'24' Quote Of The Day

"The man has more lives than a cat."

-Ramon Salazar (about Jack Bauer)

Season 3

9:00 pm - 10:00 pm

24: Kiefer Sutherland On Jack Bauer's Future - 1/30/09

"January 30, 2009 - It was a long time coming, but 24: Season 7 finally arrived earlier this month, and at a recent party thrown by FOX, IGN TV was among a small group of journalists able to speak to Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland, to talk about the status of his iconic character and the popular series. Sutherland is under contract for an eighth season, but after that, it's not clear what the future holds for Jack Bauer, and the actor reflected on a possible ending for the series.

As you'll see, towards the end, we were also briefly joined by Sutherland's costar, Carlos Bernard ("Tony Almeida), who proved that the off-screen banter between the two is very different from the matter of life and death conversations they have onscreen."

The rest of the article/interview is at this link:
http://tv.ign.com/articles/949/949738p1.html

Source: IGN.com

'24' Quote Of The Day

"I promise you, everything is gonna be okay. It's just been a really, really long day."

-Jack Bauer (to Teri Bauer)

Season 1

10:00 pm - 11:00 pm

FOX News Piece On '24'

Here's a two-minute report from FOX News about Season 7 of '24'. It features interview clips with Kiefer Sutherland and Annie Wershing (Agent Renee Walker):



Source: FOX News/YouTube/KieferBenny

'24' Exclusive: Kiefer Sutherland Calling It A Day?

"Good news for terrorists everywhere: With just one more year left on Kiefer Sutherland's 24 contract, there's a very real possibility that Jack Bauer's career as the world's foremost savior may end next season. And while Sutherland says he's undecided as to whether day 8 will be his last, he's watching the clock in a way he never has before."

"I don't think about [the end of 24] a lot, but I did this year for the first time," he confesses. "It was one of those weird moments where the stage was unusually quiet; it was like a ghost town. I was looking around [thinking] about all the work that went into building this thing and it hit me: This will end one day, and I'm going to be sad about it."

The complete article can be read here:

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/01/24-exclusive-ki.html

Source: Entertainment Weekly/Ausiello Files

'24' Producer Says Jack Bauer Is Safe

'24' Director/Producer Jon Cassar says that at least while '24' is on TV, Jack Bauer won't be killed off. They need to have him around for the feature films they plan to produce in the future. I thought what I had been reading lately about Jack Bauer being killed off was wrong. I'm glad Jon cleared this up.

Here is the clip of his interview:



Source: whatsontv.co.uk / YouTube

Kiefer Sutherland At The SAG Awards - 1/25/09

Jack Bauer took some time off from saving Washington D.C. and the U.S. to attend the Screen Actors Guild Awards last night in L.A. As I'm sure you've figured out, it was actually Kiefer Sutherland who attended since he was nominated for a SAG Award for 'Redemption' and he was a presenter as well.

Thought you might enjoy some pics of this handsome gent on the red carpet. Unfortunately, Kiefer didn't win. Paul Giamati won again for "John Adams".

(Thanks Benny For The Pics)

Episode 5 Thoughts & Observations (Season 7)

This episode is probably my favorite one of the season so far.

Episode Overview & Thoughts:

Larry's organizing the FBI tac team before going to the Mutobo residence. They need to be brought in alive. The only viable lead to he CIP device.

Emerson beats up security guy to get him to open the safe room; security guy says it can only be opened up from the inside.

Tony tells Jack they have to get Mutobo or they will have nothing. Jack agrees.

Larry is told Tanner is filing a complaint with the Bureau about Renee's treatment of him during questioning. Larry calls Renee and she confirms she got the information by unconventional means. Larry orders her back to the FBI, Renee disobeys and says she "needs to make this right."

Pointless subplot alert: Sean talks to his wife after her plane lands. She's wondering if he's the one that enabled her plane to land right away. She's hoping they will be able to spend some time together when she gets home...blah blah... there may be a point to this down the line but right now - who cares?

We switch to Mutobo and his wife in the safe room. The wife realizes the only way her husband would give up his allies in Sangala would be for them to use her to get him to talk. Mutobo reassures his wife that they will be ok in the safe room. Emerson contacts them through the safe room video/intercom system. He threatens to kill his security guy unless he opens the door. This is pointless because the security guy says he's ready to die for him and for Sangala.

The guy playing Mutobo is really good, very believable as an exiled leader of an African nation.

FBI tries to call the security guy; Emerson picks up his phone and sees that the FBI is calling. Even the caller ID shows: F.B.I. Emerson asks the security guy if the FBI knows they are there, he does not answer - Emerson punches out the security guy. Boy, that guy really got beat up - brave man.

Emerson's other guy says they need to leave because the FBI is on their way; Jack interrups and says he's figured out another way - amonium distrate made from household products to gas them out. Jack explains they have time because of where the FBI is coming from and traffic.

Jack and Tony then go to the kitchen to gather the products to make the gas. Of course the kitchen has everything needed. What Jack should have done while he was in there was also make himself a sandwich (it's gonna be a long day you know). I would have love to have seen that.

Now Jack begins to channel MacGyver and prepares the gas in the ventilation system. Jack must have spent time prior to Day 7 watching MacGyver reruns.

The gas begins to penetrate the safe room. It starts to take effect.

Meanwhile back at the FBI, the suit from the AG's office arrives to question Janice about what happened with Walker and Tanner. Larry runs interferrence; he asks Janice to try and find Renee.

