Watching 24

Good morning, everyone!! Another week, another new episode on the way! I think this week, I will be posting the Character Countdown on Tuesday instead, followed by mole hunt and other features before posting a recap since so many people seem to enjoy them so much. Speaking of the Character Countdown, the search for a new logo is over! I wanted to go ahead and debut it for you now, as a thank you. It was created by a reader who wants to be credited as commanderlock:

Thanks again for the great logo! I’ll be putting it to good use! In other news… I’m sure you remember that story I told about Carlos and the writer’s room. Well, there’s a transcript of an interview when he tells it. It’s a nice interview and there’s not any real spoilage for those of you who have watch all the episode that aired so far. Actually, you’re probably safe even if you only saw the first 3 or 4. My only issue is they talk about exploring Tony’s dark side and he and Jack being at odds. They were on ‘opposite sides’ for only what, 2 or 3 episodes, before Jack joined up with him to help and all along Jack didn’t really fully believe Tony was bad. I hope they end up playing with this a bit later on, because that was one of my favorite aspects of Tony being back. So far, I feel like it’s been a bit of a wasted opportunity and think the promotion of Tony has been a bit misleading. I will say, though, that one fight where he brings up Teri was awesome. Here’s hoping we get something like that again at some point.

So what do you guys think? Are you happy with how it’s going? Are you hoping for a shift in the Tony story? Be sure to comment and let me know.

Good morning, everyone! I hope y’all enjoyed the new episode, I know I did. So, has anyone ever heard of the show Shatner’s Raw Nerve? If you haven’t, here’s the scoop: It’s a talk show hosted by the former Star Trek actor. In it, he interviews celebrities (sometimes good friends of his) in a very casual setting. They’re usually sitting in chairs facing each other. The whole point behind the show is he asks about things the usual late night people wouldn’t and gets down deep into the psyche of the stars. A lot of the time, he’ll get them to admit to something or other and you can just tell they’re sitting there thinking “I can’t believe he just got me to say that!”

Last night, he interviewed his friend John Voight. (Ya know, Jonas Hodges from the 2-hour movie. He’s supposed to be making an appearance or two during the season as well) It was a pretty good interview. They spent the hour talking about everything from his movies to his divorces to current events. At one point, John cracked me up with his response to Shatner drilling him about gas prices and other similar issues. He seemed to get into it for a second, but finally just threw up his hands and jokingly (I think!) begged Shatner to back off those questions because ‟I’m just an actor‟. I thought that was pretty cool for him to actually say something like that. There are many actors out there who are only too happy to go on about issues all the time, whether they know a lot about them or not. Anyway… it was a great interview and John seemed to have a good time doing it. If you wanna catch it for yourself, check out the repeat tonight at 11:30 PM. You can also see full episodes on the bio website.

Good morning, again!! I’m back on track and wanted to share a plan for the blog as well as get some feedback from you guys. Just the other day, I received two e-mails very close to together asking me if I was planning to do the 24 character countdown for season seven. Since it looks like people really enjoyed it, I am definitely bringing it back. You can find the countdown for all four episodes of the premiere on Sunday. I’ll also have the last part of the recap up for you guys tonight. Now that the big 2-night premiere is done, expect a recap up every Monday night. These e-mails got me thinking- I’m sure there are other old features people would like to be able to see again. If there are, please feel free to e-mail or comment below to let me know and I’ll start adding them.

Now, I wanted to share something kinda cool with you guys. Not long ago, I was browsing some fan forums when I came across a link to this website. It’s a phoney news page devoted to the 24 universe. It’s hilarious. My personal favorites among the headlines are ‘Whiny blond girl kidnapped for third time today’, ‘CTU now composed of nothing but moles’ and ‘25th amendment invoked for the 25th time today’. Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know!

Finally, the ratings are in and while not the greatest, they are definitely steady. If you remember the ‘Redemption’ movie got around 12 million viewers when it aired back in November. Well, the first two premiere nights averaged about the same amount with very slight deviations. If the trend keeps up, FOX should be pretty happy. Don’t forget… next week, 24 goes back to airing one episode per week in it’s regular Monday at 9 PM timeslot.

