Did I miss something?

It would appear that Tony "Paulie Walnuts" Sirico of The Sopranos is getting some press lately for his decades-old criminal history.

I just happened to catch Tim Cuprisin's blog post on the topic, and from what it looks like, it's been a hot topic elsewhere. Tim points out this Smoking Gun page outlining Sirico's shady past.

But here's the thing: I've known about this for years. Being the IMDB junkie I am, I've known about Tony's indescretions since The Soprano's second season. And even the Smoking Gun feature is at least a couple of years old, based on a reference made to the show.

So I just gotta ask, did I miss something? Anyone out there know why this has suddenly become news? I've seen it referenced in places other than Cuprisin's blog, but now I can't recall where.

Or are the show's producers highlighting this now for publicity?

I mean, seriously, authentic mobsters on the show? How much better can it get?