Laverne Cox and Taylor Schilling give us a glimpse behind their characters in Orange is the New Black, writes Ed Power

This morning every retailer in the country will wake early, stirred from their fitful sleep by a mixture of optimism and anxiety.

As Don Draper makes his return this week, John Daly picks TV’s most memorable characters, many of them so influential, we forget they never actually lived.

Man caught by long finger of the law

James Gandolfini and Cory Monteith will be honoured at the Emmy Awards.

BACK around the mid-noughties, some social gatherings began to take on the air of a strange self-help group. “We did four last night,” somebody would confess.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus says audiences will “really freak out” over James Gandolfini’s performance in his final film.

A MONTH ago today, actor James Gandolfini, best known for his role as Mafia boss, Tony Soprano, was found lying on his hotel bathroom floor, in Italy, by his 13-year-old son, Michael. He had suffered a fatal heart attack, aged 51.

James Gandolfini's widow paid tribute to her “ honest, kind and loving” husband at his funeral on Thursday.

The creator of The Sopranos has said at James Gandolfini’s funeral that the actor brought the traits of a sad boy, “amazed and confused,” to the role of Tony Soprano.

The funeral of The Sopranos star, James Gandolfini, is due to take place in New York.

James Gandolfini's body has been returned to the US.

James Gandolfini’s portrayal of criminal Tony Soprano in the landmark drama series The Sopranos was just one facet of an actor who created a rich legacy of film and stage work in a life cut short.

Actor James Gandolfini died after suffering cardiac arrest, hospital officials in Rome say.

James Gandolfini, the actor famous for his lead role in mob drama The Sopranos, has died in Italy, according to his managers.

James Gandolfini died suddenly in Italy yesterday.

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI is ready and eager to sign on the dotted line and says he now sees no obstacle to an agreement being reached on a new contract with the FAI.

I LANDED my job in the Irish Examiner by pitching a half-baked idea — cold — to the sports editor.

IT’S not that long since Ajax were the best club in the world.

The lonely, but successful, life of a laptop gambler

I should be wary about writing this column for two reasons, at least.

In a real-life twist on The Sopranos, some Italian mobsters are turning to therapy for help. Frances D’Emilio reports from Reggio Calabria, Italy.

The mafia boss was having a dreadful time dealing with loss. But he was not struggling with the loss of lives, or even the loss of his freedom.

A LIST of the world’s most unanswerable questions, including “what is the meaning of life?”, “Is there a God?” and “what is the secret to happiness?” have been revealed by internet Q&A specialist Ask Jeeves.

BEER-SWILLING, doughnut-lover Homer Simpson has been named the greatest character created for television and film in the past 20 years.

The man who pays Homer Simpson's wages has topped a new magazine poll to find the worst US TV boss.

IAN RUSH couldn’t settle in Italy; the Welsh striker said it was like living in a foreign country. But San Nicola — the patron saint of Bari — is, they say, a friend to travellers and up to 6,000 Irish soccer fans were certainly making themselves at home in the coastal city yesterday.

THE talk was about fear of lost jobs, of decimated pension funds and of unmanageable mortgages but it was clear from the weekend’s massive workers’ demonstration that the real fear among the trade unions was of a divided membership.

BERTIE SOPRANO was sick of the wise guys who thought they were big enough to take him down.

NOBODY is foolish enough to confuse the banks and the Salvation Army but we should all be able to sleep easy in our beds believing they are not pirates either.

ANYONE of us who wishes to live in a society where the protection of the law means something tangible and worth fighting for owes a great debt of gratitude to Akef Alquasar.

Sopranos creator David Chase said he felt “absolutely sick” when he learned a former judge was trying to take credit for the popular mob drama which he described as “me, my mother, my uncles”.

US MOB drama The Sopranos said its farewells when it picked up the top award at the 59th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles at television’s equivalent of the Oscars.

Now that The Sopranos is over, the owners of the real-life club that played the part of the Bada Bing will auction the 12ft stripper poles and other relics from the TV drama on eBay.

Now that The Sopranos is over, the owners of the real-life club that played the part of the Bada Bing will auction off the 12-foot stripper poles and other relics from the TV drama on eBay.

Hit mob series The Sopranos and TV movie Bury my heart at wounded knee, lead the 2007

THE much-awaited conclusion of The Sopranos arrived on US screens on Sunday night in a frenzy of audience speculation — but Irish audiences have to wait a few more weeks yet.

The time has come for The Sopranos to be killed off. And actor Michael Imperioli is ready for the end.

THE producers of hit TV show The Sopranos were denied a permit to film in Bloomfield, New Jersey, because the mayor and some city council members say the series negatively depicts Italian-Americans.

Sopranos star James Gandolfini will reign as celebrity monarch Bacchus during the 2007 carnival season in New Orleans.