My last post about Entourage was six weeks ago. That was the week that the 7th season of the show premiered on HBO. I ripped into the show, making fun of the characters and their lack of substance. I claimed the plotlines were repetitive, the dialogue was lame, and that the show could not hold my attention for much longer. After watching 6 or 7 episodes of the season, I am going to bite my tongue...but just a little bit.

I must say that I have really enjoyed watching Entourage every Sunday night; I even look forward to it. Sure the formula is the same as I had previously hypothesized. Each character is enduring some of the same types of issues which will be undoubtedly resolved by the finale. Ari is battling with the agent Lizzie Grant in an effort to save his reputation, as well as the chance to bring a football team to Los Angeles. Vince is once again acting irresponsibly in a way that jeopardizes the offer for his next movie. Eric is still worried about Vince. Turtle has yet another business venture. Drama has gotten passed over for yet another job. These are the self-evident truths of Entourage that will always remain. Yet at this point, I have pretty much accepted that and it's not why I enjoy the show.

I enjoy the show because I think several things about this season have either been rejuvenated or reworked. For one, the cinematography seems to be somewhat different. I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but the directors seem to be trying a bunch of different creative shots that have never been used in Entourage before. There are several examples, but to cite one that is fresh in my mind - on the most recent episode there was a quick shot from the top corner of Ari's office looking down on him and whoever else was in the room. It only lasted for a split second, and most people may not have even noticed, but it made me respect the show much more for trying different things.

Another component of the show that has been more entertaining than in the last few years is the storylines. Like I said before, the formula for the plot of the show is always the same. But for some reason this year, the ingredients that they are using to drive those plots have been more engaging. I like how Eric has grown up a bit - he has his own office in an established management firm, and he moved into his own house with Sloan. Vince running around with a porn star is edgy and actually pretty funny. I dig the whole Avion tequila thing that's going on with Turtle and his absolutely gorgeous female counterpart. The whole Drama thing is pretty much the same, but you just have to love a guy who smashes back a ping-pong serve from John Stamos and then takes his shirt off and says, "It's going to be a long day for Uncle Jessie."

Maybe it is with the help of massive amounts of cameos from A-list celebrities that are helping to drive the show but I like it anyway. Bob Saget is hilarious. John Stamos was very funny too. My favorite Entourage cameo award is of course awarded to Mike Tyson, for coming into Ari's office and demanding that he get someone to develop the "Black Brady Bunch" for him or he's leaving the agency.

Possibly the most crucial move that Entourage did to freshen the vibe of the show was to add Scott Caan as a full cast member of the season to join Vince and his crew in their antics around Hollywood. Caan, playing the part of talent manager Scott Lavin has a rocky relationship with Eric from the start. E is worried that Scott is going to steal Vince from him, and panic arises when Scott and Vince go skydiving together without him. At some point, Eric decides to give full credit to Scott for finding Vince's latest role, and Scott is accepted into their social circle.

I will definitely be keeping a close eye on the final few episodes of the season, including one in which Kevin Connelly (Eric) is directing. It should make for an entertaining experience, and a nice segue into the final 8th mini-season and possible feature film to follow.

I absolutely love the reality show Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami on E!.

Wow, it feels so much better to finally admit it. Nowhere else can you find such a delicious variety of drama and entertainment as what the Kardashian girls deliver. I'm not exactly sure what does it for me - in principle, I despise reality television with the fire of a thousand suns. The concept alone represents everything that I frown up in our steadily decomposing society. It teaches children not to take responsibility for their actions, and drags traditional values through a giant puddle of materialism and opportunistic behavior. People watch reality TV shows and idolize these caricatures, vicariously living through them and romanticizing about their problem-free lives. Nothing is actually "real" in reality TV shows. The storylines play out like sitcoms, where trivial conflicts arise and are resolved in time for the closing credits. The scary part is that these are not really actors playing a role, but rather living, breathing humans who vote.

With that being said, I have slowly and subconsciously watched Kourtney & Khloe make a complete hypocrite out of me on this issue. Every Sunday night, I find myself having somewhat of an out-of-body experience when I tune in, as if I'm doing something I'm not supposed to be doing, but watching myself do it anyway. It just hurts so good. Never in my life did I think I would sprint to the bathroom during a commercial break to make sure I'm back in time to find out if Scott is going to apologize to Kourtney, or if they are going to break up. How I came to have an emotional investment in the lives of these value-ridden strangers, I have no idea. But somehow, it happened.

I mean, who could forget the time that Kourt went on a boy-crazy rampage, or the faithful episode when Khloe pulled out drugs on her radio show, Khloe After Dark? What about when the girls took a drive through Florida, and ended up getting lost in the Everglades? I was biting my nails through that whole show, hoping it would turn out OK. 

I think it all started a year or two ago when I began desperately trying to Keep Up With the Kardashians, though it's rather impossible with their hectic lives. (This is probably when the seed of my reality TV love-hate complex was planted.) I always liked Kim, but felt she was naturally a bit of a drama queen and secretly wished E! would create a spin-off show for the other sisters. When it finally happened, I can rememeber saying to myself, "OMG Yay!" and running to the TiVo box with one arm extended in a fist like a reality TV watching superhero, so I could view the premiere of the first season on repeat while shoving handfuls of buttery popcorn in my mouth. It surpassed my wildest expectations, and I have lived a double life since then. In fact, this is the first time I am publicly admitting to watching the show.

