Off The Clock

And....we're finished...

2007-05-22T09:50:00.000-04:00

The title of this blog a paraphrase of one of the better lines from this year...I had taken copious notes from last night's 2 hour finale, but now, I just ain't feelin' it...I felt very letdown...Admittedly, "24" had raised the bar to an extremely high level, and they just didn't do it this year...VP Daniels summed it up best perhaps last night..."It's easy to think you've got all of the answers when none of the ultimate responsibility lies with you..." Maybe it was the writers' way of responding to the many critics of this year's "Day"....I leave it to you to fill in the blanks, my friends...Last night's finale has left me feeling hollow....Can't wait til January....

Runnin' and Gunnin'....

2007-05-15T05:42:00.000-04:00

First of all, can we all agree that while possessing mesmerizing, piercing, incredible eyes....Rena Sofer as Marilyn Bauer is an awful actress??? Thank you...I knew I could count on you...

This episode wasted no time getting to the action, something that has been glaringly missing this year...Jack headbutts a bad guy, Nadia's kickin' butt and Morris, MORRIS, is applying a WWE-like sleeperhold to the enemy...Doyle saves the day. (did he really???...only time will tell)

Last night had a few particularly good scenes for me...

Loved when Jack popped up out of the man hole and POP! POP! POP! stops the evading Chinese, who now hold Josh...
A major firefight insues...Jack SLIDES and POP! POP!...double taps a baddie....COOL! (I don't think they'll let me try that one at the range...)

Josh kicked Cheng in the face! Yep...He's Jack's son all right....

Cheng escapes in the melee...
Doyle: Your father's involved with the Chinese? Why?
Jack: I'll ask him...When I find him. (can't wait...)

How's about that naughty eavesdropping that Tom and the Secret seervice types were doing?
I just about fell out of my comfy chair when Tom said..."Annnndddd, finally we're done."

And, when after they've caught the lobbyist/spy hunk he said: "You've already familiarized yourself with the White House staff..."

OK...Help me with this one...Division inspectors arrive less than 1 hour after the raid on CTU...it's 3:40ish in the morning...AND they're wearin' suits???? PUH-LEEZE....

I thought the Morris/Nadia exchange was pretty good...Actually I think any scene with Nadia is pretty good...

The VP gets a 2 hour warning from the Russians...Hmmmmm...EXACTLY the amount of time left in this day...Hmmmmm.....

What's so important about Josh???

Russians are being squeezed...By whom?

Jack has a phone call...WARNING: This is NEVER a good sign.

Doyle appears and takes Josh from Jack...Jack is held down...He screams "JOSH!!!" Josh mouths "Uncle Jack!"....Ka-Chung Ka-Chung Ka-Chung....

Previews: Chloe is hurt!
2 hour finale....
I think Jack sums it all up very well in the preview when he says:
"I would rather die than live with everything we've done wrong today..." (sounds like an admission of guilt from the writers themselves to me...) I am looking forward to the wrapup, but I have come to believe that they have gone from the strongest season in #5 to the weakest season this year....I'll be playing golf with Greg Itzin (Logan) this weekend at the Duke Children's Classic...I'll tell him "Hi" from all of you ....

OK...Here's a link to a "sort of" spoiler....Very intriguing...Click at your own possible risk...I did, and it gave me hope for better things to come...
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/24/24-major-spoiler-revealed-326-5367.aspx?show=24.aspx

CTU ain't what it used to be...

2007-05-08T07:17:00.000-04:00

Another up and down episode, I thought. I did like the early part with Jack in holding. For the first time I sensed his true plight...how do I get outta here.

GREAT scene when he cuts both security guards a glance and Nadda says "don't even think about it." Hey, did you notice the security guard backing out watching Jack? Guess the CTU security union's been talking about how hard Jack is on guards...

What I didn't care for...MOST of the episode. I've really started losing interest in President...I mean Vice-President...acting-President....oh, Powers Booth. I actually think he was more interesting when he was...gulp...evil and mean. Logan, at least the old Logan, would have been proud. (By the way, check out the interview on FOX50.com, VIP section with Howard Gordan).

I am WAY over the, as I'll call it, LOVE BOAT part of this season. What the heck was the "moment" between Nadda & Doyle..."be careful"...Even Doyle's look was like..."the writers just made you say that?"

Now my aside on ole CTU. Well it just ain't the place to go for safety. I used to joke that anytime Jack said, "they're taking you to CTU...you'll be safe..." it was a REALLY bad sign.

So far in 6 seasons CTU has been: bombed, gassed, overtaken and a virtually death pit for A LOT of the crew. People have walked in with fake IDs, walked out without problems, kidnapped people and basically just did whatever they wanted. You'd think after a while, they'd tear it down and, to quote a popular song, "put up a parking lot." Rumor is there will be BIG changes next season...I'm betting this is the last we see of CTU.

