Episode 20 Recap & Comments

3:00 am - 4:00 am

Episode Quotes:

"You finish your enemy off when he's down; you don't let him get back up and reload."

-Tony Almedia (to Cara)

"Look, you think your need to complain is more important than the lives of the people who are counting on us, go whine somewhere else!!"

-Jack Bauer (to Janice Gold)

Dr. Macer gives Jack the injection he needs to stop his spasms, and he tells the FBI to put out an APB on Tony. They do so, but it's a moment too late; Tony shoots a couple of FBI agents dead, disconnects their SUV's tracking system, and steals the car. Jack is remorseful that he vouched for Tony.

Comment: Poor Jack, betrayed by Tony. The only friend Jack seems to have left now is Chloe. Renee is too I guess, but he's only known her for less than 24-hours. He blames himself for not seeing Tony's betrayal as he always does. I know I keep going on and on about Kiefer's performance this season but again, he does such a fantastic job of portraying not only the physical symptoms of the infection, but the emotional pain of realizing what Tony has done. Great job Kiefer.

At a motel, Tony meets up with Galvez. The money's been wired to Galvez's account, but instead of giving Tony the canister, Galvez pulls a gun on Tony and demands the name of the buyer. He doesn't know who he's messing with. Tony gets the drop on Galvez and kills him. He then finds the canister in the closet. Cara arrives and wants to make the delivery, but Tony says no. They will sit on the canister for six months. Cara says it's necessary in order to replace the 27 lost canisters, but Tony knows the time to strike is now while the country is reeling. Also the FBI is stretched thin and making mistakes.

Comment: What a stupid move on Galvez's part. That was not the time to try and double-cross Tony. Man, Tony has turned into a killing machine!

Meanwhile, Tim Woods tells the President that Hodges tried to poison himself, but the guards intervened in time. He is still alive. Renee and Jack call with the bad news about Tony. The President says she may have a lead, and tells them that Hodges mentioned some bigger group she wouldn't be able to stop. Jack wants to interview Hodges -- not to torture him, but to offer him what he needs: proof of death. This will help convince those threatening Hodges' family to think they have succeeded.

Olivia is horrified to find her mother is considering giving Witness Protection to Hodges, the man who murdered her son. She thinks he should be declared an enemy combatant and tortured. President Taylor says she swore to defend the Constitution. This tears her apart, but it needs to be done.

Comment: Very well-acted scene between President Taylor and Olivia. I believe the President was right in this situation; as difficult as it is to cut a deal with Hodges, she is the President and has a duty to uphold the Constitution to protect the citizens of the United States. If letting Hodges go via witness protection will do that, then she really didn't have a choice.

Cara teleconferences with the secret cabal via laptop. All of them are at laptops, talking via computer with their voices disguised and trying to get permission to go ahead with Tony's plan. The attack will be blamed on an Arab immigrant, Jibraan Al-Zarian, who will be found dead at the scene. Jibraan is an innocent they'll set up to look like a terrorist. The cabal is skittish, but Cara IMs Alan Wilson and coaxes him to weigh in on her side. Wilson tells the group that Hodges did them a favor by pushing the country to the brink. They should seize the opportunity while they have it. The cabal unanimously votes for the plan to go ahead. Cara and Tony share a passionate kiss.

Comment: I love the way this scene was done. The editing and direction were great. This mysterious "secret cabal" is interesting. I wonder who the other members of this group are that didn't weigh in? Remember there were 12 of them and not all of them were shown during the scene. It will be interesting to see who else is involved in "the group".

Hodges has regained consciousness and is yelling that they have doomed his wife and family. Jack enters to interrogate him, while the President monitors the conversation from the White House. Jack explains the deal to Hodges. Olivia cannot watch, and she leaves the room. Hodges tells Jack that he was part of a group who can protect the country better than any government ever could. The plan was to launch simultaneous attacks early next year so that the public would see the government couldn't protect them. The people would demand drastic measures and then the group would step in. They were supplying weapons to America's enemies and sleeper cells to offload the blame. Hodges thinks Jack should understand because he was doing what was necessary. Jack replies that they have nothing in common. He's disgusted that Hodges is just protecting his contracts. Jack was serving his country.