As promised, I’m here to fill you in on what happened on the second half of the premiere. During the last episode, Air Traffic Control noticed an irregularity in their signals. Now, they’ve lost all communication with a commercial flight and Tony’s group now has control of the plane. They’re directing the plane as though they are ATC.

The FBI is busy with an interrogation gone wrong last episode. A man named Shekter had been shot by snipers whiled being interviewed by Renee and Jack regarding Tony’s whereabouts. This episode, the FBI has sealed off the building to catch the shooter. Jack is getting suspicious about the whole situation and is convinced that the fact this shooter was able to take the guy out when he did is proof there’s a traitor in the FBI (I guess they’re taking the new CTU thing pretty seriously). Renee doesn’t believe it, though.

Meanwhile, ATC is trying to get in touch with passengers on the plane to try and get word about the hijacking. Before they can, Tony calls ATC and has them check a video feed that shows two planes about the collide, one of them being the one he and his group is controlling. At the very last second, he yells to the pilot to pull up on the controls and the crash is avoided. Tony then tells ATC that was just a demonstration and they’ll see the real thing if they don’t get what they want. Later, the President is informed of what’s going on and starts demanding the FBI get some answers and take care of the situation. She has also met with the Prime Minister of Sangola to discuss taking care of the General and how to move ahead from there. They have the press secretary give a news conference about it.

Jack, meanwhile, is sitting in an FBI car waiting for the sniper to be captured. While sitting there, an agent turns to him and starts telling him that he supports Jack and thinks the Senate hearings are wrong. Jack’s grateful for the support, but he says it is fair… the people can hear the truth and decide how far they’re willing to go. Jack asks to get some air and the agent lets him. While Jack is standing outside, he notices someone in FBI clothes walking away that sets off his spidey sense(tony sent someone to help the sniper get out) and tips off Renee. She checks into it and finds out the man is not, in fact, one of them and wants to report it. Jack convinces her to follow him instead. She agrees and they leave, arousing the FBI’s suspicions. Her boss questions her and Renee lies about where they’re going. He doesn’t believe her and spys on them, coming in time to catch the end up a big fight involving Tony.

Towards the end of the episode we find out that the surviving Dubaku is plotting against the US because he considers them responsible for his brother’s death. Also, Henry (the president’s husband) confronts his son’s ex, accusing her of knowing more than she says because he found money in an offshore account she received only three days after his son’s death. Stay tuned tomorrow to read how the rest of it all turns out. See ya next time!

I leave you with some commentary and a peak at what’s to come in hours 3 and 4 courtesy of bigedude44 on youtube. Enjoy!!

Well, now that the four-part premiere is over, I’m here to give you the rundown on all the action. I’ll start with part one tonight and post another part each day for the next few days. Enjoy and feel free to discuss the episode in the comments section.

The episode opens with a man and his daughter arguing because he won’t let her use a cell phone while they’re in the car and he’s talking on one. They suddenly get rammed by another car and masked men with guns jump out from all over and take the guy hostage. One of the masked men tells the victim (whose name is Lafen) he’s going to help them fix something.

Meanwhile, Jack is being interviewed by the senate committee about torture practices. The man interviewing him offers to let him come back later with counsel, but Jack refuses. He wants to just answer the questions. The man nods and asks about someone named Hadad. Jack admits to torturing him and refuses to apologize for his actions. He says that the terrorists don’t care about the rules, so you can’t always play by them when trying to stop one of their plots. The argument is stopped by a woman who comes in and demands to take Jack. Turns out, the FBI needs him to deal with a pressing threat involving technology. She takes him to the office to fill him in, although the FBI ain’t exactly thrilled to see him. They look down on CTU and make a couple cracks about their methods. The agent, Renee Walker, tells Jack about several thefts recently and reveals that Tony Almeida is behind them. Jack is in shock and can’t bring himself to believe Tony’s alive, much less evil. She challenges him to find him so he can prove himself right. He agrees to help. The camera cuts to Tony threatening a man.

At the White House the President is debating with Ethan about how to handle the Sangala situation. She ends up coming to the conclusion that there is going to have to be a military response.

Now that Jack is one board with the investigation, he’s been introduced to other staff, including an analyst named Sean Hunter. He’s going to help gather information. Another staffer, Janis, is freaking out about the threat, knowing if someone got through the firewall that was breeched, they could do major damage in almost every way. Renee calms her down and gets her back to work. Meanwhile, Renee has decided that since they have to interview a suspect who knows Jack very well, they may as well use his bad reputation to get him to talk. She promises her boss she’ll keep Jack on a short leash.

