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In
the picture
Entourage****
*ing: Adrian Greiner, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon,
Jerry Ferrara
Tagline: His fame is their fortune |
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An insight
into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and how the Hollywood
business operates: all in 30 minutes? That's Entourage, the hit
TV show that airs on HBO and has become quite a sensation in its
own right. Entourage focuses on the life of Vincent Chase (Adrian)
and his 'entourage' – Eric Murphy (Connolly), Turtle (Jerry)
and Johnny 'Drama' Chase (Dillon). The boys, shown as originally
from New York – move to Los Angeles when Vincent's career
takes off as a Hollywood actor. Childhood best friend Eric is roped
in as his manager, while Turtle is his gofer – and Drama,
his brother, lives off Vincent as his own career as a TV actor is
in the doldrums. The entourage do everything they can to keep Vincent's
life running smoothly as possible – and try to keep him grounded,
which becomes impossible as they're also his friends, so they can't
maintain even a degree of separation between their professional
and personal lives. Add to that is Vincent's agent, the highly obnoxious
and brash Ari Gold (Jeremy) whose mission in life appears to be
to make Vincent an A-list star, but he doesn't come without his
own share of backstabbing and devious tricks. Ari's one-liners and
brilliant portrayal have won him two Emmy awards and deservedly
so.
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What
makes Entourage tick? It is like watching an episode of E!'s The Lifestyles
of the Rich and Famous – except Entourage seems more realistic.
Take the episode storylines: Ari and Eric scheming to get Vincent
into a movie production he has his heart set on, the boys buying up
Maseratis, Swiss watches, designer clothes and prime property (including
an old house of Marlon Brando's), hunting down the best drugs, and
chasing after the horde of women that are part of the social scene
in Hollywood. And perhaps that dose of realism comes from the fact
that it is actually based on the lifestyle of actor Mark Wahlberg,
who conceptualized the show and serves as executive producer for the
show.
But as the show has progressed over the course of five seasons, it
has developed surprisingly. Entourage has managed to last because
for its first few seasons, it was a relieving dose of light-headedness
and pretty people. In its fourth and fifth season, the show has taken
on more depth. From challenging film roles for Vincent, to his progression
as a brash superstar to a thoughtful actor – and the lows that
dog every actor at some point in their career. The fifth season, notably,
shows Greiner actually acting instead of just being the face of the
show – and its possibly Entourage's finest moment yet. The show's
characters also develop – Eric gains more confidence as Vincent's
manager, Ari becomes more obnoxious but also shows a human side, and
Drama's career finally takes off. Add to that, the show's realistic
depiction of how film studios operate and are managed, and how actors
get into films is a great insight for anyone who is a fan of the movie
business. |
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But its not
all about the make-believe stars of Entourage. The show has also
garnered a surprising amount of celebrity cameos. From the music
industry they've had U2 (in a spectacular episode, where they dedicate
a song to Drama), Tony Bennett, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kanye
West appear on the show. Hollywood's who's who has done cameos as
well: including filmmakers Sydney Pollack, M. Night Shyamalan and
Steven Spielberg and actors Scarlett Johansson, Mandy Moore, Jessica
Alba and Brooke Shields. Even Hugh Hefner (of Playboy fame) appeared
on the show – when the boys visit his famed mansion for a
party.
And since the show's so current (it picks up on everything that
is happening in the movie industry) and spins it into the storylines,
it makes for a very engaging half-hour of viewing. While the show
isn't aired in Pakistan, unless you happen to have the international
HBO beam, it's available on DVDs everywhere. Highly recommended
for anyone looking to get an insight into Hollywood, PR, and celebrity
lifestyles – or just to look at the parade of beautiful people
on the show – Entourage should definitely be on your list
of must-watch shows.
– Saba Imtiaz
*YUCK
**WHATEVER
***GOOD
****SUPER
*****AWESOME
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