'Tony Soprano' quiere renunciar ...
Tony Soprano Actor Wants Out of HBO Contract March 7, 2003 21:18:10 - Fans of HBO's popular drama "The Sopranos" may have to fuhgeddabout a fifth season after James Gandolfini, the actor who plays the family patriarch, filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking a release from his contract. Gandolfini, a two-time Emmy award winner for his portrayal of conflicted mob boss Tony Soprano, alleged in a suit filed in California that HBO violated a clause in his contract when it failed to notify him of a $20 million deal it struck with David Chase, the show's creator. The end of "The Sopranos," which broke records for a cable show last year by pulling in 13.4 million for its premiere, would be a huge blow to HBO, the subscription cable channel owned by AOL Time Warner . "The Sopranos" is HBO's most popular show, and it spawned a string of HBO hits such as "Six Feet Under" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." The network dismissed Gandolfini's suit as a negotiating ploy designed to extract more money. The show's fifth season was scheduled to begin shooting in April, according to a spokesman. Gandolfini receives about $400,000 an episode under a deal renegotiated after the first season of "The Sopranos," according to Variety, roughly in line with stars like Martin Sheen of NBC's "The West Wing" but far below the $1.6 million per episode paid to Kelsey Grammer for NBC's "Frasier." Network television shows generate advertising revenue, while commercial-free HBO derives its revenue solely from subscriptions. Several other actors on "The Sopranos," including Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico and Jamie Lynn-Sigler, have recently renegotiated their contracts in recent months, according to reports in industry trade publications. Gandolfini and "Sopranos" production company Brillstein-Gray were not immediately available for comment."
