'24: Redemption': Is Kiefer Sutherland's show still relevant?
By Christian Blauvelt - EW.com
November 20, 2008

It's been a long 18 months--one that featured a writers' strike, and a jail sentence for Kiefer Sutherland--since the clock last ticked on the critically derided sixth season of 24. But there was no evidence that Fox's hit drama has faded from memory, not from the way the press and public were buzzing at the red-carpet premiere of 24: Redemption at the AMC Empire 25 in Times Square last night.

Still, despite the great turnout to celebrate the TV movie (which airs Sunday night at 8 p.m. EDT on Fox), the question remains: Is 24 relevant anymore? Debuting in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the show -- with its apoplectic mixture of hawkishness and paranoia and its Constitution-be-damned, torture-prone tragic hero Jack Bauer -- reflected back our anxieties about the war on terror and its toll on our civil liberties. But the political landscape has changed dramatically over the last several months, and as we spoke to cast members Sutherland, Jon Voight, and Cherry Jones, along with executive producers Howard Gordon and Jon Cassar (who's also Redemption's director), we wanted to get their takes on the show's prospects heading into the Obama era.

How big an issue is the 18-month break between season 7 and Redemption?

Kiefer Sutherland: It’s been so difficult for us, what with the programming delays due to the strike. We’ve had 16 episodes of season 7 ready to air for 8 months. We apologize to the fans for the delay.

What is the place of 24 in the era of an Obama Presidency?

Howard Gordon: Jack came of age in this post-9/11 era, and he has become a very dark character over the years, so this season, Jack has to ask some very hard questions about how we can live in a world with Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, and I think he reaches some interesting answers about those things.

Jon Cassar: Our writers are newshounds and they’ve always been able to write “what-if” situations. And it’s really hard to see the relevance of this new season until it airs. In Redemption, we’re dealing with something that’s already happening, the whole issue of child soldiers, and putting a spotlight on that, which we’re very proud to do. But I think you’ll be interested to see that season 7 almost does reflect Obama, [even though we didn't know] that Obama would be president when we started shooting 15 months ago. Some of his politics are reflected in the new season. Our writers are pretty amazing at foreseeing the future.

What are the politics of 24’s first female President?

Cherry Jones: To step into that Oval Office as an actor and sit in that chair, it was a very daunting experience. I’ve played a lot of very strong women, but I don’t think any real president gets it until they are in that office and behind that desk for the first time. And certainly my one day that you see me as president is a bloody awful day. It is a day that is so dreadful that it is non-partisan. Joel Surnow told me when I was prepping for 24, “There’s no past on this show, there’s no future. There’s the moment.” I didn’t worry about her party politics, I worried about her soul and what she thought was right. In terms of “why did they want a female president?” they wrote this show over a year and a half ago, so I think they probably did think the new President was going to be Hillary Clinton. But after two male African-American presidents and three white guys on 24, what else could they do?

What was it like shooting parts of Redemption in South Africa?

Jon Cassar: Kudos to Fox for letting us shoot there. We are a television show, we don’t have an unlimited budget, so we were talking about doing it all in California, going out into the desert and making it look like Africa. But eventually they recommended that we actually go [to South Africa], and it was fantastic being there not only because of the geography but because of the people.

But potentially losing the real-time format for a movie would free-up where you can go…

Jon Cassar: We started thinking about changing the format for Redemption. But it’s still in real time, taking place only in two hours.

Kiefer Sutherland: Travel is complicated for us in the context of the show because it’s 24 hours in real time, but it’s certainly an option in the feature-film world for us. We certainly talked about doing a season in Europe, a season in London, and of course right now we did the last season in Washington D.C., so we’re starting to warm to the idea.

How would you like the show to end for Jack Bauer?

Howard Gordon: I’d like to see a happy ending for Jack, but I’m not certain if it’s in the cards. The show is a tragedy after all. I think there’s a temptation, since this is a real-time show, to show Jack Bauer’s last day. As a writer, it would be a very touching thing to do. My guess, though, is that it would be unbearable. And I don’t think Fox would want to consider that, [especially] if we’re going to have a movie franchise! That said, Jack’s tempted fate several times in the past, and he will again this year.

Jon Cassar: It’s really tough, I think both Kiefer and I thought at one point that Jack Bauer has to die, that the only realistic thing that could happen is for him to die. That was before people started talking about movies. Now we’re not so ready to kill him. I think we’ll be happy just to finish season 8 and then start thinking about movies and the franchise. I’d really like to see it go into a movie franchise.

Who would Jack Bauer have voted for? Obama or McCain?

Howard Gordon: I’m not certain he would vote, actually. He serves his country in a different way, a non-partisan way. But that said, I think aspects of both Obama and McCain would appeal to him.

Jon Voight: [Laughs.] I’m not going there! I didn’t vote for Obama, but we wish the best for him and we want him to be a great President. I’m rooting for him, he’s our President.

Jack Bauer or James Bond?

Kiefer Sutherland: [Laughing because a group of nearby fanboys are shouting out “Jack Bauer” in response to this question.] They say Jack, so I’ll go with that.

Kiefer Sutherland Opens Up About Jail Time
By Adam Bryant - TV Guide
November 18, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland's biggest complaint about his seven weeks in jail? No cigarettes.

The 24 star completed his term for DUI months ago and talks about the experience in the Men's Vogue December/January issue.

"There's no smoking," Sutherland says. "The lights never go out, 24/7. You can't cover anything. You can't even put your head under a blanket. All the cells have cameras in them."

But cameras weren't the only thing infringing on Sutherland's privacy - he also had to deal with another inmate in his cell.

"I was told, you know, 'You'll have your own cell.' But I didn't for the first two or three weeks; I had a cell mate," he says.

But perhaps Sutherland will be able to turn his time on the inside into something positive. Though he has resumed smoking, Sutherland thinks his 48 days without cigarettes proved he could kick the habit completely.

"My drinking was not a daily thing, so it wasn't an issue," he says. "And, oddly enough, neither was the smoking. I was very glad to know that I could quit. And one day soon I will."

Sutherland returns to television as Jack Bauer in 24: Redemption on Nov. 23 and in the show's new season on Jan. 11. The issue of Men's Vogue, featuring Sutherland on the cover, hits newsstands Nov. 25.

Kiefer Sutherland may be 24-hr. city guy
By Corky Siemaszko
New York Daily News
November 16, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland may be a California-based Canadian, but it's New York City that gets his motor running.

The star of "24" is eying a move from Los Angeles to America's 24-hour city once his adrenaline-inducing hit show runs its course.

"There's a sexiness to the people here (in New York) that's extraordinary," Sutherland tells Men's Vogue magazine. "Everybody's full of purpose. No one's just f------ around."

While Sutherland makes his living pretending to be something he's not, he knows he can't fake being a New Yorker. "I'll be walking down the street with friends of mine, and I'm the only one who stops at the light," he said. "Sorry, that was very Canadian of me."

Sutherland wouldn't say when he will decamp for New York - or when he'd retire Jack Bauer, who is returning to save the world for a seventh season of "24."

"The truth is, we haven't made our perfect season," said Sutherland.

Sutherland politely answered questions about his recent DUI bust, which resulted in a jail stint, and personal life (his newest girlfriend is Allure magazine style director Siobhan Bonnouvrier).

But he bristled at criticism that the show is a "right-wing, pro-torture fantasy vehicle" beloved by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney. "We had the first African-American as a President in television history," said Sutherland. "We indicted a right-wing President and had him arrested. Explain to me how the show is right-wing."

Kiefer Sutherland signs with CAA
'24' star leaves William Morris Agency
By Michael Fleming - Variety.com
November 16, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland has signed with CAA.

Sutherland leaves the William Morris Agency along with his longtime agent, Scott Lambert, who announced internally his plans to leave WMA. While Lambert hasn't unveiled his plans -- joining Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity tops a short list -- Sutherland didn't wait before leaving for CAA. The agency reps his father, Donald Sutherland; his half brother, Roeg Sutherland, is an agent in CAA's independent film department.

WMA made a remarkable deal for Sutherland to continue as Jack Bauer on "24" that, counting his participation as executive producer, was near $50 million. Sutherland also launched the record label Ironworks Music.

Sutherland's TV renewal deal runs through season eight, which will begin shooting in April and air in early 2010. Sutherland brings Bauer back for "24: Redemption," a two-hour prequel that airs Sunday. The show's seventh season begins on Fox on Jan. 11. Those "24" commissions remain with WMA.

CAA can commission Sutherland if he takes a feature during a short hiatus after he wraps season seven at year's end. The agency could also make a deal for Sutherland to continue on "24," if the real-time drama continues beyond season 8.

Sutherland's next screen gig is voicing Gen. W.R. Monger in the upcoming DreamWorks animated film "Monsters vs. Aliens," which bows March 27.

He continues to be managed by Suzan Bymel of Management 360.

TV Guide Magazine Cover Story - November 17 - 23, 2008
24: REDEMTPION - 2-hour movie - 11/23 at 8/7c on Fox

Jack's (Finally) Back!
By David Hochman
November 11, 2008

A long time ago, in a prime-time lineup far, far away, Jack Bauer kissed his sleeping beauty Audrey good-bye, flung his gun off a cliff and left millions of fans speculating about his future plans. Little did we know a writers' strike, presidential politics and the World Series would conspire to keep us guessing Jack's fate for another year and a half.

After way too many delays, 24's looong-awaited Season 7 arrives January 11 on Fox, but there's relief coming in the form of 24: Redemption, an exotic two-hour prequel movie that puts Jack back where we like him: on the clock and under the gun.