And the end...Milo...wow! Gotta admit when he stood up, I saw it coming, but still it was shocking to see it.

And Farmer Hoggett is back! I was a little surprised and really interested to see it play out. Chang or Daddy...who does Jack shot first?

Only 2 more episodes left!

I am officially interested again...

2007-05-01T05:37:00.000-04:00

Episode started out with Audrey acting like a few consultants I've known....
She thinks Doyle is Jack! Not hardly, my dear....

"There's a spy..." Captain Obvious salutes you sir!

Cheng's out joyridin' in his stealth Humvee...He learns that the chip is damaged and is out of warranty...Needs someone with the necessary expertise...Hmmmmm. Wonder who that might be? Please, not Morris again!

Lisa's "Studmuffin" (my wife's description, NOT mine) is the spy! Downloads important stuff from her PDA immdeiately following what we assume was a "zesty frolic"....Wait til the VP finds out....

The scene between Chloe and Morris was heartwrenching...(I'm such a softy...) When Morris said, "We're done..." Couldn't you just FEEL it? Can't stand to see Chloe cry (please see the previous "softy" comment)...I think they'll reconcile...

Audrey is a "Type 3 catatonic" THAT explains it....(another reason she reminds me of some consultants I've known...)

Oh Oh! The VP learns that Lisa has sleepin' with a spy Studmuffin! (my wife's description, not mine) The scene where he confronts her with the truth was STRONG...I swear I could watch Powers Boothe read the phonebook....He's creepy good.
LOVED when Tom asked him "How are you sir?" "I'm better NOW..."

Doyle's turning out ok...Un-handcuffs Jack with the words..."I think you need to do something....Make it look good..." A little choke hold later and jack's on the prowl lookin' for Audrey...Finds her, springs her...Takes her to a quiet spot in CTU...Well, other than the alarms blaring...and tries to debrief her...Another heartwrenching scene...
Nadia catches grief from Doyle and Milo, and rightly so...But...in the end she steps up...Nadia's IN CHARGE, and she's HOT...(sorry, haven't mentioned that in a while....and, by the way, that's MY description of her, NOT my wife's)
James Heller returns! And he ain't happy! OUCH! Orders Jack to NEVER SEE AUDREY AGAIN! dang...He looked MEAN.....
"You're cursed, Jack. Everything you touch, one way or another, ends up dead...."

Preview: The Return Of Marilyn Bauer...Only, what? 4 hours left????

"Dynasty On Crack!!!"

2007-04-24T05:47:00.000-04:00

The title of this blog is from a quote by Kiefer when asked to describe the "best show on television"....And last night's episode, in my humble opinion, lived up to the analogy....

Did anybody else notice that the standard "Viewer discretion is advised" opening sounded a little different, and the music was creepier than usual?

Ya know, sometimes with his weird facial expressions, President Montel just looks constipated...IMHO, of course...

Don't cha just sometimes wanna stop a car in the middle of the street...Scream, "I'm a federal agent in pursuit!!! I need your vehicle!!!" And then toss the driver aside like a dirty shirt.... ???
Heck, Doyle didn't even show the dude a badge or nuthin'....

This whole episode was a pretty cool commercial for the Toyota Tundra...

Jack tells P.F. Chang that it's gonna be "his way from now on..." I LOVE that....

What's that female's name that VP Daniels "assistant"? (aka "Ho", in my wife's opinion) Anyway, she's gotta go home 'cause she needs a change of clothes for her "sleepover". (snicker, snicker) Based on the previews of next week, I believe that SHE IS THE SPY!!!

The Chloe vs. Morris exchange was absolutely brutal..I actually hurt for Morris when Chloe uttered the line about "Don't arm nuclear bombs for terrorists..." She really knows how to hurt a guy....

The whole who's it gonna be, Karen or Bill thing was pretty strong, I thought...(I think my wife's wanted to "fire" me a time or two over the years...) I'll bet this'll put a little chill in the air on their next beach vacation...

I absolutely cheered when Jack slung his "man bag" over his shoulder! YES!!! The return of the "Jack Sack"!!! Wonder what goodies it contains?

OK...OK....Doyle just "happens upon" Jack's truck??? Come on....PUH-LEEEEZE....

Ya know I thought that whole Jack guaranteeing that the subcircuit board wouldn't fall into Chinese hands was a little flawed...

Jack's placed "in custody"...Just how many times can a guy get arrested????

AUDREY DOESN'T RECOGNIZE JACK....Pretty heavy scene...

According to my math, there are 5 hours to go...They said last nite, "4 more episodes..." so I'm figuring the finale will be a 2 hour deal like last year...

All in all, I thought it a very strong hour....What think you?

Only 6 hours to go...

