Entourage Creator Doug Ellin Chats with MediaVillage
SATURDAY, JUNE 4
American Revolutions: Southern Rock (CMT, 8 p.m. ET)
Premiere. 90 Minutes. American Idol runner-up and Alabama rocker Bo Bice has put southern rock front and
center in popular culture during the last few weeks. For young Idol viewers who may be new to the genre, or fans who simply can't get enough, this original CMT documentary provides background and perspective, with new interviews and archival performance footage not seen since
the '70s. Among the rockers interviewed are Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Johnny Van Zant, Billy Powell, Judy Van Zant, Donnie Van Zant, Phil Walden and Charlie Daniels.
Crimson Force (Sci Fi Channel, 9 p.m. ET)
Premiere. Explorers sent to Mars in search of a new energy source to supplement Earth's dwindling resources crash land
in the midst of a Martian civil war in Sci Fi's latest enjoyably cheesy Saturday night fantasy flick. David Chokachi (of the enjoyably cheesy Baywatch and Witchblade) and C. Thomas Howell star.
The 59th Annual Tony Awards (CBS, 8 p.m. ET)
Live. Three Hours. Hugh Jackman returns for his third consecutive gig as host of the classiest awards show of the
year, telecast live from Radio City Music Hall. See MediaVillage.com for Jack Myers' award predictions. (Full Story)
Greatest American (Discovery, 8 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. As this four-part series opens, Today show host Matt Lauer will reveal the 100 Greatest Americans of all time as determined by an online poll conducted earlier this year by Discovery
Channel and America Online. (The full list, including biographies, is available at aol.com/greatestamerican and at AOL Keyword: Greatest American.) At the end of tonight's show, Lauer will note the top 25 from this group, also determined by online nominations. Viewers will be invited to cast their votes at AOL, via toll free numbers and via text messaging to further narrow the list to the top five, presented in next Sunday's show. The third episode will
feature what Discovery calls "celebrity advocates" debating their own choices for the Greatest American. And during the June 26 finale, which will be televised live from New York City at 9 p.m. ET, viewers will vote in real time to select the No. 1 Greatest American. (It is unclear if viewers in the other time zones will lose out on this opportunity.)
Entourage (HBO, 9 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. HBO has high hopes for the second season of Entourage, which generated positive reviews and
strong ratings in its first season that ended six months ago. In the final episode, the "entourage" of emerging heartthrob movie star Vince Chase (Adrian Grenier) were headed to New York for the filming of independent movie Queens Blvd. As season two begins, they are on their way
back to Los Angeles in search of Vince's next role and certain of his continued stardom.
Doug Ellin, the show's creator and lead writer, told Jack Myers MediaVillage "the show is as realistic as possible about Hollywood and the business. People in the industry are actually freaked out. They
feel like they're watching their office lives. I think its 100 percent accurate. We really don't want to make things up." Ellin believes Entourage is about friendship, with Hollywood as the backdrop. "We're making a show closer to Diner than to The Player. It's not supposed to be a Hollywood story. It's about four guys from New York trying to make it in
Hollywood. The four lead characters could be stockbrokers or firemen. Most of the episodes deal with friendships, girlfriends and relationships."
Episode one premieres tonight before the premiere of Lisa Kudrow's The Comeback. Jeremy Piven returns as Chase's agent Ari (based on agent Ari Emmanuel), one of television's most compelling and fascinating characters, and Debi Mazar's role as publicist
Shauna is being expanded. Emmanuelle Chriqui will join the cast as Eric's love interest and guests will include U2, Mandy Moore, James Cameron, Hugh Hefner, Ralph Macchio, Pauly Shore, and many others. The cast will also travel to Sundance this season when the fictional Queens Blvd. is premiered at the annual festival. -- Jack Myers
The 4400 (USA Network, 9 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. When The 4400 premiered on USA Network last summer it logged the
highest ratings ever for an original series premiere on a basic cable network and it's easy to see why. The sprawling saga follows the lives of 4400 people who had been reported missing or dead over a period
spanning several decades, but had actually been abducted, not by aliens, but by humans from the future trying to save mankind from a dire fate. As the series began they were suddenly returned to Earth en masse with no memories of what had happened, not one of them having aged a day, and many with unique superhuman abilities. Season two picks up 18 months after the 4400 were
returned with many of the familiar characters from season one still trying to adjust to their new old world. Billy Campbell and Joel Gretsch (Taken) star.
The Comeback (HBO, 9:30 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. Hopes were high for this new comedy series starring Lisa Kudrow in which she plays a former sitcom star and almost has-been named Valerie Cherish who jumpstarts her career by
starring in a new reality series titled The Comeback that chronicles her efforts to land a role on a new scripted series titled Room and Bored. The idea of a show about a 40-year-old woman trying to survive and thrive in Hollywood is timely and full of potential -- and the gifted Kudrow totally eradicates memories of her endearing character Phoebe from Friends (not to mention Phoebe's twin sister Ursula from Mad About You). But this
opening episode, in which Valerie does indeed get the role, is alarmingly devoid of laughs. Near the end, as a video confessional Valerie is taping is repeatedly interrupted by the sounds of her husband passing explosive wind on a nearby toilet, it is clear that the writers are already running out of gas, so to speak.
