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SPOILER ALERT !!
Learn what it’s like to be in Marky Mark’s whiteboy posse, yo. It’s from writer-director Doug Ellin, who wrote and directed the David Schwimmer-Mili Avital-Jason Lee comedy “Kissing a Fool.” Can’t be less funny than Darren Starr’s “Sex in the City”!
Even the detractors seem excited by Jeremy Piven, who may finally get the recognition he was denied for his great work as the lead god in “Cupid” so long ago.
The Hollywood Reporter says:
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… kicky, crackling and sublimely ambitious … It shows us that comedy isn't really dead, it's merely been snoozing, and this savvy shot of character-driven adrenaline serves as the wake-up call. Packed with brutal showbiz truths and snappy dialogue, the half-hour is revelatory… If there is a weakness to "Entourage," it may be that its principals are so unremittingly hedonistic and narcissistic that it's nearly impossible to care about them. But that feeling passes quickly, since the show is such good nasty fun. It entertainingly captures the suffocating egocentricism bred by a seductive Hollywood culture that transforms nobodies into somebodies without bothering to tell them their ticket is only a day-pass. And watch for this to be Piven's breakout role. His agent Ari is a creation of slimeball wonder.
Variety says:
There's nothing beneath the surface in these characters (a fact they actually take pride in), and only the strongest depiction -- the crazed, single-minded agent played flawlessly by Jeremy Piven -- will elicit passion from viewers. … The glimmer of hope for this eight-seg comedy, which is never laugh-inducingly funny, lies in the third episode's dip into an actual Hollywood pool. The writing gets sharper, the seg has a self-contained arc, and the characters turn 3-D by developing purpose. Pilot and its follow-up are cliched and dull, the potty-mouth dialogue seemingly recycled 20 years ago from David Mamet's trash. … the show never hits that middle ground between TV and cinema that the best of HBO's series achieve.
USA Today gives it 3.5 stars and says:
… almost shockingly entertaining story … an unassuming treat … And it's an odd little world they've entered, as epitomized by the show's funniest, nastiest character: Jeremy Piven's Ari, the agent. He may be partially based on Wahlberg's real agent, but that doesn't diminish the sheen of Piven and Ellin's creation. … what makes the show work is not the style but the substance. Ellin and a uniformly strong cast give us a rooting interest in each of these characters. … It sure is fun to watch … And that may be the summer's most pleasant surprise.
10 p.m. Sunday. HBO.
Looking for bumper stickers, plush toys and girls’ underwear covered with cartoon double-amputees? Visit The Herc Store!
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First!!!
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...and I hope SFU is as good as last week.
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It was OK, but tonight's Six Feet Under was one of the finest hours of TV I've ever seen. It deserves a talkback of its own.
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I really can't stand this assmunch. Am I supposed to be thrilled to see him on TV again? He's not a good actor-he's NEVER funny and the only reason he has a career is because of John Cusack. I ws actually thinking of watching this show but now that I know he's on there, I'm avoiding it like the bubonic plaque.
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That could have been the worst show I have ever seen
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For ten years they've been ripping off that film. No cigar.
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Jul 19, 2004 12:33:08 AM CDT
I didn't care about the characters either...but Piven was good.
by lezbo milk
I don't know about this show. Certainly not up to par with the other HBO offerings. What the first reviewer said was spot on...the majority of the cast is way to shallow and nacasistic to give a shit about. No depth what so ever. I have no interest in any of them. The movie star of the show is so completely appathetic about his career and future that a person of his ilk would never get as far in life as the show portraits. His best friend who calls all his shots for him is laughable because he plays his part as a little tough guy. Please. When he said he was going to slap the smirk off Pivens face I laughed out loud, all four foot nine inches and 120 lbs of him is going to slap Piven around...give me a fucking break. Anyways the other dolts are equally shallow, vapid, and completely dull. They have no interesting back story, views, personalities or qualities. This show sucks. The only other good laugh was the "I love Cock" bumper sticker on the hummer. How ironic. This show is not starting off good. I won't watch it anylonger unless word of mouth gets better.
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I have to say that about 10-15 minutes of David's abduction were scary and suspenseful, but then it became grating and annoying. The second half of that episode was probally the worst of the series histroyand that includes last season's Claire/Russell/Olivier borefest.
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It had to be one of the worst shows I had ever seen on cable television.
