Wednesday,
November 08, 2006
"Tony Soprano" to be Inducted into New
Jersey Hall of Fame ????
The
ANNOTICO Report
No, Not
really Tony Soprano, but actually James Gandolfini.
While I
hate "The Sopranos", and most of the cast, because they haughtily
deny that the show denigrates Italian Americans,
Gandolfini
has never defended the show, and seems sincerely conflicted and maybe somewhat
embarrassed.
However, I
like the author of this article, question what criteria is being used if
a Gandolfini is being
considered.
If it is merely being Famous?? If so, that would
entitle a famous NJ brothel owner.
Or is it
some one who has done something to make New
Jersey Proud?
I question
a number of other suggestions by the author. No, Not any bodies serving with
Washington, No Not the "Jersey Girls" although their tenacity was
commendable, and seriously question David Dinkins (re Not paying Income
Taxes: I haven't committed a crime. I have just failed to comply with the
Law!!!)!!!!
BETTER
CHOICES FOR JERSEY HALL OF FAME
By
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
LOOKING
OVER THE list of New Jersey Hall of Famers was like
walking through history -- a short history peopled by folks I already know
about or read about in recent news reports.
Curators are leaning
heavily toward 20th century glitz and glamour with a list laden with star
performers, athletes, literary giants and political figures.
Walt Whitman, Woodrow
Wilson, Philip Roth and Allen Ginsberg are great choices. But the Hall of Fame
has the opportunity to be a teaching tool about the state's many unsung heroes
like Oliver Cromwell. Born in
While the hall is still in
the planning stages, curators should avoid the easy road. If organizers really
need stars to attract interest and donors, they should be very selective when
choosing the best of
Piscopo?
Joe Piscopo
made
James Gandolfini
is one of the first people proposed for enshrinement in the New Jersey Hall of
Fame, even though Tony Soprano projects an image that some Italian-Americans in
New Jersey and elsewhere find destructive. Tony and Joe, you gotta love 'em. But do they
really add to state pride?
Tony Soprano -- and other
fictional characters in "The Sopranos" -- invent
Such are the vagaries of
the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
Former Gov. Richard J. Codey signed the bill authorizing the official state Hall
of Fame commission in September 2005. Commissioners divided the prominent
Garden Staters into five categories -- sports, arts
and entertainment, history, enterprise and general.
The contributions of
African-Americans shouldn't be limited to professional athletes like Derek
Jeter and Shaquille O'Neal. The Hall needs to
recognize Hackensack's Frederic Morrow, an adviser to president Eisenhower;
Jersey Joe Walcott, who was not only a heavyweight champion but also Camden
County sheriff and chairman of the state athletic commission; and Trenton-born
David Dinkins, New York's first African-American mayor.
Hall of Fame organizers
have renewed their big push for recognition and money, by promoting Frank
Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen and Albert Einstein as
My first choices would be
the "Jersey Girls." Kristen Breitweiser,
Patty Casazza, Lorie Van Auken,
and Mindy Kleinberg, widows of four men who perished in the collapse of the
World Trade Center. They earned their nickname because they energetically and
relentlessly sought the truth about the terrorist attacks.
The four women helped the
nation by forcing the Bush administration to stop blocking attempts to get
answers. The dogged determination of these widows and other families led to
creation of the Sept. 11 Commission that shed more light on how government
contributed to the disaster.
The Hall of Fame
is in danger of becoming a monument to escapism, when it could be a vehicle to
change our reputation as the capital of political corruption, chemical
pollution and mob activity. We shouldn't waste the opportunity.
Lawrence Aaron is a Record
columnist. Contact him at aaron@northjersey.com.
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