Sopranos’ star
is coming to the Northeast

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Damon Feldman thinks he knows the perfect recipe to draw a large crowd to Alfie’s, a nightclub at 2417 Welsh Road in the Blue Grass Shopping Center.
Feldman is promoting a show that will feature an appearance by a popular character from The Sopranos and a Miss Northeast Philly bikini contest.
In addition, guests might get the chance to see love-him-or-hate-him WIP (610 AM) sports talker Howard Eskin step into the boxing ring.
The fun will take place Friday, July 20, starting at 9 p.m. Admission is $10 and includes drink specials.
Joe Gannascoli, who played Vito Spatafore on the HBO mob drama, will headline the event.
"The Sopranos is pretty hot, and he’s a pretty popular character," Feldman said.
Gannascoli, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native who lives on Long Island, will host and judge the beauty contest. He’ll pose for pictures and sign autographs.
And, Feldman has made him an offer he can’t refuse — the chance to settle a simmering feud with Eskin, the Northeast native and longtime, opinionated radio personality.
Eskin criticized Gannascoli for charging fans for his autograph, a claim the actor denies. He thinks the host is trying to pump up ratings.
"This Eskin guy is just trying to make a name for himself," he said.
The brawny actor has challenged Eskin to "put his fists where his mouth is," but he believes his nemesis will "hide behind the microphone."
So, he suggested, fight fans might want to come to Alfie’s on Wednesday night, July 18, for five matches featuring Foxy Boxing Bikini Girls.
Feldman promises a fun night of sports entertainment both nights. He’s a veteran of offbeat promotions, lining up boxing matches pitting Q102’s Diego Ramos against former NBC 10 weatherman John Bolaris (Ramos won.) and other local celebrities. He’s also booked fights for Tonya Harding, the ex-figure skater who fell into infamy when a thug took a metal object to the knee of her American rival, Nancy Kerrigan, on the eve of the 1994 Olympics.
Kerrigan survived her attack better than Vito Spatafore, who was beaten to death in a 2006 episode by Dominic "Fat Dom" Gamiello and Gerry Torciano for being gay.
Though he was whacked on stage, the character lives on in reruns on the cable television channel A&E and in personal appearances by the actor.
"Everybody loves Vito," he said.
Gannascoli, 48, first appeared on The Sopranos as "Gino" in the eighth episode of the first season. He’s a customer in a shop when the baker gets shot in the foot.
An unsympathetic Gino complains, "What about my bread?"
Vito Spatafore debuted in season two. After the actor read a book, Murder Machine, about a gay mobster named Vito in the Gambino family, he suggested to show producers that they consider changing the story line to make his character a gay man.
Vito led a secret life until two wise guys collecting a payment saw him in action at a gay bar. He went into hiding before being whacked.
Gannascoli believes The Sopranos was a hit because it accurately portrayed the inner workings of a crime syndicate — from family and mob life to language and infidelity. Americans, he said, are fascinated with the mob.
"The show became sort of a cultural phenomenon in the beginning," he said. "People got the DVDs and got hooked on it."
Today, Gannascoli is involved in numerous projects. Like many actors, he has to balance choosing good roles with paying the bills. He’d like to work on the East Coast.
The actor is juggling performances in an independent film, an animated feature, a play and a comedy movie starring Martin Lawrence.
Also, he’s promoting a line of premium cigars and a pool stick called "A Cue to Die For." And, he’s hoping his book — A Meal to Die For — is made into a movie.
"I’m keeping busy, running around," he said.
Live appearances are keeping him busy. He’s been in the Philadelphia area plenty of times, taking part in a charity fund-raiser at Geno’s Steaks, appearing at a South Philadelphia cigar shop, attending the Ninth Street Italian Market Festival and signing books at a South Philadelphia restaurant in a promotion with WPHT (1210 AM) hosts Michael Smerconish and Sid Mark.
The actor said he receives a warm welcome from fans of The Sopranos.
"They’re big fans of the show and tell me they’re sorry to see the show end and ask me if I liked the ending and if there will be a movie," he said.
For the record, he said he thinks the show ran its course, that there won’t be a movie and that he "loved" the ending.
On July 20, he’s looking to meet new fans who have seen him on TV or heard him talking with pals and fellow paisans Anthony Gargano, Steve Martorano and Angelo Cataldi on WIP.
And, he’s looking to meet up with some of his acquaintances from past Philadelphia appearances.
"I like Philly. It’s cool," he said. "I have a lot of friends there." ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com