"With the prequel it's like we're saying, 'Hey, remember us?'" says Kiefer Sutherland, adding he's as anxious as anyone for the new season to start. "You want to make sure the interest is still there. So we thought we'd offer a little taste - an appetizer - before the big feast to come."

An odd metaphor considering we've never actually seen Jack eat (even sipping a glass of water would slow the action too much, producers say), but we'll take it and one-up it. The prequel's a veritable pupu platter of 24 goodness: ruthless villains, high-level double-crossings, explosions galore and, of course, one jaw-clenching, adrenaline-throttled hero at the center making sense of it all in real time.

But Redemption is 24 with a difference. After years in the Los Angeles sunshine, this one's shot on location in South Africa, where JB has arrived after a globe-trotting journey of self-discovery. At least that's how Sutherland sees it. Over a long conversation recently at the actor's favorite Thai place in an L.A. strip mall, Sutherland says he's so deeply invested in his character, he keeps a handwritten journal of Jack's thoughts.

"Before each season, I write a character book to get my head in sync with Jack's and create a back-story," he says. "This year, I wrote that Jack would have to disappear from the Western world and go back where he started in Season 1 - dealing with the Eastern bloc. He knows people there and could hide out before working his way from Kazakhstan, through the Middle East, across India and then down into Africa to meet his old friend Carl. That's where the prequel - and trouble - begins."

Carl Benton (Robert Carlyle) is Jack's buddy whose efforts to educate poor African children as a missionary are overthrown by a baddie warlord (Tony Todd) who drafts kids into his militia. Next thing you know, there's a bloody coup under way. If this sounds like an invitation for Jack to get off the backpacker circuit and return to saving the world, you're right. "During one of the scenes, I playfully slapped Kiefer on the arm and the whole set went, 'No! You never touch Jack Bauer when he's working,'" says Carlyle, an actor best known for "The Full Monty" and a good friend of Sutherland. Says Kiefer, "I was so eager for Bobby to play this role, I called him and said, 'I'll give you whatever you want. I'll wash your car for a year. I'll babysit the kids.' He said, 'Actually, I'll do it if you don't babysit the kids.'"

Back in Washington, meanwhile, the winds of change are a-blowin'. Three years have passed since the end of Season 6 and it's Inauguration Day for the first female commander in chief, Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones). The drama unfolding in Africa is about to become priority one the minute Madame President is sworn in. "In plays, the stakes are often high with one or two characters," says Jones, a two-time Tony Award winner. "But on 24, every single moment in every scene with every character is a high-stakes moment. It's very cool."

What's also cool is seeing Jack in a completely new setting. The prequel was shot earlier this year in South Africa, a lush backdrop far from the blinking screens of CTU. "Especially since Season 6 ended with Jack in kind of a downer mode, we wanted to breathe fresh air into the show," says co-executive producer Howard Gordon. "L.A. was feeling tired, and making Jack a stranger in a strange land lets us reenergize the world of 24."

Sutherland says he felt a sense of renewal the minute he arrived in Cape Town. "We could have constructed a set to look like Africa, but what you can't do is fake the faces or the soul or the spirit of the place, he says. "I hadn't felt so engaged with the world around me in a very long time, and I think my love for the place shows up on screen."

It helped that 24 is nearly as popular in Africa as it is here, at least if Sutherland's intelligence reports from the field are accurate. "We kept running into people who said they'd just come back from a safari and at the most remote way stations, where all you'd find was a tented lounge and maybe a bar surrounded by wilderness, the only entertainment available was 24 on DVD," he says.

During shooting, the crew was frequently mobbed, particularly because actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim, who plays an African rebel leader, is a major star on the continent. But it was the African child actors Sutherland appreciated the most. "This was the first time these kids had done anything even close to this and that was so inspiring," he says. "Back home, you can't see kids going 10 minutes without looking at their iPods or game devices. Here the kids were blissfully running around between takes playing with a rock and a stick. I wanted to go home and throw away all my kids' computers."

Of course, that would make it tougher to find spoiler information about the prequel. But what we can tell you is this: John Voight makes an appearance as Jonas Hodges, a villain involved in a Blackwater-style organization that uses every means necessary to force its enemies to relent. "Jon shows up early on and the minute you see him, you know he's one of the scarier villains we've ever had on 24," Sutherland says.

And while there are no signs of series regulars like Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O'Brian) or James Morrison (Bill Buchanan), the prequel does have Powers Boothe returning as outgoing president Nosh Daniels and Peter MacNicol as White House chief of staff Tom Lennox. "We wanted to bridge the gap between Days 6 and 7," says co-executive producer Jon Cassar, "and it gives us a rare chance to show the transfer of power from one administration and one season to the next."

Speaking of transfers, the prequel is ultimately the story of Jack's return to Washington, where he'll face a State hearing for his sins at CTU, including torture and going rogue in the name of national security. Gil Bellows plays Frank Tramell, the arrogant lout charged with subpoenaing Jack and whisking him back home. Says Cassar, "The prequel is a stand-alone movie, but it also sets the stage for the opening of Season 7, where Jack is in a ton of trouble with the government. You're seeing him at the end of his wandering man-in-exile period."

Not that anyone can keep Jack Bauer down for long. Season 7 is already shaping up to be the best in a while. Redemption, in fact, is an apt title for a series that was roundly planned by fans and critics in Season 6, and the name befits its star as well. Around Christmas last year, Sutherland spent 48 days in jail for drunken driving, and while he chooses not to discuss the experience, he does say, "I'm feeling happy and actually like a lot of the great things that are happening for me right now. I like where things are heading."

We'll take that as a hint that Season 7 rocks. The new day is set in Washington, D.C., and while CTU is no more, there's plenty of firepower at the FBI. In addition to a new president, Jack's got a tough new partner, a boy-the-book special agent named Renee Walker (General Hospital's Annie Wersching). But all that pales next to the news that beloved Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) is somehow coming back from the presumed-dead. As Gordon says, "Not only is Tony not dead, he's doing something really bad. It's going to be a Heart of Darkness moment on the show."

But that's for 2009. For now we'll have to satisfy our 24 withdrawal with a two-hour fix of sweaty gunplay in the make-believe African nation of Sangala. That may sound as distant as the Land of Oz, but Sutherland knows the prequel plays to the same core issues that make the show so relevant - and so popular - in these often uncertain times. As Sutherland says, "It's so great to be back in Jack's shoes. When the s*** hits the fan, nobody reacts faster or stronger than he does, and I think there's a lesson in that for all of us. As fearful as things get, there's power in taking action and protecting what you believe in, and there's a lot coming up that Jack has got to protect."

True. But hey, he's got millions of us watching his back.

'Cleaner' Lady Clocks '24' Gig - Amy Price-Francis will play an attorney
Zap2it.com
November 7, 2008

Amy Price-Francis has landed a recurring role on FOX's "24."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Price-Francis will play a ruthless attorney working for Jon Voight's Jonas Hodges, expected to the the Big Bad on this season's "24."

It's unclear when Price-Francis will first appear on the series, but her six-episode arc will presumably take place toward the end of the show's seventh season.

It's unclear when Price-Francis will first appear on the series, but her six-episode arc will presumably take place toward the end of the show's seventh season.

FOX recently announced that Day Seven of "24" will have its four-hour, two-night premiere on Sunday, Jan. 11 and Monday, Jan. 12.

In addition to returning co-stars Kiefer Sutherland, James Morrison, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Bob Gunton (plus the long-awaited resurrection of Carlos Bernard's Tony Almeida), the new faces for this "24" season include Voight, Cherry Jones, Colm Feore, Sprague Grayden, Janeane Garofalo, Annie Wersching, Jeffrey Nordling, Rhys Coiro and John Billingsley.

Price-Francis is a regular on A&E's "The Cleaner," which was recently renewed for a second season, and will guest star on the next season of "Nip/Tuck." Her other TV credits include "K-Ville," "Shark" and multiple episodes of "Californication."

FOX Sets January Clock for Day Seven of '24'
New '24' season will have its two-night premiere in mid-January
By Daniel Fienberg - Zap2it.com
November 3, 2008

FOX has set a two-night January premiere for the long-delayed seventh season of the Emmy-winning drama "24."

Since FOX shifted "24" to a repeat-free, January-launching schedule in 2005 for the show's fourth season, the two-night, four-hour premiere has been the standard.

Day Seven will kick off on Sunday, Jan. 11 with two episodes starting at 8 p.m. ET. Two additional hours will air on Monday, Jan. 12, leaving the series to move into its regular 9 p.m. ET time period on Monday, Jan. 19.

The new "24" season opens with CTU dismantled and Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer in Washington facing questions about a variety of past actions. When a national crisis arises, Bauer is forced to work with a team of FBI agents, as well as a few old friends.

In addition to returning co-stars including James Morrison, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Bob Gunton (plus the long-awaited resurrection of Carlos Bernard's Tony Almeida), among the new faces for the season are Jon Voight, Cherry Jones, Colm Feore, Sprague Grayden, Janeane Garofalo, Annie Wersching, Jeffrey Nordling, Rhys Coiro and John Billingsley.

The last original episode of "24" aired in May of 2007 and the path to the seventh season has been a bumpy one.

Production was original delayed in the summer of 2007 while producers scrapped and revamped the season's entire plot. Then, only eight episodes into shooting, "24" was put on hold due to the writers strike and FOX elected to make 2008 a year without Bauer. Another production delay came this fall, as the creative team took time to reevaluate the season's final episodes.

