In case you were wondering when all those Sopranos shoots at the Charles Bierman House in Montclair would make their way to the small screen ... it happened this past Sunday. Here's a spoiler alert, in case you're behind on your Sopranos watching, but the scene in question was in Episode 73, "Johnny Cakes," where ....

... AJ goes the psychiatric hospital (aka The Bierman House) with a knife and the intent to kill Uncle Junior.

Meanwhile, all you Soprano Sue fans out there, keep your eyes peeled this Sunday for an appearance of our favorite Sopranos maven in Episode 74, "The Ride," during a street fair scene in Newark. Sue writes about the experience of being in front of the camera here.

What a lot of people don’t realize that being an extra is nothing like being a principal actor. You are background, you have no lines, and in the pecking order ranks, you are right there on the very bottom. But for me, it’s not so bad being on the bottom, it’s a dream come true. It’s something that I never thought would happen and I had to slap myself, to realize that it is happening, and it’s so wonderful to know that something I had considered as wishful thinking on my part, had come true.

In real life, away from the set, several members of the Sopranos cast have been behaving badly. A roundup of their latest crimes and misdemeanors here.

May 4, 2006 in Bada Bing | Permalink | Comments (15)

It’s nine days before the final season of the Sopranos begins, and we already know how the series will end – or at least, the Baristaville version.  Last week, the Barista decided that the Soprano’s final season would probably end with Tony getting whacked. So we challenged readers to a plot thickening competition judged by none other than Soprano Sue: come up with with an ending for New Jersey’s favorite mobster. Congrats to badd patti for coming up with this:

…Carmela doing him in with a bullet, straight thru the heart. He falls into the pool and the final scene is him floating face down surrounded by the ducks and their ducklings.

So badd patti got the goods to create a Sopranos shrine (or sell on Ebay): a jar of Artie Bucco tomato sauce, an autographed photo of John Fiore (Gigi Cestone on The Sopranos and Lt. Profaci on Law&Order), an autographed postcard of Frank Vincent ( Phil Leotardo ), a Sopranos Cigar and baseball card.

March 3, 2006 in Bada Bing | Permalink | Comments (14)

Although the tips were few, furtive, and unsubstantiated, Baristanet was on location last night at the Montclair Kings Supermarket on Valley Road, to confirm that part of the final episode (#12) of the final season (#6) of The Sopranos was being filmed.

We spoke with a couple of film director wannabees, we spoke with the police, the sushi chomping crew, and finally the Location Manager, Regina Heyman – who, turns out is a Montclair native.  “It’s just a short shopping scene, you’ll recognize King’s” she said. And we can’t tell you where we heard it, but Juliana Margulies is one of the shoppers.

Tony and Carmella were not expected for this scene. At 10 pm  filming hadn’t started yet, but it was a long day for the cast and crew – about 110 people – who had been shooting earlier in Newark, and just up the road (exterior shot) at Valley Regency Caterers.  Regina told us that this season, they had been to Bloomfield, and returned several times to shoot interior scenes in the Bierman Home in Montclair's South End.

Can't wait for March 12? Count down with our favorite Soprano watcher, Soprano Sue, who's offering a book giveaway contest on her Soprano Sue Sightings site.

February 17, 2006 in Bada Bing | Permalink | Comments (12)

Some Soprano fans may already know, but Baristanet was surprised that Sir Ben Kingsley will be starring "as himself" (who ever that is) in the final series of The Sopranos this season.  Bringing a bit of polish to the New Jersey mob family from across the pond? Nobody knows - there is a veil of secrecy on the show, and the whole cast is very hush-hush about the plot line, including James Gandolfini, who told reporters: "I don't know what's going to happen and I don't want to know." Although Michael Imperioli admitted "Lots of rituals revolve around food, as you saw. When you're asked to dinner, it's not such a good thing. Remember that."

January 27, 2006 in Bada Bing | Permalink | Comments (8)

Acting Gov. Richard Codey is making good use of his last days in office, including possibly setting himself up for, at the very least, a walk-on roll in The Sopranos. From the Daily Record:

Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey picked "The Sopranos" creator David Chase to receive the first-ever Governor's Award for Filmmaking. Codey presented the award to Chase during a reception Friday night for 150 guests at Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion.

"David's creative writing and rich character illustration have produced a show unlike anything else on television," Codey said. "It is an honor to present this award to a New Jersey native who never forgot his roots."

Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Chase was raised in New Jersey, the only child in an Italian-American family. As a boy, he lived in Boonton, Clifton and Caldwell, and grew up watching gangster movies and inventing stories.

Kudos to Chase. Meanwhile, if you could cast Cody in a guest role, what character would he play?

December 12, 2005 in Bada Bing | Permalink | Comments (19)

In our mailbox, word that tomorrow Montclair and Glen Ridge turn into Soprano country. Residents on or near Washington Street in Glen Ridge learned from a flyer that HBO will be filming at the corner of Washington St. and Ridgewood Ave. on the 27th. Another flyer, this one posted on Walnut Street in Montclair, indicates filming at the old fire station on Walnut St. will also take place on Tuesday.

September 26, 2005 in Bada Bing | Permalink | Comments (2)

Cast and crew members from the Sopranos descended on Montclair and somehow we missed it. Maybe it was the red herring in the Montclair Times with the wrong day and address. But we were still surprised that nobody else seemed to notice any filming presence last Thursday at the now-closed Charles Bierman Home. Empty of residents, the home played host to a new set of colorful characters, according to today's Montclair Times, including irascible Uncle Junior, (a.k.a. Dominic Chianese) who was there filming a scene. Would Tony put Corrado Soprano, Jr. in a home? Did Uncle Junior wander there from Belleville? Can anyone still even remember how last season ended? When we get an airdate for what will be known in Baristaville as the "Bierman" episode, we'll post it.

September 8, 2005 in Bada Bing | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mark your calendar: March 5, 2006, everybody over to Soprano Sue's house! That's the day, according to her blog today, that Sopranos Season 6 will kick off with an episode called "Members Only." We hear that Sue throws a good party: baked ziti, meatballs on the side and stuffed clams. We'll bring bootleg fireworks to make it festive.

August 11, 2005 in Bada Bing | Permalink | Comments (3)

In today's Star Ledger, controversy over whether it's appropriate for NJ's favorite pseudo-psychiatrist, The Sopranos' Dr. Jennifer Melfi, (a.k.a. Lorraine Bracco) to act in a new role, as spokesperson for antidepressants, specifically Zoloft.

Some folks are not thrilled that Bracco, who will sing the praises of antidepressants as a speaker at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, may give folks the perception that the psychiatric establishment is thisclose to drug manufacturers.

In more better living through pharmaceuticals news...

Baristaville has another Hall of Famer. Leo H. Sternbach, Ph.D., a long-time Montclair resident, and one of the inventors of Valium® (diazepam), has been selected as a 2005 Inductee to the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) for his contributions to medicine. Sternbach, who is 96 and now lives in Chapel Hill, NC, will be honored at a ceremony in Akron, OH. Hmmm... 96 years old -- Leo, what's your longevity secret?

May 11, 2005 in Bada Bing, Science | Permalink | Comments (10)

Here's a nifty idea for a Christmas present for that special someone, courtesy of Soprano Sue: a gift certficate for a Sopranos Bus Tour. After all, it's going to be months before they even start filming Season Six. The tour includes a visit to Bada Bing, Satriale's Pork Shop and Pizzaland.

December 15, 2004 in Bada Bing | Permalink | Comments (0)