title: Audioslave

text: The album received a similar critical response to "Out of Exile" with the majority of reviewers praising the band's integrity on the record. The new funk and soul influences were also welcomed favorably; Allmusic called the album Audioslave's "most colorful, diverse, and consistent record yet." Many others, however, saw it as "just another rock record", and musically not much different from the previous album.


title: Audioslave

text: Cornell decided to delay the Revelations tour until 2007, because he wanted to "let the album come out " and also concentrate on his second solo album. The rest of the band went along; Morello also revealed his plans to release his debut solo album in early 2007. The second, and final single from the album, "Revelations" was released in October 2006 with an accompanying music video a month later.


title: Audioslave

text: On January 22, 2007, Rage Against the Machine was announced to reunite for one show only, at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, on April 29. Less than a month later, on February 15, Cornell officially announced his departure from Audioslave, issuing this statement:


title: Audioslave

text: Due to irresolvable personality conflicts as well as musical differences, I am permanently leaving the band Audioslave. I wish the other three members nothing but the best in all of their future endeavors. He stated that, as far as he was concerned, Audioslave had disbanded, and that a greatest hits collection would be issued in the future, because of label commitments.


title: Audioslave

text: Morello and Cornell initially disagreed over the particulars of Cornell quitting the group, with Morello claiming that Cornell did not communicate directly with him about leaving, while Cornell countered: "Tom and I did have communications about the fact that I was gonna go make a record, and that I was tired of what ended up seeming like political negotiations toward how we were gonna do Audioslave business and getting nowhere with it." He also added that this process of "doing Audioslave business" led him to go solo. Contrary to some reports, Cornell has stated that the breakup was not about money, but that he was just not getting along with the other members during their later years. Said Cornell, "Getting along as people is one thing. Getting along as a group of people that can work together in a band situation...We weren't particularly getting along well, no. Bands work in a way where everyone at some point has to have a similar idea of how you do things...Three albums into it, it started to seem like our interests weren't as conjoined anymore."


title: Audioslave

text: In 2011, Cornell revealed further information about the band's breakup; "Personally a lot of it was me trying to land on my feet again. I went through a lot of personal turmoil right around the time Audioslave formed and unfortunately I think that affected the band a little bit in terms of me not really being grounded...I think there was stuff that could have been resolved, and there was drama that was probably unnecessary, typical rock band stuff. I certainly played a role in it. I definitely feel like I was part of a lot of unnecessary stuff. It didn't need to become what it became. You learn with experience."


title: Audioslave

text: In 2012, Morello said that unreleased material that was not on the three albums could be released in the future at an unspecified point. Cornell and Morello shared the stage together for the first time in seven years, among many musicians, at the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert. Cornell also joined Morello on stage on September 26, 2014, guesting on his solo Seattle show. They played together several Nightwatchman songs, Cornell's usual acoustic covers, and for the first time in eight years, some Audioslave songs.


title: Audioslave

text: In August 2015, Cornell openly said in interview with "Total Guitar" that he was quite eager to reunite with Audioslave: "I think it would be great. We did a lot of songs, and with the benefit of not having done anything with those guys for so long, I can't imagine what it would be. It would be a really amazing experience just to get back and work with the same guys again." Soon after, Morello said that he's interested in working with Cornell again, remembering their 2014 Seattle performance with great fondness: "I love Chris and consider him a great friend. The Hall of Fame jam was nice, but a little chaotic. Playing with him in Seattle, that was just fantastic. I love that guy. He's one of the most talented vocalists in the history of vocalists. And to be able to play the songs that we wrote together, it was awesome and so much fun. I hope we do something like that again."


title: Audioslave

text: On January 17, 2017, it was announced that Audioslave would reunite for their first show in 12 years at Prophets of Rage's Anti-Inaugural Ball, protesting President Donald Trump's inauguration. The event took place on January 20, 2017.


title: Audioslave

text: Asked in February 2017 if there would be more Audioslave reunion shows in the future, Cornell replied, "It's always a possibility. I mean, we've been talking about it for at least three or four years now. We were talking about actually picking dates, and it just ended up not working out because everybody's so busy. They have another band again, they all have separate bands that they do themselves, I have Soundgarden and a solo career that's taking up a lot of time, and I just did Temple of the Dog. So, it's really honestly as simple as we end up having a window of time where it's comfortable for everybody and we want to do it, because I definitely feel like everybody's up for it."


title: Audioslave

text: However, on May 18, 2017, three months after making that statement, Cornell was found deceased in his Detroit hotel room, ending the possibility of any future Audioslave reunions with their original lead vocalist.


title: Audioslave

text: The original idea for the band's name was "Civilian", but it was dropped when members found out that it was already taken. Morello later discredited the story, contradicting Commerford and Cornell, and commented that "Civilian" was merely a rumor circulating at the time. He stated: "The band has only ever had one name, and that is Audioslave." Morello described the origin of the "Audioslave" name to LAUNCHcast as follows:


title: Audioslave

text: That was Chris' suggestion that sort of came to him in a vision. We're all on the two-way pagers, and Chris one night said, "I got it. It's Audioslave." We were all, like, "All right, fantastic." ... To paraphrase Elvis Costello, talking about band names is like dancing about architecture—there's just no point in it because the band name becomes the music and the people.


title: Audioslave

text: After the name was announced, it emerged that it was already being used by an unsigned band from Liverpool. The two bands worked out a settlement, with the American Audioslave paying $30,000 in a deal that allowed each band to use the name. To avoid confusion, the Liverpool band would rename themselves "The Most Terrifying Thing".


title: Audioslave

text: The name was mocked by critics due to its uninspired nature, and was regarded as one of the worst in contemporary rock music, or even of all time. "Pitchfork" called it the "most asinine bandname of the year," and Chuck Klosterman of "Spin" magazine chided it as "one of the dumbest band names in recent rock history."


title: Audioslave

text: Audioslave's musical style has generally been regarded as hard rock, alternative metal, post-grunge, and alternative rock. By combining 1970s style hard rock riffing with alternative rock, Audioslave created a distinctive sound. This mix was driven by Cornell's wide vocal range, Morello's innovative guitar solos and the robust rhythm section of Wilk and Commerford. Morello, although stating he "never felt musically limited" in Rage Against the Machine, did say that he had "a lot more scope to explore with Audioslave" and a "wider musical territory". This meant that the instrumentalists had the opportunity to write slow and melodic songs, something they had not done before.


title: Audioslave

text: As opposed to de la Rocha's lyrics, Cornell's were mostly apolitical; Morello referred to them as "haunted, existential poetry". They were characterised by his cryptic approach, often dealing with themes of existentialism, love, hedonism, spirituality and Christianity. Audioslave's first two albums drew influences from 1970s hard rock and heavy metal such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and from the members' previous bands (the grunge sound of Soundgarden and the funk metal sound of Rage Against the Machine). For "Revelations", which was influenced by 1960s and 1970s funk, soul and R&B music, Morello used vintage guitars and amplifiers and Cornell adopted his "seventies funk and R&B-flavor vocals". The guitarist also cited Sly & the Family Stone, James Brown and Funkadelic as a reason for the funk overtones on the album.


title: Audioslave

text: Just as Rage Against the Machine did, Audioslave also included the statement "All sounds made by guitar, bass, drums and vocals" in their albums' booklets as Morello's guitar work often caused listeners to believe that the band used samples, synthesiser effects or different turntable techniques to produce certain sounds.


title: Audioslave

text: All of Audioslave's lyrics were written by Cornell, while all four members—as a band—were credited with writing the music. Their songwriting process was described by Wilk as "more collaborative" and "satisfying" than Rage Against the Machine's, which was "a battle creatively". Cornell also felt the same way; he saw Soundgarden's songwriting method inferior to Audioslave's. Rick Rubin, producer of the band's first two albums, was also lauded as "a great collaborative partner" and was likened to "the fifth Beatle" by Tom Morello. The time spent on songwriting by the band was always short. They wrote 21 songs in 19 days for the first album and exceeded that rate for the second album by having a song or sometimes two written every day. This method was adopted for the third album as well.


title: Audioslave

text: Cornell's battle with drug addiction and alcoholism was a defining factor in the writing and recording process of the debut album. The singer admitted that he was "never able to write effectively" while drinking, and attended rehab after recording "Audioslave". Although Morello stated that "Revelations" was "the first record [Cornell] didn't smoke, drink or take drugs through the recording," he later clarified his statement by saying: "Chris was stone sober during the making of our "Out of Exile" album. Chris was also sober during the making of "Revelations" and prior to recording he gave up smoking as well."


title: Audioslave

text: In contrast to Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave's music was mostly apolitical. Cornell stated he did not want to become the new singer of Rage Against the Machine or any political band, but he would play benefits the other band members wanted to play. Despite his reluctance to write political lyrics, he himself never discounted the possibility; he already touched upon political issues in "Audioslave"'s "Set It Off"—a song inspired by 1999's WTO riots (the "Battle of Seattle")—then later wrote an anti-war song, "Sound of a Gun", and what Morello called "the most political song Audioslave's ever written," "Wide Awake" for "Revelations." "Wide Awake" was an attack on the Bush administration's perceived failures over the consequences of Hurricane Katrina.


title: Audioslave

text: The band was openly anti-Bush and against the Iraq War from the beginning; on March 17, 2003, only hours after President Bush announced plans to invade Iraq, the band performed live in Hollywood with messages reading "How many Iraqis per gallon?" and "Somewhere in Texas, a Village is Missing an Idiot," scrolled across the stage. The music video for "Doesn't Remind Me" was also critical of the Iraq war. Wilk called Bush "a fucking scam" in an interview, criticizing the Bush administration's rationale for war in Iraq.


