Open Thread * “24″ is Back!!!
By SusanUnPC on November 23, 2008 at 6:50 PM in Current Affairs
This is an OPEN THREAD (where you can bring up all the stories that are off-topic in our writers’ stories).
I am DVR’ing “24″ so I won’t miss LD’s premiere radio show tonight with Larry Johnson hosting! (You’ll be alerted 5 minutes before LD and LJ’s show starts.)
However, I’m excited about the premiere of “24″ for a couple reasons:
(1) We are proudly promoting the book by Jane Mayer, the exceptional reporter for The New Yorker. Larry is reading her book, and is engrossed in it. Last year, Jane Mayer wrote a critical article about 24’s misuse of torture wrongly portrayed as a reliable method for extracting information and confessions. (BTW: A number of Daily Kossacks told me that Mayer’s criticism of 24 was silly. Why? Because Barbra Streisand and Alec Baldwin just LOVE 24. Okay? Okay.)
(2) There is nothing more entertaining than watching an episode, then rushing to Dave Barry’s hilarious “24″ blog and read how he and his readers make fun of the show.
BELOW, snippets from Jane Mayer’s article and from Barry’s blog:
From Jane Mayer’s New Yorker story, “Whatever It Takes” — although it’s one of those articles so fine that it’s silly to quote from it:
The office desk of Joel Surnow—the co-creator and executive producer of “24,” the popular counterterrorism drama on Fox—faces a wall dominated by an American flag in a glass case. A small label reveals that the flag once flew over Baghdad, after the American invasion of Iraq, in 2003. A few years ago, Surnow received it as a gift from an Army regiment stationed in Iraq; the soldiers had shared a collection of “24” DVDs, he told me, until it was destroyed by an enemy bomb. “The military loves our show,” he said recently. Surnow is fifty-two, and has the gangly, coiled energy of an athlete; his hair is close-cropped, and he has a “soul patch”—a smidgen of beard beneath his lower lip. When he was young, he worked as a carpet salesman with his father. The trick to selling anything, he learned, is to carry yourself with confidence and get the customer to like you within the first five minutes. He’s got it down. “People in the Administration love the series, too,” he said. “It’s a patriotic show. They should love it.”
Surnow’s production company, Real Time Entertainment, is in the San Fernando Valley, and occupies a former pencil factory: a bland, two-story industrial building on an abject strip of parking lots and fast-food restaurants. Surnow, a cigar enthusiast, has converted a room down the hall from his office into a salon with burled-wood humidors and a full bar; his friend Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk-radio host, sometimes joins him there for a smoke. (Not long ago, Surnow threw Limbaugh a party and presented him with a custom-made “24” smoking jacket.) The ground floor of the factory has a large soundstage on which many of “24” ’s interior scenes are shot, including those set at the perpetually tense Los Angeles bureau of the Counter Terrorist Unit, or C.T.U.—a fictional federal agency that pursues America’s enemies with steely resourcefulness.
Each season of “24,” which has been airing on Fox since 2001, depicts a single, panic-laced day in which Jack Bauer—a heroic C.T.U. agent, played by Kiefer Sutherland—must unravel and undermine a conspiracy that imperils the nation. Terrorists are poised to set off nuclear bombs or bioweapons, or in some other way annihilate entire cities. The twisting story line forces Bauer and his colleagues to make a series of grim choices that pit liberty against security. Frequently, the dilemma is stark: a resistant suspect can either be accorded due process—allowing a terrorist plot to proceed—or be tortured in pursuit of a lead. Bauer invariably chooses coercion. With unnerving efficiency, suspects are beaten, suffocated, electrocuted, drugged, assaulted with knives, or more exotically abused; almost without fail, these suspects divulge critical secrets.
The show’s appeal, however, lies less in its violence than in its giddily literal rendering of a classic thriller trope: the “ticking time bomb” plot. Each hour-long episode represents an hour in the life of the characters, and every minute that passes onscreen brings the United States a minute closer to doomsday. (Surnow came up with this concept, which he calls the show’s “trick.”) As many as half a dozen interlocking stories unfold simultaneously—frequently on a split screen—and a digital clock appears before and after every commercial break, marking each second with an ominous clang. The result is a riveting sensation of narrative velocity.