The long break between seasons will be bridged by the Nov. 23 telefilm "24: Redemption." Filmed partially in South Africa, the special finds Bauer dealing with his own internal struggles, as well as a developing coup in a fictionalized African nation. The telefilm introduces several characters at the heart of Day Seven, led by Jones' newly elected president and Voight's malevolent puppetmaster Jonas Hodges.

While Jack Bauer wouldn't be sentimental about such things, FOX notes that the final hour of January's two-night premiere will be the show's 150th episode, a milestone that only works if the network is counting "24: Redemption" into the total.

"24: REDEMPTION CAPTURED IN AFRICA," A COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAKERS OF EMMY AWARD-WINNING FOX DRAMA "24" TO DEBUT AT THE PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA IN LOS ANGELES

Photos Shot While on Location in South Africa by Show's Creative Team Including Star/Executive Producer Kiefer Sutherland on Display Through January 11.

Exhibit Kicks Off November 10 with Star-Studded Opening.

Two-Hour Television Event Premieres November 23 on FOX; Director's Cut DVD in Stores November 25

October 17, 2008 Last spring, FOX announced that after a nearly two-year hiatus, 24 would return to the airwaves with 24: REDEMPTION, an unprecedented two-hour television event shot on location in South Africa and Los Angeles. Now as the producers ready this epic tale for broadcast, they are unveiling a never-before-seen collection of stunning photographs shot by five members of the show's creative team during the overseas filming. "24: REDEMPTION Captured in Africa" is a rare inside look at the making of the show composed of candid moments between cast and crew, including Emmy Award-winner Kiefer Sutherland; dramatic stills from the spectacular action sequences; and vivid photographic captures of the scenic South African locations. The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles will host the one-of-a-kind photo exhibit of fine art museum quality archival prints from Nov. 10, 2008 through Jan. 11, 2009, when it may move on to additional venues to be announced later.

Curated by Entertainment Weekly deputy photo director Michael Kochman and custom printed at DigitalFusion's fine art printing facility, the exhibit features works by executive producer/director Jon Cassar, director of photography Rodney Charters, producer Michael Klick, unit photographer Kelsey McNeal and star/executive producer Kiefer Sutherland.

"I was so impressed with the quality of the photography, and it was exciting to see a production photographed from five different perspectives," said Kochman. "Each photographer captured something very special and poetic sometimes intimate, sometimes epic, sometimes documentary-like and raw. It all adds up to a fascinating photographic experience."

"Shooting 24: REDEMPTION in South Africa was the highlight of my six years on the show," said 24 executive producer and Emmy Award-winning director Jon Cassar. "It was nothing short of exhilarating. Africa also became a wonderful canvas for the still photography enthusiasts among our crew. Every day put us in places and situations that were new and exciting to us, and our cameras clicked constantly. This exhibit chronicles the seven weeks that were spent in Cape Town and the surrounding regions from moments captured during a hectic shooting schedule to the faces and places that represent not only the making of 24 but the Africa of today."

"We are so excited to be the first to host this extraordinary photo exhibit from one of today's most popular television shows, 24, which offers another unique way to connect the creative community with media enthusiasts here at the Paley Center," said Barbara Dixon, vice president and director of The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. "This exhibit is going to have enormous appeal to everyone from the most serious photography aficionado to the most passionate 24 fan. And what better place to showcase exclusive behind-the-scenes content from such a genre-defining television show than in our gallery at the Paley Center?"

A private opening for press and invited guests, sponsored by DigitalFusion and Photobucket, kicks off the exhibit's run on Monday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 PM at The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. 24: REDEMPTION cast and crew members, including star Kiefer Sutherland, are scheduled to appear in addition to the exhibit photographers. Beginning that night, visitors to photobucket.com can view exclusive highlights of the exhibit as well as additional photographs. They will also be able to access a 24: REDEMPTION-themed background to customize their Photobucket albums.

"24: REDEMPTION Captured in Africa" opens to the general public Wednesday, Nov. 12 and runs through Jan. 11, 2009, and is included in the free admission to the Paley Center. The Paley Center for Media, located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, is open 12:00-5:00 PM Wednesdays through Sundays. The center is closed on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission and parking are free.

On Sunday, Nov. 23 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), FOX will broadcast the two-hour television event 24: REDEMPTION, and on Tuesday, Nov. 25, Fox Home Entertainment will release the 24: REDEMPTION DVD. The special edition DVD includes an exclusive director's cut featuring over ten minutes of never-before-seen footage not shown in the television broadcast, as well as additional bonus features including commentary, a behind-the-scenes on-location documentary and an exclusive sneak peek at Season Seven including the first 16 minutes of the premiere episode. Celebrating its 150th episode this year, 24 returns this January for its seventh season Mondays (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

About 24: REDEMPTION:

24: REDEMPTION bridges the gap between Seasons Six and Seven, and is the first new material from 24 producers in nearly two years. The prequel catches up with JACK BAUER (Kiefer Sutherland) on the African continent where he has sought solace in missionary work. He soon finds himself in the midst of a bloody uprising in the fictitious African nation of Sangala where a ruthless dictator is drafting innocent children to serve as soldiers in his army. As the vicious COLONEL DUBAKU (Hakeem Kae-Kazim, "Hotel Rwanda") descends on an orphanage in search of recruits, Jack enters into a one-man crusade at the behest of his friend CARL BENTON (Robert Carlyle, "The Full Monty") to rescue the children and get them to safety. Filmed in South Africa and Los Angeles, 24: REDEMPTION stars Emmy Award-winner Sutherland along with Cherry Jones ("Signs," "The Perfect Storm"), Gil Bellows ("Ally McBeal"), Tony Todd ("Final Destination") and Academy Award-winner Jon Voight ("National Treasure: Book of Secrets"). The prequel was written by showrunner/executive producer Howard Gordon and was directed by executive producer Jon Cassar.

About The Paley Center for Media:

The Paley Center for Media, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, leads the discussion about the cultural, creative, and social significance of television, radio, and emerging platforms for the professional community and media-interested public. Drawing upon its curatorial expertise, an international collection and close relationships with the leaders of the media community, the Paley Center examines the intersections between media and society. The general public can access the collection and participate in programs that explore and celebrate the creativity, the innovations, the personalities, and the leaders who are shaping media. Through the global programs of its Media Council and International Council, the Paley Center also serves as a neutral setting where media professionals can engage in discussion and debate about the evolving media landscape. Previously known as The Museum of Television & Radio, the Paley Center was founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, a pioneering innovator in the industry. For more information, please visit paleycenter.org.

About Digital Fusion:

DigitalFusion revolutionized the professional photography community in 1999 with the introduction of its personalized all-digital post-production workflow. DigitalFusion continues its leadership and innovation in the world of professional photography today supporting top industry professionals in digital production services and rentals, digital raw file processing, post-production retouching services, digital print making, graphic design services and online archive management. DigitalFusion is Los Angeles' premier digital photographic rental and post-production facility, specializing in state-of-the-art studio and location digital capture, retouching, scanning, custom printing, digital processing, online editing, digital archiving and graphic design services. For more information, please visit digitalfusion.net.

About Photobucket:

Photobucket is the largest standalone photo and video sharing site, with more than 46 million unique users worldwide* linking billions of personal photos, graphics, slideshows and videos daily to hundreds of thousands of Web sites, including Bebo, Blogger, Craigslist, eBay, Facebook, Friendster, hi5, MySpace, Orkut, Xanga and many others. In addition to linking content, Photobucket users share their personal digital media by email, instant messaging, and mobile devices. Every day, more than 10 million personal photos, graphics and videos are uploaded to Photobucket for sharing with family, friends and the online world. The company actively moderates content to create a safe environment for its users, partners and advertisers. Photobucket has offices in San Francisco and Denver, and is located online at photobucket.com. For the latest feature announcements and news, please visit the Photobucket blog at blog.photobucket.com.

BUCKLE UP FOR A FOX SUNDAY NIGHT THRILL RIDE
Released by FOX
September 9, 2008

On Sunday, Sept. 14 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) FOX presents a Sunday night like no other. The evening kicks off with an exclusive first look at an extended scene from the highly anticipated film "The Day The Earth Stood Still," followed by a preview of 24: REDEMPTION, the two-hour special event airing this November on FOX. Immediately after the exclusive previews, the series premiere of FRINGE will encore, followed by an exclusive preview of the not-to-be-missed, heart-pounding first four minutes of the series' second episode.

Filmed on location in South Africa and Los Angeles, 24: REDEMPTION airing Sunday, Nov. 23 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, stars Emmy Award winner Kiefer Sutherland along with new series cast members Cherry Jones, Robert Carlyle, Gil Bellows and Academy Award winner Jon Voight. The two-hour event finds Jack Bauer battling an international crisis, while here at home the nation prepares for a new president on inauguration day. Taking place just a few months before the new day dawns, 24: REDEMPTION will set the stage and raise the stakes for Season Seven, which will debut in January 2009.

'24' PUTS ON BREAKS
Post Staff Writer
New York Post
September 8, 2008

STOP the clock.

Production on the new season of "24”" is going to be shut down early next week to retool the show's ending, according to reports.

Producers were said to be unhappy with how the story of the upcoming season was progressing.

The decision was made late Friday to give the cast - including Kiefer Sutherland - and crew two weeks off in order to rewrite the final six episodes.

