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Arab News
6 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Born in the USA and why soon that may not matter
There is a scene in the hysterically funny 2009 movie 'In the Loop' in which the bellicose US military attache Lt. Gen. George Miller, played by the late James Gandolfini, accosts Malcolm Tucker, the foul-mouthed British government spin doctor played by the Scottish actor Peter Capaldi. In the course of a lengthy tirade, Miller denounces the general uselessness and wimpishness of England, all things English and particularly English people as exemplified by Tucker. The spin doctor essays a few ripostes about armchair generals who have never fired a weapon in anger, turns to leave, but then turns back and snarls: 'And don't ever call me ******* English again!' Anyone with sufficient comedic talent could have written and directed the movie, but only a Scot could have written and directed that scene. The Scot in question is Armando Iannucci, a comedy genius who you may know from 'Veep,' the TV series in which he mercilessly skewered the dysfunctional incompetence of White House politics, having previously done the same for the UK with 'The Thick of It.' His name, obviously, denotes Italian heritage, but Iannucci is very much a product of Scotland — as am I: we share a home city, Glasgow, and indeed a school, although 10 years apart. If someone were to suggest that either of us was in any way English, they would be on the receiving end of a mouthful that would put Malcolm Tucker to shame. Taken together, nationality and citizenship create a powerful force that determines who we are as people Ross Anderson Nationality is, above all, an emotion. Citizenship is a bureaucratic process. Taken together, they create a powerful force that determines who we are as people. They are, for example, why Palestinians, despite oppression, persecution and a diaspora scattered to the four winds, remain resolutely and indefatigably Palestinian (and why cruel attempts to drive them out of the West Bank, and absurd attempts to do so from Gaza, are doomed to fail). They are why, despite incomprehension in the US, there was widespread irritation in South America when the new Pope Leo was described as 'the first American pope,' despite having succeeded the proud Argentine and also proud American Pope Francis. As they say south of the Mexican border, 'todos somos Americanos' (we are all American). You would think, therefore, that nationality and citizenship were a straightforward business, but we live in a world where increasingly they are not. Particularly in the US and Western Europe, the shutters are coming down, the barriers are going up, deportation flights are full and there are demands for borders to be closed, as those who already possess citizenship enforce the view that they would rather not be joined by anyone else. The logic of those who oppose migration has always eluded me. Where do they think they came from in the first place? We all know, but it bears repeating for those who have clearly forgotten, that the US became the world's preeminent power wholly on the back of unlimited and uncontrolled immigration, with attempts to limit it desultory. There were a few mostly anti-Asian rules in the late 19th century, but the immigration processing center on Ellis Island was not established until 1892 and migrant quotas and the US Border Patrol had to wait until 1924 — by which time the US was already on a roll. Nor were the early settlers squeamish about their methods: the predecessors of today's US citizens ethnically cleansed the indigenous population from their ancestral land and claimed it as their own because it was their 'manifest destiny' to do so, a scenario that observers of the West Bank today may find depressingly familiar. Since 1898, any child born in the US has been automatically entitled to US citizenship, regardless of the legal status of the child's parents. In almost the first act of the first day of his second term as president, Donald Trump signed an executive order directing that the children of immigrants would no longer receive citizenship unless one of their parents was naturalized or had a green card. Trump did not do that on a whim: polling overwhelmingly suggests that, after retail price inflation, an 'invasion' of undocumented migrants is the issue that most concerns Americans. This is a curious phenomenon, and a paradox. Anti-immigrant sentiment is least fervent in states where you might expect to find it — California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, all of which share a border with Mexico on the main migrant route from the south. The very good reason is that business, industry and agriculture in those states would collapse without a steady supply of migrant labor, legal or otherwise, and employers are not inclined to ask too many awkward