Now that this huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I want the whole world to know that I love Kourtney and Khloe. Come on girls, we're taking over Miami, wooo! 

After watching the first episode of the new season of Entourage last night, I was somewhat disappointed but not surprised. In the 7th season premiere, the boys are back again and everyone seems to be doing great in life. Vinny is a mega-star, E is getting married to Sloan, Turtle is a business owner, and Drama...well Drama is doing his thing. Though people seem to enjoy the show for what its worth, I can't say I feel the same way, and I'll tell you why.

Entourage is lacking in one vital area: substance. Some may say the show doesn't need to be deep or symbolic, that the characters don't have to grow and change, that it's a "fluff piece" designed to make you feel good, and live vicariously through the stress-free lives of a Hollywood superstar and his buddies. On this point, I would have to agree. From the beginning, I watched Entourage because it had pretty girls and shiny cars, and that made it fun. That is all the show is meant to create for the audience - fun. You're not supposed to be learning anything, or becoming a better person, and I get that. But by the 7th season of watching the characters have the same exact experiences, I've become desensitized to the whole show. Its just so played. When Entourage debuted in 2004, I was fresh out of high school and looking for different things in a TV show. It entertained me, it was "cool", and that's all that mattered. Now, I can think of much better things to do with those 26 minutes of my life.

The writers may argue that they have made an attempt this season to develop the characters of the show more. However, after watching the first episode it seems as though their efforts have fallen way short. For instance, Turtle now owns his own company, a car service called "LimHoes" that was referred to briefly in the previous season. I guess that can be considered character development, but is the audience just supposed to accept this as his new identity? Last season Turtle was a couch-riding stoner who was begging Ari for an investment in his start-up. Now, he's a big-shot CEO who owns several town cars and employs multiple women. I know he attended the continuing education business program at UCLA, but its still a stretch for me. I wouldn't be surprised if the show completely ignores addressing how he went about starting and building his business in the upcoming episodes. 

As for Vince, the big crisis he has to endure in the first episode is the decision of whether or not to do his own stunts. There's a huge conference with all the guys, and Vince needs to solicit the advice of both his manager Eric and Ari, the biggest super-agent in the world who still finds the time to pay a personal visit to the Chase residence to console Vince on this matter. (Don't watch if realism is of any importance to you.) I will paraphrase the whole scene for my faithful readers, who may want a little taste of the show before they decide whether or not to watch. Here goes...

Vince: "Should I do my own stunts?"

Eric: "No, you don't want to get hurt."

Ari: "Yea, the little guy is right..."

Vince: "Should I not do it?"

Turtle: "Well, you will look like a &%$# if you don't do it."

Vince: "Okay, I'm gonna do it." 

That's about 10 minutes of the show right there. It's not very compelling stuff people. No wonder HBO hardly did any promoting of the new season. They probably screened a few episodes and said, "Yeaaa, I think we're gonna spend all of our Entourage advertising dollars on True Blood." Good choice, HBO.

Sadly, I will probably still follow along with the rest of the season, mostly to acquire some more fuel  for the Entourage fire, but also because I'm in love with Sloan. I will speak to you all in my next installment, and happy watching.

The Wire: one of the most critically acclaimed series ever created…that most people have never seen. The retired series is now in the process of being shown on HBO in re-runs and on HBO On Demand. Hopefully, a lot more people will watch this wonderful accomplishment in television entertainment now that the word has spread. The Wire is by far my favorite TV show of all time, and it deserves a second look.

The series delves into the depths of the Baltimore drug trade, portraying the dynamic between the dealers and the police. Over the course of five seasons, the show gradually incorporates other societal institutions including the political system, education and schools, and the media. The show runs incredibly deep in the sense that every character seems to be intertwined in some way with each other. The plot features twists and turns as the characters cross paths with each other, sometimes not even realizing that they are doing so. The entire concept of the show is incredibly realistic. In fact, no show in history has come close to the degree of realism that the Wire has (creator David Simon is a former police reporter, and writer Ed Burns served as a police detective in Baltimore for many years). The characters talk like real people talk, and they act like real people act. There are no clear cut good guys and bad guys. Not all the cops uphold the law; in fact several of them are quite corrupt. In some ways, the drug dealers display greater values, for the simple fact that they live by the moral code of the street.

So where does the Wire cross paths with promotional products? Enter, HBO.com’s exclusive “The Wire ‘Omar Indeed’ Crew Neck T-Shirt”. This cool-looking graphic tee features a glare of Omar that would make anyone cringe in the streets of Baltimore. The shirt also has a print of Omar’s catchphrase underneath the visual. Omar is a popular character on the show, and by far my favorite. I would be proud to go out in public sporting my Omar Indeed tee, or any of the other promotional tee shirts that HBO.com offers on its website. So check out the Wire when you have some free time, you'll be happy you did. If you do happen to watch some of the episodes, feel free to post a comment on this blog and let me know what you think of the show!