Entourage: Ari is Gold
Our favorite screenwriter is back dissecting Entourage...hopefully this weekend’s episode is a step up from the slop they have doled out thus far this season.
The Code
by The Lash
We all have one.
And we live by it. The unwritten rules that govern our relationships. Our own personal code of conduct so to speak, what we will and won’t do. It’s how we operate.
Last week’s episode of Entourage was weak but it was filled with The Code. For Ari it was business related and for Eric it was personal. And although I thought the episode should have been titled, “Ode to Lloyd” (Do I smell an Emmy nomination episode in Rex Lee’s contract?), we realized Ari is living by a higher code. He’s not pimping Lloyd out just to sign a new client.
I wonder how often that really happens in todays business world? It’s a competitive business climate, people get pimped out all the time. How often are analyst’s pressured to issue a glowing research report in order to land a mandate? Sure, it is not as prevalent as it was but it still happens.
Vince blew the guy-to-guy code for E by spilling the beans about his weekend plans and as a result, E’s got to pay. Not only is he stuck in a car driving for 8 hrs with an-extra bitchy Sloane, He’s also missing out on a vaca with the boys in Cabo. Thats gotta hurt.
And what about Vince’s new agent? Vince and E were not straight with her. I bet she’s gone by episode 5 (I stand by initial prediction). Wonder if she read THE RULES-he’s just not that into you and neither are the viewers.
Lloyd you’ve got my vote for a best supporting actor nomination but the writers better step up their game, we all know the code for boring story lines and dwindling viewers.
After all, if we are desperately seeking a turtle we can always turn to Planet Earth on The Discovery Channel.
48 Hours: In Vino Veritas?
I recently had Horse Ridge Cellars drop off a few cases of wine that I had purchased and tucked away in climate controlled cellars nearly a decade ago. Some of the wines were bought straight from the producer and others from retailers. It is amazing to see some of the price labels stuck on the bottles… Wines that command well over $125 a bottle today could be had under $40 back in the 90’s.
These wines, many Cabernet’s from the acclaimed 1994 Vintage in California, were just singing. Not only were the bottles and labels in pristine condition but the wines had aged perfectly. They were laid down and stored before Google was even a glimmer in Larry Page’s eye.
Of course in the mid-90’s I was wealthier than Larry and Sergey.
Times change.
I was sure of the wines provenance given I had bought the wines on release. But traders of Bordeaux wine have long been wary of a wine’s provenance, given the multitude of fake bottles of Petrus floating around the market. Buying aged wine can sometimes prove to be as treacherous as trying to bottom fish in the stocks of subprime lenders. And going with a reputable auction house is no guarantee, as even the experts get fooled from time to time.
By Elin McCoy
March 30 (Bloomberg)—Colgin Cellars, whose over-the-top cabernets from California’s Napa Valley sell at auction for hundreds of dollars, is the first ``cult’’ winery to say it’s fighting off potential fakes with new technology from Kodak.
Owner Ann Colgin just signed a deal with the company’s security solutions division. Though the former Sotheby’s auctioneer says she’s not aware of any Colgin counterfeits out in the marketplace, ``the problem has been an issue on my radar for some time.’’
In the growing concern about fake wines, most attention has focused on blue-chip Bordeaux and Burgundy and rare old bottles. But California’s in-demand cult cabs and cab blends, such as Colgin, Harlan Estate and Screaming Eagle, are prime targets: They’re made in minuscule quantities and sell for $200 to $500 a bottle only to subscribers on mailing lists, some of whom flip them for two to four times the price. Bloomberg
Still auctions are your best bet...although I have always found the pre-auction tastings to be the main event.. If you are a buyer stick in a bid with a limit order to resist the temptation to raise it.
Is Entourage a Fade?
Last week’s Entourage debut was about as worthwhile as an FBR-led IPO. Is the show going down in flames? Will Doug Ellin have to jump the shark?
Lets hope not. But we are starting to entertain the thought that Discovery Channel’s Planet Earth series is the go-to show for Sunday Night. Don’t miss this one Sunday at 8PM EST.
First-tier all the way.
Speaking of first-tier, The Lash is back at it...and she has her own thesis on the nascent season of Entourage. She nailed last week’s episode...Ari is harder to get rid of than a rash.
Scratch at this:
“HBO or CBS?”
by The Lash
Did i miss something Sunday night—an entertaining, story twisting show perhaps? In my opinion, this season’s “Entourage” kickoff was as successful as one of Charlie Brown’s attempts. I actually felt like I was watching a bad broadcast network show filled with product placement; not at all what I expect from HBO and these writers!
You’re right Hugh, they had 6 + months and this is what they gave us. The only slightly funny scene was Lloyd doing his Ari impersonation, to threaten Drama with revoking the Burke Williams privileges, oh my!
Ratings were decent, they added more than 1 million viewers when compared to the premiere of season 3. But was it worth the 22 minute watch? This week’s ratings will tell. Next week previews weren’t even exciting, a dog park? Three way vaca with Ari, E and Sloane looks like a couples therapy session, not the Entourage of old.
Is this what happens when the fat cats get too fat? When a good business tries to diversify and neglects the core business--yes we know writer Doug Ellin is working on a new series featuring the “Hedgies.”
So I love it when I’m right; Ari played the insider card and dangled Vince’s coveted project, Medellin in his face. Is Benicio really fading on the project? Did Ari invest some money in the project to get Vince in or did Ari find another project for Benecio?
Hopefully Sunday’s episode will be more exciting than the previews lead us to believe-- tell me HBO isn’t selling out by creating the watered down TNT version in first run.
Who’s in your Posse?
The Lash is the only Hollywood screenwriter I regularly hang out with. The boys might have started in Queens but she is more likely to see Turtle than us-perhaps at Fred Segal on Melrose.
The long anticipated return of “Entourage” airs in an hour. When we last saw Vince, he had just fired Ari. Did he really fire Ari? Could he really fire Ari? Ari's been with Vince from the beginning! So what, Ari made a few mistakes managing Vince's career but Vince isn't completely blameless either. But he chose to go with a new agent, a woman who is sure to be a smooth operator.
Will E be the next one to get the ax? There’s a new influence over Vince-and she’s slick.
Is the show mirroring business in today’s climate- is it better to stick with the guys you know, ride through the ups and downs or should you switch it up when you’re not happy with a decision that doesn’t go your way. Get a new broker, change your ad agency, hire a new agent?
Just how long is a long working relationship in todays marketplace?
Will Vince’s new agent last longer than Bob Nardelli at Home Depot?
I doubt it. Given this culture clash, I give the new agent a few episodes and then Ari will get him the coveted drug lord project, Medellin.
What do you think?