Finally… the President’s son is dead, the victim of an apparent suicide a little while back. Her husband is convinced that there is something more going on and is determined to learn the truth.

Good morning again. Hope you’re all having a great Friday and ready for the weekend ahead. I know I sure am! I’m also ready for that Kiefer talk show appearance tonight, which I will be recapping for you all later on. Check your local listings to see it for yourself.

So, there’s a lot of pre-premiere buzz out there, with most of it being very positive. Still, there’s a lot of talk as well of how 24 is adapting to the changes in our real world and addressing some of the controversies about the use of torture in getting information from suspects, a debate the left and right have serious disagreements on. We all know that Jack is not above getting his hands dirty to get the job done and some say that 24 has influenced some of the people serving in the armed forces to use these methods, which is part of the reason for the trial of Jack and exploring this issue more. Some of the people involved even participated in a docmentary about the issue that gets shown to people just joining up. Should be interesting to see what the outcome of the show’s debate will be. We already know from some of the quotes and promos released Jack isn’t exactly apologizing for anything.

On another note, I thought I would share more pictures from the 150th episode/Season 7 premiere party that was held the other day. Almost everyone you can think of was there and it looks like they were having a great time. Below are three pictures.

This one is of Glenn Morshower, who has played Aaron in pretty much every season of the show.

Next, we have Annie Wershing who will, of course, be playing Jack’s FBI partner.

And finally, Keifer. I guess he really needs no introduction…. well, that’s all for now. Take care and I’ll see you all again soon.

Hello again! With only four more days until the premiere, more reviews are coming out and they’re all raves. Variety, TV Guide and Hollywoodchicago.com have all praised the first four hours of the season, saying they are “smart”, “crisp” and that it’s an “excellent” premiere. And no, those are not quotes that I’m taking out of context. I have to say that this definitely gives me hope for the episodes to come.

There’s more good news out there… with the start of the season, there are all kinds of stories out there about the cast and the show. One in particular, from buddytv, discusses some of the changes this season and how the cast has reacted to it all.

Location manager John Latenser talked about how tough it was to shoot in Washington due to all the different districts. All the different jurisdictions kept them wondering if they were actually allowed to shoot in a spot only a few feet from one they knew they could film on. They did say, though, that taking the trip to do some filming has given the show a new energy and was exciting for them all. Especially once they found out they have several fans in high places. Check out the full story for yourself here.

There are also a couple of new interviews out there, courtesy of the FoxFix. One is with the producers and another is with John Voight. You can check them out below. They pretty much cover a lot of the same stuff we’ve talked about here, but it’s an interesting watch.

Ask Ausiello also has a little information for us. It’s not very spoilery, so I won’t put it behind a cut. According to him, you really wanna watch out for the words “deep sky”. Apparently, something big happens very quickly. Well, that’s all for now. Take care and I’ll see y’all next time. By the way… don’t forget that Kiefer’s being interviewed this week.

Good morning, everyone… I have some spoiler action for you today to give you a taste of what’s to come. The following information was discovered between 8 PM and 9 PM. My write-up about it occurs in real time If you don’t want to find out anything about the season, you shouldn’t click on the cut. How’s about checking out one of these blogs instead? See ya next time and take care For those brave enough to continue, follow the link… (more…)

Good morning, everyone I thought that today, we should look back and maybe catch up with some of the former members of the cast. Let’s start with 24’s very own love story: Xander Berkeley and Sarah Clarke.

Since his time on 24 ended, Xander has busy with a guest starring role on the series Jericho and is scheduled to do the voice of Mysterio in The Spectacular Spider Man. He’s also been busy with his art, a talent he put to use on 24. He actually designed a lot of the make up that was used when his character, George Mason, was dying from radiation poisoning.

His wife, Sarah, has been busy since her days playing Nina Myers. She guest starred on two series (House and Life) and has a role in one of the biggest movies out there: Twilight. She plays Renee Dwyer in the film. She’s also featured as a voice actor on the 24 Game and has been busy caring for their child.

