Bada Bing

It's been over 16 years since The Sopranos went off the air, and the series remains one of the greatest shows ever. Talk about Must See TV! I rewatched it a couple of years ago, and it's still brilliant - an amazing combination of funny, sad, and horrifying.

One of the best things about it was that it introduced me to a lot of actors I wasn't familiar with.

I knew Edie Falco (Carm), Nancy Marchand (Livia), Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi), and a few of the minor characters who made it into a couple of episodes - folks like John Heard and Steve Buscemi. I knew regular Steven Van Zandt (Silvio) from the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, earth-shocking, hard rocking, booty-shaking, earth-quaking, love-making, Viagra-taking, history-making E-Street Band. And I'd seen James Gandolfini (Tony) in a couple of things.

But many of the actors were new to me. And most of those previously-unknowners, as far as I can tell, didn't get all that much of a long term career lift from the show.

Other than Michael Imperioli (Christopher), who's been in and out of a few things I've seen - loved him in White Lotus - I can't think of a previously unknown Sopranos actor who had much of an afterlife once the show faded to black. (Which is not to say they haven't. I only watch so much television, and a lot of it is news and HGTV.)

Anyway, it's understandable that an actor, whether working steadily or scrambling for occasional roles, would try to make a buck by trading on the continued interest in/affection for The Sopranos by selling autographed coasters from the Bada Bing (I have no idea if that's a thing), menus from Satriale's (I have no idea if that's a thing), video'd birthday greetings (this I know is a thing, as Cameo has made it so), and anything else that might strike a fan’s fancy.

One of the unfamiliar (to me, pre-Sopranos) actors was Vincent Curatola, who played Tony's fellow mob boss, his friend, his enemy, Johnny "Sack" Sacrimoni. 

Curatola still acts, and he also sings, writes, and makes guest appearances at corporate (?) and Sopranos-related events. 

But he doesn't sell memorabilia, personalized videos, or an acting workshop through Facebook. In fact, Curatola doesn't have a Facebook account. Some enterprising thief, however, was able to filch pictures and videos from Cameo (where Curatola does sell his wares) and was selling the fakery to "customers."

When nothing was delivered, the people who were screwed were understandably upset. And contacted the Curatolas asking where their stuff was. 

Curatola and his wife (a fellow Maureen, by the way) tried to get Facebook to close out the fake account. No dice.

So they did something Johnny Sack would have found unthinkable - after all, he went to prison rather than turn rat - and called the FBI.  

Other Sopranos cast members, including Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Federico Castelluccio (Furio Giunta), also became victims of the 

Facebook impersonators. ( Source: Boston Globe)

They’ve also whistled in the Feds. Wonder what they’d make of this down at the Bada Bing?