"The Sopranos" sing, a little

Given how notoriously tight-lipped David Chase and his crew are about all things “The Sopranos,” I was curious to see if Peter Biskind would be able to elicit anything of interest from them in this month’s Vanity Fair cover story. The answer: Not so much.

The most interesting anecdote actually occurs in an online-only interview with Tim Van Patten, who relates an amusing tale of some of the cast and crew encountering the real thug life in Naples.

As for the article itself, not much that isn’t already known is revealed. Chase’s grumpily misanthropic nature is discussed, a story about James Gandolfini trashing a phone booth because he couldn’t get a scene right is shared, Chase’s disdain for television in general is revisited. HBO’s skittishness over the title (suggested alternatives: “New Jersey Blood,” “Family Man” – the latter was scotched when “Family Guy” appeared) and Tony’s brutal whacking of a guy in the classic episode “College” get some ink.

As does Chase’s longstanding hopes to break into filmmaking, where he thinks he can create some real art. It’s unclear why Chase reveres film so much over television these days; clearly, he doesn’t get out to see many movies, or he’d realize that most of them are just as puerile as most TV is. There’s actually more high-quality television being created these days than top-notch films. Chase really needs to get over his enduring inferiority complex on this issue: He has not only created arguably the greatest television series ever, but raised the level of play all around; chances are slim that he’ll have that same impact on film history.