questions. Particularly in the US and Western Europe, deportation flights are full and there are demands for borders to be closed Ross Anderson To find genuine anger over illegal immigration, you need to go to the old industrial Midwest of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — where factory workers from Venezuela are few and far between. There are echoes here of Brexit, the 2016 vote for the UK to leave the EU, which was fueled largely by demands for more control over immigration — demands that came mostly from parts of England where actual migrants are as rare as hen's teeth. With his attempt to end birthright citizenship, Trump has effectively tried to overturn the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, adopted in 1868 and reinforced by the Supreme Court 30 years later, which states: 'All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.' Most US legal scholars consider that to be unequivocal and Trump's executive order has been successfully challenged and overturned in most states. The Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments from the Trump administration that a judge may block a presidential order only in their own jurisdiction and not nationwide, but that is a technical issue that need not concern us here. What seems inevitable is that, probably early next year, the court will be asked to rule on the central issue itself — birthright citizenship. On the face of it, it seems a simple decision: the 14th Amendment could not be clearer. But one of the thornier tasks given to the Supreme Court is to interpret laws regulating circumstances and behavior that were markedly different when the laws were written from what they are now, and to judge what the framers of those laws might have thought had they known then what we know now. For example, an estimated 20,000 women a year, mostly from China, travel to the US specifically to give birth there and gain citizenship for their children. 'Birth tourism' was hardly a thing in 1868: should it be encouraged now? Supporting his executive order is certainly what Trump will expect the court to do, but no one ever made money betting on how a Supreme Court justice will rule — not even the president who nominated them. The judges have a long history of applying their own interpretation of the law, not the political views that a president thought he was sending them to the bench to implement. Either way, our whole understanding of nationality and citizenship may be about to change: watch this space.
Wall Street Journal
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
‘Gandolfini' Review: The Man Behind the Mob Boss
Starting out, James Gandolfini was willing to consider all sorts of theatrical roles, but he did not want to play a mafioso. Having grown up in an Italian-American family in blue-collar New Jersey, he was loath to disappoint his parents. 'He felt like his mom and dad had both worked too hard making sure their kids got a good education to end up playing, you know, somebody that was not representing Italians very well,' Jason Bailey quotes an old friend saying of the actor in 'Gandolfini,' a snappy and tactful biography subtitled 'Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend.' Fate, of course, had other plans. Imposing and magnetic, Gandolfini (1961-2013) was offered tough-guy roles as soon as he started looking for work. He was an actor on the rise when he came to the attention of David Chase, the creator of 'The Sopranos,' who was casting for a lead for his new television series. Mr. Chase, who had visualized Robert De Niro playing the violent, conflicted, charismatic Tony Soprano, wasn't immediately sold on Gandolfini. He liked a couple of other candidates, and he worried that that the actor, who already had a reputation, would be 'a pain in the ass on set.' But no other contender quite matched the darkness and sense of realness that Gandolfini brought to the role. Gandolfini's combination of twinkling charm and dead-eyed menace helped make 'The Sopranos' a hit. The show ran on HBO for six seasons, over the course of 86 episodes spread out over 8½ years starting in 1999. It is widely regarded as having inaugurated a new golden age of cinematic television, making possible a torrent of TV series with gritty performances, top-drawer writing and high production values, including 'The Wire,' 'Breaking Bad' and 'Mad Men.' 'The Sopranos' had an ensemble cast, but like the fictional family and crime syndicate the show depicted, it needed Gandolfini as both anchor and prime mover. In the role of Tony Soprano, a mobster having a midlife crisis, Gandolfini could toggle between geniality and aggression with terrifying speed. Prone to gaining weight that was good for throwing around on screen, he was, according to an early colleague, 'a sweetheart of a guy—but you could tell that there's a sharp edge on the other end of that thing, too.'