title: Audioslave

text: During the time of the second album's release, several politically charged Rage Against the Machine songs resurfaced in Audioslave's live set. Although the members committed to not making political statements during their Cuba tour, Commerford stated in an interview that the concert made Audioslave more politically active than Rage Against the Machine ever was. While in Cuba, Cornell said that he takes "every aspect of human life" into consideration, when it comes to writing lyrics, and that he would write about the experience in a song, or more songs. This culminated in the political influences on "Revelations", although he did not write about Cuba specifically. He asserted that he felt Audioslave can be a band like U2, which is "not overtly political, but Bono gets a lot done." That year, the band played at two more concerts organized to raise political awareness: Live 8, which aimed to end global poverty, and the Hurricane Katrina benefit concert, .


title: Audioslave

text: Audioslave was prominently involved in the Axis of Justice, a non-profit organization formed by Tom Morello and System of a Down's Serj Tankian to "bring together musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice." Axis of Justice tents were set up at almost every Audioslave show, and with the exception of Commerford all band members appeared on the "Concert Series Volume 1" CD/DVD charity album released in 2004.


title: Tartary

text: Tartary (, , , ) or Tatary () was a blanket term used in Western European literature and cartography for a vast part of Asia bounded by the Caspian Sea, the Ural Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, and the northern borders of China, India and Persia, at a time when this region was largely unknown to European geographers.


title: Tartary

text: The active use of the toponym (place name) can be traced from the 13th to the 19th centuries. In European sources, Tartary became the most common name for Central Asia that had no connection with the real polities or ethnic groups of the region; until the 19th century, European knowledge of the area remained extremely scarce and fragmentary. In modern English-speaking tradition, the region formerly known as Tartary is usually called Inner or Central Eurasia. Much of this area consists of arid plains, the main nomadic population of which in the past was engaged in animal husbandry.


title: Tartary

text: Ignorance surrounding Tartary's use as a place name has spawned conspiracy theories including ideas of a "hidden past" and "mud floods". Such theories assert that Tartary (or "Tartaria") was a lost civilization with advanced technology and culture. This ignores the well-documented history of Asia, which Tartary refers to. In the present day, the Tartary region covers a region spanning from central Afghanistan to northern Kazakhstan, as well as areas in present Mongolia, China and the Russian Far East in "Chinese Tartary".


title: Tartary

text: Knowledge of Manchuria, Siberia and Central Asia in Europe prior to the 18th century was limited. The entire area was known simply as "Tartary" and its inhabitants "Tartars". In the Early modern period, as understanding of the geography increased, Europeans began to subdivide Tartary into sections with prefixes denoting the name of the ruling power or the geographical location. Thus, Siberia was "Great Tartary" or "Russian Tartary", the Crimean Khanate was "Little Tartary", Manchuria was "Chinese Tartary", and western Central Asia (prior to becoming Russian Central Asia) was known as "Independent Tartary". By the seventeenth century, however, largely under the influence of Catholic missionary writings, the word "Tartar" came to refer to the Manchus and the lands they ruled as "Tartary".


title: Tartary

text: European opinions of the area were often negative, and reflected the legacy of the Mongol invasions that originated from this region. The term originated in the wake of the widespread devastation spread by the Mongol Empire. The adding of an extra "r" to "Tatar" was suggestive of Tartarus, a Hell-like realm in Greek mythology. In the 18th century, conceptions of Siberia or Tartary and its inhabitants as "barbarous" by Enlightenment-era writers tied into contemporary concepts of civilization, savagery and racism.


title: Tartary

text: More positive opinions were also expressed by Europeans. Some saw Tartary as a possible source of spiritual knowledge lacking in contemporary European society. In "Five Years of Theosophy", edited by Theosophist and scholar G.R.S. Mead, polymath and "seer" Emanuel Swedenborg is quoted as having advised: "Seek for the Lost Word among the hierophants of Tartary, China, and Tibet."


title: Tartary

text: The use of "Tartary" declined as the region became more known to European geographers; however, the term was still used long into the 19th century. Ethnographical data collected by Jesuit missionaries in China contributed to the replacement of "Chinese Tartary" with Manchuria in European geography by the early 18th century. The voyages of Egor Meyendorff and Alexander von Humboldt into this region gave rise to the term Central Asia in the early 19th century as well as supplementary terms such as Inner Asia, and Russian expansionism led to the term "Siberia" being coined for the Asian half of the Russian Empire.


title: Tartary

text: By the 20th century, Tartary as a term for Siberia and Central Asia was obsolete. However, it lent the title to Peter Fleming's 1936 book "News from Tartary", which detailed his travels in Central Asia.


title: Tartary

text: The theory of Great Tartaria as a suppressed lost land or civilization originated in Russia, with aspects first appearing in Anatoly Fomenko’s New chronology, and then popularized by the racial occult history of Nikolai Levashov. In Russian pseudoscience, known for its nationalism, Tartaria is presented as the "real" name for Russia, which was maliciously "ignored" in the West. The Russian Geographical Society has debunked the conspiracy theory as an extremist fantasy, and far from denying the existence of the term, has used the opportunity to share numerous maps of "Tartary" in its collection. Since about 2016, conspiracy theories about the supposed lost empire of "Tartaria" have gained popularity on the Internet, divorced from its original Russian nationalist frame.


title: Tartary

text: The globalized version of the conspiracy theory is based on an alternative view of architectural history. Adherents suppose that demolished buildings such as the Singer Building, the original New York Penn Station, or the temporary grounds of the 1915's World's Fair were actually the buildings of a vast empire based in Tartary that has been suppressed from history. Sumptuously styled Gilded Age buildings are often held out as really having been built by the supposed Tartaria. Other buildings, such as the Great Pyramids and the White House, are further held out as Tartarian buildings. The conspiracy theory only vaguely describes how such a supposedly advanced civilization which had reputedly achieved world peace could have fallen and been hidden.


title: Tartary

text: In the conspiracy theory, the idea that a "mud flood" wiped out much of the world via depopulation and thus old buildings is common, supported by the fact that many buildings across the world have architectural elements like doors, windows and archways submerged many feet below "ground level". Both World War I and II are cited as a way in which Tartaria was destroyed and hidden, reflecting the reality that the extensive bombing campaigns of World War II did destroy many historic buildings. The general evidence for the theory is that there are similar styles of building around the world, such as capitol buildings with domes, or star forts. Also many photographs from the turn of the 20th century appear to show deserted city streets in many capital cities across the world. When people do start to appear in the photographs there is a striking contrast between the horse and cart dwellers in the muddy streets and the elaborate, highly ornate stone mega-structures which tower above the inhabitants of the cities, which is seen even in modern cities where extreme poverty is contrasted with skyscrapers.


title: Tartary

text: Zach Mortice writing for Bloomberg believes that the theory reflects a cultural discontent with modernism, and a supposition that traditional styles are inherently good and modern styles are bad. He describes the theory as "the QAnon of architecture".


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: Most Ironman events have a time limit of 16 or 17 hours to complete the race, course dependent, with the race typically starting at 7:00am. The mandatory cut off time to complete the swim is 2 hours 20 minutes. The mandatory bike cut off time for when an athlete must have completed their swim, transition and bike varies generally between 10 hours and 10 hours 30 minutes from when an athlete began their swim. The mandatory run cut off varies between 16 and 17 hours from when athlete began their swim. Many races will also have intermediate bike, run, and transition cut off times specific to each race venue. Any participant who completes the triathlon within these time constraints is designated an Ironman.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: The name "Ironman Triathlon" is also associated with the original Ironman triathlon what is now the Ironman World Championship. Held in Kailua-Kona, the world championship has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978 (with an additional race in 1982). Originally taking place in Oahu, the race moved to Kailua-Kona in 1981 and it continues today. The Ironman World Championship has become known for its grueling length, harsh race conditions, and television coverage.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: There are other races that are the same distance as an Ironman triathlon but are not produced, owned, or licensed by the WTC. They include The Challenge Family series' Challenge Roth and the Norseman Triathlon.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: The event series is owned by The Ironman Group, which is owned by Advance Publications, following the acquisition from the Wanda Sports Group in August 2020.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: The idea for the original Ironman Triathlon arose during the awards ceremony for the 1977 Oʻahu Perimeter Relay. Among the participants were representatives of both the Mid-Pacific Road Runners and the Waikiki Swim Club, whose members had long been debating which athletes were more fit, runners or swimmers. On this occasion, U.S. Navy Commander John Collins pointed out that a recent article in "Sports Illustrated" magazine had declared that Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx had the highest recorded "oxygen uptake" of any athlete ever measured, so perhaps cyclists were more fit than anyone. Collins and his wife Judy Collins had taken part in the triathlons staged in 1974 and 1975 by the San Diego Track Club in and around Mission Bay, California, as well as the 1975 Optimist Sports Fiesta Triathlon in Coronado, California. A number of the other military athletes in attendance were also familiar with the San Diego races, so they understood the concept when Collins suggested that the debate should be settled through a race combining the three existing long-distance competitions already on the island: the Waikiki Roughwater Swim (), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (; originally a two-day event) and the Honolulu Marathon ().


