24 Blu-Ray Review: Kiefer Sutherland, ‘24’ Continue to Set the Bar

BrianTT — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:08:11 -0600

CHICAGO – The standard DVD season sets for “24” have long been setting the bar for what TV on DVD “should be”. Winning awards for their technical transfers and detailed, copious special features, the producers of “24“‘s home releases took it a step further this year by changing the game yet again with the Blu-Ray release of “24: Season Seven”.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

After a lackluster first season release (which they made up for with a “Special Edition” a few years later), the next five seasons of “24” were essentially perfect TV on DVD releases. They had informative, detailed special features, gorgeous video & audio, and fascinating commentary tracks. And it didn’t hurt that they were for some of the most beloved programming of the ’00s.

Season seven was clearly a chance for “24” to change the game again. The sixth season had been a clear winner for worst of the series to date by TV and DVD critics and instead of being allowed to get right back on that horse and reverse the shark-jumping ways, the Writer’s Strike delayed season seven by a whole year.

24: Season Seven was released on Blu-Ray on May 19th, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox

The seventh horrible day in the life of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) brought “24” back from the brink of ridicule, delivering a much more effective thrill ride than season six. In a clever move, the writers of “24” both recognized the time off - this day started four years after the last - and even blew up many of the conventions of their own show, including having CTU completely fall apart and bringing back the considered-dead Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) and having audiences guess all season is he was really good or bad.

And Fox wisely chose not to make people who watch the show on DVD wait any longer than they already had and made the amazing decision to release the seventh season of “24” the day after the season finale aired.

Think about the precedent. People could buy the entire season of “24” before most viewers who watch it on DVR even had a chance to watch the season finale. TV on DVD has undeniably changed the way people watch television, but there was always a window of time that often made viewers who waited for DVD feel a little behind the times. If the “24” day-after-finale release becomes a pattern, viewers who wait for DVD or Blu-Ray will be nearly up-to-date with those who watch a show in its original airing. Ratings are going to drop even further.

Not only did Fox change the release date pattern (previous seasons of “24” has been released on DVD near the holidays to prime audiences for the upcoming season to air on TV), but they released this technically accomplished show on Blu-Ray for the first time. And, of course, “24” looks and sounds amazing on Blu-Ray. The sound design on this show has long been some of the best on TV and the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is simply spectacular.

“24: Season Seven” on Blu-Ray includes two excellent featurettes - “The Making of Season 7” and “Hour 19: The Ambush”. Deleted scenes and the cool “The Fimucite Festival Presents: The Music of 24” are also included.

Commentaries include:

Episode 1 - Executive Producer/Director Jon Cassar and Carlos Bernard
Episode 3 - Executive Producer Manny Coto, Co-Executive Producer Brannon Braga and Bernard
Episode 5 - Cassar and Annie Wersching
Episode 9 - Executive Producer David Fury and Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Episode 10 - Coto, Braga, and Wersching
Episode 12 - Co-Executive Producer/Director Brad Turner and Tony Todd
Episode 13 - Turner, Composer Sean Callery, and James Morrison
Episode 14 - Executive Producer Juan Carlos Coto, Wersching, and Bob Gunton
Episode 18 - Executive Producer Howard Gordon, Bernard, and Jeffrey Nordling
Episode 22 - Executive Producer Evan Katz, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Glenn Morshower
Episode 23 - Executive Producer David Fury, Co-Executive Producer Alex Gansa, and Morshower
Episode 24 - Executive Producers Howard Gordon and Cassar

‘24: Season Seven’ was released by Fox Home Video and stars Kiefer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard, Cherry Jones, Colm Feore, Jeffrey Nordling, Rhys Coiro, Janeane Garofalo, Anne Wersching, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. The show was released on May 19th, 2009. It is not rated.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Fox Renews ‘Dollhouse,’ Cancels ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’

BrianTT — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:19:45 -0600

CHICAGO – The networks announce their fall schedules this week and Eliza Dushku fans will be happy that her on-the-bubble show from TV genius Joss Whedon, “Dollhouse,” got a last minute reprieve from the TV gas chamber and will be on the FOX fall schedule. While “Dollhouse” made the cut, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” was shown the door.

The rest of the FOX fall schedule was relatively predictable. We knew by now that “Prison Break” has been cancelled and that “24” wouldn’t come back until mid-season, but FOX did relocate a number of series, moving new shows “Lie To Me” and “Fringe” to new nights.

DOLLHOUSE: When a traitor is discovered inside the Dollhouse, Echo (Eliza Dushku) is programmed as a spy hunter to uncover the culprit in the DOLLHOUSE episode "A Spy in the House of Love" airing Friday, April 10 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX

Kevin Reilly, President Entertainment, FOX Broadcasting Company, said, courtesy of Mediaweek, "The strategic moves we made last year to build off of our biggest assets are paying off. We've created stability and a consistently strong performance across the week. Next season, we're bringing back two top-rated sophomore dramas (Fringe and Lie to Me) and using our hits to introduce a broad and compelling slate of new shows that will make our air even more vibrant and alive."