2007-04-17T05:38:00.000-04:00

First of all, I'm led to ask the question again: What did the USA "pay" to get Jack released in the first place this season? (Day?)

jack calls Chang and learns that the Chinese want something I can't pronounce...something about an FB subcircuit board with algorythms (sp?) or something....Anyway, it'll let the Chinese defeat some Russian systems.....Goody Goody....They will trade the complicated whatchamacallits for Audrey....(I suspect that things are not quite what they seem with Audrey...)

President Montel is still not "himself" whatever that is...

VP Daniels is asked to resign...He ain't gonna, because just in the nick of time, President Montel collapses....How convenient....

I LOVE how Chloe believes that the Chinese will never get the device because "JACK GAVE HIS WORD..." Jack bluffs the Marines and gets to the device...Doyle gets the Marines to whack Jack in the noggin...He gets to call Montel and utters the great line: "Mr. Montel, you owe me..."

(at this point I can't read my own handwriting from the notes I took last night, and am admittedly a little fuzzy about the final scene when Jack drew down on Doyle) Please forgive me dear readers as I became a grandfather on Saturday morning, the rest of the weekend with family, and yesterday down at Ft. Bragg with a group called the "Friends of Special Operations Forces", hanging out with some REAL Jack Bauers....I'm pretty well wiped out this morning, so I'll ask YOU to please fill in the gaps of this blog with your highly insightful take on things....I apologize for my lack of professionalism...I'll be back in form next week. (I hope!!!)

"Now we're gonna have some fun..."

2007-04-10T10:39:00.000-04:00

First of all, my humblest apologies for not filing a post re: last week's show...I was in Orlando for a Children's Miracle Network conference regarding radiothons/telethons for children's hospitals...My "back-up blogger" was also on vacation...So....on to last night's GREAT episode....

I truly feel that we're back on track...LOTS more Jack was the recipe...I still think that maybe Kiefer had suffered some sort of real life injury and was being written out of scripts intentionally...I can't fathom a rational reason for his lack of presence this season...

As the hour unfolded...a missle has been launched, just entered the target's airspace and is five minutes from impact...Does it bother you that the actual name of the country has NEVER BEEN MENTIONED????? Very un-PC of me I suppose....

President Montel bluffed 'em!!! It wasn't really a nuke! Apparently inspired by the wacky VP, he's finally steppin' up...Of course, the shot of adrenaline ain't hurtin' either....

Cool...Jack and Doyle get to have a little "chat" with Fayed....Burke is put on standby with a pharmaceutical package....And, Jack utters a quotable quote: "Now we're gonna have some fun..." JACK IS BACK.....

President Montel's sis is referenced as going to the hospital to see Walid....Will he figure more prominently in the day's events? The question returns...

President Montel's got the shakes...This ain't gonna play out well, me thinks...

Whilst transporting Fayed back to CTU and an appointment with Burke, our heroes are ambushed! The driver's down! Doyle is down! JACK IS DOWN!!! Fayed is sprung! Wait!
A FAKE AMBUSH!!!! Loved it when Jack just sat up....I was very confused....Brilliant. Again, a sign that we're back on track....

Meanwhile, back at the CTU ranch, Milo's gettin' testy with Nadia because she showed concern about Doyle....I'm tellin' ya....There's something at play here that's bigger than it seems.

President Montel collapses, apparently from an old talk show injury...

Didn't you just know that when Fayed asked for a weapon, then checked to make sure it was loaded that it wasn't gonna bode well for our "faux terrorists"?

Fayed hijacks a garbage truck and is headed east...Jack hitches a ride...great action scene with Jack in a shootout with the baddies and then hand to hand, mano a mano with Fayed....Biting and head buttin', kicking and gougin'...and ....another quotable quote: "Say hello to your brother..." That's m'boy...

SHE'S BAAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKK.......Just when Jack has nailed the last terrorist and has secured the remaining nukes, Audrey calls to complicate an already too long day....

Loved the previews....The Chinese want "the component", whatever that is, Audrey needs rescuing, the VP refuses to resign, and Jack tells President Montel that "you owe me!!!"....I also love that the Chinese guy, Chang's his name I think, gave out a phone number...It's the SAME # they've given out all season...I called it of course...goes to the mailbox for "24"....That # is...
310-597-3781
If you're lucky, someone may actually answer, I'm told....

Your thoughts, pretty please.....

I'm not a fair weather fan, but....

2007-03-27T09:39:00.000-04:00

I'm not so sure about this season...It started out in an awesome manner....Maybe I'm spoiled because last year was so stellar. Could it be that I'm expecting.....more?

Three nukes down...two to go. As well as NINE HOURS....Now, I think I know something about a character that hasn't been seen in a while...But, still....I have zero clue as to where this "day" is headed....

Gredenko and Fayed do not work and play well together....

Some guy named Mark Hauser has sold some plans to the Russkies...Mark also takes care of his mentally handicapped brother...We get to see the "softer side" of Jack when he quizzes Brady....Then, a whole 'nuther kind of conversation when Jack chats with Mark....I really did enjoy the scenes with Jack and Brady...And the scene when the Russians were gonna shoot Brady was the only real tension I felt last night...But...I was VERY tense...For a show where anybody can die, I knew I was gonna be some kind of hot if they killed Brady...Great scene.