If Hodges doesn't confess the names of his cohorts, Jack threatens to go public with the fact that Hodges is still alive. Hodges swears he doesn't have the names, even when Jack's dialing the Washington Post. He tells Jack that everybody was anonymous, even to each other. Tactics were handled through an intermediary, a woman whose name he never knew. Jack confers with the President and says they must be planning to strike today because it would be the right strategic move. The feds would need an immediate threat assessment, which requires a reconstitution of the CTU servers that were sealed by Senator Mayer's investigation. The President orders them re-commissioned.

Comment: I've been waiting for this scene for a long time and it didn't disappoint. I love watching two great actors like Kiefer and Jon Voight in a scene together like this. Hodges equates attacking his own country in order to gain more power as the same as what Jack has done over the years to protect innocents from really being attacked by terrorists. Jack was right, he is nothing like Jonas Hodges. Another great scene.

The only complaint I have is that if Hodges can't produce names, why would the President follow through with the witness protection deal? Maybe he'll end up being more helpful than we have seen yet. That didn't make sense to me.

This action needs somebody already familiar with the protocols, so Jack calls Chloe, waking her up. She asks about Bill and Jack tells her what happened. He also says there's an imminent biological weapon threat and that her expertise is needed. A car is being sent to pick her up. She agrees, then hugs her sleeping child. Chloe wakes Morris, who is sleeping on the couch. She tells him to take Prescott and get out of town. Morris asks Chloe to come with them, but she can't be persuaded.

Comment: So great to see Chloe back! I'm glad Jack told her Bill died saving the life of the President. She knows Bill went out a hero. That was so sweet when she hugged a sleeping Prescott before waking Morris and leaving. I hope nothing bad happens to Morris and/or Prescott. Of course when Jack needs Chloe, she can't say no. I have one question though, why in the world were Chloe and her family at a hotel? That didn't make sense to me either. Maybe they didn't actually live in D.C. and they were staying there before going home the next day. It's not that important but I wish that would have been explained.

Jack gives himself another injection as the strain begins to show. Renee and Jack brief a group of FBI agents on the mission. They need to look for fabricated evidence that would offload blame for the attacks. Janis objects to using the CTU computers, but Renee orders her to do so. Chloe arrives and Jack breaks the news to her that Tony has betrayed them. Chloe doesn't believe it, but Jack tells her that the Tony they knew is gone. Jack makes Chloe say out loud that she is still with him.

Comment: I loved seeing Jack and Chloe together again. I'm glad she gave him a hug. I think Jack really needed a hug at that point. It was interesting when Jack told her Tony betrayed them she seemed to not believe it as if she knew something she couldn't tell Jack. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but that's how she seemed. Not that she's bad too...but it's like she knew more about what Tony's up to but she can't say. Just speculation on my part.

Tony, Cara and various operatives ready themselves outside of Jibraan's apartment. He's a 27-year-old day laborer with an expired visa. He has no ties to any extremist groups, but his parents were killed in a US air strike near the Pakistani border when he was a child. He raised his brother alone. Inside, Jibraan tells his 17-year-old brother, Hamid, to be careful because it is not a good day to be a Muslim even though Muslims had nothing to do with the attacks. Hamid brushes off his concern. Most of the guys at work think he's Puerto Rican anyway. Outside, another sedan joins Tony and Cara, containing two more operatives. They converge on the apartment.

Comment: I believe we have seen the man playing Jibraan in a previous season of '24'. I think he was one of the brothers who owned the sporting goods store that Jack and Paul took refuge in during Season 4.

Aaron Pierce discovers an emotional Olivia drafting Hodges' Witness Protection papers. She vents to him that this isn't justice. Hodges will get to live his life in comfort while her brother is dead. Olivia wishes out loud that Aaron could kill Hodges. She then apologizes and says she was just venting. After Aaron leaves, Olivia calls Martin Collier, a hardball political consultant she's worked with before. He once told her that there was no problem that couldn't be handled or eliminated. She won't tell him what she needs over the phone, so they plan to meet at the White House in fifteen minutes.

Comment: Olivia needs to grow-up for God's sake. I know it's hard to see Hodges get off under witness protection, but sometimes you have to accept unpleasant things for the greater good which in this case is protecting many people from a biological weapon attack. She has no business being Chief of Staff that's for sure.

At the FBI, Chloe supervises the reconstitution of the CTU servers. Janis complains that they're violating the Bill of Rights and acting as Big Brother. Jack, enraged and goaded by Janis' constant sniping, yells at her. If she doesn't like it then she can leave. In his rant, he says that the servers were re-commissioned by "President David Palmer." Jack stalks off and buries his face in his hands. Chloe is dumbstruck. What's wrong with Jack?

