Sopranos Star Makes First of Several Expected Career Missteps

/media/news/22103/1.jpg

There are some actors out there who’d frown at the idea of doing commercials and endorsing products. Specifically, things that would cheapen or demean a great performance from a beloved work. You know who doesn't feel that way?

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has issued a statement condemning an apparent “Sopranos” product tie-in: A pool cue endorsed by former cast member Joseph Gannascoli. During the sixth season, Gannascoli’s character Vito Spatafore was beaten to death, and then sodomized, with a pool cue after his mob crew discovered he was gay.
Class. Act.

As you can see, Joey is the consummate artist and we're certainly not in a position to judge him. After all, perhaps he’s merely preparing for a role as a fatso, skinflint, cheeseball.

The gay and lesbian community embraced the “Sopranos” storyline because “Gay Vito” was a sympathetic character and his death brutally demonstrated intolerance. The pool cue is marketed by a company called Rockwell Billiards, which, in an epic moment of poor-taste decision-making, branded the product with the phrase “A Cue to Die For.”

“GLAAD is calling on Rockwell Billiards and Gannascoli to remove the name, ‘A Cue to Die For,’ from this product immediately and apologize for using such a vulgar symbol of violence and anti-gay bigotry to make a profit,” read the GLADD statement.
I don’t know that I’d categorize the act of selling it as specifically anti-gay, as much as it is anti-Sopranos, anti-pool, anti-taste, and anti-good idea.

He’s got similar products marketed with the “to Die For…” label including a cigar and, uh, book. And I bet he’d be hawking a just as crass cash-in in other circumstances. Had his character gone the way of Big Pussy I’m sure we’d be talking about “to Die For…” fish-food and “not in the face” cream. I’m sure he’ll issue a statement claiming as much, that he’s just commemorating the show with his schlock memorabilia, etc.

The bigger concerns I have are that A) he’s tarnishing the show with his bush-league, money-grubbing product, B) it’s a shitty product, and, C) I’m sure he thinks it’s a funny idea, and it’s not.

This is the sort of bad idea you expect from a shady internet company that is quickly sued by HBO, the actor playing the character, and anyone else involved with the show. Not only is he not against the product, he's actually endorsing it. Saying to the world, I wholeheartedly stand behind this piece of exploitative garbage.

I'm sure after witnessing the care and seriousness he handles his characters with, future showrunners will be lining up to sign him for their next high-profile project.

How could this be any shittier a product? Well, the "R" in the logo is a gun. Yup, just like the gun in the Sopranos' logo. Annnnd the phrase "Bada Break" is written on it, in the style of the Bada Bing strip club's sign. Class all the way... All that's missing is the voiceover guy's cries of "Now, you too, can own this limited edition item immortalizing everyone's favorite rage-fueled, hate crime! Act now, supplies are limited!"

Without even checking IMDB, you know how I know Joe wasn't in "Schindler's List"? Because he's never sold commemorative "Holocaust ashtrays."


TheCoolerKing was saddened to hear of the recent death of HBO's "John From Cincinatti."

web address: http://suicidegirls.com/news/celeb/22103/Sopranos-Star-Makes-First-of-Several-Expected-Career-Missteps/