Zetterberg is God 0 Report post Posted March 9, 2003 NEW YORK (AP) -- James Gandolfini, the star of "The Sopranos," has filed a complaint claiming HBO breached his contract for a fifth season, a newspaper said. In the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Gandolfini says HBO missed a deadline for advising the actor that his services would be needed for a fifth season, scheduled to begin filming on March 24. "This doesn't mean he will not show up for work on March 24," Martin Singer, Gandolfini's lawyer, told the Daily News for Friday editions. "We have till then to evaluate what he will do. We're seeking a declaration from the court that he does not legally have to render acting services for this season." The Daily News reported that Gandolfini, who earns about $400,000 an episode, including bonuses, is seeking $750,000 Although I'm sure this will be settled by the time filming starts, HBO is pretty fucked if they don't have the main character on their highest rated show present for the very much anticipated 5th season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Mole Report post Posted March 9, 2003 Yes, HBO better fix this. Give whatever James wants, he deserves it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Dames 0 Report post Posted March 9, 2003 Not only will HBO give in, but they'll do it with Gusto because after that lackluster season that was season 4, they know better than to fuck around with the 5th and last season of the show. Dames Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crux Report post Posted March 9, 2003 Just give him w/e he wants, thats his ploy anyways and Im sure it'll work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest El Satanico Report post Posted March 9, 2003 eh this is one of those things that will quickly get ironed out so don't worry. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest EQ Report post Posted March 10, 2003 I wish I could relate with being dissapointed with 400K per episode. 13 eps a season... that's 5.2 MILLION dollars for one season! But I guess if Gandolfini can use this loophole in his contract to milk HBO for more dough, more power to him. We all know that HBO will give him whatever he wants. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bobobrazil1984 0 Report post Posted March 10, 2003 I want to see HBO not give in, just for kicks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest fazzle Report post Posted March 10, 2003 "Season 5 of the Sopranos. Now starring David Hasselhoff!" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Youth N Asia Report post Posted March 10, 2003 They'll give in...they have to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest EQ Report post Posted March 10, 2003 Yeah, they've got too much invested in this series already. Basically, here's what will happen. Gandolfini will get what he wants. Season 5 will get filmed. The guy who let that loophole in Gandolfini's contract slip by will be FIRED. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest converge241 Report post Posted March 10, 2003 HBO presents : Sopranos season 5: Who Shot Tony Soprano? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bps "The Truth" 21 Report post Posted March 10, 2003 HBO will give in and probably have by the time I type this. They will give him whatever he wants and then some. They aren't stupid. They know why HBO buys magically went up when the Sopranos came on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest TheArchiteck Report post Posted March 10, 2003 They'll make it all back plus more anyhow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bps "The Truth" 21 Report post Posted March 10, 2003 Indeed. I can't wait to see how many subscriptions get cancelled when that show ends. They better come up with something fast to grip the Sopranos viewers. Critical acclaim aside...I just don't see Six Feet Under getting that job done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest EQ Report post Posted March 10, 2003 I keep hearing what a great show Six Feet Under is. I have yet to check it out. What else could they use to replace Sopranos though? Now that Oz is gone, Six Feet Under and The Wire are their major shows. The Wire is an awesome show, but I don't see it being able to pull in the same number of viewers as Sopranos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Youth N Asia Report post Posted March 10, 2003 I almost got HBO this year...till I found out this was going to be the last years of Oz and the Sopranos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Dames 0 Report post Posted March 10, 2003 The main problem I see with Six Feet Under (although I've never actually seen it) is that it lacks action. Oz was always full of action, Sopranos deals with the mob underworld and the occasional wacking, The Wire is about drug dealers and the feds. Why should I care about a mortuary? Dames Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Crux Report post Posted March 11, 2003 Hey, people die in the beginning of every episode--thats action Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest El Satanico Report post Posted March 11, 2003 Why should I care about a mortuary? Because dead people are entertaining...Well