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sopranos vet Lorraine Bracco, 70, reveals the cruel insult from 6th grade has 'stuck' with her 'for life'
Lorraine Bracco, 70, has had an amazing career with multiple accolades, including an Oscar nomination, but the cruel words from childhood bullies have continued to haunt her. The Sopranos star, who recently revealed the late James Gandolfini's reaction to the series finale, wrote about the incident that happened when she was in sixth grade in an essay for the Wall Street Journal. 'One day, kids on the school bus told me something that stuck with me for life. They said they had voted me the ugliest girl in sixth grade,' the former 'tall and gawky kid' revealed. 'Can you imagine? I was in shock. It was horrible and devastating — a deep wound,' the Brooklyn born actress relayed. 'I went home and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.' It was her father who offered words of comfort to the devastated tween. He 'sat me on his lap, put his hands on my face and made me look in his eyes. He said, "I don't care about them. You're the most beautiful girl in the world to me."' The Screen Actors Guild award winner said she found school 'challenging socially,' but her love of performing in school plays helped provide 'an expression and an outlet for me.' After graduating high school, Bracco was signed with Wilhelmina models and moved to Paris where she lived for a decade and was a favorite of designer Jean Paul Gaultier, according to her IMDB profile. And even though she was booking jobs, the words still remained in the back of her mind. 'As for that childhood insult, it stuck with me for a long time,' she told readers. 'Early in my modeling career, when Revlon offered me a campaign, I said to myself, "I can't do this. I was the ugliest girl in sixth grade."' After being cast in French films and television shows in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Bracco returned to the US, where she was cast in films such as the thriller Someone to Watch Over Me, and The Dream Team. Her breakout role came as the wife of the late Ray Liotta's wife in the 1990 mob drama Goodfellas for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination. She later received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her portrayal of therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos. The actress later received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her portrayal of therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos. The currently single Bracco told AARP that after breaking up with former partner Harvey Keitel, 85, after 11 years together, she 'lost a year of my life to depression.' 'My advice to anyone going through it is get a good doctor, get diagnosed, and know that pharmacology works — don't be afraid of it,' she admonished. 'The stigma of it stopped me at first. Stupid. And talk therapy is major. You're worth it, you're worth having a good day, every day.' With her life in order and her now movie, Nonnas, doing well on Netflix, the star says she ready to raise the curtain on love again. 'I believe in love. What do I look for in a man? A sense of humor is extremely important. And I like a guy who's sure of himself. I'm sure of myself, so I want him to be rock steady.' she said.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sopranos star reveals James Gandolfini's savage two-word response to that infamous ending
It's been nearly 18 years since HBO 's The Sopranos ended with one of the most controversial series finales of all time, with star Lorraine Bracco revealing how her co-star James Gandolfini really thought of the ending. The series was a massive hit for HBO, following Gandolfini's Tony Soprano and his New Jersey mafia family, running six seasons spanning 86 episodes. Bracco, 70, played Tony Soprano's psychiatrist, Jennifer Melfi, throughout the show's run, where it amassed 21 Emmys and is credited for starting the Second Golden Age of Television. For as popular and beloved as the series was, the finale, written and directed by series creator David Chase, is still among the most controversial of all time. The final scene takes place at Holsten's diner in New Jersey, where Tony is in a booth with his family, his eyes darting to the door every time the bell rings when someone enters. Bracco was promoting her new Netflix film Nonnas, when Fallon asked her to clear up a rumor that she didn't love The Sopranos ending, revealing her co-star Gandolfini's stunned two-word response: 'That's it?" It's been nearly 18 years since HBO 's The Sopranos ended with one of the most controversial series finales of all time, with star Lorraine Bracco revealing how her co-star James Gandolfini really thought of the ending. The final scene shows Tony waiting at Holsten's, ultimately joined one-by-one by his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and son A.J. (Robert Iler) as Journey's Don't Stop Believin' is playing at the table's jukebox, while he keeps eyeing the door every time it opens and the bell rings. They're waiting for his daughter Meadow (Jamie Lynn Sigler), who is running towards the diner, the bell rings one last time as he looks up, and the show ends abruptly with a final cut to black that the show's legions of fans did not see coming. While the ending didn't sit well with many of the show's fans, it apparently also didn't sit well with Gandolfini himself, according to Bracco. 