Bob Cochran, who created the show with Surnow, admitted, “Most terrorism experts will tell you that the ‘ticking time bomb’ situation never occurs in real life, or very rarely. But on our show it happens every week.” … Read all.
Now, from Dave Barry’s blog on 24, some Barry humor samplers:
According to the Los Angeles Times, when the writers’ strike began only “eight or nine” of next season’s “24″ episodes were complete. Of course, that was also pretty much the situation last season, but they went ahead and broadcast 24 episodes anyway.
Posted by Dave on November 6, 2007 at 11:57 AM
………
24
In last week’s episode, Jack and company ended up on Sesame Street, and it was (and we mean this in a good way) weird, even for The Amazing Steve. Tonight, if we understand T.A.S. correctly, will be the final episode of 24 — Two Days Later. So let’s all give a big hand to Steve for all the amazing work he has done this season. We’ll see you all here again when the regular season begins and the professional writers take over.
Edgar is still dead.
Posted by judi on November 5, 2007 at 09:00 PM in 24 | Permalink | Comments (36)
October 29, 2007
24In last week’s episode, Jack Bauer ended up on The Jetsons. Edgar is still dead. Ridley and I are somewhere on book tour. Give it up now for The Amazing Steve.
Posted by Dave on October 29, 2007 at 09:00 PM in 24 | Permalink | Comments (108)
October 25, 2007
OHMIGODJack is on trial! CTU is gone! Jack is on his own! Except he has a hot partner! And TONY IS NOT DEAD! Which means…. there may be hope for Edgar!
YouTube link here (Thanks to Dock Rick)
Posted by Dave on October 25, 2007 at 09:18 AM in 24 | Permalink | Comments (15)
October 24, 2007
WHY DON’T THEY JUST SET UP A PERIMETER?Smoke cancels 24 filming.
(Thanks to Annie Where-but-*cough/hack/wheeze*-here, who says, quote, “Wusses.”)
Posted by Dave on October 24, 2007 at 10:00 AM in 24 | Permalink | Comments (93)
October 22, 2007
24In last week’s episode, Jack ended up in an episode of The Flintstones, where for a while he became Jack Boulder of the Cro-Magnon Tactical Unit, in which capacity he produced an early prototype of the taser, consisting of a piece of carpet and a pair of socks. Edgar is still dead. We give you now The™ Amazing™ Steve™, who has done a fine job with the plotting so far, without even once jumping the shark.
AND NOW, TONIGHT’s EPISODE — AND KNOW THIS: ALL OF DAVE BARRY’S REGULARS WILL BE LIVE-BLOGGING THE TWO-HOUR PREMIERE!:
And here you thought newspapers no longer had objective, reliable reporters!
Honestly!
(small, medium and large sizes; for both dogs and cats)
+ 
I was going to go home and watch but they called out on me so now I have to stay. I wonder if there will be repeats?
Larry,
I think we have much in common!
24 is my show…I don’t watch much TV but 24..
Never miss a minute..
I also liked the X files back in the day
At the same time the X-Files debuted The Adventures Brisco County Jr. aired. A Wild Wild West clone. I liked it better than Files.
Seattle I watched every season back to back last year and after a while I was getting a PTSD effect. The theme music pounding in my head…
I like the show but how many times can Los Angeles get blown up?
To any lurking Obama worshipers:
.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hillary-plays-hardball-1031238.html
I guess we can say “Payback is a Hillary”
I just can’t say the B word..
That’s why I love this development..Hillary is routing out the scum such as those in the Obama campaign that made a big deal about the sniper fire.
They raked her over the coals for that — even though, according to Wes Clark and other military officials, she certainly had a lot more right than wrong — meanwhile Obama’s many lies go completely unchecked.
So she is not allowed one misstep and he gets 100 mulligans?
I see.
There’s an old saying, be nice to the people you meet on your way up. You’ll be seeing them again on your way back down.
Very good Wildchild!
I like that one!
Patrick Fitzgerald?
I foresee hordes of angry bots descending on NQ to blame us for That One’s bamboozling. It is to laugh.
All I can say to Hillary is: “Good, girl!”
I don’t blame her for being punitive. What they did to her that was so damaging was to provide cover for 0bama’s total lack of credentials in the area of foreign policy.
