Friday, December 05, 2003
What were you thinking!
The BBC has admitted the collapse of negotiations with Fox to buy the third series of '24' for the BBC is a "very hard pill to swallow" for both sides ... "They think it's at the high point, so they were saying 'we want this much for it'. It's a great show, but we believe it's just past its peak. We're a public service broadcaster and we can't be held to ransom over something like this." Mr McGhee said.
Who hires these nimrods? Seriously. How can a show barely into it's third season be past its peak? That is such bullshit. 24 was fighting to make it past 13 or so episodes in Season One, then it caught on like wildfire and went nonstop until just last August (in the UK). It's a cult hit, inspired loads of fansites, generates huge amounts of speculation and interest in the characters and plot, and is just now getting into it's third year. I believe the BBC eejits are genuinely talking out their ass on this one. I think they just didn't want to pay FOX's asking price for a hit show.
Sure the ratings here are down some from last year. But ratings are down on nearly every show on every network so I don't consider that a deciding factor. I actually don't know why I'm so irked by this news about the BBC since I don't live in the UK, but I do think things like that ultimately will affect viewers in the states, especially after comments like 'past its peak'. That can only hurt the show and possibly affect how FOX carries on with it in the future, and it's simply not true at all. So a big 'Boooo' to the BBC for their monumentally stupid decision.
Who hires these nimrods? Seriously. How can a show barely into it's third season be past its peak? That is such bullshit. 24 was fighting to make it past 13 or so episodes in Season One, then it caught on like wildfire and went nonstop until just last August (in the UK). It's a cult hit, inspired loads of fansites, generates huge amounts of speculation and interest in the characters and plot, and is just now getting into it's third year. I believe the BBC eejits are genuinely talking out their ass on this one. I think they just didn't want to pay FOX's asking price for a hit show.
Sure the ratings here are down some from last year. But ratings are down on nearly every show on every network so I don't consider that a deciding factor. I actually don't know why I'm so irked by this news about the BBC since I don't live in the UK, but I do think things like that ultimately will affect viewers in the states, especially after comments like 'past its peak'. That can only hurt the show and possibly affect how FOX carries on with it in the future, and it's simply not true at all. So a big 'Boooo' to the BBC for their monumentally stupid decision.
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Wednesday, December 03, 2003
And another thing...
I completely forgot to talk about the exchange between Jack and Ramon in the helicopter. Ramon taunting Jack the way he did. I'll come back later and edit this with the transcript of that scene because it's one of the main things from last night's show that's still bugging me. Apart from Chapelle's hug.
Anyway, Salazar basically told Jack that he was very good, very believable. That he didn't think Jack had to take heroin to infiltrate the drug ring because he was already accepted. Then Ramon began to question Jack's real motives for becoming a junkie. "What pain are you trying to make go away Jack..." I want to know too! Jack, Jack what have you done?
I have to admit my first impression of last night's show was that it wasn't as taut as last week's with the Roulette sequence and everything. But after sleeping on it I find I'm still thinking about it and wondering what's going to happen next. I'm beginning to realise that I don't *need* to have an 'Oh shit' moment every time because the writers are weaving the story in such a way that after every episode, people like me are talking about it, puzzling over it, trying to figure out what's going to happen, and blogging about it :) That's what makes this show so great.
Anyway, Salazar basically told Jack that he was very good, very believable. That he didn't think Jack had to take heroin to infiltrate the drug ring because he was already accepted. Then Ramon began to question Jack's real motives for becoming a junkie. "What pain are you trying to make go away Jack..." I want to know too! Jack, Jack what have you done?
I have to admit my first impression of last night's show was that it wasn't as taut as last week's with the Roulette sequence and everything. But after sleeping on it I find I'm still thinking about it and wondering what's going to happen next. I'm beginning to realise that I don't *need* to have an 'Oh shit' moment every time because the writers are weaving the story in such a way that after every episode, people like me are talking about it, puzzling over it, trying to figure out what's going to happen, and blogging about it :) That's what makes this show so great.
