"Entourage" is kinda of a big deal

For some reason I'm sucked into the latest season of "Entourage," HBO's lightweight half-hour sitcom that airs Sunday nights. I don't get why I watch this show. I guess I like it, even if I don't find it all that funny or compelling.

If you haven't seen "Entourage," it's about a hunky actor named Vince Chase and his three mookish New York pals running amok in Hollywood and enjoying the spoils of celebrity. And that's about it. None of that dark side of fame junk here. "Entourage" might be the most willfully shallow TV show not associated with Aaron Spelling (RIP) ever. Whenever a plot seems to be veering toward something mildly dramatic, it takes a quick turn toward happy-go-lucky back-slapping. By the end of every episode, you're sure to see Vince and his pals in a hot tub, drinking expensive champagne and beaming at the camera, and basically being all "This fame and fortune thing rocks!" What can I say? "Entourage" might be crap, but it's an entertaining way to spend 30 minutes not thinking.

Anyway, "Entourage" has a disproportionate (in terms of its quality and importance) amount of media coverage, praise and pop culture clout. Dig this story about a CNBC anchor who apparently thinks Vince's fictional blockbuster, "Aquaman," is a real movie.

JUST like Ron Burgundy, the lead character in "Anchorman," it seems CNBC anchor Joe Kernan will say anything that's on the teleprompter. Monday afternoon, while doing a roundup of the weekend's box office, Kernan said: "Disney was the big winner . . . 'Pirates' plunders the box office, making $132 million in its first three days at the box office. The previous three-day record was 'Aquaman' at $120-plus, which beat out the 115 million which was set back by 'Spider-Man' back in May of '02.' " Unfortunately, there has been no "Aquaman" movie - except in episodes of HBO's "Entourage." A rep for CNBC didn't return calls.

Celebrity blog Defamer points out that "Aquaman" actually grossed $116.8 million, so CNBC couldn't even get the fictional truth right. At any rate, this is the funniest thing to come out of "Entourage" yet.