some advice...

When car pooling with Jack Bauer, never yell shotgun.

Kiefer enjoys lazy days of summer with lady friends in LA

28 AUGUST 2007

Small screen action hero Kiefer Sutherland may play the part of unlucky-in-love Jack Bauer on 24, but in reality the actor's personal life is clearly keeping him very happy.

The dad-of-one was all smiles as he enjoyed an alfresco lunch with a couple of gal pals in LA on Monday afternoon. As one of the 44-year-old's chums showed off some baby clothes she had just bought, the other put her hand affectionately on the actor's head as they shared a joke.

Golden Globe winner Kiefer, who recently finished lensing silver screen thriller Mirrors in Romania, is seemingly enjoying the last lazy days of summer before starting work on the seventh season of his award-winning TV series next month.

Canadian fans will have to wait until next year to see how the action adventure unfolds, but one snippet of info already available is the identity of the latest addition to the show's cast. Ontario native Colm Feore is to take on the role of the US president's husband. (source)

OK, Hello! journalists. Get your facts straight. Kiefer Sutherland is not 44 yet. He is 40. Other than that, I love the smiling picture!

Behind the scenes of 24

Posted on The San Diego Beat, August 27th, 2007 · (Link)

I decided to add the pictures, for my own viewing pleasure.

Fans of the Kiefer Sutherland TV series, 24, were excited to hear from Director Jon Cassar, and Executive Producers Evan Katz, Manny Coto and David Fury at Comic-Con in San Diego. We not only learned a little about Season 7, but also got to ask questions about the upcoming 24 movie.

What Happened to Season 6?
The producers started out by blaming Season 6 on David Fury. With that done, they opened up the Q&A session, telling us that they spent three months locked in a room working on Season 7, only to stop and start all over. They’re now pretty pleased with what they’ve come up with.

More complaints were voiced about Season 6, and they were acknowledged, however they said that the past season had some of their finest moments as well, such as when Jack tortured his brother; they are proud of those moments. According to the producers, Season 7 will take a different direction, and the writing will be better. There will be some radical changes.

When asked how much time is supposed to have passed between Season 6 and Season 7, they were very precise - between 2 and 27 years.

They also acknowledged that Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) was slightly short-shifted last year, and we hope to see more of him in the coming year.

Season 6 didn’t end with the expected cliff-hanger, because they decided they wanted it to be an ending for a change. They considered an alternate ending where Jack is standing looking out over a cliff,, and out of the shadows walks Tony Almeida. (Manny Coto admitted having a man-crush on Tony, as did Jon Cassar.) They strongly hinted that Tony Almeida will be back, much to the audience’s delight.

What Will Be Different in Season 7?
First of all, when Season 7 starts, there will be no Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU). It has been disbanded by the government, and Jack will be hauled before a Senate Committee to answer for his crimes.

It’s pretty likely that the 24 setting will move from Los Angeles to DC.

When asked if there always has to be a mole in the White House and in CTU, the producers offered that they may reverse it and put a mole in CTU and one in the White House. In their own defense, they said that there was no mole in CTU last year, so SIT DOWN!

Asked about characters to be eliminated or otherwise changed, they announced that Cherry Jones will play the President this season. Mary Lynn Rajskub will, of course, come back as Chloe, and they’re pretty close to signing Kiefer Sutherland!

David Fury was asked how he’ll write for the president, and how he writes for women in general, as he has for Buffy [the Vampire Slayer] and Harmony. Evan Katz pleaded, “David, help us think like a woman…” Fury smiled and said that he’s secure in his feminine side without ridiculing others.”

Jon Cassar expressed regret that they don’t get to use Fury’s incredible sense of humor more.
There was talk about the show’s strong relationship with the military, and that they might be using a sub that just came back from Iraq. They’ve also been offered an aircraft carrier, but they haven’t found a way to write it in yet.

Someone asked about Martha Logan (Jean Smart’s character), and they said that they believe she must have done some time in prison, but perhaps she’d get out for a “medical condition.” Keep watching for “Caged Martha,” the new series - NOT.

One wondered if there are any other characters returning, and the producers said, “If we haven’t depicted them as dead, they’re usually not.”

The idea of a prequel came up, and they said that they seriously considered it, but one problem is that everyone’s older. Also, you know who lives and dies based on later seasons, so that really doesn’t work.

