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- This is One-On-One.

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(upbeat music) - Hi everyone.

Steve Adubato.

Welcome to a two-parter.

This is a two-parter that honors, recognizes, and celebrates the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

I'm joined with my co-anchor and colleague, Jacqui Tricarico with our good friend Steve Edwards, who's the President of the Foundation for New Jersey Hall of Fame Board of Trustees.

Good to see you, Steve.

- Great to see you, Steve, as always.

- We've got, hey Jacqui, tee this up.

This is a two-parter.

They're airing right here on "One-on-One".

We're airing two nights or two weekends back to back Saturday and Sunday.

Why are we having two parts?

Because it could've had five parts.

And who are we celebrating, Jacqui?

- Well, really, Steve and I, we got the opportunity to be at the New Jersey Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year at NJPAC in Newark.

Wonderful evening led by your team, Steve Edwards, over at the Hall of Fame, inducting this new class, the 2023 class of New Jersey Hall of Famers.

Steve, first tell us a little bit about when was that first induction ceremony?

When did this all kind of start with you and the New Jersey Hall of Fame?

- Wow, about three lifetimes ago, I think.

(Jacqui and Steve Adubato chuckle) 2008 was our first induction ceremony at the NJPAC.

That was our inaugural ceremony and I could remember it though like it was yesterday.

We had everybody from General Schwarzkopf to Toni Morrison to Bruce Springsteen, Nancy Sinatra there representing Frank Sinatra.

It was a great, great day.

And yeah, that was, believe it or not, 15 years ago.

So what we just did, October 29th, was our 15th induction ceremony.

- So Steve, talk about that.

15th induction ceremony, we're back in person and after the pandemic.

We're at New Jersey Performing Arts Center again.

And this class that's being inducted, I mean, we'll do a little bit on the cast of "The Sopranos" that we interviewed, because David Chase was one of the honorees, Tiki Barber, the other honorees, Tiki Barber, David Chase, we talked about Tony Orlando, Patti Scialfa, who is, you may have known, E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen, his wife, talented, terrific.

Josh Weston, our good friend.

Steve Adubato Senior, my dad, my family was honored to have him inducted.

Charles Edison, George Schultz, George Siegel, so many folks.

Steve, how the heck do you and your colleagues at the Hall of Fame select who's in the Hall of Fame?

- So, you know, one of the things people sometimes say, "Oh, are you gonna run out?

I see these great names every year.

Are you gonna run out?

You're going too fast."

The fact is we're not going fast enough.

We'll never get to all the Jersey greatness that's out there.

It's amazing how much talent, how much greatness, including your dad, that we've exported, not just throughout the state, nationally, and throughout the world.

To your question, we keep a master list.

It's a list in formation.

So anyone could make a suggestion about who they think we should induct in the future.

But, you know, the only way we can do it is to take that master list every year, to cull it down to the top 100.

It's a subjective process, but we come up, we think, with a good top 100 every year.

We hand off, and we do that, by the way, with experts in every field of interest to help us.

We then take that list and we turn it over to an academy.

That's over 350 prominent Jersey organizations.

We want this to be grassroots.

We want it to be very inclusive.

And then the academy helps narrow it down to the top 50.

We put the 50 out to the public.

The public helps us decide.

- Wow.

- Every year we come up with 10 to 15.

So it's a tough process, because every year we've gotta exclude some of the greatest people, you know, in every field of interest.

But slowly but surely, we're getting to all the Jersey greatness that's out there.

- And we put- - And Steve, I know we can attest, sorry, I was gonna say, I know we can attest to what Steve just said about so much Jersey greatness, because of the list that we have that we're working off of for our program "Remember Them", honoring and looking at so many different people from all walks of life in New Jersey and working with the New Jersey Hall of Fame in that regard too, with that show, "Remember Them".

- Yeah, and- - Let me be clear.

"Remember Them", "Remember Them", sorry Steve, "Remember Them" would not be possible if it were not for the team, Steve and his team, at the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

They provide archival footage, which is extraordinary.

It brings to life so many interesting, important, impactful people who are no longer with us, but still have a great impact on our lives.

And Steve, let me tee this up.

Folks are about to see interviews with a whole range of folks.

