Jeremy Piven kills it at Chicago Improv comedy club in Schaumburg
By Ray Hanania
One of entertainments most absorbing television comedy-dramas series was Entourage, which ran eight seasons from 2004 until 2011. The series portrayed the character-driven world of Hollywood and Los Angeles, and glowed brightly with compelling and must watch entertainment scripts and scenarios.
I have binged watched it several times from start to finish. It’s that good.
Every season of Entourage ranked up there with Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm in appeal.
It included a phenomenal cast of characters played by Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrera as “Turtle,” and Rex Lee.
But the real series personality magnet that brought the series all together was actor and comedian Jeremy Piven who played “Ari Gold,” the explosive talent agent on the HBO production.
Piven was Entourage. Without him, it would not have worked. His character drove the most powerful compelling scenes.
The amazing thing about Piven is that his talent is so natural. He didn’t have to act to play Ari Gold. It was embedded in him to be witty, sarcastic, tough, mean and fast on the draw with quips and personality. He kept the show alive, but never really got the recognition that he deserved.
Entourage was not his only prominent acting venue. He’s done so much, a Chicagoland native from Evanston where his mother runs the Piven Theatre at the Noyes Cultural Center. His acting resume is extensive, but in my opinion Entourage is the top of his stardom.
Piven killed it recently on the Improv stage in Schaumburg, Illinois as the headliner. Sixty minutes of belly laughing humor, social satire and Ari Gold personality that comes natural to him.
It was really enjoyable.
I hope Piven does more.
Piven’s official bio
Jeremy Piven was most recently seen as a series regular in the CBS television series WISDOM OF THE CROWD. He was also recently seen as Harry Gordon Selfridge in the popular PBS series MR. SELFRIDGE. Among his many notable roles, Piven is best known as movie agent “Ari Gold” in the hit HBO series ENTOURAGE, which aired for eight seasons and won Piven three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
In 2015, Piven reprised the fan-favorite role in the ENTOURAGE feature film released by Warner Bros. He was also seen in SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR from directors Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Jeremy’s extensive career in television also includes the satirical THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW.
In film, he starred in Mark Pellington’s drama I MELT WITH YOU, Gaby Dellal’s heart-wrenching ANGELS CREST, Gary Fleder’s RUNAWAY JURY, Todd Phillips’s hit comedy OLD SCHOOL, Ridley Scott’s BLACK HAWK DOWN, Peter Chelsom’s SERENDIPITY, Brett Ratner’s THE FAMILY MAN, Peter Berg’s VERY BAD THINGS and THE KINGDOM, Cameron Crowe’s SINGLES, Joe Carnahan’s SMOKIN ACES, Guy Ritchie’s ROCKNROLLA, and THE PLAYER for director Robert Altman. In 2005, Piven returned to his theater roots starring in the off-Broadway hit FAT PIG by Neil LaBute, for which he received a Distinguished Performance Honor from the Drama League. He also appeared as Bobby Gould on Broadway in SPEED THE PLOW.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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