From ‘The Sopranos’ to ‘Nurse Jackie,’ Edie

This Emmy award winning actress has been seen on the stage and screen. Edie Falco went from her stint on Oz, to the hit HBO series The Sopranos and now she is starring in Showtime’s Nurse Jackie alongside Twilight actor Peter Facinelli!

Edie has an adopted son and daughter, Anderson and Macy. In 2003, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but was able to overcome it. In her lifetime Edie also battled issues with alcoholism.

“I’m just not one of those people who thought having biological children was that important,” she once said about adopting kids, “To me it was more about wanting to raise a child.”

Your BFFs at Hollybaby are wishing you all the best today, Edie!

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4. Happy Birthday, Jason Schwartzman! You’re 31 Today, June 26!

Gbenga Akinnagbe debuted his new role on May 2 as a manipulative nurse on ‘Nurse Jackie!’

Gbenga Akkinnagbe has signed onto Nurse Jackie for season 3 in which he plays the role of Nurse Kelly Slater. His character shows “tension be[tween] Jackie and himself, but it’s a lot of fun! It’s not malicious, it’s on the boarder of a healthy competition.” he says.

Beginning on May 9, Gbenga will be a constant on the show and it seems as if he’s having a great time being apart of the cast! “Working with Edie Falco [Nurse Jackie] is great, I have a lot of fun with her. Besides, she is so talented. She is really down to earth. She is one of the most generous actresses I’ve ever worked with–ever,” he says about his co-star.

Better known for his breakout role on HBO’s ‘The Wire,’ this Showtime hit series will make a major star out of the renowned Gbenga. Adding to that, he’s had quite an impressive list of credits – he later scored parts in film and television including the Oscar Nominated Indie — The Savages, The Edge of Darkness (co-starring with Mel Gibson), and CBS’ The Good Wife.

Life wasn’t always so glamorous though for Gbenga!  He went from rags to riches, being one of six children living in an unstable environment, moving from shelter to shelter.  It was not until after college that Gbenga gained interest in acting. After his father’s passing, he relocated to NYC and began auditioning for acting gigs.

It certainly paid off! Way to go Gbenga! Hollywoodlifers, don’t forget to tune into Nurse Jackie, Monday’s 10 p.m. ET!

–Joann Vaglica and David Ryan

Clockwise: Courtesy of FOX, The CW (2), ABC

Which scripted series had you glued to the TV this season?

Hey, BFFs! We here at HollywoodLife.com make it our mission to keep you guys up-to-date on all things Hollywood, but now we need your help! Take a minute to tell us which scripted series you LOVE and which ones you want to see more of on the site. And even though most of your favorite shows are ending for the season, don’t forget some other GREAT shows like True Blood and Weeds are about to come back for the summer!

Click as many shows as you want (be honest, it’s anonymous!) and if we left any of your favorites out, be sure to drop us a comment and let us know!

Thanks, BFFs :)

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The Twilight vampire is ditching his fangs and stepping into the ring! He’s going to star in a new film about the true story of an inspirational boxer! Do you think Peter is the right choice to play Vinny Paz?

Peter Facinelli, best known for playing Carlisle Cullen in the Twilight series, is taking on a huge new role! The actor, also known for his role on Nurse Jackie as Dr. Cooper, will play boxing champion Vinny Pazienza in a biopic called Paz. The movie is about Vinny’s life and will focus on the boxer’s car accident which left him with a broken neck, after which doctors told him he would never box again. The boxer goes on to prove the doctors wrong, however, and becomes a world champion, beating Jr. Middleweight champion Luis Santana in 1991.

We can’t wait to see this film which is set to start filming some time in 2011. Do you think Peter will make a good boxer?

— Chloe Melas

Courtesy of Showtime

Jackie’s in way over her head in season two!

Hey, BFFs! We hope you’re all caught up on Nurse Jackie, because it’s coming back at 10 p.m. tonight on Showtime — and trust us, you won’t want to miss it. If you remember, last May’s season finale left Jackie (Edie Falco) laying on the hospital floor in a drug-induced state, and while tonight’s premiere doesn’t pick up exactly where the finale left off, it does set up plenty of new troubles for our favorite pill-popping nurse.

For one thing, now that Jackie’s secret boyfriend Eddie (Paul Schulze) knows she has a husband, Jackie is really on edge. Trust us — you’ll be feeling her anxiety right through the TV screen when she first sees Eddie in tonight’s premiere. And as daughter Grace’s (Ruby Jerins) own anxiety issues become more prominent — and hilarious — Jackie will have yet another mess on her hands.

