Just in time for Sunday's "Entourage" season finale, porn star Sasha Grey will be the celebrity host at a Sept. 11 club event in New York City.
Grey, the California girl born Marina Ann Hantzis, has been knocking on mainstream entertainment's door since her turn in Steven Soderbergh's "The Girlfriend Experience," and her story arc as the girlfriend to Adrian Grenier's Vincent Chase on "Entourage" has introduced her to the nation's HBO-subscribing living rooms.
As to whether New York can handle the award-winning Sasha hosting Webster Hall's weekly Circus on the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks (it's not a benefit) -- well, what's more American ...
Talk about a tight "Entourage" -- Doug Ellin, creator of HBO's long-running comedy, is speaking out in defense of his actor Kevin Connolly.
It was announced last week that Connolly was stepping behind the camera to direct one of the new season's episodes. Quickly on the heels of that news, a report surfaced online saying Connolly was difficult to work with -- that he'd forced long hours on cast and crew and displayed "extreme perfectionism."
"Ridiculous," Ellin told us on the phone Friday, "absolutely ridiculous. He was as prepared and focused as any director I've had. There's a rat on this set and it's a weird thing. It's got to be somebody with a personal thing against Kevin."
Ellin was so impressed, he's giving Connolly another shot at the director's chair. "I'm going to let him do another one next year."
Rumor had it that Connolly and costar Adrian Grenier had words, but Ellin insists boys will be boys.
"He had a little argument with Adrian, whatever," Ellin said. "Boys have arguments."
Connolly is next slated to direct the feature film, "Adrenaline," currently in pre-production. The seventh season of "Entourage" premieres Sunday.
-- Matt Donnelly
Photo: Kevin Connolly at a 2009 Lakers game. Credit: Getty Images
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At the end of last season on "Entourage," Turtle had his heart broken when his on-screen (and then, real-life) girlfriend Jamie Lynn Sigler dumped him.
During Season 7, Turtle's not going to just mope around, actor Jerry Ferrara told us Wednesday at the kickoff event for the new season at the Studios at Paramount.
"This year for the character is all about business," Ferrara said. "He starts his own business -- a limo company. Beautiful women driving the limos. It's actually a great idea. I'm gonna do it in real life!"
As for the rumors there might be an "Entourage" movie coming after the show's conclusion, Ferrara says he's just as in the dark as we are. But he'd be game to act in a film.
"It's a little early to tell. I hear the same thing," he said. "And the minute I heard it, I told everyone, 'I'm in.' I'll do this forever."
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Ari Gold's beleaguered former assistant Lloyd (played by actor Rex Lee) has always been one of our favorite characters on "Entourage," and this season, he'll finally get to come into his own after landing a gig as an agent.
"I'd say that this year there's a lot more respect between Ari and
Lloyd, which is a good thing, I suppose," Lee told us at the kickoff event for Season 7 at Paramount Studios on Wednesday.
But anyone who thinks Ari is done taking out his frustrations on Lloyd is greatly mistaken, Lee said.
"There is like one or
two episodes where we fall back into the old dynamic, and that was a
lot of fun to go back to," he said. "Not outrageous fights. Just old habits die
hard. Ari can't help but abuse everybody."
Lee, who joined the series in its second season, said he believes the HBO program has continued to resonate with audiences because of the friendship between Vince and his buddies.
"I think especially in the beginning, but even now, the show is not necessarily about Hollywood or toys," he said. "It's about friendship. It's about these four boys and how they grew up together. They know that they have each other's back. They know that whatever happens, they're there for each other, and I think that resonates with a lot of people."
And where does Lloyd fall into that equation?
"I like to feel that I played my own part," Lee smiled. "I'm the downtrodden person at work who has to deal with a horrible boss. A lot of people can relate to that."
Photo: Rex Lee at the "Entourage" Season 7 premiere in Los Angeles. Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
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As HBO's hit series "Entourage" enters its seventh season, even some of the show's cast members, like Kevin Connolly, can't believe the program is still on the air.
"Yeah, it's strange," Connolly, who plays Eric Murphy, told us at the event to kickoff the new season at Paramount on Wednesday.
The new season of "Entourage" is still in production, and Connolly will direct an episode. At the premiere, he acknowledged after spending the day behind the camera that "acting and directing on the same day can be tough."
"So I'm a little tired. But I got to go home and take a little nap," he said. "Gotta make sure all these boys get a good night's sleep."
Connolly was also openly self-conscious about his outfit.