You might remember Glenn Morshower as Aaron Pierce (who, by the way, is known as the only actor besides Kiefer himself to have appeared in all 6 seasons of 24 so far. Let’s see if he keeps the streak going in season 7). He’s been spending his time on a one-man show called The Extra Mile. It’s described as part comedy, part life coaching and everything in between. It’s so popular, it’s even attracting celebrities. He wrote it all, too. In addition to this, he came in 6th on the World Poker Tour in 2008.

Finally, we have Leslie Hope (Teri Bauer). She’s been spending her time guest starring on shows like House, Commander-in-Chief and Private Practice. She also has a part in the movie Never Back Down. She plays the mother of a troubled teenager who got thrown off his football team for fighting.

Well, that’s about it for now. I’ll fill you in on some of the other cast over the coming week as well as any news and promos out. Take care and see ya then

Good morning, everyone!! So, did anyone watch the repeat of Redemption last night for the first time? Any repeat viewers? If so, I’d love to know everyone’s thoughts on it and if it’s got you excited for the big premiere. Personally, while some parts left me wondering what they were thinking, I enjoyed it and think it’s a mice set up for what’s to come. And it’s always good to see Jack back in action.

Speaking of the big premiere, it’s only one week away (January 11th) and there is already some buzz out about the premiere and the season in general. One mention in particular came from E! reporter Kristen. She ranked the series number 2 in 10 Most Exciting Winter TV Premieres poll. I can’t say I disagree with that (except maybe ranking it at number 1 instead). Especially since it’s taken so long for a new episode to make it to air. Other shows on the list include Lost, Battlestar Galactica and American Idol. As usual, the premiere will start with two episodes airing back-to-back on the 11th with two more episodes following on the 12th. For anyone new to the show, they do this to make sure they can air all 24 episodes by the end of the TV season while not going on hiatus for weeks or months at a time and messing up the momentum. I’ve actually always admired that about FOX. They make sure to schedule it in a way that’s good for the show and the fans, even delaying the series premiere all this time to make sure that tradition stays in place. Go behind the cut for a description of the first two-parters. That’s about it for now. Take care and I’ll see y’all next time. (more…)

Good morning, everyone and happy Friday! Now that things have slowed down after the Holiday season, I got a chance to peek at the official 24 site and thought I would point out a couple of things to those who haven’t been to the site yet. This was actually my first time checking out the site and I like what they’ve done.

They have a section where you can actually watch old episodes online, which I’m sure will be very helpful to everyone out there who’s new to the show or just wants to see some favorite episodes again. I know there are some things I would love to see again- like Michelle’s adventures in the contaminated hotel a few seasons back. Talk about a strong character!

Another great feature is the Dossiers they’re releasing. They’re fake documents from the government’s files on Jack Bauer detailing all the things he’s done over the years that wasn’t quite kosher. You get a few tidbits via text before a button comes up to play a video giving more detail into the investigation. It’s pretty cool and a unique idea.

Finally, it looks like the creators of the show and the cast really took that Africa plot to heart. There’s a link on the site to a documentary on child soldiers. Several cast members participated in the video by doing voice overs. Congrats to all involved for trying to bring this kind of thing out in the open more… that’s always the first step towards making a change.

To see it all for yourself, follow the link here. Or, if you’d rather, why not visit one of my fellow bloggers? Take care and I’ll see you all again on Monday.

Good morning and a Happy New Year to you all! I hope everyone had a fun (and safe) time last night. Since the premiere is only 10 days away now (Jan. 11), I thought I would post some info about when current and former 24 actors are gonna be on TV the next week or so to tide everyone over. Let’s start with the man himself, Kiefer Sutherland.

You can catch him in FX’s airings of The Sentinel on January 3rd (6 PM) and January 4th (1:30 PM). You can also see him in the classic movie Stand By Me, airing on January 5th at 1 PM. That’ll be on AMC. Also, TNT will be playing A Time to Kill at 6 PM on January 10th. He’ll also be on the Late Show with David Letterman on January 9th at 11:35 PM (CBS) and BIO’s Biography series at 4 PM. That one airs on premiere day.

