24 Points About 24 Coming Back

I am a 24 fan, worshipper, devotee, fanatic, critic, archivist, connoisseur, and whatever other noun you can dream up. I have seen every episode of the show live except one in season three (VCR malfunction!) 24 was the first TV show I ever watched with my family and was my favorite show to watch with friends. I have written extensively on how it relates to "Homeland" (24 is superior). And finally I shared recaps in the form of 24 points for the last 3 seasons here on thislalife.

Now that it has been announced that the show (the new season titled 24:Live Another Day) will be returning for a more condensed 12 episode run next summer, I thought I would return to the 24 Points to let you know all morsels that are brewing in my head with the almighty return of Jack Bauer.

1. How will the 12 episode format work for a show that is so dependent on having 24 episodes? The producers have said they will skip some hours and condense some events to fit the timeline. This sounds like we'll still be looking at a full day in the life of the greatest terrorist hunter that has ever lived. 

2. Will we finally get the epic motorcyle that Jack has in him. Motorcycles, TPG what you talking about? You see, revealed somewhere in the bonus features of the DVDS and mentioned here in the 24 wikia, it is stated that Jack is an expert motorcyclist. Also says he's a surfer, I'd rather have him dispatch foes by bike than by bodacious waves.

3. Will Tony Almeida return?

4. While we are at it...will the vampire bite return? That's what really counts (sorry Tony).

5. The show always succeeds because the way that it mirrors and inflates real life events. It's well known that the show premiered months after 9/11 and rode the war on terror to massive critical, popular, and political success. I wonder how it will adapt to the current drone based war on terrorism and also how the events of the Boston Marathon bombings will influence it?

6. My dream is that even though the episode count is shorter the budget will be the same which will mean bigger and better action.

7. The whole "skip" and "condense" some hours thing means that perhaps we will see multiple far off locations for the show, which has always been rooted in either LA, D.C. or New York and the surrounding area. Will we see Jack get on the plane to some far off exotic place and then jump to him landing...I think so.

8. Ron Swanson survived season 2, will he make a guest appearance?

9. The Bad Guys in the new season will be some mix of the following: private contractors, "Russians," Islamic extremists, red-neck terrorists. In fact Bauer has never really taken on the red-neck variety, actually....Kim has she took down Johnny Drama in season 2.

10. Will anything in this season come close to the majestic brutal power of the Fayed death from season six?

11. Jack has had some "bad luck" with the ladies in his life? Will he have a new flame this season? Does that even make sense or is the ticking clock just not gonna allow it?

12. How many Christmas Trees will Bauer destroy?

13. Kiefer is 46 years old now, which is not exactly young on the special agent scale, I wonder if we'll see him either shrug off his age or acknowledge it a la Brian Mills in "Taken."

14. Speaking of that whole time speeding up, is the reason for the shorter season because we as human beings can't handle 24 episodes of anything anymore. Is 24 episodes too long for our twitter/facebook/24-7 news cycle brains to handle? 

15. James Badge Dale was not really a known actor when he appeared in the highly underrated season 3 as Jack's partner Chase Edmunds. Now he is everywhere (Iron Man 3, Flight, The Pacific etc.) I have no doubt that Jack will get a new partner (besides Chloe of course, more on her later) but who could play that part? Don't be surprised if they switch it up and give him another female partner. This way the bad guys can say things like "you can't protect ya women Jackkkk!"

16. Chances that the season will actually just be a prequel and it will feature the abandoned "Samuel" plotline featuring legendary anti-hero Dubaku. Hopefully 10000%, long live Dubaku.

17. Calling it now we're looking at 37 confirmed Bauer kills this season and I'm not talking about random explosion related deaths. I'll be more specific and say we'll get at least 3 spectacular kills or "Mortal Kombat" deaths.

18. Earlier I asked if Tony will return. I'd say the only guaranteed cast member to return besides Jack would be Chloe as she is like part of Jack's existence now. In fact Chloe never really changes season to season...she's just always there and as neurotic as ever. That is except for the time she blasted those dudes with the machine gun!

19. Anil Kapoor - the star of the Indian version 24 has already starred in a season of 24 as a different character, but what are the chances he pops up again this time as the Indian Jack Bauer...that would be crazy.

20. Speaking of crazy, I would love to see the show get slightly meta and have Jack take down some Hollywood types. You could tie it all together with the shady world of global corporations media investments.

21. Jack Bauer is also a straight up Grandpa - how zany would it be if the whole season was actually a comedy where Jack has to supervise a kid. Kind of like Baby's Day Out but with more awesome violence.

22. I'm calling it now...Kim Bauer is coming back fo sho.

23. Feels great to be writing these again, so stoked the show is coming back, did I say that?

24. As a show 24 was a classic water cooler topic. If you hadn't seen last night's episode then don't waste my time talking to me chief. But things are different now, people binge on shows on Netflix and the water cooler isn't what is once was. Will the show's return to the airwaves signal a return to must see live drama programming? We'll have to wait and see...beee bowp bee bowp beee bowpp.

A Tale of Two Shows: Why Homeland Must Become 24 To Survive

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ALL OF SEASON 2 OF HOMELAND DON'T READ THIS POST.

