2001:  The Courage to Change
2002:  Falling Leaves
2003:  Catching Up on my Reading
2004:  Written in Stone
2005:  Stop the Presses!!!
2006:  A Flurry of Excitement

IN MY OPINION
"Mame"

Books Read in 2007
(Updated 1/15
"Snow in April")

Currently Reading: 
"The Cat Who Could Read Backwards"
"Dog is My Co-Pilot"

FUNNY THE VLOG
"Tug of War"


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JACK'S BACK!!!

16 January 2007
(happy birthday, Colleen!)

I know those of you who got sick of my many entries about 24 (especially if you never watched the show) during my weeks long orgy when I watched all of the first five seasons without taking a break won't be particularly thrilled to learn that Jack Bauer is back bigger and better than ever, but he is.

Back-to-back episodes Sunday night, back-to-back episodes Monday night.

I am in the terrible position of having to choose between 24 and the Golden Globe Awards.  What a dilemma to be on the horns of.  Thank god for my DVR.

Ned and I have been anticipating Season 6 of 24 for weeks now.  In fact, shortly before the show started, he sent me a text message asking if I was going to record it.  Seems he and Marta are off at a family party and though they think they set their DVR to record it, he just wanted to make sure.  I was able to reassure him that yes, it will be recorded.

(But, of course, even if I forgot, I'm sure he could download it from iTunes for a fee, like I did with Season 5).

The theory of starting solid with four episodes over two nights of the show is that it generally takes a few episodes to hook you.

However, they had me at "previously on 24." 

When we last saw Jack, he had just tricked the president into confessing high crimes and misdemeanors, was reunited with the ever-faithful Audrey, and received word that his daughter was calling him.

"I'll be right back," he said to Audrey, as he went into a deserted building to take the call.

We felt so helpless.

It was like watching the innocent young girl going down into the darkened basement to check out a strange noise.  You wanted to shout "DON'T GO IN THERE ALONE!"

But of course he did and so Season 5's last sight of Jack was being shanghai-ed (shanghaid? shanghaied? shanghai'ed?) on his way to China, to be tortured for a couple of years in retribution for his assault on the Chinese embassy two seasons ago.

(Bauer's enemies never forget, even if the audience, except for the most obsessive, can't quite remember them from season to season.)

So it's now two years later, terrorists and suicide bombers are running rampant across the United States (presumably because Congress wouldn't give Bush money to fund a surge in Iraq and his dire prophecies are coming true...but they don't say that) and the only person who can stop them is Jack, of course, for reasons which I won't explain because I don't want to spoil anybody's discovery.

Of course it doesn't take 10 minutes before Jack is disobeying commands, taking out the bad guys and starting to save the world.  But not too quickly, of course, because there are still 22 episodes left to go.

Based on just the first two episodes, this looks to be a good season, though they did manage to put in an awful lot of propaganda, buzz words, and cliche phrases in the first two hours.

I think ophthalmologists should recommend that their patients watch 24 because your eyes get so much exercise from rolling, while you are groaning at that thing that so-and-so said, and you can't believe s/he actually said it.

Tim Goodman TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle put it perfectly:

For the purposes of retaining some semblance of critical respectability, it should be noted yet again that "24" only works if you unplug your brain. Now firmly ensconced under "wildly implausible" in the dictionary, this is a series that's nearly as funny as it is riveting, although that equation is not necessarily intended by the creators.

From the first two episodes, it's obvious that Season 6 is going to be just as believably unbelievable as the previous ones.  I'll give you one low-tech example...

Jack and another guy are racing through crowded downtown L.A. chasing two other guys, who disappear into the metro station.  The other guy points out that the two men will separate at a certain time for a specific reason.  "I'll go after the guy in the station," says Jack, telling his partner to stay with the other guy. 

Now, bear in mind they have chased these guys on foot through crowded streets in downtown Los Angeles.  The bad guy comes out, turns down a back street, gets into a car which has been left for him and starts the motor.

At the same time the good guy gets in his own car which just conveniently happens to be parked a discreet distance away from the bad guy's car.

You know, I can believe that Chloe can use Google Earth to find a remote spot anywhere in the world and zero in on the faces of people leaving buildings and I can believe that you can hide a body mic anywhere and pick up anybody saying anything at any time clear as a bell (when you can't make a clear cell phone call across the street).  I believe that Jack can go 24 hrs without eating or peeing.  I believe that Jack can die, be brought back to life and kill a guy all in less than 5 minutes, but finding parking right where you need it in the middle of the workday in downtown L.A.?  C'mon! 

Some things stretch suspension of disbelief just a tad too far.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Welcome back, Jack...we've missed you!

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