Latest news with #TonySoprano
Black America Web
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Syd Returns With Intimate Single 'Die For This'
Source: Taylor Hill / Getty Syd. Is. Back. The genre-blurring singer, songwriter, and producer just released her first solo track in three years, 'Die For This,' a delicate preview of her upcoming EP. The song premiered on a Monday, July 7th, as BBC Radio 1's 'Hottest Record in the World'. The record is out now on all streaming platforms. Best known as the lead singer of The Internet and original member of the underrated rap group Odd Future, Syd delivers her signature softness on this new track. 'Die For This' finds her pledging devotion in the kind of stripped-down, late-night R&B that has become her calling. RELATED: Brent Faiyaz Drops Double Release: 'Peter Pan' and 'Tony Soprano' It's a strong return for Syd, who hasn't dropped any new solo material since 2022's Broken Hearts Club . That same year, she reflected on her growth as a vocalist and songwriter, saying: 'I've always thought I have a cool voice, a pretty voice. But singing was the last thing I started doing… I'm just now starting to feel like, 'Okay, yeah, I do this.'' Since her last album, Syd has remained in creative motion. She co-wrote Beyoncé's Renaissance cut 'Plastic Off the Sofa,' earning a Grammy win for Best Traditional R&B Performance. This summer, Syd will support Billie Eilish on her U.K. tour, then join Reneé Rapp for a run of U.S. dates in the fall. Listen to 'Die For This' here! SEE ALSO Syd Returns With Intimate Single 'Die For This' was originally published on
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How ‘Survival of the Thickest,' ‘Mo' and ‘Shrinking' Are Helping Destigmatize Therapy for Men of Color
When The Sopranos debuted in 1999, the series moved the cultural needle in innumerable ways — not least with its depiction of a hypermasculine man in a therapist's office. Over six seasons, the series featured eponymous mobster Tony Soprano's regular visits with Dr. Jennifer Melfi — a subplot so socially impactful that actress Lorraine Bracco was once honored by the American Psychoanalytical Association. More from The Hollywood Reporter The Hollywood Reporter Sets Tonys Preshow Colman Domingo, Paul Tazewell, Sean Bankhead to be Honored at Native Son Awards Hollywood Flashback: Noah Wyle Nabbed 5 Emmy Noms the First Time He Played a Doctor on TV In the decades since the HBO series challenged white men's historical aversion to the therapist's couch, men of color have remained largely absent from that needle-shift. Shows like Atlanta and This Is Us are among the few hits in the past quarter century in which a man of color visited a therapist. But at least three series this season — Netflix's Survival of the Thickest and Mo, and Apple TV+'s Shrinking — have devoted significant time to unpacking men of color's complicated history with psychotherapy. This collection of disarming portrayals depicts realities and dispels stereotypes, and potentially even shifts real-world behaviors. 'A thing that all of us [writers] were most attracted to is how do you take care of your mental health when you don't even know that you have to,' says Survival of the Thickest star and co-creator Michelle Buteau, whose Black male lead Khalil (Tone Bell) starts to consider therapy, then takes the plunge after learning on the basketball court that many of his Black male friends already go. 'I was also really inspired by — we talked about this in the room a little bit — when Will Smith and Chris Rock had that moment at the Oscars. I was just like, 'These two very successful Black men that have access to all the resources still somehow, from what I saw, haven't worked through it yet.' ' Mo creator and star Mo Amer's experience with a brother who has multiple disabilities (along with show consultant Dani Rodwell, a clinical social worker with autism who specializes in neurodevelopmental disabilities) shaped the depiction of Sameer (Omar Elba), Mo's older brother who receives an autism diagnosis. In season two, Sameer's sister Nadia (Cherien Dabis) sets up an appointment with a therapist after years of their mother's reluctance. 'In real life, I did that with my brother, and he was very responsive to it,' Amer, who notes his family has always been more open about these discussions, says. 'A lot [of people] within our [Palestinian American Muslim] community deny what's actually going on and don't deal with it head-on; they just self-diagnose, in a way. But it's important to own [in the show] if we are helping [Sameer] or hurting him. That's something I needed to acknowledge: Move forward as a family with love, care and understanding.' Meanwhile, in the latest season of Shrinking, Sean (Luke Tennie), a veteran with PTSD, continues treatment despite an emotional blowup with his estranged father, who downplays the impacts of his therapy. Tennie credits writer Bill Posley, who worked in his perspective as a Black veteran. 