Renee arrives at the Mutobo residence. Jack also knows how much gas to use without killing them. That Jack - he's a multi-talented guy. Didn't know he was also a skilled chemist. The wife crawls to the door and opens it. Emerson and his crew take Mutobo and his wife to a very non-conspicuous big bright yellow truck.

Renee calls Larry to let him know the Mutobo's have been taken and to find out how far away SWAT is. Of course, they won't get there in time (5 minutes out). Uh oh, Renee is caught by Emerson's guy. Larry is upset.

Renee is brought to Emerson. Renee is very upset with Jack. Calls him an SOB. That's not very nice, Renee, but she does think Jack is really working for Emerson. Jack confirms she's the FBI agent who got him out of the hearing. Emerson goes to kill her but Jack stops him and tells him they need to find out from her how much she knows. Jack then frisks Agent Walker before putting her in the truck (actually, I wouldn't mind getting frisked by Jack but that's a whole other subject) - now back to the story:

Renee says she can't believe she trusted Jack.

Back to Henry Taylor and his 12-year-old Secret Service Agent. Brian, the Secret Service guy says he knows a guy who can decript the information Samantha gave Henry. Henry says that he's going to find who killed his son and make them pay.

Now to the Oval Office. The President has decided to authorize the military operation in Sangala. The Chief of Staff guy tries to argue his point again against it. Secretary of State comes in to inform the President that Mutobo has been abducted from his residence. The President says they still have 30 minutes until Dubaku's deadline; she wants Mutobo found by then. Yeah - that's going to happen.

Another Pointless Subplot Alert: We learn Sean is having an affair with Ericka. Ok and the point of this is...

Larry's upset they haven't found Renee. He wants it the office's top priority.

Back to the inconspicuous yellow truck. Renee tells Mutobo she's sorry she couldn't protect him. A very Jack-like thing for her to say.

Emerson gets a call from Nichols. Emerson finds out Walker doesn't know anything that could compromise the operation. She's "extraneous" and wants her killed before they deliver Mutobo.

Emerson tells the drive to change direction and go to an abandoned construction site. How come all the bad guys know where all these abandoned places are? I love the shots of Jack while they are in the truck. He's trying to keep a 'poker face' all though this so he doesn't give away his cover. Nice acting by Kiefer without saying a word.

"He looks like his head's going to explode" - Ha. Janice tells Sean she senses Larry has feelings for Renee - well duh!

Dubaku's upset that the U.S. forces still haven't backed down. Nichols says he should launch another attack. Explains an FBI agent has delayed Mutobo from being delivered sooner.

Now back to Henry Taylor. He and Brian arrive at the apartment. Henry sees pics of Samantha and Roger. Brian informs Henry that they are in Samantha's apartment - cut to reveal Brian is putting on latex gloves. Loved the direction here. Oh no - Brian's a baddie! That didn't surprise me that much. I was kind of suspicious of him from the beginning.

Henry collapes! I thought at first he was having a heart attack but Brian reveals he spiked his coffee with something that is a neuro-muscular paralitic. Brian calls another bad agent. If you remember, this guy was talking with Hodges during the 'Redemption' movie when Roger arrived for the Inaguration.

Brian and the other agent are discussing getting Samantha back to her apartment so they can make it look like Henry killed Samatha and then killed himself. Brian aplogizes again to Henry saying he should have left things alone.

The other agent tells Samantha that she is to be put into protective custody and that she can go to her apartment to gather her things.

Janice tells Sean about what happened with Renee and Tanner in the hospital. The guy from the AG's office again talks to Larry. He is aware that Renee is missing. Larry explains that she's been taken by the same people who took Mutobo. Larry doesn't want the AG guy to talk to Janice - he wants to get Renee back first.

Janice calls Larry. Renee was referenced during an NSA intercept. They play the fragment that mentions Renee should be killed before Mutobo is delivered.

Of course Emerson wants Jack to kill Renee. There's some good dialogue during this sequence:

"You can either walk or I can drag you." - Jack

"I'm not going to beg for my life." - Renee

"Trust me and I will get you through this alive." - Jack.

Jack appears to graze Renee in the neck. She falls limp to appear to be dead. Jack rolls her into the ditch and throws a big plastic tarp over her.

Emerson seems convinced she is dead, but then he orders Jack to bury her. Jack tries to stall, "We're on a timetable." But Emerson doesn't want her body found before they are out of the country.

Jack and Tony start shoveling dirt on poor Renee who's watching herself be buried alive.

Love the camera angle of Renee's point of view through the plastic looking up at Jack. Chilling.

Silent clock clicks to 1:00 pm... along with breathing sound.

I loved this episode so much. Especially the last 10 minutes where Jack has to "kill" Renee, the "burial" and the Henry Taylor storyline. Both were excellently done. The direction by Jon Cassar this episode was fantastic. This episode had a darker and gritter feel to it that was just great. The FBI storyline was a little dull but the rest was wonderful.

Can't wait for episode 6!

Kiefer Interview On Sky News

Brief interview with Kiefer Sutherland on SKY News in the UK:



Source: Sky News / YouTube

'24' Quote Of The Day

"I'm tired of putting my ass on the line for nothing. I'm done putting my ass on the line for nothing."

-Jack Bauer (to Ramon & Hector Salazar)

Season 3

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm

'24' Movie May Be Set In London - 1/23/09

Kiefer Sutherland & Chris Moyles

While in London promoting Season 7, Kiefer Sutherland did an interview Friday with Chris Moyles on the BBC's Radio 1 program.