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: Until that time, no one present had ever done the bike race. Collins figured by shaving off the course and riding counter-clockwise around the island, the bike leg could start at the finish of the Waikiki Rough Water and end at the Aloha Tower, the traditional start of the Honolulu Marathon. Prior to racing, each athlete received three sheets of paper listing a few rules and a course description. Handwritten on the last page was this exhortation: ""Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life"", now a registered trademark.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: With a nod to a local runner who was notorious for his demanding workouts, Collins said, "Whoever finishes first, we'll call "him" the Iron Man." Each of the racers had their own support crew to supply water, food and encouragement during the event. Of the fifteen men to start off in the early morning on February 18, 1978, twelve completed the race. Gordon Haller, a US Navy Communications Specialist, was the first to earn the title Ironman by completing the course with a time of 11 hours, 46 minutes, 58 seconds. The runner-up John Dunbar, a US Navy SEAL, led after the second transition and had a chance to win but ran out of water on the marathon course; his support crew resorted to giving him beer instead.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: With no further marketing efforts, the race gathered as many as 50 athletes in 1979. The race, however, was postponed a day because of bad weather conditions. Only fifteen competitors started off the race Sunday morning. San Diego's Tom Warren won in 11 hours, 15 minutes, 56 seconds. Lyn Lemaire, a championship cyclist from Boston, placed sixth overall and became the first "Ironwoman". Collins planned on changing the race into a relay event to draw more participants, but "Sports Illustrated's" journalist Barry McDermott, in the area to cover a golf tournament, discovered the race and wrote a ten-page account of it. During the following year, hundreds of curious participants contacted Collins.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: Around 1979 Collins no longer wanted to direct the Ironman race and approached Nautilus Fitness Center owners Hank Grundman and Valerie Silk about taking over control of the race. Grundman previously had extended his club's facilities to many of the Ironman competitors. Following the couple's divorce in 1981 Silk received ownership of Ironman. That year she moved the competition to the less urbanized Hawaii Island (called the Big Island) and in 1982 moved the race date from February to October; as a result of this change there were two Ironman Triathlon events in 1982.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: A milestone in the marketing of the legend and history of the race happened in February 1982. Julie Moss, a college student competing to gather research for her exercise physiology thesis, moved toward the finish line in first place. As she neared the finish, severe fatigue and dehydration set in and she fell, just yards away from the finish line. Although Kathleen McCartney passed her for the women's title, Moss nevertheless crawled to the finish line. Her performance was broadcast worldwide and created the Ironman mantra that just finishing is a victory. By the end of that year the race had maxed out at 1,000 participants, with a lottery used to fill the field while turning away another 1,000 interested participants.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: In 1990, with the help of Lew Friedland, Dr. James P. Gills acquired and purchased the Hawaii Triathlon Corporation, owner of the Ironman brand for $3 million from Silk. With the Ironman brand, Gills established the World Triathlon Corporation with the intention of furthering the sport of triathlon and increasing prize money for triathletes.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: A number of non-WTC full distance triathlons have been held since the mid-1990s. The limited number of WTC-sanctioned events, and the limited number of entries available per race, have combined with a growth in the sport that has created demand for these non-trademarked events. Many of them share the , , format with the Ironman triathlon. Originally, many used the Ironman name. Due to aggressive trademark protection, most of these races no longer use the word "Ironman".


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: The Ironman format remains unchanged, and the Hawaiian Ironman is still regarded as an honored and prestigious triathlon event to win worldwide.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: People completing such an event within the strict event time cutoffs are agreed to be recognized as "Ironmen"; the plural "Ironmans" refers to multiples of "Ironman" as a short form of "Ironman Triathlon." In the triathlon community an Ironman is someone who has completed a race of the appropriate distance, whether or not it falls under the aegis of WTC.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: In 2013, Ironman piloted the "Swim Smart Initiative" in North America and brought with it some notable safety related changes to the Ironman format. These changes included new rules regarding swim course formats, water temperature regulations, pre-swim warm ups, wave starts, and additional rescue boats/watercraft (paddle-boards, kayaks, etc.). The Swim Smart Initiative also introduced "resting rafts" so that athletes may leave the water to rest without being disqualified.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: Over time the popularity of the sport of triathlon grew, and the annual race on the Big Island became The Ironman World Championship. In 1983, admission to the race began following a qualification based system, whereby athletes had to obtain entry to the race by competing in another Ironman race and gaining a slot, allocated on a proportional basis. The Hawaii race consists of a swim in the bay of Kailua-Kona, a bike ride across the Hawaiian lava desert to Hāwī and back, and a marathon run along the coast (from Keauhou to Keahole Point and back to Kailua-Kona); finishing on Alii Drive. The most recent Ironman World Championship took place on October 6, 2022 and was won by Gustav Iden of Norway in 7:40:24 and Chelsea Sodaro of the United States in 8:33:46.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: The current Ironman Hawaii course record was set in 2022 by Gustav Iden (Norway), whose winning time was 7 hours 40 minutes 24 seconds. Daniela Ryf (Switzerland) set the women's course record in 2018 with a winning time of 8 hours 26 minutes 18 seconds.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: Amateur triathletes can qualify for the World Championship through placement in one of the other Ironman series of races. Entry into the race can also be obtained through various contests and promotions, or through the Ironman Foundation's charitable eBay auction.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: There are over three dozen Ironman Triathlon races throughout the world that enable qualification for the Ironman World Championships. Professional athletes qualify for the championship through a point ranking system, where points are earned based on their final placement in Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events. The top 50 male and top 35 female professionals in points qualify for the championship. Amateur athletes qualify for the championship by receiving slots allocated to each age group's top finishers in a qualifying event. The Ironman qualifying events include:


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: The designation of "world record" is unofficial due to lack of course certification as well as World Triathlon Corporation not maintaining official world record status.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: In 2005, WTC instituted the Ironman 70.3 race series. This shorter course, also known as a Half Ironman, consists of a swim, bike ride, and run. As with the Ironman series, it consists of a number of qualifying races at various locations worldwide ending in a world championship race with athletes drawn largely from top finishers in the qualifying events.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: For amateur athletes, some 70.3 events acted as qualifiers for the full Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. However, the 2015 qualifying year marked a large de-emphasis on using certain Ironman 70.3 series races as a path for amateur athletes to qualify for the Ironman World Championships. The change was made to accommodate for the increased number of qualifying slots created from the full Ironman events which had been recently added.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: For professional triathletes, up to three 70.3 events can be used to accumulate points to be put towards their championship qualifying point rankings.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: Advance Publications, the parent company that owns WTC and subsequently the Ironman brand, pays royalties to Marvel Entertainment for use of the Ironman brand. As part of the licensing agreement both Marvel and the former owner Wanda agreed to not use the "Iron Man" and "Ironman" trademarks in ways that would suggest an association with the other or cause brand confusion. World Triathlon Corporation CEO Andrew Messick has stated that the agreement has been in place for decades and the royalties paid are "not material to the business." Iron Man first appeared in 1963, whereas the first Ironman triathlon was raced in 1978.


title: Ironman Triathlon

text: The Ironman Triathlon logo is a trademark of the World Triathlon Corporation. The WTC has also registered the trademarks for "Ironman," "Ironman Triathlon," "M-Dot," and "70.3." WTC has licensed the Ironman name for use, such as in the line of Timex Ironman wristwatches.


title: Mark Dacascos

text: Mark Alan Dacascos (born February 26, 1964) is an American actor, martial artist and television personality. He won numerous karate and kung fu championships between the ages of 7 and 18. He is known for his roles as Wo Fat in "Hawaii Five-0", Louis Stevens in "Only the Strong", Mani in "Brotherhood of the Wolf", Toby Wong in "Drive", Ling in "Cradle 2 the Grave", the titular role in "Crying Freeman" and Zero in "".


title: Mark Dacascos

text: Perhaps best known as "The Chairman" on Food Network's "Iron Chef America" series since January 2005, he has continued the role as of 2022 on Netflix's "". His other roles include Kung Lao in the web series "", Eric Draven in "" and Eubulon in "". He also competed in the ninth season of "Dancing with the Stars".


title: Mark Dacascos

text: Dacascos was born February 26, 1964, in Oahu, Hawaii. His father, Al Dacascos, is from Hawaii and is a martial arts instructor whose parents originated from the Philippines and were of Chinese, Filipino and Spanish ancestry. His biological mother, Moriko McVey-Murray, is of Irish and Japanese ancestry. In the History Channel presentation "Samurai", Dacascos revealed that many members of his mother's family were killed in the bombing of Hiroshima. His stepmother is award-winning martial artist Malia Bernal. He attended Los Angeles Valley College, where he was on the gymnastics team. He also attended Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. He is proficient in his father's style of martial arts, Wun Hop Kuen Do. He has studied Muay Thai, capoeira with Amen Santo, and Wushu.


title: Mark Dacascos

text: Dacascos became an actor after being discovered walking down the street in San Francisco's Chinatown by Chris Lee (assistant director) and Rexall Chinn (hairstylist), who at the time were working for director Wayne Wang. He was cast in "", and though his scenes were cut from the final film, he went on to establish a film and television career primarily playing martial artists. He was originally set to play as the Red Ranger, Victor Lee, in "Bio-Man", an adaptation of "Choudenshi Bioman" produced by Haim Saban. The show was not picked up at the time but the concept evolved into "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers".


title: Mark Dacascos

text: His breakout role was in the 1993 film "Only the Strong", in which he played Louis, a capoeira master who takes a high school's potential failures and turns their lives around by teaching them the Brazilian martial art based on the West African martial art. In the following year, Dacascos co-starred with "Party of Five"s Scott Wolf as Jimmy and Billy Lee, respectively, in the film "Double Dragon", based on the video game with the same name.


title: Mark Dacascos

text: He plays the role of the Chairman of "Iron Chef America", "Iron Chef Australia" and "Iron Chef Mexico". In the series' backstory he is the nephew of the original "Iron Chef" Chairman, Takeshi Kaga.


title: Mark Dacascos

text: He has been featured in many action films such as "Drive", "Brotherhood of the Wolf", "Crying Freeman" and "Cradle 2 the Grave", in which he squared off against Jet Li. He also performed in three video games: voice acting in "Stranglehold", live acting in "" and digitally recreating The Chairman in the "" video game for Wii.