'We see [Sean] get excited, or even begin to lean on his therapy as a way to give him more choices than the ones he had before. We start to see somebody who's using a tool for himself instead of just being reprimanded by it,' says the actor. Tennie also notes that the initial paternal rejection offered its own opportunity for real-world mirroring. 'A lot of these Black dads are not going to say sorry,' says the actor. 'But what we've provided is a catharsis and a hope that could convince other people that they could be the father who gives this to their child.' These portrayals enter a world in which men of color have had a far more wary attitude toward therapy than white men. Between 2010 and 2013, white men with daily feelings of anxiety and depression were up to two times as likely to talk to a medical professional than Black and Hispanic men, according to the CDC. 'The historical relationship between men of color — particularly Black men — and therapy has been shaped by systemic inequities, cultural stigmas and a legacy of mistrust toward mental health institutions,' says Dr. Nashira Funn Kayode, a longtime clinical social worker and mental health expert in the areas of trauma, PTSD and criminal justice-involved individuals. '[This has] led to Black men being less likely to seek treatment and more likely to receive inadequate care when they do.' But more positive depictions of men of color in therapy are cropping up now, say experts, due to the streaming age's influx of writers of color as well as evolving attitudes within society itself. 'There's a cadre of people coming out of the 1990s and 2000s era, which is when you're starting to see more boys — especially boys of color — having disciplinary problems in school, learning disabilities,' says Stephanie Troutman Robbins, head of the Gender & Women's Studies department at the University of Arizona. That fact, she says, meant many more adults today were as children brought 'into contact with the guidance counselor, with a psychoanalyst.' The TV trend could further accelerate these shifts. Research published in 2016 by the American Psychological Association found that portrayals of therapy decreased stigma around mental health. And Bracco has said that more men started going to therapy because of Tony Soprano. Experts are hoping for the same effect from these new depictions. Says Troutman Robbins: 'I'm here to see proces ses that are often either inaccessible or underrepresented demystified.' This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
At ‘only 94,' ‘Sopranos' star Dominic Chianese eyes second act as troubadour
NEW YORK — Dominic Chianese still has a lot of living to do. And he thinks Tony Soprano may too. The 94-year-old actor best known for playing Uncle Junior on HBO's mob hit 'The Sopranos' is coming to Town Hall on June 30 where he plans to tell stories about his life so far and play folk songs. Chianese told the Daily News from England, where he's spent the past eight years, that he workshopped material in London to suss out whether there's an audience for such a performance. 'I did about seven shows to see if people are interested in stories, and they are,' he said. The Bronx native's show draws from the 25 years of stage work he did before landing a role in 1974's 'The Godfather Part II' and beyond. That included being reunited with 'Godfather' star Al Pacino in 1979 to do Shakespeare's 'Richard III' at the Cort Theatre. While he remembers that experience fondly, Chianese has a clear favorite. ''Requiem for a Heavyweight' with John Lithgow,' he stated convincingly. 'That was my favorite — 1985.' Chianese thanks lots of live theater work for making him a solid actor and said his best performances have happened on stage. But it was his role as crime family boss Corrado Soprano, better known as 'Uncle Junior,' that made him a household name with a few dollars in his bank account. 'I didn't really make any money until 'Sopranos,'' he said. 'It's the best role I ever had and the most financially gratifying role I ever had.' Eighteen years later and 3,400 miles from the gambling dens of New Jersey, he's still known as Uncle June. 'I get recognized all the time,' Chianese said. 'That's gratifying because I like people.' 'The Sopranos' famously concluded with lead character Tony Soprano sitting at a diner where maybe he got whacked. Who knows? The 2013 death of James Gandolfini pretty much put to rest any possibility the beloved gangster series would someday be revived. Like the rest of us, Chianese was stunned when the series' final episode cut to black as a character who may or may not have been a hit man walked toward Tony. 