Shook the Spot

CONFIRMED: TONY HIT BY CAB IN WEST VILLAGE

Adding to the string of off-camera woes for Sopranos cast members, James Gandolfini was reportedly struck by a taxi cab on the corner of Hudson and Clarkson Streets this morning. No confirmation yet on whether the cabbie was Uncle Junior. No confirmation on the whole story, actually. But here's what one witness told Gawker . . .

Enjoying my morning coffee today at the corner of Hudson and Clarkson when I hear a sickening skid, then crunch, then cries of pain. A cab making a right on Clarkson hit some poor big bearded guy and knocked him clear off his scooter, helmet flying. He’s sprawled out in pain on the street. So myself and other concerned people walk over to get a closer look to see whether he’s OK. The cabbie also steps out of his cab to see. The guy on the ground, after about a minute of writhing in pain, sticks his arm up to have the cabbie help him up. I was about to use my cell to call 911 when I see that the guy on the ground is James Gandolfini. That’s right, Tony Soprano. My cell phone then turned into a camera (as did all the other bystanders) for a real crappy, indecipherable picture.

Could this hit have anything to do with this week's premiere of Lonely Hearts, the new Travolta film in which Gandolfini plays . . . a fucking police officer! Or perhaps it was just Artie—whom Gandolfini called yesterday with warm wishes—drunk driving again. But in any event, the real question is . . . what the fuck was the skipper doing on a scooter?

UPDATE . . . Thursday's Post confirms the story, says he's okay, and adds this detail . . .

Gandolfini saved his anger for a fan who had trouble separating fiction from reality.

"Tony, are you OK?" the fan asked, using Gandolfini's TV moniker.

"That's a character I play," the actor shot back.