title: Mark Dacascos

text: Dacascos was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2002 for his role in "Brotherhood of the Wolf". He also appeared in the television series "", which was a follow-up to the 1994 film "The Crow". He also appears in the children's television show "", where he portrays Eubulon, also known as the Advent Master, mentor of the Kamen Riders and creator of the Advent Decks.


title: Mark Dacascos

text: Dacascos played the recurring role of Wo Fat on the CBS series "Hawaii Five-0". He portrayed Kung Lao in the second season of the YouTube series "". He had a recurring role in the third season of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." as Mr. Giyera, an Inhuman servant of Hydra who can manipulate inanimate objects.


title: Mark Dacascos

text: In May 2019, Dacascos played Zero, a lead antagonist in the action thriller film "". He starred in a recurring role on the Netflix series "Wu Assassins". He has reprised his role as The Chairman of the "Iron Chef" series in "", which was released on Netflix in June 2022.


title: Mark Dacascos

text: Dacascos is married to actress Julie Condra, who starred with him in "Crying Freeman". They have three children: two sons and a daughter.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: DeMarcus Amir Cousins (born August 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Boogie", he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, where he was an All-American in 2010. He left Kentucky after one season, and was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. In his first season with the Kings, Cousins was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and from 2015 to 2018, he was named an NBA All-Star four times. He is also a two-time gold medal winner as a member of the United States national team, winning his first in 2014 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup and his second in 2016 at the Rio Olympics.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: Cousins attended LeFlore Magnet High School. He was a first-team "Parade" All-American in 2009 and played in the 2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, finishing with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Cousins also played in the 2009 Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden in Portland and the Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden where he scored 10 points for the black team. He led LeFlore to the Alabama class 6A Final Four against Hillcrest that beat Austin High School to progress to the state championship; falling short to future college teammate Eric Bledsoe and Parker High School.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: Cousins first committed to Alabama-Birmingham on February 28, 2008, but never signed a letter of intent. Cousins decommitted from UAB and committed to Memphis on March 9, 2009. He reopened his recruitment after then Memphis coach John Calipari was hired at Kentucky. On April 7, 2009, Cousins decided to follow John Calipari to Kentucky. He signed his letter of intent on April 15. At Kentucky, Cousins averaged 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Led by Cousins and John Wall, the Wildcats reached the Elite Eight of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On April 7, 2010, Cousins announced that he would forgo his final three seasons of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA draft, where he was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fifth overall pick. On July 7, 2010, Cousins signed his rookie contract with the Kings, worth about $7 million for the first two years with a team option for the third and fourth years. Cousins was named the Rookie of the Month for July during the NBA Summer League. Cousins was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team at the end of the 2010–11 season.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On January 1, 2012, head coach Paul Westphal sent Cousins home from the Kings' home game against the New Orleans Hornets, saying that Cousins was "unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team; it cannot be ignored indefinitely." Cousins, who had been averaging 13.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game at the time of the dismissal, reportedly demanded to be traded from the Kings. Cousins later denied asking to be traded.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On January 5, 2012, Westphal was fired from the Kings, leading many to speculate that the head coach's tumultuous relationship with Cousins was a factor in his being replaced. On February 8, 2012, Cousins was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge. He played for Team Chuck, with a mix of rookies and sophomores.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On November 11, 2012, the league suspended Cousins for two games without pay for confronting San Antonio Spurs color commentator Sean Elliott "in a hostile manner" after he criticized Cousins for attempting to bully Tim Duncan on the court. Cousins was apparently informed of Elliott's remarks after the game. He left the locker room and waited on the court for Elliott to finish his post-game show before confronting him. Some criticized the suspension as overly harsh and based more on Cousins' reputation than what actually happened, while others said he needed to grow up and learn a lesson about confronting the media. Cousins apologized to Elliott in person before a game against the Spurs in March 2014, which Elliott said he appreciated.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On December 22, 2012, Cousins was suspended indefinitely from the Kings, who accused him of "unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team". The suspension was lifted on December 24, 2012. The season was up-and-down for Cousins, who posted career-highs in Player Efficiency Rating, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage, but led the NBA with 16 Technical Foul infractions, was ejected several times and suspended by both the league and the Kings.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On September 30, 2013, Cousins signed a reported four-year, $62 million contract extension with the Kings. After signing the contract, Cousins announced he would donate $1 million of his salary to the families and community of Sacramento. He opened the season with a 30-point, 14-rebound performance against the Denver Nuggets.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On February 26, 2014, Cousins received a one-game suspension for punching Patrick Beverley in the stomach. On March 11, Cousins recorded a career-high 6 blocks, along with 13 points and 14 rebounds, in an 89–99 loss to the Detroit Pistons.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: After averaging career-highs of 23.5 points, 12.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over the first 15 games of the season, Cousins was diagnosed with viral meningitis on December 7, 2014. He subsequently missed 10 games with the virus and showed no signs of a let up in his return to action on December 18 against the Milwaukee Bucks as he recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds in the 107–108 loss.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On January 30, 2015, Cousins was named to replace the injured Kobe Bryant as a Western Conference All-Star in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. Cousins' selection marked the first time a Kings player earned All-Star honors since Brad Miller and Peja Stojaković represented Sacramento in 2004.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On April 1, 2015, Cousins recorded his second career triple-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 blocks and 3 steals in a 111–115 loss to the Houston Rockets. In doing so, he became just the fourth player in NBA history to collect 20+ points, 20+ rebounds, 10+ assists and 5+ blocks in a single game, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chris Webber and Tim Duncan. In the following game on April 3 against the New Orleans Pelicans, Cousins became the first Kings player to record back-to-back triple doubles since Chris Webber did so in 2005. In just under 42 minutes of action, he recorded 24 points, 20 rebounds and a career-high 13 assists in a 95–101 loss. He joined elite company as one of only three players to have consecutive 20-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist games; the others being Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On October 28, 2015, Cousins recorded 32 points and 13 rebounds, as well as 4-of-5 three-pointers, in a season opening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Cousins had hit just four three-pointers in his previous 167 games and had never hit more than four in an entire season. After missing four games with an Achilles injury between November 3–7, Cousins returned to action on November 9, and recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Cousins went 4-of-5 from three-point range for a second time on November 11, finishing the game with 33 points to help the Kings defeat the Detroit Pistons 101–92. Two days later, he scored a season-high 40 points in a 111–109 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On November 16, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, November 9 through Sunday, November 15. It was the third career Player of the Week award for Cousins, who led the Kings to a 3–1 record on the week.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On January 4, 2016, Cousins recorded 33 points and a season-high 19 rebounds in a 116–104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On January 21, in a win over the Atlanta Hawks, he recorded 24 points and 15 rebounds for his ninth straight double-double and his 24th of the season in 34 games. On January 23, he scored a career-high 48 points in a 108–97 win over the Indiana Pacers. On January 25, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for a second time in 2015–16. He went on to top his career-high mark in emphatic fashion that night, scoring 56 points in a 129–128 double overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets. His 56 points set a record for the 2015–16 season, and broke Chris Webber's franchise record of 51 points. On January 28, he was named a Western Conference All-Star reserve for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game, earning his second straight All-Star nod. On February 5, he recorded his first triple-double of the season and fourth of his career with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 128–119 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. On February 19, he had 37 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks against the Denver Nuggets, recording his ninth career double-double with 20-plus points and rebounds, breaking the previous Sacramento record set by Webber.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: In the Kings' season opener on October 26, Cousins scored a game-high 24 points in a 113–94 win over the Phoenix Suns. He backed that up the following night against the San Antonio Spurs, recording 37 points and 16 rebounds in a 102–94 loss. On October 31, with 14 points and 12 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks, Cousins became the Kings' career double-doubles leader with 246, surpassing Chris Webber's 245. On November 18, he scored a season-high 38 points in a 121–115 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. On December 20, he set a new season high with 55 points in a 126–121 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On January 18, 2017, he recorded his fifth career triple-double with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 106–100 loss to the Indiana Pacers. On January 30, 2017, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, January 23 through Sunday, January 29. On February 3, 2017, Cousins recorded his sixth career triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a 105–103 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Four days later, he was suspended one game without pay for receiving his 16th technical foul of the 2016–17 season. In addition, Cousins was fined $25,000 for making an inappropriate statement and gesture after leaving the playing court following the Kings' 109–106 overtime win against the Golden State Warriors on February 4 at Golden 1 Center.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On February 20, 2017, Cousins and teammate Omri Casspi were traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Tyreke Evans, Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, and 2017 first-round and second-round draft picks. He made his debut for the Pelicans three days later, recording 27 points and 14 rebounds in a 129–99 loss to the Houston Rockets. On March 3, 2017, he had 19 points and a season-high 23 rebounds in a 101–98 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. His 23 rebounds tied the Pelicans' franchise record held by Tyson Chandler. Two days later, he had 26 points and 15 rebounds before fouling out in the Pelicans' 105–97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, marking Cousins' first win as a Pelican. On March 21, 2017, Cousins had his most prolific performance as a Pelican, recording 41 points and 17 rebounds in a 95–82 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Ten days later, he had 37 points and 13 rebounds in his first game against Sacramento, a game the Pelicans won 117–89. Cousins tied a career high during the game with five three-pointers.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On October 26, 2017, Cousins recorded 41 points and 23 rebounds in a 114–106 win over the Kings in Sacramento. Two days later, he recorded his first triple-double of the season with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 123–101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was subsequently named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played October 23–29. On November 3, 2017, he had 20 points, 22 rebounds and seven assists in a 99–94 win over the Dallas Mavericks, tying his career high with 20 defensive rebounds. On December 2, 2017, he scored 38 points in a 123–116 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Four days later, he had 40 points, 22 rebounds and four blocks in a 123–114 win over the Denver Nuggets. On December 29, 2017, he had 32 points and 20 rebounds in a 128–120 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. It was his third game of the season with at least 30 points and 20 rebounds, making him the first player to do that since Kevin Love in 2010–11.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On January 22, 2018, Cousins had 44 points, 24 rebounds and 10 assists in a 132–128 double overtime win over the Chicago Bulls. He became the first NBA player since Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972 to have as many as 40 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game. It was also just the 10th 40-point, 20-rebound, 10-assist game in NBA history. On January 26, 2018, he had 15 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists before injuring his left Achilles in the final seconds of the Pelicans' 115–113 win over the Houston Rockets. Following the game, he was diagnosed with a torn left Achilles, and on January 31, he underwent season-ending surgery.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: After not receiving any outstanding contract offers from other teams, Cousins turned his attention to signing with an elite team with the midlevel exception. Cousins called Golden State general manager Bob Myers about joining the Warriors and followed this by speaking to Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. He subsequently accepted the Warriors' midlevel exception, signing a reported one-year deal for $5.3 million on July 6, 2018. On December 10, 2018, with Cousins nearing a return to the court for the first time since rupturing his left Achilles tendon, he was assigned to Golden State's NBA G League affiliate team, the Santa Cruz Warriors, where he had his first full-contact practice. On January 18, 2019, Cousins made his debut for the Warriors, scoring 14 points before fouling out of the 112–94 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On April 2, he scored a season-high 28 points to go with 13 rebounds in a 116–102 win over the Denver Nuggets. On April 16, Cousins was ruled out indefinitely after suffering a torn left quadriceps in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs. He made a return in Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, coming off the bench in his first NBA Finals game. The Warriors lost the series in six games.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On July 6, 2019, Cousins signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Cousins was reunited with his former teammate Anthony Davis on the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in an off-season pickup game in August, and never played a game for the Lakers. They were granted a $1.75 million disabled player exception for Cousins and waived him on February 23, 2020, to sign Markieff Morris. The Lakers won the NBA championship that season and had Cousins' name engraved on their championship rings.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On December 1, 2020, Cousins signed a one-year contract with the Houston Rockets. On December 2, the Rockets traded for John Wall, his good friend and former college teammate. On February 23, 2021, the Rockets waived Cousins. In 25 games with the Rockets, he averaged 9.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in 20.2 minutes.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On April 5, 2021, Cousins signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. On April 16, he signed a second 10-day contract and ten days later, he signed for the rest of the season. With the Clippers, he played a total of 16 games, all on the bench. in these 16 games he averaged 7.8 points 4.5 rebounds and 1 assists. His season high with the Clippers was 16 points in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On November 30, 2021, Cousins signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. On December 24, Cousins scored a season-high 22 points alongside grabbing 8 rebounds in a 102–95 win over the Dallas Mavericks. On January 6, 2022, he was waived. During his 17-game tenure with the Bucks, Cousins started 5 games and averaged 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 16.9 minutes per game.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: On January 21, 2022, Cousins signed a 10-day contract with the Denver Nuggets, reuniting with his former coach Michael Malone. On January 28, he was given a second 10-day contract. On February 10, he signed a third 10-day contract. On February 25, the Nuggets signed Cousins for the remainder of the season. On March 4, Cousins scored a season-high 31 points, along with nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a 116–101 win over the Houston Rockets. His 31 points in 24 minutes were the fewest minutes in a 30-point game in Nuggets franchise history and the third fewest minutes played in a 30-point game in his career, as well as his third career 30-point game in 35 minutes or fewer, equalling Freeman Williams for the most such games in the shot clock era.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: Cousins was a member of the United States national team that won the gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. In 2016, he won his second gold medal with Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: Cousins is the son of Monique and Jessie Cousins. He has four sisters and one brother, Jaleel, who is also a professional basketball player.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: Cousins has two children. He married his longtime girlfriend Morgan Lang in Atlanta on August 24, 2019.