The first block, Jacqui, is the cast of "The Sopranos" honoring David Chase being inducted, Jacqui?

- Oh yeah, of course.

David Chase showing up to be inducted this year.

But behind him, so many of his family from the "Sopranos" cast, including Federico Castelluccio, Steven Van Zandt, Edie Falco, so many greats walking the red carpet that we got a chance to speak with this year that you'll see coming up right now.

- All good.

That's Steve Edwards.

We would not have the Hall of Fame, were it not for him and his colleagues.

Jacqui Tricarico, we kick off looking at the cast of "The Sopranos" honoring, recognizing the great David Chase.

- ♪ Positive, upbeat music ♪ - So honored now, to be be here with David Chase, who is getting inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight.

TV producer, writer.

Of course, we know you from "The Sopranos".

That is your magnum opus, but there's so much more to your body of work.

(laughs) "The Sopranos", though, does resonate with so many of us here from New Jersey in so many different ways.

- It was the best thing I did.

- (laughs) It was the best thing you did.

(laughs) Well, we love it.

- Yeah, and the other stuff was all right.

- Well, I think it was all really great, but "The Sopranos", it does, it still resonates with so many of us.

What is one of your most memorable moments from that season of your life and your career?

- God.

Well, I guess I would, the things that pops in is that after the show debuted, or right before it debuted, all the critics in America saw it.

And you never expect anything.

Everybody went crazy except one guy (interviewer laughs) from Florida.

- (laughs) He didn't get it.

- He didn't get it.

(interviewer laughs) And somebody said, "He's floating in a barrel now in Miami Bay."

(Jacqui laughs) - Well, you are getting inducted tonight along so many that have been inducted, including some of those "Soprano" cast members, like the late, great James Gandolfini.

- [Chase] Yeah.

- [Interviewer] What do you think they would think tonight of you getting this amazing honor?

- Well, I'm going to see Stevie.

Stevie's all very excited about it.

- Yes.

- They all would be.

A lot of 'em are coming, so I guess they're excited.

- Yes.

They're excited to honor you and be here with you in New Jersey, in Newark.

- Yeah.

- Enjoy your- (laughs) - It's great.

I was coming across the Passaic River Bridge and I just thought, "Wow."

- What is it about Jersey?

- It's just, I guess it begins that it's in a great spot between the big city and the country.

When I was a kid, there were, in Caldwell, there were still farms, but you could be in Manhattan in 16 minutes to buy alcohol underage.

(interviewer laughs) - And we made a name for ourselves here in the state, haven't we?

- Yeah.

- Well, congratulations.

Have a wonderful evening.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- We're here with Steven Van Zandt, who I was honored to interview Steve awhile back and his wife Maureen.

- This is family, blood family.

You got your family family, and then there's the family on that show, and so many of your colleagues have said when Gandolfini was inducted, now David Chase, real family.

- Yeah, it was unusual, I think, because I notice a difference going from music to the acting world.

Music is just a little bit more, I think, naturally a family, we're a little bit competitive with each other, but not really.

It seems to be room for everybody in the music world.

In the acting world.

- Dog eat dog a little bit?

- A little bit, a little.

- Maureen, you're shaking your head.

- Yeah, definitely, very competitive, and everybody's worried about who has more lines and who's on screen more, so it's a tougher world, I think, than music.

- And it was a challenge, as I started to absorb the difference, I said to myself, "Before I leave this show, "I wanna make this bunch of actors into a band."

And David Chase, of course, was an old band member himself, so.

- Loves music.

- Oh, loves music.

- No.

- And you love that he loves, I'm sorry, for you love that he loved music.

- (laughs) Well, if you ask him, his favorite part of the show was putting the music in the scenes.

I mean, he'll tell you that right now, but he was actually a drummer in a band when he was a kid.

And anyway, we did end up very much a family and very much a band, which is unusual, I think, in the acting world, so it worked out well.

- We're here with Al Sapienza, more of the cast of that terrific iconic HBO series.

I gotta tell ya, you and your castmates are brothers and sisters, and you're together here for David Chase.

It's a great night.

- David gave the world something that was very, very special, and I can only speak for myself, but I think I'm speaking for the other cast members.

