Major Drama at 'Entourage' Bash

by Scotty C. the Intern
When HBO said I could cover the Entourage premiere in New York, I couldn’t believe my luck, especially since my friends and I (and every other college kid in America) are obsessed with the show.
Upon arriving at the NYU Skirball Center, however, I was quickly hit with a big blast of reality: Red carpet coverage is an unpleasant combination of herding sheep and a police investigation. You’re dealing with grumpy mammals who don’t want to answer your questions, but who can blame them when they’re forced to answer the same boring questions like “So, who’s in your entourage?” And me being the lowest of low-ranking reporters, the stars weren’t exactly falling over themselves to talk to me.
My favorite reaction was from Russell Simmons, founder of Def-Jam. After a kind HBO publicity person asked him to accommodate me, he took one look at me, asked who I was, and after being told I was an intern for B&C, rolled his eyes and said “Go ahead, get on with it.”
Still, the event was definitely one of the cooler things I’ve ever done. I asked Jerry Ferrara, who plays Turtle, if the smoke on the set was real. Ferrara laughed, then answered, “Nah, when we start to hover around take 15 or 16, if it were real, nothing would get done. It’s just herbal tobacco.”
All my friends at campuses across the country will be disappointed to hear that.
My next favorite person was Rex Lee, who plays Ari’s assistant Lloyd. Asked how much fun he was having, he responded, “I’m just a frumpy little Asian guy who is the most un-photogenic person ever, and I find it hilarious that people want to take my picture.”