TVSquad

Just five episodes into Entourage's long-awaited fifth season, and HBO has already pulled the trigger on a sixth. This morning the pay cable network announced that a sixth season of the popular comedy is in the works with a summer 2009 premiere planned.

So far, season five has seen Vince and the gang head into a downward spiral as he tries to rejuvenate his career in the wake of his last poorly received film, Medellin.

Even though I've seen plenty of positive reviews of the new season (I even gave it one), I still have a bit of an issue with HBO renewing the show. It's not that I disagree with a renewal, but I'm not so sure the timing is right.

Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of classic TV shows.

Even when it isn't at its greatest (which, for many fans, hasn't been since season 10) The Simpsons has still provided some great parodies of classic movies and television programs. For instance, in the season four episode "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" they did a great parody of the Star Trek movie franchise with Star Trek XII: So Very Tired. I still crack up everytime I see the scene where the severely obese Scotty is telling an aged Captain Kirk that he can't push the warp engines any further.

I would never have seen a single episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel if I hadn't recently lived with some friends who were huge fans of both series. I could never get into Buffy, but I did like Angel, and was more than a little perturbed to find out the series ended abruptly with no real resolution at all.

(S06E01) I'm not sure I'm sold on The Apprentice moving to Los Angeles. It sounds stupid, but it boils down to little things for me. Things that feel different that I liked about New York. For instance, remember the way a fired contestant would exit New York? Hop into a cab. It's not the same in Los Angeles. A chauffeured towncar service? It just feels weird to me. That's the best way I can describe it. For most of my thoughts on the premiere and this season in general, check out this Early Look post that I wrote a few weeks ago. However, I've watched the episode again and I've got some fresh thoughts after the jump.

Two and a half months ago, when negotiations between 20th Century Fox and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane reached a standstill, the writers for the series were told not to report to work. According to Variety, the suits at 20th Century Fox didn't want to stop production midway because a deal was never solidified, despite the fact MacFarlane's contract wasn't up for several months.

Vivica A. Fox will be joining the cast of Curb Your Enthusiasm for the show's sixth season, which kicks off next year. According to Hollywood Reporter, there's not much information, though information points to Fox playing the member of a black family who moves into the David's home after a natural disaster. So there you go, Vivica A. Fox will be playing a black woman, and frankly, I couldn't be happier. I was starting to grow tired of seeing her constantly playing an elderly Chinese man.

The storyline is meant to spoof the events of Hurricane Katrina, as well as race relations. I imagine we can look forward to Larry saying something incredibly inappropriate. The article doesn't mention whether Fox's character will stay on the show or whether she'll only be part of this specific storyline.

By one episode. Hey, it's better than nothing! This was confirmed by Steve Schirripa over the weekend while he was being interviewed at the recent Comic Relief show. Schirripa, who plays Bobby Baccala, didn't have much to say other than the first six episodes are done and he's still alive and kicking.

So this means that the second half of the HBO mob drama's sixth and final season will have nine episodes instead of eight. The series returns on April 8 (wouldn't surprise me in the least if that changed again) and if you're looking to play catch up you can see the first half of the season right now on HBO OnDemand. Either that or you can check out the DVD, which just came out recently. Whichever method you choose, prepare to be let down. I know myself, along with plenty of other Sopranos fans, were sorely disappointed with the first 12 episodes of this season. Here's to hoping that the final nine are worth the wait.

[via Celebrity Week]