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.

The name Jordan Belfi might not mean much to you, but if you watch Entourage, you absolutely know Adam Davies. And, if Belfi's done his job right, you probably really hate the guy.

As the best-dressed nemesis on TV, Davies is the super-agent foil to most of Ari Gold's (Jeremy Piven) plans and schemes. And in a particularly conniving episode (airing Sun., Sept. 21 at 10PM), the Davies/Gold smack down reaches new heights. Or lows, depending on how you see it.

Belfi talked to us about his character's underhanded ways, his most devoted fans and why watching Gordon Ramsay vomit means must-see-TV in his house.

11:00: OK, that's it for me tonight. Things have turned bold for some reason and I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since...well, I had a handful of almonds around 5:30, along with a Diet Coke, but that's it. Check out more Emmys on AOL, with a full list of winners, behind the scenes info, interviews, and a ton of pictures.

10:57: Outstanding Drama, Mad Men. Yes!!!!!

10:56: Tom Selleck delivering the Drama award? Random, but welcome.

10:55: Two years in a row for 30 Rock. Does this mean great ratings? (Probably not.)

10:54: Outstanding Comedy Series: 30 Rock.

10:53: Mary Tyler Moore: attractive woman, really bad dress.

10:50: ...and the Emmy goes to Jeff Probst (Survivor).

10:45: Outstanding Host, Reality Show is...after this commercial. Kimmel is becoming the MVP of award shows and specials.

10:41: Outstanding Lead Actress, Comedy: Tina Fey (30 Rock).

10:38: Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama: Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)!

10:36: The Fey/Scorcese American Express ad is great...but not when you see it 30 times in one night.

10:34: In case you're wondering, I still haven't eaten anything yet.

10:32: Impressed they're including some producers and other behind the scenes folks.

10:30: Ah, the annual "In Memoriam." The time of the show we try to figure out who they'll leave out.

10:28: Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama: Glenn Close (Damages).

(S05E02) "No indies E! Think of it like the Holocaust - never again!" - Ari

Ever since the beginning of Entourage, I've been waiting for this episode. As much as I love Vince, it's been a long time coming for his "I'll do whatever the hell I want" mentality to finally come full circle and bite him in the ass. His career is in the toilet, Ari even admitted that his worth as an actor "remains to be seen," and E is officially taking his own career more seriously. If Vince wants a comeback, then it's going to be up to him and I love that it's been set up that way. Up until now, his failures have been a direct result partly because of his reliance on Eric and partly because of his own laissez-faire, "what will be will be" attitude. If he screws it all up now, it's his own fault.

Over at the L.A. Times, Tom O'Neil has put together two teams to predict the Emmys. One consists of writers who cover TV, including our pal from AOL, Maggie Furlong. The other is filled with award nuts, like O'Neil. The teams found a lot of common ground, with overwhelming agreement on Mad Men for Best Drama and 30 Rock for Best Comedy. They also seem pretty set on Glenn Close (Damages) for Best Actress, Drama and Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) for Best Actor, Comedy.

Those all sound like reasonably safe bets. Things get a little more interesting when you look at some of the other categories. Best Actor, Drama looks to be a three way race between Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Hugh Laurie (House), and James Spader (Boston Legal). All solid choices, to be sure, but the most surprising part of the category is that Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), who should win, only garnered one vote. Read on past the jump for more of the categories.

(S05E01) "Our next film is Medellin - the ultra-violent story of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar starring Vincent Chase in a fat-suit in bad make-up that makes him look like the love child of Jiminy Glick and a case of Twinkies." - Richard Roeper

Ouch. It's been six months since Cannes, Medellin is getting a straight-to-DVD release, and people are still talking about it. One of the worst films of the year. I can't say that I'm surprised. Considering how last season ended and what we've come to expect from Entourage, this felt less like a season premiere and more like just another episode. Vincent Chase can only stay down and out hidden in Mexico for so long before the allure of his almost dead career came calling.

This news makes me cringe more than a little.

At this year's Emmy Awards (September 21 on ABC), celebrities will utter famous catch phrases and lines from 60 years of television.

Doesn't this immediately sound just awful? The scripts for these award shows are often cringe-worthy anyway, the forced humor and banter between two people presenting at the same time, and now they're going to make them say famous lines from TV shows? I can just see Helen Mirren up on stage saying, "And the award for Lead Actress In A Television Series goes to...Glenn Close!...Oh, and by the way, Whatchoo talkin' bout, Willis?"

Hopefully the lines will be put into some sort of context and not just randomly uttered. I mean, wouldn't it just be terrible in the stars came out on stage throughout the show for special segments on catch phrases, said them ("Kiss My Grits"), and got some weird round of applause from the audience?

