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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

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?

Source

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

Earmark the 24th For 24: Redemption

PopSugarUK — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0800

As Kiefer Sutherland joins his costars and photographers at an exhibit for the show in Beverley Hills this week, Sky One have stopped teasing us and have finally announced that 24: Redemption will be airing on Sky One on Monday 24 November at 10pm. That's just one day after our friends in the US get to see the two-hour prequel telefilm, which acts as a bridging episode between Day 6 and Day 7. When I asked back in September how you were feeling about this installment, the vast majority of you were excited, and now we've got a confirmed air date the anticipation is building even more. Watch the trailer after the jump and get excited all over again!

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To watch the trailer for 24: Redemption, just read more.

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Are You Excited For 24: Redemption Prequel?

PopSugarUK — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:00:00 -0700

Kiefer Sutherland looked suitably Jack Bauer-esque in his aviators as he strolled through NYC yesterday, making me even more excited for the return of 24.

The two-hour telefilm bridging show, 24: Redemption (formerly 24: Exile) will serve as prequel to Day 7 and will air on 23rd November in the States, but Sky One is still teasing us here in the UK by not announcing our air date. They have advertised it as coming in November though, so not long now!

The prequel sees Jack in war-torn Africa, has a female President of the United States and also stars our very own Scot, Robert Carlyle.

Take a look at the trailer and let me know what you think: are you excited for the telefilm prequel?

Bauer Griffin/BigPicturesPhoto.com

12/11/2008 24: Redemption

PopSugarUK — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:49:08 -0800

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Kiefer Talks Torture and Getting Turned on - 24 Is Back!

Molly — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:45:23 -0800

Kiefer Sutherland and the rest of the cast of 24 took the stage at this morning's Fox TCA panel, and while the questions kept coming back to whether or not the show condones torture, they managed to get a few good jokes in. After this week's four-hour season premiere and last month's TV movie 24: Redemption, are you on board with the new season? The show's producers and cast seem hopeful that a little break has made the show and Jack Bauer reinvigorated and ready to excite us. Here were some highlights from Kiefer at the press presentation:

On Jack this season: "We felt that Jack had great contempt for the Senate investigation because many of the things he was asked to do over the previous six seasons were ordered by the government (president). He is certainly questioning many of the things he has been asked to do, either ordered or on his own. He is wrestling with his own history and whether or not he is the kind of person who should have been asked to do these sorts of things. This inner struggle is something he carries for all 24 episodes."
On torture: "The use of torture was a dramatic device used to show urgency, not meant to validate this kind of behavior for the real world . . . In reality less than 10 percent of information they get from situations like this are helpful, but it is a television show and we are driving a plot forward and we use it for dramatic effect. But it does raise question of right and wrong . . . From my perspective it has always been literally a dramatic device to show you the urgency of a situation. There was just no alternative. One of the most moving scenes for me was killing my boss - we’re not condoning that, it was just part of the show. It’s as simple as that."
On keeping in shape: “Try to work out as much as you can in the off-season because it's tricky to maintain in the on-season. You do what you can with the time you’ve got like everyone. I run, and lucky for me during the day when I have to go to work, I run a lot there too. On an emotional level, fear and panic is my workout through the entire season . . .This has been an unbelievable gift . . . There is no specific regimen I have because our schedule changes so much."
On his 24 romance with the new FBI agent, played by Annie Wersching: "Given the situation I guess romances do develop over 24 hours. I think born of the respect [they have for each other] there is a tension that develops. Watching Annie do her first fight sequence I went, 'You know, that kinda turned me on too,' so it wasn't hard."

To see what else Kiefer had to say about getting recognized and shooting in Africa, just read more.

On the show as a phenomenon: "My name is not Kiefer anymore, it's Jack, and people talk to me like that . . . this character had these unbelievable characteristics but is really human. Nothing in 24 is black and white, it lives in a gray area and people were receptive at that time to accept something like that. It’s something that I am continually trying to figure out."
On the show being realistic: "In regards to the not sleeping, we’ve shot 24 for 17-18 hours and can imagine staying up for 24, but in season one he does fall asleep. There are aspects and times when we can play with that, but I haven’t been that focused on it the past few years. One time I walked into a restroom, but they cut it out. It’s not for lack of trying."
On shooting in Africa: "I went down to South Africa with a lot of prejudgments, I was very strongly against apartheid, I was aware that even with new government an unbelievable portion of the population is living in poverty and that population is [mostly] black . . . But when I started working with these nine children I was startled by how aware they are and how much joy they have. They took us into the townships with no running water or paved roads, and it made me take a serious look at myself and some of the things I might complain about . . . How unbelievably warm and affectionate these children were was really inspiring."

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What To Sky+: Monday

PopSugarUK — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:00:00 -0800

BBC1 has The Diary of Anne Frank and A Lot Like Love
BBC2 has MasterChef
BBC3 has a repeat of the first episode of Gavin and Stacey
ITV1 has This Morning with Kate Winslet and 40 Days and 40 Nights
Ch4 has Celebrity Big Brother and Saving Gazza
E4 has Celebrity Big Brother's Little Brother and The Class
More4 has The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Sky1 has 24: Redemption
Sky Premiere has PS I Love You, Sky Action/Thriller has The Blood Diamond, Sky Family has The Devil Wears Prada
ITV4 has Serenity starring Nathan Fillion
Film4 has Four Weddings and a Funeral