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Jul 19, 2004 5:32:05 AM CDT
FUCK ENTOUR_SNOOZE- IT was ALL ABOUT SIX FUCKING FEET UNDER! BRE
by mentallymariah
Wow, what a fucking episode, probably the most shocking and fucked up Six Feet Under episode ever...from Brenda and Her Pill Popping Whore of a Mom Margaret to David's Fucked up ROAD TRIP, SIX FEET UNDER deserves it's own talkback...people will be talking about this episode for weeks@! Finally it kicked in high gear and also PROPS to QUEER AS FOLK Season FOUR for being completely satisfying, emotional and one of the best seasons ever! THESE SHOWS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THEN THE CRAP OUT AT THE MUTIPLEX!
Entourage? ANNOYING!! So POMPOUS! I was expecting a Mike Moore cameo! -
I'll give the first three episodes a chance before I stop watching it. I didn't find it funny or the subject illuminating. Maybe industry types who can laugh at themselves might find it worthwhile
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Jul 19, 2004 11:08:36 AM CDT
Hey HBO- thanks for the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder!
by godardwhowhatnow
Entourage was light and boring, but I guess somehting has to fill the void between Six Feet Under and Ali G. Oh, and I'm going to need therapy after watching that Six Feet Under episode. I've never been so disturbed by a television show in my life. I wasn't even planning on watching it this week- after a really great season opener, the show was starting to take a turn for the mundane and boring with the last few episodes, and I thought I'd just go catch up on my reading... on second thought, I wish I had. I guess that's the bitter payoff for creating great characters over time. When they're put into terrifying situations, it makes it all the more unbearable for the viewer. What a show.
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Watching a Coors Light commercial expanded to a half-hour doesn't do a thing for me. The characters were as insightful, funny and deep as the douchebags on those 'guys night out' spots. Jeremy Piven is funny, yes, but he's not enough to carry the rest of the show's dead weight. Please, HBO, flip-flop this turd with Da Ali G show, so I can just go to bed at 10:30.
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Could be the beginning of a fine upstanding tradition of ABC cancelling quality shows way before their time.
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Without Jeremy Piven it would be nothing. The "friend" character -the one who is supposed to manage the star's career- needs establish his identity quick as I get the feeling the whole show is going to hinge on him. During the pilot episode, the actor seemed filled with trepidation -a wet blanket. I want to see someone who is conflicted, sure, but more extreme and polarized in what he does. I want to see him snort lines off an anorexic hipbone and then send money home to grandma and encourage his little brother to hit the books. C'mon, this is everyone's dream, so show us the highest-of-highs and all its venereal, drug-addled emotional fallout. That actor came off as tepid as the kid from the Wonder Years and a lot less interesting. Here's what we saw: BEST FRIEND#1 : "Colin Farrell just took the part you were offered but that I talked you out of." MATT DILLION (or, best friend #2): "He's good." What I wanted: BEST FRIEND#1 : "Colin Farrell just took the part you were offered but that I talked you out of." MATT DILLION (or. best friend #2): "He's good." See? Put some of the dynamics of the group into play instead of some ho-hum caricature. How about the ALI G SHOW? The "Borat" skit was hilarious. I think it took humor to a new level because he got drunk during the skit...and those pictures of his 'sister' were priceless. Six Feet Under going all Reservoir Dogs? Didn't see that coming. The previews for the next episode had me rolling my eyes, though. I want Keith to hunt that hustler down and squeeze the life from him. Know why? Remember when Dr. Melfi got raped? Remember the lack of resolution that came with that? Hated it. Understood it, but hated it nonetheless. Keith has the rage within. It's something I see his character doing.
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Seriously, anyone who saw this episode will never again allow a hitchhiker into their car, let alone even stop to help the most innocent-looking old lady change a tire. I can't wait to watch Claire and Mena Suvari dyke-out next week, and hopefully Keith will go after some hot young pussy on the tour. They need to fucking eliminate Brenda's stupid-ass storyline ASAP. AND WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE WOMAN'S BODY BEING STRANDED IN URBAN L.A.??? Everything else on SFU is clicking this season, the writing/directing has been on fire! ALI G was da shit last night too! Sam Donaldson is the man.
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Damn that was a good show. Should have seen the writing on the wall for what ABC would become. That, and them running Millionaire 16 times a week.
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i don't even watch that overrated piece of shit show, but with the river of fanboy spooge that's been flowing from this talkback, i just have to know what the fuck happened.