Mary Lynn Rajskub will also be in other things this week. She’s in Dude, Where’s My Car? at 1 PM today and 12 AM on the 2nd. FX will be playing it. You can also catch her in several showings of Little Miss Sunshine on USA. The times are January 3rd (9 PM), January 4th (6 PM) and January 11 (3 PM).

Finally, James Morrison will be in Encore’s showing on The One at 11:30 AM on January 10th. Haven’t had enough? Wanna see some more old timers? They’re on TV too!

You can catch Eric Balfour in TMCe’s showings of RX at 3 PM on the 8th and 1 PM on the 11th. Also, Louis Lombardi is going to be in several movies this week. There’s Confidence at 1:35 PM today and 5:20 AM tomorrow (IFC) and Beverly Hills Cop on Comedy Central at 4:30 PM on the 9th. Finally, he’s also in The Usual Suspects on AMC. That airs on the 7th at 1:30 PM and the 8th at 12:30 AM and 8:30 AM.

Finally- if you missed it, FOX will be repeating the 24 movie on January 4th at 8 PM. That’s about all for now. Take care and I’ll see y’all tomorrow. Have a great one!

Good morning and a Happy New Year to you all! Given the day, I thought I’d use this post to talk about some of the things I hope will happen in 2009 on 24. The ones that involve a spoiler, I will put behind a cut. Before I get to all that, I thought I’d get us into the New Year’s spirit. Here’s a video from one of my favorite shows when I was a kid, courtesy of dotjuh. Enjoy!

One of my hopes is that the extra time they have had to get the season in order leads to a great year full of exciting story telling. I admit, I found myself wandering here and there last season.

I’m looking forward to the move to Washington and hope that Jack does face a few consequences and doesn’t just magically win over the Congressional committee he’s going to testify to. He has pretty much been getting a free pass all along and it’d be interesting to see at least some people this year not get won over by him.

I’m looking forward to seeing this new President in action. I just hope she’ll be a better (and more successful) character then the ones who have come before her. It’d be nice to see at least one President not get taken out of commission and/or resign/be removed from office due to a scandal as almost all of them have.
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Good morning, everyone I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas out there had a great one and everyone has been having a great Holiday season so far. I thought I’d spend some time before the season starts introducing you all to the new cast members. I’ll start with the lady who has been described as the female lead: Annie Wersching.

Annie is mostly known for her guest appearances on shows like Charmed, Boston Legal, Supernatural and Cold Case but she’s done plenty more. Until 2007, she had a recurring role on the soap General Hosptial. She played a character named Amelia Joffe. On 24, she’ll be playing Renee Walker, a Special Agent in the FBI. It’s rumored she’ll have a lot of screen time with Jack in the upcoming season.

She’s got much more to her than acting abilities. According to her bio, she has a degree in musical theatre and used to compete as an Irish dancer when she was younger. Looks like she’s got plenty to fall back on if her character doesn’t make it through the day. Good luck to her in her new role If you want to hear her talk about the show and other stuff, check out this youtube video posted by FoxSource. I haven’t been able to sit and watch it yet, so I can’t promise there will be no spoilers. As soon as I get to watch it, I’ll edit this post with a little run down of what she had to say.

Well, that’s it for now. Take care and I’ll see you all again on Monday with much more.

Good morning and Merry Christmas to all of you out there who celebrate it! For everyone else, I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season. I know this isn’t in a box with a neat bow on top, but there’s a website out there looking to give a couple of lucky 24 fans a great gift. They’re actually giving away two pairs of tickets to a season 7 premiere party. The event will be held in the Garmin Chicago store on January 8th from 6-8 in the evening. While it doesn’t say exactly what will be going on, they have a few more details and info on how to win the tickets here. Pretty cool, huh?

That leads me to a question. I’m curious as to how many of you out there are going to, or ever have, held a premiere party for this or any other show. If you have, how did it work out for you? Was a fun time had by all or have you had to suppress the memory? Does it take away from enjoying the story at all? Share your thoughts and any funny stories in the comments below. I’ve personally never had a premiere party for a show. This is partially because I don’t really know anyone who likes the same shows as me enough to actually go to one. Plus, I kinda like a smaller crowd when watching a favorite show.

Well, I guess that’s about it for now. If someone out there happens to enter the contest and wins, I hope you’ll report back and let us know all the details. Pictures would be good, too! For now, take care and I’ll see ya next time.