The theme of Season 7? “Jack’s struggle to get to Season 8.”

We can also expect Jack to be more physical this year, because he will be on his own, without the backup of CTU.

Don’t expect to see the return of Audrey Raines (Kim Raver); she’s on another show now (The Nine).

When another audience member begged them not to bring back Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert), the producers countered with, “Just for that, this is the Kim Bauer Season!”

If you’ve been wondering if they’d ever tell us if Jack’s nephew is really his son, they’ve decided to let the audience just figure that one out.

How about the return of Aaron Pierce (Glenn Morshower)? He’s on Friday Night Lights now, but they’re pushing to get him.

Season 7 will premiere in January of 2008.

Odd and Ends
Manny Coto talked about how similar it is to write tech speak for Star Trek and 24’s CTU.
There was talk about how they decide who lives and who dies, and the producers said that they need to save the deaths for when they’ll be dramatically impactful. Either that, of they pick who’s paid the most. Or who’s changed the lines.

They tried to get serious for a moment to explain that the deaths aren’t arbitrary. They also said that they’ve gotten better at telling the actors ahead of time. Peter Weller actually talked himself out of dying, as he was actually supposed to die instead of Tony. Aaron Pierce was also supposed to die. Tony was supposed to die about five times.

Asked about the Fan Phone, Jon Cassar said that he usually turns it on in January, but he hasn’t this year. He promises to turn it on soon.

When someone asked where they can get a phone like Jack Bauer’s, they were told to call Steven Jobs. The producers also mentioned that they’ve been told that the CIA can do almost everything Jack and Chloe can, only slower.

One fan wondered it the show could survive if Jack Bauer were killed off. The producers said, “If we were able to get Danny Bonaduce…”

One thing that they have established is that Jack works better when his relationship is already established. He doesn’t date well.

They did try to get Donald Sutherland (Kiefer’s father) to join the cast, but it just didn’t work out.

It was accepted that Jack’s character has gotten darker each season, and that’s on purpose.

Someone asked who came up with the idea that Jack would carry a purse, and the producers said that it was originally to be a magic bag, and they have no idea what’s in it. Kiefer actually picked the man-purse for himself.

Have you played Damn It?
There’s a drinking game going around college campuses, where the students take a shot every time Jack Bauer says “Damn It.” Someone asked if the writers actually write in “Damn It” that often, or whether they’re improvised by Sutherland. Reportedly Sutherland is aware of the game, and likes to throw in a few extra “Damn It”s for the drinking crowd.

24 - The Movie
So what about the movie 24? They producers have realized that it’s very ambitious to try to do both the movie and the series at the same time. When 24 finishes on TV, they think the movie will then come out.

So how does the 24-hour clock translate to a movie? They said that the movie will run in real time too - for 24 hours. Okay, maybe not. They’ve thought about making the first hour of the film not in real time, and the second hour in real time. They’re not committing to it though.
The movie’s release date is now tentatively expected in 2009.

Finding Nemo

"Finding Nemo" would have been vastly more exciting had Jack Bauer been looking for him.

Kiefer Sutherland, on his father Donald

Is your father proud of you?
KIEFER: I think he's very happy for me. But I think he was proud of me before. He's very happy for me. We have a running joke because when he gets an award, he's very witty and kind of graceful and very funny. And we joke that I'm not. I get very shy very fast. He's going to help me with that one day.

What does your father think about it [24]?
KIEFER: He likes watching it in Europe a lot more than he does here because they don't have commercials. He gets very frustrated when he's here, because he likes to watch the show but he gets very frustrated by the commercial breaks.

Do you like the fact that people many times compare between you, because you also look very much alike?
KIEFER: They compare us on that level. You're talking about one of the greatest actors in film, period. He's the real deal, my dad. He's it. You know. I will work very hard over the course of my career to try and be as good as I can be. But from my perspective, he's an icon. You take a look at the variety of work, from ORDINARY PEOPLE to FELLINI'S CASANOVA to 1900 to DAY OF THE LOCUST, and just take a look at the difference in all those characters, it's staggering. EYE OF THE NEEDLE. DON'T LOOK NOW. You're talking about some of the most important work in cinema.

Is it frustrating, as well?
KIEFER: For what?

To have such a high role model.
KIEFER: Oh my God, no, it's fantastic. My God. Most people would be very lucky to even meet him, and I have him as a dad.

