BuzzSugar

Are You Surprised by Forbes's Top-Earning Men in Prime Time?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:30:41 -0800

Forbes recently released the list of Prime Time's Top-Earning Men. Who made the cut? In order, they are: Simon Cowell, followed by Donald Trump, Ryan Seacrest, Charlie Sheen, Steve Carell, Howie Mandel, Kiefer Sutherland, Jeff Foxworthy, Hugh Laurie, and at No. 10 (a tie!) David Caruso of CSI: Miami and Patrick Dempsey.

Simon Cowell at No. 1 is a no-brainer, thanks to the unstoppable machine that is American Idol (not to mention all of his other shows). But there are a few names that made me do a double take. Jeff Foxworthy, for instance - who knew that Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader was such a money generator? And where's Jeff Probst? I guess the Survivor franchise doesn't carry as much clout as I thought.

What about you? Other than maybe Simon Cowell at number 1, do you find this list surprising?

Buzz's 10 Favorite Actors With Famous Parents

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:30:39 -0800

Mery Streep's 23-year-old daughter Grace Gummer just landed a new gig at Nickelodeon - and it got me thinking about all the big names out there with famous actors for parents. From A-listers like Angelina Jolie and Ben Stiller to small screen stars like Spencer Grammer, take a look at 10 of my favorite actors with famous parents.

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Should Jack Bauer - and Scrubs - Keep Coming Back?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:30:30 -0700

Jack is (officially) back! Kiefer Sutherland said he's totally on board for an eighth season of 24, which is supposed to start shooting in May. Sutherland likened 24 to a girlfriend that had been really good to him and said he'd continue to play Jack Bauer as long as the writers keep the character alive.

24's seventh season sure took a while to get off the ground, but once it started, it got a pretty positive initial reaction and has held fairly steady in the ratings. But few shows this year see an eighth season. Is there enough going on in 24 to keep it fresh for another season-long "day"?

It's interesting to consider that alongside what's happening with Scrubs. The show's current season is widely presumed to be its last, but there's a new report that ABC's entertainment president would be happy to bring the show back for a ninth season - if Zach Braff agreed to do a handful of episodes. It might seem like a long shot, but Braff did say he'd like to come back to Scrubs even if he wasn't a full-time cast member anymore.

Now, if ABC is serious, they might want to move fast, since Donald Faison and John C. McGinley have landed roles in new pilots and creator Bill Lawrence is keeping himself busy working with Courteney Cox on Cougar Town. But this rumor raises a bigger question for me: Would we even want a ninth season of Scrubs or an eighth of 24? Is there a time that shows should just move over and make room for the next new thing?

Photo courtesy of Fox

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

Link Time! 1/8

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:30:58 -0800

Hey, it's the new cast of Skins! - PopSugarUK
Check out videos and images from the Michael Cera/Fred Armisen/Charlyne Yi project Paper Hearts. - Cinematical
This post about the season premiere of Damages is full of love for Glenn Close, so of course I think it's great. - Popwatch
The classic series The Prisoner is online for free now before AMC remakes it. - Clique Clack TV
Some thoughts on the Writers Guild nominations. - FilmExperience
Ooh, I think I'll go stream the new Bon Iver EP. - Stereogum
Kiefer Sutherland talks about season seven of 24. - The TV Addict
Brittany Murphy is in a film titled The Ramen Girl. - YumSugar

Photos courtesy and copyright of Channel 4.

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

First Look: 24's Seventh Season

BuzzSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:30:11 -0700

It was almost exactly one year ago when we got our first look at what was to be the seventh season of 24. How foolish we were! A year of production problems and one writers' strike later, here we are again, looking at a trailer for 24's seventh season. Hopefully this one's for real.

The basic outline for the season (which will air in 2009 following a November prequel) appears to be basically the same: The first female president is sworn in, there's trouble in Africa, and Tony Almeida is back from the dead. This preview has a little less action on the ground in Africa - I wonder if some of that ended up in the prequel? - but there's a whole lot of action in general.

The trailer will air on TV after the prequel on Nov. 23, but why wait? To watch it now, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Fox

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

TCA Tidbits: Kal Penn, The Office in Space, and More

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:31:01 -0700

Today, FX takes its turn onstage at the TCA press tour, so I should have lots to share later on about Damages and The Shield. But before I get into all of that, there are a few fun tidbits from the first day that I wanted to be sure to mention:

Kiefer Sutherland appeared briefly to chat about 24 (and was pinned against a wall by a throng of reporters almost immediately upon arrival). I've been watching the preview for this Fall's prequel on our hotel's closed-circuit system, and it seems to include Jack Bauer liberating a bunch of African children with his bare hands. Not that I'm complaining.
I never thought I'd be in the same room with Karl Rove - and I also never thought he'd be relatively non-confrontational. Instead, it was Fox News's Chris Wallace who laid the smack down on reporters during the Fox News session; I told Citizen the story.
It's strange to come out of a TCA session pumped for a show that doesn't really exist yet, but the new Fox show I'm most excited about has to be Boldly Going Nowhere, which the network is developing for midseason. Fox's entertainment president, Kevin Reilly, described it as "The Office in space - petty jealousies and incompetencies on a long-term mission to wherever they're going.
Also, Kevin Reilly and his fellow Fox exec Peter Ligouri have the best hair of all TV executives. Just sayin'.

Lots more - including carnival games with Kal Penn (I have video evidence!) and the trick to being a Fox animator - so read more.

Fox has a show called Secret Millionaire, and it's going to be very, very weird. The premise: Millionaires go out into poorer communities to, er, see how the other half lives; later, they reveal themselves to be secretly rich and bestow a giant check on someone. This being Fox, reporters spent a good portion of the session asking if there was really a twist in which various embarrassing challenges would need to be performed before the money could be collected.
If you're an animator on a Fox series, it helps to be named Matt or Mike. Of the nine people on the panel featuring the executive producers of Fox's five animated shows, five of them had one of those two names. Also, this seems to be the animator uniform: gray or medium-blue jeans; gray, black, or navy T-shirt or polo; gray, black, or blue blazer. It was one long line of monochromatic clothing, with the exception of that one guy in white:
Like last year, Fox threw its party at the Santa Monica Pier - and Joss Whedon was, quite literally, acting like a kid at a carnival. He bolted around from ride to ride (Molly and I joined him on the Sea Dragon) and seemed particularly excited about getting a group together for the bumper cars.
Speaking of Molly, she casually informed Kal Penn that she was going to beat him at one of those games where you have to squirt a water gun to make a character run up a rail - and she wasn't joking around. Watch:

You can't hear it, but in that last bit at the end, he acknowledged her obvious carnival-game superiority.

With ABC, CBS, NBC, The CW, and Bravo coming in the next few days, I'm wondering: What do you most want to hear about from TCA?

Photos 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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