08/29/2006 11:59:00 PM 
This trend seems to be make a comeback, we have the real and faked reality of regular reality shows and now the hyped-up hyper reality of shows like Entourage, that turn us into passengers on a ride through the spills and thrills of the movie business.
After a slow start, Entourage is the most buzzed show around, with stars scrambling for cameo roles and industry insiders salivating over the "realness" of the show. The show isn't filmed on sets, but in real locations in Hollywood streets, restaurants, at Lakers games and even a U2 concert.
Recently Martin Landau made an appearance as a burnt out movie producer which caused the legendary Robert Evans to take offence, the writers insist the character wasn't supposed to be him, even if they did use his house as a location for this episode.
As the creators told a recent New York Times Talk, they find that viewers are living vicariously through the show. They all want to be like the guys, they want them to keep spending their money on gambling trips to Vegas and ludicrously fast sports cars. They also don't want Vince, the lead character, to have a steady girlfriend, they would rather he had a different girl every day of the week.
The success of Entourage is interesting to look at. It has strong characters that we can relate to because, they, like us, are outsiders to the industry. They are ordinary guys who just happened to win the lottery and are living large, everyone's dream.
Also, it's short, at less than 30 minutes, it's more like a bite-sized snack, something that's sweet and appetizing, it rarely looks at the negative impact of the business on people and instead lets the viewers revel in the guys hyper-real fantasy.
So with the success of Entourage, it will be interesting to see how Aaron Sorkin's new Fall show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip approaches the business. From the initial reports, it appears that it's going to takes us deep inside the world of television, where we follow the trials and tribulations of a team behind a failing SNL-type show. Considering this show will be broadcast by NBC, this is getting weirdly close to reality.
Some enterprising individual has already taken the key line delivered by the producer of the SNL type show, it's more like a paragraph, but they managed to fit it on a t-shirt which can be purchased here.
This tells you everything you need to know about the show.
"There's always been a struggle between art and commerce, and now I'm telling you art is getting its ass kicked."
It looks like Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip won't show us the glossy Hollywood of Entourage, instead Sorkin will put its guts on display for all to see. It should be interesting to see just how much reality the audience can handle.
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