Comment: I think this was my favorite scene of this episode. I loved seeing all the CTU screens come up all over the FBI office. I'll admit it gave me chills. I REALLY loved Jack going off on Janice for all her complaining, but it was tempered by the fact that Jack's mind is deteriorating further since he said "President Palmer" wanted the servers re-activated. Poor Chloe is going to be devastated when she find out about Jack's condition.

At Jibraan's apartment, the lights go out and the operatives invade. Hamid is chloroformed, and a terrified Jibraan is held by Tony at gunpoint and ordered to keep silent. Tony threatens to put a bullet in his brain.

...Clock ticks to 4:00 am

Final Comments: I loved this episode a great deal as well. I know I say that every week, but IMO it has been a really great season. I can't wait for each week's episode although I dread it too in a way because the season is almost over. I'm anxious to find out the answers to the following: 1) What is Tony's true motivation behind his turn to the dark side, 2) Who are the others that are part of "the group" and 3) How will Jack be cured (will it be Kim or some other way like an antidote we don't know about).

With only 4 episodes left, I don't see how all of these storylines will be wrapped up. Maybe they won't, they may just continue into Season 8 which would be interesting.

The rest of this season should be a great ride. Is it Monday yet??!

Comments are mine: 24FanForever

Recap is from: FOX 24 website

Reaserch

Episode originally aired April 27, 2009.

Daughter-in-Law Sues

So much for blood being thicker than water.

The estate of a Derry Township, Pa., guy killed after pushing his father out of the way of a falling tree has filed a negligence lawsuit against the dad.

Victim Brian Shean's wife says she's suing her father-in-law in the interest of her 4-year-old son.

Carrie Prejean-Fighting The Good Fight

Miss California USA. may have been tossed into the scuffle over same-sex marriage, but she has become a willing warrior in the fight.
Carrie Prejean – who gave a now-famous response to a question about gay marriage at the recent Miss USA pageant – is featured in a new advertisement from the National Organization for Marriage, which says its mission is “to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it.”
The advertisement, which accuses same-sex marriage backers of trying to silence opponents like Ms. Prejean, is the latest step into advocacy for the 21-year old Miss California. Ms. Prejean told NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday morning that she does not regret becoming involved in the back-and-forth.
“I’m going to do whatever it takes … to protect marriage,” said Ms. Prejean, who started giving interviews to the news media shortly after the Miss USA pageant. “It’s something that is very dear to my heart.”
Supporters of gay marriage immediately hit back at the advertisement, while officials affiliated with the state’s pageant said they were disappointed with Ms. Prejean.

The president of the Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solmonese – who is seen calling gay marriage opponents bigots in the advertisement – retorted in a statement that the National Organization for Marriage’s “relationship with the truth could use some help.”
“As far as my cameo, I appreciate them emphasizing my point that when debating the merits of this issue they only have lies on which to rely,” Mr. Solmonese said.
In a statement, Miss California USA pageant officials said “in the entire history of Miss U.S.A., no reigning title holder has so readily committed her face and voice to a more divisive or polarizing issue.”

We applaud Ms. Prejean for taking such a courageous position and standing for what is right and decent. We need more people like her willing to stick their neck out for traditional marriage.

Way to go, Carrie!

the year of living surreptitiously...

A seal walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a drink.The bartender asks the seal, "What's your pleasure?"The seal replies, "Anything but Canadian Club."

ok..so I got my little list of things to do..to find out some things that I think I oughta...but first I took a midnite swim in our CEEMENT pond last night with Ellie May! that girl knows how to do the breast stroke!
First, I called the SB Yacht Club to get their take on Dr. Laura cheating in all those yacht races: reply: we have no official statement
Next, I call JOBSMART to ask how much the directors make...
reply: no reply
Next, I call the News-Press and ask if they are a non-profit since they haven't turned a profit in 5 years!
Next, I contact the Nature Conservancy...the folks who stole the Channel Islands and have worked with the government and private individuals to cleanse the islands of inferior species, a la Hitler! Years ago, they used then sheriff Jim Thomas to raid the islands and harass the ranch residents, including a 13 year old girl!!
and they don't answer their phones....and..THEY CALL THEMSELVES A CHARITY!!
http://www.newswithviews.com/your_govt/your_government52.htm