The showdown will have no effect on a two-hour made-for-TV "24" movie - a prequel to the upcoming season - that is slated to air this fall, officials said.

It is unusual for a TV series to stop production purely for creative reasons. The amount of time needed to film 24 one-hour episodes in seven or eight months time usually does not allow for that kind of break.

But because eight hours of the new "24" season - its seventh - were already completed when the writers' strike shut down Hollywood last year, the pressure was much less this year.

'24' production shuts down
Show's direction to be reconsidered
By Michael Schneider
Variety.com
September 5, 2008

The clock’s been stopped once again on “24.”

Production will shut down for more than two weeks on the show as of Sept. 15, 20th Century Fox TV confirmed late Friday.

Decision to take a breather came after exec producer Howard Gordon expressed displeasure with the direction of the season’s final six episodes.

The show’s creatives will take the time off to rethink its ultimate direction and rewrite scripts; 20th said production should resume by Oct. 9.

Kiefer Sutherland and company have the luxury of going dark because the show is already far ahead of schedule, the studio said. That’s because the studio and network decided to preempt “24” last year and push its seventh season to January.

It’s been a bumpy seventh season for “24,” which first delayed production last year after scrapping plans to film in Africa. Production was halted again later that year to give the staff time to reinvent the season long plot -- and then the writers strike hit.

Eight episodes had already been produced when the WGA strike put a halt to the season, and the decision was made to push the season a year. That gave scribes a jump on this year -- and an opportunity to rethink the season’s storylines.

Photo By WENN

Hunky '24' star Kiefer reveals he's well fit at 41 on day out at beach
Hellomagazine.com
September 1, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland often insists on doing his own daredevil stunts for 24. And as the 41-year-old relaxed on a Malibu beach on Sunday the results of his physical commitment to the job were very much in evidence in his trim and toned torso.

Kiefer, who's often dubbed the hardest-working actor in Hollywood - reportedly spending 15 hours a day lensing the drama series - was taking time off from his counter-terrorist agent alter-ego Jack Bauer with a pal over Labor Day weekend.

Another reminder of his tough on-screen persona came with the tattoos he was showing off. Some of the body art originally belonged to his character Jack, but the actor committed to it in real life, too, after getting fed up of waiting to have them painted on by the show's makeup team every day. Other pieces commemorate key moments in his life the star wanted a permanent record of.

While he's keeping his romance with model-turned-journalist Siobhan Bonnouvrier strictly under wraps there was a special companion the 24 star was more than happy to be seen out and about with - his Alsatian.

Kiefer Sutherland Happy to Follow in His Father's Footsteps
By Adam Nutburn
Showbiz Spy
August 27, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland says he's finally happy to follow in his legendary father's footsteps -- despite years of battling against his legacy.

The 24 actor admits to finding it hard being known as the son of screen veteran Donald Sutherland, but he thinks he has now come to terms with it.

He explains, "When I was younger, I refused to see any similarities between myself and my father.

"It is only in the past 15 years that I've come to appreciate what a great actor he is. Now I see my father in me every day. I see his looks and I see his acting style. I am my father's son."

Kiefer, 41, recently confessed he doesn't deserve the millions he earns for his profession as an actor -- because those working in the emergency services are more deserving of the money.

He said, "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."

EXCL: Kiefer Sutherland on Lost Boys Prequel
Source: Ryan Rotten
ShockTillYouDrop.com
August 13, 2008

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!"

Comic-Con 08: Kiefer Sutherland Reflects on Mirrors and His Horror Homecoming
By Scott Huver
Hollywood.com
July 29, 2008

Two decades after making a name for himself in Hollywood with horror-themed turns in Stand By Me, The Lost Boys and Flatliners, Kiefer Sutherland is ready to “scare the shit out of everybody” all over again.

As fans of the ever-intense actor continue the long countdown to a new season of his hit series 24, delayed by last winter’s writers strike, they can get their Kiefer fix next month with the horror film Mirrors, an American version of the South Korean chiller Into the Mirror which casts him as an ex-cop-turned-security guard who finds his life and family threatened by a vengeful presence using mirrors as a gateway into the physical world.

Visiting San Diego’s Comic-Con International, Sutherland told Hollywood.com exactly why he decided to go through the looking glass back to his horror-flick roots.

Hollywood.com: What drew you to this particular project?

Kiefer Sutherland: Horror films – for me growing up, certainly, there wasn’t a genre of film that could give you any stronger a visceral reaction through watching it. I had always heard that as an actor that is something that would draw you to a genre film. You can actually affect an audience that powerfully, and that quickly, so the genre was something I was really interested in. Alex [Aja] had made The Hills Have Eyes which was a film that really kind of harkened back to the 70s horror films. They dealt with things in most films that I think were much more different than what we were now terming as slasher films. Amityville Horror, he Exorcist, The Omen – those films all had character-driven plots that made you invested in the characters. The horror was really a combination of the affection that the audience had with a character, combined with the horrific circumstances that the character was put in. For me, I remember at the very first meeting I had read the script and loved it. If you took all the horrific elements out of the script its still played as an unbelievable strong family drama. This idea of being able to meld these two worlds, these two genres, the drama of a man really trying to put his family back together, combined with the horrific circumstance. I found it an unbelievably exciting opportunity.

HW: You’re an Emmy-winning dramatic actor – where did you get to apply that level of craft in a movie built around scares and thrills?

KS: I remember looking at Alex and I said “I believe that I can make you care about this guy. You have to guarantee me that you can scare the shit out of everybody.” He smiled and he said “Absolutely.” That was it – literally we agreed to work together at that point. We were working in Romania for a large part of the film. There was a large part of our crew that didn’t speak English. In a very odd way I felt that many times Alex and I were working alone. I’ll never forget, it was like watching two excited children. Him with “How am I going to scare the audience?” and me with “How am I going to get you to care enough about this character so that when something bad does happen, when that character is threatened, it really is going to hit you with two emotions?” To play hope and fear at the same time was something that was a real challenge for me.

HW: You’ve shown us a few clips and it looks like the intensity is kind of high. Where does your character start and how far does he go?

KS: At the very beginning of the film he’s dealing with the fact that he’s estranged from his wife. He’s living with his sister, I don’t know if we had said, but that’s the dynamic between Amy [Smart]'s character and mine. He’s desperately trying to put his life back together again. He was a police officer that was released from duty because of a questionable shooting of another officer. Through the story we find out that he was actually very justified in that shooting. But right now he’s desperately trying to save his marriage. He’s a very, very heavy drinker. He’s now got a job as a security job at the Mayflower. It would be the equivalent of the flagship Macy’s in New York. He’s a guy who is really on the mend. He’s feeling a lot better about himself. He’s making some very good moves in his life to get past what was for him a deep tragedy. That was losing his job as a police officer and all of these different things. He’s actually I a very solid place. He’s a guy who was actually moving forward. Then obviously everything starts to come unraveled once he takes the job.

HW: What is your favorite horror movie?

KS: This is going to be kind of embarrassing. I think the one that scared me most was not The Exorcist – I know that is IT for so many people. It was not The Omen. There was a film made in 1972 or 73 called The Car. The Car was a movie with a car that was basically possessed by the devil, and it was a black Lincoln, with yellow windows. It went into this small town and basically ran everybody over. This car could go through houses. The only place it couldn’t go was a graveyard or a church. Every time the car came into town the wind would start to blow and music would start to go. I don’t think I’ve ever been scared by anything more in my life. I lived on the 14th floor and I was still scared that this car was going to manage to get through, get up there, and run me over. I wasn’t that young either. I think I was 12 years old. I should have known better. It lasted with me for months.

HW: When you look back at your early film projects, like Lost Boys and Stand By Me as an actor and person, then you see yourself now in this film, what has the journey been like? The growth and lessons learned along the way as an actor?

KS: Well, the lessons learned never stops. It’s a really deep question. Stand By Me was the first film I got to do in the United States. I remember when I first went to go see that film I thought my career was over. Then the film became the success that it was and certainly at that time it was a part of American film history. I realized the first thing was that I should probably not watch my work. The best thing for me to do was to just make it and the audience would be the judge. That has served me quite well. The journey from there to now – 24 has been an unbelievable experience for me. I think that acting is almost like working out. It’s a physical exercise that one has to go through. The more that you train it and the more you use whatever that instrument is… it’s your body, your brain, your voice, and all those thing combined. It’s been an unbelievable tool for me to figure out things that work and don’t. That was a huge learning tool. Again, each film is its own beast. I’ve never believed that anyone took on a film and thought it wasn’t going to be amazing or special, regardless of budget, or things that might be up against it. I certainly figured out over time the ways of breaking down material, ways of interpreting material for myself, and I do it faster. Again, I hope I still approach each project with the same kind of youthful exuberance that I did with something like Stand By Me or Lost Boys. Hopefully though it’s tempered with some experience and ability to add a little more to each project, if that made any sense at all.

Jack Bauer doesn't pee, but he infiltrates Comic-Con
By Daniel Fienberg
Zap2it
July 25, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland's answered all of the parochial 24 questions before. In fact, he's answered them all several dozen times. But at his first Comic-Con panel on Friday (July 25), Sutherland was a good enough sport to treat every question like it was the first time he'd ever heard it.

How come Jack Bauer never seems to go to the bathroom?

"In all fairness, Jon [Cassar] and I shot a scene where Jack Bauer's going to raid an office and used the bathroom in the lobby and came out 90 seconds later and happier. And they cut it out," Sutherland said, before adding, "Whenever they cut to the White House, Jack is in the bathroom. And not only is he taking a pee, he's having a drink and something to eat."