So..they have Gredenko...
"I know all about you agent Bauer..."
"Then you know what I'm gonna do to you..." LOVE IT!!!

Some guy named Johnson showed up and gave Doyle a chip that proves that Nadia is innocent...Tells Doyle that he owed him one because of what happened in Denver...."Denver" has been referenced twice now...Nadia mentioned it last week...Something about she knows what happened in Denver and that Doyle likes to hurt people....Doyle pockets the chip...Johnson squeals on him...Milo attacks Doyle...Morris backs up Doyle's story...Doyle threatens Johnson...Johnson gives him a very creepy smirk....They probably aren't gonna work and play well together either...

Buchanan releases Nadia...Gives her a coupon for a free Starbucks if she'll forget about suing CTU...

Milo and Nadia sittin' in a tree!!!

Meanwhile, President Montel is crashing! "Code Team to One! Stat!" Karen has talked Sandra into letting the doc bring Montel out of induced coma...The plan works swell and in a jiffy to boot....Montel comes around just in time to call off the nuke launch...The VP is understandably upset about this change in the script...He intones something along the lines of:
"I believe the President isn't himself...I can't let him stay in power...Get me Mike Nifong!!!"

Check out these links...

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20016097,00.html

OUCH! Bidding for Jack's "stealth hoodie" from season 5 is over $6,000!!!!

http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=vipfanclubs

No much Jack....

2007-03-20T05:51:00.000-04:00

OK...Lemme get this outta the way right off the bat....
Ricky Schroder as "Mike Doyle" reminds me of a grown up Dennis The Menace...And...Jack needs to remind him that he SHOT his predecessor....

The drone has been launched....

Milo and Nadia sittin' in a tree.....

Oh Oh...Nadia's been using Milo's access codes...CAN'T IMAGINE WHERE THIS IS GOIN'.....

Morris lost the drone, and the baddies have their access connection to CTU....Hhhhmmmmm......

Jack meets with Marilyn...
Jack spurns her advances....(Man, the Chinese REALLY messed him up...)
Jack tells her about Audrey...
"Oh. Your dead ex-girlfriend???"
Possible spoiler alert: It wasn't an accident...AND...Audrey ain't dead. Maybe.

LOVED the exchange between Karen and Tom...
"Did someone push you down the stairs?"
"No...I tripped over your ineptitude..."

Chloe kisses Morris to check his breath...Morris: "Gotta love this place..." GREAT SCENE....

SURPRISE! Signature links Nadia's computer to the leak! Say it ain't so!!!!

San Fran's toast in 20 minutes!!!

President Montel is still alive. Whatever....

Doyle REALLY hacked me off when he grabbed Nadia by the throat...After 5 previous seasons (days), doesn't he realize that with all signs pointing to her, it can't possibly be her???? (He needs to rent the dvd sets...)

Hey! The drone's "pilot" is at 1530 Hillcrest....Only 3 blocks from CTU!!! How convenient!!!!

Jack looks like he's wearing a women's white one piece swimsuit....

They go to the address....and Jack just shoots the first guy he sees...Geez. He didn't LOOK like a bad guy.

VP Daniels gives the "launch" order as the hour winds down...after San Fran is sparred by Jack's joystick skills....

Preview: President Montel will be brought back to conciousness....How will we tell???

No update on ex-Prez Logan.....

It's gettin' cranked up....

2007-03-13T10:51:00.000-04:00

First of all, let me address a coupla questions posed in the last blog responses...Greg Itzin has pretty much told me that the actors really don't know what gonna happen next....And...the writers kinda "wing it" as the season goes along....My bet is that THEY don't even know yet how this season will end....

Now, about last night....

Chloe was feeling "ambivalent"...(lemme get my dictionary...)

"Ricky" Schroeder made his debut as Mike Doyle, an ex-Special Forces type "just in from Ft. Bragg..." Loved the local angle for us...Honestly, I think his acting is horrible...I'm just not buying him...A co-worker thinks he is the leak that we learned about in the preview for next week....

As soon as you hear the Russian say: "I'm going to terminate the American.", your brain starts spinning as to how Jack's gonna get outta this one...AHA! The ol' "use the belt of the dead guy as a whip/lasso combo" trick! LOVED that scene....

After losing a finger to his own cigar cutter, I spent the rest of the episode referring to Markov as "Pinky"....

Milo's in a sling...WHY???? Jack's had his nerve bundle in his left shoulder knifed, Morris has been drilled...THEY don't need no stinkin' sling.... A friend of mine at FOX50 thinks it's to cover a real life injury....

Martha Logan is still nuts, now it's just official...

Lennox getting pressured by VP Daniels...Man, Powers Boothe could make a fortune as a car salesman....

