Expanding 'The Sopranos' Family Tree

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/20/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

The Mob invaded New Jersey this weekend, at least Mob wannabes. Nearly 14,000 hopefuls from all over jockeyed for position in line in the sleepy suburb of Harrison, N.J. -- where the residential population is just under 14,000 -- for Saturday's open casting call for HBO's popular Mafia family series, "The Sopranos." In evidence: a lot of pinkie rings on men and heavily teased hair on women. Henry Bronchtein, a co-producer and production manager for the show (which on Thursday garnered 18 Emmy nominations), told The New York Times that, originally, the call was going to be strictly local. "But then it got picked up by Regis (Philbin) and Howard Stern, and . . . people were calling us, saying they were flying in from all over the country." One aspirant was asked if he were in the business, and he answered yes. But, it turned out, the guy didn't mean show business -- he presumably meant the same business as Tony Soprano's. He, like many of the others, was promised a call back . . . IF the producers were interested.