There it is, friends: Reason 726 358 to love Kiefer Sutherland.

R.I.P. President Palmer

The only reason David Palmer is dead is because when faced with a national threat, he called the First Lady instead of Jack Bauer. Idiot.

Where is Waldo?

Jack Bauer is the reason Waldo is hiding.

Do you copy?

Jack Bauer could strangle you with a cordless phone.

Praise the Lord!

Jack Bauer arrested Robocop.

Think about that.

Kiefer Sutherland Shoots Global Warming In The Knee

August 7th, 2007 at 11:30 by Stuart Heritage

That's it global warming, we've had enough. We tried the softly-softly approach, attempting to get rid of you with sing-songs and almost-presidents, but you didn't listen - that's why we're going to send Jack Bauer in to finish the job.

Kiefer Sutherland, who plays Jack Bauer in the once good, now inexplicably bad real-time day-long torture tutorial 24 has decided that he's bored with stopping nuclear explosions every other series and has decided to focus his attention instead on global warming. As well as using unprecedented methods of making the next season of 24 more environmentally friendly than ever, Kiefer Sutherland has also demanded that global warming is introduced into the storyline for the next season. That'll stop criticism that 24 is past its best - 24 hours of Kiefer Sutherland electrocuting an ice cap with a rudimentary device made from a lamp's power cord until it breaks and agrees to freeze up again.

Kiefer Sutherland is a strange and complex man. One the one hand there's the hard-partying badass Kiefer Sutherland - the man who flings himself into Christmas trees and uses Jack Bauer action figures like weird self-harming voodoo dolls, then there's action hero Kiefer Sutherland - the man who enthralled audiences through five series of 24 and then sort of annoyed audiences through the sixth season of 24 and a possible 24 movie by indiscriminately torturing anyone who won't answer his questions a nanosecond after he asked them in the most painful ways possible. And then there's the third Kiefer Sutherland, the Kiefer who cares about issues and stuff.

You may have thought that Kiefer Sutherland had already picked his side in the great Climate Change Vs Dead Princess London charity concert smackdown of July 2007 since he appeared at the Diana Concert and not Live Earth, but now it seems as if Kiefer Sutherland cares more about global warming than posh car crash women. That's because, in his role as dark 24 overlord, Kiefer Sutherland has decided to address global warming squarely in the face. And then chop its arm off, or however the hell Jack Bauer tortures people these days. Look, whatever Kiefer does for global warming is bound to be better than that awful song Madonna wrote, OK? The Independent reports:

The producers will swap diesel generators at the studio for electric power and
buy the electricity from renewable sources, and put the crew in hybrid vehicles
or convert the giant production trucks to biodiesel. "Global warming is a crime
for which we are all guilty, from our cars, our homes and our workplaces," said
Kiefer Sutherland, who plays Jack Bauer. "All of us at 24 understand the urgency
of this problem and, over the next year, we will be implementing creative new
ways to produce our show and significantly reduce our carbon footprint."

But biodiesel trucks aren't the only ways that 24 plans to combat global warming - as well as honestly featuring a global warming storyline in season seven of 24, where we expect that Jack Bauer will battle a couple of fundamentalist Arabs hell-bent on sitting on top of a glacier with some hairdryers, laughing maniacally and cursing the west, Kiefer Sutherland is also taking global warming so seriously that he's making a number of public service announcements where he'll "highlight simple measures that people can take to reduce their own contributions to global warming."

Needless to say, these are thought to include a) only showing your enemies a video of their children being murdered if the videotape is fair trade, b) reducing the temperature of the water bucket that you put people's feet in before you start electrocuting them by ten degrees and c) letting your idiot daughter get eaten by mountain lions next time she gets caught in a trap rather than keeping her alive to pump another four seasons of endless whiny complaining carbon out of her mouth.

Sutherland leaves presenter flushed

Kiefer Sutherland left British TVpresenter Fearne Cotton red-faced when she caught him in his underwear. The 24 actor was using the unisex toilets backstage at the Princess Diana Memorial Concert in London earlier this month (Jul07) when Cotton burst through the unlocked door. She says, "Kiefer told me very calmly that the lock on the door didn't work. "He offered to stand outside so I could use it without anyone walking in. He was a true gent. "But it has to be one of my most embarrassing moments ever." (source)

Reason 45 698 753 to love Kiefer Sutherland

"That dance sequence that Hugh does with Drew Barrymore in Words And Music? I'd rather stick a javelin in my eye than have to do that myself, but I loved watching it."

"There's a grace and an ease with Hugh Grant whereas with me I've never felt that comfortable doing what I'm doing."

"And I love watching romantic comedies like Love, Actually. It's a real skill to be able to do that on camera with a script, and it's a skill I admire."

Jack Bauer wants you to read, dammit!

I've been reading the 24: Declassified novels ever since I saw Jack Bauer staring at me from a bookshelf at Chapters.

When I met his gaze, I knew I had to take him home.
We were running out of time, I had to know who he was working for!

Turns out I didn't even have to break protocol to find out; he's still working for the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit.

The Declassified books, written by John Whitman and Marc Cerasini all tell pre-season 1 stories.

To me, it makes sense that Jack Bauer would be hanging in a book store. He does, after all, have a degree in English litterature.

Here's a review of one of the Declassified, titled Chaos Theory, by Mel Odom.

I’m a big fan of Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer character on the television show 24. I like the way Bauer is driven to get the job done no matter what, no matter who gets hurt. It sets him up as great flawed hero among his family and peers, but all of us who love the character know the price he’s paying to stop the bad guys.

I also have to admit that I can’t stand waiting from week to week for episodes of the new season. I have to make a deal with myself. I don’t watch the first-run showing of the seasons. After they’re finished, I wait until the DVD sets come out and buy those. I watch those straight through, more or less. It’s easier on me than having to wait every week. I know there are some people who enjoy getting together to watch the episodes and then rehashing the twists and turns of the plot as well as making predictions about what’s going to happen. I tried that it first, and it drove me crazy.

When I first found out Harper Collins paperbacks was going to be releasing new books set in the series, I was excited and dismayed at the same time. I was glad to get the extra Bauer adventures, but I didn’t know how the books were going to pull off the immediacy of the television episodes.

Nor did I want anyone to try to sandwich books between the ongoing series seasons. Bauer’s life changes from season to season and I prefer that that be shown within the television world.

Fortunately, with the tight driving plot lines of the series, publishers weren’t willing to risk trying to elaborate on stories set between the seasons. They elected to go back to earlier in Jack’s career and call the series 24 Declassified. This way we get to see the first season CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) team in action all over again. From time to time, though, a few mishaps with canon will occur, or the characterization will not quite seem right.

One of the biggest problems in the book series is the fact that all of the television fans who read them know what Nina is really like. We know that she was not a good person, yet the authors of these books have to portray her as decent and professional. But no attempt can be made to evoke a lot of sympathy for character because we won’t buy it.

John Whitman and Marc Cerasini together have written six books in the 24 Declassified novel series so far. Chaos Theory is the latest in the successful run.

The book opens with Bauer interrupting a poker game and shooting one of the man dead. This prologue is set a few weeks prior to the opening hour of the next 24-hour run. It sets the plot into motion and raises questions. Two pages later, we learn that Bauer is in prison awaiting trial for murder of a man he shot in the prologue. Questions arise immediately, but they take back seat to the action that begins with a bang. Within minutes, Bauer is attacked by an Hispanic street gang in the shower. He has no idea why he’s been targeted, but he knows something has gone drastically wrong.

It isn’t long before the reader understands that Bauer is in jail because he wants to be. He has a mission on the inside. However, his cover has been blown because someone has taken out all three people that know he’s innocent. Bauer has no choice, as usual, but to take matters into his own hands and move events directly toward critical mass. This is typical, great Bauer action.

The plot is convoluted and multi-layered. The CTU team all have parts to play. Whitman does an excellent job of “seeding” events that lead up to betrayals and double-crosses that play out in the television series. This foreshadowing works well and doubles down on the pleasure the reader receives because not only is a new mission unfolding, the fans get to see some of the other pieces of the television series’ twists and turns fall into place.

The title, Chaos Theory, relates to the action in the book and a lot of ways. Everybody seems to take some part in the chaos that eventually unravels. Nobody’s plans, not Bauer’s or the villain’s, go as intended. Some of the twists and turns can be predicted, and some of the action is a little over the top, but there are some surprises.

I read the book on the plane on the way to San Diego Con this past weekend. With three hours of flight time ahead of me, I wanted something familiar to read that would easily grasp my attention and immerse me in a world other than the airplane. By the time I reached San Diego, I was totally engaged in the book. After arriving at my hotel, I settled in, put my feet up, and finished the read rather than going exploring. For me, that’s a sign of a good book.

Now I know there are five other Jack Bauer adventures awaiting me that I’ll probably be able to cram into my schedule before Season Six arrives on DVD. If you’re a 24 fan, and like to read, these books are for you. If you don’t like to read but love the show, I’d recommend giving these books a try. If the others are like this one, they are lean and mean and move with the same blistering bullet speed as the television series. You may find the book interface seems to disappear completely as Bauer’s adventures come to life inside your mind.

If the rest of the books are like this one, they’re just sheer good fun.

Harry Potter and the 24 Episodes

Here is a blog post from Beth that is borderline genius!

The image is from 24fans.net

There are two things in my life that others have tried to persuade me to get addicted to. Harry Potter and the tv show 24. I have really resisted both because neither one has really intrigued me in the least. I mentioned the other day that my sister convinced me to try and begin The Sorcerer’s Stone again. And my husband begged me to begin the 24 series again with him. So I relented on both requests.

I actually got through the book in 3 days. Had a hard time putting it down. And 24 has got me so bunched up in knots, I look forward to putting my kids to bed at night (maybe I do it more hurriedly than usual) so we can put on the DVDs and watch several shows in a row.
The other night, when I had finished The Sorcerer’s Stone, we also hit a very intense several episodes of 24, season 1. I went to bed thinking about what we had just watched and reminded myself that I needed to hit the book store for The Chamber of Secrets.

Then, I dreamed.

I dreamed I was in an episode of 24. But instead of Kiefer Sutherland and the other actors, it was the Harry Potter actors from the movies. Obviously Harry was Jack Bauer and so forth. It was a crazy dream. We were saving Senator Palmer from assassination by using magic……and breaking several CTU procedural rules in the process. I mean, we weren’t supposed to use magic in the Muggle world. So automatically Harry/Jack was in trouble and I (I was Nina) was covering his unorthodox methods of crime fighting by putting Petrificus Totalus spells on the people pursuing him. If they went totally stiff as a board, then they couldn’t call the FBI or chase him down. Right?

I woke up not feeling totally rested after that dream. My anxiety level was quite high. After all, being stuck at CTU covering Jack/Harry’s butt by hiding all the owls he kept sending me for more information about certain terrorists tends to wear a person out.

Kiefer's mom goes back to school!

Actress Shirley Douglas was on the set of "Degrassi: The Next Generation" for a guest appearance Thursday - although she admits she didn't know until recently that the show was still in production.

Douglas said she was surprised when she got the invitation to appear on the wildly popular teen show. "I used to watch Degrassi a long time ago, and I didn't realize they're still making it, because I don't have any children at home and I don't watch a lot of television for young people," Douglas said in an interview.

"So I was very excited when I heard they were still doing it."

The 73-year-old Toronto-based actress - who has appeared in such iconic Canadian TV shows as "Road to Avonlea," "Wind at My Back," "Robson Arms" and "Corner Gas" - has a role as head of the theatre department at a college that one of the "Degrassi" characters has applied to.

She said she thinks of "Degrassi" as a Canadian icon.

"It's exciting that this company has stayed together and kept going quite successfully," she said.

"This show has been going a long time and it runs beautifully, it just runs beautifully."

Mike Lobel, who plays Jay Hogart on the show, appears in one scene with Douglas. He said he was intimidated to meet her but immediately felt comfortable.

"The first thing about Shirley that I think you realize is that she has this very open personality and she'll talk about anything. She knows tons about everything and she's really just the coolest person to listen to," said Lobel.

"It was nerve-racking to meet her, though," he added. "She's just so commanding. She's a commanding woman, a very commanding actress, and she makes you pay attention."

While Douglas has been asked to star in just one "Degrassi" episode so far, she said she certainly wouldn't turn down the opportunity to make her character a recurring one.

"I would love to have her keep coming back to the school," she said.

Douglas has also starred in several films, including "The Stone Angel," "Anne of Green Gables" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf."

Born to storied politician Tommy Douglas in Weyburn, Sask., in 1934, Douglas was married to actor Donald Sutherland and is the mother of "24" star Kiefer Sutherland.

The episode will air in January 2008. (link)

A great interview about the upcoming season 7

This is an interview by Eric Goldman published on August 2, 2007.

Here is the link. I took the liberty to add images, although if you go to the original post, you'll see lots of pretty Jack Bauer pics.

24: Season 7 Update from Kiefer Sutherland
We talk to Jack Bauer himself about Season 6 criticism, and what's to come.

There's been a lot of press given lately to the fact that 24 is going through some changes. The word was that Season 7 might have some notable alterations to the series, coming on the heels of a sixth season that faced a good amount of criticism for the usually beloved series. Last month, word came through that the show was in fact going to shoot several episodes in Africa, only for that plan to be jettisoned, and along with it, much of the planned storyline for the season.

At a recent FOX event, held on the Santa Monica pier, I was among a group of eager journalists who gathered around Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland, to find out the latest info on 24: Season 7. With the pier's amusement park rides all around us, Sutherland told the assembled press why certain decisions have been made for the show, what he thinks about the criticism Season 6 faced, and what he could tell us about Season 7, which is premiering next January.

Question: Why was the decision made to scrap the plan to shoot in Africa?

Sutherland: Well, I think on a couple of levels I think it was very, very difficult to shoot a television show on two, perhaps three continents. It wasn't a time thing, because they figured that out, which I thought was pretty cool. They found a better way to tell the story from a perspective here, because there certainly are still stories happening in Africa. But it was better told with their ability to write all 24 episodes, they knew very quickly it would be much better for them to tell it from this country's perspective than that one.

Question: So you'll be keeping some of the elements of that storyline?

Sutherland: We didn't shoot anything, but some of the stuff, absolutely, will filter through. Last year, I thought the first four episodes of Season 6, they really were the best episodes we'd ever made. It informs the rest of that day. They're also very aware that they're seeing things two nights, back-to-back, and so they almost have a different context, these four episodes, than the rest of the 20. And they really have to write and tailor those for that reason. But it will also either open up what we get to do for the next twenty episodes or it will shut you down, and they have learned that over the last six years. Every year there's an effort to make fewer mistakes. Every year we've run into bumps all the time, trying to do something different and new. And each year we've tried to avoid as many bumps before we start as we can.

Question: We've heard some of Jack's past may revisit him. Does that mean people from his past could revisit him too?

Sutherland: There's certainly a potential for that!

Question: Are you amused that people are so involved in the smallest aspects of the show?

Sutherland: No, I'm not amused. I'm grateful and all of us are flattered by that. We feel like we have this huge responsibility. If people are going to care that much about the show and get as involved as they have, we have an incredible responsibility to make it as good as we possibly can, and that's what we try to do. But it's incredibly flattering. Trust me, I've had long moments in my career where I was making much smaller, independent films - films that I would be proud of, that three people would see. Which is not why I became an actor; I wanted people to see the work that I was doing, and this has been an unbelievable experience. I couldn't even express to you how exciting that feels. But it also adds an incredible amount of pressure, certainly not just for me, but for the writers and everybody else involved in the show, that there is a responsibility to that audience.

Question: Does that take some of the fun out of it for you?

Sutherland: No, it doesn't take the fun out of it. But sure, I've lost some sleep at times.

Question: What about the 24 movie?

Sutherland: We are so focused on the show right now, I couldn't even imagine that any of the writers have even thought about that. I think we've collectively agreed that will be the first thing that we would do when we finish the show.

Question: Is it unusual to be starting over the story process this year, after one had already been in the works?

Sutherland: No, we do it every year. We start over three or four times. In fact, we probably started over less this year than any other. We have been known to go to the absolute wire and this year is no different.

Question: What time of day does Season 7 begin?

Sutherland: I think it starts in the morning again, and that's as much a production issue as anything else. We shoot in the summer and when it's daytime, we get longer days, and then we shoot night scenes in the winter, when we have longer nights.

Question: Is it set years after Season 6?

Sutherland: This is gonna be months [after Season 6].

Question: Were you satisfied with Season 6? The show faced some criticism.

Sutherland: It did. I felt the same about last year as I did every year. I think every year there are moments that are better than we ever expected, and there are moments that are disappointing for us. I read a lot of the criticism, and some of it I agreed wholeheartedly with and some of them I did not. Again, I felt that the first four episodes we did last year were four of the best episodes we'd ever done, and I felt the same way about the last four, and there were moments in-between where we struggled.

Question: Where do you think you struggled in Season 6?

Sutherland: I don't want to speak too much for them, but the writers I think had some issues with CTU stuff and getting a little cute with that. I think it was episode 14 and 15, and they had a hard time kind of getting my storyline going without obviously repeating a lot of stuff that we had already done. Last year was a huge learning experience for us, but again, it didn't feel any different to me than it did any other year. I mean I go all the way back to the cougar [in Season 2]. There was stuff where all of us just went "What were we thinking?" But we have done well and we have been given so much incredible support by all of you. You have to have a shot at some point and last year was as good as any. And we certainly knew it was coming. We were always looking over our shoulder a bit, so you know, it is what it is. But our job stays the same. We try to do the best we can. It's such a complicated format to write for with the real time aspect. There will be struggles within every year, we just know it.

Question: What do you think about the show adding a new female president in Season 7?

Sutherland: I think it's great. I was really proud that we had the very first African-American president on television. This obviously won't be the first female president [on TV], but it's certainly a political reality in this country and a possibility.

Question: Would you like to see Logan come back?

Sutherland: He's such a great actor. I'd like to see Jean Smart come back. I'd like to see a lot of people come back that have been on our show. I'd like to see David Palmer come back! But I think one of the things that's really interesting about our show is the constant influx of new characters. And I think the audience that we've had for the last six years has been loyal to us and has responded to that, and that is something that we'll continue to do.

Question: Will what Jack did at the end of Season 6 have an effect on him?

Sutherland: Yeah, in fact we were just talking about that. Howard [Gordon, 24 executive producer] had a great idea of how to do that and to inform during the show everything that he had done from the end of Season 6 to the beginning of Season 7, which is actually really simple, but really smart.

Question: Howard Gordon has said that Jack's big monologue at the end of Season 6 was your idea.

Sutherland: So much had happened to him, and again, it's a very difficult thing for the writers, because they have to sew up a lot, so they're in there suturing away. Do you play chess? I can sometimes see someone else's game so clearly if I'm not playing it and I'm just looking down at the game. They're in the middle of it, writing away, and trying to close everything off. And I saw that so much has happened to this character, that he's gotta be pissed off. The audience has to see how angry he is about how he's been used, and this is the guy [James Heller, played by William Devane] he's going to unload on, because he looked up to him like a father. And so we worked on it for an afternoon, and then we shot it, and they ended up really liking it, so they used it. But again, it was one of those moments where it's very easy for me to think about that character, but they're trying to wrap up a whole lot of stuff. I think we've really gotten to a place now where we really are working together. And now it's just time is the only thing that get us, because it's such a short break [between seasons] and that's a struggle.

Question: There'd been some talk initially that there wouldn't be as much terrorism or torture last season.

Sutherland: That's the show! If you don't like it, turn it off. I mean sorry, that's what we do.

Question: So that was a misquote then?

Sutherland: I've seen a lot of silly stuff. That's our show. If you don't like it, don't watch it. What we have done, is in episode 3 or 4 last year, Jack Bauer says, "I can't do this. I can't do this anymore." And he's told, "You'll remember." And then he goes and sticks a screwdriver in the other guy's knee… and he gets the information he needed. It's a television show. Yes, I believe in the constitution of the United States. I believe in due process. I do not believe in torture. But in the context of our show, these are unbelievably extreme events that within matters of hours, the entire place will be gone. It's a fantasy about that and those are the devices that we use in the fantasy. And again, anyone who's got a problem with it, there's 500 channels on the television.

Question: Why do you think so many people like that fantasy?

Sutherland: It's dramatic. It's like a roller coaster or any part of one of these thrill rides [points around us], where you actually think you're falling, and then you don't fall. You'd have to ask other people why they watch it, and out of 100 people you ask, you'll get 100 different reasons, but I think when you take a look at the success of the show around the world, which is what I've always found so phenomenal -- it's the number 1 show in Brazil, the number 1 show in France, the number 1 show in England ---- there is a collective theme. We live in a very bureaucratic world, and here's a guy who goes in a straight line and gets something done. It's only after six years that people treated it like some morality play. It wasn't about that. It was about "There's a crisis happening. This is urgent, and I have to get from point A to point B as fast as I can, cut through all the red tape, to accomplish whatever that task is."

Question: Do you think of your character as an anti-Tony Soprano? Tony was a guy with all this power who couldn't accomplish anything.

Sutherland: No, because my character is much more complicated than that. He's never won. He saves his daughter. He saves the president… He loses his wife. Not one year has he ever walked out with his goal being accomplished, but he's a guy who's gonna give everything he can and try as hard as he can. I think a lot of people feel that way. I think a lot of people feel that they are trying their hardest and are not getting it all. So I think there's a huge amount of identification with the character based on that.

Question: Jack saying, "I can't do it" was a big part of last year. What sort of theme might you be dealing with this season?

Sutherland: This year will be much different. He has not been physically traumatized. He is not coming out of that kind of environment. I think the last episode of 24 last season was the most clear he's been, because I think he'd been idealistically following orders from this government, and he kind of saw things for the way they were for the first time. He starts off this year having to explain a lot of the things he's done.

Question: We've heard the CTU aspect of the show will be gone or at least diminished.

Sutherland: Yeah. CTU will be a factor in that it's been disbanded.

Question: Where does that leave Jack?

Sutherland: You're going to have to watch!

Question: We have heard Chloe will be back. With CTU gone, how will she continue to be part of the story?

Sutherland: Again, you have to watch. I don't like talking too much about the actual show - the actual episodes themselves - because that's the fun of it for us, is for you guys to see it for the first time, and certainly for an audience, I think that's what's fun.

Ulster rockers hit the right note with superstar Kiefer

Friday, August 03, 2007
By Maureen Coleman

An Ulster rock band has added a Hollywood actor to their fan base after he tuned in to their music during a road trip in the US.

Lost Boys and 24 star Kiefer Sutherland was so impressed with The Beat Poets that he invited the Co Down boys to come and meet him while he was shooting a television documentary in Ireland.

But thinking it was a wind-up, only lead singer John Dinsmore turned up at Whelans pub in Dublin - where the world-famous actor and star of Emmy-nominated series 24, was waiting to greet him.

John said: "We got to know an American girl called Brandy through MySpace. She runs a rock venue called the Beauty Bar in Las Vegas and is good friends with the Killers and Kiefer Sutherland.

"She contacted a lot of radio stations in the States to get them to play our music and even gave Kiefer a copy of our CD.

"He played it while he was driving along and asked her all about us.

"He said he really loved our music and when he heard we were Irish he said he'd love to meet us the next time he was over here."

Out of the blue, the band received a telephone call to say that Kiefer - a huge music fan - would be in Dublin to film a documentary on an American singer/songwriter for Sky.

John said: "We were invited to come and meet him in Dublin, but the rest of the band thought it was a wind-up and wouldn't go.

"Myself and a few friends went down and told the guy behind the bar who were we. He immediately told us Kiefer was upstairs waiting on us.

"We had great craic with him. He's a really down-to-earth bloke and really big into music and guitars. We ended up jamming together and partied until early the next morning. He said he really liked our music and we're delighted to have him as a fan."

The Beat Poets, formed in 2005, have taken the music world by storm recently and were described by NME as 'blistering, frenzied, blood-stirring, old school rock that weaves its way through U2, the Foos and Vines'.

With word of the band spreading across the Atlantic this year, the quartet landed an exclusive licensing deal with MTV in the US and were invited to be part of the international showcase of acts at Canadian Music Week in March alongside Paolo Nutini, Public Enemy and the Hedrons.

They recently made their way to Stir Studios in Wales to record with legendary Welsh producer Greg Haver, who has worked with The Manic Street Preachers, Lost Prophets and Bullet for My Valentine and are planning to release their next single 'Post Pop War' in October.

The single is currently being mixed by Dave Way (Foo Fighters, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder) in Los Angeles.

The Beat Poets are also about to set off on an Irish tour, taking in Newry, Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Dublin and Galway.

They'll be playing The Square Peg, Warrenpoint, on August 25 and Auntie Annie's, Belfast, on September 4.

You can go check them out at http://www.thebeatpoets.com/

They rock! The singer sounds a bit like Axl Rose to me. I love "staring stars down". I can't help but move it when I listen to that song!

The more I listen to Mr. Sutherland's recommendations, the more I appreciate his great taste in music. Lifehouse, Rocco Deluca and the the Burden, Snow Patrol... those are all very talented bands that he got me into. Give them a listen too! Jack Bauer says so.