Entourage or My Vacation by Marky Mark

After watching the first episode of HBO's comedy series Entourage when it first aired last year, I wasn't terribly interested. The show depicts the life of Vincent Chase, an up and coming hot actor in Hollywood and the hangers on that live with him and assist him with various and dubious duties. The whole series is based loosely on the experiences Mark Whalberg (I Heart Huckabees, Boogie Nights, Three Kings) had when he first hit it big. He and his friends from back home apparently all lived in one house and they lived well.

This was all mildly entertaining, but nothing about the show particularly grabbed me. The characters had potential, but the pilot just didn't scream "WATCH ME EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT!!"

And so I didn't.

Fast forward to next season and for some reason - boredom, ennui, or perhaps I was sick of rewatching Sex and the City - I decided to give Entourage another chance. And I'm pretty happy I did.

The first season does take a while to find it's feet, but once Vince has to negotiate doing an arthouse picture with his agent Ari Gold, a sublimely brilliant and scene-stealing turn by the underused Jeremy Piven, the show grew some balls. Vince's posse grew distinct personalities:
Eric, the quiet one of the bunch who essentially manages Vince and consistently learns the hard way how the industry works; Turtle is almost a Queens stereotype, but his utter cluelessness ends up being more charming than annoying and he comes through for Vince in the end; and finally Johnny Drama, Vince's half brother who at one time had a minor B career going in Hollywood, faded to obscurity and is trying to get back to the limelight on the merits of his brother. Drama's character has it's own sort of tongue-in-cheek humor, as he's played by Kevin Dillon, the less famous brother of Matt Dillon.

As the show has progressed it's not just about Vince and the gang buying things, banging women, and being cool - though that's still going on. Vince has to make some hard choices where his career is concerned, and a good portion of them are monetary. Ever wonder why a seemingly talented actor takes a lead role in a big, blustery action flick? This show solidifies the inklings you might have. As Eric, or as he's known "E", is now Vince's official manager, his relationship with Vince is slowly changing, proving to be the ground for some interesting confrontations. E's relationship with Ari is also mutating; whereas Ari still treats him like a moron, they are now on the same side in many respects, and work on shielding Vince from the realities of the biz.

Enough can't be said about Piven's performance. Ari Gold is a cutthroat agent who goes through assistant like socks, walking all over them and then tossing them. Despite all his ego and all his talk, he still ends up deferring to his wife who has him by the balls with a firm grip. Recently, Ari and his wife were shown in therapy, so perhaps the superagent will soon be cut free to frolic with the rest of the boys...but I hope not. His family is one of the few things that he allows to humanize him. Piven captures the boastful and egomanical aura of a top agent at a top agency perfectly.

Deadwood this show is not. Nor does it have the emotional heft of Sex and the City. However, for a spending a half hour every weekend at the Playboy Mansion, top LA clubs, and even Marlon Brando's old digs, the show delivers.