Don't get him wrong; Jon Cryer is thrilled to be nominated for an Emmy again. This is his third nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series as Alan Harper, the sad sack, divorced brother of Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men. In 2006 and 2007, he lost to Jeremy Piven, Ari Gold on Entourage, and Jon Cryer is ticked off: "Laugh all you want, [he] is my nemesis. He's a force of nature."

If it's not Piven -- again! -- Jon has another nemesis lined up: "I think this time Neil Patrick Harris (Barney on How I Met Your Mother) will win."

Cryer is good natured about his chances and not seriously miffed. He's planning to bring his new wife, entertainment reporter Lisa Joyner. "When we heard the news, she was thrilled for a moment, then filled with dread as she started to worry about what she'll wear. But she'll be there with me -- or I'll be very lonely."

Here come two more lists of the ten actors and actresses that are finalists for Emmy nominations in the supporting comedy categories. As with the other awards, there are some surprises on the list, and some notable omissions. For the ladies, the headline is that last year's winner, Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), didn't make the cut. Surprise finalists include Conchata Ferrell (Two And A Half Men) and Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live). I don't mind seeing Conchata on the list because she is consistently funny on the show, but I don't know that there is enough to her role for her to actually garner a nomination when you consider the competition.

On the other side of the coin, the defending champ, Jeremy Piven (Entourage), is back. None of the boys over at SNL managed to make the leap from Variety to Comedy that Poehler did.

Rob Thomas, the creator of Veronica Mars, just got the go-ahead to make a pilot for ABC. His new show is called Cupid, about a guy who believes he's a god sent by Zeus to unite 100 couples.

As many of you probably know, Cupid is actually a throw-back for Thomas-- it's the resurrection of the same series of the same name that lasted 15 episodes on ABC in 1998. The original version starred Jeremy Piven as Cupid (Piven won't be returning to the show). E! network lists the short-lived series as #4 on the list of Top Ten Shows Canceled Before Their Time.

I was a fan of the short-lived Jeremy Piven show Cupid, which aired on ABC in the late 90s. But I never would have thought that of all of the shows that have been canceled that it would be the one that would make a comeback, ten years later.

But that's what's happening. Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, who created Cupid, was looking for a show sort of like Cupid to do for ABC, and ABC just asked if he wanted to do Cupid again. And Sony gave the OK. The setting of the show will move from Chicago to Los Angeles, so they can have more guest stars (let's all say it at once: "ugh"). You can watch most of the original pilot here (part one isn't there for some reason).

Of course, Piven won't star in the remake. He's too busy doing HBO's Entourage and big screen movies. So who should we get for the lead role? How about Matthew Perry?

(S04E12) "In France, I'm a Viking god." - Drama

Medellin. We've been talking about it all season. We've seen clips, a ridiculously good trailer for the film, and even a "making of" documentary. Despite all the positive hype, we've only had one question: what if it sucks? Well guess what? It sucks... a lot. Amidst a frantic and hyper crowd at Cannes, Medellin's screening worked like a sedative. Only Billy and Vince seemed to be enjoying the film as if they were in on some joke. It even garnered a few "boos." To be honest, it felt anti-climactic to me if only because this was exactly what I've been expecting. This was the only logical outcome. Everything always comes up roses for this crew. They needed a reality check and this proved to be the perfect vehicle for it.

(S04E11) "Ninety-seven minutes, E." - Drama

It just keeps getting better. Like everyone else, I've complained here and there about some of the mediocre episodes that have aired this summer. However, it's hard to stay angry when we get one like this. It was perfect really. Hands down, one of the best written episodes of Entourage -- spanning all four seasons. Think about it. When was the last episode that flawlessly integrated every character into the action as well as guest spots from Kanye West, Sydney Pollack, and Anna Faris?

(S04E10) "I like being E." - Turtle

Back to the season. This episode did what we like to call "advance the plot." Remember the plot? This show had one at one point, and as much as I've enjoyed the past few episodes exploring E's choices, I'm glad we finally got back to what the show is all about: Vince's career. Another cool factor? Eric had nothing to do with it this time around. As many folks predicted in last week's poll, right out of the gate E seemed to be focusing his energy on Anna and putting Vince on the back-burner. Doubt very much that'll last too long.

(S04E09) "Looks like someone found some fresh meat at the market." - Drama

Once again, another episode that didn't really have anything major going on. It was good though. It had some funny story lines and kept up with this trend of character development. We got tons this time around from Eric, Mrs. Ari, Vince, and Drama. Overall, the show is really establishing itself as more than just the story of Vince. It's broadening out in all directions, and even though I'm looking forward to the culmination of the season at Cannes, I'm looking forward to where everyone else ends up too.