Starring Lucy Liu and Carla Gugino. Happy Monday!

Thursday night I was lucky enough to attend the Washington screening of The Sopranos, featuring the first two episodes, “Soprano Home Movies” and “Stage Five” (which I had previously reviewed for The Daily Standard). This was followed by a dinner and Q&A with writer/creator David Chase. Sadly, we were all informed this would be off the record and so I am unable to share any insights about Tony’s death at the hands of his nephew Christopher. Kidding.

Chase directed this season’s first and last episodes (they just finished the read-through for the latter). During the Q&A, he was very soft-spoken, mild-mannered, and weary-looking. The questions (I was not picked) were fairly explicit about details from as far back as season one but Chase didn’t miss a beat. (I wondered if he would react the way William Shatner did in the SNL Star Trek convention skit.) And no, he did not even hint about how it will end. I think the guests genuinely enjoyed the screening, particularly the first episode, which one veteran Washington pundit told me was already “much better than last season.” Perhaps it was the whole coma sequence. Or maybe he didn’t like Johnny Cakes. Best of all, we went home with a goody bag that included last season on DVD.

For my fellow Sopranos fans, you will definitely enjoy the next two episodes. And keep an eye out for Phil Leotardo’s right-hand man, Butch Deconcini, played by actor Greg Antonacci. For some reason, he terrifies me (probably has to do with his crooked eye) and I am betting he will do something very bad before all is said and done. (Also be sure to enjoy Phil’s lecture about the bastardization of his family name in episode two. I don’t know how Frank Vincent does this with a straight face.)

First, the obligatory Sony news: The PS3’s Australian launch is a bust. Oops.

Now the good stuff. The Wii port of the new Spider-Man 3 game sounds kind of dreamy:

Flick forward with the nunchuk and Spidey will shoot his webbing forward. Flick all the way to the right and you can send the superhero swinging at a near-90-degree angle. You can also dual-swing by motioning with both controllers . . .

That’s basically the Holy Grail of videogaming right there. The Wii will pass the xBox 360 in sales later this year and by 2008 might be tripled-up on the PS3. And it shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Mario Lopez?

Seriously, if this happens I might just move to Russia. Still, the story sent along by Galley Sis MAL is kind of fascinating–imagine making a Price Is Right audition tape:

The field of candidates to succeed Bob Barker as host of CBS’ venerable game show “The Price Is Right” might be narrowing.

Sources indicated that Mark Steines, George Hamilton and Mario Lopez have emerged as top contenders, with Steines, co-host of “Entertainment Tonight,” getting the strongest buzz at the moment. Tapes of “Price” auditions have been sent out and are being shown to test audiences around the country, sources said.

The list also includes Todd Newton, John O’Hurley and former “Beauty and the Geek” host Mike Richards.

And another part of my childhood dies.

This doesn’t do much for me, but I suspect that for a certain segment of the population, this will be catnip:

Forty-seven years ago, on Masters Sunday, Arnold Palmer staged one of his classic, furious charges. He nearly made birdie on No. 16 at Augusta National, and he did make dramatic birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to snatch the green jacket away from San Francisco native Ken Venturi. . . .

As a lead-in to its coverage of the final round, CBS will air a one-hour, colorized re-broadcast of the closing holes of the 1960 Masters. Not a documentary, pausing frequently for retrospective interviews. Not a highlights show, bouncing quickly from shot to shot. This will be a genuine re-broadcast, as if the events were unfolding live.

The project was the brainchild of CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz. He unearthed the original footage and spearheaded an ambitious effort to have it colorized. Nantz and Palmer introduce the show and Nantz interviews Palmer afterward. In between, viewers will see the same coverage viewers did in 1960, except in color. . . .

The idea hatched when CBS agreed to give Nantz air time before the final round of each Masters. Last year, he put together a 20-year anniversary piece on Jack Nicklaus’ landmark victory in 1986. This year, Nantz and producer Chris Svendsen went one step further.

They hooked up with Legend Films, a San Diego company specializing in colorization technology. Nantz described the process as long and tedious, involving 62,000 frames of film and 10,000 man hours.

But it sounds like the result was worth the time, effort and expense. The show not only features Palmer rallying past Venturi, but also 47-year-old Ben Hogan on the 18th hole, Nicklaus as a hotshot, 20-year-old amateur playing alongside Sam Snead, and tournament founder Bobby Jones hosting the post-round ceremony.

Enjoy! (If you’re into that sort of thing.)

The first week of PS3 sales where better than expected, if not great, in Europe. Now comes week 2:

Sales of the PlayStation 3 have dropped dramatically on the second week of release in the UK, with official Chart Track figures revealing a fall of 82 per cent.

Will someone who understands the stock market explain to me when the market will catch up to this disaster?

Galley Friend J.E. sends in this great item:

I got a tremendous laugh out of the first item in today’s Page Six. It’s about the blood-and-gore director Robert Rodriguez and his now estranged wife, who also happens to be his producer. She checked out after 18 years and five kids when she discovered that he was shtupping the star of his latest film. Here’s the part that made me laugh: ” Rodriguez and Avellan insist that their separation is amicable and that they plan to raise their four boys, Rebel, Rocket, Rogue and Racer, and daughter, Rhiannon, together and continue their partnership in Troublemaker Studios.

Let’s see, they give their kids names that reflect a complete contempt for traditional mores, and even name their studio “Troublemaker.” But a little extracurricular marital activity–that’s beyond the pale. I guess they don’t preach what they practice.

So bourgeois!