The article about the interview is linked here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/entertainment/newsid_7847000/7847437.stm

Carlos Bernard Chats With Zap2It.com About '24'

Carlos Bernard (Tony) tells Zap2It.com about his character's ongoing relationship with Jack Bauer:



Source: Zap2It.com / YouTube

'24' Cast/Director Interviews In Germany

Kiefer Sutherland, Jon Cassar, Carlos Bernard & Annie Wershing are current traveling in Europe on a promotional tour for Season 7. They were recently in Germany and here is an interview they did on German TV:

Jack & Tony Music Video: "Bring Me To Life"

Here's a good Jack & Tony music video that also features some Jack/Tony scenes from Season 7. The song is "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence:



Source: FOX Broadcasting / YouTube

Random Thoughts & Observations (Season 7) - Episode 4

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

The fourth hour of the season premiere opens with the FBI trying to find Jack and Tony after their escape.

Renee thinks Jack played her and was working with Tony all along. Renee tells Larry she will make it right and find them no matter what.

They identified the sniper as Tanner. He’s in the hospital.

Larry is briefing the White House on Jack and Tony’s escape. He tells them Tony’s escape was assisted by Jack. Chief of Staff guy reads Larry the riot act for letting Tony escape.

The President and Chief of Staff guy debate whether or not to move forward with the U.S. military invasion in Sangala.

Jack, Tony and Bill arrive at the location Bill and Chloe have been working out of. Bill says they think of it as CTU. I call it mini-CTU. Odd-looking building.

Now the explanation as to how Tony survived: Tony was dead for 10 minutes – Emerson (independent contractor) revived him with a hypothermic compound. Emerson thought Tony fit the profile of a former employee with grievances against the Federal Government. Emerson had been keeping tabs on Tony ever since he left CTU. Emerson found Tony to be good recruit material.

Tony said he worked for Emerson for 3 years and did some pretty bad things. The CIP device theft caused Tony to turn against Emerson since he was going to threaten Americans with it.

Dubaku is the key to finding out how deep and how wide the government conspiracy is to help the Juma regime. That is why Tony needs to get back under cover with Emerson. Jack says he can help. Jack agrees to help only because they are the only ones he can trust. They give him one reason to question that, he will turn them in.

Emerson gets a call from Tony. Tony tells him a story about getting away from the FBI. He says Jack helped him escape and that he is on board. In exchange for Jack helping them, they can get him out of the country. Emerson tells Tony to bring Jack to their meeting.

Henry Taylor is writing a letter. I wonder who he is writing to. He tells the Secret Service guy he needs to go somewhere and he wants to keep it off the manifest. He tells him he’s meeting Samantha about his son’s death.

Nice conversation between Henry and President Taylor. She’s not sure what the right call is.

Sean’s wife calls from the plane. Says they are in a holding pattern. Sean tells his wife this was an isolated incident and he wants her to call as soon as she lands.

Janice tells Renee that Tanner (sniper guy) regained consciousness. She wants Janice to come with her to the hospital.

Jack and Tony have conversation in the car on their way to see Emerson. Jack asks Tony about Emerson’s background. Tony says Emerson treated him like a brother but he’s on the wrong side of this so he’ll do what has to be done.

Tony and Jack arrive at Emerson’s. Uh oh, they are taking Jack to he basement. When bad guys take you to a basement, you know that’s not good.

Emerson tells Tony they don’t need Jack. He gives Tony a gun – he wants Tony kill him.

Bill & Chloe overhears on com. Bill thinks Jack can get out of it but if he can’t Tony’s cover will still be maintained. Bill says Jack knew this was a possibility.

Before anything can happen, Jack takes matters into his own hands by taking out the bad guys. He talks Emerson into keeping him on board.

Sean calls in a priority landing for his wife’s plane, using Larry Moss’ name! That was a bad idea. How many protocols were violated there? Sean will be in deep doo doo for that.

President Taylor plays the tape of Dubaku’s threat to the Prime Minister. President Taylor is informed that Juma’s troops are moving in and threatening a refugee camp of mostly women & children. Chief of Staff guy confirms this.

The Prime Minister wants the President to supply his troops with weapons so they can defend themselves. He implores her not to abandon his country. She’s upset that Chief of Staff guy did not inform her about the refugee camp. He believes the President should back down to Juma.

Back to Jack in the basement. Jack is in a new outfit, black shirt with a flack jacket & jeans. Nice! Kiefer can even make a flack jacket stylish, not to mention the jeans ;)

Emerson extends his hand, “no hard feelings”. Sorry Jack I almost had you killed, now let’s work together. Jack shakes his hand.

Jack is more sarcastic this season. I like that. Emerson wants to know why Jack came back and turned himself into the Justice Dept. Jack avoids the question and changes the subject to Emerson’s background. Jack couldn’t mention he turned himself in to save several kids from being killed or forced to be soldiers in Juma’s army. Guess that wouldn’t be good for maintaining his cover. No wonder Jack changed the subject.

Jack is really good, Emerson appears to buy that he’s on board. Emerson gives them a new job... pick up a “package” – former Prime Minister Mutobo and deliver him to Dubaku.

Bill & Chloe overhears the plan. Chloe thinks they should not allow the Prime Minister to be kidnapped but Bill says it’s necessary even if he is killed because they have to keep the operation going so they can get to the bottom of this conspiracy.