New shows on FOX this fall include "Glee” (which has a sneak preview tonight, May 19th, 2009), a sitcom starring Michael Strahan called “Brothers,” and the premiere of “The Cleveland Show,” a long-in-development spin-off of “Family Guy”.

BROTHERS: Retired NFL star Mike Trainor (Michael Strahan, C) returns to his hometown and rebuilds his relationship with his family in the new FOX comedy BROTHERS premiering this fall on FOX. Pictured L-R: Colton Dunn, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Michael Strahan, CCH Pounder and Carl Weathers.
Photo credit: Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Patrick Ecclesine/FOX

With all the shuffling and the three new shows, all but one night will be different this fall for FOX - the classic combo of “Cops” and “America’s Most Wanted” on Saturday nights.

The week kicks off on Mondays with “House” and “Lie To Me”. Tuesday and Wednesdays will be dominated by “So You Think You Can Dance” with a two-hour version on the first night and the hour-long results show on the next night, followed by the fantastic “Glee”.

Thursdays feature “Bones” and “Fringe”. Friday nights feature the only live-action sitcoms left on the network - the new “Brothers” and the apparently impossible-to-cancel “‘Til Death”. They will be followed by “Dollhouse”. Discuss amongst yourselves if two broad sitcoms are the best lead-in for “Dollhouse”. Probably not.

With the cancellation of “Sit Down, Shut Up,” Sunday nights feature “The Simpsons,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad”.

In January of 2010, “Lie to Me” will be replaced by “24” and “American Idol” will only be an hour on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights with two new shows - “Past Life” and “Human Target” - will get the best lead-in on TV with “Glee” returning in the spring.

Thursday-Saturday will stay the same but “The Cleveland Show” will leap-frog “Family Guy” and push “American Dad” off the schedule to make room for another new show, “Sons of Tucson”.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: Horror of ‘Mirrors’ Shatters on Closer Inspection

BrianTT — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:38:39 -0700

CHICAGO – “Mirrors” is a so-so horror movie helped a bit by its interesting director’s visual flourishes and a better-than-average ensemble but ultimately shattered by an incoherent screenplay and dialogue that is more likely to produce laughter than shivers.

Kiefer Sutherland has not yet successfully made the transition back from TV star to movie star with a series of roles in his “24” years that could be deemed questionable at best. “Phone Booth,” “Taking Lives,” “The Sentinel,” and, now, “Mirrors”. It’s not a stellar string of decisions.

In one of the featurettes on the Blu-Ray version of his latest misfire, “Reflections: The Making of Mirrors,” it is implied that Sutherland discussed doing the project with director Alexandre Aja before reading a script. He might want to change that part of his role-picking process.

Mirrors was released by Fox Home Video on January 13th, 2009.
Photo credit: Toni Salabasev

In “Mirrors,” Sutherland plays Ben Carson, a disgraced police officer working as a security guard at the creepiest old department store in the world. It turns out that the store used to be a psychiatric hospital and something evil found its way into the mirrors in the building. Reflections move on their own and can sometimes even cause damage to their counterpart on the other side. Ben’s estranged wife (Paula Patton) thinks he might be going crazy and his sister (Amy Smart) can’t help the night watchman out of his terrifying situation.

Mirrors is released by Fox Brothers Home Video on January 13th, 2009.
Photo credit: Fox Home Video

The first half of “Mirrors” works because Aja, the talented but controversial director of “Haute Tension” and the remake of “The Hills Have Eyes,” is allowed to at least be a little atmospheric. But when he has to focus on the plot and try to amplify the tension dramatically, you can literally see “Mirrors” fall apart. At around the hour mark, after several gory deaths and some interesting tension as to whether or not Ben might actually just be going nuts and not be haunted, “Mirrors” should be wrapping itself up, but it has almost an hour to go.

That last hour of “Mirrors” is essentially a mystery movie with Ben trying to unravel exactly what the force is behind the haunting and it’s a mess on every level. The dialogue isn’t exactly strong in the first half of the film, but it’s easier to ignore when Kiefer isn’t yelling things like “Just let me cover these damn mirrors!!” in his best Jack Bauer growl. And the final scenes of “Mirrors” are laughingly, horrendously bad.

Horror fans are notoriously forgiving of their genre, so let me speak to just them for a minute. Anyone not a horror fans should ignore “Mirrors” but if you liked “High Tension” and can forgive a script that collapses for a movie that is visually intriguing for at least sixty minutes, it’s worth a rental. It’s not nearly as bad as it could have been. Aja continues to show that he’s interesting talent waiting for the right English-language script. Maybe it will be “Piranha 3D,” which he’s currently filming. Probably not.

As for the Blu-Ray presentation of “Mirrors,” it looks great, but I’m not sure that it should. Now you too can see someone rip off the lower half of their face in stunning, unrated 1080p. Lucky you. Even this aficionado of twisted horror movies was a little disturbed by the impact of HD on gore.