title: DeMarcus Cousins

text: In August 2019, Cousins was captured on an audio recording threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend after she refused to let their son attend his wedding. An arrest warrant was placed on Cousins for a misdemeanor domestic violence charge and a third-degree harassing communications charge. The charges, filed in Alabama, were dropped in November.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Anthony John Soprano is a fictional character and the antihero protagonist in the HBO television drama series "The Sopranos" (1999–2007), portrayed by James Gandolfini. Soprano is a member of the Italian-American Mafia and, especially later in the series, acts as the boss of his North Jersey crime family. Usually referred to as Tony, the Italian-American character was conceived by "The Sopranos" creator and showrunner David Chase, who was also largely responsible for the character's story arc throughout the show's six seasons. Gandolfini was ultimately cast in the role ahead of several other actors including Steven Van Zandt and Michael Rispoli. The character is loosely based on real-life New Jersey mobsters Ruggerio "Richie the Boot" Boiardo, boss of the North Jersey Genovese crime family, and Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, a former "caporegime" ("capo") and ""de facto"" boss of the DeCavalcante crime family. Bobby Boriello and Mark Damiano II portrayed Soprano as a child in one episode each; Danny Petrillo played the character as a teenager in three episodes. James Gandolfini's son, Michael Gandolfini, portrayed a young Tony Soprano in the 2021 prequel film, "The Many Saints of Newark".


title: Tony Soprano

text: In the first season, Tony is a caporegime and also serves as acting underboss for ailing acting boss Giacomo "Jackie" Aprile in the DiMeo crime family. Between the first and second seasons, he is promoted to street boss, a position he retains until the sixth season; his uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano is the official boss up until early in the sixth season but has little or no actual power. Throughout the series, Tony struggles to balance the conflicting needs of his actual familywife Carmela, daughter Meadow, son A. J., and mother Liviawith those of the Mafia family he controls. He often displays behavior traits characteristic of a violent sociopath, struggles with depression, and is prone to panic attacks. He seeks treatment from Dr. Jennifer Melfi, a character Chase modeled after his own psychiatrist, in the first episode and remains in therapy on and off up until the penultimate episode of the series.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Both the Tony Soprano character and Gandolfini's performance garnered widespread critical acclaim, with Soprano being often cited as one of the greatest and most influential characters in television history. Gandolfini, for his portrayal of the character, won three Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series, three Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Male Actor in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama as well as two additional SAG Awards for Best Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.


title: Tony Soprano

text: James Gandolfini was invited to audition for the part of Tony Soprano after casting director Susan Fitzgerald saw a short clip of his performance in the 1993 film "True Romance", ultimately receiving the role ahead of several other actors due to his large stature and acting capability.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Anthony LaPaglia was interested in the role but due to his Broadway production and the decision not to go with Fox, he was not further considered. Series creator David Chase invited Steven Van Zandt, who was a guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, to audition for the role of Tony Soprano. Van Zandt, who had never acted before, felt that the role should go to an experienced actor, so Chase wrote him into a part that did not exist—as Silvio Dante. Michael Rispoli, who played Jackie Aprile, the ailing mob boss of the DiMeo family in the first four episodes of the series, was also very close to being cast as Tony Soprano.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In the pilot, Tony was named Tommy—an homage to the character played by James Cagney in "The Public Enemy", Tom Powers, but the clearance on naming the character Tom was never given. The name "Tony Soprano" came from a family friend that Chase had named Toby Soprano.


title: Tony Soprano

text: As methods to focus anger into his performances, Gandolfini said he would deliberately hit himself on the head, stay up all night to evoke the desired reaction, drink several cups of coffee, or walk around with a rock in his shoe.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony Soprano was born in 1959 (1955 in "The Many Saints of Newark") to Livia and Johnny Soprano. His father was a "capo" in the DiMeo crime family. He grew up living with his parents and two sisters, Janice and Barbara, in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey. Tony's paternal grandfather, Corrado Soprano, was from Ariano in the Province of Avellino, immigrating to the United States in 1911. He was a master stonemason who helped to build a church in Tony's old neighborhood.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In adulthood, Tony recalls how Johnny used Janice as a cover for attending meetings with criminal associates at a children's amusement park, leading him to assume she was his father's favorite child. In therapy, when asked to remember happy childhood memories about his mother, Tony struggles to come up with any; he later describes his mother as a cruel, joyless woman who wore his father down "to a little nub" and who seemed to delight in threatening her children.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony has a troubled relationship with Janice, due to her flighty and impulsive nature, which leads to her constantly relying on him for financial and emotional support. Their bond is further complicated in adulthood when she murders her boyfriend, Richie Aprile, one of Tony's subordinates, for striking her during a domestic dispute, leading to her calling on Tony for assistance in disposing of his body.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In high school, Tony met his future bride, Carmela DeAngelis, and became friends with Artie Bucco and Davey Scatino. He was also close to his maternal cousin Tony Blundetto. Their mutual relatives called them Tony-Uncle-Al and Tony-Uncle-Johnny (after their fathers) to tell them apart, although Tony and his friends would take to calling him "Tony B". The two Tony spent summers at the farm of their uncle Pat Blundetto, a former DiMeo "soldato" (soldier) allowed to retire from the Mafia due to chronic illness.


title: Tony Soprano

text: When they were in their early twenties, Tony B was arrested for his part in a hijacking: Tony was supposed to join Tony B on the job but failed to appear because of a panic attack after an argument with his mother, which resulted in his blacking out and suffering a head injury. For years after, Tony claimed that he had sustained the injury during a mugging, a story he maintained to allay his guilt. As a young adult, he attended Seton Hall University for a semester and a half before dropping out to pursue a life of crime.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony was part of an unofficial crew of young criminals consisting of Silvio Dante, Ralph Cifaretto, and Giacomo "Jackie" Aprile, Sr. He and Jackie gained notoriety in the DiMeo family by robbing a card game run by Feech La Manna. Ralph was left out of the plan due to debilitating pain from a venereal disease, leading to a lifelong animosity between the two. Under the tutelage of his father's friend Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri, he committed his first murder in 1982 at the age of 22, killing a small-time bookie named Willie Overall. Following the murder, Paulie became Tony's mentor in the Mafia lifestyle, with Paulie eventually settling into a role as Tony's own "capo".