The idea that these critics would say something like: “She never answered a 3am call,” is patently absurd.
She was the First Lady.
It would have been totally inappropriate for her to answer a 3am call.
I never got the impression that Hillary was trying to imply that she was actively engaged in making foreign policy. I think the point was that as the wife of the POTUS she was his main adviser because of her intelligence and his respect for her point of view. Therefore, she was privy more on a personal level to what was going on in her husband’s administration.
I remember Clinton received a lot of bad press over the perceived notion that his was a co-presidency. And so a Clinton had to work at the appearance that Hillary was not helping him to make policy. This may be the reason she didn’t sit in on any foreign policy meetings or that she didn’t have security clearance.
But we’ll never know what the two of them discussed privately, just like any other president and First Lady. How much did Nancy Reagan know, after she worked overtime at covering her husband’s early stage of Alzheimer’s?
Hillary is probably bitched at the way these people trashed her. I know I would be. They belittled her in ways that made her out to be a Liar, while 0bama got a pass on all fronts about his lies and the inflation of his resume.
And wasn’t Susan Rice the person who talked Bill Clinton into not going after 0sama bin Laden?
Frankly, I don’t want her anywhere near the State Dept or NSC after that colossal blunder. She should be kicked to the curb.
It’s clear that these people have a personal grudge against Hillary. I don’t blame her for wanting them out.
What’s interesting is that 0bama seems to be agreeing with these terms. They can blame Hillary all they want but 0bama’s agreeing so, so much for his loyalty to them. I’m sure he feels they’re indispensible because of the way they turned on the Clintons. If they did it to them, they will do it to him.
I like that Hillary is playing hardball. It means she will go down swinging. I also feel it’s very telling that 0bama is going for her terms. I don’t think this is just a case of him wanting her out of the Senate. Even though he is accomplishing this fact, if she fails as SoS, it will be his failure since he chose her and accepted her terms.
He can’t win no matter how this turns out. And if his domestic policy is fraught with difficulty, the last thing he’ll need is for Hillary to fail.
[...] Open Thread * “24″ is Back!!! : NO QUARTER The first sign of friction in the Obama camp as Mrs Clinton demands - and gets - a purge of her critics before accepting Secretary of State role . http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hillary-plays-hardball-1031238.html … [...]
BWhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…
If it’s true, payback is a bitch…..
“24″ is perhaps one of the worst shows, IMO, ever.
Pimping Bush’s WOT, pimping Cheney’s torture decrees, blech!
And a creative bore, too, the same plot, over and over.
“24″ IMO, no more than a propaganda tool no matter the intent.
Guess what mo,
The plot is never going to change in your lifetime
Get used to it!!
I know, I know.
So I moved on, I don’t watch it.
UH, did you read what i WROTE about “24″ in the story? What I linked to, and quoted from?
I watch it solely so that i can go to Dave Barry’s blog and make fun of it! - nasuS
Making fun of it does not diminish the fact that 24 is nothing but agit-prop and therefore dangerous to the hoardes of people who watch the show and don’t understand the serious implications of that.
Thank 24 for paving the way to an acceptance of a black POTUS. The first seasons revolved around a black president and those first seasons, which were the best, were hugely popular.
It’s too bad that people underestimate the power of film as a tool of mind control. No, film can’t make someone do something, hypnosis can’t either, btw, but it can influence the way one perceives the world to a fair extent.
The actor, Denis Haysbert, who played the 24 president was extremely popular and charismatic in the role at a time in the series when it was new and fresh to the public. Keifer Sutherland was also charismatic and powerful as Jack Bauer and he drew a lot of fans into the world of 24.
Of course now, the series has run its course and people are mocking it. And yes, now it’s lost its power and influence, for the most part.
But I think people would be surprised at the role, no matter how small, 24 played in shaping the ultimate result of this election.
So it makes me just a bit of uncomfortable seeing images of young African kids with gun and forced to fight.
I stopped watching 24 in the middle of the third season, I think. It was a beautiful thing to stop without knowing how it ended, except it ended the same as season one and two.
It is a lousy rip off of La Femme Nikita but of course it stars a man therefore it gets the promo dollars and PR.
Isn’t “Nikita”, “24″ the same creator/producer team?
