A comely blonde walks down the stairs in what looks like a lovely home. She’s on the phone, getting briefed about Jonas Hodges’ arrest. The woman, we learn, is Hodges’ favorite attorney. Hmmmm….wonder if her looks have anything to do with it?
Doesn’t matter. The woman opens the door and is rudely interrupted by a guy wearing a mask and spraying gas. Whaaaaa? No, “Hello?” “How are you?” That’s what’s wrong with this country today. Polite manners are going the way of the Betamax.
James Cromwell played Jack Bauer's murderous dad on 24
So, last week I was on the phone with James Cromwell, the super talented character actor you’ve seen in Babe, L.A. Confidential, ER, The West Wing and a gazillion other movies and TV shows.
Cromwell will be in town this week for The Palm Beach International Film Festival. You know Cromwell’s been around ’cause he’s receiving the festival’s Career Achievement Award. An award that’s well deserved, by the way.
We had a nice chat and talked about everything from charges that his director-father was a communist to what it was like playing George Herbert Walker Bush in W.
The beauty of interviewing Cromwell is that he’s extremely candid (we entertainment reporters love those types!) and has no problem saying what’s on his mind. When I asked him what it was like playing Jack Bauer’s murderous dad on 24, well, as expected, Cromwell told me what he really thought.
Please forgive me if this 24 recap blog is a little late. You see, I spent a good part of last night and this morning looking for my jaw and reattaching said jaw to my face.
Said jaw was on the floor after that what-the-hell-just-happened? ending. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been that surprised, what with all the shifty-eyed looks Tony has been giving lately. But still. I was. And it’s why 24 remains one of TV’s best thrill ride dramas.
It’s Tuesday. And that means only one thing: Time for my 24 and Dancing with the Stars recap blogs. Well, not this week, boys and girls. In fact, no recaps for Lost and 30 Rock later this week, either. Whaaaaaa? Did I give up blogging? Hit the lottery? Join the circus?
No. I wish. Are you crazy?
The reason is actually quite simple: I’m on vacation. Yup. Officially off TV blogging duty until Wednesday, April 8. With me being gone for a week, we’ll definitely have lots to discuss when I get back.
Kiefer Sutherland will be back to play Jack Bauer for an eighth season of the hit counterterrorism drama “24,” but the show’s longevity will depend on its writers, the actor said Tuesday.
The 42-year-old said “24,” currently in its seventh season, will start shooting its eighth in May. He spoke during an interview in Hong Kong to promote the new 3-D animated movie “Monsters vs. Aliens,” in which he voices the character of General W.R. Monger.
Sutherland, whose gritty portrayal of the counterterrorism agent has made Bauer an iconic character, said he’s committed to the show that’s revived his career.
“If I was going to liken ’24′ to a girlfriend, ’24′ has been really good to me. And I need to be really good back,” Sutherland said.
Why, he’s on the lam after being framed for murdering that weasel Ryan Burnett and looking for the one-armed assassin who really did the dirty deed. OK, there’s no one-armed assassin. But there is a grim-faced hitman who will lose a lot more than his arm before the clock strikes 10.
Jon Voight shows no mercy as a cold bad guy on 24.
Rest in peace, Candyman, we hardly knew thee.
In case you hadn’t noticed, bad guys are dropping like lead balloons on 24. Colonel Dubaku met his maker in a hospital bed. Jack popped General Juma last night after The Candyman refused to put his weapon down like a good terrorist. If I were Jonas Hodges, I’d start getting my personal affairs in order.
Ah Hodges, played by Jon Voight like he’s channeling Paul Sarone, the hammy snake poacher in Anaconda — only without the shifty accent. Hodges is a cold SOB, isn’t he? When told President Taylor survived the White House invasion, Hodges gets up from his chair, contorts his face into a delicious snarl and hisses, “Well, you gotta admire the damn b—h. She doesn’t give up easily.”
Couldn’t you imagine those same words coming out of Sarone’s mouth after the humongous snake slithers away?
General Juma introduces himself to the president's daughter
As someone who suffers from high blood pressure, two action-packed, shoot-’em-up, slap-the-prez-silly hours of 24 are hazardous to my health.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. Last night’s double-barreled episodes were Die Hard great and literally had me sitting on the edge of my couch. But, good Lord, my ticker was racing faster than Secretariat, that beautiful, Triple Crown-winning thoroughbred from back in the day. So much was going on, if you blinked, you missed it.
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