Tag Archives: 24

farewell jack bauer

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Confession. I have no desire to watch Sex and the City 2. I thought the first movie was pretty darn perfect as is. I don’t want my memories to be ruined by the new movie. 🙁 Maybe I’ll watch it on DVD.

So work has been rough lately. Which means I’m super behind with TV. And I totally forgot So You Think You Can Dance premieres this week. WTF is wrong with me?

I did manage to watch the 24 series finale, though…



I complain a lot about this show. It has been enormously frustrating the past few seasons. But I freaking LOVE it. It brought me Jack Bauer and his Jack-pack, one of my most favorite couples in Tony and Michelle, Bill, Chloe, Presidents David and Wayne Palmer, Aaron (the best Secret Service agent ever), and many others.

OMG. I will miss this show so much.

Season 8 was a weak season overall (what was the BIG DEAL with the peace treaty and why didn’t the Russians want to sign it?) and the series finale wasn’t much better but it had some great character moments (mostly between Jack and Chloe) that I loved…

— Chloe bringing Jack back from the dark side. It’s been really hard for me to watch Jack let his need for vengeance get the better of him in these last few episodes (the episode where he cuts open Tokarev to find the SIM card comes to mind… *shudders*). And it made sense for Chloe, someone who’s truly his friend, to be the one to make him stop and think about his actions before he went through with the assassination.
— Jack forcing Chloe to shoot him. OMG. This scene was unintentionally hilarious. I don’t know if I’ve ever loved Chloe as much as I did here.
— President Taylor and Dalia Hassan’s throwdown. FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC. You could seriously feel Dalia’s shock at being simultaneously betrayed and blackmailed. I have to admit, though, that I’m a little disappointed that Taylor’s character was written this way to begin with. This was the same President who sent her daughter to JAIL last season because she had such a clear sense of right and wrong.
— President Taylor’s desperation and remorse at finding out she might not be able to stop Jack’s execution. The way she leaned on the wall in the elevator as if she couldn’t hold herself up… that was amazing acting.
— The final scene between Jack and Chloe. It was perfect. Their farewell was unbelievably emotional (no doubt Kiefer and Mary Lynn’s own). I loved the way Jack looked straight at the screen like he was addressing the viewers and thanked Chloe for having his back all these years. *sob*

I wish Jack didn’t have to be on the run, though (way to recycle the season 4 ending, writers). It’s not fair that he’s rebuilt his relationship with Kim and now he won’t even be able to watch his granddaughter grow up. That makes me sad. But I guess the ending had to be open-ended if the rumors for a theatrical movie are true. Maybe Tony can be a part of it somehow. 😀

Farewell, Jack. It’s been a fun 8 seasons.

DAMN IT!

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well played, 24

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Of course just a few weeks after I rant about 24, the show decides to hit me with 3 solid weeks of episodes (albeit unbelievably sad ones).



DAMN. The internet feed being on a tape delay was a good twist. CTU was too late to save President Hassan. And the terrorists succeeded.



AND THEN.

Renee’s death (after having sex with Jack!). I totally did NOT see that coming. It was unnecessary! And sad. I’m torn about what this means for Jack’s story. Because seriously? Instead of a happy ending, he’s going to be out for revenge. Again. Just like he was many seasons ago after Teri’s death at the end of season 1 (and even in season 6 after Audrey’s captivity by the Chinese). The only difference is that Teri was killed because of Jack. Renee was killed because of what she potentially knew. Argh to the recycling of storylines!

Oh, well. At least Hassan and Renee’s deaths have lifted the show out of the excruciatingly painful funk it was in the first half of the season.

Well played, 24. Keep it up through the series finale!

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monday tv update: 24 + chuck

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Thanks everyone for the congrats! Rob and I are super-duper excited to buy our first home. It’s very close to where we live now so we’re constantly walking by to see if any progress has been made. So look forward (or not) to pics as it gets built.

😀

Anyway, I haven’t blogged about TV in a looooong time. Not since last year (sounds so far away, heh). It’s not that I haven’t been watching (I totally have) — it’s just that I’ve been feeling a little uninspired. But finally, my Monday shows brought me out of my blogging funk (possible spoilers?)…

24
OY. This used to be one of my absolute favorite shows ever. Those days are gone. Now I watch this show only out of loyalty to Jack Bauer. This makes me sad. I can forgive the recycled storylines (Jack no longer works for CTU but is sucked back in due to a national crisis) but I CAN’T STAND the ridiculous storylines and even more annoying characters. They seriously suck the life out of the show. Examples:

– Dana Walsh. UGH. I was really looking forward to the addition of Katee Sackhoff to the cast but wow does her storyline suuuuuck. First she’s saddled with Kevin, an ex-boyfriend who’s stalking her. Then she agrees to help him and his buddy Nick steal money from an evidence warehouse in order for him to leave her alone. When he does not (OF COURSE), she follows them, her fiance Cole (poor Freddie Prinze Jr — I want better for him) follows her, they try to scare them off, Nick kills Kevin, Cole kills Nick and they dump the bodies. IDIOTS. Sadly this storyline is not over yet. Now Dana has to deal with Kevin’s parole officer who is conveniently looking for him at 2:30 in the freaking morning. COME ON. Get it together, writers.