"Martha and Aaron, sittin' in a tree..."

Martha cutting fruit...SCARY.

OK..You saw the stabbing comin', right? Aaron, a grizzled Secret Service veteran...DIDN'T....Well, in all fairness, he probably didn't hear the creepy music in the background like we did....
Man, I hope Logan doesn't die....but, the friend at FOX50 thinks this is it....

After Jack got rescued and he was walking out, don't you know he was thinking..."Man! Now I can get back into my comfy clothes!!!"

Logan's flatlinin'....
The drone's in the air...
There's a leak at CTU...
and the VP says "Launch the missle..."

And I'm lovin' it.....

Hmmmmmmm.....

2007-03-06T05:14:00.000-05:00

The following took place between 5 and 6pm...

President Montel is unconcious, suffering chest and neck wounds from the old "exploding podium ploy"...(note: There's NO difference in his acting...)

WHAT?!?!? The GOOD terrorist is dead!!!! My wife ain't happy about this...She liked the GOOD terrorist!

Power is handed over to VP Noah Daniels (aka VP Jim Jones, for those who remember the awesome Powers Boothe in "The Guyana Tragedy)....I LOVE watching this guy on-screen....I hope there'll be some scenes with him and ex-Prez Logan....

Yes, you recognize the guy who plays the SecDEf (Secretary of Defense)...He was the warden in "Shawshank Redemption"...

Lennox has Carson and Reed arrested JUST BY GIVING THE WORD...and...neither of the bad guys protested...Huh????

Logan blackmails the Russkie! Brilliant ploy! I loved that scene...

Chloe created a grid failure, causing a power loss of, oh, 3.7 seconds, allowing Jack to enter the consulate and take the Russkie hostage...Jack takes a cigar cutter and artistically turns one of the Russkies fingers into a Cuban stogie...But...Jack gets what he wants...The drones will be in the air in two hours, laden with the remaining nukes...Or so the Commie says. I don't trust anyone with 9 1/2 fingers. Just my personal policy.

Bill calls Karen, who's sitting at the airport doing a Sudoku puzzle...They chat...She says she needs to get back to the White House...And then...the BIGGEST TACTICAL MISTAKE in this whole danged season...Bill failed to say "I love you..." to her before they hung up!!! That'll come back to bite him, I'm sure.

Jack: "Bill...I've got a situation..." Jack's the master of understatement, ain't he?

Jack is captured and meets a nice Russian....
Nice Russian is killed....

Next week we look forward to the return of Martha Logan and Aaron Pierce! 'Bout time! He's been in every season....

last words from last night.."I'm going to terminate the American..."

Questions to ponder...
Are you gonna miss Wayne Palmer?
Do you miss his sister?
Will Walid reappear as part of the plot?
Will somebody find Morris' empty whiskey bottle in the men's room trash can?

The stage is being set...

2007-02-27T05:50:00.000-05:00

Jack can see Josh in Marilyn's eyes...Or was it that he can see Marilyn in Josh's eyes??? Whichever...All together now..."AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW..."

Once again, the highly trained security folks at CTU let a bad guy in...

DUCT TAPE!!!!

Chloe called Morris' sponsor...Wait a minute...Wasn't it the SAME NUMBER that Jack called last week and got ex-Prez Logan?????

Charles Logan has seen the light and has re-found his faith...This might be interesting...You don't see a Bible in prime time tv very much...

Jack has to use "back channels"!!! DANG!!!

The baddies have a drone.....This might be interesting also...

They had you scared about Morris didn't they? I think he's gonna turn out to be a hero...Unfortunately, I also think he'll be a casualty as well...

President Montel's code name is "Citadel"...Should've been "Maple" signifying his wooden performance so far...

When and where did Jack get that nifty suit???

VP Noah Daniels takes over next week...This is gonna be great!

I really think that our favorite show is about to rachet things up in a mighty way....

I read something online this morning that I thought was someone goofin' around, but I'm afraid it was what's called a "spoiler"...revealing things that are gonna happen on the show...I hope it wasn't, 'cause I really don't want to know anything before it happens...

BTW...I've traded emails with Greg Itzin (Logan) and he's looking forward to returning to the Triangle for the Duke Children's Classic in May...

THERE'S NO TIME!!!!

2007-02-20T05:43:00.000-05:00

I'm tryin' to get this bloggin' thing done before the show starts in a few minutes...Tried to blog after "24" last nite, but this new Google wrinkle threw me for a bit of a loop...Anyway....

When Daddy Bauer asked if his son was dead, and the answer was "Yes..."...Didn't you think that for a nanosecond there, he actually looked like he cared?

Great line: "Drop your weapon, or I WILL use mine!!!"

When Chloe told Morris to go talk with his counselor or his sponsor, you just knew that some type of addiction was gonna loom large...

When Jack assured Marilyn that he would do everything possible to save Josh from dear ol' Grandpa....didn't you feel that she was about to tell jack that "He's your son too!!!"

