"Aah, whaddya gonna do?"

We've heard a lot about James Gandolfini recently; since his passing. Everyone seemed to have thoughts. And I understand that because while I didn't know James at all, Tony Soprano spent many hours in my living room. We were close.

I wasn't invited to the funeral Thursday. I'm sure it was an oversight. I understand. No disrespect intended. Things get crazy when someone dies, especially in a foreign country. What with the arrangements and all.

But I heard about it. News gets around. I read David Chases' eulogy. Nice one. And I read a piece that Rob Sheffield wrote in Rolling Stone earlier in the week. And then in Hollywood Reporter his dialogue coach Susan Aston said "one has to remain vulnerable, and to be willing to be seen as human" to be a great actor. She might as well said "artist" there. I'm sure she meant artist.

He sure made that show as Tony Soprano, didn't he? Six seasons. Sheesh. James Gandolfini made Tony Soprano come alive. And while James may have died of a heart attack while on holiday in Rome, I like to think that Tony got wacked in "the old country." (Heart attack, shmart attack. They got ways of making it look natural.) Just tidying up a bit of old family business.

It's the way Tony woulda wanted to go out.

Whaddya gonna do?