'Entourage'

Here it comes HBO fans, July 24th, 2011 will be the premiere of the last season of 'Entourage.'  What a SAD moment.  There will only be 8 episodes in this season, and it will be bittersweet!  Who wants to see Adrian Grenier disappear off HBO?!  Not me!  Or even Jeremy Piven, who plays one of my favorite characters Ari Gold, who is a crazy, neurotic Hollywood agent! 

This photo was taken at the premiere, which I found off Mark Wahlberg's Tweeter page.  I think these guys are excited, yet bummed out.  Working on a set that long, you become a family with one another.  I have had the chance to work on a couple sets writing, and when the director yells, "Cut, that's a wrap!,"  It's one happy moment for the accomplishment and time spent, but a bummer moment for having to end it.  It's a load of fun.  I cannot even imagine how much fun these guys were having while filming and even off set.
The premiere was a big hit at Beacon Theathre in New York July 19th.  Even after losing against Japan last Sunday, Hope Solo and Alex Morgan of the U.S. Women's soccer team even made the premiere, looking refreshed, and having the same feeling of bittersweet in their hearts.  I wish I could have been there! 

My favorite part about the whole show is that this was primarily a show based off of Mark Wahlberg and his friends.  They obviously went in a more fictional way with it as Wahlberg would be exposing a lot of his past, life, and violent history he has had, but they still kept the idea of a Hollywood actor and his close friends developing their lives in the spot light.  Vincent Chase is the character to be most like Wahlberg and "E" or Eric Murphy, played by Kevin Connelly, is most based on Mark Wahlberg's friend and executive producer to the show, Eric Weinstein.  In real life, I find Wahlberg and Weinstein connected at the hips they are such good friends.  Even in 2007, when Wahlberg made a cameo in the pilot of 'Entourage', Eric Weinstein was walking right next to him :) He's the big dude in the brown velvet track suit, haha. 

Johnny "Drama" Chase, who plays Vince's half-brother, chef, trainer, and bodyguard, is a wannabe actor who has a harder time than Vince making it into the spotlight.  He is my least favorite on the show, no offense to Kevin Dillon, but he's such a whinny baby, tries way too hard, and is usually pretty selfish!  Now in real life, this character is based off of Mark Wahlberg's real cousin, Johnny "Drama" Alves. Donnie Wahlberg, Mark's older brother, hired Alves to keep Mark Wahlberg out of trouble as he flourishes as a young star in Hollywood.  So all and all, Johnny Chase, does the exact same thing for Vince.  P.s. Donnie Wahlberg is in New Kids on the Block!  This makes me giggle! hehe.    

Oh ya, those Wahlberg's got "The Right Stuff" even when Mark Wahlberg was Marky Mark! Hahaha!
Anyway, Salvatore "Turtle" Assante, played by Jerry Ferrara, was based on Mark Wahlberg's bitch, to say the least, Donnie Carroll aka "Donkey."  He was Wahlberg's gofer, which is a person who runs your errands for you, like picks up your dry cleaning or gets you coffee... the exact same thing "Turtle" does.  The sad part about this, is that Donnie Carrol passed away in 2005 due to an asthma attack.  I'm glad they kept "Turtles" role in the show... I don't think it would have been the same without him even if "Turtle" can be a little sketchy. Ari Gold is based off Mark Wahlberg's real-life agent, Ari Emanuel.  Emanuel is a well known fan of the Democratic Party, is founder of the Endeavor Talent Agency in Beverly Hills, California, and has also represented Martin Scorsese, Matt Damon, and Larry David.  This guy is a pretty big deal, and I think it's pretty rad that he can say he has a character based off himself played by the sexy Jeremy Piven!
I will miss all the other actor cameo's, and all the drunken messes these guys get in.  The hot men and women, the cars, the rock n roll, the drugs, and everything else will surely be missed. "Superhero" by Jane's Addiction coming on over my television... shit, I guess I will just have to Netflix and start all over.