bayside boys

If a project has Ed Burns' name attached to it, I'll sit up and take notice. I've been a fan of his dating back to his first film, The Brothers McMullen, which he wrote, directed and produced in 1995 while working as a go-for at Entertainment Tonight. Incidentally, he was able to finagle a copy of the film into Robert Redford's hands during an appearance there, and shortly thereafter, Burns quit his job at ET.

He'll write, direct and star in Bayside Boys, which is being billed as an East Coast Entourage. It's about a group of 20-something guys from the middle-class neighborhood of Bayside Queens that's being pitched to cable networks. One of the guys is employed at a hot-shot ad agency in Manhattan. Burns will play a supporting role as a mentor to the group.