How can Jack Bauer make it from one side of Los Angeles to the other in three minutes?

"We're just hoping that you all understand that our 24-hour-day is a really light traffic day."

And why does Jack say "Damnit!" so often?

"The damnits started because you can't swear on network television. And I'm limited in speech to the degree that I needed some expletive to express true frustration, whether that was not being able to control my sixteen year-old-daughter or a nuclear bomb. And I started to realize that one word could handle all of it. The only reason I have slowly pulled back on the word was because it was rumored that a drinking game..."

Sutherland was so accommodating that he addressed two "Damnits!" at the inquiring fan.

And what's the coolest thing Jack Bauer's ever done?

"[T]the coolest thing? Probably chopping that guy's head off in Season Two."

Well, duh!

Sutherland was a bit cagier when asked to name his favorite 24 episode, as he briefly transitioned into "teaser" mode.

"We haven't made my favorite episode, but I have to tell you that the stuff we did in Africa, the prequel, is certainly right up there... I am an optimist for the future, so I'm going to say we haven't made my favorite episode," Sutherland hedged.

This prompted Carlos Bernard to interject, "I hate that answer. I'm going to answer your question, OK? I'm going to say that my favorite is in this season. (This prompted laughter and mock-booing.) Wait. But mine's been shot already."

If Sutherland was Star #1 at the panel, Bernard was a very admirable Star #1a. It turns out that fans missed Tony.

Did Bernard miss Tony?

"First of all, I have to go back and work with these people. I don't care what they say. It's not easy. I have to work with Kiefer. Not easy. I have to basically write the show for them. Not easy," he kidded, before continuing, "No, it's been amazing. Since the first day of the show it's been this amazing mixture of talented people who come together to create this show."

As Bernard put it, "We know that when this is done it's never going to happen again. And I got a little taste of that..."

As the panel progressed, Tony's ever-present mortality was a running joke.

"It very well could be a measure of our desperation that he's back," showrunner Howard Gordon joked. "This is not the first time that he's come back from the dead. This character, it's the fourth time on the page he's died."

On several occasions, Bernard threw money at his panel-mates as an incentive to keep him around. But it sounded like having Bernard back was a pleasure.

"When Howard first brought up that Carlos was coming back again, I said, 'How?' And the way he came back was so extraordinary and so very 24 Sutherland said. "The function of how he didn't die and what was done behind a lot of people's backs was just very clever."

Of the apparently dark turn New Tony has taken, Bernard said, "The character's changing endlessly. For me it was very organic, just from where his story has gone from the start of the series. It actually felt very natural to me."

Sutherland added, "The first scene I did with Carlos, I got to shoot at him and tackle him. I loved it. It was awesome."

Also awesome? The Comic-Con fans.

"You guys have been so gracious and kind and nice," Sutherland said. "24 has been arguably the greatest experience of my life, absolutely the greatest experience of my career."

Kiefer Sutherland on Jack Bauer's Return
By Eric Goldman
IGN: 24
July 23, 2008

We haven't seen Jack Bauer for over a year now, but this fall he'll be back, as the TV-Movie 24: Exile premieres. Exile is a prequel to the seventh season of the series, which will premiere in January, following a full year delay caused by the writers' strike. The main story of Exile follows Jack in Africa, where he and an old friend (played by Robert Carlyle) end up teaming to stop a brutal militia group. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., we follow what is occurring as the new president (Cherry Jones) is inaugurated.

This past week IGN was among a group of press who spoke to Kiefer Sutherland about Jack's return in Exile; how it connects to Season 7, and how the actor views the series and his iconic character, several years into 24's run.

Q: What is Jack like when we catch up with him at the beginning of 24: Exile? It seems like it must be very different to see him outside the U.S.

Kiefer Sutherland: At the end of Season 6, he was so disillusioned that there was something wonderful about shifting to Africa – that he had actually found a kind of peace and a calm there with his friend and the dynamic between Bobby Carlyle, who's an old friend of his, that he'd been working with in Special Forces some 15 years ago. Bobby Carlyle's character has started a school that is trying to give a safe haven and rehabilitate the children of African wars.

It's the first time that you saw this character kind of in a place where he felt like he was giving back for a lot of the things where I guess he felt like he'd been a part of the problem. This was an opportunity for him to kind of [atone]. So it's on an emotional level, not only physical, it was a really nice way to start for that character.

Q: How did the prequel come about?

Sutherland: We didn't want to wait to air until January. We wanted to get something out before that. The prequel was the perfect opportunity for that. And [24 executive producer] Howard Gordon had originally started out in Africa at the beginning of Season 7, but what the writers could never figure out was whether or not we could disrupt the real time aspect of the show to get out of Africa and back to the United States. We would have literally have had to say '16 hours later.' No one felt good about that. We ended up having to stop that storyline, which we all loved, so the prequel was this fantastic opportunity to do that storyline and set everything else up with that and allow us to go to Africa. So it was a series of things that happened that allowed us to do it.

Q: What was it like for you to get back to work after the break caused by the writers' strike?

Sutherland: I was excited. I don't think any of the writers wanted a strike and I don't think any of the producers wanted a strike. I certainly know that now the actors don't want one and the producers don't want one. Sometimes, unfortunately, it's necessary when people can't agree on what is fair. So I think everyone was just excited to go back to work. I think the people who get hurt the most, obviously, are our crews. They're not making the kind of money that the rest of us are making and it's a real workers job. So I was very conscious of that, so we were excited for a lot of reasons to get back to work. And I still love making the show. I really do believe we have one of the best scripts we've had in the longest time and then you have actors like Jon Voight and Bobby Carlyle and Cherry Jones. I saw the trailer just a second ago and it looked like a movie to me.

Q: Was this ever considered for the plot to the 24 feature film you've talked about in the past?

Sutherland: No.

Q: You'd done a good deal of work on Season 7 before the strike.

Sutherland: Oh my gosh, yeah. We'd finished [ten] episodes.

Q: But there was no thought of just airing ten as a season this past spring?

Sutherland: I think there might have been at some point. I'm not included in those decisions. That's really FOX's choice. And I think, ultimately, they made a very courageous choice, but I also think a really correct one, in waiting. I think the whole television season was disrupted so badly, that I don't think the people that aired half a season won and I don't think we won. I think television got hurt, actually, probably more by the writers' strike than any media. And ultimately, I think for us, we've always done better when we've been able to air all 24 episodes continuously and they had to make a hard decision to choose to do that.

Q: Do you think the 24 feature film could happen next year?

Sutherland: I think we're probably going to do the film when we stop doing the series, and I don't know when that's going to be.

Q: How much time is covered in Exile?

Sutherland: It's two hours, period.

Q: And it feeds into the new season?

Sutherland: It absolutely sets up the conflict. The conflict that starts in the prequel is the conflict carried all the way through Season 7.

Q: So the characters will carry over?

Sutherland: Absolutely.

Q: The newer guys like Robert Carlyle?

Sutherland: That one, I'm not so sure about - Robby. But yes, almost all [of the Exile cast return in Season 7].

Q: How long can a franchise like this go for?

Sutherland: The honest answer is, I guess, as long as people watch it. I love making this show and I've always said that audiences will ultimately dictate and tell you when it's time to stop. Again, I was always surprised… the great fear that an actor has, wandering into television for the very first time, is playing a character for five years. And I never realized what an arrogant idea that was until I'd actually done it. There is so much room, especially in a show like 24, where each season impacts the character. So from Season 1 to Season 2, I'm dealing with the death of my wife, the disruption of my family, and all of this weight starts to affect a character. It starts to affect him physically – obviously it affects him emotionally. So the character is always growing and I found that amazingly interesting and exciting to do. I've always also said that the idea of the show is so strong that I think it can certainly live past my involvement. I think an audience will ultimately dictate that.

Q: Did you think that series TV would be more of a grind that it is and it would become mundane?

Sutherland: Yeah, I think I was worried that it would become boring, and that was a really elitist, arrogant thought.

Q: You've become more involved since the first season, right? As far as meeting with the writers?

Sutherland: Only because I know more about the beast. To do 24 episodes makes you understand how episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, impact episode 12. I know more about that [now], so there are things that I am looking for in the scripts that I just didn't know to look for when I first started. So on that level, yeah, I'm probably more involved. But again, one of the reasons that I think our show has been successful is that the lines for what everybody does are very clearly drawn. The writers write; the actors act; the directors direct; the cinematographer lights; the post-production people do post-production. Everybody, really, has been hired and is a part of our show because we trust them to do what they're doing. And so our show is not micromanaged by one specific person. We work very well together.

Q: You have a female president on the show in the next season. Would it have been helpful to the show if Hilary Clinton had won?

Sutherland: Well, we certainly intended to air before that would ever have happened. But no… Again, you're writing a story that is loosely based on things that are happening. Certainly, the synthesis of that would have been interesting, wouldn't it?

Q: African militia are a new enemy for Jack Bauer.

Sutherland: Well, certainly in the prequel it is.

Q: How does he handle that?

Sutherland: Mostly by running fast!

24: Exile airs Sunday, November 23rd on FOX.

24: Season 7 premieres in January.

Kiefer Sutherland surrounded by Canucks as '24' returns with prequel
The Canadian Press
July 18, 2008

LOS ANGELES - When "24" finally returns this November in a two-hour prequel, Jack Bauer will find himself, once again, surrounded by the one international force he cannot seem to shake: Canadians.

"24: Exile," which finds Kiefer Sutherland's indestructible counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer stumbling into a new mission in Africa, will air Nov. 23. It will set up the next, seventh season of "24," which premieres in January on Fox and Global.

Along with Sutherland, showrunner Jon Cassar, a graduate of Ottawa's Algonquin College and a veteran Canadian TV director, is one of the big reasons why so many Canucks join "24" every year. Both took part in informal press tour sessions with critics this week, and Cassar confirmed that, "as we always, always do," more Canadians were booked for a "24" tour of duty.

Among them this season are Colm Feore ("Trudeau"), who plays the husband or "first gentleman" of the president of the United States (Cherry Jones). Former "Ally McBeal" star Gil Bellows is also in the prequel as an official at the U.S. embassy in Africa who "has something Jack Bauer wants and he has something I want," Bellows said at the session.

"One of the great things about Canadians is that we're pretty supportive of each other," says Bellows, originally from Vancouver.

He had been called in to read for another character on the series. Both he and Cassar realized the part was not a good fit, but by the time Bellows had driven home from his meeting with the producer, his agent called with news he had been given another part in the African storyline.

"I thought, pretty good consolation prize," said Bellows.

Not all the actors being added to "24" are Canadian. Academy Award-winner Jon Voight is coming aboard to play, as he put it, "a very serious villain, a very bad fellow."

Scottish actor Robert Carlyle ("Trainspotting") plays an old buddy of Bauer's who helps him out in Africa.

Carlyle says viewers are mad for the "24" in Scotland, where an hour-long show called "After Hours" airs after each episode where people sit around and discuss the series.

"It's a complete phenomenon," says Carlyle, "they just go crazy for the show."

The main draw at this press tour was Sutherland himself. The 41-year-old actor feels a strong loyalty to the press who he feels kept the show on the air during that slow-to-build first season. Long after most established series stars start skipping press tours, he's on the floor answering every question.

Even if it makes him wince. Backed up against double doors and surrounded by reporters with microphones, he addressed his seven-week stint in a correctional facility this past winter, a result of an impaired driving conviction.

"I made a really bad mistake, and going back to work, which was something I felt comfortable doing, is a safe place," Sutherland told the cluster of reporters.

"I have friends that made similar mistakes and have not been that lucky. I was very aware of how lucky I was."

Like Cassar, Sutherland feels the 100-day writers strike, while it knocked the show off the air for an entire season, ultimately did everyone connected with the series a huge favour. It will allow them for the first time ever to complete production on the series before it begins. In other years, said Cassar, the finale was shot two weeks before it aired. The cast and crew are currently busy shooting episodes 15 and 16.

Sutherland, also a producer, says it will also allow them to pay more attention to the series' middle episodes, always "a muddy area for us," he acknowledges.

When a CBS publicist finally called a halt to the press scrum, Sutherland headed through the doors to a terrace attached to the session room. That's where two Canadian journalists were waiting. One of us lured him over with a brand of Canadian cigarettes. Sutherland, who smokes so often he keeps cigarettes tucked behind his ears, begged off and lit up one of his own.

"Can't," he said. "I'll go crazy for them if I start."

He laughed when asked about his cameo in the season finale of "Corner Gas" this season, something he was honoured to be asked to do.

"I think I scared them, I yelled so loud," said Sutherland who crabs at his mom (Shirley Douglas) in the bit. Look for Douglas to pop up on "24" next season, too.

Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.

Kiefer Sutherland says strike benefited ‘24’
By Alan Pergament
The Buffalo News
July 17, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - If you listen to star Kiefer Sutherland, one show that seems to have been helped by the writers’ strike is the Fox thriller “24.”

There are at least four reasons that “24” benefited from the strike.

It allowed the writers to spend more time on the transition episodes - 13 through 16 - from the season’s first crisis to the second, which annually have been the most troublesome to the show’s writers.

It enabled Sutherland to complete his seven-week jail term for drunken driving, when it wouldn’t disrupt filming.

It also allowed the series to complete filming all 24 episodes before the season starts on Fox.

And perhaps most importantly, it allowed the writers a way to revive the abandoned plot line set in Africa for Season Seven to make a stand-alone, two-hour prequel that will air Nov. 23 and set up the season that begins in January of 2009.

“The conflict that starts in the prequel is the conflict that goes all the way through Season Seven,” Sutherland explained to a small group of critics.

The prequel idea eliminated the biggest problem the writers had with the African story before they abandoned it - disrupting the show’s real time aspect to get to the United States from Africa.

“We would have to say 16 hours later,” said Sutherland. “No one felt good about that. So we ended up having to scrap that. The prequel was a fantastic opportunity to do that story line.”

In the prequel, Jack Bauer is dealing with an international crisis in Africa after being asked to help by an old friend of his from special forces (played by Robert Carlyle of “The Full Monty”).

“His character had started a school that was trying to give a safe haven and rehabilitate the children of the African wars and he had been involved in the fighting,” said Sutherland.

Sutherland agreed it was liberating for Jack Bauer to get away from the United States.

“At the end of Season Six, he was so disillusioned by not only what he had done with his life, but circumstances that he had been confronted with here in the States,” said Sutherland. “There was something wonderful about beginning in South Africa, that he had actually found a kind of peace and a calm there with his friend.”

Sutherland said filming in South Africa was made difficult because it was so windy and there was only eight hours of sunlight a day in winter.

“But we went there with I think one of the best scripts we’ve ever had,” said Sutherland.

Of course, Sutherland has been in worse locations. He said he finished his seven-week jail sentence in the middle of January.

“The writers’ strike made what I had to do, because of a very obvious stupid thing that I did, easier because I could do that [sentence] in one go and the show was not affected,” he said.

“I made a really bad mistake, and going back to work, which was something I felt comfortable doing, is a safe place. I was grateful to have that opportunity. I have friends that made similar mistakes and have not been that lucky. I was very aware how lucky I was.”

The international crisis in Africa forces the show’s newly elected, female American president, played by Cherry Jones, to be tested early. Sutherland doesn’t see a downside in the fact that Sen. Hillary Clinton was unsuccessful in trying to turn the fictional element into reality.

“We certainly intended to air before that would have ever have happened,” said Sutherland. “[But] certainly, the synthesis of that would have been interesting, wouldn’t it?”

However, Sutherland suggested the African story line was inspired by the administration of Sen. Clinton’s husband, Bill.

“There is no question there is an unbelievable economic depravity on the continent of Africa and a level of violence that has been unparalleled. A massive problem in how the world has dealt with Africa ... is no one can justify going there because they have no viable reason ... Meaning oil or money. [The fictional president’s] response is a human one, ‘We can stop a genocide.’ I think that’s something Bill Clinton apologized for not doing with Rwanda. And we centered a show around that.”

Sutherland’s palpable excitement for the new season about everything from the story line to the performance of the extras makes you wonder if he’s forgotten the criticism of Season Six.

“Absolutely not,” said Sutherland. “I’ll carry it to my grave. I thought a lot of it was accurate and I disagreed with a few. I actually thought Season Six was one of our best seasons.”

And what were the fair criticisms? “There was a lot of criticism about the White House and how that was handled ... We did find it was not as fleshed out as we would have liked it. On some level, CTU [the counterintelligence unit] kind of went over the top in kind of a silly direction that undermined the intensity of the rest of the show.”

And the unfair criticisms?

“That the whole season was just a wash,” said Sutherland.

Who can touch Jack Bauer?
By Bill Harris
EdmontonSun.com
July 17, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- How odd that Canada's Kiefer Sutherland and Scotland's Robert Carlyle are fuelling the next version of America's favourite action series.

"Yeah, and a Canadian director in Jon Cassar as well, so there are quite a lot of Canadians involved in 24," Carlyle said. "I don't know. I think they all stick together."

Another theory might be that Canadians and Scots are teaming up to take over the world.

"Ah, my friends," Carlyle said, referring to Canadians in general. "I'll take that."

Carlyle, who is known for his roles in movies such as Trainspotting, The Full Monty and Angela's Ashes, has a crucial role in 24: Exile, the 24 prequel that will air this fall on Fox and Global. Exile primarily is set in, and primarily was filmed in, Africa.

Carlyle plays Carl Benton, who trained with Jack Bauer -- Sutherland's character -- many years earlier.

"What was interesting, I guess, was that I was touching him (to get his attention), saying 'Jack' and stuff like that, but nobody touches f----- Jack Bauer," Carlyle said with a laugh.

"But then they said, 'OK, you're the only guy who can touch Jack Bauer.' Kiefer loved that."

Of course, most people who touch Jack Bauer wind up dead.

"Yeah, you're afraid," Carlyle said. "Even his girlfriend doesn't touch him, just in case."

Carlyle and Sutherland have been friends for many years.

"I had worked with Kiefer before in a movie called To End All Wars," Carlyle recalled. "We shot that in Hawaii and we've kept in touch ever since. He always has been saying, 'Come and do 24.' Uh, OK!

"They had been interested in me doing a long-running character in it, maybe two seasons ago, and that didn't quite work out. I was doing other things. But this one came and I thought, this is perfect. (Benton and Bauer) have a history but they haven't seen each other for 10 years, and that's the amount of time, almost, that Kiefer and I hadn't seen each other. So we played up that relationship."

So, we guess that means that even though they've kept in touch, Carlyle didn't visit Sutherland in jail last winter, when he was serving seven weeks on a drunk-driving charge.

"No, I wrote to him in jail," Carlyle said with a warm smile.

