THE SOPRANOS - VAN ZANDT MOURNS SOPRANOS END

THE SOPRANOS star STEVEN VAN ZANDT is finding it tough to accept the long-running mafia show is finally over, and admits the whole cast is "in denial". Van Zandt, who has played mobster Silvio Dante since the programme began in 1999, is bracing himself for the end of an era when the final episode airs in the U.S. on Sunday (09Jun07). He says, "I think we're all a little bit in denial. We've had so many long breaks on the show that it just doesn't feel like it's really over. "It's hard to accept."