'The way it ended he's still alive,' Chianese said. 'Nobody knows.' Likewise, nobody including Chianese knows how and when his career will end either, but he hopes to wind up in New York City where it all began. 'I'd like to be in Manhattan because there's a lot I'd like to do in my career,' he said. 'I'm only 94.' Being married to an English woman made life overseas alluring to Chianese. He's been bouncing between the U.S. and England for more than 30 years and says it's time to come home where he has family, and hopefully, more career opportunities. Someday performing at Radio City Music Halls tops his bucket list. 'When you go up on 6th Avenue and you see that big place with the Rockettes, that's such a place. That would be nice wouldn't it?' he beamed. Chianese doesn't see becoming a Rockette in his future. But his Town Hall show should give fans a taste of what he wants to do next. It draws from his work in film and television as well as his days as an emcee at Greenwich Village's Gerde's Folk City in the 1960s and '70s. He estimates that he met 600 folk musicians during that period including an already famous Bob Dylan, whom he calls one of his favorite writers. He also had the pleasure of introducing downtown music fans to a local duo named Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, who were fine-tuning a new song called 'The Sound of Silence.' Fans who come to hear Chianese tell stories and play tunes can expect him to perform songs by Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and 'maybe' Leonard Cohen. They'll also hear some Italian classics the Cuban anthem 'Guantanamera' made famous by acts including Pete Seeger, José Feliciano and the Sandpipers. 'That's one of my favorites,' he said. Chianese said music has been an important part of his development as an artist, which he hopes to prove when he hits the stage with a guitar in hand rather than the the mafioso scowl he wore on more than 50 episodes of 'The Sopranos.' 'It's a wonderful career and I want it to keep going,' he said. Chianese said he has friends in New York keeping an eye out for available properties while he tries to figure out what to do with his place in England. He hopes people in his hometown will respond to his June 30 performance — and whatever follows— as well as fans have abroad. It's his feeling New Yorkers may find his stories particularly relatable. 'They should want to know how a Bronx kid made it,' Chianese said.
Wall Street Journal
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
‘Gandolfini' Review: The Man Behind the Mob Boss
Starting out, James Gandolfini was willing to consider all sorts of theatrical roles, but he did not want to play a mafioso. Having grown up in an Italian-American family in blue-collar New Jersey, he was loath to disappoint his parents. 'He felt like his mom and dad had both worked too hard making sure their kids got a good education to end up playing, you know, somebody that was not representing Italians very well,' Jason Bailey quotes an old friend saying of the actor in 'Gandolfini,' a snappy and tactful biography subtitled 'Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend.' Fate, of course, had other plans. Imposing and magnetic, Gandolfini (1961-2013) was offered tough-guy roles as soon as he started looking for work. He was an actor on the rise when he came to the attention of David Chase, the creator of 'The Sopranos,' who was casting for a lead for his new television series. Mr. Chase, who had visualized Robert De Niro playing the violent, conflicted, charismatic Tony Soprano, wasn't immediately sold on Gandolfini. He liked a couple of other candidates, and he worried that that the actor, who already had a reputation, would be 'a pain in the ass on set.' But no other contender quite matched the darkness and sense of realness that Gandolfini brought to the role. Gandolfini's combination of twinkling charm and dead-eyed menace helped make 'The Sopranos' a hit. The show ran on HBO for six seasons, over the course of 86 episodes spread out over 8½ years starting in 1999. It is widely regarded as having inaugurated a new golden age of cinematic television, making possible a torrent of TV series with gritty performances, top-drawer writing and high production values, including 'The Wire,' 'Breaking Bad' and 'Mad Men.' 'The Sopranos' had an ensemble cast, but like the fictional family and crime syndicate the show depicted, it needed Gandolfini as both anchor and prime mover. In the role of Tony Soprano, a mobster having a midlife crisis, Gandolfini could toggle between geniality and aggression with terrifying speed. Prone to gaining weight that was good for throwing around on screen, he was, according to an early colleague, 'a sweetheart of a guy—but you could tell that there's a sharp edge on the other end of that thing, too.'