Snagging an actor of Carlyle's quality certainly is a coup for 24, although his busy film career probably eliminated the possibility of the role extending into the seventh season of 24, which begins in January. When Sutherland was asked if the actors in Exile would carry over into the seventh season, he said, "I'm not so sure about Bobby (Carlyle), but yes, almost all of the other characters will carry over."

Uh-oh. In the world of 24, you know what that usually means. But whatever happens to Carlyle's character, he has relished the opportunity to work with Sutherland on such a high-quality show.

"In broader terms, American television over the past eight years or so has been fantastic," Carlyle said.

"And it was great catching up with Kiefer. He's a lovely guy, a great guy. A gentleman."

Kiefer's return
By Bill Harris
EdmontonSun.com
July 16, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Kiefer Sutherland knows he's lucky to be able to throw himself back into work on 24 after spending seven weeks in jail on a drunk-driving charge.

"I made a really dumb mistake, and to be able to go back to work, which is something I feel comfortable doing, and it's a safe place for me, I was grateful to have that opportunity," the Canadian actor said during the current Television Critics Association tour.

"I've had very good friends who have made similar mistakes that have not been that lucky. So I was very aware of how lucky I was to have that opportunity."

Sutherland, 41, served his time in jail while the TV and film writers in the United States were on strike last winter, so his unavailability did not directly impact 24's shooting schedule.

"Yes, (the strike) made what I had to do, because of obviously a very stupid thing that I did, it made that easier, because I could do it in one go and the show was not affected by that," Sutherland said. "I went to jail for seven weeks, so I got out in the middle of January some time."

As it turns out, both Sutherland and his character on 24, Jack Bauer, are getting fresh starts.

For Bauer, the fresh start comes in the form of a prequel, titled 24: Exile, which will air this November on Fox and Global. Exile is a stand-alone entity, but it definitely will bleed into the seventh season of 24, which begins in January 2009.

"It absolutely sets up the season," Sutherland said. "The conflict that starts in the prequel is the conflict that carries all the way through season seven."

Traditionally, 24 has begun its seasons in January, but Fox decided last winter not to run any of the 10 episodes that had been completed before the strike, because that would have left viewers hanging.

"After the strike, we came back and started shooting episodes 11 and 12," Sutherland said. "I think there might have been some thought of airing those 10 at some point. I'm not included in those decisions, that's really Fox's choice. And I think ultimately they made a very courageous choice, but also a really correct one in waiting.

"The whole television season was disrupted so badly, I don't think the people who aired half a season won."

The prequel was conceived as a booster shot for fans who already have gone far longer than usual between new episodes of their favourite action series. But Sutherland stressed that Exile, which largely was filmed and largely is set in Africa, never was considered as a possibility to be the long-rumoured 24 feature film. Nor is Exile a test drive for that rumoured feature film.

"I think we probably are going to do the film when we stop doing the series, and I don't know when that's going to be," Sutherland said.

So how long can 24 go?

"The honest answer, I guess, is as long as people watch it," Sutherland said. "I've loved making this show and the audience ultimately will tell you and dictate when it's time to stop.

"I've also always said that the idea of the show is so strong, I think it can live past certainly my involvement, and I think the audience ultimately will dictate that, too."

Uh, 24 without Jack Bauer?

"Yeah, absolutely," Sutherland said.

Kiefer's a nice guy, but we think not.

Former movie snob Sutherland now diggin' TV
By Bill Harris
EdmontonSun.com
July 16, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Kiefer Sutherland used to be one of those snooty film actors who looked down his nose at series television, seeing it as a trap or a developmental dead end.

"I never realized what an arrogant idea that was until I'd actually done it," the Canadian star of 24 said.

"The great fear that an actor has going into television for the very first time is playing a character for five years.

"But there is so much room, especially in a show like 24, where each season impacts the character.

"From Season 1 to Season 2, I'm dealing with the death of my wife, the disruption of my family, and all of this weight starts to affect the character, physically and obviously emotionally.

"So the character always is growing, and I've found that amazingly interesting to do."

So did Sutherland think series TV would be more of a mundane grind?

"Yeah, I was worried it would become boring, and that was a really kind of elitist, arrogant thought," Sutherland said.

"Before I started 24 I had made a lot of films I was very proud of that were seen by no one, maybe eight people.

"But when 24 is going well and you get a sense of the reaction that we have at times, there's no better juice in the world than that," Sutherland said.

Kiefer Sutherland gives the scoop on ‘24’ - Season 7 and the new ‘Exile’ movie
By Carl Cortez, Contributing Editor
iFMagazine.com
July 14, 2008

And 'no,' this two-hour prequel movie is not the feature film idea that was in the works a few years back.

LOCATION: Africa

THE SKINNY: Yes, it’s that time of the year – time for Kiefer Sutherland to give us the scoop on the latest season of 24 and with the new 24: EXILE two-hour movie airing in the fall as a prequel to Season 7, there was a lot to talk about.

“I saw trailer a second ago and it looked like a movie,” says Sutherland from this year’s Fox TCA press tour, who admitted he was very pleased with this movie which takes Jack Bauer to Africa for what will be the trigger point event leading into Season 7.

“It sets up the conflict that starts in the prequel and is carried all the way through Season 7,” says Sutherland. He also notes that the two-hour prequel will be two hours in real time and that many of the characters from the prequel will be appearing in Season 7.

Sutherland also praises Fox for deciding to hold off Season 7 for a full year, when they couldn’t finish the season before last year’s writer’s strike. A handful of episodes were complete, but airing the series in its entirety without breaks was ultimately Fox’s wishes which the actor feels was right on target.

“I think ultimately they made a courageous choice and correct one in waiting,” admits Sutherland. “We’ve always done better when we’ve able to air all 24 episodes continuously. They had to make a hard decision, but I think the whole television season was disrupted badly, that I don’t think the people who aired half a season won.”

As for the future of the series, Sutherland says 24 will continue as long as the audience dictates they should continue.

“I’ve said the audience will ultimately dictate when it’s time to stop,” adds Sutherland. “The great fear that an actor has in going into television for the very first time is that you’re playing the same character for five years, and I never realized what an arrogant idea it was until I actually had done it. There is so much room, especially with a show like 24, where each season impacts a character. From Season 1 to Season 2, I’m dealing with the death of my wife and all this weight starts to affect the character. And I’ I found that amazingly interesting and exciting to do. I’ve said it before, I think the idea of the show is so strong, that it can surpass my involvement and I think an audience will ultimately dictate that too.”

And of course the big question: Is this 24: EXILE movie the concept the producers had for the 24 feature film. Without hesitation, Sutherland’s answer says it all: “no.”

For fans, that’s a nice collective sigh of relief that the future for Jack Bauer on the big screen looks very bright indeed.

'24' will kick off new season with movie
By Gary Levin
USATODAY.com
July 14, 2008

LOS ANGELES — Jack's back, at least for a two-hour real-time movie. 24: Exile, Nov. 23, tees up the seventh season, due in January. Kiefer Sutherland and the cast returned from Africa last month and immediately went back to work on the series.

Producers scrapped plans to film part of the regular season in Africa, finding it unworkable to explain the time lapse of a long flight to Washington. But the story line "was current, it was emotional and it really centered around children affected by these wars, from Rwanda to Zimbabwe," who are recruited as fighters, Sutherland says in an interview.

"The idea of starting out with such an emotional, tangible thing just rooted it in kind of a human element that did not deal in a massive catastrophe, like an atomic bomb or a bioweapon hazard."

The movie takes place on Inauguration Day. Just as Powers Boothe's Noah Daniels is handing the presidential reins to Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones), a military coup begins in a fictional African country.

Jack Bauer has escaped there after the torment of Season 6 to help an old buddy (Robert Carlyle) who runs a school "that rescues these children involved in these wars and creates a safe haven." As usual, Jack must come to the rescue. This year's baddie is played by Jon Voight, who appears in the movie and then resurfaces midway through the regular season.

The movie, says Sutherland, stands alone, but it also helps "set up the terrorist threat (of the seventh season) and the justification for why this would happen in the United States."

Does the long break — 20 months between regular episodes — risk losing fans? He hopes not. "The entire year of television was so massively disrupted," he says. "I think it was a really smart move by Fox to just wait. It afforded us so much more time, and it's the first time we'll have all 24 episodes completed, in the can and ready to air before you see the first one. Which means you have 24 perfect episodes without running into trouble."

If not, he says, "We won't have any excuse."

"24" goes to Africa
By Joel Brown
TV with MeeVee
July 14, 2008

Neither Karl Rove nor Summer Glau got the TV critics' blood going today quite like Kiefer Sutherland. Maybe that was because the Fox News panel and the "Terminator" panel were up on the big ballroom stage, while ‘24’ star Sutherland and his producers and co-stars were simply set loose in the foyer, forcing reporters into major-league scrums to learn what we could about the seventh season of the real-time thriller, which launches in January.

But you don't have to wait until then to see Jack Bauer in action. The two-hour prequel "24: Exile" just finished three weeks of shooting in South Africa and Washington D.C., and will air Oct. 23 on Fox. Its real-time action finds Cherry Jones being inaugurated as America's first female president, while in the fictional African nation of Sangala, Sutherland's super agent Jack Bauer tries to save a school full of children from a bloody civil conflict. The action will also set up the regular 24-episode season beginning in January, by which time Jack will be back in Washington.

It was a big change from the previous six seasons, when Bauer had to stay close to his home base in L.A., thanks to the real-time format.