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and it sounds like the stupidest shit ever. this stuff passes for being "brilliant?" random traumatic shit does not a good show make. and about entourage: i watched it and chuckled a few times. it's good but certainly not great. that, combined with the preview of "family bonds" makes me think hbo is now trying too hard to make the best shows on tv. they need to just stick with the main ones - sopranos, deadwood, curb your enthusiasm, the wire and da ali g show instead of trying to come up with a bunch of new shit. the rules of odds mandate that eventually a shitty show will appear on hbo. let's not rush it.
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I've always had a negative impression of Entrouges. Like MC Hammer went bankrupt trying to pay for all his hangers on. Does Harry have to suffer fools? -
Good job reading the hbo.com episode summary and deciding how good last nights SFU was. Could you do me a favor, I heard there is this good movie called Citizen Kane--can you read Leonard Maltin's one-paragraph review and let me know how it sounds?
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I still don't know what to think of David's ordeal on the last SFU. For the most part it was well done, but David's attempted escape via the transport lot was pathetic and cliched. And I know dude was packing a burner, but I was dissapointed that David didn't show some of the aggression he displayed in his wrestling match with Keith a few seasons ago. Obviously, we'll have to see how they build this arc to really judge that portion of the episode. Otherwise, I thought the rest of the ep was pretty stellar. Anybody who appreciates filmed entertainment but doesnt watch SFU is just fucked. The writing and directing are usually great, but the cast is just so fucking stellar and compelling.
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what a lame excuse for a show. figures since it's produced by captain half-ass wahlberg.
pretty telling too, since I bet it's based on him. Love the line about I don't read scripts, I'm an actor. What?!?!?!?
6FtUnder on the otherhand was damn good. After a sluggish and uneven start , this was a landmark episode. Having said that, it did seem a bit out of step with the show as a whole. But very unsettling and nailbiting. As for Ali G, he gets on your nerves at 1st but has you laughing your ass off if you give him a chance (esp. Borat). Besides, anybody who can swindle these out of touch politicos into an interview has to be admired, even if its' begrudgingly. But entourage is way too lackluster and uninspiring to be on HBO's payroll. -
Please. You must be kidding me. You think Ali G is "wretched"? Do you speak English? Obviously you don't understand the material. I have to assume that you are trying to bait me, because I cannot believe that anyone with half a brain would not be illuminated by the genius of Barron-Cohen.
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It's probably unfair to judge "Entourage" based on one episode, bu I found if pretty lackluster. The characters are (at least so far) pretty unlikable. The movie star doesn't seem to take his work very seriously and the hangers-on are pathetic. You don't have to have likable characters for your show, but they do need to be at least interesting and understandable. Tony Soprano is not a likbable character. In fact, he's pretty despicalbe at times. However, he is a fascinating character to watch. These Entourage guys are not.
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"Ali G praised Harvard's diversity and the advances of women in its ranks. 'A lot of you is probably feminists, or as we call them in England, lezzies,'"... he spoke at Class Day about a month ago. We streamed it at the office. A lot of people who had no idea who Ali G was gathered 'round. People who thought it was stupid were soon laughing. The stunned look on the faces of the parents was great. I'm sure it lives somewhere on the web. Here's the transcribed speech: http://www.hbo.com/alig/harvard.html , http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/06.10/19-classday.html
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Priven's character may be the most powerful in the show, but even that doesn't justify his existence. Why didn't the best friend tell the actor to fire his agent? Because the show wouldn't have any tension afterwards! The agent's inability to comprehend where the best friend is coming from is infuriating, but more importantly it's a sign of incompetence at the negotiating table. The best friend's willingness to put his own neck on the line (sporadically) merely to force the actor out of the nest certainly isn't a situation I buy either. Who's side am I on, anyway?
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we don't care about Entourage. Post something about "Rescue Me."
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I'll watch Entourage during the week, but an army of terminators couldn't stop me from watching the season premiere of Dead Like Me on Showtime Sunday at 10 PM
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or Alriss for that matter? Take alook at those stinkers (esp MOAMM) for the worst thing ever to come out of HBO. (Okay I forgot about K street for a second- that was the worst)
Anyway I'm willing to watch for a couple of episodes, which is more than the other shows
Oh and Davids kidnapping on SFU was a total waste of an hour. The only interesting part of the show was Nate at the grief counseling
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