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NIAF Stereotyping News
home >> Image & Identity >> Picks & Pans >> Spring 2001
THUMBS UP TO....
Buca Di Beppo restaurant chain, for agreeing to change its telephone numbers that spelled out Mob, Mafia, and Capo after receiving complaints from NIAF supporter Sal Esposito. Contact Lane Schmiesing at Lschmiesing@bucadibeppo.com (Tel: 612/225-3266).
Stivali Restaurant in the Circus Circus casino hotel, part of the Mandalay Resort Group in Las Vegas for immediately changing its Mafia-oriented menu listings after receiving complaints from the NIAF and its supporters. Contact Mike Errico at 702/632-6711 (Fax: 702/632-6714).
James Gandolfini, who plays Tony Soprano on the HBO series. In a May interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph he said he is ready to leave the mob hit show because of its violence. "I don't think I will do a Mafia character again," he said. "I can't believe it when people ask me to talk to their kindergarten class about Tony Soprano," he said. "Don't they watch the show?"
South Jersey Inquirer editor Harold Jackson, who apologized for running a cartoon showing Tony Soprano commenting on real Italian American political figures, saying "It's guys like this that give Jersey a bad name." The apology came after a joint effort by the NIAF and the Order Sons of Italy.
Aqua Fresh Tooth Paste for its positive portrayal of an Italian American family of bakers and their work ethic captured in the slogan "We work hard and so does Aqua Fresh." From now on Aqua Fresh is on our shopping list! Contact Manfred Scheske - President SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare, US; 100 Beecham Drive; Pittsburgh, PA 15205 Tel: 412/928-1000.
Actor Tony Nardi who refused to audition for a Mafioso role in a Canadian TV movie, despite pressure from the show's casting agent and his own agent. "I am a professional actor," he said in a five-page letter to his union, "not a professional Italian."
American actor John Turturro says he "runs from mob-type roles" and would refuse to appear in "The Sopranos," which features his cousin Aida. In an April 30 interview with The New York Daily News, Turturro said the show is too violent.
The Italian American One Voice Committee for its second annual "Pasta-tute Award" which "honors" the Italian American who has "sold out" our heritage. This year's Pasta-tute is Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a fan of "The Sopranos." In second place was last year's winner David (DeCesare) Chase, creator of "The Sopranos," and third place went to singer Jerry Vale for peddling the album "Mob Hits." Contact Dr. E.A. Alfano, Italian American One Voice Committee, 97 Irving Terrace, Bloomfield, NJ 07003, Tel: 973-429-2818. Eaa097@aol.com
The CBS series "That's Life" which aired on Saturdays 8pm had its season finale April 7th. At its zenith, the wholesome Italian American comedy/drama attracted 8.8 million viewers and scored just behind the critically acclaimed "West Wing" series in the Nielson ratings. CBS may drop the show. To support it: Contact: Les Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019. Tel: 212-975-4321, Fax: 212-975-1893..
TV critic Jonathan Storm of the Philadelphia Inquirer who panned "Some of My Best Friends" saying "it spends most of its time making "jokes" at the expense of the standard, all-purpose TV whipping boy: The Italian American." Asks Storm: "Haven't we moved beyond this?" Contact Jonathan at jstorm@phillynews.com.
Camille Paglia for her repeated and strong defense of Italian Americans and their image in her tri-weekly column for the electronic magazine Salon.com. Visit www.salon.com to read Paglia's column.
THUMBS DOWN TO....
The International Dairy Foods Association for refusing to drop television commercials featuring Italian American teen-agers as hoods who menace elderly men and threaten to beat up kids who drink milk. The decision-maker is Kurt Graetzer. Contact him at kgraetzer@milkpep.org
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for refusing to drop ads for "The Sopranos" from its PATH commuter trains, charging that to do so would violate the First Amendment. Last year the Chicago Transit Authority removed similar ads for the TV series. Contact: Russell Levon Jordan, Customer Service Representative for PATH at rjordan@panynj.gov.
NBC Anchor and author Tom Brokaw for omitting Italian Americans from both his book and television documentary on World War II called "The Greatest Generation." Italian Americans were the largest ethnic group serving in the U.S. forces, but Mr. Brokaw mentions only one Italian American soldier in his book and none in the TV version.
Chicago Tribune reporter Clarence Page for his May 6 column praising the originality and excellent writing of "The Sopranos" with no mention of its denigration of Italian Americans. Contact him at cptime@aol.com.
"Some of My Best Friends," a CBS sitcom, which premiered nationally in February, and portrays Italian Americans as dim-witted, uneducated people. Contact: CBS-TV, 524 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, Tel: 212-975-4321, Fax: 212-975-9387 or e-mail audsves@cbs.com.
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