He changed our lives for the better in every possible way, artistically, our personal, this show was just so good and made so many people happy, and it changed my life in every way for the better.

- It's funny, Al mentions that it changed his life, but the reality is that series changed our lives.

It changed New Jersey.

It changed how people look at us, and because so much of the talent came from the Garden State, even the New Yorkers who then, you know, made believe they were from Jersey, it was a big deal for Jersey.

- Absolutely, "Sopranos," The Four Seasons, the Giants, and the the Jets put Jersey on the map.

(laughs) - That's right.

- Now the last time we were together, your artwork was on display.

We were featuring how great an artist you are.

But Federico, I gotta ask you, tonight, you and your castmates to be here for the director, being inducted, David Chase.

How personal is this for you?

- It's very personal.

David Chase basically took a chance on an unknown actor, Federico Castelluccio from Paterson, New Jersey.

- Gotta get that in, Paterson, right?

(Federico chuckling) - And so, I will always be grateful to David for giving me that shot in my career as an actor.

I had been knocking around for 10 years, or 12 years, around that time.

Doing theatre and anything that you could get as an actor in the tri-state area.

Local theater, Shakespeare festivals, everything that you could get.

And by the time I was 35, I was ready for, I was ready for that shot.

And David presented that to me.

- And your castmates, I asked you this when we were in the studio together.

I just asked Vincent Curatola and Edie Falco, as well.

It feels like family, people use that term a lot.

But it's real with your guys.

- No, no, it was absolutely real.

In fact, we would work 16, 18 hours days.

And all of a sudden at night, everybody just would normally wanna go home.

But say "Hey, you wanna go and grab a bite to eat, "or a drink, or something like that?"

We really enjoyed our company, and it was, it did feel like, truly it did feel like a family.

- Final question, you're a New Yorker.

- Yes.

- But you've come to love New Jersey, I know that.

You cannot deny it.

(Federico chuckling) - No, I love New Jersey.

I actually grew up in New Jersey.

I grew up in Paterson, New Jersey.

I lived on New York City for about 18 years.

But, New Jersey, my heart lays here in New Jersey.

- It is my honor and pleasure to introduce Edie Falco, who, part of a great cast, a great team, here to honor your friend, the director David Chase.

Talk about him.

- Right.

The guy is just so smart, had such a vision for the show, knew exactly what he wanted and would not settle for anything less.

I don't know, someone, it's such a thing being around someone who has a singular vision.

It doesn't happen much these days, so I loved every minute of it.

- How much was New Jersey a part of that story?

- Well, you know, it took place in New Jersey.

- Right.

- So that was a big deal, and I was a little embarrassed that as a New Yorker, I never knew where we were.

- Wait, you didn't know Holsten's?

You didn't know that spot?

- I'd never heard of it.

It was just the, (Steve giggling) the set for that day, but I certainly know about it now.

- Yeah.

- We congratulate you and your cast for so many years of so much pleasure and entertainment.

You honor us by being here tonight.

- Oh, I was honored and thrilled to be a part of such a series that people are still talking about.

It was my good fortune.

- The band is back.

The family's back.

(Vincent laughing) Vincent, what's it like for you and your colleagues to be here tonight to honor David Chase?

- David is someone who gave us wonderful words to say and we hope that by saying the words that we did onscreen, that we have somehow inspired the arts.

I hope, I don't mean to sound like it was me or any one of us individually, but I think that "The Sopranos," it's kinda like a painting you'll go and look at maybe 100 years from now, we hope it lasts that long, and David's the one.

I inducted Jim Gandolfini in this years ago, and it's a wonderful, I'm a Jersey guy, born and raised.

- Bergen County?

- Bergen, Englewood.

- Englewood?

- Yeah.

- Now, we did a face-to-face.

- Right.

- We were at our Lincoln Center studio, the Tisch WNET studio, and that was an honor for me then, it's an honor for me now, all of us who love the work that you and your colleagues do.

What's the message to all those in New Jersey who don't get the attention and the respect that we deserve tonight on this night, where David Chase is inducted into the Hall of Fame?

What's the message to all the Jerseyans who know that New Yorkers are jealous of us?

- New York?

They should be jealous of us.

Let me tell you something.

I get emails from all over the world because of the show.

