24 news and notes - Season 5 trailer

If you haven't yet seen it - here is the trailer for the new season of 24!

It looks like it is going to be another awesome season!

Mark your calendars for January 15th!

Invasion article

from CNN.com - A cool article on Shaun Cassidy (yes - the one and the same), the executive producer of ABC's Invasion.

Enjoy.

The axe has fallen

While browsing through the headlines on CNN.com I spotted this news about one of my favorite shows of the new season.

CBS has decided to cancel Threshold. They just moved it from friday night (a horrible night for TV) at 9pm to tuesday night at 10pm. They proceed to show it ONE TIME in the tuesday spot - during Thanksgiving week no less and then reference "sluggish" ratings on both friday AND tuesday nights. HELLO - since when is one night a proper gauge of anything?? I guess CBS just wanted it gone so they can give us another CSI spin-off because we don't have enough crime dramas on TV now.

Oh well - we still have Invasion. Let's hope ABC doesn't get hold of the stupid pills CBS got their hands on.

SWITCHED on!

It's out!!! "It" being the new INXS CD - Switch! I pre-ordered it from Sony at the beginning of November then had to listen repeatedly to my download of "Pretty Vegas" for 3 1/2 long weeks while waiting for it to be released. When I arrived home from work last night it was sitting there patiently in my mail box waiting for me. Surprisingly I didn't immediately tear off the wrapping and throw it into the CD player. This is what happens when you have a 4yr old daughter who would much rather watch "Cinderelli" instead. I waited until she went to bed and then curled up on the couch while working online and listened to it. There are songs that I immediately love - Devil's Party, Afterglow, Like It or Not and Pretty Vegas while the others have each grown on me in the last 18hrs.

I miss Michael and wasn't sure what I would think of INXS without him but JD is up to the task and happily INXS are BACK!!! Actually - they just proved they never really left.

Now go buy the CD!

Alias makes it official

As expected, ABC announced that Alias will end its 5 year run in May.

I for one have enjoyed the ride immensely and will be there until the bitter end. In all fairness I thought this season had jumped the shark when Vaughn got "killed" but they have managed to hold my interest by introducing the two new agents and deftly working around Syd's pregnancy.

I fully expect them to pull out all the stops for a rockin' finale in May - Sark, Mommy Bristow and most definitely one Michael Vaughn - come on down!

The countdown to the end begins.

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quick note to all for a safe and Happy Thanksgiving holiday!

Now go eat!

Thanksgiving? I should say so....

So I'm driving into work this morning listening to the morning show on KNBR when one of their top 6 sports stories of the day turns out to be this - Josh Beckett is coming to Boston!

My first reaction was to swerve my car back onto the road. My second - holy crap! They got Beckett!

It's a move that will inevitably be compared to the Thanksgiving signing of Curt Schilling 2 years ago.

Beckett, Papelbon and Lester......try saying that 10 times fast.

I know - pretty cool huh?

24 news (finally)....

Here's the latest and greatest from FOX on some additions to the show and a general plot outline -

"As 24's highly-anticipated premiere approaches, the cast is growing, with Julian Sands ("A Room with a View"), Peter Weller ("Robo Cop") and Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actress JoBeth Williams ("Poltergeist" and "The Big Chill") join the series for it's fifth heart-stopping season. 24 premieres with a four-hour, two-night event Sunday, Jan. 15 and Monday, Jan. 16 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Additionally, the second hour on Monday, Jan. 16 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) will mark the series' 100th episode.

British born actor Julian Sands will play billionaire bad guy "Vladamir Bierko" while Peter Weller portrays "Christopher Henderson," the federal agent who recruited Jack to counter terrorist work more than a decade ago. JoBeth Williams is Henderson's wife, Miriam. All three characters will come face-to-face with Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) as he desperately attempts to prevent the series' most lethal terror threat yet on US soil.

Season five picks up 18 months after the exciting conclusion of season four, as national security is brutally breached. A presumed dead Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is actually living a new life with Diane (Connie Britton) and her son Derek (Brady Corbet). A shaky President Logan (Gregory Itzin) is running the nation, while composed Bill Buchanan (James Morrison) commands CTU alongside key operatives Curtis Manning (Roger Cross), Edgar Stiles (Louis Lombardi) and Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub). Also featured in season five will be Emmy Award-winning actress Jean Smart as First Lady Martha Logan. In addition, Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard) and Audrey Raines (Kim Raver) return, while Lynn McGill (Sean Astin) joins CTU."

Blink....blink....blink....blink......

