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Battlestar's Katee Sackhoff Signs on For 24

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:30:08 -0700

Battlestar Galactica fans, take note: Starbuck has a new job. Battlestar's Katee Sackhoff is joining the cast of 24 for the upcoming season.

Sackhoff will play an analyst in the new, shiny New York office of CTU. Her Dana Walsh is highly respected and down to earth, but she also "has a skeleton in her closet she's trying desperately to keep hidden." She's in a relationship with agent Davis Cole (to be played by Freddie Prinze Jr.), a former Marine with dreams of being like Jack Bauer.

Post-Battlestar, Sackhoff initially starred in an NBC pilot called Lost and Found from Law and Order's Dick Wolf, where she would have played a tough police officer. But NBC somewhat surprisingly passed on the pilot, leaving Sackhoff free to find other work. Apparently she took herself out of the running for the 24 role last week but changed her mind, threw her name back in, and ended up with the job.

Does 24 seem like a good fit for Sackhoff?

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TV News: Casting, Recasting, and Some Dream Casting

BuzzSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:30:03 -0700

We now mostly know what shows will be on our TVs come Fall - but who will be starring in them? After pilot season comes a flurry of casting and recasting, as actors whose shows didn't get picked up look for work and networks change up the lineups on some of the forthcoming series. Today, there's word of a big casting, some recastings, and Joss Whedon's dream casting:

The casting: Freddie Prinze Jr.'s ABC comedy pilot wasn't picked up, but the actor didn't have to wait long for a job: He's joining the cast of 24 as a Marine who dreams of becoming a sort of Jack Bauer Jr. He joins a growing number of new cast members for the season, including Anil Kapoor, John Boyd, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Jennifer Westfeldt.
The recastings: A few pilots-turned-series are already searching for replacements for their lead actors. Among those now out of work: Julia Ormond, who was supposed to play the head of surgery in CBS's Three Rivers, and two lead actors in ABC's The Forgotten, Reiko Aylesworth and Rupert Penry-Jones.
The dream casting: Summer Glau is out of work following the cancellation of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but Joss Whedon might have a job for her. As you read this, he's trying to come up with just the right role to get her onto Dollhouse next season. He doesn't really want her to play an active, though - so what else could you picture her doing on the show?

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Buzz News Roundup, 5/27

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:30:11 -0700

John Lithgow has landed a - ahem - killer role on the upcoming season of Dexter. - The Futon Critic
Dustin Hoffman will star opposite Paul Giamatti in the indie drama Barney's Version, based on Mordecai Richler's final novel. - Variety
Jennifer Westfeldt and John Boyd are the newest cast members of 24 season eight, joining Anil Kapoor and Chris Diamantopoulos. - TV Guide
Eminem's back on top of the Billboard charts this week, while the Glee cast's "Don't Stop Believin'" hits the singles chart at No. 4. - Billboard
HBO's new series Hung will launch after True Blood in June. - Variety
Speaking of HBO, Al Pacino is in talks to portray Dr. Kevorkian in the HBO movie You Don't Know Jack. - Reuters
Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig will star together in a new dramatic play titled A Steady Rain this fall on Broadway. - NY Post
Former Wilco member Jay Bennett died on Sunday at the age of 45. - Billboard

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24 Fans: Are You on Board For This New Season?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:30:57 -0800

Even though I kinda forgot amid all the Golden Globes mania that the new 24 season was premiering on Sunday, the show managed to nab 12.5 million viewers (which isn't really that bad, all things considered).

Did you see (or TiVo) the premiere? (If so, check out this fun recap quiz.) What do you think so far? Are you sucked in and excited for next week's episode? Or will you pass on this season of Kiefer and friends?

And click here for more info from Kiefer himself about this season of 24.

Photo courtesy of Fox

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

BuzzSugar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:30:09 -0800

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 -0800

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 read more.

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

Buzz In: What TV Deaths Shocked You Most?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:30:02 -0800

We've been hearing rumors (and seeing funeral pics) about the death of a major character on Gossip Girl for a little while now and I think most fans of the show (including myself) can probably guess who it will be. I'm not saying who my guess is but if it comes true it probably won't be much of a surprise to anyone. Time will tell.

This got me thinking about television deaths that did take me by surprise. Lost fans, for example, can probably count several shocking deaths over the show's lifespan that came out of left field (and some that didn't, but were still sad). I still vividly remember the jaw-dropping shock I felt at the death of Teri Bauer on 24. And sometimes a television death may be predictable but still manage to bring about some tears of disbelief, like Denny's sad death on Grey's Anatomy.

When a TV death is genuinely a surprise it can be really disturbing, but at least it's all just make-believe entertainment. Which TV deaths have shocked you?

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24 Prequel, "Redemption," Looks Intense, Scary

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:00:26 -0700

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, read more.

Photo courtesy of Fox

Jon Voight is 24's Newest Bad Guy

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:37:35 -0700

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?

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24 to Head to Africa After All For Prequel

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:40:24 -0700

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