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Tuesday, December 02, 2003
6pm - 7pm
And the award for Most Awkward Hug goes to.... Ryan Chapelle and Michelle Dessler! That was hilarious actually.
Yes Chapelle has made his snakey little appearance to take over CTU as Division wanted a senior official in charge during the crisis. Michelle seemed a little irked about that but gamely jumped back into doing her normal job. Tony's out of surgery now and will make a full recovery. Reiko's really getting some great scenes in this season and I'm impressed with her stoic portrayal of Dessler. She allows Dessler to furtively show her relief at Tony's prognosis, but only to herself. Her game face is always on when she's dealing with the job. I am enjoying her storyline such as it is.
Chase guilted Chapelle into getting the President's approval before he ordered the military to shoot Jack's chopper down. I knew the little man would see it Chase's way. Chapelle is a by-the-book kind of guy. He would be too afraid to take a chance and make a decision that might ultimately seriously piss off the Commander-in-Chief.
I thought the dramatic way Palmer left the debate was a great idea because I'm sorry, that was as dull as a very dull thing. But his abrupt departure added some tension I was happy with. However I find I'm still looking for the decisive, I'll-listen-to-what-you-say-but-I'll-make-my-own-decision-anyway President from last season. So far, I'm getting the feeling that Palmer has lost his edge. The betrayals of Sherry, Novick and his own Vice-President combined with the stress of the assassination attempts and nuclear bomb have changed him. He's allowing his wanker brother to lead him around like a dog on a leash. Dr. Packard looks like a really strong woman so I'm hoping that her strength helps Palmer regain some of his edge.
Kyle Kyle Kyle... The actor really reminds me of Joaquin Phoenix for some reason. I don't know why I mention that now, I'm just typing random thoughts. Anyway, I boo-hoo'd during his goodbye scene. That was pretty powerful at least to me. I know what it's like not to be able to say goodbye to loved ones so anytime that happens in a show or film, I lose it. I've seen the Kim/Jack goodbye scene in the plane several times and it never fails to gut me. I digress though. Kyle is not infected. I knew he wouldn't be - not because I guessed but because I read a fecking spoiler on accident. Argh. But anyway I'm really wondering if it was all a huge bluff to get Salazar, or if someone else is really infected... What if it's Jack? :( God I'm so worried they're going to off Jack somehow. But they can't do it so early in the season. That would be the stupidest thing ever done by a television series.
And what a comedy of errors going on with Jack. He takes off in the helicopter *just* as Chase learns they have Kyle Singer. He *just* manages to evade a target lock and makes it over the city in time to avoid being shot down. He and Salazar land and run away *just* as Chloe figures out the hailing whatchamacallit so Chase can again attempt to tell him his crusade is pointless. Argh! Tense tense tense. I think I literally said, 'Argh' when they showed Jack and Ramon running away from the chopper. So they melt into the hustle and bustle of L.A., steal a hot car, and then somehow Jack has a secure cell phone to call an airplane that's circling the city so he can send the plane to another airfield.... yeah.. I got a little lost there. But anyway, I gasped when Salazar came to his evil senses and nearly killed Jack right there on the airstrip. Now we get to see the wrath of Ramon and I bet he takes it out bigtime on Jack who's been knocked unconscious and dragged on board the waiting plane. And now we're off to Mexico!
Oh yes... Kim... I think she is showing some of Michelle's stoic attitude right now, but with the anxiety of a 21 year old, if you get my meaning. She's under pressure right now and I wasn't sure she'd handle discovering her father used her and heroin very well but she held up well. I think she also remembered Gael acting suspiciously earlier which is what propelled her to check out his screen. So now she knows her father's a hostage - but in true 24 style, Gael remembered that he didn't close down his file properly and came back just in time to find Kim about to blow the whistle on him. I saw someone on a forum complain about Gael not closing out that file and how could a tech like him forget something so simple. But I'd say he had no time to shut it down because Adam and Kim were coming into the room just then. Either way, Kim's a hostage too. How ironic :)
Fabulous show all in all. Not quite as gasp-worthy as last week's show, but I still had my 'Oh shit' moment when Salazar held the gun to Jack's head. CanNOT wait for next week's ep!
