Vincent Piazza Retraces a Gangster's Footsteps for 'Boardwalk Empire'

Vincent Piazza Retraces a Gangster's Footsteps for 'Boardwalk Empire'

"If you have a lot of what people want and can't get, then you can supply the demand and shovel in the dough." Those words -- spoken by Charles "Lucky" Luciano, considered the father of modern organized crime (a real-life Godfather, if you will) -- perfectly sum up the story of HBO's ambitious new drama, which premieres Sun., Sept. 19 at 9PM ET.

Actor Vincent Piazza, who plays Lucky Luciano, matched the show's attention to detail with in-depth research on his character. He even hung out in at De Robertis Pasticceria in Manhattan's East Village, a cafe that Luciano himself once frequented. boardwalk empire season 1 dvd

Piazza invited TV Squad to the former gangster haunt to talk about Luciano's legend, the historical precision of 'Boardwalk Empire and working with Martin Scorsese (who produces and directed the pilot).

'Boardwalk Empire' Gangster Index, Week 4: Where Have You Gone, Commodore?

Just when we were starting to get a read on the complex political landscape developing on Season Two of 'Boardwalk Empire,' a massive eruption has shifted everything around ... again. With the Commodore, Nucky Thompson's chief nemesis, incapacitated by a stroke, the anti-Nucky conspirators suddenly find themselves without a leader, and panicked by the thought that betraying Atlantic City's treasurer may be the last mistake they'll make on this Earth.

Nucky's stock, meanwhile, is back on the rise, as he continues to find creative ways to quickly re-occupy the power vacuum we saw forming after his arrest. And as both Thompson and Darmody set their sites on extending their bootlegging operation into Philadelphia, a proxy war looms on the horizon. boardwalk empire dvd

To keep track of the deals, deception and death, AOL TV is maintaining the 'Boardwalk Empire' gangster index, a guide to who's up and who's down among HBO's organized criminals.

Check out the index to find out how your favorite liquor-slinging sociopath fared in Episode Four, 'What Does the Bee Do?'