Soprano 'Uncle' wants to return to TV

NEW YORK, June 22 (UPI) -- Fresh from portraying mobster Corrado "Uncle Junior" Soprano on "The Sopranos," New Yorker Dominic Chianese said he hoped to return to TV in a lighter role.

"I'm going to miss acting in the show but I will hopefully continue on television in a more musical capacity," Chianese told the Staten Island (N.Y.) Advance. "I'd love to host a television show."

Playing Uncle Junior, especially as the character's dementia worsened, gave Chianese a chance to show off his acting talents.

"The more three-dimensional the character, the more craft you need," Chianese said during the opening of a hot dog stand.

As for the controversial "Sopranos" finale, Chianese told the newspaper he thought the ending was "perfect."

Chianese said he appeared at the hot dog shop -- where he sang a ditty he wrote about the tube steak -- to support friends involved in the venture and because of childhood memories.

"My father always loved hot dogs," he told the Advance. "It reminds me of him."