June 3, 2008
Sprague Grayden, well known for having either one of the best or one of the worst names in Hollywood, will play the daughter of the President of the United States on season 7 of 24. Grayden, who most recently has been seen as regular on the now-defunct Jericho and in a recurring role on Weeds, will play the daughter of 24's new president, who will be portrayed by famed Broadway actress Cherry Jones. As for Grayden's role on 24's seventh season, these things are shrouded in mystery. Since it is 24, there's a good chance Gradyen's first kid character will be either be tortured, kidnapped, killed, kill someone, team up with Jack Bauer or all of the above.
May 23, 2008
The two-hour 24 prequel, which will air November 23 on FOX, is coming together. The prequel, which will take place between the end of season 6 and the start of January 2009's season 7, will be shot on location in South Africa, and will see our hero Jack Bauer become embroiled in some sort of international incident. He will likely kill some bad guys, thwart some terrorists and have an all-around gruff demeanor. Robert Carlyle (of Trainspotting and Full Monty fame) has already been cast, but today, three more new cast members were announced. Gill Bellows (Ally McBeal) will play a State department official who serves Jack with a subpoena, eventually forcing him to return to the States. Eric Lively, best known as Blake Lively's brother, will play the son of the new President of the United States (who will be played by Cherry Jones). And Tony Todd (Chuck) will play an African dictator.
May 15, 2008
While the new Fall and Spring prime time schedules were the major story at this morning's FOX upfronts, news of 24's two-hour season 7 prequel movie kind of fell through the cracks. The film, which takes place between the end of Day 6 and the beginning of Day 7, will air on Sunday, November 23 at 8pm. The prequel will be mostly shot on location in South Africa, where our hero Jack Bauer becomes embroiled in an international crisis while, back home, the new president readies for her inauguration. The new season of 24, Day 7, will air in its entirety beginning in January of 2009. It will reclaim its usual Mondays at 9pm time slot.
May 15, 2008
FOX's Spring schedule is much more interesting than its Fall counterpart. It also contains the single greatest announcement I've heard all week: the American Idol Results Show is going back to a half hour. That wasn't so hard, now, was it FOX? FOX has mastered the art of different, high-profile shows sharing time slots in different parts of the year. As a result, FOX airs less re-runs and makes up for the fact that they run one hour of television less per night than the other three major networks. FOX January and onward schedule is below, but remember – FOX is always very flexible with their schedule.
May 14, 2008
The clock is ticking…Midnight. Jack Bauer, head of the CIA's Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit, is suddenly thrust into a chaotic and exhausting 24-hour marathon of death, deception and terror as he struggles to prevent the assassination of a presidential candidate, find the traitor within his own organization, and save his kidnapped wife and daughter.
The next season of 24 won't be on until January of 2009 (although we'll be getting a two-hour TV movie bridging the gap between seasons 6 and 7 sometime in the fall), but that doesn't mean you can enjoy 24 on DVD.
April 29, 2008
Jack Bauer is heading to Africa after all. The original proposed story for 24's seventh season was for Jack to begin in Africa (doing something, that part was never clear) and then heading back to the States for the meat of the season. This would have been a big departure, as it would have been the first time 24 bucked the twenty-four straight hours formula. FOX had no problem with the concept, but they nixed the idea for budgetary reasons. The ramifications of this decision by the FOX brass was major – production on 24's seventh season was delayed for weeks and, as a result, was eventually delayed a whole year because of the writers' strike. It's unclear whether 24 could have finished the season in time for this Spring regardless, but it's a possibility. Today, 24 executive Manny Coto revealed the setting for the 24 two-hour prequel movie which will air on FOX this Fall: Jack is going to Africa.
April 28, 2008
The seventh season of 24 is only eight months away. Are you excited yet? Day 7 of 24 has endured one of the weirdest years in TV history, derailed because of the writers' strike and ultimately delayed an entire year. Such is the nature of 24's hectic and demanding production schedule. When you take into account Kiefer Sutherland's extra-curricular driving activities, it's difficult to finish an entire season of 24 in any amount of time. The one good thing to come from the year-long delay is the addition of a season 7 prequel, which will be two hours long and air on FOX in the Fall. Months ago, FOX unveiled the trailer for season 7, but since then fans have received very little in the way of new information. Now, although it might be somewhat minor, we've gotten a hold of a season 7 cast photo. Take a look. Not bad.
April 17, 2008
24: The Rookie feels almost like a parody of 24. Everything about The Rookie is exactly like 24, except infinitely worse. The acting, the production, the graphics, the plot – it's just a shortened, dumbed down version of 24. It's a good lesson in storytelling – 24 works because of how epic it is. The story can play out over a number of twists, double crosses and surprise death because there's 24 episodes to work with. On something like The Rookie, the sped up story makes for a less than satisfying product. But, for what it is, The Rookie is entertaining enough.