He Was Just an Alarmist Turd...

Who knew that tree-hugging ex-politicians loved “The Sopranos”? It turns out that Al Gore is a die-hard fan, but when the series finale loomed in early June, he and his wife, Tipper, had to be on a plane for an appearance in Istanbul.

So Gore called Brad Grey, the chairman of Paramount, for a favor. Mr. Grey is also an executive producer of “The Sopranos.” Could Gore get an advance copy of the final episode?

No way, said Mr. Grey. “I’ve turned down everyone who’s asked,” he told Gore. That episode was the holy grail, and he couldn’t risk it being leaked.

But after a night of tossing and turning, Grey had a change of heart. On the Sunday of the finale, he had a Halliburton-made steel case, containing a copy of the episode, delivered to the tarmac where Gore’s plane sat in Chicago. The case was locked with a code. Gore could not open it until the plane was in the air, when he was instructed to call Grey’s office for the numeric code. Gore sent Grey a photo of himself trying to pry open the case, which Grey now keeps on his desk.