– Arlo. He’s not a main character by any means but MAN does he annoy me. I think it’s the permanent smirk on his face, condescending attitude, and constant attempts to flirt with Dana. His role (and his job at CTU, I think) is pretty similar to Milo (Eric Balfour) and Adam (Zachary Quinto) from seasons past and while they had their jerk-y moments, they were still characters you liked to hate. I just hate Arlo.

As far as the main terrorist storyline, it’s finally ramped up in the last 2 episodes. With the Russians out of the picture and Tarin being revealed as the big bad (possibly?), things are finally getting interesting. It only took 11 episodes.

If I might make a suggestion, the show needs more Jack and Cole working together…



YES PLEASE.

But as much as I’ve been dissatisfied with this season, I’m really going to miss this show if the cancellation rumors turn out to be true. 🙁

And now a show that I’m completely enjoying this season…

Chuck
Aaahhhh! So good this season! Chuck as a spy totally cleared up some of the issues I was having with the show — in the past, missions involved him flashing, Sarah and Casey yelling at him to stay in the car (which he would NEVER do), then they inevitably had to rescue him. Now that he’s taking part in the action, we’re finally seeing him as their equal (ok, kind of).

This season has also brought less Buy More storylines, which I like. I can’t help it. I know they’re necessary to show how Chuck is leading a double life but there’s only so much I can take of Jeffster, Big Mike, and the rest of the crew. I probably would have added Morgan to that list until the most recent episode. I can’t believe I’m typing this but I’m starting to like him. When Chuck revealed his secret, I honestly thought Morgan was going to freak out, get upset and make it all about him. But he didn’t! He was supportive and happy for Chuck. And I’m so proud of him!

I’ve also been enjoying the new characters/guest stars, ESPECIALLY Shaw (played by Brandon Routh).



OMG. He’s so dreamy. 🙂

Besides that, though, he’s livened up the team and their interactions with each other. It was getting a little stale to watch Chuck, Sarah and Casey interact with General Beckman via video conference. And as much as I love Chuck and Sarah’s complicated relationship, I can see why she would be attracted to Shaw — someone who’s completely different from Chuck; someone whose motivations she understands.

I can’t forget to mention Hannah (played by Kristin Kreuk). She was introduced solely as a romantic partner for Chuck and I really ended up liking her. Kudos to Kristin. I have to mention that I was so impressed with her acting here. While I loved her on Smallville, I always thought her acting was bland. A little stilted. Sometimes awkward. She’s improved so much! It’s too bad that her arc was so short — she had amazing chemistry with Zachary Levi. Look how cute they are…



I’m sad that she’s gone. And I’m mad at Chuck for breaking up with her during dinner with her parents. That’s cold.

The only thing that would make this show better is MORE CASEY! Otherwise, I think season 3’s been amazing. Please renew Chuck, NBC!

Thanks to Daydreaming and ChuckTV for the pics.

watchmen

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WHAT DID YOU DO 24?!? Tonight’s episode made me so sad. 🙁

I’m a huge fan of Dwayne Johnson (formerly known as The Rock) and I found this clip of his recent Saturday Night Live opening monologue. Gotta love a cute guy who can sing and dance. 😀



Anyway, I went to see Watchmen on Saturday and enjoyed it!



I haven’t read the graphic novel (though now I want to) so the movie seemed unnecessarily violent at times (a certain jail scene comes to mind) and there were one too many shots of Dr. Manhattan (I know you know what I mean *wink wink*) but the plot and themes worked and resonated with me.

By far, my favorite part was the credits. I loved that in just a few short minutes (and complete with Bob Dylan), the credits told the story about 2 sets of “watchmen” with such amazing detail and visual interest. Relive the credits here (hopefully Warner Bros won’t have this video taken down)!



I thought all the lead actors were great, particularly Patrick Wilson (I fell in love with Nite Owl), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Comedian), and Jackie Earle Haley (Rorshach). I wanted to love her but unfortunately, Malin Ackerman as Silk Spectre II was definitely the weakest of the leads.

I just read that the movie only grossed $55 million this weekend. Is it just me or isn’t that a really low figure? Maybe cause it’s rated R? I would have guess-timated it to make at least $75 million. Huh. Warner Bros must be really disappointed right now.

dancefest + yoda

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So yesterday Rob and I finally checked out a performance of the SF Hip Hop Dancefest. I’m a huge dance fan and I’ve wanted to check it out for the past few years but was always lazy (and cheap). We finally went this year and I enjoyed it! There was a good mix of “crews” — from crews that excel in “popping” and isolations to others that merge modern dance with hip hop.

We saw “Program A” and my favorites were:
Soul Sector!!! They were THE BEST. They were clean and synchronized and their choreography was fresh and fun. (For all you America’s Best Dance Crew fans, some of their members performed as Supreme Soul on the MTV show).
Sunset. Little kids (think 6-13)! Dancing! Adorable.