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Sopranos fans are going crazy over the 'strangest edit in the entire show' from revered series - as bizarre scene from 21 years ago resurfaces
It's been more than two decades since The Sopranos first graced our screens - but the landmark HBO series still finds ways to surprise its fans. And this time, it's not a plot twist or a cryptic dream sequence that's setting social media alight. Rather, fans can't get enough of a jarringly produced scene from Season 5, Episode 10, titled Cold Cuts, that's being widely dubbed online as 'the strangest edit in the entire show'. The moment in question features Carmela Soprano - Tony's elegant but long-suffering wife - played by Edie Falco. She has a final, awkward encounter with school guidance counsellor Robert Wegler (David Strathairn), with whom she shared a brief and ill-fated romance earlier in the season. Following a tense confrontation a few episodes before, in which Wegler accused Carmela of using intimacy as a means to manipulate his grading of her underachieving son A.J., the relationship ended abruptly. But in Cold Cuts, the two crossed paths again at school. Clearly uncomfortable, Carmela blurted out: 'I'm going back to my husband.' The camera then lingered on Carmela turning away from Wegler. Fans can't get enough of a jarringly produced scene from Season 5, Episode 10, titled Cold Cuts, that's being widely dubbed online as 'the strangest edit in the entire show' She walked off - following which the scene inexplicably shifted into super-slow motion, complete with an odd, breathless silence. Viewers watched her pace away at an almost glacial crawl before the image abruptly froze mid-stride. Then a wipe transition slid across the screen, PowerPoint-style, ushering in the next scene at a lake where other characters are relaxing. Cue baffled Sopranos fans across the internet. 'Is that the ol' PowerPoint swipe?' one viewer asked on X (formerly Twitter), capturing the collective bewilderment. Another joked: 'Edited like a movie project I made for class in the 8th grade.' The post, shared by X user The Sopranos Guy, has racked up thousands of likes and hordes of perplexed comments Fans of the show were quick to express their amazement at the unusual editing choices from the series widely regarded as the best of all time One commenter wrote: 'I thought my stream froze the first couple watch-throughs,' while another echoed: 'I thought it froze at first'. And another chimed in: 'That was an old school way of ending a story line. "And that was it! Wrap it up boys!"' Another viewer suggested that the intentionally strange editing was a wink to the audience, symbolising Carmela's acute embarrassment and Wegler's stunned reaction to the emotional bombshell she'd just dropped. A few eagle-eyed cinephiles were quick to spot potential influences. The transition, they argued, might be a stylistic nod to Akira Kurosawa - the legendary Japanese filmmaker known for pioneering the wipe transition - or even Star Wars creator George Lucas, who famously borrowed the technique for his galaxy-spanning saga. Still, most agreed that the moment feels wildly out of step with the otherwise tight, understated direction the show is known for. 'First-time director got cute. Never returned again. Great episode though,' one viewer quipped. Cold Cuts remains a critically acclaimed entry in the series, delving into themes of familial resentment and emotional repression with typical Sopranos flair. But that one odd edit has somehow managed to upstage the episode's deeper emotional beats - if only temporarily. Whether it was a deliberate stylistic choice or an overzealous moment in the editing suite, the transition has now entered the annals of Sopranos lore. And in a show celebrated for its layers of meaning and artistic subtlety, perhaps the strangest twist of all is that fans are still debating a mid-season cut more than 20 years on.
