Chasing brilliance

There were two schools of thought, at least, on the finale of "The Sopranos." One group of ardent fans believed it was brilliance incarnate. The other, that would be us, thought it was a total cop out.

That diner blackout with a Journey soundtrack left us incredulous, then cold, then hopping mad, and it shook our David Chase fandom to the core. But then we had some flashbacks (not the 'Nam variety), and we knew we still loved him. That would be true if he'd had a creative hand in no other shows than the "The Rockford Files" and "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," the Similac in our TV baby bottle. And see how big and strong it made us?

We're far from alone in our Chase worship. A seven-time Emmy winner who's been in the industry for more than three decades, Chase will collect the Writers Guild of America West’s Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television, the group's lifetime achievement honor. The ceremony's next month. More details here.

Now, cough up that "Sopranos" movie, will ya?