So IT begins.

I won't take the time to bore you with a big long story as to why "it begins" (there will be plenty on that in the future) but just so you know - I started running again this weekend. It was nothing big mind you (only just under a mile in approx. 10 minutes or so) but it was a start to what I hope will carry me to the finish line of the SF Marathon in July 2006.....WHOA - you say. Kind of drastic no? Inspired by both my brother-in-law and my sister-in-law (who both have finished the Honolulu Marathon) I figured what a better way to celebrate a major milestone in my life than beating the hell out of my body for 26 miles.

Like I said - there will be much more on this to follow but for now know that I have at least gotten started and for many that is the toughest part.

Alaskan Refuge Drilling.....

Just read this and can't seem to get the smile off my face....

I read that if they went ahead and drilled in Alaska, by the year 2025, it would lower our dependence on foreign oil from 70% to 66%. It got me thinking we should probably be looking at some options other than "trying to develop our own oil reserves". Time to invest some money in alternative energy resources people! We can put a man on the moon but can't seem to figure out a way to make a car run on something other than gasoline??? Oh wait - yes we can....but how will the oil companies make their $10billion profits if we do that?

*sigh*

Hey wait - *big grin*

Terminated.

So we have this Governor in CA named Schwarzenegger - perhaps you've heard of him? He calls this special election to try and get these 4 ballot initiatives passed that he says will make CA better. He spends boatloads of money on advertising for these initiatives and travels the state speaking about them....so what happens??? CA voters go to the polls yesterday and CRUSH THEM ALL.

If you are interested in details pop over here :

Looks like the people have spoken. To quote Linda Hamilton, "You're terminated f-er!"

Well done.

President Palmer

From TV Guide Online's "Ask Ausiello" column (where I get all this dirt)...

Question: In last week's AA, you said President Palmer would figure into this year's 24 plot in a major way. But does that mean Dennis Haysbert will be back for the entire season? — Tami

Ausiello: President Palmer will figure into this year's plot in a major way.


So Palmer will be involved come January.....nice.

Live Wing

As a West Wing fan who stopped watching the show last year (opting for the "I'll catch up on it once it comes out on DVD" approach), I will be DVRing the show this sunday night at 8pm. The reason?? An actual LIVE debate between the two presidential candidates (played superbly by Alan Alda - the Repub and Jimmy Smits - The Dem) "running" for president on the show. I've seen several episodes from last season when they started going through the primary process and the presidential campaign and I have kicked myself for not keeping the show on my "watch list". This may just provide the push I need to get it back into the rotation. See ya sunday night at 8.

Praise for Grey's

Just had to cut and paste this short column from Matt Roush at TVGuideOnline about Grey's Anatomy...

"One of the happier surprises of this TV season has been my deepening crush on Grey's Anatomy, which has taken advantage of Desperate Housewives' sophomore malaise to become the water-cooler show on Sunday night. (And a show I gave a lukewarm review when it premiered last spring.)

This week's (Oct. 30) episode may have been the best yet, a scintillating mix of soap opera and medical drama — with just the right blend of mordant comedy (Cristina's hunt for the missing leg) and wrenching tragedy (the two train passengers impaled by a metal pole, only one of whom could possibly survive).

Grey's is a fabulous show for "shippers" who groove on will-they-or-won't-they dynamics, epitomized by Meredith's mortifyingly drunken wait for Dr. McDreamy's answer — will he pick her, as she asked him to do to his face, or will he stay with his intimidating estranged wife Addison (a name I've loved since All About Eve). He picked Addison, but for how long?

Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey are perfectly sympathetic and swoony as the star-crossed couple, but there's also the compellingly tentative relationship between another young doctor and her aloof boss, with Sandra Oh's voraciously ambitious Cristina Yang battling her feelings for Isaiah Washington's coolly efficient Dr. Burke.

Adding new wrinkles to the show's relationship romp is the Izzie-Alex flirtation, nicely underplayed by Katherine Heigl and Justin Chambers. Izzie is justifiably puzzled over obnoxious hotdog Alex's sudden ambivalence toward his work and his play. (He didn't even kiss the former underwear model on their date.) How long before everyone realizes that Alex's medical career is in the balance?

And then there's my absolute favorite, George (T.R. Knight), a mouse who roars when the circumstances are right. He stepped up like a champ when he and Alex were stuck in a stalled elevator with a patient who needed emergency open-heart surgery. (Alex, struggling with self-doubt, froze.) At home with Meredith and Izzie, George is treated like one of the girls, with the condescension you'd give a tagalong brother or maybe a pet. He writhes with comic frustration at not being taken seriously, as either a doctor or a man. But we can see what they don't, that he's got the goods.