Yes Chapelle has made his snakey little appearance to take over CTU as Division wanted a senior official in charge during the crisis. Michelle seemed a little irked about that but gamely jumped back into doing her normal job. Tony's out of surgery now and will make a full recovery. Reiko's really getting some great scenes in this season and I'm impressed with her stoic portrayal of Dessler. She allows Dessler to furtively show her relief at Tony's prognosis, but only to herself. Her game face is always on when she's dealing with the job. I am enjoying her storyline such as it is.
Chase guilted Chapelle into getting the President's approval before he ordered the military to shoot Jack's chopper down. I knew the little man would see it Chase's way. Chapelle is a by-the-book kind of guy. He would be too afraid to take a chance and make a decision that might ultimately seriously piss off the Commander-in-Chief.
I thought the dramatic way Palmer left the debate was a great idea because I'm sorry, that was as dull as a very dull thing. But his abrupt departure added some tension I was happy with. However I find I'm still looking for the decisive, I'll-listen-to-what-you-say-but-I'll-make-my-own-decision-anyway President from last season. So far, I'm getting the feeling that Palmer has lost his edge. The betrayals of Sherry, Novick and his own Vice-President combined with the stress of the assassination attempts and nuclear bomb have changed him. He's allowing his wanker brother to lead him around like a dog on a leash. Dr. Packard looks like a really strong woman so I'm hoping that her strength helps Palmer regain some of his edge.
Kyle Kyle Kyle... The actor really reminds me of Joaquin Phoenix for some reason. I don't know why I mention that now, I'm just typing random thoughts. Anyway, I boo-hoo'd during his goodbye scene. That was pretty powerful at least to me. I know what it's like not to be able to say goodbye to loved ones so anytime that happens in a show or film, I lose it. I've seen the Kim/Jack goodbye scene in the plane several times and it never fails to gut me. I digress though. Kyle is not infected. I knew he wouldn't be - not because I guessed but because I read a fecking spoiler on accident. Argh. But anyway I'm really wondering if it was all a huge bluff to get Salazar, or if someone else is really infected... What if it's Jack? :( God I'm so worried they're going to off Jack somehow. But they can't do it so early in the season. That would be the stupidest thing ever done by a television series.
And what a comedy of errors going on with Jack. He takes off in the helicopter *just* as Chase learns they have Kyle Singer. He *just* manages to evade a target lock and makes it over the city in time to avoid being shot down. He and Salazar land and run away *just* as Chloe figures out the hailing whatchamacallit so Chase can again attempt to tell him his crusade is pointless. Argh! Tense tense tense. I think I literally said, 'Argh' when they showed Jack and Ramon running away from the chopper. So they melt into the hustle and bustle of L.A., steal a hot car, and then somehow Jack has a secure cell phone to call an airplane that's circling the city so he can send the plane to another airfield.... yeah.. I got a little lost there. But anyway, I gasped when Salazar came to his evil senses and nearly killed Jack right there on the airstrip. Now we get to see the wrath of Ramon and I bet he takes it out bigtime on Jack who's been knocked unconscious and dragged on board the waiting plane. And now we're off to Mexico!
Oh yes... Kim... I think she is showing some of Michelle's stoic attitude right now, but with the anxiety of a 21 year old, if you get my meaning. She's under pressure right now and I wasn't sure she'd handle discovering her father used her and heroin very well but she held up well. I think she also remembered Gael acting suspiciously earlier which is what propelled her to check out his screen. So now she knows her father's a hostage - but in true 24 style, Gael remembered that he didn't close down his file properly and came back just in time to find Kim about to blow the whistle on him. I saw someone on a forum complain about Gael not closing out that file and how could a tech like him forget something so simple. But I'd say he had no time to shut it down because Adam and Kim were coming into the room just then. Either way, Kim's a hostage too. How ironic :)
Fabulous show all in all. Not quite as gasp-worthy as last week's show, but I still had my 'Oh shit' moment when Salazar held the gun to Jack's head. CanNOT wait for next week's ep!
