These elements of great story telling are as common in very modern stories as they are in ancient ones.  If you step back even from the very popular new comedy on HBO called Entourage, you can see elements of story telling that tie it to older more traditional “tales of bravery” such as the Lord of the Rings.  And by seeing the similarities, it adds to our appreciation of new story telling and our enjoyment in watching the fun of the Entourage series.

A common element of Entourage and the Lord of the Rings is we see a band of brothers heading off to a new adventure that is full of mystery.  In the Tolkien classic, the hobbits have this high calling to go to Mordor and destroy the ring to save mankind.  The band of males that set out on this mission are diverse in personalities but they all bond to supporting that one gallant leader, Frodo.

It is Vincent Chase who fills the role of gallant hero in Entourage.  Like Frodo, he is the most exceptional character in the group.  He has all the characteristics it takes to succeed in his quest which is not the conquest of Mordor but the conquest of Hollywood.  He is handsome, talented, well connected, ambitious and flamboyant.  These are the traits we must have in our “heroes” who succeed in Hollywood.  Vincent leaves his native land of Brooklyn just a Frodo and his friends leave The Shire for unknown lands.  And Vincent accompanied by his brother Johnnie and two close friends Turtle and Eric and eventually joined by the very enigmatic Ari Gold all work together to conquer Hollywood.

Along the way, both the hobbits of the Lord of the Rings and the boys of Entourage encounter many strange and wonderful characters.  For the hobbits, it is orcs, elves, giant spiders, gnomes and wizards that join them on their adventure.  Some of these creatures help them and some pose a real danger to the success of their quest.  Vincent’s strange creatures include agents, producers, groupies, other actors and the vast array of Hollywood types that all populate the colorful world of Entourage.  And just as the hobbits must work together to discover which creatures are evil and which are good.  Vincent comes to depend on his fellow travelers to figure out this complicated new world of Hollywood that they want so much to conquer.

The sense of mission and calling fills both The Lord of the Rings and Entourage.  There is a certain magic in both stories.  For the hobbits, they constantly encounter good and evil magic from wizards and other creatures of the various lands they visit.  For the boys of entourage, many they come across promise the ability to make the magic of Hollywood happen for them but only a few can really cast the spell of success Vincent seeks.

The Lord of the Rings is a very long tale.  And Entourage is going into its fifth season so it too is a lengthy quest that goes on each week of each season that unfolds on our television sets.  Like the quest of the hobbits though, much of the fun of Entourage is what happens along the way.  And like Lord of the Rings, Entourage is the type of story that we come back to again and again and again to get more of the magic of story telling from a well crafted modern day story of modern day adventurers on a modern day quest for greatness.  No wonder we love to travel with them each week.

It is the “I would like to be that guy” appeal that is one of the big reasons the HBO series Entourage is such a big hit.  Entourage takes us inside the world of Hollywood and the adventures of a great looking and successful young actor named Vincent Chase and the adventures of his friends and associates as well.  So if you are like millions who are hooked on Entourage, it is probably because you love to think about Hollywood and the idea of seeing the inside of the exotic lifestyles movie stars must live is really fun and exciting.

Vincent Chase lives up to our fantasies of how it would be like to be a Hollywood big shot.  He is rolling in money, handsome, has loads of great looking women and parties with his best friends nonstop.  Of course, there are deeper issues going on within the plots of Entourage but it is the glamour and the bright lights and dazzle of a Hollywood lifestyle that draws us in and keep us coming back week after week.  In that way, Entourage only accelerates our national obsession with Hollywood and all things related to movies, music and television.

From an emotional standpoint, there is a good side and a “dark side of the force” when it comes to enjoying the life of the “beautiful people” as it is depicted on Entourage.  The good side is that be escaping our own lives for a half hour or so each week, the mind gets refreshed and you are more energized to make your own life as successful as you can make it.  Psychologists are unanimous that the act of having some down time where we put our worries on the shelf for a little while is tremendously healthy for all of us.  So taking half an hour and living in the world of Hollywood excitement enjoying Entourage can be seen as good therapy for most people.