The Nature Conservancy is the richest, most powerful environmental colossus in the nation. It claims more than 700,000 individual members and 405 corporate members operating out of eight regional offices and fifty chapter offices across the nation. The Nature Conservancy has assets of over $2.6 Billion, with an annual income of $785 million, and an annual operating budget of over $400 million. TNC has 274 employees who are paid more than $50,000 per year.
THE SCAM: Real Estate. THE HOOK is "conservation through private action." According to the party line, The Nature Conservancy simply buys land with private money and sets up nature reserves, thereby helping the environment without infringing on anybody. It sounds like a wonderful, charitable idea, if only it was true.
In truth, The Nature Conservancy buys private land from owners (usually at drastically reduced, land-grab prices) who think it will remain in private hands and then sells it to the government! In fact, TNC has sold more than 9 million acres to the government at a nice profit.
THE VICTIMS are unsuspecting property owners, often elderly. THE METHODS utilized include hiding behind phony corporations; serving as a shill for government agencies; and working behind the scenes with more visible environmental groups to intimidate property owners into selling. THE GOAL is money and power.
The Nature Conservancy frequently uses phony front companies to get land from owners who wouldn't knowingly sell to an environmental group. It used this tactic to purchase most of the islands off the coast of Virginia, containing 40,000 acres and sixty miles of coastline. In doing so, The Nature Conservancy was able to stop all private development and control the use of the land, damaging the tax base, killing thousands of jobs, and severely curbing the locals from hunting, fishing, camping and joy riding on the islands.
Don't think the purpose was to preserve these beautiful, pristine islands for nature. The Nature Conservancy did bar others from developing the land, but not itself. Far from it. At a huge profit, the Conservancy developed upscale homes for the rich.
more on the many many many local charities and non profits to come...

24: Annie Wersching Returns - 4/29/09

Link: YouTube/TV Guide/Hollywood 411

Mr. T I, The Jury

We pity the fool who would try to give this juror any jibber-jabber.

Mr. T was summoned to jury duty in his hometown of Chicago, and he did not shirk his responsibility.

"I enjoy doing my civic duty," he said. "It's not about the A-Team, it's the J-Team -- the jury team."

Fortunately for Chicago's criminals, Mr. T was not selected for a trial.

I Was Only Trying To Help

Can't a guy get any consideration?

A German paramedic who spotted a woman having a heart attack pulled over to help her, and got a parking ticket for his trouble.

"I know traffic wardens have a reputation for being miserable and hard-hearted," said good Samaritan Steve Schiltenwolf. "It looks like it's true."

Obama Doctrine = Appease Our Enemies So They’ll Like Us Again

AFTER a mere 100 days, the "Obama Doctrine" for our foreign and security poli cies has emerged. And it's terrifying.

The combination of dizzying naivete, dislike of our allies, disdain for our military, distrust of our intelligence services and distaste for our own country promises the worst foreign policy of our lifetimes.

That includes President Jimmy Carter's abysmal record of failure.

The core tenets of the Obama Doctrine to date would make a charter member of the Weather Underground cheer:

We're to blame. If there are problems anywhere, they're America's fault. This central conviction of leftist ideology appears to have soaked so thoroughly into our president's consciousness during his lengthy friendships with extremists that it's now second nature to him.

Problems can be negotiated away. From Somali pirates to Moscow's belligerency, Obama and his Cabinet see a good chat as the best response to a challenge. Our president got to the Oval Office by talking, not doing, and his faith in his powers of persuasion is unlimited.

An acquaintance who may have our government's best grasp of the Russians shakes his head at the tone in Washington. The current mantra: "We have to get over our Cold War thinking." Great -- except that it's the Russians who've revived Cold War hostility.

The Taliban devours Pakistan, and we want to talk. President Hugo Chavez destroys Venezuela's democracy, and we want to talk. Iran pursues nuclear weapons with refreshed enthusiasm . . . and we want to talk.

Problems that can't be talked out can be bought off. Pakistan, a nuke-armed state of 170 million Muslims seething with anti-Americanism stirred up by our "friends," faces a crack-up as its once-monolithic military splinters. Obama's answer? Send billions of dollars that will disappear and weapons that may soon be used against our troops.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thinks the solution to piracy is a generous program to rebuild Somalia. (Been there, done that.) She'd also like to hand Hamas a billion bucks.