"It was fantastic," said Sutherland. "When he left at the end of Season Six, he was so disillusioned by not only with what he'd done with his life but with the circumstances he confronted here in America, that there was something wonderful with the beginning of show in Africa, that he had actually found a kind of peace and a calm there with (guest star Robert Carlyle) as an old friend of his from special forces 15 years ago.

"Bobby's character had started a school that was trying to provide a safe haven and rehabilitate the children of the African wars, children that had been involved in the fighting, many of those children ranging in age from 8 to 13. It was the first time you saw (Jack) in a place where he felt like he was giving back for a lot of things where he felt like he had been a part of the problem. This was an opportunity for him to kind of clean himself. Not only on a physical level, but on an emotional level, it was a nice fresh start for him."

Producer Jon Cassar said the show begins shooting in May for a season that begins the following January. So between May 2007 and the start of the writers strike in November, "24" completed about a dozen episodes of the seventh season which was supposed to launch in January 2008. Like "American Idol," "24 " is always launched in January to avoid disruption by Fox's telecast of the baseball playoffs.

But the strike interrupted production, meaning a mid-season break would be required if it launched as scheduled. And Fox wanted the season to air uninterrupted, which has meant noticeably better ratings for "24" and other serialized shows like "Lost." So, Cassar said, the decision to postpone the launch until January 2009 was made "very quickly, like the day after the strike started."

The "24" brain trust and Fox were both eager for the show to get something on the air during the more than 18-month gap between seasons. And the prequel served a dual purpose, Sutherland said.

"(Producer) Howard Gordon had started the show in Africa at the beginning of Season Seven originally, but what he and the writers could never figure out was whether we could disrupt the real time aspect of the show to get (Jack) out of Africa and back to the United States," Sutherland said. "We would literally have to say 16 hours later, and no one felt good about that, so we ended up having to scrap that storyline which we all loved so much. So the prequel was a fantastic opportunity to do that storyline and set everything else up with that."

LMR comment: I thought that was Kiefer. Without a doubt, his voice is unique. Maybe he should try falsetto next time. ;)

'24' star narrates BofA spots
By Rick Rothacker
Charlotte Observer
July 1, 2008

If you've been wondering: Yeah, that is Kiefer Sutherland's voice on Bank of America Corp.'s latest round of “Bank of Opportunity” commercials.

The gravelly voiced actor is best known lately for his role as super agent Jack Bauer on Fox's “24” as well as for a stint in jail for a driving under the influence arrest. His narration has caught the attention of some bloggers, but the bank has been mum on the performance.

“The identity of the voiceover for our new campaign is known only to the most senior levels of the company,” Bank of America spokesman Joe Goode said, tongue in cheek. “One would need to enlist the services of Jack Bauer to identify the source.”

A team of ad agencies, led by BBDO-New York, worked with Bank of America to develop the TV spots, which debuted in May. The commercials highlight the bank's “Keep the Change” savings program and other products.

'24' TIME WARP
By Don Kaplan
New York Post

JACK Bauer will be turning 52 when the popular Fox drama returns next year.

At least, he should be.

When "24" comes back next January, four years will have passed on the series, Fox officials confirmed yesterday.

To emphasize the passage of time, Jack's sidekick, Chloe (Mary-Lynn Rajskub), who was revealed to be pregnant in last year's season finale, will suddenly have a 4-year-old kid to deal with.

For those keeping score at home, that means that 17 TV years have passed since Season 1, when Bauer first took on the Eastern European bad guys bent on revenge and destruction - and he was said to be 35 years old.

In chronological terms, next year will be the seventh season of the addictive suspense series and - in real life - Bauer doesn't look a day over 41 (Kiefer Sutherland's real age).

But in the world of "24," the year will be 2017, although chances are the show's writers and producers will never mention that. Nor will Bauer be artificially aged to more closely resemble his character's AARP-eligible status.

"We've always built in significant passages of time between seasons of '24' for dramatic purposes," said a spokesman from Fox, the studio that produces the show. "Luckily, like all great iconic characters, Jack Bauer is ageless."

While it's far from unheard of for TV dramas to time travel - "Desperate Housewives" will do the very same thing next fall - "24" is something of a special case for a variety of reasons. Not the least is that each season spans just one very hectic day.

It also may be a bit easier for viewers to digest when "24" finally returns after a year-long absence - the show was yanked this season when the Writers Guild strike made production impossible.

Adding to the illusion is a "24" TV movie next fall on Fox, that is being billed as a "prequel" to the new season.

IOL: Sutherland denies engagement rumours
June 27, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland has hit out at claims he is engaged to his journalist girlfriend Siobhan Bonnouvrier.

The pair was spotted together for the first time in New York in April, and speculation they could be heading down the aisle intensified the following month when his divorce from ex-wife Elizabeth was finalised.

However, the 41-year-old actor's representative insists there are no plans for nuptials with his new belle, the 36-year-old style director of Allure magazine.

The rep says Sutherland is "not engaged to his current girlfriend Siobhan Bonnouvrier".

LMR comment: Thank you "24" for hiring one of the few conservatives in Hollywood!

Voight signs on for villainous role on 24
By Nellie Andreeva
June 13, 2008

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In his first series role in 40 years, Jon Voight has signed on as a recurring character on the upcoming seventh season of "24."

On the Emmy-winning Fox drama, Voight will play the uber-nemesis of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), who is pulling the strings behind next season's terrorist threat.

The character will be introduced during "24's" two-hour Season 7 prequel and will be featured heavily in the latter half of the season.

The prequel, now shooting on location in South Africa, is slated to air November 23, with Season 7 of the series kicking off in January.

Voight's role marks the first high-profile villain casting on "24" since Season 1, when Dennis Hopper appeared in the final episodes as Serbian nationalist Victor Drazen.

Voight did several TV guest spots early in his career -- including a three-episode stint on "Gunsmoke" in the late '60s -- until his movie career exploded with "Midnight Cowboy" in 1969.

A four-time Academy Award nominee, Voight won the best actor Oscar for 1978's "Coming Home." He recently reprised his role as Nicolas Cage's father in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Kiefer Sutherland to wed
June 9, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland is set to wed for a third time.

The '24' star, whose divorce from Elizabeth Kelly Winn was finalised last month, is reportedly planning to marry his new girlfriend Siobhan Bonnouvrier.

A friend of Kiefer's said: "Now that Kiefer is finally divorced, everyone is hoping he will marry Siobhan. Kiefer is a changed man and Siobhan is just the right woman for him. She is an amazing woman and has transformed Kiefer in just a few short weeks."

Kiefer - who served 48 days in a Los Angeles jail last December for drink-driving offences - has been "fit and focused" since he left prison and is ready to commit himself to the 35-year-old magazine director.

The source added: "She isn't the least bit bothered by his fame or wild past and the relationship has blossomed. They are both looking for long-term commitment so they are on the same page in terms of relationship goals.

"Everyone is hoping Kiefer finally settles down and find happiness with her. You can tell just by looking at them they are madly in love."

(C) BANG Media International

'Jericho' Co-Star Counts on '24'
Sprague Grayden also lands a role on FOX's 'Sons of Anarchy'
Zap2it.com
June 3, 2008

Sprague Grayden, most recently seen on CBS' "Jericho," has landed a recurring role on FOX's “24.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grayden will play Olivia Taylor, daughter of President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) and the nation's first First Husband (Colm Feore).

It's unclear how many episodes Grayden's character will appear in or what sort of inevitable trouble she'll find herself in. The HR story also doesn't say whether or not Olivia will be introduced in the two-hour "24" prequel which will air in November and bridge the long gap between the show's sixth and seventh seasons. Part of the prequel is expected to deal with President Taylor's inauguration.

But the "24" role isn't the only offering on Grayden's plate. The trade paper says that she's also snagged a role in FX's upcoming drama "Sons of Anarchy."

FX has set a fall premiere date for "Sons of Anarchy," which centers on the title motorcycle club's efforts to protect their small town from outside elements, including drug dealers and real-estate developers. Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal co-star.

Grayden will play Donna Lerner, a biker's wife trying to encourage her ex-con hubby to steer clear of the gang.

Other credits for Grayden include "Weeds," "Over There," Six Feet Under" and "John Doe."

Home Media Magazine | Warner Premiere Bites Into 'Lost Boys' DTV
By Billy Gil
June 3, 2008

Direct-to-video division Warner Premiere has taken on following The Lost Boys, the 1987 comedy thriller about a band of young vampires starring Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric. Its sequel, The Lost Boys: The Tribe, will be released by Warner Home Video on DVD and Blu-ray Disc July 29.

The Lost Boys: The Tribe is directed by P.J. Pesce and stars Tad Hilgenbrink (American Pie Presents: Band Camp), Angus Sutherland (half-brother of Kiefer), Autumn Reeser (“The O.C.”) and Cory Feldman reprising his role as Edgar Frog, a vampire hunter. Jamison Newlander and Corey Haim, from the original film, also make appearances.

The DTV sequel follows a brother (Hilgenbrink) and sister (Reeser) who move to the quiet California surf town of Luna Bay and become entangled with a local vampire gang. It will be available on single-disc ‘R’-rated and unrated DVDs (both $27.95) and on Blu-ray ($35.99).

In conjunction with the release, Warner will release the original The Lost Boys the same day on Blu-ray Disc, at $28.99. The Blu-ray version will have the same special features as the currently available two-disc special-edition DVD, including commentary with director Joel Schumacher, interviews, featurettes, deleted scenes and a photo gallery.