Robert Baer lost his lawsuit against David Chase, the Sopranos' series creator, last week, but the trail revealed how Hollywood writers turn their ideas into successful television and the way the industry often revolves around friends doing favors for friends. Mr. Baer was seeking compensation for giving Mr. Chase a tour of Mafia sights around New Jersey and for arranging meetings with mob experts that Baer claimed inspired many of the ideas for the HBO hit show.  read more »

Today, a federal jury in New Jersey threw out a case brought against Sopranos creator David Chase by a certain Robert Baer. After the verdict was read, following less than two hours of deliberations, the defense attorneys hugged one another.

As we reported yesterday, Mr. Baer, a budding screenwriter and onetime prosecutor, claimed that he was not adequately compensated for helping Mr. Chase in 1995, when he was developing the pilot episode. Mr. Baer apparently arranged for the writer-producer to meet with several mafia experts during a tour of New Jersey, Mr. Chase’s native state. Both the Sopranos creator and Mr. Baer testified that the latter man turned down Mr. Chase’s offers to pay him thrice. He did, however, claim that Mr. Chase said he would “take care of him” if they show was a success.

Life imitated art in a New Jersey courtroom earlier today when David Chase, the mind behind The Sopranos, testified in the state's federal court to defend his creative ownership of the HBO series.

Twelve years ago, it seems, he collaborated with a man named Robert Baer, a budding screenwriter and former prosecutor who set up meetings between Mr. Chase and mafia experts during a tour of the Garden State. Mr. Baer, in part, claims that he was not adequately paid for his services—assistance that may have led to the show’s foundational plot. Asserting ownership of the pilot’s core themes, Mr. Chase, a New Jersey native, told the judge that he has been fascinated with the mob ever since watching The Untouchables. (Whether he was referring to the 1959 TV series or the 1987 Brian De Palma feature film was not made clear.) As if quoting Tony Soprano, Mr. Baer said he declined payment from Mr. Chase several times in 1995, if only because the series’ creator assured him that he would “take care of him” in due time. Likewise, the screenwriter has called the hired helper “self-delusional” in legal papers. [AP]

Two locally filmed shows took top series honors at last night's Emmy Awards.

'The Sopranos' took home the Best Drama award, and creator David Chase and director Alan Taylor won for writing and directing.

But in a big upset, favorite James Gandolfini lost to James Spader of 'Boston Legal.'

'30 Rock' took home its single primetime award--but it was a big one: Best Comedy. During their acceptance speech Tina Fey thanked the show's 'dozens' of viewers and thanked NBC's Zucker for sticking with the show.

Altogether the program was its usual mix of bathos and strained humor. But in case you still feel like you missed, something, after the jump is the exhaustive, chronological account put out by the show's organizers. It has a similarly strange, incantatory charm to the show itself.  read more »

Sopranos Auteur David Chase Left a Majestic Wrap-Up, But His Onion-Ring Existentialism Causes a Panic—Where’s Dr. Melfi? It’s a Media Anxiety Attack!  read more »