Entourage

Look, I’m not a hater, but this is getting ridiculous. HBO, you should be ashamed of yourself. Entourage is limping off to die behind the barn and you’re letting it happen in front of millions of viewers. It’s just embarrassing for everyone. I mean, has anything happened this season? Anything? I think Turtle hit a bong once or twice, but that’s about it. PLEASE, do us all a favor and either guarantee at least 10 minutes of Sloan camera time per episode or just put the show out of its misery. I know, I know. I’m a hypocrite. “If you don’t like the show, then don’t watch it.” Right? Well, I can’t stop. I just can’t. This fucking show is like audio/visual crack. I know it’s bad for me, it makes me numb and I feel guilty after watching it. Not that I’ve ever smoked crack…but I HAVE watched enough episodes of The Wire to know. But like a junkie, I keep coming back just in case there are boobs, or god forbid, a few minutes of Sloan. We all know HBO is just keeping the show around to maintain a “solid” line up. But you know what? There’s another show about the entertainment industry that has attractive women AND well-written, witty dialogue. And a protagonist that actually does shit. It’s called Californication and it’s taking, or rather, has already taken, the “bro show” title (just made that up) from Vince and co. Please, HBO, just give us what we want or give us our 21 minutes back so we can kick our habit.

Thanks.

VB

Eastbound & Down

As Bill Shakespeare once said, “Heavy lies the head that wears the crown.” As recently as 2006, HBO was in the drivers seat: “The Sopranos” was still going strong, “The Wire” (aka G.S.O.A.T., the Greatest Show of All Time) was killing it and Vinny Chase was still relatively tolerable. Fast forward three years—Tony Soprano got wacked, “The Wire” is history, “Entourage” is only worth watching for the occasional boob and the potential savior, “Flight of the Concords” has taken a significant nose dive in its sophomore season. Furthermore, pitiful attempts at signature series like “John From Cincinnati” and “True Blood” were the equivalent of audio-visual vomit.

Kind of funny that it took a bigoted, vulgar, overweight redneck to make the channel interesting again. “Eastbound & Down” is/was one of the most original shows on television and represented a pretty big risk for HBO. There are no immediately bankable stars (Will Ferrell is an E.P. and makes a couple of cameos), the language is atrocious and the main character is utterly loathesome. Yet each episode of the 6-part miniseries has a dynamic story arch and is packed with instantly quotable dialogue. Kenny Powers is the epitome of an anti-hero, but as the season progresses, the viewer cannot help but feel sorry for the asshole and ultimately empathize and root for him. With his role as Powers, Danny McBride has proven himself a rising comedic talent and one to watch. I honestly hope that HBO doesn’t screw this one up by banking on the show’s increased popularity by dragging it on for a second season. It ended perfectly. But then again, I hope the network proves me wrong. Now that “Eastbound & Down” and NCAA basketball are over, what the hell am I to watch? Better warm up the Netflix…

The Wire “rap” up

By now it’s no secret that “The Wire” is/was the best written, most powerful television series to hit cable boxes since forever. I dedicated this past summer to watching the entire series and I can honestly say it was time well spent, something I can say for few, if any, other shows. Each episode was written like a chapter in a book and the brutally honest portrayal of the streets of Baltimore was a breath of fresh air for TV, albeit a violent, sometimes disturbing one.

Needless to say I was stoked when I learned that Mad Skillz, a VA emcee noted for his year end “rap” ups, issued a summary, hip hop style for the series, which is now history. If you consider yourself a fan of the show, or want to get a feel for what it’s all about, check this: