BuzzSugar

Did Anyone Else Totally Love 24: Redemption Like I Did?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:30:09 PST

Maybe my expectations were low, but I was impressed by the two-hour 24 "prequel" to the seventh season, "Redemption." Here are a few thoughts on why I liked it:

For whatever reason, it's still strangely comforting to see Jack Bauer back on TV, doing what he does best (picking off the bad guys, saving the good guys, enduring torture, etc.).
Kids. Little African kids are at the heart of Jack's major struggle here and while it might be a manipulative tactic, it definitely worked in getting me to care about the story.
Overall, and especially toward the end, I was on the edge of my seat, stressing out about these people and yelling at my TV again, as though it were the first season of 24 or something. I love that this show is back to having that effect on me.
I really like this new lady president, right down to her cemented hairdo. She just seems smart and no-nonsense while still being warm and trustworthy.
It doesn't hurt that the guy playing her son is rather hot, in a pretty-boy kind of way.
Even for people unfamiliar with 24, or those who have been doubting the quality of the show in recent years (as I have), this two-hour "event" could actually stand on its own as a TV movie. You don't necessarily need to know Jack's history in order to get what's going on and there's a definite ending that lacks major cliffhangers.
Ha! In the previews for the upcoming season I love Chloe's "I'm just a stay-at-home mom!" line. Awesome. Can't wait to see her (and Tony Almeida!) again.

Oh! And diverchick wrote me to say that "about 35-40 minutes into the show, there was this scene where Jack's friend Carl calls Jack. The number that pops up on the phone is 310-597-3781." Apparently if you call that number, Sprint gives a code for a free ringtone. The pass code is "24." Thanks, diverchick!

Did you watch this 24 prequel? What did you think?

Photo courtesy of Fox

TV Tonight: A Little Something For Everyone

BuzzSugar — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 07:30:16 PST

Considering it's the Sunday before a major holiday, tonight's a pretty big one for TV. In addition to the Stephen Colbert Christmas special, Fox is pulling out all the stops for a special 24 event, and HBO bids a first-season farewell to a new hit drama.

24's movie, 24: Redemption, has been a long time coming. The show's been off the air seemingly forever, but it takes its first steps back with tonight's two-hour movie. The prequel to the show's upcoming seventh season picks up with Jack Bauer in Africa, battling an existential funk (and a government investigation) in the midst of a fictional country that's about to plunge into civil war. There's a conspiracy, of course, and a new administration in Washington, led by the show's first female president (Cherry Jones). By the end, I hope we'll have a sense of where 24 wants to go in the months ahead.

Meanwhile, I've also been totally captivated by HBO's True Blood, the Southern Gothic tale of vampires out of the closet brought to you by Alan Ball. The series received tepid reviews in the beginning (including from me), but now I don't miss an episode - and I'm not the only one. To read more about the finale and see a preview of both it and 24: Redemption, just

Over the course of this season, True Blood has become HBO's "most popular series since The Sopranos and Sex and the City." What started as a straightforward metaphor of vampires-as-persecuted-minorities has become something bigger, with a murder mystery haunting the town of Bon Temps and its complicated, well-drawn characters. Last week set us up with a big ol' clue about the murderer's identity, and I have my guesses, but I'm impressed enough with this show that I suspect the finale will have more twists than I could possibly predict.

Will you be watching any of these shows? Here are the previews:

Photos courtesy of Fox and Source

24 Prequel, "Redemption," Looks Intense, Scary

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:00:26 PDT

I've had a love-hate relationship with 24 for a long time, now. When it's bad, it's preposterously bad, but when it's good, it's one of the best things ever. Like, jumping off the couch yelling, kind of thing. But whenever I return to the "hate" side, I always hope there will be something to lure me back.

The preview for the show's two-hour "event" in November might be just the bait. There's more of the same ol' 24 antics (Jack enduring outrageous horrors, Jack screaming urgently at pretty much everyone, an astounding barrage of gunfire - none of which manages to affect our hero at all), but this time Jack Bauer is "battling an international crisis" in war-torn Africa. Meanwhile, our shady Tom Lennox (Peter MacNicol) chats with the new President of the United States who is, in 24's timely fashion, a woman.

The seventh season doesn't actually begin until 2009, but this two-hour "prequel" will air Nov. 23. To watch the intense preview,

Photo courtesy of Fox

Jon Voight is 24's Newest Bad Guy

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:37:35 PDT

It's been 40 years since his last regular TV role, but Jon Voight has seen something he likes in 24. Voight will be joining the show for its upcoming seventh season, playing a tormenter of Jack Bauer's.

The Oscar-winning actor - and father of this lady - will play Jack's "uber-nemesis" who's running this season's terrorist plot, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He'll be introduced in the two-hour prequel to season seven, which is currently scheduled to air Nov. 23, and will reappear throughout the season. Voight's last appearance on a TV series was in 1969, when he guest-starred on Gunsmoke for several episodes.

Frankly, I'm just happy to see any news that proves that 24 is moving forward. After all the trouble they had setting up season seven, and then the long delay from the strike, the show seems poised to come back strong. Can you picture Voight as a Bauer-tormenting baddie?

Source

24 to Head to Africa After All For Prequel

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:40:24 PDT

Even without the writers' strike, the seventh season of Fox's 24 might have been in trouble. The show had some fairly legendary production problems that caused the writers to scrap one entire plotline that would have sent Jack to Africa.

Now, it looks like some good will come from the delay after all: The producers will finally get to delve into their Africa storyline - not for a whole season, but for a two-hour prequel designed to fill in the long gap between seasons of the show. The prequel is set to air sometime in the Fall, and producer Manny Coto told the Associated Press that it would find Jack wandering around the world, ultimately finding himself in the middle of a war-torn country:

"He's a soul in turmoil and has been moving from place to place trying to find somewhere he can be at peace. But he winds up in Africa in the middle of a military coup."

That Jack just can't catch a break, can he? The events of the prequel will lead directly into the seventh season, which is set to start in January 2009.

Meanwhile, the rest of the season sounds like it's proceeding as previously planned, with eight episodes already shot. Jack will be subpoenaed by the Senate for crimes against humanity; there's a new president (played by Cherry Jones) running things, and Tony Almeida is, mysteriously, living again.

Has this long break made you miss 24? Do you think you'll pick the show back up when the special airs later this year?

Photo courtesy of Fox

How to Get a Better Deal at Your Bank

Kiplinger — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:15:35 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Pesky bank fees aren’t just creeping up - they’re attacking from all sides. Banks impose 49 different fees, on average, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Getting paper statements in the mail will cost you $1 to $2 a month; seeing a teller could result in a $9 fee; and maintaining a checking account without meeting deposit, balance, or usage requirements could cost as much as $30 per month. Earning interest on a checking account often requires a hefty minimum balance, and yields on certificates of deposit and money market deposit accounts are minuscule.

Ironically, a big reason for the fee explosion is federal legislation designed to protect consumers from excessive fees and misleading practices. The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act and a rule that requires customers to opt in to overdraft services have reduced revenue, and banks now lose an average of $174 per year on each checking account, says Mike Moebs of Moebs Services, an economic-research firm. And banks’ coffers will also be hit by a new regulation that prevents banks with assets of $10 billion or more from charging merchants more than 21 cents each time a customer swipes a debit card (some banks will also get an allowance for fraud protection and loss).

Fortunately, free and high-interest checking accounts haven’t disappeared, and some banks will reimburse ATM fees no matter where you go.

Free checking. In 2009, 76 percent of banks offered free checking, but only 65 percent did in 2010, according to a recent Bankrate.com survey. To qualify for free checking at most banks, you’ll have to meet stiffer requirements. For example, customers of Citibank and JPMorgan Chase must have an average monthly balance of about $1,500 or keep a minimum total of $5,000 in the bank in various accounts.

Read on for more ways to get a better deal at your bank.