Henry Taylor goes to meet Samantha at a D.C. park. He wants the Secret Service guy to leave so they can talk alone. She said Roger was murdered and it was made to look like a suicide. She’s not sure who is behind it, but it is the same people who made it look like he was going to be investigated by the SEC. Roger uncovered accounts that traced back to Sangala and a Sr. member of President Taylor’s administration. Roger was killed a couple of days he was going to present the evidence to his mother, the President. Samantha leaves, but the Secret Service guy is watching. I think he is involved somehow.

Now at the hospital where the sniper guy (Tanner) is. Renee and Janice are there but Tanner’s lawyers are not. Renee asks Tanner where Tony is. He wants his lawyer but she says they can’t help him. He wants her to go away. Renee gets a call another agent – Tanner’s lawyers have arrived. She asks Janice to stall them so she can question him alone. Janice thinks that’s a mistake. Renee says thousands of lives are on the line, so they have to bend the rules to find Tony.

Renee questions Tanner again; he said he won’t tell her anything. She takes her gun and pushes it into his wounded side. She stops. Tanner laughs at her. Renee grabs the hose on his ventilator and she says, “I suggest you use your last breath wisely”. Whoa – two hours with Jack and she’s turned into him. She closes it off and Tanner starts to gasp for air.

Janice continues to stall the lawyers; the door is jammed when they try to get in, but Renee comes out and says to the lawyers he’s all theirs. She calls Larry to let him know that there is a plan to kidnap the Prime Minister and she thinks they can set a trap to catch Tony.

Larry calls the Prime Minister’s security and tells him to lock him down. The Prime Minister and his wife are moved to a safe room. Emerson, Jack, Tony, etc bust in but the Prime Minister and his wife get to the safe room in time.

Jack takes a golf club (golf club?) to try and bust through the wall. Jack confirms it is a safe room with reinforced concrete.

Tony tells Jack if they leave without the Prime Minister there goes their only chance at getting to Dubaku.

…clock ticks to 12:00 pm

Another solid episode, not quite as exciting as episode 3, but some more good stuff. I’m interested in seeing where all of these stories go. I thought the explanation of how Tony survived and ended up working for Emerson was very good. I also love the idea of Bill, Chloe and Tony working outside the government as kind of a “shadow” CTU.

Looking forward to episode 5.

Will continue to post my thoughts & observations about this season as time allows.

Kiefer Sutherland On Ellen - 1/19/09

Kiefer made an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show today. It was way too short but here's the interview:



Kiefer on Ellen

Random Thoughts & Observations (Season 7) - Episode 3

10:00 am - 11:00 am

(Episode 3)

This episode opens with President Taylor being told about Tony’s arrest and that he handed off the component off to someone else. Secretary of State tells the President that Tony’s working for the Juma regime. He then plays a recording from Dubaku demanding a withdrawal of American troops or he will use the devise to kill Americans.

President Taylor is told the earliest the firewall can be rebuilt is 6 days.

Next scene is the FBI helicopter arriving with Tony in custody. Also on board is Jack, Renee and Larry.

Larry wants and explanation from Renee because she went off on her own without backup or authorization. I now know why I don’t like Larry – he reminds me of Ryan Chapelle.

Renee tells Larry about the leak coming from the FBI. Jack makes his presence known, ole Lar doesn’t like it. Jack explains that the sniper was in place because of a leak and he had help escaping the FBI.

Larry wants to be “kept in the loop” from now on. He still doesn’t like Jack.

Renee enlists Janice’s help to find the leak.

Sean wants to know why they are in a level 4 lockdown.

We switch to the dark room with the bad guys again. Dubaku is talking on the phone.

Emerson is told that Tony is in FBI custody. Dubaku wants a more forceful demonstration to get the U.S. to back down. He is asked to be more patient since the President just got his demands.

Back to the FBI… Larry tells Renee and Jack overhears Tony is working for Juma and that he’s blackmailing the White House.

Jack says he can get the device if he’s allowed to talk to Tony. He says knows him and he can use their history against him. Jack says “You’re running out of time.” Gee... I think I’ve heard Jack say that before.

Renee thinks it’s a good idea, Larry reluctantly agrees and opens the holding room for Jack.

This next scene between Jack & Tony is fantastic. “Every second you help the government you’re spitting on Teri’s grave!” – great line by Tony to make Jack lose it. Then the “deep sky” moment. I didn’t have any idea what that meant and then when Jack called and it was Bill Buchanan on the other line… it was a great surprise. Then they show Chloe and we find out Tony’s really working undercover! A nice plot twist. I suspected Tony may not really be bad but I wasn’t sure up until then.

Back at the White House now… Chief of Staff guy tries to tell Henry his son did actually commit suicide. Henry’s told Roger was about to be investigated by the SEC for insider trading and that’s why he killed himself. He provided Henry with documentation. It was kept from Henry by both the President and the Chief of Staff. That didn’t go over well with Henry.

The President is told they have till 1:00 pm to pull the troops back. She is telling the Chief of Staff. President Taylor realizes she has an impossible choice to make. Either send our troops in to stop Juma and possibly have many Americans killed or pull the troops back and allow Juma to slaughter many innocent Sangalans.

We see Chloe again – Bill calls Jack on a secure line. Bill tells Jack that Tony’s part of a deep cover operation to be near the CIP module. There are many inside the government aiding Dubaku and the Juma regime even some in the President’s inner circle according to Bill. While Tony is in FBI custody he can’t be near the CIP module and that undermines the whole operation. Bill, Chloe and Tony are working completely outside the government.

Bill puts Chloe on to talk to Jack. Great Chloe line about seeing him during the Senate hearings: “You looked good though”. Typical awkward Chloe.