[...] Open Thread * “24″ is Back!!! : NO QUARTER The first sign of friction in the Obama camp as Mrs Clinton demands - and gets - a purge of her critics before accepting Secretary of State role . http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hillary-plays-hardball-1031238.html … [...]
I haven’t really watched 24. It’s one of those things where I figure I should just rent it on DVD and start from scratch now.
I’ve never watched “24″ because I thought you really had to be there from the beginning, or you wouldn’t “get it.” I do love Leslie Hope though.
Was Sutherland a koolaid drinker? I’d rather not support his pocketbook if so.
HE was on Charlie Rose last week. He is so a Kool-Aid drinker. But he’s also quite the apologist for the torture scenes, even though he wants Guantanamo closed down.
Ugh.
If you know nothing, know this:
Hollywood is filled with hypocrites!
And the do it with a straight face under the guise of ars gratia artis.
To my knowledge Galt, he’s one of the Kool-Aid crowd.
Thank you and thanks for correcting me on the Texas caucus issue.
I wasn’t aware I did that Galt LOL but of course you are welcome, if you fee me
. We actually have the last footage of the Dem AG in Texas who spoke up and went wild at the hearing about the caucus fraud in Austin and then died of a heart attack. Sigh. He was awesome. Now I am forgetting his name. Blonde moment.
Beams over a large pepperoni with extra cheese. Don’t worry, pizzas sent through the transporter are safe, contrary to what “Bones” says.
Yipppieeee….I get Galt food tonight. Sigh. I feel so much better now that my pal has fed me.
Jim Mattox, I think?
Yes…I just saw that they youtubed the footage. Did you see it? He was awesome.
I did see it, he was incredible! His death is such a loss.
Hooray for Galt! I was wondering what to have for dinner. We LOVE Galt!
Galt made pizza. I wonder what’s for dessert. Vino anyone?
I’m going to Vegas tomorrow. I might just miss you guys a little LOL.
Hmmm, dessert. Well, it is close to Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t mind a little pumpkin pie. And vino? Always! Pizza, pumpkin pie, and a nice red….
Vegas, huh? We’ll have to struggle along without you (she wipes tears from her eyes). Win big at the tables!
Hey, how do you get that green smiley face? I can’t get anything to copy.
Ohhhh some pumpkin pie and a little of the red good stuff. I’m in!
Yeah, Vegas. Awww…glad you will miss me
I hope to win big. I’m pretty lucky there.
You get the green smiley face by doing colon, mrgreen and colon…but you have to have spaces before it and after.
PS. Galt is feeding us…Yippieee….
Scratch another show off my list. I prefer actors to act and not opine on politics as though they have anything of import to say.
I love 24 (and The Unit)–which surprises me because I do not normally like any violent TV or movies.
I guess both shows are just too exciting to miss…and the political twists are just too fun.
They are both great escape shows! And they both have a great team of actors!
It’s like the night i watched “The Shooter.” That’s a silly violent movie with a preposterous plot. But it was such a great escape flick.
And then, while I get a kick out of watching “24″ — and can multi-task while watching because, unlike West Wing, I don’t need to pay close attention to follow along — I love (LOVE!!!!) going to Dave Barry’s blog and laughing my head off as he makes fun of it, as do his great group of readers whose comments are often as funny as Dave Barry’s.
Adore The Unit. Can’t wait to see where they go after “Into Hell Pts. 1 and 2.
We are just finishing a marathon weekend of watching 24 to catch up for tonight’s premier. This is what the hubby wanted for his birthday, everyone here camping out only breaking for the necessities. While I admit that I usually leave the room during the torture scenes, I am glad to know the Secret Service, the CIA, the FBI, local law enforcement, our military, the National Guard are prepared to do what is necessary to protect our way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Don’t want to be a hypocrite like Bill Ayres who detests the establishment including the police, but certainly doesn’t hesitate to call them when he needs them.
I am glad to know the Secret Service, the CIA, the FBI, local law enforcement, our military, the National Guard are prepared to do what is necessary to protect our way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
———
Actually, one of the generals from West Point flew to Hollywood, to meet with producer Howard Gordon, asking for a halt to the torture scenes, as they were misleading the military kids as to how a real war is fought. Torture is only war theory in Cheney land, ie, those who think of war as a boy’s fantasy, never actually having to fight, or risk their physical safety — (though I’m sure Cheney has had plenty of torture filled, manly men dreams, at night).
