In August I traveled to Orlando to visit a friend from high school. He and his buddies live in an suave apartment complex among the grids of the city just minutes away from Disney World, Universal Studios, Cape Canaveral, and Cocoa Beach. By day we traveled the state, and by night we drank, played video games and watched one HBO show in particular.
That show was Entourage.
Before last summer I’d never seen an episode of Entourage in my life and, based on what I merely heard in passing of the show, presumed I’d hate it.
For those unaware, the show surrounds the life of Vincent Chase, a movie star and his entourage; his friends from back home, Brooklyn New York.
The show highlights all that I feel is wrong with today’s society (mindless self-indulgence, meaningless sex, boozing, etc.) and yet I became enthralled with the program the minute I laid eyes on it.
Whilst in Florida I watched the entire season 1,2 and 3, while my friends watched brand new episodes every Sunday night (season 6).
It was terribly easy to blow through each season. Every episode is merely 22 minutes long and each each installment ends on such a cliff-hanger that it’s truly impossible to not tune in for the next one. Additionally, watching the seasons on DVD meant no waiting whatsoever and allowed me to jump right into the next one.
The main appeal of Entourage for me is watching and listening to this crowd of men stumble through Hollywood haphazardly and reveling in their merriment. All the fancy cars, the beautiful women, the drugs and the booze are all elements of life that you’d think I’d frown upon, and I do, but in a TV show, well, it’s just alright!
I can’t decide who my favorite character on the show is, and this is another reason I love Entourage so much. Do I Vince? He’s a good looking dude, and a nice guy. What about Turtle? A pudgy aspiring student, who once dated young Ms. Soprano, what about him? Or E. A short little man in love with an equally beautiful character, Sloan?
When it comes down to it, I think Johnny Chase, or Drama, is my favorite. His mannerisms are so outlandish and so perverse that I can’t help but wait to hear what he’s going to say next.
But then again, what about Ari Gold? Mr super-Agent? I believe he consistently delivers an incredible acting performance and, with his cell-phone perpetually attached to his ear, and his liberal use of insane profanity, he’s easily one of the most beloved characters on the show.
What I find most alluring about the show though lies in the fact that Entourage is a television show about television and movie actors. Constantly the guys are on movie and TV sets, begging the question; what the fuck does the actual camera set up look like? So, it’s cameras pointed at cameras filming actors, playing actors? Is that right? I love it!
The show provides me an escape route from my somewhat puritanical views. I’m okay with watching, but I don’t think I could ever live the life of Vinny, Drama, E, and Turtle.
Long story short, as of yesterday, December 14, I am entirely caught up with the series.
I plowed through all 12 episodes of season 6 (the most recent) in less than a week, and cannot wait for season 7, which I believe begins in May.
The best way to get people to watch your show is to make it entertaining and/or informative. And the best way to get free publicity from creating your own show is to have it relate in some way to what you do.