Woke up this morning

After what some grumbled was a slow start to the new season, with the first few dream sequence/metaphorical episodes (although I thought they were quite interesting, and definitely a cut above the usual dreck on TV) HBO's The Sopranos has hit its stride recently.

The gay mobster story line has been fascinating, and, this week, the show did a great take-down on the goodie bags that celebrities regularly accept as part of their privileged existence.

The look on Christopher's face when he saw the swag being offered in those gift bag rooms – the jewelry, cell phones and Blackberry's, the sunglasses, clothes, and watches, the vacations, spas and cars – was priceless.

Freebies like that go to rich fucks who need it least all the time, it seriously wasn't exaggerated, and it really is one of the more disgusting elements of our celebrity-worshipping culture.

When you see movie stars who make $20 million a film, TV stars who make a million bucks an episode, singers who make $10 million an album, being showered with gift bags easily worth tens of thousands of dollars, it does make you want to start a revolution.

And this is coming from someone who has been in these rooms. Hey, I will admit, maybe some of it is just absolute seething envy that the most I've ever been able to score for myself is a pair of Rayban sunglasses, a Polo shirt, and a dinner at 21
Club, but seeing these pampered celebrities casually walk around to the various stations in the room and point out what they want is really pretty nauseating.

As Ben Kinglsey said on the show (and I'm paraphrasing here): “I know. It's obscene. These bags are worth $30,000, which some people don't even make in a year.”

I obviously don't condone violence, but when the Jersey goombah smacked Lauren Bacall for her goodie bag, and later they cut to Christopher and the goon on the plane heading home and laughing at the Variety headline about the attack, I had to snicker.