Michael Phelps and Jeremy Piven on The View Today...

Jeremy Piven and Michael Phelps will both be appearing on The View today, albeit seperately. Michael filmed a small cameo, which may or may not make it into the final cut (I have no evidence saying it won't, but it was filmed on a whim). Piven will be on hand to talk about his latest film, Rock'n Rolla.

Another morning of Whoopie and Hasslebeck attaching each other. Should be fun.

Learn how Jamie-Lynn Sigler became an Entourage star...

The official site has updated to include an all new "Listen In" by Doug Ellin, where he discusses a running gag in the office that Jamie-Lynn Sigler would never agree to do the show. Luckily, a producer on the show knew her and the rest is history.

Ellin also revealed that we'll be seeing much more of her. Tonight seemed to be a fitting end for the character, but I'm interested to find out how they'll rope her back in.

You can "Listen In" here .

5.08 - First Class Jerk - Review

What Happened This Week? Turtle miraculously scored Jamie-Lynn Sigler's number; Ari unselfishly vetoed the idea of replacing Alan and ushered in new management: Dana.

The Funniest Line? One that I'm still chuckling over? "Why would she fuck someone who's built like a South Park character?!"

What Made This Episode? Ari Gold had to wrestle with some inner turmoil and had to suffer through a crowd pleasing beat down by Lloyd. It's welcomed change, especially because it's Lloyd. And even after being put down, Ari seemed a tad bit proud.

Gripes? She was needed for Drama's galavanting around town, but that was about it.

Funniest Cameo? Holy shit, it's Frank Darabont! Allow me to repeat myself: holy shit, it's Frank Darabont! I can't even imagine how hard securing that cameo must have been.

Madame President: You must now suffer through my incessant gloating. I was correct. Ari took himself out of the running for Alan's position and let Dana swoop in. With that, Ari now has a film for Vince and he can easily slip back into his usual antics.

Overall Opinion? Great work. It's as simple as that.

Next Week? Production is starting on Smokejumpers; Ari's old friend, Andrew Klein, comes to town.

Entourage Brands Smith As Aquaman Writer!

MTV caught up with Kevin Smith at the premiere for Zack and Miri Make A Porno and Smith, who was the aforementioned writer of the Chase-less Aquaman sequel, reminisced about the dozens of fans who would approach him, eagerly asking about the film.

'That stung a little bit," Smith admitted. "But the weirdest thing was that afterwards, for the next two months, people would come up and congratulate me. 'I hear you're doing Aquaman 2"!’ And I was like, ‘Motherf—er, did you ever see ‘Aquaman 1?!"

Gary Cole Joins Entourage for Sixth Season!

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Gary Cole will star in the sixth season as Andrew Klein, an old friend from Ari's past. It's currently known that Cole will appear this season an episode slated to air in November.

It's most feasible that Cole will appear in the episode Pie - which is the ninth episode, thus leading to the twelfth and completing his three-episode arc. Cole will be a regular throughout the sixth season.

It's an interesting move, no doubt, introducing another new character. The direction of next season is riding on First Class Jerk.

5.07 - Gotta Look Up To Get Down - Review

What Happened This Week? Ari is a shocked man at the funeral for Alan Grey, learning that he may fill his shoes as the head of Warner Brothers; Vince is offered a spot for a fashion show; Turtle and Drama try to get laid.

The Funniest Line? "Tonight I'm going to fuck someone so tall her scuff marks will be on my ceiling." Damn, Drama.

What Made This Episode? The deepest moment this show may ever have. Ari and Vince confronting, or maybe accepting, the future ahead of them. The soundtrack amplified the writing and a send off from Ari on the steps the plane was heart breaking. I've been against Ari Gold becoming anything less, or more, than an agent. The last moment had me rethinking this possibility. And that's a damn shame, because you know that if Ari is a studio head, he and Vince will only ever be two strangers hugging it out.

Gripes? The search for Natascha bored me quickly. A charade to keep us busy. The reveal -- Frederick is gay -- wasn't as shocking as one might think (was I the only one to see it coming from a mile away? Okay, maybe half a mile). And did anyone else see Max Payne footage playing silently in the background in Ari's office?