The "Las Vegas law" applies: You can buy sex but not enduring love. We can't defeat terror with welfare checks.

Islamist terrorism doesn't exist. The term's even been banned from government departments. As Muslim extremists slaughter innocent victims by the thousands, we're assured Islam's a "religion of peace" that contributed profoundly to our country's development. (Huh?)

It's as if 9/11 never happened. The "nonterrorists" drenching the greater Middle East in blood and threatening us as loudly as they can are just victims of our aggression. It's all our fault.

Terrorists do exist, though -- among our returning veterans and amid those Americans who don't subscribe to MoveOn.org's revulsion at our country.

Israel's the obstacle to Middle East peace. Palestinians are all victims. Hamas consists of struggling community activists. The terrorists are in the Israeli military.

Our nukes threaten world peace and we need to get rid of them. Other states only maintain or seek nuclear arsenals because we worry them. If we can get down to zero nukes, peace will reign on earth.

Forget that only our nuclear weapons prevented World War III and that they still deter potential enemies. Just get rid of them, OK?

Our military is dangerous. Beyond Obama's cynically choreographed appearances with our troops, he and his coterie clearly disdain military advice and uniformed service. The administration views our troops as primitive creatures who must be collared and leashed, not as part of any solutions.

Our intelligence services are even more dangerous than our military. The administration's already begun to gut our intelligence capabilities. Carter at least pretended to study the problem. Obama's plunging straight in with the demoralization of our shadow warriors.

It's only torture if we do it.

Blame President George W. Bush. Should the Obama Doctrine lead to new terror attacks (sorry, Janet: I meant "man-caused disasters") or to foreign-policy humiliations, it won't be Obama's fault, but Bush's.

We're becoming a third-world country, succumbing to a sickening (in both senses of the word) culture of blame. And that culture is fostered by breathtaking ignorance.

We now have a president who doesn't know that Pakistan was founded as a democracy, a secretary of state who thinks we created the Taliban, a head of the Department of Homeland Security who doesn't believe Islamist terrorists exist and a vice president who claims FDR gave televised speeches during the Depression.

If Bush had made such gaffes, the media would've mocked him. But Obama and his entourage excite orgasmic forgiveness among journalists. Which brings us to the Obama Doctrine's final tenet:

Our media sluts will portray defeat as victory.

Ralph Peters, New York Post, 4/29/09

Dirty Love Nest

This gives new meaning to "Dirty Sex"

A Canadian cop in Saanich, BC, heard passionate sounds coming from a Dumpster -- and found that a 30-year-old woman and her boyfriend, 28, had turned it into a love nest. The officer ordered the two to put on their clothes and leave.

Obama Didn't Know Who Took Air Force One?

President Barack Obama apologized for scaring New Yorkers half to death when his plane, Air Force One, buzzed lower Manhattan. He claims that he didn't know anything about the incident.

"We found out about it, when you did," said Prescient Obama.

Obviously the president thinks that the American people are a bunch of dolts. Air Force one is not just any plane. It carries the leader of the free world and it is the most heavyly protected aircraft in human history.

The idea that a another Federal department like the FAA or the Defense Department can borrow his plane and not inform the president what they intend to do with it, is beyond the rehelm of believability.

What really happened?

I think President Obama, who really does not fathom the impact 911 had New Yorkers, thought is was perfectly acceptable for a jumbo jet to fly 500 feet over Manhattan for a photo op. But, after the situation turned out bad, he stuck his finger in the air like all politicians, realized the blunder after the fact, and decided to play the ignorant of the facts game.

Come on Mr. President, who do you think you're fooling?

Scenemaker: Episode 20

Link: YouTube

First 100 Days for Prez B’Memo Porkbama

THRIVES AFTER 100 DAYS AMONG LIBERALS, BUT

Hailed as something on the order of a Roosevelt or Lincoln in just his first 100 days in office, President Obama remains the apple of the media's eye.

He's been crowned more ambitious than FDR and more historic than Abe Lincoln.

There's nary a note of any stumbles so far.

Even the White House seems a little uncomfortable with all the cooing and purring, and offered a little more balance.

"I'd give the administration a B-plus," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters yesterday. "I think there's always room for improvement."

The media's muse also dutifully gave his swooning poets a grade of their own.

"I'd give them a strong 'A,' " Gibbs told a CNN interviewer.

