"Little Steven" may not be originally from New Jersey, but he's closely associated through his work with "The Boss" and The Sopranos - two things distinctive to The Garden State.  With love for all things Jersey, support for Steven Van Zandt is deserved (and you will reap the rewards through Netflix).

You may have last seen Van Zandt as a mentor on American Idol. He seems so comfortable in front of the camera, making me wonder why he would not do more work in TV or movies.

Little Steven at one point was not interested in an acting career beyond The Sopranos - he once told People magazine that he "had no desire to act in any other roles" while playing Silvio Dante in The Sopranos.  So a betting man would say that Steven would stop after receiving critical acclaim in The Sopranos and move on ........... well you would lose here!

Turns out a Norwegian production company came to Van Zandt about a new opportunity that feels similar to his Soprano role, but has some twists that look promising.  Steven plays a mobster named Frank Tagliano.  The twist here is that he ratted out his boss, so he winds up in witness protection and asks to be sent to Lillehammer - the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics (apparently he was intrigued by the city after seeing it on TV).

This "fish out of water" situation seems to have wit and intensity.  In Norway, the show is already a monster hit averaging a Million viewers - according to the New York Times that is proportional to having about 58 Million viewers in the states.  So why haven't you found this show yet?  Well, do you have Netflix?

Lilyhammer starring Steven Van Zandt has been released exclusively for Netflix, marking the first original series released through their service.  The show has been out there for months, and the reviews have been strong, but I only heard about this recently from my girlfriend who said her co-worker was raving about the series.

I got the chance to see the preview trailer on my girl's new Droid Razr Maxx (this phone is sick, and I want one now!)  After being distracted for a second by the phone's incredible HD viewing quality, the Lilyhammer preview has me hooked and wanting to watch.  Judge for yourself and remember that of you have any love for Springsteen or The Sopranos, you should at least give Little Steven's new show a chance.

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