James Gandolfini’s Connection To The Queens Gazette BY TONY BARSAMIAN It was sad to read about the passing of James Gandolfini. Born in 1961, he was 51 years old. His unexpected, premature death reminded me of the time he was at the Gazette office many years ago, when The Sopranos was in its infancy stage in 1999. His Soprano children, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and Anthony Jr., (Robert Iler), were placed in the Gazette building for their mandatory schooling— our office was a schoolhouse for nearly one week during the show’s early filming days, before Season One of The Sopranos aired. Punta Dura, the restaurant across the street from the Queens Gazette, played a central role in some of the early episodes. The Sopranos’ favorite restaurant was Nuovo Vesuvio Ristorante, named after the volcano, as Tony Soprano often erupted during the show’s run. Arty Bucco, the chef-owner of Vesuvius was a friend of Tony and the family. Vesuvius was none other than Punta Dura, located at 41-15 34th Ave., in Astoria / Long Island City. So for that one week—The Gazette office and Punta Dura were a small part of The Sopranos—while I personally turned down a request to play a role as an extra. (In hindsight, I should have done it. It might have been fun and it would certainly have been memorable.) I did allow the Gazette building to be used for different capacities for The Sopranos crew, including the schooling of “A.J.” and Meadow, as mentioned earlier. Gandolfini himself walked over and said hello to our office staff and could not have been more of a gentleman or friendlier— contrary to his tough guy persona. Gandolfini seemed like a genuinely kind person. I am sure countless others will have tales to tell of Gandolfini and the famous Sopranos show that was filmed in Astoria / Long Island City, including the Silvercup Studios and other locations. The Gazette will be happy to publish your memories. Send us a letter via e-mail at qgazette@aol, or mail, to Queens Gazette, 42-16 34th Ave., Astoria / Long Island City, NY 11101.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 23:17:12 +0000
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