The dark side of allowing yourself to disappear into a glamour life like Vincent Chase lives is that when you come back to your own life, it can look a little drab and depressing by comparison.  That “I wish I was him” syndrome is pretty powerful and it is easy to want that so much that you don’t want to be you for a little while.  Even if you have not experienced that “let down” when an Entourage episode is over, you can understand how it would happen.

The important thing to remember is that Entourage is fiction.  Mark Wahlberg who is the executive producer on the show knows the real struggles and ups and down of trying to make it in Hollywood.  But he also knows how to make a very entertaining show.  So take heart that if there were a real Vincent Chase, his life would have a few drab and humdrum days too.

If you can just allow Entourage to give you that healthy escape that you might get from watching The Wizard of Oz or Pirates of the Caribbean, then you will get the good from it that good entertainment like Entourage provides.  Just remember it is just a show and let the relaxation and fun you have watching Entourage send you back to work invigorated and ready to become the Vincent Chase of your world.  Then come back next week to escape into Entourage for another half hour of glamour and fun.

The HBO series Entourage may be the television comedy show that sets a new standard for the most cameos and cameos by the most diverse array of talent and big name performers of any show either on HBO or on broadcast television.  Throughout its four year run, at any given time and in any given scene on Entourage, you might see the show’s main characters, Vincent, Johnnie, Ari, Turtle or Eric interacting with great names from the screen, popular music or major Hollywood movers and shakers.

The ability of Entourage to pull in such amazing talent is a testimony to how well respected it is.  And it is a natural setting for cameos because of the plot which puts our main characters right smack in the middle of a fictional Hollywood which bears a spitting image resemblance to the real Hollywood.  As the main character, Vincent Chase, continues his career as a very successful movie star, he naturally rubs elbows with the greats of the movie industry.

The list of names of stars who have done cameos on Entourage reads like a who’s who of the rich and famous including Mark Wahlberg, Jessica Alba, Jimmy Kimmel, Luke Wilson, Sarah Silverman, Gary Busey, Larry David, Scarlett Johansson, Amanda Peet, Hugh Hefner, Ralph Macchio, Pauly Shore, James Cameron, Peter Dinklage, Joyce Brothers, Mandy Moore, U2, Brooke Shields, Seth Green,  Ed Burn, Penny Marshall, Anthony Michael Hall, Dennis Hopper, M. Night Shyamalan. Snoop Dogg and Sydney Pollock to name just a few.

Of course, the real beneficiaries of all of these wonderful cameos on Entourage are the fans.  One of the fun “games” that devotees of the show love to play is “spot the star”.  You are as likely to see a very famous face just mingling with the rest of the cast backstage at the filming of a movie or at a Hollywood party.  Those cameos may have lines or they might not and they might be credited or they might not.   This creates a lot of excitement about Entourage because looking over Vincent’s shoulder seems so much like how it seems like it must be in Hollywood where you might see a big movie star buying a smoothie at the ice cream shop or walking down the street.

It is also easy to admire how lucky the producers are to be able to showcase such a parade of big name talent just showing up to be on screen on Entourage.  It seems like big stars like we see on the list above are doing the Entourage producers a big favor by showing up in an episode.  But its good to remember that Entourage is one of the top rated comedies on television and it is enjoying the break out success of its predecessors on HBO like The Sopranos and Sex and the City.  So it is very likely that these big names in the entertainment business want to be seen on screen for their own sake as much as we want to see them there.

Whatever the motivation, be sure you keep your eyes open and on the screen at all times when watching each episode of Entourage so you find the stars that may be lurking anywhere mixing with the Entourage cast as they move through their adventures.  And if you think you missed some of the cameos that have happened in the four year run of the show, that is good enough reason to go ahead and start watching the older shows again.  You just never know who you will see.