LOS ANGELES - As we wait for the eighth and final season of HBO's hit series, "Entourage," to premier Sunday, speculation builds about the plot - and, importantly, which sexy locations we'll see in the shows.
Well, Hotel Check-In's here with some answers about the locations.
I also have a heads-up about a couple of LA hotel-restaurant personalities who were invited on the set.
During my two-week hotel whirlwind here, it seemed as if every hotel I checked into or visited had just hosted the Entourage cast and crew for filming.
The day before I toured the glam W Hollywood hotel with GM Jim McPartlin, Entourage had just wrapped up shooting for a scene in the hotel's swanky, outdoor Living Room, where celebrities regularly pop up.
Other hotels where Entourage filmed scenes for the final season:
- Beverly Wilshire: Expect to see plenty of this glitz hotel - part of the Four Seasons chain - in the final season. (Though I didn't spot Vince, E or Drama, I did spot real-life Hollywood talent scout mogul Ari Emanual - the power broker who Ari Gold's loosely based on - dining in the hotel's restaurant BLVD a few tables away from me.)
- Redbury: They came to the eccentric, hip Redbury to film scenes throughout the hotel as well as in its hot, laid-back restaurant, Cleo. (Again, I didn't spot any Entourage cast members, but I did run into pop singer Natasha Bedingfield one night at the hotel's private rooftop lounge.)
- SLS Beverly Hills: They shot scenes throughout the sexy, design-driven SLS hotel, including its rooftop pool. (No sign of E, but I'm pretty sure it was James Cameron - Aquaman director - who we saw holding court at a rooftop table during our stay.)
- Montage Beverly Hills: They filmed in a few places in this luxurious hotel, but perhaps the most interesting is the barber shop location. One character in particular sat in barber William Gornick's chair to get a straight razor shave. While in his chair, they undoubtedly heard Gornick's colorful stories about the days he used to give Pres. Ronald Reagan a shave. (I didn't have luck here either spotting Adrian Grenier or the others, but I did see Iron Man director Jon Favreau arrive and walk into the lobby to do a photo shoot.)
In the case of cameos, you'll likely spot two high-profile people from the hotel-restaurant world. They are:
- Sam Nazarian, the LA nightlife, restaurant and hotel mogul (CEO of "sbe") who runs some of the hottest hang-outs in town. Entourage filmed at two of his hotels (the SLS Beverly Hills and Redbury) in addition to two restaurants (The Bazaar and Cleo). Nazarian's such a high-profile player in town that he had a small cameo in a prior season, but this time he was given actual lines. He's not, however, about to quit his day job. "It's always fun to take part, but (Entourage co-producer Mark) Wahlberg's not exactly sending me scripts for his new projects," Nazarian told me via email.
- Scott Conant, the New York chef who last October opened one of his popular Scarpetta restaurants at the Montage Beverly Hills. The restaurant's packed and regularly hosts celebrities. (While I was there, Latin pop star Luis Miguel and Daisy Fuentes dined there.)
LA's hottest hotels and restaurants have made it into plenty of other shows during the past seven seasons.
One example: Way back in season two, Jeremy Piven, Adrien Grenier and Kevin Connelly went to the Viceroy Santa Monica to film scenes for the "Oh Mandy" episode (No. 16). In the scene, Ari presented Vince with a check for $2 million for doing Aquaman as well as James Cameron's list of candidates for Aquagirl.
Readers: Can you name other memorable Entourage scenes shot in an LA hotel or restaurant? Also, by the likes of the hotels shown in the photo gallery, do you want to make any bets on the direction that Vince's career will take?
No comments:
Post a Comment