BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) THE MUSIC
If you watch a random episode of Entourage a great way to figure out when it was released is the music. The show was always on top of whatever music was popular at the time. Not just the popular stuff, but the good and prominent stuff. It’s just that simple. Once you hear the song you have to then take a step back and realize that they probably had in the show before you could realize it was “hot in the streets”. The music choices on this show were great. It wasn’t just all Top 40, but the up and up in indie, rock, and a great collection of classic tunes. Thankfully, I can’t think of ANY country on the show. I am thankful for that. All of this and then the show closed out with Zeppelin? Say whatever you want about this show, but that alone should give them some credibility. These soundtracks are the 00’s.
(THREE) THE GUESTS
This show typically had at least two celebrity guests per episode. Some of these celebrities would play themselves and some would adopt new characters to intertwine with the world created. We’re talking everyone! Appearances include Ali Larter, Peter Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Mark Wahlberg, Kanye West, Tom Brady, Chuck Liddell, Jessica Alba, Gary Busey, Larry David, Scarlett Johansson, James Cameron, Dennis Hopper, Martin Scorsese, Matt Damon, Bono, Eminem, LeBron James, Mark Cuban, John Cleese, Eric Roberts and many others. Meanwhile, guys like Val Kilmer, Jeff Garlin, Rainn Wilson, Artie Lange, Stephen Tobolowsky, Giovanni Ribisi, and the awesome Bob Odenkirk. Sure the guests showing up could get a little gimmicky, but they managed to make it work.
(TWO) THE CHARACTERS
People who don’t watch this show seem to think it’s about a group of douchebags who are partying it up in the Hollywood. That’s kind of true, but these chararacters have much more dept than that. You watch a show for so long that you just start to grow with them. We’ve seen Turtle go from a little chubby wanna-be hood guy to and older skinny wanna-be hood guy. He matured and got his shit together as much as possible. We’ve seen Drama be insecure, crazy, over the top and a jerk. At the same time we see how much he cares for Vince and the boys with more loyalty than anyone. Eric went from the smart ass friend of the superstar to a mini-Ari Gold in his own right. Vince’s rise, fall, rise, fall, and rise was a fun ride for everyone. Except for his drug episodes, he kept his swagger, charm, and heart. It’s awesome to watch him maintain that through the years of good fortune. Then there are others like the awesome Billy Walsh, Lloyd, Simone, and others. Of course, there is also Ari Gold…
(ONE) JEREMY PIVEN
Ari Gold, the character is based on Mark Walhberg’s agent Ari Emanuel. This is the brother of Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. I did not know that. This agent was at a mega-agency and broke off to start his own. He manages the likes of Vin Diesel, Larry David, Piven, and Walhberg. That’s all cool and a nice backstory, but Jeremy Piven rocked this role. I can’t think of any character that was as big of an asshole, yet respectable and likeable as Ari Gold. You watch him for eight minutes and you want to rip his head off. You watch him for eight years and you want to invite him over for Thanksgiving. I can’t think of anyone else that could have made this character what it is. This was the role Piven was born the play. Everyone was talented on this show, but when times were a little dry Piven would be a consistent hand there to keep you interested, laughing, and invested. I’m surprised Piven hasn’t landed his own show yet. The paint-ball invasion, the Yom Kippur/no phone fiasco, the wars with everyone, and the great and mean one-liners. Who could forget any of that? I hated the character’s story arch at the end. The weird break-up of his wife bothered me. She didn’t know Ari was a foul-mouthed asshole that, despite his business antics, would do anything for her and the family? Really? I thought we spent 7 years building that up. For her not to stand by him was insulting to the viewer and to Ari. I hope if they bring the show back for a movie that Ari is back in business. I’d hate to think otherwise.
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