If I ever hear that someone's supposed to "carry the ball"...I'm gonna be VERY nervous...

Morris slips and drinks whiskey...spits it out...pops a coupla Altoids...and goes back to work!
(Me thinks that this alcoholism angle hasn't finished playin' out...)

In the parking deck, Jack gets Marilyn to put on a bulletproof vest...Chinese prison must've been tough 'cause Jack didn't even PEEK...

Speaking of the parking deck...Makes me think about the vehicle that jack picked up at CTU...Wonder if Crossroads Ford can order me one..."No! Not an Eddie Bauer edition of an Expedition! A JACK BAUER EDITION!!!" (I LOVE the cool weapons tray in the back...)

Jack hands his H&K compact handgun to Marilyn...
"You know how to use this?"
"No..."
"Point and shoot..."

Another phone number on screen...310-597-3781

It's LOGAN! Can't wait for next week!
Greg Itzin (who plays Logan) is scheduled for a reappearance at this year's Duke Children's Classic in May...

Your thoughts please...Sorry this was a bit abbreviated...

I'll never use a drill again

2007-02-13T00:04:00.000-05:00

Between the "secret gov'ment", Fayed, evil Farmer Hoggett...oh yeah and TWO ACTION-PACKED HOURS...I AM WIPED OUT!

Okay...show of hands...who thought blondie would get out alive?

I thought last week that Grame's death would be put on Jack. Not it's official...literally in his file. Mark my words, this will come back later in the season. Maybe U.S. prison?

"CTU...we have a problem"....probably the most understated thing Jack has EVER said. And somehow, Chloe manages to get a funny line in while keeping Jack from being dust. Gotta love her. By the way, anyone notice the rather, dare I say, caressing touch Jack gave Chloe? Awww or Ewww?

Honestly this was like the 4 hour premiere crammed into 2 hours. My "I'm really tired so here's what hit me" bullet points (pardon the pun):
* Miles - took quite a bit, but he's no Jack...course Jack never got a 6 inch drill bit in the shoulder. Mental note: avoid tool isle at Home Depot.
* Assaad and Prez Montel - good back and forth. Still not sold on the Prez, but getting a little better.
* The Russian General - "And the Arabs will take the blame". Just flat out cold. Like the old war?
* The VP. Again, Powers Booth is a really good, bad VP. What'ca think...is he or isn't he in on "the plan"?
* Gramps is really, REALLY evil.
* Milo - slightly better driver than tracking drivers. Side note: anyone catch the blooper with the van window?

Finally, the Jack prophetic quote of the night "Promise I will not put you in any danger." Bet Grames wife wished she'd paid more attention to the last 5 seasons.

And the previews for next week??? COME ON MONDAY NIGHT!!

Where can I get an "Interrogation Kit"???

2007-02-06T05:39:00.000-05:00

Well...I hope that everyone feels that our show is back on track...I had been hearing murmurs in the hallways that the past coupla weeks weren't "cuttin' it"...
You knew things were gonna get kicked up a notch when Jack dispatched Burke with the interrogation kit to Graeme's house...
I loved the exchange between Graeme and Marilyn which ended with her blasting "Why don't you make your OWN coffee!!!"
She also seemed extra perturbed when CTU blew her fancy door and windows in...
Did Jack really say "nucu-LER"????? I think so...

The interrogation scene between Jack and his beloved bro' was as intense as anything I've seen...Couldn't you just feel the conflict in Jack??? He was absolutely torn between getting the info and not really wanting to hurt Graeme....I base this on his telling Graeme to "Just breathe..." But...then Jack totally LOST IT...I can't remeber when I've Jack just absolutely go nuts...He was threatening EVERYBODY!!! The interrogator and the other CTU guy there...Very scary...
Oh, and when Graeme confessed to having Palmer, Tony and Michelle killed....Very strong scene.

"WE"RE THE SAME!!!!!!!"

When their Dad said he needed a few minutes....did you see the killing of Graeme comin', or did you think he might commit suicide???

Powers Boothe as the VP is gonna be REALLY good...(or bad, depending on the context...)

How are they gonna work this whole Morris as the engineer angle...WOW!
Sidebar: Sheri and I spoke with Carlo Rota yesterday morning. He's the actor that portrays Morris...He was very funny, but with no energy and we had a splattery phone line, so...you won't hear it on the air I don't think...But, he did tell us that he about to go into work for shooting of the 16th hour...So, we know he'll be around for a while...I think he's a great character...

All in all, I thought it was very strong...Loved the clip in the preview of next week,,,
"CTU, this is Bauer...We've got a problem." Ya Think???????

For grins and giggles, here's a link to a radio interview with Kiefer from our friends Scott and Todd on WPLJ FM in NYC...
http://images.radcity.net/5146/1794553.mp3

You're just gonna have to trust me...