The mighty Emmy venerated "Homeland" had a really disappointing season because it has no idea of what kind of show it is. All the big shows on TV right now are extremely confident in what they're doing. "Walking Dead" is a rip-roaring horror adventure. "Boardwalk Empire" is a bloody historical drama. "Mad Men" & "Breaking Bad" are studies in masculinity & American identity. Shit, even "Game of Thrones" is kind of a fantasy parable of power and family. But "Homeland" like it's two main characters is in the middle of a massive identity crisis. It has no idea if it wants to be a smart dramatic dissection of the war on terrorism or if it wants to crackle and pop with "24" style counter-terrorism action and twists. Right now it's attempting to be both and it's coming apart at the seams like Carrie on wine,jazz,and pills bender.

I covered the ways that the show tries to make it "real world" in my last takedown of the show. I don't need to get into it again, but I feel bad I neglected to mention how the creators and their relentless drive for realism managed to anger the real life nations of Israel & Lebanon. Last night's attack from beyond the grave was further evidence of how far away the show has gotten from the real world.

I found the explosion last night, while certainly unexpected, to be completely ridiculous and reeking of the stench of a group of writers who had no idea what they were doing the whole season. The only way that an attack of that magnitude would be possible would be with extensive help on the inside, and as we all know, "Homeland" has been playing coy with it's mole-hunt for the past two seasons. It's obvious they have no idea who it is, it is not a "leak," but rather a "well" of story devices that writers can use to kind of explain necessary plot occurrences. In the "real world" drama-politics of the show, you really believe that at the VICE PRESIDENT'S FUNERAL, somebody could park a car on a sidewalk in front of a giant glass room full of important people and that no one would notice? Even by the shows already established rules, it was preposterous. Sure you might say it's only a TV show and I'm being nit-picky, but, again this is a show that links to the real world terrorism in it's opening credits and plot-lines so it doesn't get a free-pass. And you know what else it is? It is "24" shit, through and through.

You see, no matter how hard it tries, "Homeland" will never escape from the legacy of "24." It doesn't matter how many times Saul says the Hebrew prayer for the dead over a stunning sea of dead bodies or each well-written Abu-Nazir monologue about the nature of US Imperialism, as they say on that other show, "resistance is futile." With all plausibility out of the window now, the only way to save the show is to go full throttle with the "24" level madness. I'm all for it. I miss "24" every ticking second of each day. I hunger for the movie. And I think most people to do. When people talk about "Homeland," they talk about the crazy VP bunker scene last season, the brazen terrorist attack at the tailor's office, or the countless surveillance missions. No one says (at least anymore) says "Gosh I love Homeland for it's murky dissection of middle Eastern politics." I'd rather have a completely implausible well-acted espionage thriller, than a bumbling show failing to engage on any level. After all, we all need to pick a side sometime.

The Terrorist At Home: Why Homeland Praise Is Misplaced

"Homeland," returned to the airwaves with the vengeance on Sunday night. Now sporting a host of well deserved Emmy trophies for stars Damian Lewis, Claire Danes, and of course the top prize for best drama, and based off the massive ratings increase, everyone is hooked again. Understandably so, it's a fantastically thrilling piece of entertainment. And yet despite it's golden hardware and ripped from the headlines plots, it still resides in the shadow of the big daddy terrorism show of the 20th century - "24." Coming from Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa, the same creator's of the seminal real-time thriller, "Homeland" is billed as the more liberal, thoughtful, interesting follow up to the Jack Bauer power hour. As the New Yorker put it, "Homeland" is the "antidote to 24."

“24” was also a carrier for some terrible ideas, among them the notion that torture is the best and only way to get information; that Muslim faith and terrorist aims overlap by definition.

Whaaaaat? Between the Emmy wins, the prestige that cable brings, and decreased dependence on "24" famous torture scenes, everyone seems to be looking past all extreme right wing paranoia that, just like Sgt. Brody laying in wait in our government, has infiltrated this show. First things first, "Homeland" like "24" features Islamic terrorists hell-bent on destroying the United States. The man behind this jihad is Abu Nazir, our Bin-Laden substitute, a terrorist puppet master who has his paws in EVERYTHING around the world. As Sean T. Collins points out in his great write up on the show in Rolling Stone, here is Nazir's  organization so far:

A fully trained Marine sniper

A second fully trained Marine sniper, partner of the first one no less, presumed dead and smuggled back into the United States to live totally off the grid

Enough crowbar-wielding goons to successfully kidnap the first fully trained Marine sniper out of a supermarket parking lot

A college professor

The college professor's all-American daughter-of-an-oil-exec wife

Enough bomb-making, machine-gun-wielding agents across the Midwest to booby-trap a safehouse and go full ending-of-Scarface on a motel room where the college professor and his wife were hiding

A Saudi diplomat with full immunity and extensive goon access

A Saudi prince who may not be on the payroll per se but doesn't mind hugging the world's most wanted man

The Saudi prince's right-hand man, who takes breaks from his main gig as the prince's pimp to tap into an extensive network of jewelry fences, off-the-books money managers and limo-driving hitmen

A Gettysburg-based suicide-vest tailor

A reporter powerful enough to get high-ranking CIA officials to drop everything and run to meet her on demand

And last but not least, a freaking mole inside the CIA capable of tipping off surveillance targets, triggering suicide bombings and stealing the combinations to hidden office safes.

I didn't have a problem with these larger than life villains in "24," because the whole show was preposterous, but in "Homeland," having a villain like that is irresponsible. Why? Because "Homeland," deals with issues like drone strikes, Iran-Israel relations, CIA legalities, and Brodie's Islamic faith so well, it's disappointing that they opt for the cartoonish villain. "24" never dealt with issues like that, it was too busy defusing bombs and kicking ass. But having the shadowy terrorist with the turban lurking in the background pulling the strings in "Homeland" is inconsistent with the rest of the dieas of the show, and the whole thing suffers.

