Wednesday I took a tour, led by Phil's sister Rebecca, of Silvercup Studios out in Long Island City. Its most famous tenants in recent years have been The Sopranos and Sex in the City. I strolled through the backroom of Bada Bing and sat in Tony's chair while admiring the voluminous collection of porno posters. We took a walk through the base level of Uncle Junior's house, gazed into Artie Bucco's Vesuvio's restaurant, and toured the inside of Tony's house. The exterior shots at Tony's house are shot somewhere else. For the view of the outside world as seen from inside Vesuvio's, the production designers use a long transparent curtain on which is painted a street scene. When backlit, the screen (its name eludes me) is indistinguishable from a real street scene backdrop.

I may soon be sleeping with the fishes in the Hudson River for publishing this photo, but I think millions of people are already familiar with Tony and Carmela's kitchen. I peeked in the refrigerator and was disappointed not to find any leftover ziti.

Sopranos fan eagerly awaiting the next and perhaps final season of the show shouldn't get too worked up. Filming on that season hasn't begun yet.