Show Biz.

"THE Sopranos" is back, and the mob seems to be watching.

"They love it," said David Proval, the newest cast member of the award-winning drama about a mobster and his two "families" -- the Mafia and his wife and two children. "All (Mafia) business stops Sunday night. There is no action going on."

Real-life goodfellas should love Proval's mob character, Richie Aprile, who calls himself a member of the "old school" and becomes a threat to mob boss Tony Soprano. Proval's character adds a menacing presence and gets the series perking again.

"Richie is a guy who stayed loyal to a code whose lines have become blurred," Proval said. "He wants to restate them and bring back the old values."

Proval knows a lot about the real mob. He grew up in the East New York section of Brooklyn, whose mean streets became a breeding ground for underworld recruits -- the same types who are now fixated by "The Sopranos."

"They talk about it the next day (after each new episode) and ask, 'What do you think Tony will do next?'" Proval said.

Proval, who has appeared in "Mean Streets," "Cinderella Liberty" and "The Shawshank Redemption," said kids from his neighborhood were drawn to the mob because of the sense of power they felt.

"They found it very male, very sexual," he said, "and that is what power is all about. They wanted to be part of something with a particular kind of loyalty and a particular kind of masculinity."

Sonny Girard, a novelist and screenwriter with connections to underworld types, confirmed that the mob is fascinated by "The Sopranos," though not everybody is happy with the series. "They think it is insulting to Italians," he said. "A lot of guys say they don't watch it, but they run home and watch it anyway."

Girard himself said he likes to scrutinize each episode of to find any inaccuracies.

Girard, whose novel "Blood of Our Fathers" chronicled life in the underworld, also said real-life mob bosses would never have the freedom to roam around without heavy security, as Tony Soprano does. "if a boss went to the bathroom in a restaurant, there would be two guys outside," he said.

It's amazing how a hit TV series can change a career. Yvette Freeman, who won an Obie for her Off Broadway salute to Dinah Washington, has released her first CD, which continues her homage to the late great jazz singer.

"'ER' changed everything," said Freeman, who plays nurse Haleh Adams on the hit NBC series. "People know who I am."

Freeman, whose "A Tribute to Dinah Washington" was recorded for Oglio Records, an independent label, for $50,000, has begun appearing at jazz venues like the Cinegrill at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. "ER" helped open that door, too.

"It was time for me to sing more," said Freeman, who has appeared on Broadway in such productions as "Ain't Misbehavin'." "You can work all you want on Broadway and regional theater," she said. "But from TV, I am known all around the world."