Your own comment, to the 'Sesame Street' Staff, no matter how brief, 
seems appropriate and advisable. Their Email Addresses appear below.

My Question Is: Why would an actress, known only for Shows that are 
NOT suitable for children, be invited to appear on a Children's Show???

Even James Gandolfi declined to appear at a Kindergarten when invited 
by their teacher (Where was her head?), stating that he was appearing 
in a show that children should NOT be watching, and that he would not 
want to in any way encourage children TO watch!!!!!

What ARE these people thinking???

CC: Parents TV Council, LA,CA.
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To: The Staff of Sesame Street
>From Steve Antonuccio

Once in a while you have to look at yourself in the mirror and say what
is important to you.  What means something to you?  What are your
priorities in life?  For almost my entire life I have supported public
television as an enthusiastic supporter.  I believe in public
television, I believe in the value of programs like Sesame Street, and 
I certainly believe in the first amendment and my freedom to express
myself financially by endorsing the things I philosophically support.

After twenty-five years of supporting PBS, and after raising my two
daughters on Sesame Street, I have to ask myself an important 
question and I need your help.  Do I continue to support public 
television? 

Are the honor and respect of the people who came before me, poor 
peasant immigrants who sacrificed their entire lives so that I could 
pursue the American dream on a level playing field, more important to 
me than my support for public television?  Let me explain.

It has come to my attention that Edie Falco, an actress on the series
The Sopranos, has been invited to appear on Sesame Street.  As an
Italian American, as a human being, I have several problems with the
choice of talent and the show she represents.

Edie Falco represents probably the most racist, misogynist, and violent
program on television.  Until she became a lead actress on The Sopranos,
the body of her work included playing a sadistic prison guard on another
extremely violent and dehumanizing series on HBO called "OZ."  She 
is not a singer and she is not a musician.  She is part of a racist series
that has made a concerted effort to soften their image by peddling their
stars to programs that are respected like Sesame Street. 

Let's be honest, Edie Falco does not elevate the image of Sesame 
Street by being on the show, Edie Falco and The Sopranos elevates 
their image by appearing on Sesame Street.  There is no question who 
benefits more from this relationship.

Now lets talk about The Sopranos, shall we.  I force myself to watch 
the program; I have seen four episodes, because I don’t think it is fair 
to criticize a show without watching it.  I recommend that you all watch
the program, so that you can agree or disagree with the points I'm about
to make.  I'll give you three reasons why The Sopranos is a destructive
and negative show.

                                           THE RACISM

Since the show first premiered, The Sopranos has been universally
condemned by every major Italian American organization in this country
for its racism and stereotyping.  Although there are a few positive
Italian American characters, the vast majority of the Italian American
men on that series, including the lead character Tony Soprano, are
despicable low lifes.  Tony Soprano is a pimp, a drug dealer, a
murderer, a gangster and he physically and emotionally abuses women.
Hardly someone I want to represent my proud Italian heritage being
cablecast into millions of households.  The series is without much
argument, a racist and hurtful portrayal of Italian Americans

                                            THE VIOLENCE

I don't know how you feel about the use of guns as a way for people to
solve problems.  I don't think that is something you ever promoted on
Sesame Street.  You have to go no further then the logo of "The
Sopranos" to get an idea where that show is coming from.  Instead of 
the letter "R" in the word Soprano, the series producers have replaced 
it with a gun.  The show very openly teaches young people that they 
can solve their problems with guns.  This is not a subtle message; it 
is right in the damn logo.  Exceedingly violent, the show uses violence 
as a very effective tool to develop an audience.  In almost every episode
Italian Americans, primarily using guns, murder people in graphic detail
and rarely find themselves in prison.  In fact they are rewarded,
honored, and respected for their use of violence. 

My daughter just graduated from a very typical suburban school in 
Colorado. In the past two years she has known two male friends who 
were murdered with handguns by other teenagers in separate incidents. 
I don't have to tell you how destructive that type of behavior is to the 
kids who were murdered and to the families and friends that were 
devastated by it. 