Mirrors is released by Fox Brothers Home Video on January 13th, 2009.
Photo credit: Toni Salabasev

Maybe it’s because I grew up with a steady diet of ’80s slasher pics on VHS, but there’s something not quite right about horror on Blu-Ray for me. There’s something about scary movies that should be dirty and hard-to-see. I’m not sure anyone needs the “detail”. And the Blu-Ray video transfer is far from perfect. There’s a surprising amount of grain in some of the darker scenes. For one of the very few times since the start of the next-gen format, I wondered if a movie might look better on normal DVD when the visual noise in the darker scenes would have been consistent through out and I wouldn’t have to see the detachment of a jaw in HD.

The special features on “Mirrors” are surprisingly complete. The aforementioned documentary about the making of the film runs almost an hour long and there are deleted scenes, another featurette, Anna Esseker hospital footage, and a commentary by Aja and Levasseur. Fans can even access a storyboard-to-scene comparison while the movie plays. It’s a very impressive collection and all fans can ask for with a movie like “Mirrors”.

The Blu-Ray release of “Mirrors” also includes a digital copy of the film along with the theatrical and unrated cuts of the movie. As for the most high-profile feature advertised on the front of the case, the alternate ending, there are actually two of them included. One is advertised as an actual alternate ending but the final deleted scenes would have changed the end of the movie as well if they had been included.

It’s interesting to look at the three endings because the one chosen for the actual cut was executed the most expertly and was correctly chosen for the final version but the other two arguably had more potential on paper. They might have been effective but they weren’t quite pulled off when they were shot. Kind of like “Mirrors” itself.

‘Mirrors’ is released by Fox Home Video and stars Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy Smart, and Jason Flemyng. It was written by Alexandre Aja & Gregory Levasseur and directed by Aja. It was released on January 13th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Hookup: 20 Admit-Two VIP Passes to Chicago Premiere of TNT Series ‘Trust Me’ With Tom Cavanagh

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:13:35 -0700

CHICAGO – In a special edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have 20 admit-two VIP passes up for grabs to the exclusive Chicago premiere of the new TNT drama “Trust Me” about a Chicago advertising agency. The series stars Eric McCormack (“Will & Grace”), Tom Cavanagh (“Scrubs,” “Ed”) and Monica Potter (“Boston Legal,” “Saw,” “Along Came a Spider,” “Patch Adams,” “Con Air”) from the producers of “Nip/Tuck” and “The Closer”.

Potter will be in attendance. You will also be treated to a special advance screening of “Trust Me,” complimentary hors d’oeuvres, soft drinks and prizes. To win your free pass to the VIP “Trust Me” event in Chicago courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is be one of the first 20 people to submit a comment in this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup. That’s it!

The premiere will be held on Jan. 22, 2008 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the “Trust Me” poster below.

“Trust Me” on TNT stars Eric McCormack, Tom Cavanagh and Monica Potter.
Image credit: TNT

Here is the “Trust Me” plot description:

Set against the backdrop of the high-pressure world of advertising, “Trust Me” focuses on Mason (Eric McCormack) and Conner (Tom Cavanagh): a pair of advertising men whose strong creative partnership has served the firm of Rothman Greene & Mohr extremely well over the years.

Mason (an art director) is a responsible, workaholic family man with a beautiful wife, Erin (Sarah Clarke, “24”), two children and an undying loyalty to the brands he helps sell.

By contrast, his writing partner, Conner, is a single, impulsive copywriter with the attention span of a teenager. Their yin-yang relationship is put to the test when Mason is named a creative director of the agency. He becomes Conner’s boss.

The series follows the changing dynamics between the two friends who are better together than they are apart.

To secure your free pass now to the “Trust Me” premiere in Chicago, make sure you’re logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required.

Then, add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this question:

What do you do at work and in life to sell yourself and get ahead?

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV is simple: The first 20 people to comment below win! We will be in touch with the 20 winners via e-mail to distribute your passes. “Trust me” premieres on TNT on Jan. 26, 2009 at 9 p.m. CST.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

‘24’ Reflects Changing Times With Excellent Season-Seven Premiere

BrianTT — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:09:24 -0700

CHICAGO – The world has changed significantly since Kiefer Sutherland and the rest of the team behind Fox’s “24” were forced to save it repeatedly over the first six seasons of one of the most popular shows of the last decade. Will “24” still be relevant with controversy over real-life torture dominating the headlines and a new regime getting ready to take office?

The new season of “24” picks up at 8am in the life of Jack Bauer and it will be after noon by the time the first four hours have unfolded over two nights on FOX, starting January 11th, 2009. In the opening moments of the first episode, the chief engineer of the government’s infrastructure and security system is kidnapped and a group of domestic terrorists has taken control of something very powerful - our nation’s air traffic control.

