The Infamous "Rule of Three".

THE NEWS

Yesterday I heard that Paulie Walnuts got whacked. I couldn't fucking believe it. That guy was one of the best. Never better. A real stand up guy. Then, I was talking to Little Franky down at the deli, and he said it ain't no suprise to him. They always come in threes. You know what? He was right.

Tony Soprano

When I think of this, my first thought is... Jimmy. Oh, sorry. "Tony" Soprano. Another stand up guy. When he went, it was like a punch in the gut, and then two in the chest. But then, last week, I hear Henry Hill climbed that stairway to heaven, and I was heart broken. Now, at least with Henry, I like to imagine he went out like a champ. I'd like to think that about any of these guys. But you never know. When your time comes, it comes, be it sitting on the toilet, or running through the woods in the middle of the night... or just standing there... doing nuthin.

The Godfather

It might have started with the Godfather himself, Marlon Brando. Not the real godfather of course, but the actor who played him. It's reported that after Marlon Brando died, his neighbor and good friend, Jack Nickolson, bought Marlon's mansion, bulldozed the thing, and then planted a field of frangipanis in its place.

Marlon Brando, James Gandolfini

I don't think Marlon Brando was the first though. His death is far too removed from any others, and with the passing of James Gandolfini, another shock to the system, I think it's safe to say that the Rule of Three's doesn't apply to either one.

Ray Liotta

But, when I heard that Ray Liotta had died, I knew the Rule of Three had started again. Ray died in his sleep, in the Dominican Republic. He was there shooting a movie, and had many plans for more movies to come according to all. Ray was YOUNG, being only 67 years old, and his death is one of the most shocking of all.

The Many Saints of Newark

Being a regular old joe myself, I'd seen pics of Ray and seen him in recent movies. One of which, The Many Saint's of Newark, was set in a time prior to The Sopranos. Either he'd had some work done, or he'd gotten in the habit of being stung in the face by a thousand bees for it's cosmetic value. Either way, while he did seem to be retaining his cherubic and youthful, if not constantly flush and slightly swollen, look... whatever stes he;d taken to stave off the grim reaper, in the end, didn't work so well.

A real Goodfella

I commend Ray Liotta, for the lengths he was willing to go to, to portray the characters he brought to life on the big screen. His depiction of characters he's played were some of the very best I'd ever seen in cinematography. Without looking them up, I'll recount the movies I remember Ray being in.

Goodfellas, The Many Saint's of Newark, Killing Them Softly. Of course there are about a hundred more, but those are the ones I remember the most.

Sonny Corleone

When I next heard that Sonny Corleone had met his demise, I was shocked once again! Not by the action packed demise of the character in the movie, but by the news that James Caan, the actor who portrayed and played the part, had died. He was beloved as he was muti-talented, and he passed away at the age of 82. Nobody has said what happened to James Caan, I mean, how he died, but since it doesn't seem to be an open thing, I suspect it was something that might not shine a bright light on James's image.

Field of Dreams

I say that, out of respect. When Ray Liotta died, it was reported within the same article, that he died in his sleep. Whether that means he had a heart attack while performing the horizontal mambo, or whether he had a stroke, or whether he suffocated on his own vomit after a night of heavy drinking, it doesn't matter! Sleep is sleep, and when you die in your sleep, the thought is, you went to sleep, you were dreaming about a baseball diamond out in the middle of a corn field, and next thing you know, you're there, playing the game of your life... forever.

ELF

For James Caan, I like to think he went to the North Pole, and decided that life with the elves was so much fun, he and Buddy took over, and became the new Santa Pop and Son duo.

James Caan, was a party animal, according to news reports. He also may have had one too many demons to deal with. Don't we all though? I'm not going to speculate on why, or how James Caan died. I'll just wait and shake my head when I read about it in the news.

The Rule of Three - Fulfilled

Ray Liotta, James Caan, and now Tony Sirico. The Rule of Three has been fulfilled. Hopefully, the rest of them are safe for now, but I think not. There are so many awesome actors that have had their candle blown out far too early, but there are even more that are still going. Before I go there, might I add that Tony Sirico was in The Godfather, Goodfellas, AND The Sopranos! You see, when The Rule of Three is in effect, there must be a link to all three.

OF NOTE

There are still many many actors and actresses that have made these films and projects possible. Some played a central part, while others had smaller roles, or were just part of a tightly knit family of actors and associates. I wish them all a long and lusturious career. Those actors most closely associated with the films that James Caan, Tony Sirico and Ray Liotta played in, are as follows; Al Pacino, Robert Deniro, Edie Falco, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Vincent Pastore, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Sorvino, Robert Duvall, Andy Garcia, David Proval, Steven Buscemi, Jerry Adler, Vincent Curatola, Joseph "Pants" Pantoliano, Dominic Chianese, Steven Van Zandt, and Steven Schirripa.