FORMALity. Another junior group (I think — maybe high school/college?). Super energetic and lively crew!

Breaksk8. I didn’t care for them much when they were on ABDC but I really liked them live. They made the roller-dancing look so easy.

After the performance, which was at the Palace of Fine Arts, we walked over to the Presidio to check out the Yoda fountain at the Letterman Digital Arts Center, which (I think) houses LucasArts, ILM, and Lucasfilm. Luckily, I found a map online so we (ok, ROB) were able to find Yoda pretty quickly. Check us out!



Behind the fountain is a lobby which had a large replica of Darth Vader. SO AWESOME. The building was closed, though, so we could only peer into the windows. We must have looked like big dorks. 😀

There was also a Starbucks on the campus which had this cool Yoda drawing on their chalkboard:



When we got home, we settled in to watch 24: Redemption. For the most part, I enjoyed the season 7 prequel/movie. But maybe that was because I was so starved for new 24?! I don’t really know. Regardless I thought it set up season 7 nicely and smoothly introduced the new players to the 24-verse.

2 Quick non-spoilery thoughts:
— Carly Pope (Sam) bugged BIG TIME. GUH. I can tell I’m going to be screaming at her through the TV. I hope she is evil so I can justify my HATE.
— Actually, I didn’t care for any of the new characters (President Taylor, Hodges, Sam, General Juma — the only “newbie” I like so far is Roger cause I think he is cute, heh :P). Instead, I’m looking forward to seeing my favorite 24 faces — Chloe, Bill, etc.

Anyway, JACK IS BACK! OH YES. 😀

Random — I’m not a HUGE fan of Beyonce but I love that Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) song. It’s so damn catchy.

tv wrap-up

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I have to share another photo of Diesel…

I’m such a proud Mommy! 😀

Anyway, it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged about TV so I thought I’d get started with a TV wrap-up for the season.

Up first: Monday shows! Beware spoilers…

24
*yawn* This season was a huge disappointment. So much potential but not enough follow through… like what happened to President Logan? His ex-wife stabbed him and we don’t find out what happened to either of them. Or to Aaron. Now that I think about it they never explained what happened with Walid or to President Palmer. But anyway, I didn’t care for this season because of the introduction of the Bauer family and their antics. I mean, why introduce Philip and Graham now? And Marilyn and Josh? I didn’t care about them at all. Not to mention the fact that the whole storyline completely felt like the writers were just making it up as they went along. UGH. I did enjoy the finale, though, because I got to see Buchanan and Jack working together again. YAY! The last shot was depressing, however. *hugs Jack* I hope next season is an improvement.

Heroes
Not much to say except that this is a *great* show. I love that the finale settled the first “chapter.” I just hope that Peter, Nathan, and Matt are okay. 🙁 I haven’t read spoilers in ages (for any show) so I have no idea if it’s been revealed that they’ll be back. I hope so. Anyway, is Sylar dead? Because it didn’t seem like it. But then again, none of the other heroes seemed to be too concerned that his body was NO LONGER ANYWHERE TO BE FOUND. That confused me. :/ My favorite part of the finale, though, was seeing Molly and Micah interact. Usually I don’t like child actors (cause they’re rarely good actors) but these 2 are awesome. 😀

I’m actually home sick today (I think I ate some bad sushi last night) so I decided to catch up on the 2 most recent episodes of Studio 60. Before it went on hiatus, I was a little bored with the show but watched it because there was nothing on TV at 10pm on Monday nights. I didn’t even miss it while it was off the air these past few months. I forgot I had set it for a season pass on my Tivo so I was pleasantly surprised to find 2 episodes waiting for me. I was even *more* surprised to find that I really, really enjoyed them both! If the remaining episodes are as good, I’ll be sad to see the show go.

my e-ring

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I’m super tired and honestly, way too lazy to write up my proposal story so for now, here’s a picture of my engagement ring:

I just LOVE it. It’s so shiny and pretty. I kept staring at it during work today.

Hmmm, I really need a manicure. Stat.

In TV news, it’s Upfronts week! NBC’s was today and there’s nothing really exciting to note except for the following…

— Heroes is expanding its universe with 6 stand-alone episodes revolving around new characters and their back stories. I love this show so I’m sure these Origins episodes will be just as awesome. This means 30 new Heroes episodes. Woot!
— Friday Night Lights is moving to Friday nights at 10pm. I’m so happy the show’s getting a second season but I just hate that the show’s stuck on Fridays. UGH. But maybe that’s my own hang-up… I don’t normally watch TV on Fridays. Hopefully this move will be a good thing since it’s away from American Idol and other heavyweight shows that air on Tuesdays.

I’m half-watching and half-listening to tonight’s episode of 24 and it’s totally upsetting me. This season is totally awful. 🙁

daylight savings time

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Daylight savings time totally messed me up today.

I am UNBELIEVABLY tired.

Also, is it just me or has 24 been slightly boring this season? It’s really disappointing. 🙁