Tag: Entourage blog (Page 8 of 13)

Entourage: Season Five Preview

August 31, 2008 /

No matter how disappointed you may have been with the fourth season of “Entourage,” there’s not a fan in the world that isn’t counting down the days until the show’s season premiere on September 7th. A victim of the writers’ strike, the HBO comedy series hasn’t aired a new episode for an entire year, so it’ll be nice to finally see what Vince and Co. have been up to since “Medellin” tanked at the Cannes Film Festival.

You might even want to check out season four as a refresher before diving in to the new season. Not only will it prepare you for the year to come, but you’ll also notice that, despite some minor faults, it really isn’t as bad as you remember. Sure, Eric and Walsh’s bickering got rather annoying at times, and Drama and Turtle actually took a step backwards in terms of character development, but the overall mood of the series has remained the same since Day One: chicks, celebrities and cannabis.

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The biggest problem with the fourth season was that the whole “Medellin” plot failed to be as interesting as the writers hoped it would be. Thankfully, it looks as if the film is but an afterthought in the upcoming season, which finds Vince living the life of a beach bum in Mexico after “Medellin” flops at the box office. The whole “Medellin” fiasco will no doubt be mentioned early on, but aside from that, I think Doug Ellin has learned his lesson about creating storylines that are overly ambitious.

So what about the rest of the guys? Well, HBO isn’t spilling the beans, but from the few publicity shots that have fallen into my hands, it appears Eric will be getting a new client in the form of rapper-turned-actor Bow Wow, while Turtle will be hanging out with Vince in Mexico; at least for the short term. No word on whether Bow Wow will be playing himself or a fictional character, but at least it shows that Eric’s career plans haven’t been completely thwarted since getting canned by Anna Faris. Additionally, one of the clips over at Dailymotion has confirmed that Drama’s French lover, Jacqueline, is now his girlfriend, so that should give him a little more to do this year other than playing the group jester.

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As for guest stars, season five is looking pretty good. Both Mark Wahlberg and Martin Landau are returning, while Tony Bennett, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Pollack and Fran Drescher will also appear. Giovanni Ribisi and Lukas Haas are also tapped for recurring guest roles as a pair of up-and-coming screenwriters that sign with Eric, so look for Kevin Connolly’s plotline to dominate most of the season. That’s all we know for now, but that alone is enough to indicate the writers are planning to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. It’s exactly what the series needs, and I can’t wait. In the meantime, check out this “Viking Quest” web game, which is sure to get you in the mood for the new season.

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The one-dollar dream

September 2, 2007 /

“This is like Sundance all over again.”

Not exactly Turtle. You see, the Sundance episode was actually good. Tonight’s season finale? Not so much, but that didn’t keep Doug Ellin and Co. from trying their darndest to emulate the season two gem by once again forcing the gang into a make-it-or-break-it business deal. The boys have finally arrived in Cannes with one mission in mind: sell “Medellin” to the highest bidder before the film’s world premiere. Unfortunately, no one’s biting just yet, except for the boys’ old friend Yair (the Arabic millionaire from the tail end of season three), who’s desperate to buy the rights to the film he passed up on for the exact amount it cost to make it – $35 million.

Walsh doesn’t want to sell it to an independent distributor, however, and neither does Ari. They want studio backing, since it ensures both a proper theatrical release and a greater chance of being nominated come award season, and after talking it over with the film’s main producer (Nicky Rubenstein), they agree to start a bidding war and wait it out. And boy do they wait, and wait, and wait… until Ari decides to take matters into his own hands, tricking Dana Gordon over at Warner Bros. to buy the movie for the same asking price as Yair. Regrettably, Yair beats them to the punch by going behind Ari’s back (and straight to Nicky) to cement at $75 million deal for the flick.

Everyone’s happy about the sudden financial boost (except for Walsh) and stroll into the premiere feeling confident that the movie will kill. It does the exact opposite, causing viewers to boo Walsh’s “masterpiece,” Dana Gordon to pray she dodged a giant bullet, and Yair to renege on his offer. Serious about his admiration for the film, Harvey comes to the rescue with and makes an offer the boys can’t refuse: one dollar for “Medellin.” It doesn’t sound like much, but with a major distributor backing the film (and probably re-cutting it), there’s still a distinct possibility that it will earn back its budget and get a few Oscar nods along the way. It’s a pretty big “if” for Vinnie Chase considering his past, but for the time being, things are starting to look up.

Okay, maybe not, but I’m seriously so sick and tired of being negative that I figured I’d give it a shot. All in all, this was a disappointing end to a disappointing season, and as far as I’m concerned, this series is officially on its final warning. Unless they can turn it around in season five (which may be harder than it sounds, since that damn “Medellin” story arc still hasn’t been wrapped up), the boys of “Entourage” are going to be in serious trouble. As for Johnny Chase, well, he’s in a world of his own, but here’s hoping the old dog brings back that French hottie to help spice things up around the house.

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Cannes we come along too?

August 26, 2007 /

It’s official: the “Entourage” we all know and love is back.

You know, I had a feeling that particular comment was going to come back and bite me on the ass. After all, when was the last time during this season two solid episodes aired back-to-back? I’ll give you a hint: never. Then again, that means next week’s season finale will be awesome, right? Let’s hope so, because tonight’s show was void of any real story, character development and, believe it or not, laughs. Even the “bad” episodes have featured some sort of crazy Drama/Turtle subplot, but this week, all they really did was follow Vince around the airport and profile potential terrorists.