But if Abu Nazir is the mastermind who lurks (mostly) overseas, Sgt. Brodie is his man on the ground in the U.S.A. Since the show first began, the central premise always reminded me of season four of "24," where your normal suburban neighbor is actually a bloodthirsty terrorist. In that season the Araz family including their teenage son actively planned terrorist attacks, tried to kill Jack Bauer, and of course murdered the all American teenage girl next door because she knew too much. This central concept of the "terrorist next door" was revisited again in season six with Ahmed Amar (played by Kal Penn of all people.) It is an effective story device that plays on our timeless fears of enemy infiltration, and it's no wonder that "Homeland" uses it as well, it's just slightly ironic that when "24" showed terrorists next door it was controversial and required Fox to release disclaimers before episodes, but when "Homeland" shows Islamic terrorists next door and infiltrating our government, it doesn't matter if the whole thing is Michelle Bachman inspired insanity, it's just gripping television.

"Homeland" is great television (even President Obama loves it), yet the path ahead for it is not easy. So far it's been more engaging politically than "24," but we'll see how long that lasts with more and more sleeper terrorists emerging from the woodwork. Things like that make realize that the reason we are flipping for it is because it's just "24" in different packaging.

24 Movie Delayed Again...The Great Beeping Clock of Life Goes On

WHY MUST YOU DELAY MY MOVIE??? DAMMMIIITTTT!!!

It is with great timely sadness that I inform you all that the 24 Movie has been delayed yet again. According to Deadline Hollywood, FOX doesn't know if it will have enough time to do the movie and shoot the second season of Kiefer Sutherland's new show "Touch," which as I pointed out does not have Bauer biting off terrorist's heads, but rather him doing math or helping his kid do math. But for all you Bauer junkies out there, the deadline article also reports that the film was to be the start of a trilogy of films and it is not "dead" just delayed. From being rumored to being a Die Hard crossover/teamup to script re-writes the project has been through a lot. Then again, so has Jack, and he's still going. I'm confident the movie will come out one day, I just hope Jack hasn't gone too emo yet.

New Details on the 24 Movie Emerge

It's well known to all the readers out there, that I'm a big 24 fan. So big in fact that i'm convinced that the very intriguing looking "Touch" premiering this Wednesday is actually an undercover season 9 of 24, I'm hoping halfway through there is going to be some type of time jump caused by Desmond from Lost (he was on 24, don't you see it's all making sense) and we'll back in the 24 dimension. I've been told this type of thing happens all the time on "Fringe" so, yeah it will probably work.

I might not need the time jump though as new details have emerged on the 24 feature film from Kiefer via an interview he did with website Collider. Here is what he said.

• The movie takes place six months after the last episode of the season which saw Bauer going off the grid or in spy terms "going dark"
• It will follow up on the events on the series.
• Filming is set to begin in April/May
• The film will be not be 24 hours long, rather it will be a 2 hour representation of a 24 hour day. 

While I was really pulling for a 24 hour epic feature film, I can I settle for this. Can't wait to see Bauer again.

Terrorism, 24, and Showtime's Excellent New Series "Homeland"

It's no secret that the good folks over at This LA Life loved the hell out of 24. For 8.5 seasons we got to see terrorist destroyer Jack Bauer save the by any means necessary, and when I say any means necessary I mean crazy torture, wild violence, and a whole lot of self sacrifice. Yet, when the show left the airwaves in 2009 it left partly because our national appetite for terrorist killing had dimmed with the election of Obama and the hope of change. Simply put, Bauer was banished to the Bush era past, the one full of Abu Ghraib torture, color coded attack alerts, and water boarding.

But the war against against terrorism didn't end with an election did it? With Bin Laden taken out in a daring raid, drone strikes continuing overseas, and shady Iranian bombing plots, the world of counter-terrorism is alive and well. So where's Jack Bauer? He's starring in a pseudo spiritual show about a magic child. It's all good though because now we have Showtime's Homeland, which could be the best show about terrorism that I've ever seen.

The core plot line focuses on CIA agent Carrie Matthieson (Claire Danes) as she investigates a terrorist threat to America. She believes a key component of the threat is Nicholas Brodie (Damian Lewis), an American POW who she thinks has gone full "Manchurian Candidate" after being helpt captive in Iraq for 9 years. The show focuses on both her investigation of the threat and Brodie's adjustment to his domestic life after being locked away for so many years.

24 worked because Jack Bauer  was so captivating. He was a terrorist hunter Jesus figure, saving our freedom but paying deep  personal costs for it. It's no surprise then that Homeland, which comes from 24 producers Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa also features characters that are mentally damaged by the war of terrorism. Both Brodie and Carrie are not hiding from their peers, their jobs require them to be interacting with people on a daily basis, Brodie as a spokesperson for the Marines, and Claire as a lead analyst at the CIA. Internally though they both are seriously screwed up. Carrie is taking medication secretly for some psycho-disorder and we learn she forgets to eat and seemed to have a habit of screwing her superior officers. Brodie can't connect with his wife, has intense nightmares and hallucinations, and has secretly converted to Islam during his captivity, but hasn't told anybody. Everyone is processing the effects of terrorism on this show, which is captivating, because as nation we are doing the same.

And while it has all these deep themes working with it, the whole terrorist hunting plot is just as dope as it was in 24. There are dubious legal maneuvers, a mysterious network of villains, intense surveillance details, and plenty of secret allegiances. Since it's on Showtime the violence is more visceral, the language dirtier, and the themes even darker. Yet, even with all this show still feels realistic, and avoids the action movie violence that permeated 24. I mean, we're five episodes in and the body count is hovering at two! Two! At five episodes into 24 we'd be at at least 15!

As Americans we've always craved media during wartime as a way to understand. We hunger for fictional narratives to be applied them, and Homeland is a perfect example of it.  The opening credits feature audio, video, and photos from notable real life parts of the war against terrorism and features references to real life events, something 24 never really did.

And just how real life counter-terrorism politics have evolved, so has the methods on the show. In the most recent episode, the interrogation of a suspect who had been been snatched up in Pakistan and brought do the US under extraordinary rendition, seemed terrifyingly real. Carrie and her team subjected him to sleep deprivation, made promises about saving his family, and in a very un-24 moment, didn't lay a finger on him. The icing on this cake was Carrie's response to an inquiry if the suspect would be tortured Bauer style, her response: "We don't do that here."

It's a strange feeling because the 24 fan in me expected for Carrie to say that and then promptly go snap some fingers and start getting answers. But the key part of that line is the "here" part. Sure you won't do that "here", but maybe you'll do it somewhere else. Somewhere else that isn't in the news and exists in a gray area of counter-terrorism politics. And that is the area that Homeland thrives in. Leave Bauer and company where they belong, gone but not forgotten, somewhere in our patriotic past.

The Two Jacks: What Are Lost and 24 Really Telling us?

Now that "24" and "Lost" aka the anchors of my media existence have traveled on to the great television in the sky, I'm left reeling and wondering with their impact on society. Technically these are shows that exist at different ends of the television spectrum. "24" is a nail biting logic free thriller about Captain America aka Jack Bauer saving lives in the course of a day. "Lost" is a mind bending statement about faith, life, death, and everything else in between. They can't have that much in common, right?

Beyond the obvious comparisons that the focal point of both shows is a character named Jack, the real similarity of both shows is a theme of sacrifice. Both Jacks endure a heaping amount of bad shit in order to save the thing they love the most. In the case of Mr. Bauer, what he is protecting would be his country, everything else whether it's his family, friends, or own soul, comes second to the Red White and Blue. Jack Shephard on the either hand sacrifices many of the same things: relationships, sanity, and personal hygiene to save his friends on "The Island", and depending which way you look at it, the world (see the Lost Compasses for that)

But here is where our two Jack's split. 24 ends with our hero, our resident Patriot, bleeding in the streets of New York, betrayed by his country. The last words of the series are "shut it down" and then we scramble the screen and the clock winds down. Jack is alone, after all mental and physical harm he has endured for Lady Liberty, he's left solo, he still has his family, but it's tough to be a Grandpa when goddam Uncle Sam wants to kill you. His sacrifice was pointless. Perhaps 24, once deemed an ultra conservative show, is now telling us that war and counter terrorism leaves both terrorists and the "good guys" like Jack emotional wrecks walking the world with barren souls.

"Lost" on the other hand rewards the sacrifices that Jack with the ultimate prize: peace, love and understanding and a very very happy meet up with his buddies. He's at peace with his father, with his true love (Kate Austen) and with his buddies. His sacrifice was worth it. LOST is telling us that if you sacrifice for your friends, you'll be rewarded in heaven. What a Christian, and depending how you view the political spectrum, "neo-conservative bible belt" point of view.

Yeah I know, like the characters on both Lost and 24 there is a lot of grey area here. No one is completely good or entirely evil. But in the case of these shows, and our beloved Jacks, their only is one happy ending, that is of course until the inevitable  sequel, feature films, and spinoffs.

24 Points About 24: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

 TRUTH

1. First point, here we go, Kiefer such a classy guy. Thanks for thanking us for watching, even if only the even numbered seasons were good. Wait, actually this season is awesome, and it's an even numbered season, so the curse is broken.
2. Michael Madsen has so many damn servers, you'd think he was running the entire network for limewire, bearshare, and kazaa.
3. Jack saved Madsen's life in Damascus. What was Jack doing in Damascus? You know it's ending, and I can't ever do this again, so I hope that Jack was killing vampires and demons in Damascus.

4. If there is one thing FPJ hates, it's the when the press get's abused. You see FPJ has a degree in journalism from Syracuse and also a law degree in First Ammendment litigation from the halls of Harvard or as he says Hevid.
5. I said it last week, Charles Logan is such a rookie. He's still having conversations on cell phones in the accident scene within earshot of everyone. Get your game up Charlie Boy.
6. Charles Logan doesn't know how to quit Jason Pillar or it's the other way around.
7. Love how Jack Bauer's hands are literally bloody in the car with Pillar. You know that P-Meng was losing in shit, maybe literally, when Jack appeared in that back seat.
8. This scene with Dalia Hassan, President Taylor, and the pen is really driving home how far Allison Taylor has fallen in the abyss of evil, and you know what Angel cleans the abyss of filth, angel Bauer
9. I'm not sure why Chloe is talking about email the file to everyone in the government and the media. Just post that shit on the CTU twitter or the CTU facebook page with a hashtag "JUSTIN BIEBER TWILIGHT" and it will blow up quicker than that suicide bomber.
10. "You try to make a move on me, the slightest twitch, I will put a bullet in your brain," says Jack to Pilar. And then he follows it up with "I AM JUDGE AND JURY!" Classic shit right there
11. Meredith Reed being involved this late in the game is a great twist by the writers, a twist, that I didn't see coming.