title: Tony Soprano

text: Johnny shepherded Tony through his ascendancy until his death in 1986 from emphysema. When he died, Johnny had risen to the level of "capo" of his crew, as had his older brother, Junior. Junior took over as Tony's mentor, with parental figures Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero and Paulie passing their loyalty to Tony upon Johnny's death, while Silvio joined the crew. Tony became acting "capo" of his father's old crew, a position which eventually became permanent.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In 1995, Jackie Aprile, Sr. became acting boss after Ercole "Eckley" DiMeo was sent to prison. The DiMeo family was prosperous under Jackie's rule until 1998 when he was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. With Jackie in and out of the hospital, a power struggle developed between Tony and Junior. With Jackie's death in mid-1998, a succession crisis reaches a point where a war within the family appears imminent. However, Tony brings a quick end to the conflict by endorsing Junior as the official boss of the family. Unbeknownst to Junior, Tony secretly strikes a deal with the rest of the family to be the true boss, allowing Junior to believe that he's in power and act as a distraction for the FBI.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony personally committed eight murders during the show. As a Boss, he was responsible for the deaths of others killed on his orders. The eight known murders, all explicitly presented onscreen, were:


title: Tony Soprano

text: It is made clear that some of these murders leave Tony perplexed as to how to cope with the situation; most notably, after murdering Christopher Moltisanti, he feels a rush of relief for finally being rid of an associate whom he feels he can no longer trust. He has to "show the sad face" while the rest of the family grieves, but Tony reassures himself that Moltisanti's murder was necessary, despite the hurt caused to the family.


title: Tony Soprano

text: The murder of Fabian "Febby" Petrulio in "College" is out of retaliation for Febby getting members of Tony's crew sent to prison when he ratted them out to get immunity. Tony does this out of a feeling of justice since he has contempt for Febby getting away with it initially.


title: Tony Soprano

text: The murder of Big Pussy in "Funhouse" weighs heavily on Tony. He is at first tempted to spare his old friend and even seems to be in denial for quite a long time, but in the end, realizes his priorities. In the years to follow, Tony talks about this with Paulie and Silvio, who also participated in the murder, and all three have had haunting dreams of the murder of their friend.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony kills Ralph Cifaretto after their horse, Pie-O-My, dies amid suspicious circumstances in "Whoever Did This". Tony tries to confront Ralph about the situation but, after some heated words, Tony loses control and murders Ralph following a violent fight. Though no solid proof was found that the fire killing Pie-O-My was arson, Tony is convinced Ralph did it. It is also implied that this burst of rage could have been fueled by anger over Ralph's brutal murder of stripper Tracee, considering Tony uttered "She was a beautiful, innocent creature. What'd she ever do to you? You fucking killed her!" which could apply to both the female horse and the young woman.


title: Tony Soprano

text: The murder of Matthew Bevilaqua is an act of revenge, which had to be carried out due to the fact that the failed murder attempt on Christopher was an attempt to topple Tony as the boss of the family. Tony takes pleasure in the murder because it was revenge for the attempted hit on a loved one. This murder was the closest Tony came to getting in trouble with the authorities, due to having been seen by a witness (who at first comes forward, but withdraws once he learns of the fact that Tony is a mafioso). In addition to his potential arrest, Tony was also uncomfortable about the murder due to Bevilaqua's young age, and the fact that his dying words were "mommy." This causes Tony to spend more quality time with his own son.


title: Tony Soprano

text: The murder of his cousin, Tony Blundetto (in "All Due Respect"), is solely to save him from a far worse death if he were to fall into Phil's hands, and so that Tony does not lose his reputation as a Boss (as well as sparing the other members of his crew from Phil's threats of retaliation, thus preserving their loyalty).


title: Tony Soprano

text: The murder of his nephew, Christopher Moltisanti (in "Kennedy and Heidi") is not done out of mob-related necessity. Christopher had been addicted to heroin, cocaine, and alcohol for many years and had not conquered his addiction in rehab. While Moltisanti presents a threat to Tony's life and the New Jersey Mob, it is ultimately an emotional reaction. Tony is about to call 911 following a motor vehicle accident. Christopher, who needs urgent medical attention, tells him that he would "never pass the drug test" and would therefore lose his driver's license. He asks Tony to call for a taxi. Tony looks at the baby seat on the backseat of the SUV which had been destroyed by a tree branch, closes his phone, and suffocates Christopher by holding his nose shut so that he chokes to death on his blood. Tony does not plan to murder Christopher but sees the opportunity after the car accident. Tony is never suspected of this murder.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony lives in North Caldwell, New Jersey with his wife and two children: Meadow Soprano and Anthony (A.J.) Soprano. He also treats Christopher Moltisanti, his wife's first cousin once removed, as a son in many ways.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony is often portrayed as a loving father—he attends his children's sporting events regularly and does all he can to ensure they have luxuries and opportunities. He hopes that both his children will escape the life of crime he has led. Tony takes great pride in Meadow's achievements. In Season 1, he is moved to tears by her performance at a choir recital. He often tells people about her aspiration to become a pediatrician.


title: Tony Soprano

text: He also sometimes alienates his children with his behavior. He has always tried to conceal his criminal life from them—something that Meadow saw through early on and A.J. also realizes with guidance from his sister.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony's over-protectiveness of Meadow leads to feuds between them on several occasions. For example, her first boyfriend at college is of Black and Jewish ancestry and Tony's dislike of him leads him to try to drive him away. Meadow learns of her father's actions and does not speak to him for several months, eventually reconciling at Christmas in 2001.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Meadow's next boyfriend is Jackie Aprile Jr., the son of Tony's old friend, the late Jackie Aprile Sr. Tony had promised Jackie Jr.'s father that he would keep his son out of the Mafia life. Tony is initially pleased with the relationship, believing Jackie to be a hard-working pre-med student from a good family. However, since Jackie's uncle Richie Aprile's release from prison and subsequent death, Tony realizes that Jackie had become more involved in the Mafia when he sees him at strip clubs and a casino.


title: Tony Soprano

text: He eventually beats Jackie up to warn him about abusing his daughter's feelings and confiscates his gun. Tony begins seeing much of himself and his treatment of Carmela in Jackie's relationship with Meadow. Jackie is killed by Vito for his involvement in a robbery at Christopher's and Furio's executive card game, and for shooting a made man, Furio. This drives Meadow to drink and depression, although they'd broken up shortly before his death.


title: Tony Soprano

text: After Jackie's death, Tony accepts Meadow's college friends and gets along well with her fiancé, Finn, before the two separate under unrevealed circumstances.


title: Tony Soprano

text: When Meadow is out for dinner with her "mystery" boyfriend Patrick Parisi, New York mob member Salvatore "Coco" Cogliano walks up to the table and makes drunk remarks about her looks and how "Tony must love tucking you in at night". After taking advice from her mother, Meadow tells Tony, who hides his rage and says Coco is "harmless" and "an idiot". Tony then tracks down Coco and Butch DeConcini at John's Restaurant on East 12th Street in Manhattan. Tony viciously pistol-whips Coco several times with a snubnosed revolver and warns Butch at gunpoint to shut up and remain seated at his table. After breaking off some of Coco's teeth with a curb stomp, Tony leaves the restaurant.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony's feelings toward his son are mixed; he worries about his future. From the beginning, Tony has doubts that his son could succeed in the Mafia, telling his therapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi that "he'd never make it". His fears are confirmed as A.J. consistently demonstrates throughout the series that he lacks his father's cunning and dominating persona. Tony tells A.J. numerous times that he is proud that his son is gentle and kind. Tony is especially proud of A.J.'s prowess on the football field, even amid his failing grades in high school, but is frustrated with A.J.'s lack of focus after graduation.


title: Tony Soprano

text: After flunking out of Ramapo State, A.J. loafs around the house, parties, and for a time holds a job at Blockbuster until his father gets him a job working construction. There, A.J. meets Blanca, and in Tony's opinion, A.J. does well until he and Blanca break up. Tony worries about A.J.'s depression, the "rotten putrid Soprano gene" that Tony believes he passed down to his son.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Hoping to get A.J. back on track, Tony rekindles A.J.'s friendship with "the Jasons", sons of two of his associates, and A.J. seems to be doing better. With the help of a therapist and medication, A.J. is finally getting back to college, this time at Rutgers University, to take classes and party with girls as Tony believes every college kid should. This later turns sour after A.J. sees his new friends attack a Somalian student on a bike and he regresses into depression.


title: Tony Soprano

text: A.J. tries to drown himself in a swimming pool but decides he wants to live; he is unable to escape the pool, however. Tony hears his cries for help and rescues him. After A.J. is released from a mental health ward, Tony and Carmela dissuade him from joining the Army and persuade him instead to become involved in a film bankrolled by Carmine Lupertazzi Jr., with the possibility of opening a club.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony is an animal lover and enjoys feeding the ducks who visit his pool. He has a sentimental attachment towards animals, as he had been traumatized by the loss of his childhood dog (as revealed in the episode "In Camelot"), whose name was "Tippy". When he goes to confront Angie Bonpensiero as she's walking her poodle, the dog greets Tony in a friendly manner, which Tony reciprocates. During Christopher Moltisanti's intervention, when Tony hears Christopher accidentally suffocated Adrianna's dog, he is furious, saying, "I oughta suffocate you, you little prick!".


title: Tony Soprano

text: He becomes involved in horse racing through his friend Hesh Rabkin, who owns a stable, and invests in a racehorse named Pie-O-My. When his horse is killed in a fire – possibly set by Ralph Cifaretto – Tony is deeply upset and saddened and kills Cifaretto, yelling: "She was a beautiful innocent creature. What did she ever do to you?" He repeats "You fucking killed her!", while banging Cifaretto's head against the floor.


title: Tony Soprano

text: When informed by Carmela that a black bear has been foraging in his home's backyard while they were separated, during Season 5, he reacts with interest, rather than fear. During his stay in the hospital after his shooting, he can be seen reading a book about dinosaurs, given by Carmela. In the series finale, Tony finds a stray cat at his safe house during the war with New York and takes a liking to it. He brings it back to Satriale's, where it stares at the deceased Chris Moltisanti's photo (much to Paulie's dismay).