MONDAY, JUNE 6
The Scholar (ABC, 8 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. Now here's a welcome switch -- a youth-targeted reality series that celebrates higher education rather than the ability to perform dangerous stunts or eat disgusting things. Ten
high school seniors are challenged to demonstrate excellence in academics, leadership and community service, and the ability to face sudden death oral exams, as they vie for a full scholarship to a top-rated university. Filmed at the University of Southern California. Actor and comedian Steve Martin is one of the executive producers of this show.
Six Feet Under (HBO, 9 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. HBO stakes new ground on Monday night with the return of its Emmy Award winning drama about life at a family run funeral home. The fifth and final season begins in truly morbid style,
with pregnant Brenda suffering a medical emergency on the eve of her wedding to Nate (the aftermath is too awful to be believed) and George receiving shock therapy to cure his psychosis. As always, Catherine O'Hara and Joanna Cassidy steal the show in brief appearances.
TUESDAY, JUNE 7
Fire Me … Please (CBS, 9 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. Here's an empty-headed summer reality show: Each week, two people starting new jobs on the same day
strive to be intentionally fired by (but not beyond) 3 p.m. The winner receives $25,000.
Blow Out (Bravo, 9 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. It's season two for hairstylist Jonathan Antin and staff at Jonathan Salon Beverly Hills. This year, in addition to maintaining his salon, Antin executes the worldwide launch of his new hair care line, Jonathan
Product. The over-extended Antin's much-needed sessions with his private therapist will also be seen this season. Blow Out is co-produced by Reveille LLC and Magna Global Entertainment.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy (Bravo, 10 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. The Fab 5 take on five athletes -- World Series Champion Boston Red Sox players Kevin Millar, Johnny Damon, Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek and Doug Mirabelli -- in the first of twelve
new summer episodes of this series. The Sox are good sports as they take time out from spring training to discover the joys and discomforts of facials, manicures and back waxes. But they really rise to the occasion when they team with Carson, Jai, Thom, Ted and Kyan for a charity baseball game that will
raise funds to rebuild little league fields that were damaged by one of the devastating hurricanes that passed through Florida last fall.
The Inside (Fox, 8 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. A young female rookie FBI agent with a dark secret joins the bureau's Los Angeles Violent Crimes Unit in this disturbing but well-made drama thriller. The VCU takes on particularly dangerous cases that threaten both the emotional and physical well being of the agents. First up: A
serial killer who cuts the skin off the faces and hands of his female victims. The Inside is the first scripted broadcast series of the summer and the first in a spate of truly creepy and violent new crime series that will premiere on the broadcast networks during the upcoming season, including Fox' The Gate and CBS' Criminal Behavior. Any resemblance to
the classic 1991 film Silence of the Lambs seems to be intentional. In fact, in one scene, one of the troubled rookie's colleagues refers to her as Clarice Starling. Rachel Nichols, Jay Harrington, Kate Finneran, Adam Baldwin and Peter Coyote star.
The Real Gilligan's Island (TBS, 9 p.m. ET)
Season Premiere. Remarkably, the first season of this sorry show ranked as ad-supported cable's No. 1 new reality series of 2004 among adults 18-49 and was second only to USA Network's The 4400 among
all new cable series in that prized demographic. Two teams of castaway characters based on those from the original Gilligan's Island are stranded on an island and compete in a series of challenges, some based on situations from that classic goofball series, with the ultimate goal of finding a way off the island.
Thursday, June 9
The Cut (CBS, 8 p.m. ET)
Series Premiere. Sixteen contestants compete in a series of fashion and style challenges designed to test their talent, business smarts, sales and marketing skills and resourcefulness, many based on
the professional experiences of design expert Tommy Hilfiger. The grand prize is a job with Tommy Hilfiger, the host of this show.
MTV Movie Awards (MTV, 8:30 p.m. ET)
Jimmy Fallon hosts the 14th annual MTV Movie Awards, for our money just about the most entertaining award show of
the year, maybe because it seems to have been conceived as an entertaining television program rather than a televised entertainment event.
Friday, June 10
Into the West (TNT, 8 p.m. ET)
Miniseries Premiere. First of Six Parts. Those who remember the glory days of the television miniseries, which brought us such legendary long-form productions as Roots,Rich Man, Poor Man,The Thorn Birds,War & Remembrance and Winds
of War, will no doubt welcome this expansive, twelve-hour co-production from TNT and DreamWorks Television that chronicles the exploration and settling of the American West. Over the next six weeks, each two-hour episode will premiere on Friday at 8 p.m. ET, with repeats Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET and at other times. Among the dozens of actors in the cast are Sean Astin,
Tom Berenger, Beau Bridges, Josh Brolin, Gary Busey, Jessica Capshaw, Keith Carradine, Tyler Christopher, Balthazar Getty, Christian Kane, Matthew Modine, Keri Russell, Craig Shaffer, Matthew Settle, Wes Studi and Skeet Ulrich. Steven Spielberg is among the executive producers of this massive production.
RSS Feeds | Subscribe 