12. Dalia Hassan vs Allison Taylor, one of the best scenes in 24 history.  I'm making the call right now. Acting, acting, and more acting! Necar Zadegan, the actress playing Dalia Hassan is on point and just when you thought it couldn't get crazier, Cherry Jones as Pres Taylor brings the acting wrath by threatening war!
13. Where are these buildings in New York City where you can just walk through marble hallways with a giant packpack and a pistol? No security cameras or nothing.
14. The word "Russian Bastards" should be used more in action movies and television shows involving spies. It's just so cool, almost as highly ranking as "these nazi bastards."
15. Arlo is one sly son of a bitch, picking up Jack's Bauer reflection in a vending machine selling Appolo bars? That's two finales in a row with vending machines playing key roles.
16. Jack getting on that video chat is a statement to the whole series. He's talking to the viewers, the dedicated folks who've tuned in for eight years, he's explaining his entire philosophy, of the show.

17. Tim Woods is the new Agent Pierce.
18. A fellow CTU Agent points out that the head of the UN, who by the way we haven't seen all season, looks a lot like Tyler Perry.
19. And another fellow CTU agent points out that Logan is always picking out ties, and then agent points out that the fact that Logan is always fixing his tie is a way of showing, not telling us that Logan is obsessed with his appearance. What a dream team of CTU agents I have working with me?
20. Chloe is the head of CTU, she should know better than to go off the grid in high heels and a pant suit.
21. Jack taking out Chloe was disturbing, there's history there, I didn't like it one bit.
22. Then again, I DID LIKE Jack smiling at the end of barrel with Logan's face at the end of it.
23. Honestly I forgot that this Russian President Yuri Suvarov has been featured in past seasons five and six. And man what a surprise that he played a slimy bastard on LOST too. Yes, believe it, he was  psychic Richard Malkin on LOST.
24. My fellow CTU Agents and I are in agreement that the scene where President Logan has nothing to say to the Russian President was actually pretty funny. "So brah, what the shit are we talking about here, you called me up here for nothing?"
25. Jack can't stand see someone put their hands on his real true love - Chloe.
26.  THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE BITE! Pillar had it coming.
27.  FPJ you've been through so much today, you've buried bodies in Marshes, engaged in fire fights in docks, and done other wild shit, but you can't stop two stooges from stopping your file transfer, weak FPJ, weak, go back to Wing Commander.
28. Damn, Logan is getting pretty Shakespearean with his description of Bauer "he will claw his way out of the very depths"
29. Jack's video message to President Taylor was a little too hippie for me, but I understand Jack's been through a lot and after 8 days he's developed a little liberal streak, not sure how the network is going to take this.
30. I never would have thought that one of the most tense moments of the season would have been the simple act of signing a treaty
31. The drone finally works! The Drone works! Arlo saved the day!
32. "I would do anything to take back the time" says President Taylor. Not sure if I would, I love every damn hour of this show. Even the bad ones were better than everything else*.
33. It's been real doing these points for you guys these past years, thanks for reading, I appreciate it. So until the movie.

Scramble and countdown to zero

About these 24 rumours...

Jack Bauer doesn't get cancelled, his movements just stop getting publicized by some television show for mere mortals. And yeah, today is Chuck's birthday too.

24 Points About 24: 2:00AM-3:00AM

I WENT OUT WITH A BANG RIGHT?

1. Marcos really knew how to draw and engineer his way around his suicide bomb vest. Did you see that map on the wall? Not only is he terrorist, but he's also a the worlds fastest speed sketcher (SICK LINK).
2. Kind of cool that Marco's backstory contained a nice little reference to the Wayne Palmer administration's internment of Arab American citizens in extremely forgettable season six.
3. I realize now I was a fool, a damned fool, to think that this Dana Walsh story would end. Her character is the chemical weapon destroying the show I care about, the show I've watched for eight years, the show that caused my family to get cable TV (that's another story), the show I call 24!
4. Nothing boils a CTU hacker/employee's blood like having to answer to the legendary Chloe O Brien. Yeah that's right, Chloe is the new Bill Buchanan.
5. I just realized it now, there is no one interesting at CTU this season except Chloe and she doesn't count.

6. For over four episodes now, we've been following this rookie CTU Agent Owen. This is the longest living rookie (not played by a major actor) on 24 history.
7. Wow, Marcos's big speech to Jack is a little bit too real for my liking. This is supposed to be entertainment, not some weird political metaphor.
8. Hassan's daughter is really sweaty after sex. Either someone forgot that people see EVERYTHING in HD or she just  sweats a lot.
9. To umm, follow up on the previous point, I'm not trying to get too deep into nomenclature here but presidential smoke-show daughter Kayla Hassan is played by an actress named Nazneen Contractor. That is a crazy name combo if I've ever heard one.
10. The skyline city view out of President Hassan's hotel room is terrible CGI.  A fellow agent points out that every light in the city is on at 2AM. Well done, CTU agent, well done.
11. Great to have FPJ back in terrorist fighting world saving mode you know as opposed killing lame ass bros for your horrifically terrible girlfriend mode
12. "Everyone is replaceable" says the director of CTU.  Considering that CTU has been attacked multiple times and almost a considerable amount of their directors are dead, I would say that yes, everyone is replaceable. (And it looks like another attack happens next week too)

13. The bail bondsmen character is another terrible addition to the Dana Walsh storyline. The only thing that could save it would be if he secretly was a vampire or really cared about his red stapler.
14. The sooner Dana Walsh dies the sooner 24 is saved, I hate to be so dire, but that is where I am at.
15. For all those people wondering,  Rami Malek, the actor who plays Marcos was in the "Night at the Museum" movies. He will be also be in the "The Pacific."
16. Any episode where Jack spends a majority of the time watching a TV screen, is not a good episode of 24.
17. Alright alright, let's give it up for Mare Winningham, the actress who plays Marcos's mother, she brought it pretty hard with that scene.
18. " I'll make your mother clean up your pieces then take her to the blast site!" Say hello the new Jack Bauer, aka the angel of death Jack Bauer.
19.  This scene where Jack absolutely owns Marcos in emotional warfare is vintage Bauer!

20.  Where are academy awarding winning The Hurt Locker bomb technicians to defuse this Marco's vest? Renner? Bigelow? Mackie? Cameron, oops, sorry wrong flick.
21.  That is a graphic ass shot of that the hyperbolic chamber post explosion. And that noise you hear after the explosion is last week's point #7 coming true.
22.  While you won't see it in the points, my CTU team and I called the mole in Hassan's organization two weeks ago.
23.  Another hour goes by and not one scene with President Taylor or Renee Walker. So with no strong women on the show this episode, I guess the writers are telling us that all women on 24 are cheating on their boyfriends with slackers or getting kidnapped by their lovers. So basically they all are totally manipulated and weak willed. Someone get the big female guns back here stat.
24. Great ending to an episode that started terribly slow.

*** I'd like to announce that next week the 24 Points will be written by my CTU team members. I am going on a mission in the Caribbean. The objective -  get bronze and have fun with my family.

Kiefer Is Kicking So Much Ass This Season That He Hurt Himself

First off, I wish Kiefer a speedy recovery from his injuries. However that being said what a badass. Check out this article that just broke today:

The star and executive director of the hit show - who plays special agent Jack Bauer - suffered a ruptured cyst while shooting in New York last week, and filming has been postponed by 20th Century Fox Studios for the next few days until he recovers

It won't delay filming. But either way, feel better Kiefer and keeping kicking ass Jack

Lost Meets 24 Part 2

I'm losing my mind waiting for Lost.

Jack Bauer Infiltrates Apple To Get His Hands On An Ipad

Meet Steve Jobs: New Director of CTU

While the rest of the internet/world/galaxy/universe/citizens of the Men In Black marble playing aliens world lose their minds over the "Ipad," America's best counter terrorist agency is getting their hands on it first. According to the Tech Crunch blog, the tablet will be appearing on upcoming episodes of 24. Check out this quote from Rodney Charters, director of photography on the show:

“Hmmmm looks like we may get an iSlate into Jacks hands for Ep 20 getting giddy with excitement”

“Got a bit too excited probably more likely Episode 22 but Apple provided fingers crossed”

Oh boy, thank God Apple is working with Jack, I couldn't handle if they sided with the Russians or whatever villains reveal themselves as the season goes on. Let's hope Chloe can handle the new technology.

24 IS LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY

Yesterday was fellow blogger Jay Judah's birthday and after all the cake and pizza we decided to watch CHUCK. Everyone kept telling me that this show was going to be my jam, and after a while, I really started to believe it. There were promises of more nerd references than 1.5 minutes at Comic Con and laughs comparable to "Modern Family" or "Glee."

However upon watching, one thing and one thing alone was running through my mind. This show is not 24, it is nowhere near as dope as 24, it never will be, and Jack Bauer is the only real choice for the upcoming Captain America movie. If "super spy" Chuck really knew what he was doing and somehow ended up in a room with J. Bauer, he probably would last .0000000000000000000001 seconds. And here is my point of reference.

Also, get ready for the 24 Points About 24! They start one week from today. Tell your friends, family, and buddies in Bauer.

24 Christmas Special

Obama's Next Television Move

Now the he is has tackled both Leno and Letterman, President Obama is now rumored to be turning his media machine to scripted television. Here is what he is thinking.

1. Flash Forward- Unbeknownst to the American public, the commander in chief will have a two episode arc starting tonight. In the episode, he will appear as the President who when he blacks out, sees himself as the only chill brah dude potato farmer in Hawaii.

2. Dancing With The Stars- Barrack shows up, unbuttons his tie, looks into Tom Delay's soul and says "Let's do this." He then proceeds to light the dance floor on fire with the flyest dance moves since "Step Up 2 The Streets."

3. Lost- Warning Lost Language Begins Now: In a parallel time line created when Jughead explodes after Juliet detonates, a young president Obama takes Horace's place as the leader of the Dharma initiative.

4. 24- Extremely upset about the season 7 deaths of Special Agent Larry Moss and legendary villian Dubaku, the leader of the free world appears as Bauer's new partner who promises to not get emotional like that fool Curtis Manning and take care of that pesky turn coat Tony Almeida once and for all.