New Jersey, wonderful place, great people.

Hardworking salt of the earth.

That's all I care about.

- Aida Turturro is here on the red carpet.

- Oh!

- With us tonight.

- Sorry.

- We are inducting your friend, - Yes.

- David Chase.

- My old boss, yes.

- Your old boss.

- My old boss, right, right.

- Your old boss.

Tell us, what's one of your favorite memory, most favorite memories of David Chase?

- With David, you know, I remember being really intimidated by David because, I don't know, I just was, and I'm not easily intimidated.

(Jacqui laughing) And then I, I just remember that I had to talk to him about something.

I was really upset about something, a writing thing.

I got so nervous to talk to him, and then I was like, "David!"

I was, like, almost cry, "You know, this is really important to me."

And then, he was like, "Don't worry, Aida.

We'll make it work for you," and it was (Jacqui laughing) so easy to speak to him.

He was so understanding, and he's got a huge heart, and I feel like he's, like, I don't know, loving and wonderful, but he really comes off a little scary, but he's not.

- How does it feel being back with so many of your former castmates to honor him tonight?

- I mean, you know what, any time we're together, it's great.

- Yeah.

- And family.

It's like cousins.

- Yeah.

- Edie, I see all the time.

- That big Italian family.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

(Jacqui laughing) - This is Matt Servitto from the Jersey Shore, the real Jersey Shore.

Jacqui Tricarico, my colleague, has a different interpretation of the Jersey Shore, 'cause we're from the north so when we go down to Lavallette, that's the shore, right?

- That's - is there anything past Lavallette?

- Nothing.

- What about Ocean City?

- There's a lighthouse.

- The Barnegat Lighthouse, that's it.

- Ocean City?

That's not even in New Jersey.

(both laughing) - This is sort of like, is there a middle of Jersey?

It's sort of like, is there a south... a north coast, a south coast of Jersey, you know?

- It depends upon your perspective, but one thing Jacqui and I always agree on is not just the work that Matt did.

Agent Harris.

- Yes.

- FBI.

A thorn in Tony's side.

The one thing we know is that this is family.

You and your colleagues are family here for David.

- Yeah, oh, absolutely.

I mean, any opportunity for us to get together and do stuff like this, it doesn't happen enough 'cause you know, we just - especially during COVID, we all kind of went away.

Now we're finally seeing each other but I spent this weekend in Jersey at a fan fest called Chiller in Parsippany.

And so many fans of the show came out.

And I absolutely love engaging with the fans 'cause it's just the reaction.

And we have a whole younger fan base.

All the college kids binged it during COVID, so we have a whole new audience and it just proves that this stuff holds up, you know?

But I love that I didn't even know David...

There was three different factions on the show.

There was Brooklyn, New York, Italians.

- Go ahead.

- Bronx, New York Italians and Jersey Italians, and even Staten Island Italians.

So I didn't know David was in the Jersey camp 'cause I actually thought he was Brooklyn.

'cause the razzing that went on on set about like, "Oh, you're not Italian," or like, "Your mother's sauce is terrible."

You know, that kind of stuff.

- But Jacqui's from the southern portion of New Jersey, the Southern Italians, with the Pinelands.

You know, what are you gonna...

I'm leaving it alone.

(Matt laughing) You gotta - - No, no, but you said family and Aida, I was just speaking with her; she talked about tonight it just felt like bringing the family back together.

How important do you think that feels for David Chase tonight as being inducted into the New Jersey, New Jersey Hall of Fame?

- Listen, I, I'm sure it, it is, you know, David hates things like this.

I won't even pretend.

He's a very, you know, humble and shy guy and he doesn't like attention.

But I think he deserves a little attention every once in a while for making this amazing show.

And it's nice.

We've had a lot of passing actors from the show that have passed.

So a lot of the gatherings lately have been very sad and somber great to come together on a night like this.

Happy, celebrate the show, celebrate David.

So looking forward to it.

- And so many of those are New Jersey Hall of Fame inductees, like the late - - Yes.

- ...late great James Gandolfini.

What do you think they would all think about David Chase being inducted alongside them now?

- Oh my God.