The clock is ticking for 24: SEASON 7 to premiere with a special two-night, four-hour event Sunday, Jan. 11 and Monday, Jan. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Michael Muller FOX

Meanwhile, as he came home to do at the end of “24: Redemption”, Jack is being questioned by the government for the interrogation techniques that he used while he was an agent for CTU. At the same time a new President, Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones), is dealing with her first big crisis in office.

Controversy over the detainment of people without due process and the use of extreme methods to get answers from suspects while a new leader takes control of the White House. Anyone who thinks “24” shouldn’t be viewed in context of what’s happening in the real world is clearly missing the point. The writers of the show have very consciously made an effort to have “24” not only reflect the times we are in but to change with them.

Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer. The clock is ticking for 24: SEASON 7 to premiere with a special two-night, four-hour event Sunday, Jan. 11 and Monday, Jan. 12 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX

Of course, it’s not all discussion and politics. Before the end of the first hour, Jack is putting his controversial techniques to use when he is brought from Capital Hill to the FBI to help stop the terrorists who have taken in-flight planes hostage.

Why Jack? Well, it turns out that the man behind the terrorist plot is someone that Bauer knows very well, the thought-dead Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), who Jack saw pass away in his arms near the end of season five. He didn’t die. (And, don’t worry, this is not a spoiler. It’s revealed within moments of the premiere. We would never spoil the end of even the first hour of the new season, much less any details from the three that follow.)

To stop Tony, Bauer is forced to work with several new faces at the FBI, including its head, Larry Moss (Jeffrey Nordling), two of its analysts (Rhys Coiro & Janeane Garofalo), and agent Renee Walker (Anne Wersching). Of course, Tony isn’t the only familiar face making an eventual return. Jon Voight will also return later in the season

Is Jack the only man that can stop Tony? What really happened to the now-dead son of President Taylor? The “First Man,” Henry Taylor (Colm Feore), doesn’t think his son committed suicide. And is the terrorist attack on air traffic control related to the President’s impending decision to intervene in a genocide in Africa?

And will interrogation and torture play a role through the entire season? It’s certainly a major part of the background of the first four hours. The government’s response to Bauer’s past has had very little effect on him, although he does seem a little calmer in these first four hours than he usually is in the two-night premiere of “24,” as if he’s been through this kind of crap too many times to panic again.

But, and maybe this is what “24” fans really want to hear, Jack is always going to be Jack. He will go to whatever ends necessary to save his country and there are several moments in the morning of the seventh season where he’s screaming, choking, and getting ready to kill to get the job done. In fact, an audience could definitely take from “8:00am-12:00pm” that the creators of “24” are condoning torture when an agent like Jack Bauer thinks its necessary. Case in point - When someone with necessary information says “I have rights” in one episode, the agent questioning him responds with “I suggest you use your last breath wisely.”

Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer (R) and Annie Wersching as Renee Walker (L). Day 7 premieres with a special two-night event Sunday, Jan. 13 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Monday, Jan. 14 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Kelsey McNeal/FOX

At the same time, there’s a definite theme of consequences of government action, no better represented than in the character arc of Tony Almeida. Bernard’s return to the show, as soap opera-esque as it may be, gives a jolt to the series that was missing in season six.

With all the political issues aside, how’s the action? There’s a Bauer escape at the end of episode three that stands with his best and all four hours feel more believably paced than the cluttered action of season six. The first four hours of season seven may not be as “explosive” as some seasons, but it feels more like the first two seasons - confident and as tightly and expertly edited as anything you’ll see on television this year.

It’s not surprising that the action is well-done and “Redemption” hinted at how directly “24” would address real-life issues this year, but what’s most unexpectedly promising about the start of season seven is the expanded cast. At least at the beginning, this is not the “Jack Bauer show” by any stretch of the imagination. Great stage actors Jones and Feore are unlike any President and spouse we’ve seen on the show to date and I love the new team of “good guys” in Garofalo, Nordling, Coiro, and Wersching. (Although, on “24,” you can never be sure who’s actually “good”.) There’s not a single false performance in the first four hours of season seven.

A great ensemble, interesting political themes, and action as good as anything in movie theaters at this time of year. The debut of the seventh season of “24” is good enough to think that the changes in character and tone to reflect the changing times and the new administration might work well enough to keep this landmark show around for the years it takes to see another one.

‘24,’ which airs on FOX, stars Kiefer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard, Cherry Jones, Colm Feore, Jeffrey Nordling, Rhys Coiro, Janeane Garofalo, Anne Wersching, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. The premiere of season seven airs on January 11th, 2009 at 7PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

2009 Mid-Season TV Preview: ‘Lost,’ ‘Damages,’ ‘Nip/Tuck,’ ‘24,’ More

BrianTT — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:08:01 -0700

CHICAGO – Be honest, TV fans. Fall 2008 was lackluster at best. The TV season really starts now.

With the strike delaying production on established series and the development of new ones, many more programs are returning or premiering in Jan. 2009 than the average mid-season. It couldn’t have come at a more important time for the medium, too.