If you've thought that life for Vince and the guys on "Entourage" is
just an endless stream of parties and meetings with agents and being on
set, HBO's Season 7 premiere event Wednesday would have done nothing to
dissuade you.
At least about the parties.
The cable network transformed the lawn outside
the Paramount Theatre at the Studios at Paramount into a huge
nightclub, with black geometric sofas and candlelit tables covered with
brown croc as far as the eye could see -- not to mention tempting
buffets of Wolfgang Puck's beef strips, tortellini, onion rings and
chocolate doughnut holes in peanut sauce. (Click the picture below to launch a gallery of pictures from the red carpet.)
Which brings us to the important question -- how do all those girls at the party in minis and stilettos stay so skinny?
Debi Mazar wore a slinky green snake-patterned L'Wren Scott sheath in one of the first episodes, and the half-full plate in front of her looked like a clue, but we asked her anyway.
"I ate," she said, bursting our illusions. "I have a cooking show about to go on national TV. It's online [at underthetuscangun.com]. I can't tell you more than that. I eat pasta and sweets. My secret is ...
Looking good while doing good is our favorite talent in a leading man, and Adrian Grenier pulls it off perfectly in the June issue of GQ.
The "Entourage" star paired up with Nautica and Oceana to support the cause of overfishing of bluefin tuna, documented by GQ's Gentleman's Fund.
"Hoisting a sign that says 'Save the bluefin tuna' just isn't for him," the mag says of Grenier. Instead, he suited up for a dive off the Pacific Coast and swam with the increasingly endangered species.
"Look, I'm cynical, like we all can be. But as a man, you have to pierce through the cynicism, take responsibility for your choices and find what's important to you," Grenier said.
"It has less to do with following one particular cause than it does with participation, a willingness to engage."
Do you know a gentleman doing his best to engage? GQ is looking for a few good ones, as part of its Better Men Better World search.
Nominate someone you think is making a difference here -- prizes include $10,000 donated to a charity of the winner's choice by Movado, a feature in GQ and honors at the Gentleman's Fund Ball in New York City.
-- Matt Donnelly
Photo: Adrian Grenier suited up for his bluefin tuna dive. Credit: Kurt Iswarienko / GQ
Read about more leading men and women in magazines, plus dispatches from the charity beat. We're equally handsome and giving on Twitter and Facebook.
Looks like Jessica Simpson is being courted by Jeremy Piven — professionally, that is. Simpson will be making a cameo on HBO's "Entourage" this season, as confirmed by a sweet tweet from the singer on Tuesday.
"I have the utmost respect for the entire cast and crew of Entourage!" Simpson said. "Thank you for making the past 2 days memorable :)"
Given her use of the smiley-face emoticon, it's safe to gather she enjoyed herself in the company of the on-screen boys' club.
Speculation on the Web says Simpson will play herself, joining actresses such as Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Anna Faris, who have done the same. Piven's Ari Gold and a rival agent will reportedly contend for Simpson's business.
"Entourage" also stars Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly and Kevin Dillon. [Updated: A previous version of this post listed Matt Dillon as being in the cast; of course, we meant Kevin Dillon.]
-- Matt Donnelly
Photo: Jessica Simpson in 2008. Credit: Peter Kramer / Associated Press
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Rob Weiss may be a fresh face, but fans of "Entourage" know him well already -- his life experiences have been fodder for essential parts of HBO's zeitgeist Hollywood hit.
Now his upstart years in New York are the focus of the network's new series "How to Make It in America."
I caught up with the writer-director-executive producer to discuss his on-screen alter egos, his unique break into Hollywood and the shows that echo his real life.
Here are the Rob Weiss essentials:
He's Billy Walsh: Weiss is the inspiration for actor Rhys Corio's popular "Entourage" character, director-on-the-verge Billy Walsh, the man behind the show's smash-flop "Medellin." In real life, Weiss' 1993 festival hit "Amongst Friends" catapulted him to the major leagues, but with no sea legs for showbiz, he was quite the untamed auteur.
"The crazy director part is true. I had a lot of manic episodes in my early 20s," he said. "It's not as bad, but I'm still a perfectionist in a lot of ways."
He's the hustle in 'How to Make It':Brian Greenberg plays a cute-but-tough downtown NYC type, with DNA that's pure Weiss ambition. "The new show, it's the hustle that's most relatable to me. I was always looking to make a buck as a kid," he said. "I had the arts background but I ran with hustlers."