Bill needs Jack to get Tony out of the FBI. Jack wants to enlist Renee’s help but Bill thinks because there is a leak in the FBI, he would be making her a target. If Jack needs to use her to get Tony out, then he needs to do it.

Janice asks Sean a question. He still doesn’t like the lockdown. Sean seems suspicious. He’s frustrated about something.

Henry gets a call from Samantha. She says Roger was murdered and she wants to see him.

Meanwhile back at the FBI, Larry questions Tony. Showing him pictures of those Juma has killed. Yeah, that’ll work Lar. Tony says his conscience is clear. Renee wants to talk to Larry. She says he won’t break because he is a trained CTU agent.

She thinks other methods ought to be considered. Larry won’t hear of it; “it’s illegal” and he wants Jack out of the building. Worried about his influence on Renee perhaps?

Janice informs Renee she have may have found the leak. Someone hacked into the FAA database. Janice is going to check further in the server room.

Janice sees Sean’s server ID on the computer. She’s afraid and thinks he’s the leak. He says he got into the FAA database because his wife is on one of the planes. He wanted to get in to monitor her flight. I don’t know if I completely believe him.

Chloe calls Jack to run recon for him in the building. She’s hacked into their surveillance cameras.
Renee goes to process Jack out. Uh oh, Jack puts the sleeper hold on Renee. Time to go to sleep Renee. Jack takes her gun and access card. Jack is so good.

Bill is now in a vehicle to go pick up Jack and Tony. Chloe helps Jack navigate through the FBI building to Tony’s holding room.

Jack punches Larry!! Yes! I've been waiting for that.

Chloe continues to assist Jack and Tony navigate past security.

“I’m just glad I didn’t break your neck.” - Jack
“You came close.” - Tony
“Yeah, sorry about that.” – funny little exchange between Jack and Tony. They are kind of like a modern-day Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid to me.

Sean and Janice realize someone has accessed their surveillance cams. The first battle between Janice and Chloe. Oh no, Chloe has lost the feed.

The alarm goes off, they are all after Jack and Tony now! Chloe’s still locked out.

Renee is upset, she doesn’t understand what Jack is doing.

Chloe gets back in the system. Jack uses the fire extinguisher to break out. Hey, he has a Jack bag again, a very nice one at that.

Shootout in the parking garage! Jack tells Tony to go – he’ll be right behind him. Slick move with the van Bill!

Jack hotwires a car and floorboards it with his hand “This is gonna hurt.” and drives through a concrete wall. Tony covers him as they both manage to get in the van.

Larry is informed they got outside the perimeter.

Jack wants to know from Bill the full story of what is going on. Bill says he’ll explain everything when they get there.

…clock ticks to 11:00 am

This episode was my favorite of the premiere. Lots of action, a plot twist and we get to see Bill and Chloe again. This episode had everything that every really good ‘24’ episode has. It’s great to have ‘24’ back!

Random Thoughts & Observations - Season 7 (Episode 2)

9:00 am - 10:00 am

Air Traffic guys hear recording of Tony talking to pilot – the pilot thinks he’s talking to air traffic control. They got one of the planes to change course.

Back to Jack / Renee trying to find sniper. Renee calls Larry. She tells him Schecter was taken out by a sniper. Larry asks in private if she’s ok (hmm…sounds like some personal history there perhaps).

Jack thinks there was a leak at the FBI that tipped them off about them going to Schecter’s office so they could get a sniper in place. Renee thinks Tony already had his office staked out. Jack says there wasn’t enough time. When will those people learn Jack is always right about these kinds of things?

Uh oh, Jack’s been ordered to sit in the car. Poor Jack, once again he’s like the troublesome child in class who has to sit in the corner.

Sniper in the Columbia building trying to get away.

Air Traffic guy is upset that they can’t break in. All their systems are now blocked. Tony orders another plane to another course. Tony calls air traffic guy, they see the planes are on a collision course.

Tony orders one of the planes to pull up right before impact. I don’t know if a plane in that scenario could actually pull up that quickly but, it’s TV so there are some things you have to overlook.

Sniper guy still trying to get out.

Shady-looking guy in sunglasses arrives (Emerson) to the bad guys hideout.

Tony orders Latham be cleaned up. He sure needs it, poor guy. They even broke his glasses!

Tony explains to Emerson the testing of the module worked ok.

Why do so many characters on this show talk like they are in a library? SPEAK UP!

Back to the White House now… press secretary getting ready to go on TV. Gets briefed by Chief of Staff guy.

President Taylor meets with the exiled Prime Minister of Sangala. She wants him to deal with Juma in a court of law. The Prime Minister agrees but do we believe him?

The President is told about the near miss of the planes at JFK. Learns about the threat from Tony.

Timeframe unclear? What… on 24 it’s usually within the hour.

Sniper guy calls Tony telling him he’s trapped.

Meanwhile, Jack still sits in the car. What comes next is my favorite scene of this episode. The FBI guy in the car with Jack lets him know what they made him go through at the Senate hearing was wrong. Jack thinks it’s good for everything to come out and the public can decide how far they want the government to go. The guy tells Jack he should not have been treated that way after everything he’s done for the country. Jack thanks him.

After this guy says this, I’m thinking yea! finally Jack gets a little gratitude from someone even if it is probably a rookie FBI agent. I think this guy is speaking for a lot of the audience here. After everything Jack has sacrificed and how many millions of lives he’s saved, he’s now being put on trial. It was just nice to see someone thank Jack for what he’s done. This was just a nice, well written scene.