In the real world, torture predisposes a military toward chaos, and paranoia, therefore loss, and endangers the lives of law enforcement you mentioned, creating a culture of torture, especially for our guys and gals.
But you knew that…
So you are saying our military kids are being overly influenced by a make believe show such as 24?
Actually, the general did, I mean it’s a part of the larger culture.
Cheney bought into John Wayne, Obama bought into rap…
You bought into “24.” : )
Not quite, however, I am aware there is real evil in the world and appreciate those in real life who work to control it.
And what do you think of the use of torture, do you think it’s positive, does “24′ adequately inform you as to the real world effects of torture, where you feel it is innocuous to the greater world at large, or functions as a deterrent?
As much as you say you see it as fantasy, I can’t help but think you don’t see it, at all.
Or if not you, others.
Do the producers have a responsibility to the public, at large, not to unduly portray terrorism as glamourous, simple?
Just something to think about…
And we will have to differ, here, I suppose.
No Mo, I don’t think torture is a positive, perhaps a necessary evil. Just like anything else I suppose. I don’t like seeing a lion mauling an antelope, but it’s how nature meant for the lion to survive.
Here’s what I buy into occasionally Mo, I buy into a break from the real world frustration (sometimes despair where innocent people are concerned) where good doesn’t always triumph over evil. So yeah, it is a fantasy, and I like cheering Jack Bauer on, it is better than taking drugs. I don’t agree with extreme torture Mo, however, I haven’t experienced seeing my buddies ripped to pieces by IED’s or carried people from burning or collapsing buildings decimated by terrorists, so I don’t know for sure how I would react, but I can guess I wouldn’t hold anything back!
“You know, you get some son of a bitch who wants to be a hero and won’t give you the combination to the safe. What you do, you bend his middle finger back until it breaks. After that, he’ll tell you if he wears women’s underwear.” - Harvey Keitel, Reservoir Dogs
In case you haven’t noticed Muslim terrorists torture and kill American soldiers they capture.
We’re dealing a with stateless terrorist entity that doesn’t respect the Geneva convention and only their interpretation of the Koran.
Who think nothing of torturing and murdering fellow Muslims for the slightest infraction.
But you knew that Mo.
And oh, if you really want to see brutality just check out how newbies get treated in prison, especially if they are pretty or commit the wrong crime. Often much worse than anything in Gitmo.
But you knew that…
Yeah, I noticed.
Real soldiers, real generals, the smart ones, say, think it’s use is egregious.
For a reason, maybe it’s too esoteric…
Yup and they’re animals. We, as Americans, used to hold the moral high ground. Thanks to Bush and his ilk, we can no longer say that. I remember reading articles just recently that quoted China and some backwards assed country in Africa that told us (the US) to STFU when it came to human rights because of Abu Graib (sp?). Nice huh?
Here is a web site to go to. I don’t know how to do a link yet, so I will just write it in. It is about using alcohol for gas.
The country of Brazil is doing this now with all their cars and vehicles. I think it should be spread around and looked at.
alcoholcanbeagas.com
I really enjoy this blog alot. Thanks.
That’s part of a step in the right direction. Ultimately we should move away from fossil and bio fuels (alcohol is a bio fuel) altogether. Hydrogen fuel cells or batteries charged at charging stations need to be the goal. These cars have zero CO2 emissions. The trick is producing the hydrogen or electricity cleanly. This might sound like tinfoil hat stuff but the oil companies are sitting on all kinds of patents and technology that could get us to truly clean energy. It is my feeling we will see a release of these technologies “miraculously” as it no longer becomes viable to use or produce fossil or bio fuels.
I’ve already seen how the energy conglomerates can convert to a new technology and one they can charge us for. Power via nuclear fusion is theoretically possible, but one of the biggest problems is the need for Helium-3, an isotope that is extremely rare on Earth, but in sufficient quantities on the Moon. I think we might see why there is a push to return to the moon. It is feasible to mine the Helium-3 and bring it back to Earth and generate electricity. This sounds like more tinfoil hat stuff but it isn’t. google: fusion power helium-3
Think about it, they can charge us for the mining of the Helium-3 just like they charge us now to mine the fossil fuels. And there’s other exotic technologies probably under wraps as well.