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What happened to...
I actually thought of a couple things I wanted to write about before I start getting ga-ga over tonight's episode. The first thing occurred to me as I was driving to work this morning and I was thinking about Laura Harris' character (the terror bride) from Season Two. I just had the random thought as I was waiting to make a left that what on earth did all the guests who were going to the wedding think when they found out the extent of Marie Warner's deceit. I mean think about it, you wake up thinking you're going to a wedding. You spend all morning at the salon getting gorgeous, your new dress is laying on the bed waiting for you to put it on and then you get a call from Kate saying sorry the wedding is postponed because Reza is being detained by the government. So you look hot for nothing basically. And then later on that day you discover that the bride of the wedding you were going to killed her own fiance along with two federal agents, and was part of a plot to detonate a nuclear weapon and effectively kill you. So I began to wonder if some of those guests perhaps would have needed therapy, or continued the american tradition of capitalizing on tragedy by appearing Oprah or getting interviewed by Diane Sawyer.
Would there have been tabloid headlines like 'I was the Terrorbride's Bridesmaid'? Certainly there would have been a 'very special' tv movie... Hehehe.. Anyway I just wondered what happened to a lot of the mini-threads like that. 24 doesn't really deal much with the fallout from Jack's bad days. When the show returns we're given minimal backstory; i.e. we sort of know Jack and Kate had a relationship in the three years since Season Two, but what caused them to split up? Did Lynne Kresge make it? How did Jack and Kim get on with each other now that their estrangement seems to be over (barring all the stuff that's happened so far this season.) But I'd really like to know how the Warner family dealt with the aftermath of Marie's actions. But I guess I just have to speculate.
The other thing I wanted to mention was a great thread on the TWoP forums called 'What I've Learned From 24...' I thought it was hilarious so I'm sharing some of the answers here:
Not to leave my neck exposed during contract negotiations.
If I don't tell Jack Bauer who I work for, he will kill me.
That approximately 18 hours of heart pounding action with Kiefer is not enough to make him want a lasting relationship with you.
If you're dating your boss' daughter, don't try to talk to him about it while he's trying to kick a heroin habit and carrying a loaded weapon.
Euros are real money.
When working at CTU, always have a secret "food drawer" in your desk. Overtime never seems to be announced ahead of time and you never know when a snack might come in handy!
And my personal favourite thing I've learned from 24 is....
You Just Don't Walk Away from Sherry Palmer.
12 hours to go! :)
Would there have been tabloid headlines like 'I was the Terrorbride's Bridesmaid'? Certainly there would have been a 'very special' tv movie... Hehehe.. Anyway I just wondered what happened to a lot of the mini-threads like that. 24 doesn't really deal much with the fallout from Jack's bad days. When the show returns we're given minimal backstory; i.e. we sort of know Jack and Kate had a relationship in the three years since Season Two, but what caused them to split up? Did Lynne Kresge make it? How did Jack and Kim get on with each other now that their estrangement seems to be over (barring all the stuff that's happened so far this season.) But I'd really like to know how the Warner family dealt with the aftermath of Marie's actions. But I guess I just have to speculate.
The other thing I wanted to mention was a great thread on the TWoP forums called 'What I've Learned From 24...' I thought it was hilarious so I'm sharing some of the answers here:
And my personal favourite thing I've learned from 24 is....
12 hours to go! :)
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Monday, December 01, 2003
Grrr.
The next time I get the crazy idea to upgrade the Screencap gallery software, please someone shoot me In The Neck. The gallery is offline for a while while I try and figure out where I screwed it up. This could take a while. Where's Kim when you need her? :D
...Later that day, a haggard Melia logs onto the blog to report that the fecking thing is fixed now.
...Later that day, a haggard Melia logs onto the blog to report that the fecking thing is fixed now.