2007-01-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

The following occured between 11am and 12pm...

I'm just not warming up to President Montel...

I actually found it rather compelling to hear Tom and Karen debate the Constitution...I'm sure I've read it, but I think I need a refresher look at it...

OK...I knew that Nadia was a Muslim...but she's a Republican too?!?!?

Jack has convinced me to keep my Harris Teeter bags handy..."Paper or plastic???"
You can 't scare the poop out of your brother with no stinkin' paper bag!!!

Graeme went with McCarthy because "he had good references"???? Man! Even the REAL bad guys are fudgin' on their resumes...

I loved when McCarthy threatened to throw the blonde out of the car, and she purred..."So, how sure a thing is the 7 million???"

Tom forced Karen out...Now she'll get transfered to CTU LA where she can be with her hubby, Bill...Wonder how long it'll take her to get there???

I just called the number that Jack gave out...310-597-3781
It's a Sprint mailbox for "24", and it's slammed "full"...Surprise, surprise, surprise....

We meet Jack's Dad...And...Graeme turns the tables on both of them...

Previews look compelling...Powers Booth to appear as the Vice President...I don't think I've EVER seen him play a good guy...
And...Jack will apparently "turn the tables" (dang those tables turn a lot...) back on Graeme..."You will experience pain I can't even describe..."

All in all....I'm lovin' it...

How's about you?

Oh yeah...RE: Josh, Graeme's son being Jack's son...I read an article about one of the producers, Howard Gordon...and he says that they haven't decided if he's gonna be revealed as Jack's son...
I think odds are that he is Jack's boy...

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou???

2007-01-23T05:48:00.000-05:00

President Montel is WEAK....Some testosterone laden coworkers are trying to convince me that his part is "written" that way...Man, I catch him acting a lot...
So...the "well informed man" with connections to the deposed Russian general is...Jack's Daddy!
And...the "puppetmaster" who was pulling President Logan's strings last year is....Jack's brother!
And...Graham Bauer's son is really.....Jack's son!!!!!
And, Marilyn, Graham's wife...is HOT!!!!!

Graham handed his own brother over to the Chinese....

Who's Sam??? Who's Liddy????

Folks...I thought last nite was awesome....It sets into motion all kinds of possibilities for the writers...

True Confession: I was pretty tired last nite...Got started on the show a little late...It wasn't until this morning that two testosterone laden coworkers clued me in to the apparent fact re: Graham's son is really Jack's...My wife must've been REALLY tired, because she normally can spot stuff like that a mile away...

Did anyone else notice...?

2007-01-15T21:42:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention in my blog after last night's two opening hours, that when Jack and Assad were in the house and Jack needed to change clothes...He went in the bathroom and shut the door...Could it have been that Jack went potty???? If so, then it's a series first...Pure conjecture at this point...
OK...So what did you think of tonite's second 2 hour blast? (pardon the pun...)

"JackSpeak" is alive and well after 20 months in a Chinese prison...All of the "copy that!!!" and "set up a perimeter!!!" jargon is back without missing a beat...
Great line tonite...
"I will not work with my enemies..."
"You're working with one now..."

Loved the scene where Jack carjacked the Jeep, and after throwing the owner to the street, simply directed the guy to "Don't get up!!!"

Wouldn't you think that the terrorist that Jack rammed with the Jeep would've recognized Assad???

Wonder if all those orange jumpsuits that the "detainees" were wearing were made by the Bob Barker Corporation in Fuquay...They are the world's largest supplier of orange prison jumpsuits...

I referenced before that I knew before the season started that Jack would kill Curtis. I made the mistake of reading a site that features spoilers...That knowledge didn't make it any easier to take...My wife cried...Maybe you did too...
"I can't do this anymore....I'm done..."

As a mushroom cloud billows over L.A.

JACK'S BACK!!!

2007-01-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

Here we go again, again....

First of all, let me admit that I've got a pretty neat job...Yes, my alarm goes off at around 3:40am every weekeday....but, that's offset by getting cool stuff in the mail at times...For example, Friday morning at approx. 9:30 I received a package from the FOX Broadcasting Network...It contained Season 5 of "24" on dvd, a cool coffee table book about the show, a "24" dvd board game, and THE FIRST 4 HOURS OF THIS SEASON on dvd... Life is good again...

Some random thoughts about the first coupla hours...
I was kinda scared for the Chinese guy when Jack gave him the big ol' "stink eye" as he walked towards Curtis after landing on U.S. soil...
Jack seemed to have good color and hadn't appeared to have lost any weight during his Chinese ordeal...
He sure gave himself a dandy haircut...
Is he gonna carry that cell phone he stole when he "borrowed" that car for the rest of the day?
He's not wearing a watch...How's he gonna know how much time he's got left? Oh yeah...the stolen cell phone.
Nadia is HOT....
Bill and Karen are married...AWWWWWWWWW.....
I think that that Sayef guy is gonna go down as one of the best "bad guys" EVER...
The actor Carlo Rota is awesome and I think Morris will shine in CTU this season...Chloe is more "awesomer" than ever...
Nadia is HOT....
We're already not supposed to like the Presidential advisor played by Peter McNichol...
Can't wait to see how ex-Prez Logan and wife Martha will resurface this season...
I've GOTTA learn how to hotwire a car...
Your thoughts, please....