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony is seen many times throughout the show engaging in both freshwater and saltwater angling. His son Anthony Jr. sometimes accompanies him on fishing outings. During the second season, he presents his son with a Fenwick rod and a Penn International reel, both extremely high-quality products. In the sixth season, while in Florida with Paulie, he rents a sport fishing boat. He is sometimes haunted by visions of Pussy Bonpensiero incarnated in the form of a fish – presumably a reference to the disposal of his body in the ocean. A Big Mouth Billy Bass novelty singing fish, brought into the Bada Bing by Georgie and another later presented to him as a Christmas present by his daughter Meadow, recalls his nightmare and disturbs him greatly.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Throughout the series, Tony is shown to be a frequent cigar smoker, as well as an occasional cigarette smoker. He can be seen smoking a cigar during important events, such as shortly before being told of his mother's death and when disposing of Ralph Cifaretto's corpse. In the Season 1 episode "A Hit Is a Hit", he gives his doctor and next-door neighbor Bruce Cusamano a box of Cuban cigars as a thank-you present for referring him to Dr. Melfi.


title: Tony Soprano

text: He is a gun enthusiast and is shown to have an arsenal in his home. He gives guns as birthday gifts to his father-in-law Hugh DeAngelis (in "Marco Polo") and receives one from Bobby Baccialieri on his birthday (in "Soprano Home Movies").


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony enjoys sports, particularly baseball, football, basketball, golf, and horse racing. He played baseball and football at West Essex High School, and is a fan of the New York Yankees and New York Jets. He has taken A.J. to New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils games occasionally throughout the series. Some objects and posters in A.J.'s room confirm this. He plays golf with Johnny Sack at Upper Montclair Country Club. A large portion of his income is derived from illegal sports betting.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony is an amateur yachtsman and has owned two motor yachts throughout the show: "Stugots" and "Stugots II", where several of his affairs take place. The name comes from the Italian phrase "sto cazzo", literally meaning "this dick" or "my dick", and depending on the context, "what the fuck" or "my ass".


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony maintains an avid interest in history, particularly World War II. Throughout seasons 4 and 5, Tony is seen watching Vietnam War documentaries. He is a big fan of President John F. Kennedy and owns one of his captain sailors hats, which he won at an auction. He is often shown watching programs on the History Channel about great leaders such as George S. Patton, Erwin Rommel, and Winston Churchill. He reads "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, which is quoted by several other characters on the show, particularly Paulie Walnuts.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony is often seen watching classic mob films. For example, he is shown watching "The Public Enemy" (1931) throughout the episode "Proshai, Livushka", which addresses his mother's death. He also shares a love for "The Godfather" series (wondering what went wrong in the third installment).


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony listens to classic, progressive rock and pop music, particularly of the 1960s and 1970s. Over the course of the show he is seen to enjoy AC/DC, Deep Purple, Eagles, Eric Clapton, Jefferson Airplane, Jethro Tull, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, Rush, Steely Dan, The Clash, The Chi-Lites, The Lost Boys, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, and Van Morrison.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Like most of the mobsters in the series, Tony is shown to be partial to Cadillac and Lincoln vehicles. When discussing with Dr. Melfi a bizarre dream in which his penis falls off, he mentions that he went to the guy who used to "work on my Lincoln when I drove Lincolns". For the first four seasons, Tony drives a burgundy 1999 Chevrolet Suburban LT 4x4.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In season 5 he drives a black Cadillac Escalade ESV. This black Escalade is totaled in an accident and quickly replaced with a white Escalade ESV. Tony has this Escalade until the end of the series. He has occasionally used Carmela's Mercedes-Benz E Class station wagon and drove it when they went places together.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Throughout the series, Tony is shown to be a serial adulterer. He typically has mistresses whom he consistently sees for long periods, though he also has several brief one-night stands with strippers from the Bada Bing.


title: Tony Soprano

text: His wife Carmela is tacitly aware of his infidelity and usually views it as a form of masturbation, though sometimes the bottled-up tensions explode in domestic arguments. At the end of Season 4, Irina telephones Carmela in a jealous rage at Tony's cheating on her with her cousin Svetlana, which causes Carmela to finally snap. Carmela throws Tony out of the house and begins divorce proceedings.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony has a strong preference for women of European, particularly Italian descent, with dark hair and eyes and exotic features. His mistresses have been, in chronological order, of Russian (Irina and later Svetlana), Italian (Gloria Trillo), Italian-Cuban (Valentina La Paz), and Jewish descent (Julianna Skiff). He favors dark features but also has a few brief flings with blonde American European women, including a stewardess from Icelandic Airways and a medical assistant. He has one very short encounter with an Asian-American escort during "The Test Dream".


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony has suffered from panic attacks that sometimes cause him to lose consciousness since his childhood. He has his first on-screen panic attack while cooking sausages at his son's birthday party—this occurs in a flashback in the pilot episode. Tony loses consciousness and causes a small explosion when he drops a bottle of lighter fluid onto the coals. Tony describes the experience of the panic attack as feeling like he had "ginger ale in his skull". This prompts him to seek help for the attacks. After extensive testing that includes an MRI scan and blood work, no physical cause can be found, so Dr. Cusamano refers Tony to psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony's therapy allows a discussion of his thoughts and feelings away from both aspects of his life—this forum for reaching into the character's thoughts has been described as a Greek chorus, and as a key for viewers to understand the character.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony is initially very resistant to the idea that there was a psychiatric cause for his symptoms. He resents being in therapy and refuses to accept the diagnosis of panic attacks given him by the neurologists who had investigated his illness. Tony begins to open up once Dr. Melfi explains the doctor-patient confidentiality rules. He tells her about the stress of his business life—he has a feeling that he has come in at the end of something and describes a reverence for the glorified "old days" of the Mafia. Tony leaves out the violence associated with his criminal career. Tony tells Dr. Melfi a story about ducks landing in his pool. He describes his mother Livia as a cold, mean-spirited woman with whom he has an openly hostile relationship. By the end of the first session Tony has admitted that he feels depressed, but storms out when Dr. Melfi presses him further about the relationship between his symptoms and the ducks.


title: Tony Soprano

text: When the family visits Green Grove, a retirement community where Tony is trying to place his mother, Livia's derisive outburst prompts a second panic attack. Melfi prescribes Prozac as an anti-depressant, telling him that no one needs to suffer from depression with the wonders of modern pharmacology. Tony fails to attend their next scheduled session.


title: Tony Soprano

text: At their next session, Tony is still reluctant to face his psychological weaknesses. Tony is quick to credit the medication for his improved mood, but Dr. Melfi tells him it cannot be that, as it takes six weeks to work—she credits their therapy sessions. Tony describes a dream where a bird steals his penis. Melfi extrapolates that Tony has projected his love for his family onto the family of ducks living in his pool. This brings him to tears, to his consternation. She tells him that their flight from the pool sparked his panic attack through the overwhelming fear of somehow losing his own family.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In the episode "46 Long", they continue discussing Tony's mother and her difficulties living alone. Tony admits that he feels guilty because his mother could not be allowed to live with his family. We learn that he has been left to care for his mother alone by his sisters. When Dr. Melfi asks him to remember good experiences from his childhood, he has difficulty. He blames Carmela for preventing his mother from living with them. Later they discuss Livia's car accident, and Melfi suggests depression may have contributed to the accident – Tony misunderstands her and becomes angry. Tony has a panic attack while visiting his mother's home after she moves to Green Grove. In a later session, Dr. Melfi pushes Tony to admit he has feelings of anger towards his mother, and he again storms out. During this episode, Tony introduces the concept of him acting like the sad clown – happy on the outside but sad on the inside.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Denial, Anger, Acceptance", Tony discusses Jackie's cancer with Dr. Melfi. She tries to use it as an example of Tony's negative thinking contributing to his depression. Tony becomes angry and storms out. He feels she is trying to trick him and manipulate his thoughts using the pictures that decorate her office. After Jackie worsens and Tony is called a "Frankenstein" by a business associate, he returns to therapy to discuss these things with Dr. Melfi. She asks him if he feels like a monster.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Fortunate Son", Tony discusses a childhood memory of an early panic attack. He saw his father and uncle mutilate Mr. Satriale, the local butcher, and later fainted at a family dinner made with free meat from Satriale's shop. Dr. Melfi makes a connection between meat and Tony's panic attacks. She explores his mother's attitude to the fruits of his father's labor.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Later Dr. Melfi tries prescribing lithium as a mood stabilizer. In the episode "Isabella", Tony sinks into a severe depressive episode and experiences hallucinations—he sees a beautiful Italian woman named Isabella in his neighbor's garden. Tony sees Isabella several times during the episode and later learns that she never existed. Melfi theorizes that Isabella was an idealized maternal figure that Tony's subconscious produced because he was deeply upset about his own mother's actions at the time.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano", Tony abruptly ends his therapy and persuades Dr. Melfi to go into hiding when he discovers that Uncle Junior has found out about their sessions.