Tony sends in FBI guy working for him to help get sniper out.

Jack wants to step out and get some air. He’s told to stay close. Yeah right. Jack’s going to stay close by.

Jack sees guy with FBI jacket walking away and tells Walker he’s the shooter. How does he know this? The guy has different shoes than the other agents. Jack’s fashion sense saves the day!

More bad guys in a dark room. Emerson shows Dubaku the component.

Meanwhile, back at the White House the President is getting briefed on how bad things could get if the component is used to bring down power grids, contaminate the water supply, etc. Doesn’t sound like a day at the beach.

Chief of Staff guy gets a call from Henry Taylor’s SS guy. Is it me or does he seem kind of young to have such a high-level detail as guarding the spouse of the President? Or maybe he seems young because I’m getting older.

He tells Chief of Staff guy he’s going to see Roger Taylor’s former girlfriend. Chief of Staff guy did not know Henry was investigating his son’s death.

I don’t completely trust Henry Taylor’s SS guy for some reason.

Larry learns Renee and Jack left the scene without logging a destination. Larry’s not happy – he calls Renee. She lies as to what they are really doing – following the sniper guy. She doesn’t like lying to Larry.

Larry wants Janice to do a triangulation to locate Renee.

Renee wants to know from Jack how far he was willing to go at Sheckter’s office. Jack’s tired of answering questions about his past – I don’t blame him.

Henry talks to Samantha about the money wired to an off-shore account. She claims the money belongs to her Aunt. She claims Roger killed himself. Henry thinks she’s lying and knows who murdered him.

Jack and Renee arrive where the sniper guy went. Renee gives Jack a gun (good idea). Sniper guy hears something, he goes to investigate and Jack greets him with a gun to his head and then chokes him, punches him and then knocks him out with his knee.

Jack becomes MacGyver by wrapping a cloth around the gun to silence it while taking out the security camera. Jack always thinks fast on his feet.

Now here’s where the editors make a rare misstep. After Jack takes out the security cam, you see him walking the sniper guy toward the boat with a gun on him. I thought Jack just knocked the guy out. That didn’t make sense. One minute he’s out, the next minute Jack is using him to get to the boat.

Jack then uses the guy as a shield and he gets shot instead of Jack. Jack and Renee work together to shoot more bad guys. This was a cool scene. Good to see Jack working with a female partner who seems to be just as capable and tough as he is.

Jack is looking for Tony – Jack eventually finds him “Tony, Stop!” Jack looks at him at first like he can’t believe it’s really him.

They have a fist fight. Jack wants to know where the component is. Larry arrives in the FBI helicopter.

Jack asks Tony… “What happened to you?”

…clock ticks to 10:00 am

Another exciting episode. It was good to see Jack find Tony so early in the season instead of dragging it out for several episodes. I didn’t think I would like the sub-plot about the President’s son’s suicide or murder mystery. It’s starting to get interesting. It’s obvious Samantha is not telling the truth. It will be interesting to see where that goes. All in all another good episode. Looking forward to more Jack and Tony scenes in episode 3.

Random Thoughts & Observations - Season 7 (Episode 1)

8:00 am – 9:00 am

Random Thoughts & Observations:

Good to hear the “Events Occur In Real Time” again. I missed that.

Good surprising opening – great action sequence for the Latham kidnapping. Nicely done.

The guy in the mask – I knew right away was Tony. I recognized his whispery voice.

Switch to the Senate hearing. Jack being grilled by a pompous Senator.

“What is the first question, Senator?” – love it. Jack has always been a get-to-the-point type of guy.

“I didn’t hear a question.” – great line by Jack. Very realistic in the fact that politicians do love to bloviate rather than ask questions.

I liked hearing Jack say he did not regret the decisions he had to make in order to save lives.

Uh oh, the FBI wants Jack. We are introduced to FBI Agent Renee Walker. Another agency that has a subpoena for Jack. Jack sure is popular in D.C. right now.

I don’t think Jack will be back to continue the hearing. I think he’s going to be tied up for the next oh.. 24 hours.

Agent Walker calls Janis Gold (another new character). She appears to be the “Chloe” of the FBI. Now we see Sean another analyst. Don’t know what to make of him yet. He doesn’t seem to like Janis very much.

Now we are introduced to Agent Larry Moss – he appears to be in a briefing regarding the technology thefts.

Showing all the people on various commercial airline flights. Looks like the bad guys are up to no good.

Jack is now at the FBI – introduced to Agent Larry who runs the office. Jack doesn’t seem to be in good mood.

Larry’s not too keen on Jack – doesn’t think he can help.

Renee explains the treat to Jack. Jack still doesn’t want to help. Jack has other things on his mind right now like the small matter of facing Federal criminal charges.

Renee gets Jack’s attention real fast by showing that one of the people behind the threat is TONY ALMEDIA!

Jack doesn’t believe it. He thought Tony would have contacted him if he were still alive. Jack still doesn’t believe it after Renee’s explanation until she tells him they had Tony’s body exhumed. DNA showed it was not Tony that was buried.

Back to the bad guys again – the CIP module is not working – Oh No!

Tony takes it to Latham – tells him to make it work or else. Tony likes to whisper his treats; unlike Jack who shouts.

First scenes in the White House with the new President, Alison Taylor.

Her Chief of Staff is explaining the genocide in Sangala. It’s the worst since Rawanda.

Chief of Staff guy suggests the U.N. – Ha! I didn’t know comedy writers worked on 24.

