I was however cautiously optimistic, and speculated that I was hopeful that 
this episode of "First Monday" was going to instead be more in the form of an 
episode of "That's Life" that brought up the issue of "Mafia" , but then 
proceeded to chastise the bigotry of automatically equating Italian Americans 
=Crime, and to criticize those Italian Americans that would participate in 
the denigration of their own Heritage.

NIAF(National Italian American Foundation) was apparently able to gain access 
to the script or a preview of the show, and lauded the episode stating:  " 
(Justice) Novelli confronts the accusation that a relative might have ties to 
organized crime. The conflict is resolved with integrity and honesty". 
(Reported earlier this week).    

Matt Zoller Seitz of the NJ Star Ledger, in a preview posted today opines that,
the plot line avoids predictable and counterproductive tendencies, and "goes 
in a rewarding direction", and that the episodes message "suggest(s) that American 
pop culture's mob obsession is unhealthy, because it crowds out more complex 
and surprising images of Italian-Americans". 

Now that it appears that "FIRST MONDAY" Will carry the message of "activists" 
such as IAOV, the only question then becomes, how EFFECTIVELY does it carry 
that message? On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "Poor", and 10 being "The 
Best" , what's your score and opinion? 

Below Please see:
(1) Matt Zoller Seitz article in NJ. Star Ledger "Family Business"
(2) CBS: Synopsis of Tonight's episode of "Family Affairs" of "FIRST MONDAY"
(3) CBS: Theme, Characters, and Cast of "FIRST MONDAY"
(4) IAOV (Italian American One Voice) Mission and Membership
========================================================
(1) "Family Business" 
By Matt Zoller Seitz
NJ Star Ledger
02/08/02 

The synopsis of tonight's "First Monday" episode (9 p.m., Channel 2) does not 
sound promising: Italian-American Supreme Court Justice Joseph Novelli ( Joe 
Mantegna ), who swore he had no criminal associations during his confirmation 
hearing, is threatened with scandal when a newspaper reporter uncovers an FBI 
photograph of Novelli's uncle accepting an envelope from a Mafia bigwig. 

Plot lines like this tend to go one of two ways: Either (1) the story is 
true, and the episode is all about Novelli's betrayal at the hands of a 
dishonest relative, or (2) the story is not true, and the episode 
conveniently gets to duck the very issue it raises. 

Thankfully, "First Monday" goes in a third, more rewarding direction. 

It turns out Novelli's elderly Uncle Willie ( Al Ruscio ) accepted a donation 
from a known mob figure to fund a community center. But writer Randy Anderson 
and director James Whitmore Jr. don't stop there. 

The episode accepts the fact that the Mafia is real and cannot be blamed on 
Hollywood. But it also notes that every ethnic group has a criminal element, 
and goes on to suggest that American pop culture's mob obsession is 
unhealthy, because it crowds out more complex and surprising images of 
Italian-Americans. 

"Perhaps the senator has been watching too much HBO," Novelli tells a 
confirmation committee in flashback, after an ambitious senator ( Dean 
Stockwell ) asks him if anyone in his family has mob ties. 

Intriguingly, when Mantegna signed onto "First Monday," his character's 
ethnicity was unspecified. Mantegna insisted he be made Italian-American. 
Then he suggested to series creator Donald Bellisario that, if Novelli's 
family came from Sicily, the issue of mob ties was bound to come up, so why 
not do a thoughtful episode about it? 

At first glance, this whole plot might not seem to jibe with Mantegna's 
career. The Italian-American actor played a Gotti-like mob boss in "The 
Godfather, Part III" and has provided the voice of cartoon wiseguy Fat Tony 
on "The Simpsons" for years now. 

Mantegna says, although Novelli singles out "The Godfather" and "The 
Sopranos" as problematic, he personally enjoys mob stories and appreciates 
the career boost they've given to Italian-American actors, writers and 
directors. 

"I've played those roles myself. I don't apologize for it. But I don't feel 
there's anything wrong with trying to balance the scales a little bit." 

The problem, Mantegna says, is one of context. 

"If somebody says 'Italian-American,' I don't want them to just instinctively 
say, 'The Godfather,' or 'The Sopranos.' I'd like them to have a lot of 
choices. Maybe they'll say, 'First Monday.'" 
==================================================
(2) CBS  Synopsis of  "Family Affairs"
Friday, February 8
9:00PM ET/PT

Novelli faces dismissal from the Supreme Court when a reporter confronts him 
with possible evidence that his uncle has ties to the Mafia. Threatened with 
blackmail and eager to find out for himself what's going on, Novelli goes to 
Chicago to visit his uncle. There's apparently a Congressional hearing with a 
smug Congressman questioning a guilty-looking Justice Novelli about this 
connection, and when "perjury" is whispered, there is a suggestion that 
Novelli lied.  

Meanwhile, Weisenberg and Hoskins become unlikely allies when the court hears 
a polygamy case involving an Orthodox Jewish man's right to take his 
sister-in-law as a second wife. 
====================================================
(3) FIRST MONDAY revolves around the U.S. Supreme Court's nine justices, 
whose momentous decisions make history - and headlines. 

FIRST MONDAY stars Joe Mantegna
(Mario Puzo's "The Last Don") as Associate Justice Joe Novelli, a new 
addition to the bench who will have a pivotal role in an evenly split court 
of four conservatives and four liberals. Also starring is Emmy Award winner 
James Garner ("The Rockford Files") as Chief Justice Thomas Brankin, a 
staunch conservative, and Charles Durning ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?") as 
Justice Henry Hoskins, one of Brankin's closest allies. 

Helping the justices are young law clerks whose heady responsibility is to 
review the 6,000 yearly appeals they receive and make their recommendations 
as to which have the legal merit to be heard before the Supreme Court.

FIRST MONDAY is produced by Paramount Network Television.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Donald P. Bellisario 

STARRING:
Joe Mantegna (Joe Novelli) James Garner (Thomas Brankin) Charles Durning 
(Henry Hoskins) Randy Vasquez (Miguel) Hedy Burress (Ellie) Christopher Wiehl 
(Jerry)
Joe Flanigan (Julian Lodge)

You may access information on "First Monday" at 
 <A HREF="http://www.cbs.com/">CBS.com</A> 
<<www.cbs.com>> 
In the Box that says" Choose a CBS Show" 
Use the Pull Down Arrow until you reach "First Monday"
<< http://www.cbs.com/primetime/first_monday/>> 

To express your opinion, Go to the Very Bottom of the Page,
and click on "Feedback".

Or: CBS << audsvcs@cbs.com >> 
Or: Ray  Faiola CBS at E-mail <<  rpfaiola@cbs.com >>
=====================================================
(4) IAOV (Italian American One Voice)

ACCENTUATE the Positive, ELIMINATE the Negative!!!!

Speaking out with One Voice against Negative Stereotyping 

Italian-American One Voice Coalition is a national network of activists 
enabling the Italian American community to act as one united voice when 
dealing with defamation, discrimination and negative stereotyping.

Member organizations provide a liaison with the IA One Voice Coalition to 
disseminate information to the Italian American community and protest with 
one voice against each outrage against our heritage, culture and character. 

Italian American One Voice - Who We Are 

Web Site:
Italian American One Voice Coalition
http://www.italianamericanonevoice.org/iaindex.html