Il primo!
Paisan Con — “New Jersey’s first Italian pop culture convention” — is coming to Fairfield, NJ, next month.
The two-day extravaganza — featuring the likes of “Sopranos” star Lorraine Bracco; Giants quarterback Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito, legendary Mets reliever John Franco, and “Godfather” actor Gianni Russo — will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton on April 13 and 14.
“I think it’s about time we had an event that features Italians and all we have contributed to world culture, art, food, fashion, music and on and on,” said Russo, who played the wife-beating mobster Carlo Rizzi in the iconic 1972 film.
“Paisan Con is an offer you can’t refuse. Be there!”
Also on the menu: Kathrine Narducci, who starred in “The Sopranos,” “A Bronx Tale” and “The Irishman;” Federico “Furio” Castelluccio, who had eyes for Carmela Soprano and lived to tell about it; former WWE wrestling champ Enzo Amore; and soccer star Giuseppe Rossi, a Teaneck, NJ native who played most of his career in Europe for Villarreal and Fiorentina.
Why Fairfield? It’s the most Italian place in the US, according to the census, with more than half its 7,475 residents claiming Italian ancestry.
The convention — which features meet-and-greets, autograph sessions, pasta eating, meatball and “sauce versus gravy” contests — is the brainchild of Billy Pompeo and Nick Petito, a 29-year-old actor-comedian from Belleville, NJ, who does a mean Tony Soprano impersonation.
“I’ve been heavily influenced by my Italian-American culture,” noted Petito, whose mother and grandmother introduced him to the music of Frank Sinatra and Jimmy Roselli and counts the late Danny Aiello and Al Pacino among his favorite performers.
“We want to get the Italian-American community working together and we want to give everybody more opportunities by networking at our event,” Petito said.
Paisan Con gets its name from “paesano,” Italian for countryman or friend.
“We all grew up watching [the mobster films], but unfortunately there haven’t been enough Italian-American films that are not about the mob — like ’29th Street’ and ‘Moonstruck,'” Petito noted. “But now we have [movies like] ‘Cabrini,'” he added, a reference to this year’s film that depicts the life of Catholic missionary Francesca Cabrini. Castelluccio plays a senator in the movie, a “360 on the character he played on ‘The Sopranos.'”
As for the sauce vs. gravy contest?
There’s no beef, Petito assured. But since area Italians refer to their toppings both ways, the winner of a taste test judging will get to put their stamp on which term they call it.
Children are $20 for one day, $30 for the weekend.
Adults are $30 for the day, $45 for the weekend.
VIP tickets, as well as admission for the pasta eating entry or the meatball judging contest are also on sale.