To be blunt, the first 31 days of 2009 could be one of the most important months in the history of television. It comes down to this - If established hits like “24,” “Damages,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Monk,” “American Idol,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Lost,” and “The Closer” don’t meet expectations and if a new show like “United States of Tara,” “The Beast,” “Lie To Me,” or “Trust Me” can’t take off and become an established hit, television is likely to change forever.

Sound like an exaggeration? Consider this - NBC gave up on an hour of original, scripted programming every single night. They’re so disappointed in their slate of 10 pm dramas, including failures like “My Own Worst Enemy,” that they’re handing over an hour of TV every night to talk show host Jay Leno. It’s one of the most amazing programming decisions of the last few years and proof that original television on the big networks is changing for good. Does anyone think we’re that far off from all reality and talk on the major networks with original programming relegated to pay cable, basic cable, and the internet? I don’t.

And the Leno story is only one of the biggest headlines of a season that has seen far more failures than successes. Shows that took off the post-strike period, including “Pushing Daisies” and “Dirty Sexy Money,” saw ratings decline every week before their cancellations. It feels like people left during the strike and simply never came back.

New hits? There aren’t any outside of CBS, the only network that has anything to be happy about this year with the massive success of “The Mentalist” and the continued growth of “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother”. More than ever, the buzz in 2008 went from the big networks to the cable box with HBO launching new hits, Showtime developing their own, and even AMC developing a reputation for quality.

We’ll get into what worked and what didn’t in our TV year in review next week at HollywoodChicago.com, but let’s look ahead before we look back. Is it too late for the broadcast networks to save this sinking ship? Are NBC, Fox, and ABC done? Will there be another “Mad Men” in the bunch of shows premiering this month? Can a series actually improve on last year’s ratings for once? Let’s hope so.

Stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for reviews and coverage of all the upcoming series and mark your calendar with the highlights of the coming month on the following page, in chronological order.

TV Review: ‘24’ Searches For ‘Redemption’ With Prequel to Season Seven

BrianTT — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:24:46 -0700

CHICAGO – After a delay that lasted well in excess of a year, “24” returns to FOX this Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008 from 7 to 9 p.m. with a two-hour “special event” (they used to just be called “TV movies”) called “24: Redemption”.

The prequel to season seven of “24” intends to bridge the gap between day six and seven for Jack Bauer and set the plot in motion for what promises to be an interesting reboot of a show that hasn’t been on the air in almost two years.

The 2008 writer’s strike delayed the seventh season of “24” by an entire year. The show, which has never aired under anything but the George Bush presidency, now faces a brave new world when Jack Bauer starts another ticking clock in early 2009.

The writers of this prequel “event” are keenly aware that not only has their show been off the air for a lifetime in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of television but also that they need to appeal to an audience that’s preparing for the much-debated “change” that has been promised by new president elect Barack Obama.

Obama will be the man in the Oval Office for nearly all of season seven of “24”.

While it may or may not carry over to the upcoming season of the show, there’s an interesting new dynamic at play in “24: Redemption”. The trademark “torture first; ask questions later” attitude of “24” has been replaced (at least in this prequel) by a more idealistic world view with a hero who saves the day and a new president who promises change.

Thankfully, Kiefer Sutherland never looks into the camera and says: “Mr. president, yes we can.” It’s still a dark and brutal program, but there has clearly been a creative reassessment of the show. It’s the kind of self-awareness that could resurrect a series that looked like its popularity might be sliding away with Bush and Cheney’s ever-plummeting approval ratings.

Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
Photo credit: Kelsey McNeal, FOX Broadcasting

The sixth season of “24” ended with Jack Bauer once again alone and without support. The seventh season picks up four days later with Jack in front of a U.S. Senate subcommittee. He’s forced to answer for his controversial past conduct and “24: Redemption” is meant to bridge those two Jacks.

Robert Carlyle as Carl Benton in “24: Redemption”.
Photo credit: Kelsey McNeal, FOX Broadcasting

In the years since season six, Jack has been wandering the globe while finding himself in the fictional country of Sangala, Africa where he works with a special-ops pal named Benton (Robert Carlyle) in a boys’ school.

Of course, no one has worse timing than Jack Bauer. He just happens to be at the school on the same day that a sadistic warlord (Tony Todd) is planning a bloody coup and needs some “little soldiers” to help with the mass murder.

Jack is literally on the road out of town with a backpack over his shoulder when things get serious. He is once again drawn into an international crisis. One minute, he’s off to save the next African village and literally 10 minutes later he’s dodging a rocket launcher.

It’s the classic Bauer dilemma: help out and face the government official (Gil Bellows) trying to bring Jack back to the U.S. for justice or turn his back on innocent children. It’s no contest for our man Jack.

While “Redemption” may be a “24” with no counterterrorist unit (CTU), it hasn’t lost any of its distrust for government and its officials. Gil Bellows is definitely smarmy enough, but even he doesn’t touch just a few minutes with Jon Voight.

Voight is licking his lips at the scenery he plans to chew in season seven as an American businessman who may have ties to terrorism (and a certain bloodthirsty warlord in Sangala). All of this happens to be going down on the day that president elect Allison Taylor (the great Cherry Jones) is taking over residence in the Oval Office.

The scenes between Jones and Powers Boothe’s outgoing president Noah Daniels have a riveting parallel to reality with the two even comparing the new leader’s “idealism” and the old one’s “cynicism”. Daniels delivers the line that President Bush probably wishes he could say to Barack Obama: “Let’s talk after you’ve been sitting in my chair for a while.”

The concept of one government inheriting not only the problems but also possibly the underhanded dealings of the previous one could add a new creative energy to a show that was seriously lacking it in season six. The casting of Jones makes one wonder if the producers of “24” thought Hillary Clinton was the more likely winner on Election Day.

President elect Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones, right) meets with U.S. President Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe, left) before her inauguration in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
Photo credit: Greg Gayne, FOX Broadcasting

Jones and Boothe are spectacular, but “24” has and will always belong to Kiefer Sutherland who doesn’t miss a beat stepping back into Bauer’s well-worn shoes.

“24: Redemption” has an unusual supporting cast in that it introduces some new players for season seven, features several actors who will only be in “24: Redemption” and doesn’t include many of the regular faces (like Mary Lynn Rajskub or the returning Carlos Bernard).

That said, perhaps it’s appropriate that with the exception of Jones’ few scenes we’re reintroduced to “24” with a movie that features Sutherland front and center. If anyone is going to carry the show back from the worst season in its history, it’s going to be Jack Bauer. In the end, “24: Redemption” is really just prologue and back story for what’s to come in season seven.

However, judged as a standalone “event” (as FOX likes to describe it), it comes up a little short. The action in Sangala is too predictable (Bellows, in particular, might as well be twirling a curly-cue mustache as he’s such a stereotypically slimy bad guy) and the pile of coincidences that can sometimes bring down the show hurts the believability of the action in the nation’s capital.

The president elect’s son (Eric Lively) gets involved with the drama surrounding what’s happening in Africa in a way that doesn’t feel plausible at all (which is saying a lot for this show). The real-time structure is stretched as far as it ever has been.

While “24” has always been a program that requires an intense suspension of disbelief, “24: Redemption” seems to need more than average. For a country that recently voted for change, “24: Redemption” seems to be going in the right direction but may not have gone far enough to not look like a Bush-era relic.

“24: Redemption,” which airs on FOX, stars Kiefer Sutherland, Robert Carlyle, Cherry Jones, Jon Voight, Tony Todd, Gil Bellows and Powers Boothe. The two-hour event airs on Nov. 23, 2008 at 7 p.m. CST.

Flip through our high-quality, 22-image slideshow for “24: Redemption”.

Read our interview with “24” star Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O’Brian).

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Slideshow: 22-Image Gallery For ‘24: Redemption’ With Kiefer Sutherland

BrianTT — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:50:58 -0700

CHICAGO – This 22-image slideshow contains official press images for the new TV film “24: Redemption” (previously named “24: Exile”), which stars Kiefer Sutherland, Gil Bellows, Robert Carlyle, Cherry Jones, Powers Boothe and Jon Voight. The prequel to the seventh season of “24” airs on Nov. 23, 2008 at 8 p.m. EST or 7 p.m. CST on FOX.

“24” jump-starts its seventh season with a two-hour, real-time special movie that airs on Nov. 23, 2008. Set and shot entirely in Africa, “24: Redemption” stars Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer who is forced to battle an international crisis with mentor Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle).

Meanwhile, the U.S. prepares to inaugurate new president Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones). Set a few months before day seven will officially begin for “24,” “24: Redemption” also introduces two characters who will be integral to that season’s plot: Frank Tramell (Gil Bellows) and Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight).

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. Unless otherwise noted on an individual photo, all photo credits for this slideshow belong to Kelsey McNeal and the FOX Broadcasting Company.

24redemption1: Captured in Africa exhibit: “24” producer Michael Klick captures Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) performing a stunt while filming “24: Redemption,” which airs on Nov. 23, 2008 on FOX. Photo credit: Michael Klick
24redemption2: Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer in “24: Redemption,” which is the two-hour special “day-seven prequel” airing on Nov. 23, 2008 on FOX.
24redemption3: Gil Bellows as Frank Tramell in “24: Redemption”.
24redemption4: Robert Carlyle as Carl Benton in “24: Redemption”.
24redemption5: Captured in Africa exhibit: Unit photographer Kelsey McNeal captures a behind-the-scenes look at Kiefer Sutherland (right) and Siyabulela Ramba (left) while filming “24: Redemption”.
24redemption6: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland, center) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Robert Carlyle is also pictured on right.
24redemption7: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption8: U.S. State Department officer Frank Tramell (Gil Bellows, right) tries to convince Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle, left) that Jack must return to the U.S. in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption9: Robert Carlyle as Carl Benton in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption10: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) forms a bond with the children at an orphanage in South Africa in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Siyabuela Ramba is also pictured on right.
24redemption11: Robert Carlyle as Carl Benton in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption12: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption13: An international crisis ensues in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption14: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption15: Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) battles an international crisis in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption16: U.S. State Department officer Frank Tramell (Gil Bellows, left) tries to convince Jack to return to the U.S. in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Also pictured is Robert Carlyle on right.
24redemption17: Jon Voight as Jonas Hodges in “24: Redemption”.
24redemption18: Jon Voight as Jonas Hodges in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption19: President-elect Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones, right) meets with U.S. president Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe, left) before her inauguration in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Photo credit: Greg Gayne/FOX
24redemption20: Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight) attends the presidential inauguration in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”.
24redemption21: President-elect Allison Taylor is sworn in as president of the U.S. in the special two-hour prequel event “24: Redemption”. Photo credit: Greg Gayne/FOX
24redemption22: Captured in Africa exhibit: “24” producer Michael Klick used his infrared camera to capture Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on the run while filming “24: Redemption”.Photo credit: Michael Klick

Read our full “24: Redemption” review by critic Brian Tallerico.

Read our interview with “24” star Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O’Brian).

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Mary Lynn Rajskub – Star of Hit TV Show ‘24’ – Discovers She’s Hilarious

HollywoodChicago.com — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:58:25 -0700

CHICAGO – On the other end of the phone, Mary Lynn Rajskub (best known to most Americans as Chloe O’Brian on the hit television show “24”) tells me her Thanksgiving plans.

Even though her voice is sweet and humble as we discuss the logistics and square footage needed to properly deep fry a turkey, something in my mind can’t separate her from the government agent she plays.

I find myself fighting the urge to talk into the headset with a deep, raspy voice a la Kiefer Sutherland and demand she send me the schematics of an abandoned industrial complex.

“I thought [deep frying a turkey] was a terrible idea, but apparently it’s pretty delicious,” she says completely unaware that in my mind a bomb is about to go off somewhere in the city unless she can get me the information I need.

Mary Lynn Rajskub.
Photo credit: GeekSugar.com
Rajskub has found playing a hit character on a fast-paced action show a high point in her career. Meanwhile, an oft-forgotten bit of information known only to fans of her earlier work and attendees of the annual CTU holiday party is that Mary Lynn Rajskub is hilarious.

In case you don’t believe me, she performed stand-up at the Lakeshore Theatre in Chicago on Nov. 24 in a show called “Mary Lynn Rajskub: Turns Out I’m Funny”.

The Trenton, Mich. native started her comedy career on the first two seasons of the HBO sketch comedy “Mr. Show”. At that time, she was dating the show’s co-creator (David Cross), and when their relationship ended, she was no longer allowed on the set.

While working as a barista at Seattle’s Best, her agent took a video of her doing a stand-up routine of a performance artist on acid to Garry Shandling. He cast her in the “Larry Sanders Show”.

Mary Lynn Rajskub.
Photo credit: GeekSugar.com
Between being a foil to Bob Odenkirk and over-the-top David Cross sketches and making out with Jeffery Tambor (in what was the funniest “Larry Sanders Show” episode), Rajskub became a favorite to comedy nerds throughout the nation.

One such fan was director Paul Thomas Anderson who cast her as an assistant to Tom Cruise in the film “Magnolia”. When her scene didn’t make the final cut, he made a point to give her a much bigger role as Adam Sandler’s overbearing sister in “Punch-Drunk Love”.

This is what caught the eye of “24” executive producer Joel Surnow.

“He really liked my character. He decided he wanted somebody somewhat like that at the CTU,” Rajskub said. “I had never watched ‘24’. I really didn’t audition for very many dramas. I didn’t really want to go in on it.”

Mary Lynn Rajskub (left), Emily Watson and
Adam Sandler in “Punch-Drunk Love”.
Photo credit: Bruce Birmelin, Columbia Pictures
The decision to sign on paid off. Rajskub was an immediate hit for critics and fans when she joined the cast in the third season. The following year when the show was retooled, she was one of the only characters to stay on as a regular.

Rajskub has been manning the computer at CTU ever since and even has some fun with it by parodying the role on shows such as “The Simpsons” and “MADtv”.

Of course, she won’t be going anywhere any time soon. The much-anticipated new season of “24” will feature Chloe working for a rogue CTU agency outside the government while Jack Bauer faces torture charges. The much-talked about “24” movie is still in the works as well.

“They have written a first draft of that,” she says as she seems to search her brain for something she hasn’t thought about in a while. “Then FOX put it on hold because they wanted to do it when the series was entirely over.”

While talking about “24” seems like it has become almost overplayed in the comedian’s life, sometimes her television show is all the audience can think about when they see her perform other places.

Mary Lynn Rajskub.
Photo credit: GeekSugar.com
“Sometimes I can feel that they’re really beside themselves,” the actress says of some “24” fans who see her live show. “They think Kiefer is backstage or something. I can tell all they’re thinking about is ‘24’.”

How does the comedian/field agent diffuse this situation?

“I’ll just talk to them,” Rajskub said. “Like: ‘What do you want to know?’” She admits that while she does mention Hollywood briefly, the show is on a more personal level. It’s less like a conventional stand-up show and more like old-fashioned storytelling.

“I tried to put together a show that was more theatrical, but I just end up standing there talking to the audience any way. I’ve never been a straight-up ‘joke teller,’” Rajskub confesses. “I’ve always been funny on stage.”

Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub in “24”.
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox
This comes as no surprise because she’s always funny on screen. Hopefully we can see more of that sooner than later.

While Mary Lynn tells me that she would love to work with Ricky Gervais or Garry Shandling again, there might be another collaboration with a former “Mr. Show” cast mate in the future. She is currently reworking a feature-length script based on an earlier short film she made with comedian Paul F. Thompkins.

The story follows a recently dumped woman who becomes a hit man just to not look pathetic in front of a guy at a bar. Following through on her word, she takes out an advertisement and becomes possibly the most inept assassin ever.

Interestingly, Rajskub doesn’t even have a copy of the original short film. “I found it on YouTube,” she laughs. “I thought ‘somebody found that and put it up. I’m going to watch it.’”

A short film featuring Mary Lynn Rajskub as an adorable hitman.
“I haven’t really shown it to anyone,” she says. “I just keep rewriting it.” In the meantime, we can expect to see more of Mary Lynn Rajskub on televisions on the upcoming premiere of “24” as well as the recently released “Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show” on DVD.

As the phone conversation ends, I’m again a bit heartbroken. She hasn’t confirmed that she hacked into some terrorist computer network or at least a decent cliffhanger to lead into the next hour.

While I know the beautiful and funny Mary Lynn Rajskub will go on to call into radio shows and will do more interviews, my inner Jack Bauer hopes Chloe is investigating a mole working inside Mancow’s “Morning Madhouse”.

By Dustin Levell
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com

News You Need: Mackie in ‘Eagle Eye,’ ‘Star Trek’ Beams in New Captain, Strike Pauses ‘24’

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:08:07 -0700

We! Are! Terrorist Cell!: We already told you about Billy Bob Thorton being cast in “Eagle Eye,” which is shooting now in Chicago and is directed by D.J. Caruso.

Now Variety and Hollywood Reporter and are reporting that Anthony Mackie (“Half Nelson,” “We Are Marshall”) has joined the cast as a “hot-shot soldier”.

“Eagle Eye” stars Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan as a falsely accused young man and single mother who are “forced to become members of a cell with plans to carry out a political assassination”.

Thorton will play a “patriotic hero” while Rosario Dawson plays a government agent. Dawson opted out of a role in Kevin Smith’s “Zach and Miri Make a Porno” (a role written specifically for her) to make “Eagle Eye”.

“Eagle Eye” comes from a screen idea by Steven Spielberg. Dan McDermott, John Glenn, Travis Wright, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, J.J. Abrams and finally Hilary Seitz all worked on the screenplay, according to Film Jerk.

Kurtzman and Orci – who worked on Abrams’ “Star Trek” and did a rumored rewrite to the “Watchmen” screenplay – are overseeing Seitz. Let’s hope in light of the WGA strike that “overseeing” is past tense.

Unless Voted Out By Focus Group, Greenwood Will Boldy Go: Speaking of J.J. Abrams’ increasingly more-interesting “Star Trek” reboot, Hollywood Reporter says Bruce Greenwood (“Thirteen Days,” “I, Robot”) has been cast as Captain Christopher Pike.

Originally played by Jeffrey Hunter, Pike was technically the first captain of the starship Enterprise. That’s due to his having been in the original, shelved “Star Trek” pilot.

Bruce Greenwood.
Photo credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Scenes from this unused pilot were reworked as flashback footage into first “Star Trek” season two-parter “The Menagerie”. In that episode Sean Kenney took over the role and played Pike as a scarred mute who communicated via light on his wheelchair.

At one point, Tom Cruise (who worked on Abrams’ last film “Mission: Impossible III”) was rumored for the role. There’s still no official word if the movie is a restarted Ultimatization or simply an alternate reality.

Jack Bauer Now Has Time to Use Restroom: The first big casualty of the Writers Guild of America strike is the seventh season premiere of Fox’s “24”.

Originally set to air on Jan. 13, TV Week reports that Fox has chosen to hold off on airing the show until the strike’s end. The show has run the past two seasons week to week with no repeats.

After last season’s critical drubbing, which saw its viewership down drastically, “24” was set for a major revamp this season. The show already started production a month late after Fox scrapped a storyline that was to partly take place in Africa.

In Bauer’s absence, perhaps now we can finally have a real national dialogue about torture.

By Shane Hazen
Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com