but he is a driver for somebody. He basically walked in a door and that is all you saw of him.
108 posted on 05/03/2004 3:33:39 PM PDT by CollegeRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 106 | View Replies]

To: Heyworth

made their money bringing liquor in from Canada and selling it to Capone, who would also contract important hits out to them

109 posted on 05/03/2004 3:34:30 PM PDT by presidio9
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 80 | View Replies]

To: Daus
Yeah, Jane's mouth is so dirty it puts this fraternity boy to shame just thinking about it.

"I apoligize..... I apoligize.""Shut the F^&* Up"
110 posted on 05/03/2004 3:35:14 PM PDT by CollegeRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 106 | View Replies]

To: Daus
I could have swore I saw Tony Siragusa listed. Did I miss

They use the same credits for every show. I don't think Goose appeared last night, but he was in two other episodes.

111 posted on 05/03/2004 3:38:38 PM PDT by presidio9
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 106 | View Replies]

To: presidio9
He was in there.
112 posted on 05/03/2004 3:40:43 PM PDT by CollegeRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 111 | View Replies]

To: stuck_in_new_orleans
I comment because it is posted here, and while not a regular follower I have on occasion seen an episode in passing. Now it only makes sense to keep changing the channel.

It is a ploy to win ratings. Granted HBO is a pay channel but there is outside money to be made in syndication outside the USA where it is played without editing (sex in the city is played in europe without any edits on broadcast TV). Then there is the boxed sets of DVD seasons.

This is just an effort to push homosexuals onto the public again. Sopranos is not supposed to be a homosexual series. As for it being a character trait, not so. It is a lifestyle choice. Homosexuals are only about sex.
113 posted on 05/03/2004 3:46:32 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (Vote!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: CollegeRepublican
We know Adriana will be whacked, or go on the lam.

She has a lead role in Matt LeBlanc's new show.

114 posted on 05/03/2004 4:14:05 PM PDT by veronica ("Kicking butt is mandatory - taking names is optional." - US Navy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 88 | View Replies]

To: stuck_in_new_orleans; All
After all the talk about the series being so great, I started watching during (I think) the third season, maybe the fourth. It was during the time that Chris was taking acting classes and punched some guy out during one, plus he went to treatment for heroin addiction. The FBI-babe was making chummy with Adrianna and then hauled her in and tried to turn her into a rat. Ralph Cifaretto was still seeing Tony's sister, Uncle Junior was still worrying about his upcoming trial and Flavio (or whatever his name was) was looking to whack Tony (but ended up going back to Italy without doing it) because he (Flavio) liked Carmella and disliked how Tony was treating her. Did Tony ever find out that Adrianna brought a fed to his house for dinner?

I made it through quite a few episodes waiting for something exciting to happen, but I didn't see what all the hype was about. The most exciting moment I can remember from that time period was when Tony and Chris whacked Ralph C, but I missed that when I left the room. Tony spent way too much time at Dr. Melfi's office and Carmella spent way too much time bitching, moaning and forgetting on which side her bread was buttered. The strip-club scenes were too few and far between and Adrianna never took her bra off once. What a gyp!

Since then, we have dumped HBO and subscribed to Netflix instead. Has the show gotten better since I stopped watching or shouldn't I bother checking out the DVD's?
115 posted on 05/03/2004 4:24:09 PM PDT by NorthWoody (Hey, politicians! Stand up, be men, do your jobs and close the borders while there's still time.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 59 | View Replies]

To: longtermmemmory
This is just an effort to push homosexuals onto the public again

So before the last episode, HBO was pushing gambling, spousal abuse, adultrey, drug use, murder, etc...etc.. and NOW all of a sudden you feel the need to complian about it?

Sorry, but your a hypocriate

116 posted on 05/03/2004 4:43:33 PM PDT by stuck_in_new_orleans
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 113 | View Replies]

To: NorthWoody
If you never liked it before you wont like it now
117 posted on 05/03/2004 4:44:36 PM PDT by stuck_in_new_orleans
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 115 | View Replies]

To: L.N. Smithee
I think you just explained the purpose of the bear!
118 posted on 05/03/2004 5:05:02 PM PDT by breakem
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: stuck_in_new_orleans
so you're going to stop watching, oh well...one less idiot

How clever of you.

FMCDH

119 posted on 05/03/2004 6:00:10 PM PDT by nothingnew (KERRY: "If at first you don't deceive, lie, lie again!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: longtermmemmory
No, no, no, no. The whole point is that somebody caught somebody else in a compromising position and now they're both in danger. And it made for great TV.
120 posted on 05/03/2004 8:55:40 PM PDT by MattAMiller
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 113 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140 ... 161-169 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson