24: Are Producers Steering Season 7 in the Right Direction?

I had the distinct privilege of attending the 24 panel at San Diego Comic-Con in person this past weekend featuring producers/writers Jon Cassar, Evan Katz, David Fury, and Manny Coto.  It was nice to see total honesty from all the guys, admitting that the fans’ disappointment with season 6 wasn’t at all lost on them.  So, OK, that’s great, but what about season 7.  The most recent, somewhat troubling news to come out of the 24 camp prior to Comic-Con was that FOX brass denied their story proposal for season 7 (which reportedly included filming numerous episodes in Africa) and sent everyone back to the drawing board.  From there, what the producers reported kept in line with their insistence that season 7 be completely different from any previous season.  Are their announced plans for the season good ones?

First off, I’d like to make it clear that, from everything I heard from the panel, they are still very early in the writing process and not a lot is set in stone.  I’d be willing to bet that they have yet to even settle on the basic plot line for the seventh season.  The things they have decided upon, though, are both major and exciting developments.  Let’s go through the two major announcements.

No CTU

CTU will have been completely disbanded at the outset of season 7.  They all made it very clear that there would be no CTU.   This will force the writers to think outside the crutch that was CTU.  Jack Bauer, for all we can tell, will be acting almost completely on his own accord, which for all Bauer fans should bring full body tingles of joy.  Chloe will be back, however, which makes one believe that she will, in some way, be in cahoots with Jack.  The Jack and Chloe team has always been one of my favorites on 24, and if my speculation is correct, we should be in for some fun times.  So, overall, I can;t think of any negatives to the abolition of CTU.

Washington, D.C.

24 is going to be changing coasts next season.  Now, DC has been a fixture of 24 before, but usually just kept inside the White House or the presidential bunker.  If they actually shoot the film in DC, we can all look forward to some great locations and a welcome exit from the drudgery of Los Angeles.  If Jack is again charged with thwarting terrorists, than the stakes will immediately be raised, given all the important people and historic landmarks in our nation’s capitol.  Again, I don’t see much of a downside here.    I would’ve rather seen an exotic locale, like Central America or Africa, but for now DC will have to do.

All in all, the plans for next season bring me confidence in the producers.  They recognized the show needed some drastic changes and have acted accordingly.  Hopefully, they’ll be able to concoct a great story for the season.

-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer

Posted under Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland’s 24 may be a hit with critics and audiences but it recently flunked a year-end rating system for the usage of “people of size” on the show. SizeFriendlyTV is a website dedicated to promoting the use of more “people of size” in night time television. In SizeFriendlyTV terms, “people of size” or POS refers to characters carrying at least 25-30 extra pounds on them. According to the website, the small screen is sorely lacking “people of size” in primetime programming, with only about 10% of roles being essayed by plus size actors.

SizeFriendlyTV’s advocacy works on the premise that since 40-50% of Americans are “of size,” then 40-50% of television characters should reflect reality and be of size as well.

The website recently released their end-of-the-year ranking which grades primetime television shows according to their utilization of POS. Their measurement system failed a number of popular shows like 24, House, CSI: NY and CSI: Miami while top marks went to Two and a Half Men and Ghost Whisperer.

Understandably, the cast of characters on 24 is made up of slim, trim, lithe and athletic individuals like Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer. In a program that revolves around action plots and sequences, with a high focus on skilled government agents going up against dangerous criminals and terrorists, we’d be hard pressed to find obese, overweight and stocky personnel. One exception was in the show’s fourth and fifth seasons when 24 featured Louis Lombardi in the role of Edgar Stiles. Lombardi’s hefty figure certainly qualifies him as a “person of size” and, while Edgar did not survive throughout the duration of season five, he did become one of the most beloved and memorable characters in the franchise history. In his case, physical size did not render him less desirable in a serious, dramatic story. The arcs surrounding the death of Stiles’ mother in one of the terrorist attacks as well as his complex love-hate friendship with Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub’s character) were some of the most poignant and well-received moments in the series.

For more resources about 24 or for the full story of 24 Hates Fat People, Apparently please review this link http://www.buddytv.com

Posted under Kiefer Sutherland

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

‘24’ as Reality Show

By JUDITH WARNER

“I hope people will make the distinction between television and reality.”

Jack Bauer stood with his back to the sea, the variegated light of early evening playing upon the features of his careworn face. Pondering the future, he lifted a cigarette to his lips, its golden ember a searing reminder of his perpetual courtship of death …

Sorry, I got confused.

Let me start again.
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Posted under Kiefer Sutherland

The Triumphant Return Of Kiefer Sutherland (to LAX)

· Tuesday, July 24 - Saw Kiefer Sutherland around 10:30pm walking through Terminal 7 at LAX, looking way hot. The perfect end to a first trip to LaLa Land for my 24-obsessed boyfriend! On our flight from Maui to LA was Shannon Tweed sitting in first class with what appeared to be her kids. Serious case of platypus lips going on there–not a pretty sight.

Posted under Kiefer Sutherland

Lulop.com has a video of Kiefer signing for fans - you can view the footage HERE!

Posted under Kiefer Sutherland

Hottie of the Day

Vote for Kief

Posted under Kiefer Sutherland

http://www.theruleofthirds.com/?m=200701

As some of you know, my good friend, roommate, college buddy, and brother in arms, Vanlandw, has created something truly special: www.bauercount.com. Bauercount is a site that tracks the kills perpetuated by Jack Bauer, the protagonist of the hit show, “24“. Vanlandw created the site a few years ago, during season 4. Over the past two years, the popularity of the show and of bauercount has steadily increased. And with that popularity, the day to day upkeep of bauercount has also been on the rise. Bauercount is at the point now where the line between hobby and actual work begins to blur.

For this season, Day 6, bauercount has seen it’s apex of popularity. First, some enterprising soul submitted bauercount to digg.com. 45 minutes later, bauercount, along with my site and the sites of everyone else hosted on the-bob.org were down for the count. With some hard and fast work, vanlandw and fulljeff were able to bring bauercount back to life for all the crazed “24″ fans. Since then, esquire magazine has interviewed vanlandw about the site. Before that, harpers (10th down on the list). And second, a FOX affiliate from Washington D.C. found out about bauercount and featured it in piece about 24 fan sites. Hero worship, indeed.

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Posted under Kiefer Sutherland