Now murder has been around since the beginning of time, but why do 
we have to promote it and romanticize gun violence in a program like 
The Sopranos? Certainly HBO has the first amendment right to do a 
show on almost any topic they want, but does Sesame Street have to 
lower themselves by legitimizing a series like this by featuring one of 
their stars.  And yes...by featuring Edie Falco you are giving your 
endorsement to the series.  Again I ask, who benefit more? 
Sesame Street or The Sopranos?

                                            THE MISOGYNY

Even if you disagree with me that The Sopranos is a racist and violent
show, how about the Misogyny?  The man who created the show, 
David Chase, had a very difficult time with his Mother and I'm convinced 
is a misogynist and reflects his feelings about women in his program. 
Tony Soprano's Italian American Mother tried to kill him.  All the female
characters on The Sopranos are either evil, victims, or sexual objects.
In the past season, by far the most violent of the three, David Chase
features a woman graphically being raped and in another incident 
shows a pregnant stripper graphically being beat to death.  Now I am 
sure that there are people who watch that kind of behavior and are 
repulsed by it.  I'm certainly one of them.  But you and I both know 
there are also people who watch that kind of behavior and get off on it 
and try to duplicate it. 

The show features in almost every episode the Bad-a-Bing club, a 
strip club filled with women who are prostitutes and are exploited as 
sexual objects, this allows the producers to give their predominately 
male viewers plenty of gratuitous sex to watch.  Now I don't have a 
problem with nudity or sex, except when it is demeaning to woman 
and gratuitous.  Why do you want a misogynistic show associated
with Sesame Street?  Sesame Street, a program created by a woman 
and certainly a show that features the creative talents of many capable
women?  Again, who benefits more from this relationship, The Sopranos 
or Sesame Street?  I would hate to have some young child flipping 
through the channels and then stopping on The Sopranos because it 
has the same nice lady he or she saw on Sesame Street.  That is the 
message you are sending to children, the actors of The Sopranos are 
to be respected, so why shouldn't the show be respected as well.

                                      THE FINAL QUESTION

As I stated earlier, I believe in the first amendment.  I appreciate you
reading my letter and letting me express my opinion on why Edie Falco 
of The Sopranos should not be on Sesame Street.  If it were just the
appearance of Edie Falco on Sesame Street I would be happy to 
express my opinion and continue my support for PBS.  PBS has 
featured some many fine programs that promote Italian Americans and 
Italian American culture and I appreciate that.  The big question I am 
asking, and have yet to have answered in this.

DOES THE APPEARANCE OF EDIE FALCO ON SESAME 
STREET HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT 
AOL IS A MAJOR UNDERWRITER OF THE SESAME STREET?

Here is the problem.  AOL Time Warner owns HBO and HBO produces 
The Sopranos.  AOL is an underwriter of Sesame Street.  This is why 
I question my support for PBS anymore.  If program underwriters on 
PBS are dictating the content of a program, I think that is a serious 
ethical question and conflict of interest.  If that is the case, I will never
support PBS again. If the appearance of Edie Falco was just something
that happened without some sort of friendly suggestion from AOL then 
I will continue to support PBS.  As of today I have not gotten an answer.
Please at least be honest with me when you respond.  Again, I ask the
question.

DOES THE APPEARANCE OF EDIE FALCO ON SESAME 
STREET HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT 
AOL IS A MAJOR UNDERWRITER OF THE SESAME STREET?

I look forward to your prompt and honest response to my questions.

Sincerely,
Steve Antonuccio
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Sesame Street Staff Email Addresses:
[They can be easily "cut and pasted" into the "Send To" box in a bloc.
I have added my name, so that I may be aware of the responses]

Julian.Scott@sesameworkshop.org,
Karen.Gruenberg@sesameworkshop.org,
ellen.lewis@sesameworkshop.org,
Gary.Knell@sesameworkshop.org,
Jennifer.Chrein@sesameworkshop.org,
Martha.VanGelder@sesameworkshop.org,
michael.loman@sesameworkshop.org,
Nancy.Steingard@sesameworkshop.org,
Terry.Fitzpatrick@sesameworkshop.org,
trimtantre@aol.com,