JEREMY PIVEN, I TAKE IT ALL BACK: Have been Tivo-ing ENTOURAGE, the new HBO show that tells the tale of a 'round-the-hood NYer who makes it big in Hollywood and takes his posse of pals with him. Still not sure how I feel about the Markie Mark Wahlberg-produced series -- can't tell if Wahlberg is laughing at himself or celebrating himself, and only the former is funny over the long haul -- but one thing I do know: Jeremy Piven, who I've often loathed in person (screaming and fist-pumping like a loon at a Pearl Jam show, drunk at a Cubs game, etc.) and on screen is friggin' AWESOME as the star's vapid, hard-charging agent. His direction to the star's sidekick a couple episodes that they "hug it out" after having an argument was genius, and not just the writing, but the way Piven plays it. He shifts gears between ingratiating and grating, razor-sharp and retarded with consummate skill, creating one of the best comic performances I've seen in a long while, maybe since Rip Torn's "Artie" on LARRY SANDERS. Fantastic.