title: Tony Soprano

text: The relationship between Tony and Dr. Melfi is up-and-down, with Tony reaching a level of comfort with Dr. Melfi that he has never experienced with anyone else before, not even his wife. This closeness leads Tony to have something of a "crush" on Dr. Melfi, something that is unattainable. However, the "prying" from Dr. Melfi is uncomfortable for Tony and he often turns sarcastic and antagonistic towards her, leading to an ongoing strain in their relationship. In the episode when Tony's sister, Janice, goes back to Seattle, it is revealed during a rushed conversation between Janice and Tony that their mother suffers from narcissistic personality disorder.


title: Tony Soprano

text: During the episode "The Second Coming", aired in part II of season six, Melfi's therapist suggests to her that her work with Tony could be considered enabling toward Tony's sociopathic tendencies. Finally, in the penultimate episode of the series, "The Blue Comet", Melfi severs her relationship with Tony after reading research recommended by her therapist that indicates sociopaths can use talk therapy to improve their skills in manipulating others and use what is learned in therapy to become more capable criminals.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In the first season, Tony is attacked by William Johnson "Petite" Clayborn and Rasheen Ray, two hitmen sent by Donnie Paduana to execute Tony. Tony sustains an injury to his ear, which is partially shot off, and minor bruises and cuts from crashing his vehicle. One of the two assailants, Clayborn, is shot dead by Ray in an attempt to kill Tony, and Ray is left bruised but runs off.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In the premiere of the sixth season, "Members Only", Junior Soprano, suffering from dementia, believes Tony to be Gennaro "Little Pussy" Malanga, and shoots him in the abdomen. Tony dials 911 but loses consciousness before being able to tell the operator what happened.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In the second episode of the sixth season, "Join the Club", Tony is in a medically induced coma in the hospital. In the second and third episodes, the viewer sees Tony in a dream-like state, eventually arriving at what could be purgatory, where he is greeted by a man who takes the physical form of his late cousin Tony Blundetto. The shadowy figure in the doorway of the house has the profile of his mother, who is dead. The voice of a younger version of his daughter calls him back. At the end of the third episode, he awakes from his coma in a confused but stable state.


title: Tony Soprano

text: By the fourth episode, Tony is mobile and fully aware and has regained his voice. Tony's attitude toward life is changed by his near-death experience. He has yet to discuss his experiences while unconscious with anyone close to him. However, in the Season 6 episode "Kaisha", he admits to Phil Leotardo (who had just suffered a heart attack), that while he was in a coma, he went to a place where he never wants to go again. While talking philosophy with John Schwinn, another patient at the hospital, he mentions that while in the coma he had the experience of being drawn towards somewhere he did not want to go and narrowly avoided it.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In the sixth episode of season 6, part 2, "Kennedy and Heidi", Tony sustains minor injuries in a car accident that seriously injures his nephew, Christopher Moltisanti. Tony suffocates Christopher after this accident. Tony is on bed rest for a few days and quickly recovers. Nonetheless, this gives his family quite a scare and a painful memory of his nearly fatal shooting the previous year.


title: Tony Soprano

text: Tony sometimes has vivid dreams that are shown to the viewer. Episodes with dream sequences include "Pax Soprana", "Isabella", "Funhouse", "Everybody Hurts", "Calling All Cars", and "The Test Dream".


title: Tony Soprano

text: In the pilot, Tony tells Dr. Melfi about a dream he had wherein a screw in his belly button when removed, causes his penis to fall off. He tries to find a car mechanic (who had worked on his Lincoln when Tony drove Lincolns) to put it back on, but a duck swoops down and snatches it from his hand.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Meadowlands", Tony has a dream that several people in his life are present in Dr. Melfi's office: Hesh Rabkin scrolling by the window, A.J. behind the door, Silvio Dante having sex with a woman in the waiting room, and Paulie Walnuts and Big Pussy reading Chinese newspapers. This causes him to worry that people will find out he is seeing a psychiatrist. The dream ends with Tony confronting Melfi, seeing Jackie Aprile, Sr. on his deathbed smoking a cigarette, asking Tony, "You smell that? That's rain," and only to find out that Melfi is his mother, Livia.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Pax Soprana", Tony has several dreams and fantasies about Dr. Melfi. He becomes convinced that he is in love with her, but she turns him down when he makes advances toward her.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Isabella", Tony, suffering from depression after Big Pussy disappears, acquaints himself with a dental student named Isabella who is staying in the Cusamano home while they are on vacation. He later discovers that he'd hallucinated Isabella due to taking too much lithium and that Isabella represented the mother he never had.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Funhouse", an extended dream sequence exposes many of Tony's subconscious thoughts and feelings through symbolic and sometimes bizarre events: he attempts suicide to preempt a doctor's diagnosis of early death by dousing himself in gasoline and lighting himself on fire; he witnesses himself shooting Paulie Walnuts to death during a card game; he has an innuendo-laden conversation with Dr. Melfi while sporting a prominent erection, and a fish that speaks with the voice of Big Pussy confirms his suspicions that the longtime friend and soldier is a federal informant.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Everybody Hurts", Tony dreams of his ex-"comaré" Gloria Trillo shortly after learning of her suicide by hanging. He visits her apartment and finds her in a black dress with a black scarf around her neck. She is cooking dinner, and when she goes over to the oven the scarf drapes across Tony. Plaster falls in front of Tony and when he looks up, he sees that the chandelier is almost pulled out of the ceiling. Gloria is suddenly back at the table and offers Tony a choice between seeing what she has under her dress or her scarf. As she begins to peel away the scarf, Tony wakes up and makes his way to the bathroom for some medication.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Calling All Cars", Tony has two dreams featuring Ralph Cifaretto. In the first, he is being driven by Carmela in the back of his father's old car while Ralph sits in the passenger seat. A caterpillar is crawling on the back of Ralph's head. Tony's fellow passenger in the back seat changes — Gloria Trillo and Svetlana Kirilenko are both seen. The caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Dr. Melfi later tells him that the dream signifies a change for Ralphie (recently killed by Tony) and Carmela being in control, which Tony doesn't like.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In the second dream, Tony follows Ralph to an old house, which Ralph enters. Tony is dressed in trousers, suspenders, and an undershirt. He knocks on the door and a female figure descends slowly in shadow; the door creaks ominously. Tony says he is there for the stonemason job but does not speak English well (Tony's grandfather was an immigrant stonemason). Just as Tony is about to enter the house, he wakes up.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "The Test Dream", Tony comes to terms with having to kill his cousin Tony Blundetto. The episode reflects on his inner demons and fears, including his children's future, his relationship with his wife, his infidelities, deceased acquaintances—including some who have died by his hand or by his orders—his fate, and his relationship with his father. He is again shown in his father's old car, accompanied by a range of past associates.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Join the Club", a comatose Tony finds himself in an alternate universe where he is a law-abiding salesman on a business trip. Among other differences, his accent has changed and his hotel's bartender condescends to him (in sharp contrast to the bartender at The Bing, who is a recurring punching bag for Tony). Tony has mistakenly taken another man's briefcase – Kevin Finnerty's – along with all of his identification and work. The episode follows his attempts to discern his identity, recover his briefcase, and get back to his family.


title: Tony Soprano

text: In "Kennedy and Heidi", a stressed Tony Soprano has a dream following the death of Christopher Moltisanti. In this dream, he tells his therapist that Christopher was a burden and that he is relieved that he was dead. After that, he also tells her that he murdered Big Pussy and his cousin Tony Blundetto. Following the dream, he acts differently to his friends and family, trying to see if they also feel relieved now that Christopher is dead.


title: Tony Soprano

text: The character of Tony Soprano was the first likable "antihero" character in television. Playwright Craig Wright stated, "A show like "The Sopranos" has a soothing quality because ultimately there's an unspoken assumption behind it that even the most monstrous people are haunted by the same concerns we're haunted by." Tony Soprano quickly became a pop culture icon during the show's run. In an article for the "Los Angeles Times", Chris Lee referred to Tony Soprano as a "cultural sensation" who became the "unlikeliest of sex symbols." On the importance of Gandolfini's performance, Lee stated: "He forever rejiggered television's fascination with morally challenged antiheroes and less-than-physically-perfect protagonists."


title: Tony Soprano

text: "The Globe and Mail" wrote, "Women made Tony Soprano an unlikely sex symbol – and the men found him no less seductive. Wish fulfillment has always been at the queasy heart of the mobster genre, the longing for a life outside the bounds of convention, mingled with the conflicted desire to see the perpetrator punished for the same transgression. So it was for the fictional men of the straight world on "The Sopranos", who were drawn to Tony's flame with consistently disastrous results. Likewise for viewers, for whom a life of taking, killing, and sleeping with whomever and whatever one wants had an undeniable, if conflict-laden, appeal."


title: Tony Soprano

text: The final scene of "Made in America" became the subject of much discussion, controversy, and analysis after its original broadcast. The use of an abrupt cut to black followed by several seconds of silence led many viewers to initially believe that their cable or DVR had cut out at a crucial moment. Opposing interpretations soon emerged among viewers regarding the ultimate fate of Tony, with some believing that he was killed while others believed that he remained alive. The final scene was the subject of extensive interpretation by media and fans alike about Tony's fate; however, Chase consistently refused to give any definitive answers. During a November 2021 interview with "Hollywood Reporter", Chase made comments that some took as confirmation that Tony Soprano was in fact killed at the end of the episode.