>>> This might sound like tinfoil hat stuff but the oil companies are sitting on all kinds of patents and technology that could get us to truly clean energy.
Ah, like the 100 mpg Rotary Throttle Carburetor that GM has had in a safe since 1948?
How about the cars that run on water?
Al Capp had one in “L’il Abner” that ran exclusively on smog…
I think I saw a report there is a Japanese company working on the water car. Not sure about that, but for certain, there is tech coming that’s been shelved until “they” want us to have it.
Did you ever hear about the LA subway, that was purchased by an oil, tire and car company, so people would be forced to by gas/oil, tires and cars? Dang that is pathetic. Some conspiracies are real, no tinfoil hats required.
I think the same reason these companies get away with this shit is the same reason Opampers could be shoved down our throats: the media, pols and corporations do as they please for the most part. Makes me sick. And ironically the far left who are always whining about things like this went along, like lemmings over the cliff. Bunch of bloody hypocrites suffering from rectal cranial inversion. And I am very left leaning at times, but I am no lemming with my head up my ass.
The electric cars, the ones you are referring to, I think.
You have to plug the car into something to get the electricity. The way I understand this is where does, or will that power come from?
1. Nuclear power plants,
2. Coal burning
Obama has said that he is going to bankrupt the coal burners because of the pollution they emit. Which is kind of scary when you think about this.
Please don’t think that I am downgrading what you are saying, I am not. It seems to me that we have to start and go in some direction, now.
I understand this [emphasis added]:
Citizen Wells has an excellent post about the Donofrio case. Here is an excerpt:
Very interesting Galt…
Can I get some Pizza to go and case of Moosehead for WildChild,KathyNeocon,tampagurl, OBAMA IS A FRAUD,AngryWhitePerson,Seattle Moss,Ferd Berfle and a few others?
They are around the corner at that bar of NewHampsters, called “The Future Looks Bleak” (for the good ol US of A) having a dwarf throwing contest and they look like they are getting hungry.
(No disrespect to dwarfs in general.)
Reminded me of the good ol days. Can I run a tab? I might be back for more.
I know the sign on the wall said “In The One we DON’t Trust all others pay cash”….
I got over 24 after last season. I watched it, hoping that it would improve over the previous season, but no. It just got worse.
The series’ best moment: Showing us that we could have an African-American President who actually could handle the office and acted responsibly, even in the face of intense opposition. (Gods, I wished that President David Palmer had been the commander-in-chief instead of the one we were stuck with in reality.)
My biggest problem with the show: In the span of six seasons, the program gave us 3 different Presidents (well, technically 4–the President in Season 1 wasn’t really involved) but virtually every Season seemed to be set in the “present” day.
You guys do realize that this show in ‘africa’ is propaganda to get you ready for our forces to go into africa and do the same thing we did in the middle east. They have already started talking about it on the news. You know those “pirates” that are a ‘threat to the american economy”. Its all part of the show for the mindless who voted for Obama.
This PROVES to me beyond any shadow of a doubt that our elections are a sham. All completely set up.
Touchet,
Read my comments up thread.
Yes, 24 is agit-prop. Always has been.
Never saw 24. Never saw most “hot shows” on T.V. I usually watch an hour of TV a week or less and that is usually PBS. I also don’t get cable. That makes me a real weirdo. ;^)
I’ll watch absolutely anything that has Keifer Sutherland in it. That guy is a great actor and has a voice that is like velvet. I loved the season with Jean Smart in it as First Lady, she and Gregory Itzen as the Prez were can’t miss TV. They added something to this show that had been lacking. Pity they couldn’t keep them going. Some may ridicule the show, but I am a fan, so have fun with it your way and I will be glued to the TV when it comes on!
Say what you want about 24 and their creators
(I probably agree w/it all) BUT…BUT I am just now watching the taped program and
THEY PRESIDENT ELECT in it is a WOMAN and a SENATOR
(Senator “Taylor”)
HA !!
[...] year, I wrote an article about “24,” based on the extraordinary dissection of the series’ ethical problems by New Yorker [...]