"The Sopranos"
producer David Chase named
'hands-down' 1999 'Pasta-tute' of the Year
By Italian-American One Voice group voters
Chase edged
singer Jerry Vale actors Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro
as 'numero uno' sell-out of Italian heritage and culture
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE - June 8, 2000
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. -- At its first annual 'Pasta-tute' award meeting, the
Italian-American One Voice Committee announced the winner of the 1999 award.
Candidates were submitted from across the country and the 'Pasta-tute' of
1999 winner is executive producer and writer David Chase, the driving force
behind the anti Italian-American series HBO's 'The Sopranos'. producer David
Chase.
Chase prevailed as ''the Italian-American who has sold out his/her Italian
culture and heritage in the media or politics or any other notable field''
by a nearly two-to-one margin over closest challenger singer Jerry Vale.
Striking ire at their false witness of Italian heritage were actors Joe Pesci
and Robert DeNiro. Singer Madonna, the late Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola
also received nominations in the national organization's competition.
In the world of politics, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and U.S. Senate
candidate Jon Corzine were nominated. The latter candidate said he was of
Italian descent after he called upon and made a back-handed apology for ethnic
slurs against Italian-Americans.
Italian-American One Voice Committee Chairman Manny Alfano said the award
is the group's answer to the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys, but unlike those
closed industry votes, anyone can nominate a candidate for the 1999 'Pasta-tute
of the Year. Votes were submitted via email
with room for voters to explain why their nominee is worthy of their
endorsement.
One Voice Chairman Alfano said he could ''write a book'' based on the anger
Chase's series has generated among Italian-Americans. Alfano cited a random
nomination form specifying Chase for ''The wholesale exploitation of Italian
Americans, their culture, heritage and future. He has created a fiction and
brought it right into real neighborhoods horribly degrading our image. He
has used the existing prejudice to as a foundation to support his fiction.
A couple of years ago I would have nominated Mario Puzo or Francis F. Coppola
but David Chase is the man of the hour.''
A typical response, "I nominate David Chase (despite the name he is Italian
American), Chairman of HBO, producer or "The Sopranos", for sacrificing decency,
self respect, ethnic sensitivity, community values, on the altar of profit
by exploiting the lowest, most vulgar, ugliest racist instincts in the TV
audience; for reinforcing false stereotypes and exploiting the low self esteem
and self hatred of the Italian American community.
''I fret the moment when "The Sopranos" will be shown in Italy (I bet it
will and it will be greatly successful). It will cause yet again enormous
damage to the image of Italian Americans and it will further alienate them
from the Italian Community at large.''
And another: ''Hands down it has to be David Chase [DiCesare] producer of
the infamous Sopranos.''
And, yet another: "He (Chase) appears to have a patronizing and dismissive
attitude about his heritage, because he fails to recognize the need to balance
the positive to offset the negative - especially given the possible harmful
effects on impressionable children in their formative years. However, his
dismissiveness is projected not only by his work, but by his interview on
a panel at a college. He seemed to show no conscientiousness about the potential
problems of negative portrayals. When an actor pointed out to Chase that
his actual last name, De Cesare, means "of Caesar," Chase smugly replied,
"Yes. That means we were all slaves." ''
Another voter said Chase earned his vote as the 1999 'Pasta-tute' of the
Year because the
''executive producer/director/screenwriter … For creating the series
The Sopranos and furthering the image of ItAms as murderers, drug dealers,
thieves, extortionists, adulterers, and thugs (just to name a few). He is
talented enough to do something good for his community and heritage but he
chose to do something very bad.''
Alfano said the group is trying to make its point about seeking an end to
negative stereotypical portrayals of Italian-Americans on television and
in motion pictures. "People, especially young people, are influenced by what
they see on TV and in movies," Alfano said. "If a group is constantly portrayed
in a negative manner, then people will more than likely make negative assumptions
about that group if that's the only contact they have with that group."
The One Voice chairman stressed that the group is not pushing censorship
or political correctness but rather looking for a balance in the way its
Italian-American heritage and culture are presented in the media.
OTHER NOMINEES
Singer Jerry
Vale received many nominations citing his support of the CD Mob Hits advertising
campaign. Said one voter, '' I would like to vote for Jerry Vale! Mob Hits
is a very good collection of Italian music. However, there is NO NEED to
call this a tribute to mob movies. I'm sure Jerry Vale is not alone in the
selling out the great Italian music. Every person on that CD must have given
permission to use their music. I did notice that Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett
are not on the CD. Perhaps they had the decency to turn it down or maybe
didn't need the money.'' NOTE: Most of the artists don't own the rights
... Capital Records sold these songs to David Brinker, the producer of Mob
Hits.
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