Have you read the transcript of the chat with Big Pussy at the HBO Web Site?

You should. It's actually quite good and informative to some extent. I wasn't at the 'chat' so I'm not sure how well the transcript reflects the actual live chat. There were some good questions about the show, the filming, what kind of things go on and personal questions about Vincent's life and career.

Unlike the rumors which are spreading right now, there was no mention, not even an indication, that Pussy was not really killed. He explained it as we saw it; Pussy got into a bad dilemma and he turned rat and was eventually killed. End of story.

There are still questions or inconsistencies to be explained though. When Tony first came to see Big Pussy at home, Pussy jumped out of bed and walked around quickly. Last episode we saw him in the hospital with a cast on. He should have had a cast or at least be limping. he did neither. Was this a blatant oversight or was this part of the dream too?

One of the things which came out of the chat was the explanation of how the dream scenes came to be. This was all David Chase's idea and he hired director John Patterson specifically to manage these complex dream scenes; an area which John is familiar with. The episodes are usually shot in an 8 day timeframe. The final episode was allowed one month. Even though John Patterson directed this episode, Vincent said that David Chase sat next to him in every single scene. (David's name was not in the credits as director).

Vincent also said that his death scene took over two weeks to shoot due to all of the set up and the emotions involved, which had to be just right. He explained why he didn't want to be shot in the face. He said this was simply a normal request because if there was an open casket funeral, he didn't want his face all a mess.

Now think about this one.... How many mobsters turned rat are going to end up having a funeral... especially an open casket. In the mob you usually turn out like Richie did. (I wonder if this is the way Jimmy Hoffa turned out?)

There was also some discussions about the new shows coming out which are using The Sopranos family formula. There was mention of three of them in addition to the already playing Falcone on CBS. Has anyone seen it yet? I haven't watch it. One of the people in the chat room said that one of the reasons Falcone was failing was that it used younger actors. The trend on FOX and The WB is to attract a younger audience and therefore there are younger actors. People in the mob who have any importance are always older. You never see someone younger than about 40 who is a made man.

I suppose I'll watch the shows when they do come out. What else are we going to do while waiting until next March?

The other thing Vincent said was that David Chase was probably going to film both Season three and four back to back; all 26 episodes just so they will be ready and they will flow better together.

Vincent was also asked if there was any practical joke playing going on during the filming. He answered usually not and it also depended if David was on the set or not.

There was also a good question as to if real mobsters watch the show. He answered that they probably do and if John Gotti watched the show he would be smiling.

There were other questions as well and if you're interested just go to the HBO Web Site and read the transcript.