I mean, like I said, I just, I, what's always amazing is every year the, the, the list of people that get inducted blows me away 'cause I'm always sort of both amazed and honored to be here in amongst a group, whether it's athletes, politicians, music, I mean so many great music from this state.

But yeah, to add David into that, that pantheon is perfect.

- We say thank you to the great cast of "The Sopranos" who joined us on the red carpet, at NJPAC, to honor, to recognize, to celebrate the work of the creator of the Sopranos, David Chase.

How interesting was that for you?

- It was so fun.

So many of the cast members showed up.

They said it was kind of like a family reunion for them, and it was great to speak to so many of them who were gracious enough to give us their time before going in and honoring their great friend and mentor David Chase.

- It's pretty odd when you... Not odd, but in a good way to recognize how many people have a New Jersey connection, who have brought their skills, their tools, particularly in the world of arts and culture and entertainment to the rest of the world.

Hey, let's tee this next clip up.

This is... We're gonna watch Patty Scialfa from the E Street band.

Her partner, Bruce Springsteen, introduces her, right?

And Patty has been part of the E Street Band since 1990... No, sorry, 1984, And she has had such an amazing career with the E Street Band, but also solo career too.

She's about to release her fourth album in 2024.

And she is... She's just really Jersey Pride, as well.

Grew up in New Jersey, and her in Bruce Springsteen met down in Asbury Park - The other thing is you watch Patty Scialfa accept the honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

but she is so incredibly humble, so approachable.

There were people...

There was a long line of people to take pictures with her and with Bruce Springsteen.

She just was gracious.

Sure, absolutely.

And she was all in.

And you felt that kind of, I know Jacqui, I know you're from South Jersey, I'm from North Jersey, but there's a Jersey thing.

And you pick it up, can't you?

(Jacqui laughing) What is it?

- It's a whole Jersey thing, yeah.

And you'll see that in this clip, that that comes off very much so during her acceptance speech.

- That's what it is, there's a Jersey thing.

I can't explain it.

Whether you're from the south, southern part of the state, like Jacqui, or up here from the north, there's a Jersey thing.

And this is Bruce Springsteen, the quintessential Jersey guy.

You'll see him introducing and acknowledging his wife, his partner, his colleague, a great, talented musician, Patty Scialfa.

Let's check it out.

- I am glad to welcome Patti Scialfa to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Congratulations, baby.

(audience cheering and applauding) (gentle music) - Hey.

(giggling) There's a scene in the film, "Almost Famous", where the character of Cameron Crowe receives a parting gift from his sister.

It's a crate filled with all her favorite records that he pulls out from underneath the bed.

The albums happened to be some of the most seminal albums that I listened to as a kid, and probably for a lot of people in this room.

I'm sure that scene touches many people as deeply as it touched me.

Holding those album covers in your hand made you feel as if you were touching another world, a world you wanted to be a part of, but had no idea how to get there.

It's a mystery.

It's a ticket to a magical destination that you long for, where you imagine people will speak your personal secret language.

Music is powerful.

It's just so powerful.

All kinds of music, all kinds of music, all kinds of idioms.

It can inform you, it can resonate back to you, to your heart, who you are, who you'd like to come and be, who you'd like to become.

I was fortunate to meet and work with so many brilliant musicians and artists, and find a piece of that world, a little piece of that world for myself.

And I'm so deeply grateful to the many people I've worked with who have reflected back to me the beauty and transformative power of music.

Thank you to the New Jersey Hall of Fame for including me in such esteemed and beautiful company, and congratulations to all my fellow honorees.

(audience cheering and applauding) Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

♪ What would you do if I sang out of tune ♪ ♪ Would you stand up, would you walk out on me ♪ ♪ Lend me your ear and I'll sing you a song ♪ ♪ I will try not to sing out of key ♪ ♪ Whoa, I get by with a little help from my friends ♪ ♪ Sometimes I need to try and try and try ♪ ♪ With a little help from my friends ♪ ♪ Every day I'm gonna try a little harder ♪ ♪ With a little help from my friends ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ - [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Hackensack Meridian Health.

NJM Insurance Group.

PSE&G, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

PSEG Foundation.

PNC Foundation.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Education Association.

And by Prudential Financial.

Promotional support provided by Meadowlands Chamber.

And by NJ.Com.

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