The Bold Soprano

Stein rejects that notion. ''It's not possible that HBO doesn't know how to do this right,'' says the attorney. ''It's more likely that because of the economic climate, networks and studios are more willing to fight than they were in the past.''

Still, some believe the mess grew out of something more personal: friction between HBO's Albrecht and Gandolfini's agent, David Brownstein. Although Gandolfini won't confirm whether Albrecht demanded he replace Brownstein, Gandolfini states, ''I just want to say I'm re-signing with David Brownstein. He's a good agent and we've been through a lot together.''

Things turned around when executive producer Brad Grey called Gandolfini. ''He's known me for a long time,'' says the actor. ''He saw this was getting ugly, and as a producer of the show, decided we needed to talk and settle a few things.''

As of press time, HBO and Gandolfini were finalizing a deal that, according to the actor's camp, would almost double his salary. With an outcome at hand, Gandolfini could put it all in perspective. ''People are getting a little nuts with this whole thing,'' he says. ''It's a TV show. I just want to get back to work.''

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