'Sopranos' star: HBO breached my contract (1 Viewer)

[todd stone]

NEW YORK (AP) -- James Gandolfini, the star of "The Sopranos," has filed a complaint claiming HBO breached his contract for a fifth season, a newspaper said.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/0....ap/index.html


sounds like he is sick of the sopranos.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Sounds to me like he wants more money.

M.

 

[Don Black]

Shrewd move...

 

[Patrick Sun]

Another article is here:

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/calenda...pranos-CR.html

My reaction:

Damn, that would suck!

Then again, they could whack Tony (shot the scene so that you only see the backside of Tony's head) in the season 5 opener, and then promote Christopher or Silvio.

 

[CaptDS9E]

Shoot tony. Forget his wife and kids. Get back to the "Real Family"

capt

 

[Carl Johnson]

Gandolfini isn't going to make 400 large per episode playing any other role and the series will be more valuable to HBO with him on board. The two sides will compromise before season five starts filming.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

Sounds like something Tony Soprano would do.

 

[Derek Baker]

Sounds like something Tony Soprano would do

I was thinking that!

They better not mess with him....LOL.

 

[LennyP]

I say good for him! He knows the series is ending, and that was/is his career's high, so why not stock up on a dozen million in the last season for a rainy day/rest of his life. Don' mess wit Tony!

 

[Ray Chuang]

In my opinion, James Gandolfini deserves at least US$900,000 per episode because frankly, he is the star most identified with The Sopranos.

Will HBO give it to him? I think in the end they will.

 

[Yee-Ming]

bleh. definitely a money-making move. as Carl said, they'll definitely come to some settlement or other, for precisely those reasons.

with respect to Administrator Sun, I'm not convinced that The Sopranos could work without Tony. the whole "hook" of teh show is the life of a mob boss and how he deals with his two "families". without him, how would this work? with Tony dead, Carmela et al get reduced to being peripheral persons from the mob's view , such as Rosie Aprile was when Jackie died, and even then they artificially boosted her presence by having her hook up with Ralphie, and then having her son get involved.

(BTW, I've only watched up to Season 3, so sorry if this op-ed piece is not up to date.)

 

[Patrick Sun]

HBO is counter-suing Gandolfini.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/883695.asp?0cv=CB20

 

[Malcolm R]

HBO is counter-suing Gandolfini.

I hope HBO skins him alive.

I wish, just once, that one of these networks would call the bluff of these celebrities.

You're making $400,000 per episode and you want $750,000? Well, how about zero? Production ends today. Clean out your dressing room.

It won't be long before enough of these former no-name actors are out on the street, flat broke, before they decide they really have it pretty good. What if NBC had pulled the plug on "Friends" during their first big salary dispute? All six of them would be back to waiting tables.

Unfortunately, if HBO can make $100M by paying Gandolfini $10M, then it's a pretty good investment.

 

[Marty M]

Did anyone see Brad Garrett's acceptance speech at the Actors Guild Award show on Sunday. He said he is auditioning for The Sopranos.

 

[LennyP]

Unfortunately, if HBO can make $100M by paying Gandolfini $10M, then it's a pretty good investment.

Exactly! If they're claiming they'll lose so much without him then he must be worth more than $400k an episode! They just proved it themselves.
I hope they settle, it would suck if this show doesn't end properly.

 

[Ted Lee]

gandolfini is the centerpiece of the show. hbo would be crazy to not work something out with him.

i personally don't think the show could survive without him.

 

[John_VI]

I've done a lot of reflecting on the just-completed fourth season, and I have to say that (IMHO) it was horrible. The first season was great, but each succeeding season has slipped a little, and in the case of season four, A LOT! If the final season is going to be as poor as the fourth season was, then let Gandolfini try to pay his mortgage with a pink slip. It wouldn't matter to me if they killed it (the show) right now.

Of course, I may change my mind next week!!

 

[Malcolm R]

Perhaps Paul Sorvino is available to step in?

 

[Patrick Sun]

James was sporting this bushy beard at the SAG awards, and he said it was for a film he was currently shooting, but would have to shave it off when Sopranos starts shooting again. It would seem that James is pretty confident things will get settled one way or another.

 

[Brian Perry]

I'm with Malcolm on this one. A contract is a contract. If the show's ratings were in the dumps, do you think HBO would dare ask him to lower his salary? Of course not.