President Taylor practically laughs at the U.N. suggestion as well.

She wants to stop General Juma no matter what.

President’s husband (Henry) wants to get a reporter from going public with a story against the US going in militarily to stop Juma. The President wants her husband to talk to him.

President leaves for meeting with Joint Chiefs.

Chief of Staff guy mentions to the President about losing her son and how she and her husband is handling it. This is the first time we learn Rodger Taylor is dead. He wasn't around long. Saw him in 'Redemption' and that was it.

Back to the bad guys – Latham got to component to work.

Air traffic control guys notice something is amiss.

Back to the FBI – Jack’s trying to come up with a logical explanation as to why Tony is now a bad guy. Renee thinks he’s trying to get back at the government for what happened to his wife. Renee wants Jack to help track down Tony. Jack wants all the material they have on him.

The phone rings – wait it’s not the CTU ring tone – it’s something different. I miss the CTU ring tone. Don’t care much for the FBI ring. A moment of silence please for the loss of the CTU ring tone. ****silence****

Speaking of the FBI – the offices are OK and I like the change to D.C. but I do miss CTU. The FBI offices are a little bland compared to CTU.

Larry reports to Renee the problem the air traffic controllers are having. They suspect the bad guys may have gotten through the CIP firewall.

Jack is going to work with Sean (Mr. personality) to pull up the database on Tony.

Just a side note.. Jack takes off his jacket, then loosens his tie… I just like Jack getting comfy for some reason. Can’t imagine why…

Now back to the Joint Chiefs meeting…Secretary of State Stevens is not on board … Madame President doesn’t like it. “I am done with your hand-wringing” – I like her. No nonsense.

President Taylor is pulled out of the meeting. Briefed on technology thefts and air traffic threat. President thinks it may be connected to Sangala because of the timing.

The first husband Henry is now meeting with the reporter. The reporter doesn’t think the US should be interfering in a country’s internal “tribal war”. He is told we have a moral obligation to intervene. Henry tries to get him to hold off by offering an exclusive. (I found this side story to be a little boring).

Henry gets a call from a PI; he believes his son was murdered. The girlfriend (Samantha) received $400,000 in an off-shore bank account a few days after Rodger’s suicide. First hubby wants to talk to Samantha himself. Going to see her at her workplace.

Ooooh… now Jack has the tie off **sigh**… ok I digress again… back to the story.

Jack wants to look at something from August 1999. Jack recognizes a name, Gabriel Schechter – Jack and Tony used to use him to buy things “off book”. How convenient, the guy’s now in D.C.

Larry of course wants to get a warrant do everything by the book. Jack says it’s a mistake – he’ll lawyer up and stall. Larry gets smart with Jack suggests he wants to torture the guy. Larry mocks him – Jack gets in his face – I love it. “You have no idea what I do.” Me thinks Larry is actually a little jealous of Jack.

Renee talks to Larry in private, she wants to take Jack to see Schecter. Larry’s against it; he doesn’t want Jack to touch the suspect. Renee thinks that Jack’s presence is enough. She’ll keep Jack on a “short leash”. How many people have said that about Jack? If they have “read his file” they should know you can NEVER keep Jack on a “short leash”.

Renee is no nonsense as well. “Jack, you’re coming with me and you’re doing this my way.” I think she’s one of the best new characters 24 has had in a long time.

Sure didn’t take Jack and Renee long to get to Schecter’s office. D.C. traffic must have been light that day.

Joint Chiefs meeting continues. President to meet with the exiled Prime Minister of Sangala about how his government will try General Juma once he’s back in power. President Taylor then apologizes to the Sec. of State for “dressing him down” in front of the Joint Chiefs. Sec. of State says no apology is necessary. He says he will keep his reservations about the operation to himself.

The reporter guy has agreed to delay his broadcast by 24-hours. (yawn)

Back to Jack and Renee. Renee gives Jack another lecture that the FBI works within the law. He can threaten the suspect but don’t touch.

Jack: “just came along for the ride”. Love they way Kiefer delivers that line.

Schecter won’t cooperate of course. He wants them to leave; Renee takes down the bodyguard. Jack and Renee have guns on Schecter. Renee tells Jack to do whatever it takes. Jack grabs a pen – but he agrees to talk before we get to see some Jack torture. Darn.

“The last time I saw Almedia…” – bang bang – Schecter is dead from sniper fire.

Tony calls Jack. Tells him to stay away. He hangs up on Jack.

Last scene: planes in the air; an plane is now no longer under air traffic control. They are now taking orders from Tony thinking it is air traffic control.

…clock ticks to 9:00 am

Loved the premiere episode. Great to see Jack back and in D.C. Great to see Tony back as well. The show really missed his character. Also enjoyed most of the new characters.

More episode thoughts and observations to come...

Behind The Scenes With Jack Bauer

Kiefer Sutherland helps document the making of the hit TV series 24
Exclusive Interview by Mark Edward Harris - PopPhoto.com

This is an article from an on-line photography magazine (American Photo and Popular Photography) where Kiefer was interviewed along with others from the show (Jon Cassar, Rodney Charters, Michael Klick and Kelsey McNeal) who have been regularly taking behind-the-scenes photos on the 24 set for years.

I thought it was an interesting article, especially for those who love 24 and photography.

It is linked here:

http://www.popphoto.com/webexclusives/5696/behind-the-scenes-with-jack-bauer.html

Source: PopPhoto.com

Who TV Celebs Like In The Super Bowl

Just for fun, here's what a couple of '24' stars have to say about their Super Bowl picks:

Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida on 24): "I don't like anybody. But I guess I'll have to go with Baltimore."

Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer on 24): "Well, my Chargers aren't in it, and there are no New York teams. So I guess I'll have to say Pittsburgh."

Link: http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20090116_Jonathan_Storm_is_hanging_with_the_suits__stars_and_NO_HEAD_SPECIFIED.html

Source: Philly.com

'24' Ending After Season 8? - Say It Ain't So!!

Howard Gordon, Executive Producer has hinted that '24' may hang it up after Season 8 but there will be a feature film to look forward to. Hopefully, more than one film (kind of like the Jason Bourne franchise).

There have been several articles posted over the last couple of days speculating that Jack's last bad day (at least on TV) will be Day 8. Personally, I want to see '24' go on forever, but I guess all good things must come to an end.

That will be a very, very sad day when the last '24' airs on TV. But who knows, things could change and FOX could end up ordering Season 9. Things can change quickly in the entertainment biz.

Here's a link to one of the articles about this:

http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/us-series/24/news/will-24-end-after-season-eight/4788

Source: What's On TV (UK)

New '24' Episode 5 Preview

New preview for episode 5 airing 1/19/09:



Source: FOX / YouTube

"24 In 24" Season 7 Special From SKY1 (UK)

SKY1 in the UK recently ran a special for the run-up to the Season 7 premiere there called "24 In 24". It is now on YouTube in 8 Parts. Here they are:

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:


Part 5:


Part 6:


Part 7:


Part 8:

Kiefer Sutherland On Jimmy Kimmel - 1/13/09

Kiefer Sutherland was on Jimmy Kimmel's show to promote '24'. Here is the interview in two parts. ***Spoiler Warning*** - There is a clip that is shown in part 2 of what I believe is a scene from episode 5 so if you don't want to be spoiled, you may want to stop it before it's shown.

A very enjoyable Kiefer interview once again. Enjoy!

Part 1:


Part 2:

24: The Cast Talk Season 7 - 1/13/09

On the heels of the two-night, four hour premiere, the cast of 24 assembled at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour this morning, to discuss the long awaited new season of the series...

Read the rest of the article here:

http://tv.ign.com/articles/944/944566p1.html

Source: IGNTV.com

Kiefer Sutherland At Golden Globes - 1/11/09

While many of us were watching the first two hours of 24's season premiere, Kiefer Sutherland attended the Golden Globes last night as a nominee for his work in '24: Redemption'. Sadly, he didn't win (boo, hiss) but here are some pictures of Mr. Sutherland looking very handsome and cool in his "Jack Bauer" Aviators on the red carpet:

IF Magazine.com's Exclusive Interview With Carlos Bernard (Tony Almedia)

From good guy to bad guy, Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer has someone to kick around as 24 kicks off Day 7:

http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=3206

Source: ifmagazine.com

Mediaweek TV's Exclusive Interview With 24's Howard Gordon

Source: Mediaweek.com

Link: http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/national-broadcast/e3i947d7121b176518adea33685ea6f683b

More Interviews From Season 7 Premiere Party

Kiefer Sutherland On David Letterman - 1/9/09

Source: CBS / Dailymotion

Kiefer Sutherland On Regis & Kelly - 1/9/09

Kiefer's appearance on 'Regis & Kelly' to promote the Season 7 premiere ran this morning. Here is the interview:

More Season 7 Premiere Articles/Reviews

Judgement Day:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01082009/tv/judgment_day_149122.htm

Source: New York Post

New Era In Politics, New Era For '24':

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/arts/television/08fox.html?ref=television

Source: New York Times

'24' Gets A Jump On The Clock With 4-Hour Season Premiere:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-01-07-24-season-premiere_N.htm

Source: USA Today

New Season Of '24' Puts Jack Bauer On Hot Seat:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28548064/

Source: MSNBC.com

The New Season Of '24' Rocks:

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_010809/content/01125113.guest.html

Source: RushLimbaugh.com

'24' Begins With A Flurry Of Episodes:

http://www.courant.com/entertainment/tv/hc-24.artjan09,0,7728742.story

Source: Hartford Courant

24: Jack Bauer & Tony Return To Fight Another Day:

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b78075_24_jack_bauer_tony_return_fight_another.html

Source: E! Online

Various Articles About Season 7 Premiere (1/7/09-1/8/09)

Here are links to some newly published articles about season 7 premiere:

(Note: If you are spoiler averse, be advised: these articles contain some minor spoilers)

'24' Reflects Changing Times With Excellent Season Seven Premiere:

http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/6351/24-reflects-changing-times-with-excellent-season-seven-premiere

Source: Hollywoodchicago.com

'24': Will Next Season Be The Last?:

http://weblogs.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/blog/2009/01/24_will_the_8th_season_be_the.html
Source: Newsday.com

A Conversation With Carlos Bernard Of '24':

http://www.star-telegram.com/living/story/1128765.html

Source: Star-Telegram.com

'24' Off To Strong Start After Dud Season:

http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSTRE5071VU20090108

Source: Reuters.com

It's Back To Bauer Power: 24

http://www.sacbee.com/livinghere/story/1523957.html

Source: Sacramento Bee

I will post more as they become available.

More Pics From The '24' Season 7 Premiere Party (1/6/09)

Jon Voight (Jonas Hodges) & Cherry Jones (President Taylor)

Kiefer Sutherland & Howard Gordon

Kiefer Sutherland & Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe)