This ain't no blog

My prayers have been answered!

2009-04-05T22:52:00.003-04:00

I will never underestimate the power of the Internet again. Nor will I deny that of the written word. Back in season 5, I wrote a letter to the people over at 24. It might have taken them a little time to read it, but they did. Oh, they definitely did!

And now, in the incredible season 7,

a) Tony's back and looking hotter than ever;

b) No more Palmers, yet the new president rocks;

and

Dear Dr. House

2009-04-05T21:56:00.003-04:00

Dear Dr. House,

I'm offering you a case you won't be able to resist. It's the differential you've been waiting for. It's the one patient Cuddy, 13 and even Taub will beg you to save. It's your opportunity to laugh at a federal agent who carries a manpurse. It's Jack Bauer.

In order to be helpful, here are some of Mr. Bauer's symptoms:

-Been exposed to a bio weapon

-Never goes to the bathroom (bladder infection?)

-Neverending feeling of urgency and doom (schizophrenia? depression?)

-Whispers and constantly out of breath (asthma?)

-Been exposed to and possibly bitten by a rodent otherwise known as Audrey Raines (rabies?)

Thank you and please save him before next Monday night.

P.S. Keep him away from Kutner. Unless you get bored and want to learn about his past life as Ahmed the terrorist...

Another Jack fact

2009-03-05T23:31:00.000-05:00

If you're holding a gun to Jack Bauer's head, don't count to three before you shoot.

Count to 10.

That way, you get to live 7 seconds longer.

I'd buy it!

2009-01-07T14:47:00.002-05:00

There’s a Jack Bauer action figure available in stores now. Shouldn’t there be a Tony Almeida action figure too?

“Well, they’re big on Jack. I saw one of those action figures. They were handing them out to the crew a couple of weeks ago. I think I’ll have to get one and paint his hair and give him a soul patch. Turn it into a Tony!” -Carlos Bernard

(source)

I had a little fun and tried to turn a Jack into a Tony. Here's what it looks like:

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

2008-12-06T07:17:00.003-05:00

Kiefer Sutherland will finally receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

The unveiling ceremony will be held on Tuesday, December the 9th, outside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

I was happy to read that his father, actor Donald Sutherland, as well as moviemaker and friend Joel Schumacher will attend the ceremony. Mr Schumacher cast Kiefer in various and interesting roles, displaying his outstanding acting talents and charisma with roles such as David in the Lost Boys, Nelson in Flatliners, Freddy Lee Cobb in A Time to Kill and the caller in Phonebooth.

If anyone deserves a star, I believe Kiefer Sutherland does. He is a huge movie and television star, but from all the encounters I've read, he is too bright to act like one.

This teacher is getting happier by the second...

2008-11-13T20:46:00.003-05:00

Awwww! How do I get Carlos and Mary Lynn to come to my school?

TV actors vie to debut plays by child writers
By Tony Castro, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 11/13/2008 12:11:06 AM

CHATSWORTH - Imagine the voice of actor Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer on the television series "24": "The following takes place between the closing of school and dinnertime." Bong. Bong. The seconds on the clock tick loudly.

The site is Superior Street Elementary School, and there are a lot of faces of counterterrorist agents you regularly see on "24."

Their focus is on nine subjects.

But they aren't terrorists. They are fourth- and fifth-graders, and the only thing they're a threat to is bad screenwriting.

With the help of professional screenwriting mentors, they have each written short scripts that actors from the cast of "24" and other shows are bringing to life in the school auditorium in front of parents, friends and news photographers and video cameramen.

Veteran actor Gil Bellows, who played a State Department officer in a TV movie prequel to the seventh season of "24," recently portrayed the dog Spike in student Nathan Torres' script "Good Dog ... Or Is He?"

But Bellows only raised the bar for fellow cast mates Janeane Garofalo, Carlos Bernard, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Carly Pope in their performances.

"This is really remarkable. Can you imagine having children, fourth- and fifth-graders, and having their written work brought to life by these professional actors?" said Superior Street Principal Jerilyn Schubert. "Nothing like this has ever happened in our school."

It is happening, Schubert said, because of the Young Storytellers Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that each year mentors students at a couple of dozen LAUSD schools and then stages performances of screenplays written by the children.

Actor-writer Jason Pugatch, the group's communications director, said it is an effort the mentors - including top writers and producers - and the performers take seriously.

In the minutes before the performances at Superior Street last week, Pugatch directed the audience to the scene on stage, where the professional actors were talking to the student writers, and described real competition for parts in the upcoming plays.

"Right now these actors that you have seen on television are really fighting to get into the show," he said. "These are young, brilliant writers who have written every word that you're going to hear tonight.

One of the writers, fifth-grader Katie Anderson, has already written a book, she said, and is apprehensive about the debut of her script.

"It's about two boys and two girls who ask each other to a homecoming dance and then everything gets mixed up. It's a comedy," she said. "I'm really excited. It means so much to have written this."

All the student writers are introduced by their mentors - among them "24" executive producer Howard Gordon, who drops a compliment on his protégé , Nathan, that professional writers might swoon for.

"Nathan has a knack for slapstick comedy," Gordon tells the audience. "If he had lived years earlier he might have written gags for Charlie Chaplin or Harold Lloyd."

Nathan appears unfazed by the compliment, but on stage two of the actors look at each other with raised eyebrows.

The school's principal is understandably pleased.

"The members of Young Storytellers for six weeks have trained these students in one-hour sessions," she said. "They worked with them and mentored them out of dedication and caring.
"And the kids just enjoy writing. I think they've been inspired by these professional screenwriters to go ahead and dream that perhaps one day they may be professional television writers themselves."

24 star Robert Carlyle backs Jack Bauer in battle of screen tough guys

2008-11-03T17:23:00.002-05:00

Robert Carlyle says a fight between movie tough guys Jack Bauer and James Bond would have only one winner - and it's not 007.

The actor is starring in the eagerly awaited movie version of hit TV show 24 alongside Kiefer Sutherland, who returns as secret agent Bauer.

But Carlyle was also memorable baddie Renard in Bond flick The World Is Not Enough and claims a licence to kill would not stop 007 - now played by Daniel Craig - getting a whipping if he came up against Bauer.

He said: "Jack Bauer or James Bond?

Jack Bauer probably - he kills more people. Kiefer could definitely kick Daniel Craig's ass."

(link)

Alien Raiders Trailer

2008-10-25T07:20:00.001-04:00

Carlos Bernard -Mr Tony Almeida himself- stars in an upcoming movie that looks very promising. Check out the trailer! Oh, how I missed hearing that sweet yet commanding whisper...

sometimes I wish I were a lamp post...

2008-10-13T16:40:00.003-04:00

"Also there's just this sexual charge to everything because of the urgency. "We have to stop the bomb, now! This might be our last day on earth! We're all going to die, let's get our rocks off!" That kind of thing. And then you've got Kiefer and his velvety voice. He's got chemistry with…the lamp post…anything."

-Reiko Aylesworth (Michelle Dessler), on 24

Happy birthday...

2008-10-13T16:25:00.004-04:00

...and welcome back to the world of the living!

Oh, how I missed you!

You still look dashing, by the way! I love that bad boy vibe you've got going on. I'd say you only get better and better with time.

For those of you going "WTF?",

October 12 was Carlos Bernard (Tony Almeida)'s birthday.

Little White Lies Interview

2008-10-07T13:47:00.002-04:00

Interview by Adam Tanswell (link)

LWLies: What are your favourite horror movies?

Sutherland: The films I really love in this genre range from my father’s version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, The Changeling, The Omen, The Exorcist and The Shining. All of these films start off like a drama – and then a horrific element takes place. With films like these, I’m not only frightened because of the music; I’m frightened because I don’t want something bad to happen to these characters and people that I care about. [Writer and director] Alex Aja’s script for Mirrors was the first thing that touched on that balance, and I loved that about it. I care about this family getting together and I care about this guy getting back with his wife.

LWLies: Did any horror actors from the past influence your role in Mirrors?

Sutherland: No, because I really related to my character in Mirrors on a personal level. This was much more personal for me. There have certainly been films in the past where I’ve done that, though. There have been films that I’ve been cast in where I’ve thought, ‘I know the perfect person who should’ve played this role.’ And when that happened, I would think about what they would do with that part.

LWLies: Is Mirrors a character-driven piece?

Sutherland: Very much so. You become invested in my character before any horrific experiences start to happen, which is what drew me to the film. I haven’t seen a script like this in a long time, although I’ve wanted to do something in this genre for quite a while. There are aspects of The Lost Boys and Flatliners that frightened people – and I wanted to do another horror that would do that again. I think this is that horror.

LWLies: Why do you think there are so many Asian horror movie remakes at the moment?

Sutherland: I don’t think I’m up to speed on horror movies because I didn’t know there was an onslaught of Asian horror remakes. But I can tell you what’s happened with horror films in the States. Once we start making parodies of horror films in this country, there’s nothing new and creative coming into it. Whereas, in Asia, something obviously is. There is a group of filmmakers that are making films that are exciting and taking on the genre with a new perspective and a new light. They are making people like Alex and others around the world say, ‘I want to do a movie like that.’ In this country, I know that when we start parodying a genre with a $100million movie, we’re in trouble.

LWLies: Asian horror films are often more internal and thought-provoking when compared to the horror of Hollywood with its many monster movies.

Sutherland: That’s exactly what happened when I did a movie remake called The Vanishing. I worked with the director of the original on that film, but he wanted to try and make a different version. Firstly, it was in English, which was different – but he also wanted to do a different ending. The original movie was a horrific movie and it was beautifully made, but it was much more internal. When the same director came to work in Hollywood, the movie became much more extroverted – and I don’t think it was nearly as effective.

LWLies: Have you ever been surprised by the success of some of your movies?

Sutherland: The movie that most surprised me was Flatliners because I didn’t get it at all. There’s a film called Paper Chase which is about some young legal students in Harvard in the ‘70s. It was quite radical and it was a very smart, cool film. I thought Flatliners was going to be a supernatural film shot in the same way as Paper Chase with these guys being the bright, young scientists of their time – but it wasn’t.

LWLies: What happened?

Sutherland: When I got to the set, Joel Schumacher has a gurney over a grate with steam coming up and loads of weird props. It looked like the ridiculous set of a music video rather than a serious movie and I panicked. I remember saying, ‘I can’t do this movie. Sorry, you’ve got the wrong guy.’

LWLies: Did that go down well with the director?

Sutherland: Well, Joel said to me, ‘Kiefer, you have to understand something about me. I go to bed every night knowing that your future is in my hands and I take that really seriously. You’re going to have to trust me.’ I don’t know if I trusted him completely or just felt that I couldn’t walk off the set – but I finished the film and I was very scared of it.

LWLies: And how did you react when you finally saw the finished movie?

Sutherland: That was the one film I went to and was just caught up with it. Working on that movie and then seeing the finished product was like finding your Christmas presents before Christmas, where you have to pretend you didn’t know what was coming. When I went to see it, the film was so much better than I ever imagined it to be. I remember phoning Joel saying, ‘Thank you for getting me through the movie – I love it.’

LWLies: Was it the same with The Lost Boys?

Sutherland: No, because The Lost Boys was kitschy and fun. I think we both knew that was going to be a fun ride and we were both cool with that. But with Flatliners, I just didn’t get it when we were making it. Joel was very right, though. He created a surreal world that allowed this almost ridiculous idea to take place.

Kiefer bought Sarah Dawson a hot dog!

2008-09-08T22:12:00.001-04:00

Posted by Sarah Dawson
on the Celebrity Cafe

I was in high school (about 15 years ago!) and on a class field trip to the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. We were from a really small rural town and so excited to be spending the day in the big city of Toronto!

Some friends and I snuck away from our teacher and the group and went cruising down Queen Street West because we wanted to see Much Music, not see ancient Egyptian artifacts - we were 15 after all!

We couldn't believe our eyes when we walked right past Kiefer on the sidewalk! He was heading in the other direction but stopped to talk and laugh with us when the six of us caught sight of him and became (probably annoyingly) excited to see a real celebrity! He was so friendly, telling us he was in Toronto to catch a hockey game and asked us all about ourselves. We walked (tagged) along with him for a couple of blocks or so, barraging him with questions (he's a really fast walker!)

We couldn't believe how cool he was when we approached a street hot dog vendor and he bought us all hot dogs! Kiefer shook all our hands and thanked us for being fans... it was my first, and best, celebrity sighting!

yup! Another reason to love Kiefer

2008-08-26T18:10:00.004-04:00

Kiefer loves teachers!
(and this teacher loves him back!)

"The kind of money generated around the industry is way out of proportion.
The admiration bestowed on actors is also out of perspective.

Doctors are the stars of our society, people like my grandfather
who was responsible for the health care in Canada, as well as teachers,
firefighters and police officers".
-Kiefer Sutherland
source

Is that a gun in your pocket?

2008-08-23T19:36:00.003-04:00

Alright, by popular demand (well, since I only have 2 readers and Mitch requested it), here's a new game!

This time, I'm showing you the weapon and you tell me who it belongs to.

Come and play with me!

2008-08-17T17:29:00.007-04:00

Alright, it's been raining here almost all summer and I've only got 1 week left of vacation.
So I thought we could have a little Kiefer fun together.

Kiefer Sutherland is a wonderful and very prolific actor and one thing he seems to be good at is "dying". So we're gonna play what I decided to call the "undertaker game"! I'm actually very proud of the name I came up with!

Anyways. It's not a complicated game. I'll give you the cause of death, you give me the character's name or the movie title. Or both, if you're really good!

Alright, let's play! Just put your answers in the comments and I'll add them as we go. Don't be shy, come and play!

#1 AIDS
- Roy Haddad, Behind The Red Door

#2 strangled
-Bob Wolverton, Freeway

#3 impaled (2 possible answers)
-David, The Lost Boys

-Hank Braxton, Cowboy Up

#4 shot (8 possible answers) (I forgot about Danny, so double points to the sisters for reminding me!)
-Robert Doob, Eye For An Eye

-Curtis Freely, Truth Or Consequences, NM

-Doc Scurlock, Young Guns II

-Christopher Hart, Taking Lives

-Michael Farrow-Smith, The Right Temptation

-Danny Rivers, Promised Land

-Doyle, River Queen

-The Stranger, The Killing Time

#5 electrocuted

-Denver Bayliss, Last Light

Dammit!

2008-08-15T22:49:00.001-04:00

Kiefer Sutherland on Lost Boys Prequel

2008-08-13T20:29:00.003-04:00

source: Ryan Rotten

http://shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=7328

In the years following the release of The Lost Boys, director Joel Schumacher - in addition to nurturing an idea for a Lost Girls film - mulled over a possible prequel.

"There were great [follow-up] ideas," says former lost boy Kiefer Sutherland and star of Fox's upcoming Mirrors. "Joel had one that was a prequel dating back all the way to the earthquake in San Francisco. The one we talk about in the original." And the quake responsible for providing Sutherland's vamp counterpart, David, with a cozy sea-side cavernous crypt.

"The whole thing I found interesting was that once you were a vampire you go back to that youthful state," he continues. "The prequel was always going to follow David when he was mortal before he got sucked into the earthquake and got turned. That was Joel's idea and I thought that was really cool. But apparently Joel was really busy, Warner Bros. was really busy and it didn't happen."

Asked if he was at all approached to cameo in Warner Premiere's DVD release Lost Boys: The Tribe, the actor answers, "No, absolutely not. Lost Boys was a massive part of my life, it still is. You can't crap on that. And I'm not going to go out and do a cameo in a DVD release sequel. Why they never talked to Joel Schumacher in the past 15 years about doing a proper sequel... If you're not going to embrace what you're coming from in its original state...look, it was hard enough for me to do Young Guns 2 which I ended up thinking - because we were all better - was a better film."

Even though David is nowhere to be found in the cinematic sequel, we tell Sutherland his character does crop up in the comic book series Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs, mullet and all. "Really?" he asks with a grin. Yep, the antlers just missed your heart in the first film, apparently. "That's cool!"

One of the best interviews I've read lately

2008-08-13T13:28:00.002-04:00

I copied this interview from this site: http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_15406.html

Kiefer Sutherland Interview, Mirrors

By Sheila Roberts

MoviesOnline sat down with Kiefer Sutherland to talk about his new film, “Mirrors,” directed by Alexandre Aja (“The Hills Have Eyes”). “Mirrors” is the terrifying story of a troubled ex-cop (Sutherland) who must save his family from an unspeakable evil that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home. The cast also includes Amy Smart and Paula Patton.

Sutherland brings his trademark intensity to the role of Ben Carson, a man on the brink of losing everything that matters to him. Broke and desperate to rebuild his life, Carson takes a job as the night watchman at the Mayflower Department Store…or what’s left of it. As he patrols the burned-out ruins of the store, Carson catches fleeting glimpses of distorted images reflected in the enormous, ornate mirrors that line its walls. What he thinks are merely bizarre hallucinations soon intensity as the mirrors reveal shocking and grotesque visions of profound suffering.

The fear factor is amplified exponentially as ordinary reflective surfaces like windows, water, TV screens, stainless steel facades and picture frames are transformed into deadly channels of evil. Suddenly, Ben finds himself not only battling his own demons – but the ones that have hijacked his reflection.

Kiefer Sutherland has won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award for his searing performance as Agent Jack Bauer on the hit Fox TV drama “24.” He has also received an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series as Co-Executive Producer of the show.

Kiefer is a fabulous guy and we really appreciated his time. Here’s what he had to tell us about his new feature film, “Mirrors,” as well as the upcoming 8th season of “24”:

MoviesOnline: You seem to specialize in tortured characters, which must be very fun to play. Was there a point in your career that you realized that this was something you were good at or something you gravitate towards?

Kiefer Sutherland: It’s never that thought out, maybe more just because I’ve never gone for a character, specifically. I’ve always gone towards a story, and those stories have interested me. This is two-fold because it’s a genre that I really don’t think I’ve done, even though people have compared The Lost Boys to a horror film, or Flatliners to a horror film, which they weren’t, in my book. They were thrillers. The Lost Boys was a smidgen of a lot of stuff, from comedy to pop culture, and on purpose -- that’s exactly what Joel [Schumacher] wanted to do with it -- with scary moments in it. And, The Vanishing was a thriller to me. It was not a horror film. This was really, specifically going after [a certain audience].

I can’t watch horror films a lot. I can do maybe one a year. I kind of liken it to getting on a roller coaster. You haven’t done it in four years, and you go to the amusement park with your daughter or your son, and you’re standing there and you go, “This is going to be great!” You get in line, and then you get close to it and you’re going, “What the fuck am I doing here?” [Laughs] And then, you start to try to walk out, and there’s 300 people behind you, and your kid’s looking at you, so you’re stuck. And, the slow ride up is just torture, and then it’s done, and you walk out going, “Wasn’t that great?” [Laughs] And then, four years later, you forget the front part and you do it again.

I wanted to work with Alex [Aja] because I really loved The Hills Have Eyes. I thought it harkened back to these horror films that I liked -- which were the original Amityville, my father’s remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Changeling, The Exorcist, The Shining -- and all of those films were character-based. And, I felt that this one was character-based. It was a drama, for all intents and purposes, up until 1/4 of the way through the film, where you’re seeing a guy who’s living on his sister’s couch, he’s at an all-time low, with regards to his own confidence. At any moment in the movie, instead of going to get the job at the security place, he could have gone to fight the investigation of him, as a police officer. It could have gone that way.

It was a straight-up drama. And, I felt that that gives you an opportunity to really become invested in this guy’s situation, this family that he’s estranged from, what he wants to do with his life and where he’s at. He’s at the bottom and you want him to go up. And then, all of a sudden, this horrific circumstance arises, and it moves into this genre. I was really attracted to that story and that idea, as much as I was anything. But, given the history and the track record, maybe those are the kinds of stories that, when I go to see something, I really respond to.

I really responded to the Gene Hackman character in The French Connection. That’s a really tortured guy. He had this great scene where he wakes up and he’s handcuffed to his own bed by the ankle, and the girl is running naked through his apartment. That’s not a healthy guy. [Laughs] There are so many films. Nick Nolte in 48 Hours was that guy. I have always been drawn to those characters, as a viewer and as a fan. I guess I’ve been attracted, certainly on some level, to those characters. I feel like I understand them, on some level, and I think those films are interesting. And, certainly with something like Jack Bauer, they were interesting to someone else too.

MoviesOnline: With a film like this, so much of it is in the editing. What does Alex do on set to help you understand how he’s going to make these scenes be scary and work?

Kiefer: He’ll explain, to the T. And, I’ve been doing this long enough that I can tell, in a long crane shot that’s coming through that building, finds me at the bottom of the stairs, and then there’s another minute and a half until I get up into the main room, I know it’s a music cue. Ten years ago, I would have gone, “This is really slow.” For instance, in the changing room sequence, I never saw a lady screaming and I never saw anyone on fire. He would just say, specifically, this is where I want you to look for this because this is going to happen and this is going to happen. He would just be really clear about what he wants to do. Alex Proyas, when we did Dark City, had to do a lot of that as well.

There is a relief in someone who is so clear about absolutely everything that they’re going to do. Whereas, I have worked with people too, where CGI is not something they’re familiar with. They’re a good storytelling with a great style of camera, but they say, “It’s going to kind of be like this.” And, the second I hear “kind of,” I’m like, “Okay, well, do you kind of want me to do this? Or, do you kind of want me to do that?” So, there’s a huge relief with someone like Alex. And, it’s all in his head, too. There were storyboards, but I don’t think I ever saw him pick them up. He knows clearly, in every crevice, what’s going to happen.

So, when I saw the film, when it was finished, he was dead right. Everything was exactly what he had said it was going to be. And, even in that context, I still really enjoyed the film, even more than I thought I would, which is a good thing because I’m naturally pessimistic. Out of 60 films, I would say I was really excited about 15 of them. And, not one of them started out without the best intentions. Not one film, have I ever walked onto the set the first day and thought, “This is going to be a piece of crap!” You always have this hope and this faith that this one unit, whatever group comes together, is going to make this thing and it’s going to work. The reality is that it’s just not like that. Life is not like that.

MoviesOnline: When do you know that a movie is going to be a piece of crap?

Kiefer: [Laughs] Each one has its own telling points. There was one moment, and it was a first-time director. I won’t name him because he was a nice enough guy. But, the camera operator and the cinematographer had gotten in an argument about crossing the line, which is camera technical terminology. When you’re in a scene, there is a line that’s created between you and the other person, and you can’t cross and the camera can’t cross, once you’ve established that line. And, sometimes, given some movement, it can get complicated. So, they were having this argument, and I looked off and in the corner was the director, sitting down, trying to figure it out. And then, he just went, “Oh, forget it,” and threw up his arms. [Laughs] So, at that moment, I knew I was in deep trouble.

In every film, there are certain scenes that you just know you have to hit. It’s not rocket science. Your guy has to cry here, and then he has to do this and he has to do this and he has to do this, otherwise the arc isn’t going to matter and who’s going to give a shit? And, you can just tell, when you’re doing those scenes, that it’s not working right, and everything that built up to this moment didn’t work, even though you thought it did. But, really, usually it’s after. It’s usually when you go to see it and loop it that you realize, “Oh, I thought that had more energy,” or “I thought that was better played.”

There’s a huge, mysterious quotient to making a film. There’s so many other different elements, conspiring together to make something great or not, that it’s really not until you see the movie. I saw Stand By Me for the first time and thought my career was over, first time out of the gate, so I’m not the greatest judge, except that I knew I felt great when I was making it. I’m not a great judge when I see stuff that I’m in.

MoviesOnline: Can you talk about doing that scene in the bathroom, where you’re really seeing what’s there? How did that feel, as an actor?

Kiefer: The bathroom scene was really difficult because I had to look straight into the mirror, and I’m not great at looking at myself, even when it’s done. For me, everything about acting is no different than watching a movie. It requires you to suspend your disbelief, put yourself in a position and go for it. That’s very hard to do if you’re looking at yourself. So, I found that incredibly difficult. That was the first scene I had to do like that, and it was one of those things where I literally felt like I had to just jump and go for it. I missed it a couple times, and that took awhile to get. And then, I started cheating. I started finding ways to look in a mirror where I could look off-center, so I couldn’t see anything very clearly. I’m self-conscious, and that heightened it to a level that I certainly have not experienced. So, that part of it was a real good challenge for me. But, I did enjoy doing that scene because it was really tangible, and it was one of the few times I got to react like that, with another person. The first time [Amy] came flying into the room, which is how we found the softer yell and then the larger yell, I don’t think she knew I was going to fly as far back to the bathtub. So, when she came in, she was looking for me and, while she was looking for me, I said the first line and she didn’t respond. She was still adjusting to where I was. So, I had to yell at her again. And, it’s funny, something as unplanned as that can dictate the tone of a rise of a scene. And then, we just worked off of that. It took a minute with the mirror to get going.

MoviesOnline: Did you shoot alternate endings for the movie?

Kiefer: Yes, we did.

MoviesOnline: So, were you surprised at the ending they chose?

Kiefer: No. That was [Alex’s] ending. He shot the alternate endings to pacify the powers-that-be who thought maybe there was a safer way to go. We did the same thing on 24, the first year. I was sitting there with Stephen Hopkins and Leslie Hope, and I was vehemently opposed to her dying. I didn’t think you could take an audience through 24 episodes, when the whole point was saving his family, and then lose them. They’re going to go, “Forget it! I’m done! I’m over this!” I was wrong. But, when we sat there and we all agreed that this was what we were going to go for, we had five hours left in that day. It was the last thing we shot. And, we spent four and a half hours shooting the ending where she dies, and maybe 20 minutes shooting the alternate ending. [Laughs] I don’t know why studios insist on doing this to directors because, clearly, the one they want is going to come back and they’re going to go, “That looks great!” And then, they’ll look at the other one and go, “Who’s that fat guy with the pole?” [Laughs]

MoviesOnline: Has there been anything that you’ve made where they’ve gone for the other ending?

Kiefer: Those were really the only two experiences that I’ve had, and they both went the same. The one film that surprised me was Flatliners. I literally thought we were going to make the medical version of Paper Chase, and it was going to be done out of Harvard and it was going to be really serious. I had gotten the script in England and I just read it the way I read it, and Joel [Schumacher] and I talked on the phone. I thought it was going to be really serious, like Coma was really serious. It was in the real world.

And, the first scene I did was running to the gurney that we were doing the experiment on, and there was this huge grate and steam was coming up from it. It looked like an AC/DC show. It was the most unsanitary, ridiculous thing I’d ever seen. No medical student would ever perform any experiment over a subway grate. I don’t care how cold it is in Chicago in December. And, Joel was going, “It’s going to be alright,” and I was like, “No, it’s not.” And then, the next scene, Kevin Bacon was climbing out a window, repelling down the side of a building. I was like, “This is bad! This isn’t good at all!” [Laughs] And then, the straw was that I was running through the university and I was like, “What the fuck?” There was a huge Statue of Liberty’s head right there, and then across the way was this steel box with rubber gloves sticking out, and I had a breakdown. I was like, “I can’t do this! You’ve got the wrong guy. I thought we were going to make Paper Chase!” [Laughs]

I was 22, and Joel pulled me outside and said, “Kiefer, if you don’t think that there isn’t a night that I go to sleep where I know your future is in my hands, you’re crazy. You’re going to have to trust me.” And, I was raised as an actor, from the beginning of my career until now, that you work for a director. You make that choice when you go in. You swing for that person until you come out the other end. So, I said, “Okay.” And, I went and saw that movie, and it was the first time I realized there were people who were a lot smarter than me because I loved it. I was so taken aback because I was so ready to just bury my head in my hands, and I loved it. I thought it looked beautiful. And, he was right. He created this fantastical world that wasn’t real, so you could accept all of these other things. And, I had a very similar experience with Alex on this, and with Alex Proyas on Dark City.

MoviesOnline: Did making the 24 prequel get you excited about the thought of doing a theatrical film? Do you see Season 8 as being the last for 24 on TV?

Kiefer: I think if Brett Favre has taught us anything, it’s to never even enter into that. I love making the show. Season 8 would have to be extraordinary, and we would have to hit a whole different way of telling the story for us to go further, but anything is possible.

The African prequel did a lot. It reinforced everything, for us, that we were doing in Season 7, to that point, which was episode 15. There was a small handful of us, only 16 of us, that went to Africa to do that, and there was something liberating about it. We were away from this machine that we were responsible for creating, for the last eight years. All of a sudden, we were free, and we all got energized by that. And, we worked 15-16 hours a day, six days a week, for the three weeks we were there. We made the equivalent of a film, in three weeks. And, I think it looks extraordinary.

So, we saw its potential, yeah. To be able to tell a finite story in two hours, as opposed to 24, which is the equivalent of 12 films, it became a very exciting prospect. For the writing, it was the most liberating. For Howard Gordon to be able to write two hours alone, without having to worry about how it was going to connect to everything else, because he’d already had the connection shot -- it just feeds into Season 7 -- he could close that off easy. I think he forgot how good a writer he was. He was like, “This one was really easy!”

MoviesOnline: The two hours is still in real time, right?

Kiefer: It’s in real time, yeah. And then, the two-hour feature, which would be even more liberating for them, would probably be a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day. But, this one was not. This was a real-time, two-hour, straight-up deal.

MoviesOnline: What would you like to do after 24? Is there a project or a genre that you haven’t worked in that you’d like to?

Kiefer: [Laughs] I want to do comedy. No. I’ve been really lucky. The genres aren’t as important, unless you’ve never done one, and I haven’t really done comedy. It’s the story, though, that really gets me. It’s really intimate and simple and personal. God knows, if I had read whatever script on Friday, it might not have hit me the same as it did on a Monday. The choices are really that organic. I’ll go, “Oh, I really dug that. I think I know what to do with that.” On a Friday, I might not see it as clearly.

That’s kind of how I go to watch a movie, too. Have you ever gone to a movie in a movie theater and not really liked it, and then saw a scene, when you’re flipping through the channels on cable and go, “Oh, yeah, I remember that”? And, you leave it on and, all of a sudden, you love the film and you can’t figure out why. You think, “Oh, I must have been having an off day or something,” or “Today I’m having a great day.” I choose films the same way, for better or worse.

“Mirrors” opens in theaters on August 15th.

I, for one, would love to see that!

2008-08-08T10:22:00.002-04:00

This is part of an interview by Harold Raker at the Daily Item

I decided to add the amazingly beautiful picture.

Sutherland was asked Sunday if there is another western in his immediate future.

“You just broke my heart there,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be cool.” Sutherland, who spent a few years competing on the professional rodeo circuit and starred in 1988’s “Young Guns’’ and the sequel, would like nothing more than to do another one.

“You won’t find another actor that wants to do a western more badly than I do,” he said. “If you can convince a studio that people want to see them, but unfortunately, a couple of westerns that came out, and they were pretty big-budget things, were not successful, so it’s making them harder to (sell to a studio).” He added, “One day, yes, it will happen” and then added with a smile, “And I hope I’m in it.” And most of Sutherland’s fans would agree.

How adorable is that?

2008-08-07T12:10:00.002-04:00

“I can’t watch a scary film. I’m awful at it,” Sutherland admitted to the press Sunday while visiting the NASCAR race at Pocono International Raceway, where his latest movie, “Mirrors’’ was a sponsor on the race car driven by J.J. Yeley.

“I took my daughter, when she was 9, to see ‘Finding Nemo’ and there is this part in (the movie), which is G-rated, where the shark sticks his head in the boat and the (scary) music cue goes up and literally I lost my popcorn,” Sutherland recalled.

“It freaked me out. And my 9-year-old daughter looked at me and went, ‘Oh, Dad.’”

Good one, Jack!

2008-08-04T12:04:00.000-04:00

When Jack Bauer was told smiling increases your face value, he said not speaking increases your life span.

Dammit!

2008-07-27T00:39:00.004-04:00

Dammit! As if we needed yet another reason to love Kiefer Sutherland!

Recently, San Diego held an event called Comic Con. At some point there was a pannel for 24 in which Kiefer Sutherland and Carlos Bernard participated.

People were invited to ask questions. A boy got up and said, "I've noticed that Jack says the word 'Dammit" a lot. I'm wondering is that in the script, or are a lot of those ad-libbed? And could you do me a favor and say, 'Dammit, Cameron!"

I've said it before, I'll say it again: Kiefer Sutherland seems like a really nice guy. He gave the fans a heartfelt thank you and a standing ovation at the end of the conference. It is also reported that he signed posters and posed for numerous pictures afterwards. Dammit!

secret lovers

2008-07-25T11:31:00.003-04:00

Here's a fun little thing some bloggers have been doing.
You can too, if you want, just make sure to leave me a link in the comments!

Secret Pretend Movie Boyfriend : Kiefer Sutherland
Secret Pretend French Movie Boyfriend: Jean Reno
Secret Pretend Movie Girlfriend: Queen Latifah
Secret Pretend TV Boyfriend : Sawyer Ford Secret Pretend TV Girlfriend: Chloe O'Brian Secret Pretend Musician Boyfriend: Steven Page Secret Pretend Musician Girlfriend: Sarah Mclachlan

this still ain't no blog

2008-07-24T20:37:00.003-04:00

But it is my page and I'm going to do what I want with it.

And right now, what I want is some Tony Almeida.

Tony es muy caliente.

Happy Canada day!

2008-07-01T11:47:00.002-04:00

Happy Canada day, everyone!

Here's a list of some of my favourite Canadian things/people

Maple syrup. Yum! Pancakes simply cannot exist without it.

The music band Barenaked Ladies, also known as BNL. You're always guaranteed to have a blast at their live performances, their lyrics are beautiful, they harmonize, they're great musicians and they have a wicked sense of humour!

Canada Dry ginger ale. Not too sweet, not too bitter. Tastes good by itself, but also great as a chaser and in fruit punch.

Kiefer Sutherland. Mr. Jack Bauer himself. He rocks. He's a fantastic actor. He's sexy. He loves music and helps new bands make it in the business. All the fans say he's polite and considerate. From what I read, he knows how to party.

Having four seasons. Each one is beautiful in its own way. Some are longer than others, though...

Bryan Adams. He writes the perfect rock ballads and driving music. He speaks French with a terribly sexy accent.

Keanu Reeves. What can I say? He's pretty to look at!

G.I. Joe...

2008-06-21T09:27:00.000-04:00

... has Jack Bauer action figures.

Tad Allagash returns!

2008-06-12T06:52:00.003-04:00

That young, fresh, handsome party animal in a suit will be back on dvd on September 2nd, as Bright Lights, Big City, gets re-released.

Yes!!! Let the party begin!

Because there are always drinks to be drunk and women to be Allagashed!

And this time, the dvd comes with extras that include:

Commentary with author/screenwriter Jay McInerney

Commentary with cinematographer Gordon Willis

“The Light Within” featurette

”Big City Lights” featurette

Photo gallery

I hope there are pictures of Fred the ferret too!

The Photo Meme

2008-06-08T10:33:00.002-04:00

I stole this idea from Susie

Instructions
1. Go to Google Images.
2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box.
3. Use the first image that comes up.
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.

1. First name?

2. Favorite color?

3. Celebrity crush?¸

4. Band you're listening to right now?

5. Favorite movie?

6. Favorite Disney princess?

7. Favorite alcoholic beverage?

8. Dream vacation?

9. Favorite dessert?

10. What I want to be when I grow up.

Random Jack fact

2008-06-07T23:20:00.002-04:00

It takes you 24 weeks just to watch what Jack Bauer does in a single day.

cover girls and nude scenes

2008-05-31T08:27:00.003-04:00

I've been tagged. I have to write a blog with 10 weird, random, facts, habits or goals about myself. I'm going to go along with it, because "weird" and "random" are words that describe me quite well. I know I've kind of done it before in this post, but I'll try not to repeat myself.

My goal in life is to be happy and to make people happy.

I sometimes wear a tiara when I am doing the dishes, because if I'm going to do something boring, I might as well look fabulous doing it.

Some people have confessed to me that they didn't think I'd be a good teacher because I don't look like one. I wear what the hell I want, don't care much to do anything special with my curly hair and very seldom wear makeup. In my mind, being a teacher is about being. Not about looking.

I am a creature of habits. I take a shower and wash my hair every morning. If, for some reason, I take a shower but don't wash my hair, I feel messy all day.

I hate making phone calls.

When I eat pie, I start by eating the filling, and then I eat the crust. I think the best part of a pie is the bottom crust, so I save it for last.

I love travelling and would love to travel more. I like discovering people, languages, foods and places. But I'm always happy to come back home and would like to spend my old days living in my parents' house. To me, that is the best place on earth. They have a beautiful house made of field stones, a nice lawn, a forrest, apple trees and I equal this place with love and happiness.

I wish my 17 year old cat would laugh.

Yes, I'll admit it. My best friend and I bought NKOTB tickets for the upcoming concert in Montreal. We saw them live when we were teenagers and are excited to see them again and relive the fun. We will be 2 thirtysomethings cheering grown up men who sing "oh, oh, oh, she's my cover giiiiiirl"!

I wish Kiefer Sutherland would film a nude scene.

Messy nights with Kiefer

2008-05-31T07:39:00.002-04:00

The Feeling have claimed that they had some "messy" nights with Kiefer Sutherland while in America.

Sutherland recently agreed to team up with the group to direct a video for a single from their Join With Us album.

Speaking about their relationship with the 24 actor, bassist Richard Jones said: "I would refer to Kiefer Sutherland as a friend. "We met Kiefer and he heard us play a couple of times and he genuinely really enjoyed our music and we had a real common ground. We like a lot of the same things and we spent quite a few nights out with him. Quite messy.

Jones added: "We were out with him one night until 6 in the morning and then he went straight to the set of 24 but he said he’s supposed to look like that, supposed to look like he’s dying"

source: digital spy

Suzanne Shaw knows how to skate...

2008-03-23T13:04:00.003-04:00

...and knows a good TV show when she sees one.

The 2008 winner of Dancing On Ice told NOW magazine that she loves to watch Kiefer Sutherland in 24 with a glass of Chardonnay and a plate of chips soaked in salt and vinegar.

'I'm addicted to 24. I'm dedicating all my spare time to watching it,' she says. 'I'm on season six and I love it.'

Happy Easter!

2008-03-21T21:01:00.003-04:00

Here's a sweet, tasty chocolate treat for you,

my little Easter chicks!

I totally stole the idea and twisted it around

2008-03-07T22:24:00.010-05:00

Okay, here's the thing. Livejournal users do a thing where they "tag " other users and get them to post about a particular subject.

Here's an example :

"Look up 15 of your favorite films on IMDb and take a quote from each. List them below. When someone guesses the quote correctly, cross it off the list. Leave a comment with your answers. And NO CHEATING (Googling)."

I love that idea. Only thing is, Blogger doesn't allow crossing. So here's how we're going to play:

"Look up 15 of Kiefer Sutherland's films on IMDb and take a quote from each. List them below. When someone guesses the quote correctly, post a screencap. Leave a comment with your answers. And NO CHEATING (Googling)."

Have fun!

#1. "Hello, I'm nice, he's nice, we're both f**king lunatics. Can I come in, please?"
-Flatliners (Molly)

#2. "Jesus Christ. You guys wanna be bad guys but you don't want to kill anybody. Ray, I think you better really reexamine your commitment to your lifestyle."

-Truth Or Consequences, N.M. (Molly)

#3. "What, you don't like rice? Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?"
-Lost Boys (Molly)

#4. "Richard, would you be so kind as to pass the gravy please?"
-Young Guns (Daners)

#5. "Your manners have not improved yet. You're late."
-The Three Musketeers (Molly)

#6. "Chicken soup, and a fucking straw."
-Freeway (Molly)

#7. "From now on we are on our honeymoon."
-Desert Saints (Molly)

#8. "It's the sound of the snow, really. It's as if each individual flake has its own... voice. A hiss as it hits the water, and then this whisper as it tames the ocean's roar... peacefully. It's my favorite Christmas thing."
-Behind The Red Door (Molly)

#9. "Remember John, never talk to strangers!"
-Dark City (Molly)

#10. "Wait till it goes national. ABC, CBS, CNN, UPN, you're gonna have the whole alphabet."
-Phone Booth (Daners)

#11. "Women... you can't live with 'em... and you can't shoot 'em."
-Picking Up The Pieces (Daners)

#12. "I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll leave you tied up here naked."
-A Time To Kill (Molly)

#13. "Come on motherf*cker blow my f*cking head off, five people watched you come here. Show me you've got some balls, Pull the f*cking trigger."
-Eye for An Eye (Molly)

#14. "I like all you Navy boys. Every time we've gotta go someplace and fight, you fellas always give us a ride."
-A Few Good Men (Adam)

#15. "She's a Catholic, Man. There'll all like that. If you wanna get laid, you gotta get yourself a Protestant. A Jew's good."

-Stand By Me (Molly)

Oh, look, another reason to love Kiefer!

2008-02-28T06:24:00.002-05:00

Are Kiefer Sutherland and Eva Longoria good tippers?
Posted by Dee Rober on 2.27.08

Sherway Gardens, Toronto

“Kiefer and Eva came in for dinner at my restaurant, Via Allegro. We all knew they were in town filming The Sentinel nearby. Eva was with her dog so they sat on the patio. They were so nice. Eva’s dog was also well behaved. She had the shrimp linguini and Kiefer had the fish (can’t remember exactly which kind.) They seemed to enjoy each other’s company. Their dinner bill was only like $45 and they gave me $100 and told me to keep it. Neither ran me ragged with special needs or anything. Just refills on water and ice tea. Kiefer did not drink. Everybody asks that.

After dinner Eva was outside playing with her dog and Kiefer was smoking so my friends and I went up and asked for a photo. Eva asked if her dog could be in it too, Kiefer insisted that he stands on the curb so I wouldn’t be taller than him. Then they both looked at the pic and asked me to take onother one. How cool is that!? Good times.

Dammit!

2008-02-15T06:14:00.002-05:00

The Fox TV network has confirmed there will be no return of 24 until January 2009.

Don't those people know I NEED this show to get me through the rough winter, the bad colds and the endless shovelling?

Bastards. They better give me a Bauer shower scene AND a shirtless Tony.

A drinking tip from Kiefer

2008-02-09T18:35:00.000-05:00

"The key to drinking rye without gagging is to position the tumbler as far
back into your mouth as possible and gulp, quickly. This will ensure the fiery liquor bypasses your taste buds and is immediately thrust down your gullet, like the method used to fatten geese for foie gras. That was Kiefer Sutherland's advice, anyway.
On an October night 10 years ago, I found myself in Chinatown
drinking liquor and eating soup with the actor way past the legal hour."
Read the whole article, by Iris Benaroia, on the National Post

The Sutherland Chronicles

2008-02-06T06:50:00.000-05:00

By Bob Thompson, National Post

Published: Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Read the whole article here.

I decided to add the photo because Mr. Sutherland rocks!

Surviving is what Donald Sutherland does best. He's still around after more than 40 years in the film and TV business, while many of his peers have either passed on or have been passed by. Not Sutherland.

At 72, he's busier than ever, and loving the activity in his own peculiar yet affable way, splitting time between his Quebec country estate and his Los Angeles mini-mansion.

Listen closely, and you can catch his dulcet voice in many high-profile TV commercials. Besides that, he recently earned a Golden Globe nomination for his acclaimed supporting role in the TV series Dirty Sexy Money. And he has a high-profile co-starring part in the romantic comedy Fool's Gold, which opens on Friday and features Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson.

[...]"It's interesting playing rich people in Fool's Gold and Dirty Sexy Money," says Sutherland. "They don't have to think about what things cost.

"Me, I think about what everything costs."

He also treats both of those acting performances seriously. Even the fanciful dude in Fool's Gold.

"I just thought Nigel was funny," he says of his billionaire character in the movie. "I loved the fantasy and the frailty of him. I loved the hopefulness of his relationship resolution with his daughter."

It is so unlike his closeness with son Kiefer. Divorced from Kiefer's mother Shirley Douglas in 1970, Donald reconciled with his son long ago.

In fact, father reports that he had dinner recently with his son, shortly after Kiefer was released from an L.A. jail where he had served 48 days on a drunken driving charge. "He's a brilliant man and I love him to death," says Sutherland of his son.

And yes, his son is looking forward to getting back to work. And, did conversation about dad appearing on his son's hit series 24 ever come up?

"He had already asked me to play his dad on the show," says Sutherland.

"It seems kind of logical, doesn't it? But I couldn't do it, because I was doing something else at the time."

He thinks about that for a second, then adds, "and besides, I was reluctant to play a father who wanted to kill his son."

Meanwhile, there is Dirty Sexy Money. The scripts were already written before the Writers Guild strike, so cast and crew are currently shooting episodes 12 and 13.

Otherwise, he's waiting to see what the future holds. And whatever that happens will be fine with him.

"Well, I'm alive, and I'm 72, and there are only so many 72-year-olds around working," he says, offering that trademark Sutherland grin. "And so far it looks like some people still like working with me."

I demand Rocco Deluca! Do it too!

2008-02-02T19:33:00.000-05:00

Movies Online has a nice papa Sutherland interview

2008-02-02T12:25:00.000-05:00

"Offspring are strange and complicated beings. I've been incredibly fortunate. If there is a wealth that I've had in my life really, truly it's my five children. I had dinner with Kiefer [Sutherland] last night. I had an end of the night meeting with my son Roeg [Sutherland]. They're just wonderful."

Q: How is Kiefer doing?
"Fantastic. Fantastic. Could not be more proud of a son and a man and an actor than I am of him. God, he blew me away last night."

Q: How so, his spirit after what he's been through?
"I don't think that you could call it his spirit, but certainly his sensibility is so balanced and measured and deliberate and the use that he made of his time – forty-eight days is a long time in solitary confinement, twenty-three hours a day. The only thing that he could do to get out was to do the laundry of the other inmates. He said to me last night, because I was able to put a deposit on the telephone so that he could call me collect kind of like every third day and then we'd have fourteen minutes, no more because they cut you off, to speak. You've never seen fourteen minutes go so quickly in your life, but he was saying that it was so cold in there, just freezing. Then last night he came up, and I had just landed yesterday afternoon, and he was released on Monday, and he said, 'You know what, I said that it was so cold in there, but it's freezing outside!' [laughs] "

Q: Where did you have dinner, a special local spot?
"Nah, it's just a restaurant up the street that we go to a couple of times. It's a good restaurant. I couldn't believe how much he ate. He was wonderful."

Go check it out at: http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_14000.html

Really.

2008-01-26T17:01:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the humor of the situation...

2008-01-24T18:23:00.000-05:00

True story: some ‘Loper friends saw Kiefer at lunch at a Thai restaurant in Beverly Hills just now and overheard the following exchange . . .

WAITER: Haven't seen you recently.

KIEFER: I haven't been around recently.

Credit: medialoper.com

Random Jack fact

2008-01-21T19:24:00.000-05:00

If Jack Bauer was president, he would protect the secret service.

Jack Bauer is coming to town

2007-12-01T19:56:00.000-05:00

You better watch out

You better not try

You better not kill

I'm telling you why

Jack Bauer is coming to town

He's making a list

He's checking it twice

He's gonna find out

Who's naughty or nice

Jack Bauer is coming to town

He sees you terrorizing

He knows when you're a threat

He knows when you've been killing people

So be good for goodness sake!

You better watch out

You better not try

You better not kill

I'm telling you why

Jack Bauer is coming to town

Little bad guys,

Little drug lords

Computer hackers and radical hordes

Jack Bauer is coming to town.

Image from 24headquarters.com

Ho ho ho!

2007-11-06T21:54:00.000-05:00

Just in time for Santa's little helpers, the sixth season of 24 is coming to us on DVD!

December 4th is the date to mark on your calendars...

And the elves at FOX know you like your DVDs packed with goodies:

The seven-disc set includes all 24 one-hour episodes, plus hours of special features including a preview for season 7, deleted scenes, numerous cast/crew episode commentaries, more than 20 behind-the-scenes webcast diaries, “Day Six Debrief” mobisodes, several on-the-set featurettes and more.

So you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why: Jack Bauer is coming to town!

Kiefer Sutherland’s art will grace 99X’s CD

2007-11-02T07:16:00.000-04:00

By Richard L. Eldredge Tuesday, October 30, 2007, 09:04 AM

Between saving-the-world stints, “24” actor Kiefer Sutherland has found time to create the CD cover artwork for “Live X 12” the latest charitable disc from 99X.

As always, the locally recorded live cuts culled from the rock station’s roster will benefit the I Am 99X Foundation.

Over the past year, the Emmy winner has become a friend to the co-hosts of the station’s “New Morning X” as they’ve helped to break singer-songwriter Rocco DeLuca, a recording artist on Sutherland’s Ironworks record label. When the Morning X traveled to Los Angeles earlier this year to cover the Grammys, 99X program director Leslie Fram and co-worker Sean Demery got an exclusive tour of the Ironworks facility, including Sutherland’s living quarters.

“I was just walking around and noticed this painting area and this dark beautiful painting,” Fram tells Buzz. “Sean was busy touching his Emmys and I was nosing around looking at his art. It was pretty cool.”

Afterward, Fram made an official request for Sutherland to do the project’s artwork (previous contributors include Peter Max, Michael Stipe, David Bowie and Howard Finster, mind you).
This year’s “Live X” compilation features DeLuca, Perry Farrell, The Shins, Queens Of The Stone Age, Tom Morello, Rilo Kiley, Silversun Pickups, 30 Seconds To Mars, The Bravery, Dinosaur Jr. and others.

The disc will be released Nov. 20 exclusively at all metro-area Best Buy locations for $9.99.
The station will host a CD release party Nov. 7 at Smith’s Olde Bar in Midtown with a special performance by DeLuca.

(link)

Give the man a break.

2007-10-31T19:07:00.000-04:00

According to the New York Post, Kiefer Sutherland is now supposedly refusing to sign autographs for collectors.

Autograph collector Michael Wehrmann told the New York Post: "He was one of the best. He would always stand and sign for a half hour, but since his arrest, he's been telling collectors, 'I don't do that anymore. You guys screwed me.'"

The picture I posted here shows the lovely Mr. Sutherland signing autographs in Brazil this past summer.

Can you imagine doing this day after day, for as long as half an hour, anywhere you go? I don't think that's some kind of experience I would enjoy.

Bless his heart for having been so gracious to his fans. He does deserve a break. I hope the autograph and pictures hunters give him one.

And to all of those who screwed him: damn you!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T06:58:00.001-04:00

Have a safe and happy Halloween and if you're planning on watching a movie tonight, why don't you spend the night with Dr. Nelson from Flatliners?

Check out the trailer for season 7!

2007-10-25T16:44:00.001-04:00

Jack Bauer would have...

2007-10-21T07:54:00.000-04:00

... threatened to strangle him with a guitar string

... used guitar pics under his nails

... tortured him with Paris Hilton's cd

Man charged in guitar theft
October 21, 2007
By BILL BIRD Sun-times news group

NAPERVILLE -- He was nowhere near the scene of the crime, which itself was hardly as dark or intense as any of the fictional crises featured in his television series "24," but actor Kiefer Sutherland played a peripheral role in things just the same.

Twenty-four also turned out to be the number of vintage and collectible guitar replicas recovered by Naperville police after the recent hijacking of a motorized music museum, one that includes a six-string guitar bearing Sutherland's name.

Mark A. Carrothers, 34, of Highland, Ind., surrendered early Friday afternoon to Naperville police on a charge of felony theft in connection with the incident late last month on the city's far northwest side.

Police Cmdr. Dave Hoffman said patrol officers were summoned at 12:30 a.m. Sept. 26 to the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store at 1855 W. Diehl Road.

The curator of the Traveling Gibson Guitar Museum had called 911 to report his black 2000 Dodge pickup truck and pull trailer had been stolen from the restaurant's parking lot, Hoffman said.

Hoffman said the truck and trailer were laden with 24 Gibson Guitar Corp. replicas. They ranged in price from $200 to $13,000 and had a total estimated value of just less than $60,000, he said.
The guitars included a Byrdland Vintage Sunburst model worth $4,450; a B.B. King Signature replica, valued at $1,819; and a Kiefer Sutherland KS-336 model worth $2,599, Hoffman said.
The missing truck and trailer were prominently detailed with Gibson insignia, Hoffman said.

Police recovered the emptied truck and trailer 20 minutes later near Interstate 88 and Highland Avenue in Downers Grove, Hoffman said.

Carrothers became the prime suspect in the theft "through a tip developed through the (police) Crime Stoppers network," Hoffman said.

Police eventually recovered all of the replicas from several locations in northwestern Indiana, Hoffman said. They remained Friday in the police department's evidence storage area, he said.
Carrothers is free on bail and awaiting an arraignment date in DuPage County Circuit Court in Wheaton.

(source)

Sometimes, just looking at a Kiefer pic brightens up your day

2007-10-20T19:13:00.000-04:00

Wonder what we're worth...

2007-10-11T07:14:00.000-04:00

On Jack Bauer's Tax Returns, he has to claim the entire world as his dependents.

Jack fact

2007-10-11T07:02:00.000-04:00

Professor Charles Xavier from X-Men once tried to read Jack Bauer's mind.

Now he's sitting in a wheel chair.

Kiefer Sutherland's father Donald just loves 24

2007-10-05T09:11:00.000-04:00

By Katie Button on October 5, 2007

(source)

I love the idea that those nearest and dearest to television stars devoutly follow their loved one’s onscreen antics. Such is the case in the Sutherland household, as screen legend Donald is a big fan of son Kiefer’s action drama 24. It is reported that he never misses an episode (not even season 6? C’mon, even a loving daddy has to admit that series was woeful), and he let rip at his son once when he accidentally divulged plot spoilers. Over to Kiefer to explain: "I remember last year we were having dinner and I made the mistake of saying I had to go home soon because we're shooting x, y and z. And he got cross with me, because I had told him what I was shooting, just not thinking about it, and obviously gave away a piece of the plot."

Donald first fell for the charms of Jack Bauer and CTU when in France filming. "My old man started to watch 24 in France when he was on location - it didn't have any commercials over there” explains Kiefer. “Then he came to the States and he hated the commercials. Then he went back to France and he missed the commercials, because it gave him time to breathe. I always found that funny." Yeah – you Sutherlands are a real hoot.

Seth Green wants Kiefer Sutherland animated

2007-09-25T23:52:00.000-04:00

By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

Sep 25, 2007

(source)

With his incredibly juvenile -- but, yes, sometimes you can't help laughing -- "Robot Chicken" animated comedy show setting ratings records this month for the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim (Teenage Boy Swim would be more like it), Seth Green has more ambitions. For one thing, he reveals he's been back to George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch, to talk about a follow-up to the wacky "Star Wars" send-up of earlier this year.

For another, "There's one actor we're holding out for," says Seth, speaking of himself and partner Matthew Senreich. "We've been trying to get Kiefer Sutherland for the entire season. He said he was interested in doing it, but you can imagine (how hard that is) with his schedule, starring in and producing '24.' We waited for last season to wrap up, but then he was prepping a movie in Eastern Europe," he adds, meaning Sutherland's "Mirrors" horror film. "And after that, you know, you just desperately wanted some kind of break. Talk about the hardest working man in show business! But we love him, and we really want him, and we'll wait. We make it very easy to record. We say, 'We'll come to your trailer for 15 minutes.'"

Already, a long list of celebs, including Ashton Kutcher, Hugh Hefner, Scarlett Johansson, Jimmy Kimmel, Lance Bass, Snoop Dogg and George Lucas himself, have lent their voices to "Robot Chicken."

He'll never grow old..

2007-09-23T08:34:00.000-04:00

NECAonline concludes coverage of the upcoming sixth series of Cult Classics, and they have saved one of the most highly anticipated figures for last. In the 80s horror classic The Lost Boys, Kiefer Sutherland redefined the bloodsucking bad guy as David, leader of a vampire gang terrorizing the shore town of Santa Carla. This month, NECA immortalizes this eternally cool character in Cult Classics Series 6.

The Lost Boys David Action Figure is loaded with articulation, including:

Ball-Jointed Neck
Ball-Jointed Shoulders
Swivel Forearms
Swivel Wrists
Swivel Waist
Swivel Ankles

David comes with a diorama display base, “blood bottle,” and interchangeable human and vampire heads, hands, and feet! Pick up David and the complete Series 6 line-up this month. (source)

The nine lives of Tony the Tiger...

2007-09-22T18:52:00.000-04:00

Howard Gordon, executive producer of FOX's thriller "24," says actor Carlos Bernard acted "very cool about it" when Gordon called him in his car to tell him that his character, Counter Terrorist Unit operative Tony Almeida, was not dead after all and would be returning for the show's 7th season on Sunday, Jan. 13.

"But I know," Gordon says, "when I hung up the phone, I'm sure he did one of those 'Jerry Maguire' screams in the car."

The most frequently seen character in "24" aside from its hero, CTU super-agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), Tony was introduced in season one and continued through season five, suffering personal, physical and professional ups and downs, culminating in being left for dead after a rogue former CTU agent (Peter Weller) gave him what appears now to have been a non-fatal drug overdose.

"That's something, obviously, we're going to have to explain away," Gordon says. "Hopefully, in the spirit of creating a good show and creating an interesting season, people will allow the fun [of '24']."

Gordon also sees Tony's resilience as the key to his return."It really ranks among Tony's other resurrections," he says. "I mean, he was blown up in a blast and was supposed to die there. He was shot in the neck in the third episode of season three, shot in the aorta at point-blank range, and he was basically back at the controls eight hours later.

"So in the nine lives of Tony Almeida, this is just another chapter, hopefully the most interesting of them."

Without spilling the beans about the details, Gordon says, "It's not the what of it, but the how, that's interesting."

But, as for Tony's apparently deceased ex-wife, CTU operative Michelle Dessler (Reiko Aylesworth), Gordon says, "No, she's definitely six feet under. Believe me, I know. We thought about that, too. Then we thought that everybody's dead except for Jack, and he's seeing ghosts."

(source)

ACTRA award for Mr Sutherland

2007-09-21T05:59:00.000-04:00

Kiefer Sutherland, TV's Jack Bauer, honoured by actors' guild
-The Canadian Press-

TORONTO - Kiefer Sutherland, best known for his role as Jack Bauer on the hit TV show "24," is getting lauded by the union representing Canadian actors.

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) said Thursday it is honouring Sutherland with its award of excellence.

"While some of our Canadian actors struggle to find their place in film and television, Kiefer is one of our great success stories and it is an honour to recognize him not only for his unique work, but for his strong support of his fellow Canadian actors in Los Angeles," ACTRA president Richard Hardacre said in a news release.

"We are proud to present this award to Kiefer who, as a Canadian actor working in the U.S., has overcome great odds to build one of the most successful careers in Hollywood."

"Kiefer is truly a worthy recipient of the ACTRA Award of Excellence. He values his Canadian roots as evidenced in his support and encouragement of our industry," he said.

Sutherland, the son of Canadian actors Shirley Douglas and Donald Sutherland, is the grandson of Tommy Douglas, the legendary Saskatchewan premier who created Canada's universal health-care system.

The Emmy-award winning actor continues to speak out in favour of public health care.

The ACTRA award of excellence is presented every two years to an ACTRA member working predominantly in Los Angeles. The award will be handed out Tuesday during an afternoon reception in Los Angeles at the residence of Alain Dudoit, consul general of Canada.

Previous winners of the award include Tonya Lee Williams and Leslie Nielsen. The ACTRA award will be presented Sept. 26 at the home of the Canadian consul in Los Angeles.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

2007-09-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

Have you guys ever seen an episode of this show on FX?

If not, you should! You must!

If so, why did you never tell me about it? I am mad at you. Very mad.

This show totally rocks!

Okay, let me share my joy and excitement with you...

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a comedy about five friends who own and operate a place called Paddy's Pub. There's twins Dennis and Dee (Glenn Howerton & Kaitlin Olson), their father Frank (Danny DeVito), Charlie (Charlie Day) and Mac (Rob McElhenney).

Oh, great, I can hear you say. Just like Friends. Or Cheers. Not at all! Sure, it's about a a group of friends and a pub. But this show is different. The main characters are losers. Sympathetic losers, but losers just the same. They know it, and they don't care. Ain't it brilliant?

They are constantly scheming and trying to get ahead and have no shame about it. It's hilarious!In one episode, for example, they find a baby in a dumpster. What do they do about it? Call child services? Look for the parents?

Nah.... they decide there must be a way to make money out of that baby, so they take him to a child star agency. When the agency tells them that they're not looking for another white baby, they head to a tanning salon...

I don't want to spoil it all for you, but let me say that I was immediately hooked to this impossibly funny series! I hadn't laughed this hard in a long while and it feels wonderful to do so. Try it. You too will see why it's always sunny in Philadelphia.

You can go to myspace.com/sunnyfx to watch a never before seen episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

Season 7 press release

2007-09-19T15:43:00.000-04:00

I just read the new press release for the upcoming season of 24.

The words I read clearly stated that

"TONY ALMEIDA (Carlos Bernard), last seen in “Day 5,” returns after being left for dead by a terrorist conspirator in CTU’s infirmary."

I think I just had a virtual orgasm.

Thank you, people at 24, for listening to my prayers!

Kiefer praises "Sopranos"

2007-09-18T06:19:00.000-04:00

"There's always surprises," said "24" director Jon Cassar during the Fox soiree at Spago. "Although James Spader does a great job, beating out James Gandolfini was a surprise, I think, for everybody."

[...]Other members of the Fox family in attendance were William Shatner, Glenn Close and Kiefer Sutherland, who credited "The Sopranos" with being "one of the reasons why I started to look at television differently as a medium, so to watch them in their final season go out like that was deserved and appropriate."

(source)

Paparazzi Henry’s Star Encounters 9/16/07

2007-09-17T17:33:00.000-04:00

KIEFER SUTHERLAND - The talented star looked very dapper in a tuxedo. He was as cordial as always and signed numerous autographs for his fans. Kiefer has been a star for years and does not take his success for granted. He is most appreciative.

[...]Tonight, it was a three-way-tie for most pleasant celebrity…Wayne Brady, Kiefer Sutherland and James Spader. These guys know how it’s done and I send them three cheers!!!

(source)

Doesn't it feel wonderful to be a Kiefer Sutherland fan?

Here's a picture of the very dapper Mr. Sutherland at yesterday's Emmys ceremony:

The passion of the Kiefer

2007-09-13T21:32:00.000-04:00

Kiefer Sutherland has been shooting a movie, Mirrors, in Romania. When he first arrived on set there was quite an unruly crowd of people to negotiate, and Kiefer was visibly troubled by the jostling. He announced to the crew, "If anyone gets in my way on my way to set I will bodycheck them. This is my church, this is my fucking church." (source)

Damn right, Kiefer!
Show them who the man is.
Nobody messes with your church.
Let your holy bush burn with all its passion for the church.
Fight for your church!

Reason 8274 to love Kiefer

2007-09-06T20:13:00.000-04:00

From Celebrities.com. I decided to add the picture.

The cordial actor signed numerous autographs and posed with fans. Funny guy Yehya got two photo-ops, as the first one came out badly. Kiefer chatted about “24″ and I asked him to say hello to our exciting new show “Hollywood Uncensored.” He did indeed say hello. I asked him how his Summer is going and he replied that the weather has been really hot. I asked the fine actor what profession he would like to do if he were not an actor. Kiefer: “Hopefully music.” I told him that he has lots of fans. Mr Sutherland: “I’ve been lucky.” He made sure that everyone got what they needed - “You guys all right?” A lot of young actors could learn manners from this friendly and polite guy. He certainly appreciates his success and gives it up to to his fans as well as the paparazzi.

Bauer

2007-09-06T06:38:00.000-04:00

Bauer skates only wish they were sharp enough for Jack Bauer.

A woman should have...

2007-09-03T16:32:00.000-04:00

This is a poem from Maya Angelou that Maureen Holloway, my favorite radio personality, read on the air a little while ago. I thought some of you might enjoy it.

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...enough money within her control to move outand rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a past juicy enough that she's looking forward toretelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..... a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .... one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .... a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... how to fall in love without losing herself...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... where to go...be it to her best friend's kitchen table...or a charming inn in the woods...when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... what she can and can't accomplish in a day...a month...and a year...

Best. Pickup. Line. Ever.

2007-09-03T16:09:00.000-04:00

Jack Bauer doesn't use pickup lines.

He just says: "Hi, my name is Jack Bauer."

Bond vs Bauer

2007-09-02T20:05:00.000-04:00

James Bond has a license to kill.
Jack Bauer doesn't need any licenses.

(I don't know who made the picture, but thank you, it's fantastic!)

some advice...

2007-08-31T07:32:00.000-04:00

When car pooling with Jack Bauer, never yell shotgun.

Kiefer enjoys lazy days of summer with lady friends in LA

2007-08-28T17:52:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-28T06:36:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-25T19:34:00.000-04:00

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

Kiefer Sutherland, on his father Donald

2007-08-24T16:22:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-24T09:09:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-08-23T21:55:00.000-04:00

Jack Bauer is the reason Waldo is hiding.

Do you copy?

2007-08-21T16:43:00.000-04:00

Jack Bauer could strangle you with a cordless phone.

Praise the Lord!

2007-08-20T00:40:00.000-04:00

Jack Bauer arrested Robocop.

2007-08-08T13:13:00.000-04:00

Think about that.

Kiefer Sutherland Shoots Global Warming In The Knee

2007-08-08T12:05:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-03T22:38:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-03T11:49:00.000-04:00

"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!

2007-08-03T10:51:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-03T10:41:00.000-04:00

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!

2007-08-03T10:31:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-03T09:53:00.000-04:00

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

2007-08-03T09:26:00.000-04:00

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.

How Many Lives Does 24's Tony Almeida Have?

2007-07-28T08:17:00.000-04:00

Posted by John Kubicek, July 27, 2007 4:23 p.m

Comic-Con is traditionally reserved for big movies like Iron Man or The Watchmen or, for the small screen, sci-fi shows like Lost and Heroes. When it was announced that 24 would be hosting a Q&A panel this year, something seemed wrong. The show doesn't really fit into a comic book world, though Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) can easily be called a superhero.

So color me surprised when the 24 panel delivered some of the most awesome bits of information thus far at Comic-Con, passing that boring Lost panel by leaps and bounds. Aside from the season 7 preview (Jack in D.C. getting grilled in a Senate committee hearing) and the movie news (not until after the final season), came something truly stunning: Tony Almeida may be alive.

That's right, Jack's trusty sidekick, who, by all accounts, died in season 5, may in fact be roaming the world, waiting for the right moment to come back into Jack's life. According to the panel, which featured show producers Jon Cassar, Evan Katz, Manny Coto and David Fury, we may yet again lay sight on the man who once made the soul patch the must-have fashion accessory for the cool at heart.

The revealed that a possible cliffhanger for season 6 included Jack, staring off at the water as he did, suddenly hearing a familiar voice telling him they have a lot to talk about. Tony Almeida's voice. As a die-hard fan of the show from minute one, I nearly jumped out of my seat the first time I heard that. Sure, it didn't happen, but man, if it did? How sweet would that have been? That flash forward thing on Lost would be nothing.

When I first heard this, it seemed absurd. Tony, as I recall, died in season 5 at the hands of Jack's former mentor, Christopher Henderson (Peter Weller). Then I thought some more, and it all made perfect sense: Tony Almeida is an immortal (and, possibly, the Highlander). Not really, but think about it: season 2, he broke his leg and spent most of the season on crutches. Season 3, he got shot in the neck (and was back running CTU a couple hours later). Season 4, he got tortured by Mandy in an apartment building. The man takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
Speaking of ticking, the return of Tony also explains one huge problem from the otherwise excellent season 5. When he "died," there was no silent clock, something they typically do for the major characters. In fact, Edgar got one the previous hour, and fans (myself included) were angry at the producers who didn't show Tony the same respect. But perhaps they didn't because they knew he wasn't really dead. In hindsight, I forgive you, 24 producers, because you're geniuses!

Season 6 wasn't the show's best (and could easily be its worst), and at the Comic-Con panel the producers shared the fans' disappointment. But if Tony Almeida returns, I'm pretty sure I'll forgive them. I want my soul patch, and I want it now.
(source)

Some jobs are better than others

2007-07-19T14:31:00.001-04:00

How much do you think this actor got paid to do this particular scene?

Just wondering...

Sigh.

More Emmys

2007-07-19T12:52:00.000-04:00

For those of you keeping count, here's the impressive list of Emmys the show 24 has won since it's been rocking the tube.

Season 1 (2002):

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series

Season 2 (2003):

Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series

Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore)

Season 3 (2004):

Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a Series

Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series

Outstanding Stunt Coordination

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

Season 4 (2005):

Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a Series

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series

Outstanding Stunt Coordination

Season 5 (2006):

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series

Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Dramatic Underscore)

Outstanding Drama Series

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series (Kiefer Sutherland)

The Emmy nominations are out

2007-07-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

Kiefer Sutherland, last year's winner for best dramatic actor, is nominated again for his role as Jack Bauer in "24".

Joining him as nominees for outstanding actor in a drama series are James Gandolfini for "The Sopranos", Hugh Laurie for "House," James Spader for "Boston Legal" and Denis Leary for "Rescue Me."

The Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will be broadcast on 16 September at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Guess who will be watching and rooting for Mr Sutherland?

Like you wouldn't believe...

2007-07-18T23:30:00.000-04:00

Posted by lipsticklush on July 18

I've been a busy little girl lately. Going here doing this and everything inbetween.

[...] Last night we hit Spaceland. It was my first time actually getting in. The first time was a bust seing as I was still underage and all. Not to say we didn't try.

We saw SYS and caught a bit of one of the other bands that was there. OK Stranger, I think. We didn't stick around for "The Scene/The Royal Heist though Anthony and I did go and talk with Colin seeing as I was all up ons at their last show. Even better than that though (if you can believe) Keifer Sutherland was there. I didn't get all goggley eyed and squee with delight. I did get a photo that I pretended to be too cool to want "Yeah, I suppose I'd like to have a photo since you're offering" and I did my best to behave when he complimented my hair. I pretty much died inside from overwhelming glee. It is not very often that Jack Bauer says he likes your hair. The only thing I didn't get to do was lick him. I had to degrade that somehow...

Tonight I'm thinking of staying in and catching up on those lost Zzz's. Unless of course something better comes up.

Lick him??? You rock! But pictures! We need pictures!!

All I have to say is...

2007-07-17T17:47:00.001-04:00

Whoever designed those jeans is my new best friend.

Some lucky encounters

2007-07-17T00:55:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, Katie met Kiefer and posted about it on PerezHilton.com:

"This weekend me and my boys Mikey, Rob and Fetz were out getting hammered in NYC when we bumped into Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland, on 10th and Waverly St. I opened the convo with “Hey Jack did you tackle any Christmas trees tonight?” and he laughed and said “No hunny not tonight.” He was so nice and stopped for a picture with us (which was taken by a cute blonde who kinnnnd of looked like Audrey! haha) he shook all my friends hands after we all told him we, and Superman, all wear Jack Bauer pajamas. You gotta appreciate a celeb who is cool enough to talk to his drunk fans when they stumble out of a bar at 3 a.m. Plus he was tatted up and H-O-T-T so I had to show him (and you) some love."

It made me all proud and happy to read about it, and then I found this comment lower on the page:

#21 - Anonymous says:
Actually these people weren’t the only ones to bump into him that night. My sister and her friends saw him that same night and went up to him. They say he was smoking a cigarette outside some place and they went up to him and started to talk to him. He was all willing to converse with them. Seems like a nice guy, other celebrities should learn from him.

(source)

Jack Bauer Doesn't Jump Sharks, He Tortures Them

2007-07-15T10:15:00.000-04:00

The sixth season of 24 was met with harsh reviews from critics and fans. Many felt it was a huge disappointed, particularly after season five, which earned acclaim and 24's first Emmy award for Outstanding Drama Series.With news of the delays and scrapping the whole storyline devised for season seven over budgetary reasons, it begs the question: has 24 officially jumped the shark?

The answer is no, not because season six wasn't bad (it was), but because the nature of the show makes it impossible for it to jump the shark. Every past season has had a moment or several that sparked "jump the shark" fever. The plots have been so ridiculous at times that fans were certain the show had used up every ounce of creativity it had, and that the show would never be able to recover. This could not be further from the truth.

The fact is that the show will never reach that tipping point and become unbearable to watch. The structure of the series, following one day in the life of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) in real time, means that, every season, things start anew. The clock gets reset, and, though there is some continuity from year-to-year, the basic story of each season is unique enough that earlier mistakes are not a problem.

24 has faced this criticism from the beginning. In its first season, the idea was heralded as a stunning departure from traditional television, but even then, producers had a difficult time maintaining the high-speed action for all 24 hours. An extended subplot about Jack's wife Teri (Leslie Hope) getting amnesia was about as silly and soap opera-esque as could be imagined.
In season two, the writers didn't seem to have any idea how to keep Jack's daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) involved in the story, and viewers were continually annoyed by her plots. In particular, fans remember a certain incident with Kim and a cougar that is believed to be the absolute low point in series history. But the show rebounded, because by the fourth season, Kim was gone. By eliminating the part that jumped the shark, the show essentially un-jumped it.

The hardcore fans of 24 can remember plenty of equally low moments. Jack's misadventures in Mexico during season three, the out-of-the-blue invasion of the Chinese embassy in season four, or even the off-putting attempts to bring back old characters in season five, like Tony Almeida's (Carlos Bernard) midseason resurrection or former Secretary of Defense James Heller's (William Devane) cliff diving.

These problems are all solved by the fact that, with the start of a new season, those characters and plots are long forgotten. There's a new terrorist threat, new CTU employees and whatever problems Kim Bauer or Tony Almeida had, they are long gone and forgotten. Unlike other shows that follow a singular, linear path from start to finish, 24 is, by design, a new adventure every season. Sure, every individual season can have a "jump the shark" moment that makes the rest of the day torture to sit through. For the show as a whole, however, jumping the shark is impossible, short of dumping the entire premise or Sutherland himself.

What will season seven bring? At this point, it seems even the writers, actors and producers have no idea. What is clear is that the many problems of season six will be in the past. Audiences won't have to sit through the unconvincing presidency of the woefully unqualified Wayne Palmer (DB Woodside) because there will be a new president. Viewers will hopefully be rid of the annoying personal drama of Nadia (Marisol Nichols) and Mike Doyle (Rick Schroeder), because the show has promised to cut most of its main cast.

The show is not in trouble, and it won't be for as long as it runs. So long as there's a terrorist out there, threatening America's way of life, Jack Bauer will be there to torture the information out of him. That's all we want to see, and there's no reason to doubt the writers. Critics were complaining back in the first half of the first season that there's no way the show could possibly keep the show going with its real time format. Six years later, the Jack Bauer Power Hours are still going strong. Terrorists have tried killing Jack many times, succeeding at least twice. If death can't stop him, a poorly reviewed season doesn't have a chance.

-John Kubicek, Buddy TV, July 14, 2007 10:05 p.m.

Kiefer Sutherland looking hot in the village!

2007-07-15T10:06:00.000-04:00

As posted by Orange Pixie

Today is the day that I made the transition from a blogger to a blogger/paparazzo. I was strolling around in the village in NYC with a friend when we decided to sit down on a bench by an Italian restaurant. A few minutes later, Kiefer Sutherland walked by us with a mysterious blonde and sat on the next bench by the restaurant. At this time, I took out my iPhone and was ready to take pictures. I didn't want to be too obvious so I stayed in my seat. I couldn't get a good view of him but when he got up to put out his cigarette, I was able to get a good shot of his behind and another one as he turned around to get into the restaurant.

I never thought of Kiefer as such a hot guy. Cute yes, but not hot. However, today I changed my mind. He looks much better in real life than on TV and in the movies. He looks much younger than he really is and he is hot and definitely cute.

The passion of Kiefer Sutherland

2007-07-13T19:53:00.000-04:00

Cinephiles and Kiefershippers, check out this educative and entertaining entry by Marymcilwain!! Everything is hers, including the pictures. (source)

Kiefer Sutherland is a passionate man. Indeed, how could anyone who has ever sat through one episode of 24, with Kiefer alternating between his soft intense snarl, and his flat-out crazed roaring ever accuse him of passionlessness? We suspect the war on terror would have ended in early 2002, had the government actually employed such a solider. Imagine Kiefer, staggering over the rocky mountain passes of Afghanistan, sneaking up on Taliban fighters, MacGyver-ing some torture devise out of his personal, stand-by nipple clamps and some rogue lightning, while grabbing them by their scruffy necks and growling, “I need you to take me to Bin Laden, and I need you to do it NOW.”

But what of the early years? Has Kiefer always been so intense, or has his life as a Federal Counter-Terrorism Field Op hardened his demeanor, forcing him to put aside all of his own interests, for the good of all of us ungrateful, unpatriotic, and clueless Angelinos?

Let us take a look and rate: Lost Boys, Young Guns, Flatliners

The Lost Boys
Kiefer leads a pack of swellheaded vampires and is looking to expand the family. They may indeed appear to be a harmless bunch of pseudo rock star wannabes, guilty only of raiding a high school band uniform store for their wears, but it is leadership that keeps them in check.

Kiefer first targets the young Jason Patric as a food source, but quickly comes to realize he was in error by initially deciding to sacrifice such a strong addition. Was it Jason's willingness to participate in a motorcycle race? Or was it his eagerness to eat worms, maggots and drink blood? His inability to resist the monotonous chanting of “Join Us”? Whatever the case, Kiefer knows a good bet when he sees it. This of course sets Kiefer in opposition to young heart throbs, Coreys Haim and Feldman. He must have known what he was up against by antagonizing the impenetratible force-field that was “The Coreys.” But stick to his vampiric ideals he does, even to his death, as is forced-through “by stereo.”

Passion rating: 4 fangs.

Youthful passion and belief in one’s chosen life style more than adequately displayed, misguided as it may be.

Young Guns
Starring as cowboy and plagiarizing poet Josiah Gordon “Doc” Scurlock, Kiefer here is one of Billy the Kids’ gang from imagined beginnings. He steals the show by demonstrating his understated sensitivity whilst swimming in a sea of testosterone. Doc is quick on the draw in a fight, always there for a pal, and damn if he can’t sweep a Celestial woman off her feet with some lifted Shakespeare or Edgar Allen Poe. His flower bunch may be withered, but it is the thought that counts, and fresh flowers are particularly hard to come by in the wilds of eastern New Mexico, we can attest. He may not always agree with the gang mentality, but he’ll be there, stepping in where needed, most of the time.

Passion rating: 3 1/2 wilted flower petals.

Passion for the lady strongly represented, but not equally so for the boys. Dicks should at least be on equal footing with chicks.

Flatliners
Kiefer’s passion is contagious in Flatliners, as he infects four of his fellow med students with a lust to discover what lay beyond the grave. These five doctors in training decide to step on God’s toes and kill themselves, relying on their fellow egomaniacal students to bring them back to life, for the greater good of finding out what exactly happens. Passion? Oh yes. When the group discovers they have brought their haunted pasts into the present, Kiefer’s not too proud to get his ass kicked by some kid. Repeatedly. It’s all for the good of the plot after all, and far be it from Kiefer to ever stray from the object of his character’s intensity.

Passion rating: 5 heart blips.

Angry, narcissistic and with a God-complex to boot, followed by vulnerability and humble acceptance of the Universe?

Kiefer, you had us at “Today is a good day to die.”

Conclusion: 24 ain’t got nothing new.

American hero

2007-07-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

I KNOW JACK, by Will McKinley

Last night I worked out with an American hero.

As you can surely tell, if you’ve ever seen a picture of me, I am a weight lifter. Yes, I have that rare combination of both intellectual and physical perfection rarely seen in the world. Not only can I destroy an opponent with my searing, Oscar Wilde-ish wit, I can also bust his ass with a Rocky Balboa-ish right hook.

So last night, there I was, pumping iron at the Equinox Fitness Center on Greenwich Street in the West Village of New York City, when I noticed a familiar face. I stared for a minute at the blond-haired man, sitting on a weight bench, doing bicep curls.

“Could this be Jack Bauer?” I thought to myself. “Right here? Sweating amongst the rabble?”

It was.

He is thinner and slighter of build than he appears to be on television or in the movies. He has a barbed-wire tattoo around both of his biceps. And his tight, gray t-shirt was soaked through with sweat. But this was not just any sweat. This was the sweat of Jack Bauer!

As I stood next to him, a mere three or four inches away, I thought about striking up a conversation. After all, unlike the majority of his fellow weightlifters, Jack (I mean Kiefer) was not wearing headphones.

This proves a theory I have always had. Real men -- heroes -- don’t need artificial stimulation. High-energy music, sports drinks, performance enhancing drugs? Not for Jack Bauer! (I mean Kiefer Sutherland.)

As I curled my 50 lb weight (just a warm-up for me), Jack (Kiefer) made his way to the rack and returned the weight he had been lifting. I looked at it. It was 40lbs. That means one thing.

I am stronger than Jack Bauer.

After he put down his weight, he looked up at me.“If anything goes down, dude,” I said to him, sotto vocce. “I got your back.”
(source)

So, who else here is jealous of this gentleman?

Did you read that well? Tight, wet T-shirt...!!! How I wish there was a picture with that blog!

Let me just say one thing, though: If Kiefer Sutherland ever uses his sotto vocce and gravitas on you, sir, you'll be the one needing back up!

You don't know Jack

2007-07-13T10:13:00.000-04:00

"You don't know Jack" is a blessing among terrorists.

The Campaign for Little Britain

2007-07-11T09:52:00.000-04:00

The Campaign For Little Britain was started by a group of British residents and businesses located in the vicinity of Greenwich Avenue and West 12th Street. Led by Tea & Sympathy, the British restaurant on Greenwich Avenue, and Virgin Atlantic, the campaign was petitioning New York City to formally recognize Little Britain as a new neighborhood in Manhattan.

Last night, the campaign to rename the stretch of Greenwich Avenue between West 12th and 13th Streets "Little Britain" was finally—mercifully—put to bed. The proposal, backed by the owners of some Brit-centric businesses on the block as well as Virgin Atlantic, was shot down by a committee within Community Board 2, much to the chagrin of Kiefer Sutherland.

Objections included the lack of any real British presence in the area as well as that it was part of a slick marketing campaign by an upstart creative marketing company that was using Greenwich Village as its advertising medium.

(source #1 source #2)

You wanna rock with Kiefer?

2007-07-10T22:51:00.000-04:00

Southern California radio station STAR 98.7 (KYSR-FM) is searching for the next Rock Star in a music competition contest named Rockstar 987. The winner will be awarded $25,000 cash, $2,000 in Guitar Center equipment and a record deal with Ironworks Music (owned and operated by Kiefer Sutherland and Jude Cole). Star 98.7 is inviting listeners, musicians, singers and songwriters (individual or group) to submit a video of themselves performing an original song (no “covers”) to STAR 98.7’s website http://www.star987.com/. (source)