thePeanutBloggery

What’s In the Spotlight

Entourage
I could list many reasons why Entourage appeals to men (beyond being well written, acted, and produced). It’s a “men will be men” sitcom without any females present to make them feel bad about it. Vince, E, Drama, and Turtle are crass, immature, and baffled by women. They also have an obscene amount of money and caché. Their lives look an awful lot like a young man’s ultimate fantasy.

Still, the real question is, why as a woman do I like Entourage. The answer is two-fold. First, it’s an invitation into the locker room. Often referred to as the male Sex in the City (a different sex and a different city), it reveals how men act when there are no women around (something I could never witness first-hand). Over the first two and a half seasons I saw that for a man sex and love are two different and often unrelated topics, though both are worthy of ridicule from his buddies. I noted that men don’t tell each other they care but demonstrate it with favors (Turtle’s sneakers, Vince’s birthday party). Of course it’s easier for these boys to show each other love, because they’ve got so much damn money.

The second reason I, a woman, like this show is the fantasy. Vincent Chase could be any movie star I’ve ever coveted – River? George? Owen? Not only does it depict what I know from the media, a young movie star who dates a lot of women and recklessly spends his money, but it also shows qualities I secretly hope are real – the sensitive guy who’s completely loyal to his friends, who becomes tongue-tied by and obsessive about the right girl (Mandy Moore in Vince’s case), and is ultimately kind and down-to-earth despite his cocky disposition.

Ladies, feel free to deny you like Entourage. Tell your boyfriend you’re only watching it because you know he likes it. Make sure to act offended each time one of the characters objectifies a woman. You can use it to make him watch Grey’s Anatomy with you later.

What They Said

I’m gonna have so much money, my grandkids are going to play lacrosse. Lacrosse, Liz Lemon.”
Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock

What They Played

This week’s soundtrack pick comes from Scrubs. (Fortunately, they still do something right.) “Forever Lost” by The Magic Numbers is available on iTunes.

Primetime Index

Entourage drops a point, but Gilmore Girls and Jericho step up and the index average rises from 7.43 to 7.57.