Ladies and gentlemen...start your engines...

2007-01-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

OK...This week we start getting serious...I'm dvr'ing all the tv appearances I can find of any of the "24" cast members...
Here's a copy of the transcript of Larry King's "24" special...
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/09/lkl.01.html

Here's a link to a cool site that has the latest tv schedule of interviews...
http://www.kiefer-rocks.com/news/index.htm

Here's a link to an article on Kiefer in Men's Vogue magazine....
http://www.mensvogue.com/arts/feature/articles/2006/12/18/kiefer_sutherland?currentPage=1

Friends, I've made a tragic error...I went to a website that revealed "spoilers" for Season 6...I now know something that I wish I didn't...Something that really bothers me...Something that makes "24" the unbelieveably awesome show that it is...But...I wish I didn't know...until...it really happens.

Buckle up! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!!!

2006-12-20T11:14:00.000-05:00

Well y'all...here we go again...Day 6 is less than a month away...As I've mentioned before, last year at the Duke Children's Classic, I got to play golf and hang out with Gregory Itzin (Pres. Logan)....We've kept in touch since then...Thought I'd paste this latest exchange between us...

Greg and Judi…Hope y’all are well and ready for the holidays…
Greg…I’m starting my “24” blog next week and was wondering if you might have any tidbits re: season 6 that you might share…Without letting any cats out of any sacks, of course….Bill

Dear Jordans--funny you whould write, I was thinking about you and yours.
I'll think about this cat-bag-letting thing. You already know that the ex-pres and his lovely wacky wife will be in the 6th day, though of course he can't be the prez anymore.... alas.
More anon one way or the other.
Best Wishes for the Holidays,
Greg and Judie Itzin

They're a great couple...Very down to earth...

I've already been trolling for intel on upcoming magazine and tv appearances by the cast as we get geared up again...Here's some Kiefer stuff...

Upcoming TV Appearances new! Kiefer is scheduled to make an appearance on ESPN Monday Night Football (12/25), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1/9/07), E! True Hollywood Story (1/10/07) , Live with Regis & Kelly (1/12/07), Late Night With Conan O'Brien (1/12/07) and The Charlie Rose Show (1/12/07)

The "prequel" to Season 6 is here...

www.24trailer.com

More later...

Have a great and safe holiday season!!! Bill

What a day...

2006-05-23T05:39:00.000-04:00

I type this blog with a bit of sadness as the season (day) is over...What a ride it has been...

Some tremendous scenes last night....

Aaron saying goodbye to Martha....They ALMOST kissed....And him looking out the back window at her as he pulled away...

The 2 main scenes of the Prez and Martha...The first when she had to stall him....AHA!!! The old "Presidential Quickie" ploy! And then, of course, their encounter at the airport in the hanger when they DID get a recording...Sidebar: I played golf with Greg Itzin this past weekend at the Duke Children's Classic and he told me of a scene that he paced a hole in the concrete for 2 hours the shot, just getting into the scene...He told me that when they said "Action!"...he just rolled into the scene...I gotta think that THIS was the scene...

The 2 scenes with the Prez and Jack....WOW. Jack got him to talk without saying a word...Brilliant acting in my humble opinion...
I loved the exchange of:
"Is this an assassination?"
"It's a confession"
"Don't count on it..."

My wife didn't like the kiss between the Prez and Martha...But she highly approved of the smooch between Jack and Audrey...(I think she's tryin' to tell me something...)
Jack got set up with the alledged call from Kim...I thought it was Graham's henchmen, but alas, it was the Chinese...Congrats to all the bloggers who predicted that the Chinese would loom large before the sun fully rose...

How about that scene when Bill gave Chloe the photo of her and Edgar...I almost cried. And when her ex-husband (played by the awesome Carlo Rota) asked her if she wanted to talk about it, she replied "Yes..." Chloe NEVER wants to talk about stuff. (remember earlier in the day when Edgar pressed her to talk about personal stuff and she blew him off...)

When Jack asked the Chinese to just kill him...were you afraid for just a moment that they would??? I was.

So....Why was Michelle killed? There's no real answer as to why Michelle, Tony, and Chloe were targeted. Red herrings, I suppose....

Who is Graham? I suspect we'll see him again...

Meanwhile, Jack is on a slow boat to China....

Prediction: The cast will do very well at the Emmys...

Thanks for checkin' in thru the year...Please post your comments...

By the way...check out my exclusive interview with Greg Itzin (Prez Logan) at www.fox50.com