if WWe isn't dealing with them that is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest EQ Report post Posted March 11, 2003 The Wire is about drug dealers and the feds. Actually it's the Narcotics & Homicide depts of the Baltimore P.D. Maybe if you actually WATCHED The Wire once in a while, you'd know that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted March 11, 2003 People are bored by these Cop "Drug" shows...Sopranos and Oz and 6FU are completly different (Mob, Prison, Funeral Home)... HBO also doesn't have Sexincity much longer either so they are in shitland now...and Stime is catching up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Youth N Asia Report post Posted March 11, 2003 Stime is catching up. Like hell they are, I have Showtime till June and their original programs suck. Sure you have Family Business and Bullshit, but those are just 30 minute comedy shows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest EQ Report post Posted March 12, 2003 HBO has now sued Gandolfini. LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- HBO and the producers of the hit cable TV series "The Sopranos" filed a $100 million countersuit Tuesday against James Gandolfini to force the actor who plays America's most popular mob boss, Tony Soprano, back to work when the series resumes taping later this month. Gandolfini sued the cable network and Sopranos Productions, Inc. last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking to cancel his contract on the grounds that the company failed to inform him that the series had been ordered for a fifth season in a timely manner. Most industry observers saw this as a move by Gandolfini, a once obscure actor who achieved stardom with the Tony Soprano role, to get a dramatic increase in salary thanks to a renegotiated contract. Bert Fields, the attorney for HBO and Soprano Productions, who filed the countersuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, told Reuters that the actor had been properly informed about new filming and that Gandolfini's suit "is frivolous" and part of the actor's bid to raise his salary. He said the producers exercised their option to pick up Gandolfini's contract for two seasons and estimated their losses at $100 million if he doesn't show up. Gandolfini on Sunday won the Screen Actors Guild award for best actor in a drama series and in his speech referred to his troubles with HBO. "Enjoy what you can now, because things get pretty weird once it works," he said giving advice to young actors. He also thanked HBO and said he was sorry if the publicity over his lawsuit made him seem ungrateful. Backstage he said, "I am sure everything will be fine" and when asked by a reporter how much he wanted to be with the show, he hemmed and hawed and finally smiled sheepishly, saying, "You know." The "Sopranos" cast is due back in the studio to begin shooting new episodes on March 24. http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/11/s...reut/index.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted March 12, 2003 Ah Jesus...Just give the fucker the money! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest converge241 Report post Posted March 13, 2003 they just suspended production HBO has suspended filming of ''The Sopranos'' due to a contract dispute with the show's star, James Gandolfini, published reports said. Network executives told cast members that work on the fifth season of the hit show about a New Jersey mob family had been postponed indefinitely, the Daily News and the New York Post reported in Thursday editions. Filming had been scheduled to begin on March 24. Gandolfini, who plays mob boss Tony Soprano, is reportedly seeking upward of $1 million an episode, while HBO has offered $800,000. Gandolfini currently earns about $400,000 an episode. ''Every year he asked for a raise,'' HBO lawyer Bert Fields told the Daily News. ''They didn't have to pay a dime more than they did last time. They offered him a huge raise.'' But Dan Klores a spokesman for Gandolfini said the actor is asking for what he deserves. ''When you start referring to an actor who has made a network an inordinate amount of money as 'a greedy pig' and you publicly accuse him of blackmail, you make yourself look stupid,'' Klores told the Daily News. ''He doesn't deserve to be treated with anything but respect.'' Last week, Gandolfini, who plays mob boss Tony Soprano, filed a Superior Court complaint claiming that HBO breached his contract. The actor alleged that HBO missed a deadline for advising him that his services would be needed for a fifth season. On Tuesday, HBO fired back at Gandolfini in court, saying the actor must settle his contract dispute or risk being liable for more than $100 million in damages. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest EQ Report post Posted March 13, 2003 Ah, Christ already. Whether Gandolfini is being unreasonable or not, give him the fucking money. This is the last season of the show, the fans are going crazy waiting for it, let's face it... HBO is going to make all of it back and a shitload more. If I had as much money as HBO has, I'd give Gandolfini the damn money! JUST GIVE ME MY SOPRANOS! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