5. Glee- The President is slated to appear as a new member of the Acafellas.

24 Points About 24: Hour 16

1. Jack probably has no problem undressing for a gorgeous doctor. What is this, Grey's Anatomy?
2. The reference to the scars is a cute nod to the Season 2 soldering iron torture sequence. If you don't know, in Season 2 Jack was tortured with soldering iron and electricity and then actually "died." Luckily he came alive five minutes later and killed everyone who tortured him with the same devices that killed him.
3. I just want to point out that the terrorists are cruising around D.C. in a flatbed truck with a WMD on the back, and also with a bunch of dudes with guns dressed in black.
4. Great sequence with Tony and Hodges, Carlos Bernard, holds his own against Jon Voight, who's a pretty good actor. If you don't know this you obviously haven't seen "Deliverance"
5. Once again Hodges manages to compare someone to children. In this one case it's Greg, "come on young man."
6. Tim, aka, the coolest dude in the White House, is once again the most knowledgeable bro in the building and the main meng in the House with a cell phone that can call anyone, anywhere. Better than Obama's blackberry? Hell yeah.
7. I'm going to get all Bob Thompson on everybody and say that Agent Moss starts appearing with a bulletproof vest once he turns to Jack's side (a.k.a. the good side). The bulletproof vest symbolizes this trust and his new power.
8. I love Agent Walker, but her acting when she found about Jack was exposed was weak. She looked like she just lost on a date to the prom. "What, you're telling me, Jack's going to the Prom, with....Janeane?"
9. READ THOSE INFORMATION PACKETS!!!! If you can't read listen to my boy Tim, with da magic cell phone, he has a sweet google maps presentation for you. He even has street view.
10. This African American on the White House staff with a deep booming voice and giant ears is a nice nod to Obama, and when I say, nod, I mean violent head nodding.
11. For the first time on 24 just got killed over Redskins tickets. That's Washington for you.
12. "How you doing" asks the Doctor to Jack. "Well I'm doing great and really hoping that this pathogen doesn't kill me, in fact I'm hoping it makes me superhuman so I can go kill all those weakling "Heroes" on NBC."
13. Jack is infected, oh man, one step closer to the rumored zombie season featuring the long awaited dream team of Jack Bauer, Curtis Manning, Ryan Chapelle, George Mason, Edgar Stiles, Michelle Dessler, and wait for it Milo Pressman
14. Greg, we all know you're doing the "right thing," as Tony says, but come on, your're doomed to die before this day is done.
15. That footage recovered from Sangala was some of the most disturbing footage ever on "24"
16. The President's speech against Starkwood continues the theme of comparing the fictional organization to the all to real Blackwater. The part about giving them military contracts, letting them do on missions, it's all real.
17. What is "Webx" and A) Is it related to Spiderman and B) How much is Cisco paying to make sure that we know "Webx" belongs to them.
18. I think the "I earned this" is interesting. It dives deep into Jack's motivations, he feels that he earns combat time." You also get a feeling of the importance of saving people in Jack's life.
19. Great shot at the 48 minute mark of Jack walking alone in the FBI.
20. The Starkwood chemical weapon holding trailer looks a lot like the canister yard that that the canister came from in the first place
21. Why aren't they coming in stealth mode to Starkwood? They're annoucing they're coming in, what is that about. Haven't they played Splinter Cell?
22. All these helicopters flying around has got to cost FOX a pretty penny. Whatever, they practically print money with American Idol, glad they're spending it on Helicopters on 24, instead of more judges on Idol. What a minute, I just revealed I know more about Idol than I should have.
23. Seaton's con on Tony was impressive. He even conned me, see post #11 and post #14.
24. For an episode with no body count, this was one of the best episodes of the season. In the past an episode like this was usually a filler, but with this season they have taken the writing to a whole new level.

24 Points About 24: Hour 14

YOU'RE DONE SON!!

1. Jack's elbow can crack through car windows without any bodily harm, to tell you the truth, I'm not surprised.
2. Morris O Brien, living his life just fine, surprising since he was kind of responsible for nuking half of Los Angeles last year, but yeah, great to see he turned it around.
3. Agent Renee Walker definitely changed her shirt, and in the process, got some type of push-up bra, looks like she's going for fashion instead of function
4. Bauer uses iphoto, and Sprint products, he uses the Instinct mobile, but Walker is stuck using some bogus flip phone, Agent Walker talk to your sponsors.
5. "Bauer is an extremely impressive operative," says Quinn. Well sounds like we have ourselves a rivalry. Kind of like Cobra and G.I. Joe, Optimus Prime and Megatron, and Joker and Batman, and Obama and AIG.
6. "Pack your toothbrushes, it's going to be a long night." Glad the terrorists care about our teeth
7. Only once in this episode did it occur to me that Agent Moss is a great model FBI agent, he follows the rules, is combat ready, and has a great sense of when his agency is compromised. But since this is 24, we hate him.
8. At first I was losing my mind, when I saw that the President and her daughter changed clothes since the last episode. Then I realized that all there clothes were probably battle stained covered in terrorist blood and dust. I guess those two factors make a wardrobe change acceptable in the 24 universe (but not for Jack!).
9. Once again, Agent Moss steals Jack Bauer's best line. "DAMMIT!"
10. You know I just realized that Senator Mayer guy, who if you read my comments, my Mom wished died last week, is the Dad from That 70's show.
11. Starkwood's description from Senator Mayer is once again a perfect description of the real life Blackwater organization.
12. Bauer is an expert at avoiding tough answers. Jack on the High School football team "Jack do you wanna play offense of defense?" "I'm going in," says Bauer.
13. The music playing when the President took the stage in front of the press corps, probably the only happy music every played on 24.
14. Mad props to the writers for making us think that Ethan was crooked at the beginning of the season, now we are sympathizing with him as the little she-devil Olivia has her way with him.
15. Wayyyyyy too much Janeane Garafalo in this episode. Shouldn't she be starring in the sequel to the Cats and Dogs movie, sorry if I've already mentioned this, but it's the only movie I know she stars in.
16. Morris is such a pushover, that's two seasons in a row he caves in when pressured. He did last season, granted he was getting a power drill stuck in his back, but seriously man, have a little self integrity.
17. It's cool how in how the eyes of the FBI, Bauer is following a pattern of a killer going after the people who threatened him. First Burnett, then the Senator, who's next?
18. Bauer is logging a lot of time of the computer this episode.
19. I really enjoy the scenes during this season that wax poetic on the ethics and value theory of 24, I find it to be not only responsible on the behalf of the show runners, but also a testament to the skill of the writers to fit these meditations into the story.
20. Lots lots lots lots of exposition connecting Starkwood to Juma, lots of talking, better be lots of action next week, cause this is a lot of talking.
21. Definitely did not see the senator getting iced up like that. I was like, oh man, the producers have established a sense of trust, Jack's got a new ally, then BAM BAM, well actually, since it was silent bullets it was like tweet tweet.
22. The President has been reduced from a leader to an inter-staff mediator in a few short minutes.
23. THE FIRST BAUER KILL OF THE SEASON, HELL YEAH, BOUT TIME WE GOT IT, AND IT WAS FRESH. SCREW DRIVER INTO THE CHEST FOLLOWED BY A 2 BY 4 SMASH!
24. Did anybody catch how Jack used the weapon to start the stolen car?

