It took years for New Jersey to wrestle the unofficial Most Corrupt State title from Louisiana and public officials there are determined not to relinquish the crown.

Just the other day, in yet another round of government corruption-related arrests yet another passel of mayors and other public officials from three counties were caught accepting payoffs from undercover agents in yet another sting operation.

Given that voters associate corruption more with Democrats, a reasonable person would think that Republicans could take advantage of that fact.

Wrong.

A new Quinnipiac University poll finds that even through 88 percent of voters consider corruption a serious problem and predominately a Democratic problem, 54 percent of them say they’re not likely to vote for Republicans in the November election when all 120 state legislative seats are being contested.

Democrats currently control the state Senate 22-18 and the General Assembly 50-30, as well as the statehouse. Both U.S. senators and 7 of 13 congressmen also are Democrats.

There are a number of explanations for the disconnect revealed by the poll, but I’m going with these:

* New Jersey is, in a word, weird, and suffers from an identity crisis that explains some of the weirdness.

Say “Iowa” and you think of cornfields. Say “Texas” and you think of the Alamo. Say “Florida” and you think of Disney World. But say “New Jersey” and you think of . . . Smelly oil refineries? Toll roads? The 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping? Tony Soprano?

* While everyone talks about corruption being a problem, no one does anything about it.

This may stem in part from the probability that just about everyone, especially in the northern part of the state, has a neighbor or knows someone who has been caught up in a corruption probe. It’s simply part of the social fabric and a consequence of New Jersey’s notorious “pay to play” political ethic.

* New Jersey is unusual in that most power resides at the top and bottom of the political infrastructure.

New Jersey’s governor is arguably the most powerful of any of the 50 and local commissions and boards wield a tremendous amount of power.

* New Jersey may be the most liberal state, a tide which tends to raise Republican boats.

Indeed, many Republican officeholders are well out of the national GOP mainstream. The party’s sole gubernatorial success in the last 17 years was the election of Christie Todd Whitman, a staunch moderate, in 1993. Only four of the 11 elected governors since World War II have been Republicans.

Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said the poll shows corruption probably won’t be decisive in this year’s legislative elections, but could pose problems for incumbents in close races.

Meanwhile, the poll found voters approve of U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, a Republican who has spearheaded many of the corruption investigations, by a 40 percent to 14 percent margin.

But Richards noted that:

“Christie gets good marks from voters for his corruption fighter role in New Jersey, but that does not seem to translate into political power.”

Only in New Jersey, folks. Only in New Jersey.

This Hillary Clinton video spoofing the last scene of The Sopranos is a masterful use of American culture. Can you spot the real cast member from The Sopranos?

Read the always original Josh Trevino’s analysis HERE in National Review.

UPDATE: HBO is now bolstering Trevino’s view that Tony was probably “whacked” in the final ambiguous scene. They say viewers may be onto something and that there were earlier CLUES.

John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune, Missouri

Larry Wright, The Detroit News

….at Newcritics, Tom Watson’s truly superb popular culture group blog. When it says “The Best In Web Criticism,” it is NOT an overstatement.

You can boil down the reaction to a quick and detailed read this way:

The criticism and posts on this site are to be read, savored and emulated. It’s truly a place that elevates web criticism.

For instance, with THIS POST on the Sopranos’ highly-controversial finale and see what writer M.A. Peel concludes about what that final episode really mean in terms of Tony’s future…or lack of it. It’s one of yours truly’s favorite pieces on that controversial final episode of TV’s greatest drama.

Take A Peek at Newcritics and you’ll be taking more than a daily peek…

Mike Lester, The Rome News-Tribune

Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant

All good things come to an end…and so do great things like HBO’s landmark series “The Sopranos.”

Creator David Chase has been smart: unlike some TV series that limp off the air having run out of creative steam, “The Sopranos” ends tonight during a darkly-scripted season where the writing and acting are at their peak. The Sopranos remains one of the best dramas to have watched during its original series run — and one that can be enjoyed over and over again due to the depth of scripting, acting and writing so evident when you watch episodes more closely on DVDs.

The importance of the written word is also evident when you read THIS BOOK of The Sopranos’ scripts. The shows are as vivid when read as scripts as when watched.

But, now, how does it all end?

Cast member Stephen Van Zandt (seemingly) tipped Chase’s hand when he told a reporter that tne ending would be “controversial” and something people would be talking about. The hype — and genuine interest — in how the show is going to turn out is raging so much that people are even taking bets on it.

Online bookmaker BetUS.com offers odds on The Sopranos Finale. The bookmaker reports unprecedented betting volumes on the show.

Let’s have a quick look at the odds then. Tony Soprano is expected to survive in tonight’s last episode. “Will Tony Soprano survive the final episode?” Yes is currently sitting at -400, No at +250.

The same can’t be said for Phil Leotardo. “Will Phil Leotardo survive the final episode?” Yes is the underdog, currently sitting at +200, No the favorite at -300.

BetUS.com also offers odds on the possibility both Tony and Phil will end up dead. “If either are killed who will be killed first?” Phil is once again the favorite on death row, at -600 while Tony’s odds sit at +350.

