Jeremy Piven Soft-Sells The Goods on Big Brother 11

Jeremy Piven busted out his para-Buddhist semi-neurotic persona last night, making a trip to the Big Brother house to promote his new film, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. The BB houseguests would probably have been impressed by an actor with even half Piven's fame (Angus T. Jones? Anyone in Burn Notice other than Bruce Campbell?) but the fiery Entourage taskmaster worked the house like a pro: briefly schmoozing the houseguests before efficiently hammering home the plug (no body slams necessary). While it won't score him an Emmy nomination for Best Studio-Insisted Cameo on a Reality Program, last night's appearance ranks as one of Piven's strongest network TV performances since Cupid. Check out the video and this week's eviction nominees after the jump.

CBS continues to dominate primetime, but if ratings start to slide, they can always trick out reality show contestants as focus groups to add an additional revenue stream. After a challenge obliquely related to The Goods, Chima nominated Russell and Lydia for eviction and "Coup d'Etat" holder Jeff vowed to make a power move on the live show Thursday.

For those playing at home, this is the first time I can remember Piven making a public appearance without someone asking him to "hug it out." Here's Piven in your Eye.