24 Points About 24: Hours 10 & 11

1. 6:06 PM R.I.P. Dubaku, your dope acting and criminal genius will be missed. He went out too quick and deserved cooler death.
2. Agent Moss must have gone to Haaahvard, I mean he's using words like contemporaneously.
3. I often over-look the production design on this show, it's so good you don't notice it. There are so many locations, whether it's White House offices, empty ship corridors, city streets, basements. Give it up to Joseph Hodges, he's the production designer and clearly the boss.
4. Agent Moss is so damn jealous of Jack Bauer, and you know what I don't blame him. When you're a pencil pushing bureaucrat, how can you compete with a battle trained U.S. commando for the affections of the resident red-head?
5. Why can the hospital catch up the guy who killed Dubaku, but the entire U.S. Goverment can't catch Dubaku when he's walking out of buildings, riding on trains, chilling outside South Korean convience stores.
6. While I can't help but feel that these scenes discussing Jack's torture report card are tools of the producers to deflate some of the real life heat on the show, I actually find these scenes to be extremely interesting ethical dialogues.
7. And how brilliant that right after it they cut to Jack taking care of business torturing the shit out of Burnett.
8."AND YOU SIR ARE WEAK!" What a Hemingway esque line full of so much weight.
9. Tim the Aide, this dude just shows up out of nowhere, I guess he just hangs out "upstairs" <---direct quote form the President.
10. Agent Walker is much better at inflitrating the docks than she was sneaking into Korean Convience store basements.
11. No matter how many badass African American actors you can find, they all won't be as evil as General Juma.
12. Agent Walker is slinking around on that boat like she was starring in "Entrapment" cerca 1999.
13. Blueprints, blueprints, blueprints, HUGE PICTURE OF THE WHITEHOUSE. I mean how stupid are these commandos: "in case you couldn't tell from all these blueprints men.....this....is....the....White....House.
14. Of course the journalist is stupid, she must be one of those gotcha journalists good ol Sarah Palin spoke about.
15. The White House has a prison, wonder what type of prisoners have stayed there throughout the years. Misbehaving kids, cheating spouses, Willie Nelson, and assorted movie stars.
16. I love how an evil network of African's have quickly replaced an evil network of Middle Easterner's on this show.
17. How did that guy access the secret service tracking grid, was that thing on twitter or something.
18. The White House security is weak sauce, luckily the secret service in real life are not like that, peep this motorcade video.
19. Agent Moss gets a kill in the field, I gotta say I'm a little disapointed, kind of wanted him to stay a weakling.
20. I'm glad that the African terrorists have the brilliant plan of attacking the whitehouse, yet Bill Duke Jr, aka the tech guy they still have a tablet PC with a stylus.
21.Why do secret services agents all walk backwards when they are retreating? That was the easiest way to get rid of resistance I've ever seen.
22. As far as I know we have no agents inside, except Jack Bauer! That's right, we now have our first Die Hard 24 episode
23. I think it's very cool that at one point in this season Jack found himself on the outside of the panic room trying to get in and now he's on the inside on the panic room.
24. This season continues to impress. I enjoyed the combat scenes in the white house,  but once again, what is really taking this season to the next level is the acting and dedication to the show that actors have demonstrated.

24. 5 What is this? 24 is helping the green community, let's see how the conservatives respond to that?

Not ready for the Seagal Plunge Yet.

A couple of weeks ago I posted about how I wanted to get into Steven Seagal movies. It is with great sadness that I report back to you and say that certain things (new president, Jack Bauer, and Lost) got in the way and delayed my quest to understand the zen art of being Seagal. However yesterday, perhaps in an omen, this little video was sent to me. I have to say it has re-kindled the fire that burns in my action movie loving soul to understand this last great action star from the 80's.