Rescue Me fans have become all too familiar with Mike "Probie" Silletti's hard-rock band — and 62 Truck's favorite subject of mockery — Apache Stone. But what you may not realize is the group is actually a real-life band fronted by actor Michael Lombardi.
"[Denis Leary and the writing partners] found out I had a band and were like ...
read more
Question: Based on last night's Rescue Me, I guess Probie is the big gay surprise you've been hinting at.
Answer: Yes, he is. But exec producer Peter Tolan cautioned me (via my colleague, Bruce Fretts), against slapping a label on him. "Probie is a character who has been searching for love — and in many cases, in the wrong places," says Tolan. "What he finds is not love but companionship and sexual release. But he’s a confused guy, and I don’t think he’s gay. The funniest conversations those characters have is about how they’re involved in a sexual relationship but they’re not gay. There’s been an unhealthy
read more
Question: Considering the wonderful praise given to Rescue Me by you as well as other critics, it saddens me that this show seems to be snubbed come nomination time. It's made plenty of critics' Top 10 lists and I'm happy it made AFI's list. It simply amazes me how Denis Leary does not get an acting or writing nomination for Tommy Gavin and Season 2 for the Golden Globes. It's not the first time a deserving series has been ignored, but I am just surprised given the "FX is the new HBO" attitude as of late. In HBO's prime, it got tons of nominations. Finally, what saddens me most of all is that the ensemble of this show will simply never be recognized. Jack McGee and Daniel Sunjata deserve recognition for their story lines. The wonderful work of Steven Pasquale, John Scurti and Michael Lombardi will never be awarded since their story lines are mostly comedic in a dramatic program, even though the show would not work without them. The drama is so poignant because we are able to laugh with ...
read more