Funniest Cameo? Why must they both be so funny? Jeffrey Tambor takes this episode with one line after the next that had me in rolling. And many others, I'm sure.

Overall Opinion? Behind Fire Sale and Fantasy Island, this is third. If only for the writing and that last bittersweet moment.

Prediction For Next Week? My prediction for next week? Ellin ain't no dummy -- they wouldn't show Ari about to accept the offer without a plan in place. This is my prediction… he doesn't take it. Instead, Ari let's Dana Gordon -- although not an agent, she was formerly with the company and has plenty of experience and also a friend of Vince -- take his place as studio head and has a promise from Dana to make Smokejumpers. Not only does this clear up any holes for this season, it's smart and would make complete sense. Once again, a prediction and nothing more.

Next Week? Everything is coming to a stalemate -- Dana is desperately vying for a place as Ari's second and Jamie Lynn Sigler becomes a member of the cast for this season as Turtle's potential girlfriend.

Where In The World Are They? -- The Entourage Crew!

Since we occassionally come upon a dry spell, this new feature is about exploring each actor from Entourage outside of the show.

Have fun:

-- Mark Wahlberg is the star of the new action thriller Max Payne, which opened today and has been predicted to make a hefty twenty million for opening weekend gross. "W" (or: Dubya) is the only competition the film actually faces.

-- Kevin Connolly has been seen around town directing a music video with Giselle Bundchen (former girlfriend of Leonardo Dicaprio, who is a close friend of Kevin). You can see the man in action here.

-- To mention the massively gifted actor and producer once more, Wahlberg was interviewed by Collider and IESB. In the first interview, Wahlberg spills on everything but Max Payne, including a slight nod to Eric Weinstein, the inspiration for Eric Murphy. IESB takes the second interview, which is Wahlberg promoting Payne and talking about his career.

-- Adrian Grenier urges the world to vote. With a twist.

Jason Patric in Smokejumpers!

Stop talking, Wahlberg, you're ruining it!

Collider had a chance to sit down with Mark Wahlberg and those fine people asked him one question: was he offered Smokejumpers?

Unfortunately, no. But who was? Jason Patric! Jason will be the - well, we don’t exactly know what (Gah! Made an error - Jason Isaacs will be on next week's episode, not Jason Patric) - on next week's episode. At least we know there is a film.

R.I.P - Alan Grey...

He will be missed.

But not by Ari.

5.06 - Redomption - Review

What Happened This Week? Alan Grey died. Turtle officially became Drama's assistant, then unofficially quit. Dom made a return, only to reveal to Vince and Eric that he now has a child.

The Funniest Line? I'd love to say there was only one that truly won me over, but there was not. Instead, there were several. Hear a few: "Is that something you might be interested in?" "Miss it, you scumbag!" and last, but certainly not least, "Think positive thoughts, Alan!"

What Made This Episode? A conglomeration of fantastic writing, wonderful direction and some nice acting. The fact that Alan Grey is now dead - and may possibly be replaced by Ari Gold next week - is a little troubling, but we've approached the halfway mark and the twist has been revealed.

Moment of Surprise? Obviously Alan dying. He could have easily been kept alive, then only to realize that life is too short to hold a grudge and make life easy for Vince again. But life doesn't work that way and it's another unfortunate life lesson for Vince.

Gripes? Does God hate me? If he doesn't, why would he let me write "Where's Charlie?" when this week when he, too, made a return. That has to be proof.

Craziest Cameo? Phil Mickelson! Who would've thought he would have been that hysterical?

Dom's Return? I've been against his return for quite some time, but… It wasn't bad. It wasn't. When the DVD is released, I won't watch this episode with any dismay. Dom was successfully brought back and managed to make an impact on the show. A true hats off to Doug Ellin and his fabulous writing team.

Overall Opinion? Could have been spectacular -- and in a mediocre way, it was -- but I'll settle for "fantastically funny".

Next Week: What's there to say that isn't already being chatted about all over the internet? Alan is permanently dead and Ari is offered a chance to take his position. Then, Vince is now a model-for-hire and develops a liking for another woman. Crazy times.

I'd also like to add that I haven't a fucking clue where this season is headed.

Lack of updates...