The other great performance on Grey's Anatomy is Chandra Wilson's brusque, funny and ferocious Dr. Bailey, supervisor of the young docs. A tiny dynamo of attitude and barely disguised compassion, she's a role model in many ways, not the least being the fact (which came as a surprise to all) that she has been happily married for years.

Grey's Anatomy has charisma and tremendous entertainment value and buzzes with the glorious hum of all cylinders working, reminiscent of ER during its early days. (That original cast is taking on a mythic hue, kind of like Saturday Night Live's classic ensemble of the first five years.) Though ER has badly faded into a mopey bad habit occasionally brought to life by a memorable patient, Grey's and House (which makes a welcome return this week) prove that the TV medical drama is far from dead."

I couldn't have said it any better....can't wait for sunday night to arrive.

This and That...

So many things to talk about...here we go....

Libby - it's about flippin time!...and anyone who tries to tell me that he was the only one involved with this is smoking the good stuff. Yeah sure - he was sitting there alone in his office plotting the demise of Joe Wilson.....Sure....let's just see what else Fitzgerald comes up with.

Theo - How the hell did the Red Sox manage to screw this one up?? Is he irreplaceable?? No....but come on. I guess they got what they deserved for low-balling him earlier this year and dragging out the "negotiations" until now. Good luck to you wherever you end up Theo....we'll always have 2004.

Tedy - welcome back!! It was nice to see you patrolling the middle of the field again and bringing some fire back to the D. We will always worry about you but we also have faith that you have thought this through and are doing the right thing. You are a football player......Just Do It!....and good luck on MNF...we'll be watching!

TV - Here is what we're watchin'....

1. Desperate H'Wives (its been ok)
2. Grey's Anatomy - my new favorite show. Sandra Oh is THE BEST! It just keeps getting better and better each week.
3. Surface - good old fashioned Sea Monster fun. Can take it or leave it....currently taking it.....Lake Bell - yummy.
4. Big Break IV - love this show. It's fun to watch these guys compete and learn a bit about each of them. The format is USA vs. Europe so you think you'd want to not like the Euros but they are all cool. Fairways and greens Paul - I'm rooting for ya!
5. Lost - really enjoying it so far this season (when its on.....*argh*)...Dharma Industries....Life in the hatch....Desmond.....we found the tailies and The Others.....and now someone is going to die!!! I can't wait.
6. Invasion - started off slowly but its getting good.
7. The OC - yes, we finally caught up.....Taylor and the Dean?? Come on! Marissa in public school...Come on! Her friends there remind me of the "Bizarro World" episode of Seinfeld....It should be interesting.
8. Alias - I actually like the "new" Alias. Once they shot Vaughn I really wasn't looking forward to watching a hormonal Syd go after his killer....but they have switched the story around little bit and the new characters are cool. Rachel, Rachel, Rachel....more yummy.
9. Threshold - good stuff. Not sure where they are going to take the story though....I'm getting tired of watching them chase the alien signal all over the country to try and stop it from spreading....enuf already....can we move things along? I liked the twist they pulled having the senator steal the signal, infect the entire plane and have them have to shoot the thing down.....cool stuff. Let's see what they have in store for us going forward.

WOW - lots of TV....but its some good stuff! :)

Got the special election coming up here in CA on tuesday....Propositions coming out of our ears over here.....looking forward to putting Ah-nuld back in his place......Reading a great multiple part series in the SF Chronicle about the GG Bridge and the arguements for putting up a suicide barrier....gripping stuff....Google has gone and launched Google Print amid controversy about copyright infringement....not sure how its going to all turn out but I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can.....Yahoo announced a new and improved Yahoo! Maps that they upgraded to compete with Google Maps.....seems like everyone is gunning for Google......Keep up the great work Googlers....

My fantasy teams are horrendous......I am actually 0-8 in one of my football leagues and 1-7 (I won in week 1) in another. It's been a weird year so far.....sad.....look out Tampa Bay I'm gunning for your 0-16 mark (and the #1 pick in next years draft)...how long until pitchers and catchers report??? Basketball has just begun...I have a team with alot of potential....we'll see if any of that turns into talent and carries me somewhere...I'll bet you are all waiting breathlessly......or maybe not.

Guess I'm done babbling all over the computer...The Daily Show is about to start...what a better reason to sign off.....G'night.