Entourage: Let's Blog It Out

Emmy Award nominations hit the masses this morning and there were few surprises in the "Entourage" camp.

Once again, Kevin Dillon tests the strength of his work as Johnny Drama against Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy category. It would be grand to see Dillon win this time, if only for the high probability of a "Victory" chant. The competition is tough in this category: Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother"), Rainn Wilson ("The Office") and Jon Cryer ("Two And A Half Men").

"Entourage" is also in the Emmy running for Outstanding Comedy Series, up against defending champ "30 Rock," "The Office," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Two and a Half Men." That is some stiff comp right there.

That about does it for the TV awards you'll see handed out Sept. 21 at the Nokia Theater. Other Emmy nominations for the show are:

• Dan Attias for Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series (Episode: No Cannes Do).

• Steve Morantz, Dennis Kirk and Bill Jackson for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (half-hour) And Animation (Episode: Adios Amigo).

[Kevin Dillon (HBO Photo); Phil Mickelson (AP Photo)]

So, there I was, staring at the HBO press release, the celebrity guest star paragraph to be precise.

Three words jumped out at me: golfer Phil Mickelson.

Sure, I had already written about his appearance. But now I started to think more, and these wirds jumped into my head:

In real life, Kevin Dillon is the son of a golf coach and knows how to play golf. Mickelson is notorious for collapsing on Sundays at major championships. Johnny Drama has a meltdown every other scene.

So here's my uneducated guess (I have no inside information on this script, which is why this post is field under the Fun & Games categories) as to what we might be in store for:

Who would win the match? Tough call. Who would have the bigger meltdown? Again, tough call.

Let's hear your thoughts on it.

HBO confirmed in a press release on Thursday what we have known for a little while: "Entourage" returns to the airwaves on Sunday, Sept. 7.

My apologies for getting this to you on Friday, but I was swamped with all kinds of other things on Thursday. I know, I know, "Entourage" should take preference over those things, and it usually does, but since this wasn't too earth-shattering news for regular readers, I figured it would be OK.

Plus, most of you should have been out partying on Thursday night and then stumbling into work late on Friday, so now seems like the right time.

It's a 12-episode season which will take us up to Thanksgiving. It picks up where it left off with the boys struggling to survive after sinking all their money into "Medellin."

Guest stars include Leighton Meester, who returns as Justine Chapin. Also on the previously reported guest star list: Bow Wow, T.I., Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Phil Mickelson.

Add to that list Fran Drescher, Lukas Haas, Kevin Pollak, Martin Landau, Paul Ben-Victor, the cast of "The View," Mark Wahlberg, and these two gems -- Eric Roberts and Tony Bennett.

An insider on Entourage: Let's Blog It Out's non-existant payroll who has read most of the scripts so far says we're in for some outstanding episodes this year.

If someone out there has the skills to build me a countdown ticker, I'll gladly post it on the blog. I'm fired up, folks. Get ready.

Victory!

- La Monica

(Getty Images)

Blogger compadre Verne turned me on to this little nugget from E!: Smoking hot Jamie-Lynn Sigler has a three-episode arc on "Entourage" this coming season.

Early reports have the pride of Jericho (the Long Island town, not the defunct TV show) playing herself and a potential love interest on the show.

Now comes the fun: Guessing the plot line.

I have no inside information on this (at least not yet), so I'm just taking a shot in the dark and letting my mind roll with it. I suggest you do the same in the comments field.

I'm guessing her storyline is intertwined somehow with the New York episode. It's too obvious for her to get with Vince, and given her image as anything but a Hollywood floozy, E seems like the logical choice.

However, that's almost too obvious. Consider Doug Ellin's history here. Most guest spots somehow make fun of themselves one way or another. So, the guess here is that Turtle will visit the "Meadow Lands" in some sort of late-night rendezvous at the W Hotel or The Surf Lodge in Montauk.

Again, it's a crazy scenario but anything is possible. Let's hear what you got.

(AP Photo)