Sorry about that.

I'm on a quest to save my health. It's not as dire as my doctor (he's very sarcastic) explained, but a diet is necessary and I've spent the last week rearranging my fridge. Enough about me, however...

...I'm here for you. The ending for this season has been up at a certain film site for the past day or so. Let me make myself perfectly clear: this blog will remain spoiler-free on that ending. I also forgot to tell you...

...Entourage tonight! Be there! Dom is returning and I couldn't be more scared!

Where's Charlie?

Where's Charlie?

Give me a second. I'm still in disbelief that I'm actually asking this. We've barely seen any of the character and yet, I still wonder: where will they take him this season? Was he merely placed in a cameo role for it be furthered in the sixth season? It was mostly a given that HBO would renew the show. It's their last standing "hit".

This season quickly became about Smokejumpers and Eric's attempt to adequately manage his career and Vince's. Is that all this season is about? Charlie doesn't add too much to the mix, but he does add something. It's there. They need to explore it. And if it doesn't work, then so be it.

Confirmed: Sixth Season Greenlit, Production Starting Early 2009...

Story is developing...

--

A little over an hour and a half ago The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Entourage is coming back for a sixth season, with production to start early next year. Everyone involved is obviously elated that they're barely into the fifth season and a sixth is already in the pipeline.

And us, the fans, even more overjoyed to know that this year isn't the last. It's a little shocking to learn that production will start this soon, considering they finished shooting a little less than a month ago. And to think, next summer (which isn't that far away), we'll be watching the further adventures of the crew!

It's time to celebrate with a bottle of vodka. Who's with me?

What are the critics saying?

Although I gave the episode a rather glowing review last night, many of the critics seem to think otherwise:

Mark La Monica from “Let’s Blog It Out” was a fan:

"This week's episode was pretty strong, I thought. I enjoyed the "Am I still tripping or is this real?" ending with the fire fighters. Just as Vince had decided to collect a $3 million paycheck to do "Benji," he saw himself in a fire fighter's uniform fighting the blaze that was on the side of the road."

Which obviously means that Rob Hunter from "Film School Rejects" wasn't:

"It would hardly be an exaggeration to say absolutely nothing happens in this episode."

Leading us to a Kevin Connolly fan site, which couldn't muster up a legitimate reason for actually liking the episode:

"What could have been a well written look into the true psyche of the 5 main characters of Entourage turned out to be the flattest episode of the season so far. I was left feeling like I was being left out of an inside joke."

Next week will be better. Or worse. I'm not psychic.

5.05 - Tree Trippers - Review

What Happened This Week? Because life isn't on Vince's side, he and the crew travel to Joshua Tree and embark on a mind altering trip and must ultimately decide on the direction of Vince's career. Meanwhile, back home, Lloyd and Tom wreck Ari's house with a rave.

The Funniest Line? A massive chunk of this episode has line after line that have become more hilarious by the second. So I won't choose this week, and leave only with this: "And I'm even happy to see E!"

What Made This Episode? Irregularity. This episode is the curveball this season. It's weird, it's funny, it wonderfully includes science in the most wacky way possible. It's a risky move when a character is high for an entire twenty-nine minutes, but it worked well.

Moment Of Surprise? Ari and Lloyd having a heartfelt moment between one another. It's been bubbling up for the longest time.

Gripes? I can't say I loved this episode, but it certainly isn't the worst. Ari managed to grow a little more as a character and Vince decided that he'd rather die before making an animated film. One especially focused around a dog… in the snow.

Greatest Cameo? Considering that he was in a third of the episode, it's hardly a cameo, but Eric Roberts exceeded expectations and even became a guru of sort.

Next Week? It's the week we've all been dreading. Dom is back. Turtle is now Drama's assistant. And what may be the worst situation for Ari, he must convince Alan to cast Vince. Next week. Be there.

Smokejumpers!

As we're all very aware, Smokejumpers has yet to find a home in Entourage land. It's looking to have the interest of Alan Grey, but is he really only buying the screenplay to further torment Vince?

Let's take a moment to relax and look at this wonderfully rendered faux-poster for the film. It's made by a fan, obviously, but had I not known, I would have run this as being official: