The family remains connected

It's great to see Michael Imperioli every week on ABC's "Life on Mars," with his fabulous 1970s Fu Manchu mustache. Drea de Matteo has been crazed-junkie magic on FX's "Sons of Anarchy." And it was like old times when Vincent Pastore had his recent six-episode run on "General Hospital," as a mob boss. Seeing them again has gotten me thinking about "The Sopranos" cast. The HBO series bit the dust back in June 2007, and now the actors are on the market again, trying to keep their careers afloat after having appeared in, like, you know, one of the best TV shows ever made. Here's a progress report on a few members of the family.

JAMES GANDOLFINI (Tony Soprano): It was the perfect match of actor and role, and we may never be able to see Gandolfini without thinking of Tony. Still, Gandolfini has plenty of movie projects in the works, including roles in director Tony Scott's remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123" with Denzel Washington and John Travolta, as well as in a biopic of Marvin Gaye called "Sexual Healing" starring Jesse L. Martin. Gandolfini has a voice role in "Where the Wild Things Are," a Maurice Sendak children's story adapted by director Spike Jonze and writer Dave Eggers, and he is attached to a movie about Ernest Hemingway in which he'll play Hemingway. That I'll have to see to believe.

"Sopranos" Forever: Look for Michael Rispoli (Jackie Aprile) in the "Pelham" remake.

JAMIE-LYNN SIGLER (Meadow Soprano): Sigler, now preparing to launch a line of jewelry, is doing the TV series guest-star circuit. She's in the middle of a three-episode arc on "Entourage," and she'll appear in an upcoming episode of "How I Met Your Mother." Also on Sigler's docket: A movie called "Son of Mourning" that will costar . . .

"Sopranos" Forever: Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Melfi).

EDIE FALCO (Carmela Soprano): She's moving on from HBO to The Other Major Pay-cable Channel, Showtime, for a dark comedy called "Nurse Jackie." With shorter hair and, presumably, shorter fingernails than Carmela, Falco will play a New York City ER nurse with an addiction to painkillers. The show is due next spring.

"Sopranos" Forever: Her boyfriend on "Nurse Jackie" will be played by Paul Schulze, who also played Father Phil on "The Sopranos." How's that for a "Thorn"-y situation?

STEVE SCHIRRIPA (Bobby Baccalieri): Who'd have thought that the boyish Bacala would be one of the show's breakout stars? Schirripa has been very busy lately, with a recurring role as one of the dads on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," and with a few movies on tap including. . .

"Sopranos" Forever: "Letters to Santa: A Muppets Christmas" with Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts) and writer-director Imperioli's "The Hungry Ghosts," costarring Sharon Angela (Rosalie Aprile) and John Ventimiglia (Artie Bucco).