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One Day More
I have a dilemma tomorrow night. I have company coming into town today and I'm terribly afraid I'm going to miss 24 tomorrow night. Sad eh? Well, before you go thinking I'm a rude host, it's only my cousin coming :) And he hates pretty much all television (except hockey of course, it's okay to watch that) and will spend the entire hour making fun of me for being hooked on the show like I am. So I'm thinking I'm going to pack him off to his dad's for the whole day tomorrow where they can drink their homebrews and then pass out. Then I won't have to worry :)
When 24 is on at my house, the phone is shut off, the kidlet keeps the cat away from me, and the lights go out while I absorb the show. That works well for me :) If the cousin were around well, I'd just be a wreck yelling at him to 'Shut up! Shut up!' every two minutes. Or else I'd have to spend ages explaining the various plot points (except Palmer's because frankly, I can't see where that one is going) and then I'd miss half the show. So yeah, it's best to just pack him off I think.
Anyway I've discovered the joys of bittorrent recently and have downloaded a BBC special that never aired over here. I think it's called Access All Areas and goes behind the scenes on the show and interviews the cast and I can't wait to see it :) But I won't be able to today because of the cousin. *sigh* What does it say about me that I'd rather watch stuff about 24 than visit with my cousin whom I haven't seen for a few months? :) Obsessive? Me? Naaaaah! Hehehe. I'm only half-kidding anyway. Of course I'll hang out with the 'cuz and we'll catch up but he really does have to make the rounds with the other rellies so I will have plenty of time to indulge my addiction. I just have no patience and I hate waiting for stuff in case you haven't noticed that from all my bitching about waiting a week for each episode.
Oh yeah I digressed a little bit there. I meant to say that I was going to screencap that Access All Areas special when I get the chance so check out the 24 Screencap Gallery. Eventually they'll be there. In other news, apparently Kiefer Sutherland will be the Master of Ceremonies (Mmm.. Master...) of the NASCAR Winston Cup Awards which airs this Friday, December 5th on TNT at 9pm (EST) so while I'm not a NASCAR fan by any means, I'll probably watch anyway :) Also if you missed Kiefer's appearance on Craig Kilborn (and was it ever cool. I love Cowboy Kiefer!) It looks like it's being repeated on Wednesday night, regular time so check him out as he ropes an intern, talks about his garfield-like qualities and doesn't do very well on Kilborn's five questions :)
When 24 is on at my house, the phone is shut off, the kidlet keeps the cat away from me, and the lights go out while I absorb the show. That works well for me :) If the cousin were around well, I'd just be a wreck yelling at him to 'Shut up! Shut up!' every two minutes. Or else I'd have to spend ages explaining the various plot points (except Palmer's because frankly, I can't see where that one is going) and then I'd miss half the show. So yeah, it's best to just pack him off I think.
Anyway I've discovered the joys of bittorrent recently and have downloaded a BBC special that never aired over here. I think it's called Access All Areas and goes behind the scenes on the show and interviews the cast and I can't wait to see it :) But I won't be able to today because of the cousin. *sigh* What does it say about me that I'd rather watch stuff about 24 than visit with my cousin whom I haven't seen for a few months? :) Obsessive? Me? Naaaaah! Hehehe. I'm only half-kidding anyway. Of course I'll hang out with the 'cuz and we'll catch up but he really does have to make the rounds with the other rellies so I will have plenty of time to indulge my addiction. I just have no patience and I hate waiting for stuff in case you haven't noticed that from all my bitching about waiting a week for each episode.
Oh yeah I digressed a little bit there. I meant to say that I was going to screencap that Access All Areas special when I get the chance so check out the 24 Screencap Gallery. Eventually they'll be there. In other news, apparently Kiefer Sutherland will be the Master of Ceremonies (Mmm.. Master...) of the NASCAR Winston Cup Awards which airs this Friday, December 5th on TNT at 9pm (EST) so while I'm not a NASCAR fan by any means, I'll probably watch anyway :) Also if you missed Kiefer's appearance on Craig Kilborn (and was it ever cool. I love Cowboy Kiefer!) It looks like it's being repeated on Wednesday night, regular time so check him out as he ropes an intern, talks about his garfield-like qualities and doesn't do very well on Kilborn's five questions :)
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