Oh, and did we mention Peter Facinelli‘s adorable Dr. Fitch Cooper? He’ll be back, and just as ridiculous as ever. As if his big ego needed any more inflating, he’s about to get a very prestigious honor that will have everyone else in All Saints’ Hospital turning green with envy.

Meanwhile, Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith) is on a total witch hunt, trying to figure out why so much prescription medication has gone missing — and unaccounted for — from the hospital. The investigation already has us on the edge of our seats, and that’s only after one episode!

Trouble at home, trouble at work — it’s like Jackie isn’t safe anywhere she goes! We can’t wait to see what happens to her this season. Tell us, BFFs — will YOU be watching tonight?

Get More on Edie Falco & Nurse Jackie:

1. Don’t Miss Tonight’s ‘Nurse Jackie’ Premiere! We Saw It & We Loved It!
2. EXCLUSIVE! Says Edie Falco: James Gandolfini Would Only Make the ‘Sopranos’ Movie if I Played Tony!
3. Julianne Moore v. Edie Falco: Ladies in Red Go Head to Head on the Red Carpet!
4. WATCH Tonight!  Edie Falco Previews the Upcoming Second Season of ‘Nurse Jackie!’

Hey BFFs, are you big Nurse Jackie fans?

You won’t want to miss the second season of Edie Falco‘s outrageous Showtime series when it comes back for a second season tomorrow, March 22, at 10 p.m. “She’s got great stuff about her and not so great stuff,” Edie says of her character. “She cares a great deal about people and taking care of them.” But more importantly, Edie notes, “she’s a mess!”

Plenty of changes are in store for the doctors and nurses of All Saints’ Hospital — and Jackie, as always, seems to be at the center of the madness. Her addiction to prescription medication, and trying to keep it secret, is usually what gets her into the most trouble. Edie says playing a dependent character has been a challenging experience.

“You put yourself into the mind of a person who deals with drug addiction and the mental issues that come with it, and you can make sense of it, in the mind of that person,” Edie says. “It’s hard for an outsider to understand, but it can be done.”

In fact, she says Jackie’s addiction is actually what makes her appealing to many viewers. While they may not necessarily identify with her addiction specifically, Edie notes that people like seeing flawed characters.

“I think American television may be taking a turn over the last number of years where perhaps they don’t want to see people who are perfect,” she says.

What do you think, BFFs? Do you love Jackie for her flaws, or would you rather see her get her act together? Drop us a comment and let us know what you think of Nurse Jackie!

Get More on Edie Falco & ‘Nurse Jackie:’

1. Don’t Miss Tonight’s ‘Nurse Jackie’ Premiere! We Saw It & We Loved It!
2. EXCLUSIVE! Says Edie Falco: James Gandolfini Would Only Make the ‘Sopranos’ Movie if I Played Tony!
3. Julianne Moore v. Edie Falco: Ladies in Red Go Head to Head on the Red Carpet!

Warning: When you watch this video, you’re going to know the secrets of next season!

According to Nurse Jackie’s Season 2 tagline ‘Shift happens.’ Our favorite morally-ambiguous, pill-popping nurse comes back to the small screen in less than a week (March 22, to be exact) and after talking to the cast and previewing the season two premiere, we can report first-hand that this season is funnier – yet more tragic – than ever.

Watch our exclusive video from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences evening of Nurse Jackie in North Hollywood March 15, and see which character is getting a Twitter account, who’s getting a sexy new EMT lova’ and, most importantly, hear the answer to the question we’ve all been asking: will the rest of the world figure out Jackie is an addict?

Will YOU be watching the season two premiere of Nurse Jackie March 22 on Showtime?

What would you do to see the Sopranos movie get made?

As all Sopranos die-hards are well aware, each and every former cast member has agreed to make a Sopranos movie…except one very important person: Mr. Tony Soprano himself. Luckily, his co-star and former on-screen wife, Edie Falco, has hatched a brilliant plan to get James Gandolfini to jump on board, and shared her genius idea with HollywoodLife.com exclusively.

“There’s nothing that guy needs. There’s nothing he wants. I think he’s very happy,” Edie, 46, told us at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Evening with Nurse Jackie in North Hollywood March 15.

She added, “I got nothing to offer him except that if I could play Tony. He might do it if I played Tony and he played Carmela.”

Hear that, Mr. Gandolfini? The offer is out on the table — so put your best dress on, because your fans demand it!

Are you just dying to see the Sopranos movie get green-lit?

Get more on Edie Falco:

1. Hey Golden Globes! Thanks For Making Us Glee-ful By Giving Our Fave Show Four Big Noms!
2. Julianne Moore Or Edie Falco? Who Wore It Better At The SAG Awards?