'I'll tell you the truth, I was sitting next to Jimmy Gandolfini. And he just went like this,' as she stands up to mimic the actor, quoting him stating, 'That's it? That's it?' She added, 'And you know how he always used to push his hair back, and he just walked out. He was like, "That's it?" He couldn't believe it. I said, "Yeah, I guess that's it.' Bracco didn't seem to be a fan of it herself, though she admitted, 'You know, the only thing I can say is people are still talking about it. So, I guess David did do something interesting.' Holsten's is a real diner Bloomfield, New Jersey, which auctioned off the same booth The Sopranos sat in for over $82K last year. Creator David Chase has never confirmed whether Tony Soprano lived or died after the infamous cut to black, though he did open up in 2021 about how surprised he was about the uproar over the final shot. 'I had no idea it would cause that much — I mean, I forget what was going on in Iraq or someplace; London had been bombed! Nobody was talking about that; they were talking about The Sopranos,' he told THR. 'It was kind of incredible to me. But I had no idea it would be that much of an uproar. And was it annoying? What was annoying was how many people wanted to see Tony killed. That bothered me,' he added. 'They wanted to know that Tony was killed. They wanted to see him go face-down in linguini, you know? And I just thought, 'God, you watched this guy for seven years and I know he's a criminal. But don't tell me you don't love him in some way, don't tell me you're not on his side in some way,' he said. '"And now you want to see him killed? You want justice done? You're a criminal after watching this s**t for seven years.' That bothered me, yeah,' he admitted.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Edie Falco Didn't 'Socialize' with James Gandolfini Outside 'The Sopranos' Set
Edie Falco shared some rare reflections on her offscreen relationship with the late James Gandolfini, who died in 2013, in Jason Bailey's new memoir, Falco played Carmela Soprano, wife to Gandolfini's mob boss Tony Soprano, on all six seasons of. She described her late costar as "a very gregarious person" and a "tremendously generous soul." Edie Falco's off-camera relationship with the late James Gandolfini was not what fans would guess. In Jason Bailey's new memoir about the late actor, who died in 2013 following a heart attack, GANDOLFINI: Jim, Tony, and the Life of A Legend, released on April 29, Falco, 61, offered new insight into the dynamic between her and her onscreen husband when the cameras weren't rolling on The Sopranos. 'I really didn't have much of a relationship with Jim outside of our shooting relationship," Falco said in the book. "He was a very gregarious person, but we didn't socialize. We didn't have the same group of friends." Related: The Sopranos Creator David Chase Had 1 Concern About James Gandolfini Before Casting Him as Tony Soprano Things between them were "certainly cordial and professional," Falco said, "But we didn't hang out." "It was not on purpose, it was just the way it was," she continued. "I'm thinking part of me really just loved the very full, dimensional relationship I had with him as Tony. And I think maybe I only wanted that." Elaborating further on their dynamics on-set, Falco, who played Carmela, the wife of Gandolfini's mob boss Tony Soprano, said, "We kind of stayed out of each other's ways when we weren't shooting, if we had a break, or if they were changing the camera angle. There was no chitchat, and there wasn't like, 'What do you need me to do? Should I leave?' There was no discussion about it." Instead, the actors shared "an intrinsic understanding" of each other — and of what they needed to get the scene right. Related: James Gandolfini's Son Michael Sets the Record Straight on the Possibility of a Sopranos Prequel Series Though she wasn't particularly close with him, Falco described her costar as a "tremendously generous soul." She recalled that he was "always getting presents for people, doing nice things, taking care of people, families," which echoed what many of his other costars said in the memoir, too. Falco and Gandolfini, who was just 51 when he died, reconnected in 2012, five years after the finale of The Sopranos aired. Over dinner in New York City, Falco felt connected to him for the first time. 'I actually thought, Oh, who's this guy? You know what I mean? I so did not feel close to him — my own doing — throughout the years. And all of a sudden I realized, Oh, that's right. He was on that ride with me too, you know?" She continued of how Gandolfini had changed in the years since the show's conclusion, "He was just easier. He smiled a lot. The stress appeared to have lifted. I daresay he definitely seemed happier, for sure." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Jason Bailey's GANDOLFINI: Jim, Tony, and the Life of A Legend is now available wherever books are sold, and The Sopranos can be streamed in full on Max. Read the original article on People