You heard me right. Seems LAX is on red alert after rumors of a possible terrorist attack ground all the planes and, eventually, shut down the entire airport. This leaves the “Medellin” boys in quite the predicament, since their film is scheduled to open in Cannes in less than 48 hours. Ari manages to talk his way onto Sydney Pollack’s private jet, but when they arrive at the airport to discover his plane only has five seats available (when they need six), Vince declines. Luckily enough, Kayne West shows up not a minute later, and though I’m still pondering how Turtle could possibly have known the famous rap producer without the other guys knowing it, he manages to convince him to make a small detour and drop them off in France.

Meanwhile, Eric is in a predicament all his own. It seems Billy Walsh really wants his new client (Anna Faris) for the female lead in his upcoming film, but Eric doesn’t exactly like the latest script. Anna, meanwhile, doesn’t even understand the damn thing, but since he’s Vince’s manager first, and Vince wants her for the role, Eric convinces her to do it. That is, of course, until Anna admits that she thinks he’s cute, and Eric follows that up by telling her the truth. As a result, Vince loses his co-star and Eric loses his client. Kinda sucks, really, since Anna was the only fresh thing about the last few episodes of the show. Oh well, I guess we can’t expect a big star to stick around for too long, but we can expect the writers to get on top of their game and crank out a good story. Perhaps that super-sized third season really did a number on those guys. Here’s hoping a good vacation will change that.

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I’m back in the New York Groove

August 19, 2007 /

It’s official: the “Entourage” we all know and love is back. What, you don’t believe me? Well, how about Ace Frehley, whose “New York Groove” was proudly playing behind the end credits? Yeah, that’s what I thought. After weeks of going nowhere and silly subplots involving Drama and Turtle, “Entourage” is back on track with a two-episode trip to Cannes and Vinnie’s next big project.

Let’s not get ahead ourselves, though, as Vinnie’s prospects looked dim as usual after Walsh turned in his script for “Lost in the Clouds” into the studios. Of course, the script wasn’t quite the adaptation that everyone was expecting, but rather a completely original idea that Ari describes as “a sci-fi thriller set on a farm in 2075.” If it sounds crazy, it’s probably because it is. Then again, that’s Walsh, and after Ari makes a surprise visit at his house to discuss the consequences of breaching contract, it’s made quite clear that Walsh couldn’t care less. Neither can Ari after Walsh fires him because, well, they guy’s not going to work another day anyways, so what’s the big deal, right?

Wrong. Vince likes the script so much that he gives Ari the difficult task of selling Dana Gordon and her new boss on the new idea. Since “Lost in the Clouds” is temporarily screwed without a writer, director and star, they agree to the other Walsh/Chase collaboration, which Dana so eloquently describes as “Blade Runner” meets “Field of Dreams.” Not bad for someone who hasn’t even read the script.

Eric, meanwhile, is left completely out of the loop for the entire episode because he’s off catering to Anna Faris in a far off part of town that doesn’t seem to have any cell service. Actually, it’s Anna’s obsessive boyfriend who’s the real problem. Not only does he have incredibly bad taste (he wants Anna to pose in different animal positions for her new photo shoot), but he also thinks Eric is looking for more than a professional relationship. Okay, so what if he is? The guy’s a douche and that’s that. It’s just too bad that Vince thinks Eric is ignoring him because he’s too involved in Anna’s relationship. I’m sure it won’t cause any bad blood between the two (does anything?), so it’s nice to see Eric’s new business finally taking off. The question now is: will it last?

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Down time

August 12, 2007 /

Okay, so maybe I blew things a bit out of proportion last week when I suggested “Entourage” might be building to a big season finale, but while the pieces haven’t quite fallen into place yet, I am confident that the final two episodes (which I accidentally read about while researching the new season) will leave fans wanting more. Let’s just say that it’s probably going to be very reminiscent of season two’s Sundance episode.

Getting back to this week’s show, however, it’s become crystal clear that the extended third season (which aired the second half of its episodes only weeks before) has greatly hurt the quality of season four. Stretching out the “Medellin” storyline has left the writers with little to talk about until the movie premieres at Cannes, and while the subplot involving Eric’s decision to take on other clients (more on that later) has definitely helped his arc as of late, the rest of the characters have been left scratching their asses.

Nevertheless, it looks like Eric will finally land his first client (besides Vince) in rising star Anna Faris, whom he met on his way to Vince’s new house. After running into him (literally) on the road (and in only a towel, no less), Anna accidentally gives Eric a fake number to call her at in order to exchange insurance info. Mildly pissed off that she would do such a thing, Eric heads over to her house to confront her, only to discover that it truly was an honest mistake. Personally, I’m not so sure it really was a mistake, but after witnessing Eric’s determination (and his good manners), Anna invites Eric out for dinner. Of course, Eric thinks it’s much more than dinner, but after Anna receives a call from her boyfriend mid-meal, it becomes quite apparent that she’s interested in a different kind of relationship. By the looks of next week’s previews, though, it doesn’t look like the new business venture will be a match made in heaven. Anna is obviously a very needy girl, and that’s simply not going to cut it with Vince around.

As for the rest of the gang, well, not a whole lot happened. Ari threw a jealous fit when his wife was invited back for an episode of “The Young & the Restless,” and Vince, Drama and Turtle just sat around all day smoking weed. Not exactly the kind of story development I was hoping for, but it was still a very nice treat to see Mrs. Ari skimp down to her skivvies. I don’t care how old she is – Perrey Reeves is smokin’ hot – and I could definitely live with seeing more of her in the very near future.

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