Life in the Clique
 
Last night I caught the second episode of the new HBO series Entourage. I first read about this show a few weeks ago, and was immediately intrigued by the premise: a look at Hollywood stardom through the eyes of a hotshot It Boy and his posse. You all know that I have a sweet spot for the entertainment industry (observing it, commenting on it, but NOT living it, mind you), and I knew HBO would go the whole nine yards in terms of realism.
 
Last week's premiere set the table quite well, introducing us to Vince, the brooding-yet-carefree actor who's just getting started down the path to stardom. Along for the ride are three of his boys from Queens, the chubby oaf, the half-brother who's a wanna-be actor and the real star of the show, Eric, the best friend who also serves as Vince's overwhelmed manager. None of the guys ever expected to be there, and that small amount of humility makes these characters, who could easily have been obnoxious and unrelatable, somewhat endearing.
 
In Sunday's second episode, Entourage really hit its stride. The show works well because it has the right mix of voyeurism (we get to see the guys party at Jessica Alba's house and make out with a squadron of hot starlets) and naivete (Eric is completely in-over-his-head as a Hollywood manager). Watching the show you feel a little jealous, because you know that this world actually does exist for a select few Hollywood stars, but at the same time you see how ludicrious that existence is. The three highlights of the Entourage so far:
 
1. The always enjoyable Jeremy Piven was cast as Vince's agent. It's always evident that real-life actors take a particular glee in playing Hollywood agents.
 
2. Vince is offered $4 million for a movie called Matterhorn (which is described as Die Hard at Disneyland), and everyone keeps a straight face. 
 
3. There's an unironic cameo from David Faustino, better known as Bud Bundy from "Married With Children."
 
 
Clearly, I have picked a good time to start subscribing to HBO again.