CHEAP TIMEXWATCHE

HBO is no stranger to the faux-reality television game, and some of their most popular shows actually offer a fictitious behind-the-scenes look at the world of making movies and other forms of entertainment, from writing beloved sitcoms like Seinfeld to starring in gritty television dramas or Scorcese films. Because of their keen ability to tap writers and performers who have lived what they are acting, the results that they get end up drawing in millions of viewers and building loyal audiences. There is undoubtedly something timeless about people’s fascination with Hollywood, from the golden days of pictures to the newer, more consumerist desire to also have a large mansion in the hills with a gigantic HD flatscreen television, numerous cars, and an Infinity pool. After all, what could be more fun than hanging around with your friends all day playing with expensive toys and getting lucky with members of the opposite sex, right?That was the initial premise behind the very popular HBO series Entourage, which has managed to thankfully break out of that plot arc every single episode and give its viewers something new. Based on the real-life exploits and experiences of actor Mark Walhberg, the show managed to grow up a little in its subsequent seasons, even giving main character Vince, an actor, a taste of tough times and a trip back to live at his mother’s house in Queens before going back to the life of private jets and bedding supermodels. For a man who couldn’t bed a supermodel even if he gave it his all, there’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, which may very well be the funniest show on all of cable or satellite TV. Larry David, one of the original writers and producers for seminal television moment Seinfeld was allegedly the basis for the character of George, and his half-hour HBO show, where he plays himself, is a chance for viewers to decide whether or not that’s the truth. What is a fact is that he manages to net all of the best guest stars, and has done something that everyone thought was practically impossible–essentially, he managed to stage an entire Seinfeld reunion within his own show. Where someone like Vince, an actor, always knows what to say, Larry David doesn’t have that same kind of luck. Curbed wins its audience on the fact that, instead of watching a guy who has it all, it’s sometimes more fun to watch a guy who might have it all, but that definitely doesn’t seem to be the point since he is seriously inapt at most social situations. Sure, Larry David might also be well-off and drive a nice car, but he can’t manage to keep his relationship, let alone his membership at the golf club, where he refuses to turn off his cell phone and almost gets caught for accidentally killing the club owner’s beloved swan. The true genius of Curb Your Enthusiasm isn’t a less shallow look at Hollywood; no, it’s the ability to take the finest moments of filmmaking from yesteryear, disguise them within the plot of a sitcom, and get a whole new audience laughing both with and at the protagonist. No matter what your taste, there’s truly nothing finer on all of satellite TV than these two programs when it comes to a comedic and sometimes dramatic look at what it means to be a star.