TV wisegay ('Sopranos' fella hits the other way)

NY Daily News ^ | May 3, 2004 | MICHELE McPHEE

[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."

[justshutupandtakeit]

Thanks.

[oust the louse]

"Finn proposed to Meadow so as to gain protection from Vito who now can't do anything to Tony's future son-in-law. This will allow an expanded role for him otherwise Vito would whack him. Plus, the proposal will give him an excuse for blowing off the Yankee game with Vito."

Exactly what I thought as well.It will make for an interesting face to face interaction between those two next time they are both on screen.

By the way,does anybody know why they had the bear appear again at the house? Do you think Tony's old lady saves him from a bear encounter and he is now indebted to her?....

[L.N. Smithee]

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

Just think how much "depth" there would be if he was into bestiality.

[lugsoul]

Dominic Chianese? I haven't heard that. BTW - he is the actor who played "Johnny Ola" in Godfather II.

[Jhensy]

Dominic Chianese? I haven't heard that. BTW - he is the actor who played "Johnny Ola" in Godfather II.

And I hadn't heard that! You're right.... never noticed.

[justshutupandtakeit]

While I have missed some episodes this year my feeling is that the bear is a symbol for Tony. Like Tony it cannot be controlled by the law and comes and goes at will with no concern for the laws of the state. It only appeared last night when Tony was back in the picture and really was not even noticed.

Carmella cannot handle the bear or Tony so she is not going to save him. I was hoping it would appear when Tony was in the pool. That would have been worth seeing.

[Hildy]

Did anyone see this episode? So is Meadow going to have ANOTHER boyfriend murdered?

[veronica]

Poor Finn. He's in the soup now!

One interesting throughline in this season's shows is the notion that once you are in the mob, or near it, you just can never walk away. Carmela with that teacher she dated, the Steve Buscemi character...

I LOVE that show. It's the greatest.

[Hildy]

I honestly didn't think that Finn's proposal was connected to the ballgame. But it would make sense. Everything has to unravel this year, doesn't it? Is this the last year? Who's gonna whack Adrianna?

[ExSoldier]

OTOH, your screen name is exactly what Vito might have said to Meadows boyfriend, now the fiancee.

SHUTUPANDTAKEIT!

LOL Sorry, not a shot at you, but too good to pass up.

[veronica]

Did anyone see this episode? So is Meadow going to have ANOTHER boyfriend murdered?

See my previous post. It just does not pay to date a Soprano...:)

[Hildy]

Did you get the part that Tony set Tony B. up? I mean it was TONY's people who threw the bag of money that he found which ended up to be his downward spiral. I didn't get that until weeks later. I guess I'm just stupid.

[veronica]

Did you get the part that Tony set Tony B. up? I mean it was TONY's people who threw the bag of money that he found which ended up to be his downward spiral.

What tha...???

I missed that completely! Must tell that one to mom. Makes sense though.

[Space Wrangler]

Or they will completely drop this story line until next season or something.

Nope, they'll have to wrap it up in the next four epsiodes, because this is it for the Sopranos.

[veronica]

Nope, they'll have to wrap it up in the next four epsiodes, because this is it for the Sopranos.

Until the feature film...

[LWalk18]

Nope, they'll have to wrap it up in the next four epsiodes, because this is it for the Sopranos.

Actually, Chase agreed to do one more season after this one, IIRC.

[Hildy]

OH, yea...there was a look Tony Soprano did that gave it away. He knew what Tony B's weaknesses were and it worked. The one main thing that I don't buy through this season (and there's alot of things I don't buy) is that Dr. Malfi would have continued seeing him after he attacked her and called her a C---. I also don't buy how chummy Chrissy and Tony are again after Chris tried to kill him and you'd think that Adrianna could have used how he beat her up to get away from him for good. At that point she could have gone into the witness protection program. Now, she's just dead woman walking.

[Space Wrangler]

Okay, I totally missed that one as well. Where and how is this referenced?? I never caught it at all.

[Jhensy]

Ya know, I searched everywhere on the net, and I can't find any evidence of Dominic Chianese being gay -- in fact, he's got two marriages and three kids. I screwed up. Sorry. Who was I thinking of?

THE ACTOR WHO PLAYS UNCLE JUNIOR IS NOT GAY.

[Heyworth]

The Purple Gang was not from Chicago. Detroit I believe.

Correct. The Purples made their money bringing liquor in from Canada and selling it to Capone, who would also contract important hits out to them, the proverbial "out of town talent."