Paulie Walnuts is also favored to survive the end of The Sopranos’ saga. “Will Paulie Walnuts survive the final episode?” Yes -300, No +200.

Last, but not least, come the odds on Silvio Dante’s awakening during the final episode (Yes +130, No -170).

And if you’re a Sopranos’ junkie, and read the various interviews over the years, there are a few tidbits about David Chase which SHOULD (but might not) help prepare you for the final episode:

(1) He has felt that the traditional story about the rise and fall of the gangster is now a bit cliched. Does it always stand to reason that there is a fall? Does this mean Tony is likely to live or die?

(2) He has left story strands unresolved. Were there some red herrings this season that won’t really matter in the final episode?

(3) He loves to shock viewers. Just when you expect the show would do what TV shows and movies ALWAYS DO, something happens that shatters expectations. Just as a joke is what comedy coach Greg Dean has called a “shattered assumption,” so is the world of “The Sopranos” — a medley of shattered expectations. Violence may occur suddenly, unexpectedly (like in real life). A typical dramatic arc is tossed out for a new dramatic shape of Chase’s choosing.

(4) Thoughout most of the seasons Tony, played by the irreplaceable James Gandolfini (who is reportedly as nice and considerate a guy as he is a superb actor — read THIS STORY for the part about the checks he gifted his fellow actors) was a murderous but sympathetic guy. This season, his true brutality has shone through (and the masks have been ripped off other key characters as well in revealing moments into their souls). Is Chase preparing us for a brutal demise?

There are all kinds of theories about what will unfold. Here are some POSSIBLE and HIGHLY UNLIKELY scenarios:

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I’ve always told people that as a former fulltime mainstream media journalist I could TELL when I read a news story whether the reporter likes the interview subject or not.

One constant since The Sopranos became a monster entertainment and cultural hit on HBO has been the good press received by James Gandolfini AKA Tony Soprano. You can tell when you read stories where reporters interview him that a) they like him, b) cast members love him, c) he is not your stereotypical egotistical showbiz type trying to hog all the glory but insists on constantly giving credit to his co-workers.

Read THIS INTERVIEW and you see the best example of this.

It’s always gratifying to watch an actor or actress on TV or pay to see their films when they seem like decent human beings. And (as usual) he seems like a class act who isn’t drunk with his own publicity or rave reviews.

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The Sopranos are playing on A&E with lots of bad language, sex and violence trimmed out. But what happens when The Sopranos realize it? THIS:

Kevin Andre Elliot breaks it down.

This time inspiring a classic bit on The Simpsons:

And now it’s time for the moment fans of HBO’s “The Sopranos” have long waited for — and dreaded.

“The Sopranos,” quite possibly the episode-per-episode finest-acted and scripted single-series drama in television history, will start its final (and creator David Chase MEANS final) 9 episodes tonight with the prevailing question: will Tony Soprano die at the end?

Other almost as prevalent questions are: will Tony’s surrogate son Christopher be whacked (reportedly, many placing bets think so)? Or will the underlying familial story of Tony’s second struggle, with his literal family, kick into play and will his son A.J. die at the end? And will someone close to Tony betray him (some pre-episode press reports suggest something along that line will happen)?

What’s certain is that James Gandolfini, who plays mob-boss Tony Soprano, has throughout the show’s run fine-tuned his character so viewers have seen him evolve, harden, soften, show humanity and display utter brutality. If you read through some books on The Sopranos that offer parts or entire copies of “The Sopranos’” scripts, there are references during the show’s run about how a mob boss either winds up in prison or on a slab. So it’s unlikely Tony will end the series exactly as we see him in the first episode — which those who’ve seen it say is more of a downer scene-setter along the lines of the play and the film (which starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton) Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

In anticipating the series’ outcome, the four most likely endings would likely be:

(1) Tony Dies: This would be the typical Hollywood-type payoff ending, one that actually goes back to the days when there was a production code and bad guys weren’t allowed to triumph at the end of most movies. But David Chase has not been known to do this program according to typical Hollywood-cliche standards.

(2) Tony Goes To Jail: Perhaps. But, unless it was startling, it could be an unsatisfying and somewhat inconclusive ending. Unlikely.

(3) Tony Wins The Battle But Loses His World: He survives but he is devastated or a shadow of what he was. This suggests a lot of bodies and perhaps the death or jailing of someone close to him. Those who think this is in the offing will keep an eye on his son A.J.

(4) There Is No Massive Resolution. Just like many things in life.

Some cast members wouldn’t mind a “The Sopranos” feature film, but Gandolfini has made it crystal clear he wants to and intends to move on from his career-making but emotionally-draining role. Theoretically, a feature film could be made without him (Hollywood has written around or recast major figures before) but it’s hard to see how a studio would bank on its success.

Why has “The Sopranos” been such an incredible program? There are many reasons but here are a few:

–Incredible acting. On many television dramas you can be engaged but if you watch a lot of acting and are someone who is into acting technique, writing and production values, you invariably can focus on those factors. It is extremely difficult not to be drawn totally into the story and care about “The Sopranos.” The acting is that good.
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