Certainly, the Obama administration can point to some strong successes, but there have also been failures.

Since taking the oath of office, Obama has signed six pieces of legislation crafted by his fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill. Several of those laws were longtime Democratic initiatives, such as demanding equal pay for women and requiring the government to provide health insurance to poor children.

These are hugely popular among Democrats. But the expansion of government-funded health insurance at a time when federal entitlement programs are already teetering on the verge of collapse may well prove to have been foolhardy.

Other bills signed by Obama were his ambitious budget and his nearly $1 trillion stimulus package. The successful passage of those massive spending plans is a reflection of the nearly universal power he and his party hold in Washington today.

But they also reveal one of Obama's biggest failures so far.

He won the election on promises to change the way Washington works, yet allowed Democratic lawmakers to lard up his spending plans with pork.

Obama has reached out to some of the world's worst governments in a laudable bid for peace. But it's as if Obama thinks history began 99 days ago, when he took office. It's almost as if Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or Fidel Castro haven't done plenty to deserve their ostracized place.

His greatest mistake, by far, was releasing the graphic memos detailing the government's harsh interrogation techniques without including a memo from his own administration arguing that the techniques had been productive.

Another sterling success for Obama has been his ability to keep the media in full swoon and maintain the image of a squeaky-clean statesman.

It's just this talent that coats a politician with a sheen of Teflon that protects him much later when the political winds turn harsh and severely damage his party -- as they surely will.

Charles Hurt New York Post 4/28/09

iF Magazine.com: TV Review: 24 - Season 7 (3 am - 4 am) - 4/28/09

Television:

TV Review: 24 - SEASON SEVEN - '3:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.'

We learn a truckload about the organization behind the whole day's events

Grade: A
Stars: Kiefer Sutherland, James Morrison, Cherry Jones, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jeffrey Nordling, Carlos Bernard, Annie Wersching

---

By EMERSON PARKER, Contributing Writer
Published 4/28/2009

“The Tony you knew, he doesn’t exist anymore.” Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) in 24 “3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.”

Nothing sums up the past few episodes like that line from Jack to Chloe inside the “CTU Lite” toward the end of “3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.”

I’m not ready to call Season Seven better than Season Five at this point, but we are getting there.

Sure, Charles Logan was a great villain and perfect in his role as a corrupt president of the United States. But the last three episodes of 24 have been spectacular. Mostly, thanks to the freaking sweet performance from Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida – the now über bad guy of the season working for the syndicate of home grown terrorist cells against the U.S. government whose ultimate goal is still unknown.

What is ultimately so appealing about Tony as the bad guy is that we know him. We’ve seen him on five seasons (now six) of the show. We’ve seen him go through trials, tribulations and tragedy. To see him flip the switch to this cold blooded, cold hearted, dark soul Tony – once again kicking ass and killing anyone in his way – is in a word: cool.

That’s why I think he’s gotta be one of the top bad guys to ever be on the show, even if he’s only been a “true” bad guy for a handful of episodes – everything that led up to that point was a ruse and deception to get to this point, which also factors into his badness scale (if a thing doesn’t exist, it should).

We learned more about this syndicate in “3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.” and it is far larger than we ever suspected. Much the same way that Jonas Hodges (Jon Voight) said. He was indeed just a small fish among a larger school – with 12 heads of the organization – all looking to do the country harm in some way and extremely technically savvy and probably rich.

But we learned even more from Hodges himself – who ironically equated himself to Jack Bauer himself – that the organization is a body of like-minded people that are after one thing: save the country at all costs. Something that Jack Bauer should know firsthand because he does what it takes every day. Something that Jack really takes offense at as he would never kill the country’s own population.

The goal was to take the toxin developed from Africa launch attacks across the country six months from now. They would cover their tracks by framing and giving arms to their enemies and when the public out cried for change, the syndicate organization would step in and assume control. But Hodges jumped the gun, he gave the Africans keys to the White House and the country in order to show how much we are vulnerable and cause people and the organization to act. He did it without the organization’s approval and thus risked exposing them – and why they gave him the red pill of death that didn’t work.

But seeing that the country’s down, Tony says why not kick it. And he has the liaison to the syndicate call a meeting of the 12 and get them to approve another attack this time with the bioweapon in order to force the public to decree that outcry of change. They agree and once again Tony is sent on a mission, to kill more Americans.

Luckily for America, Jack Bauer isn’t dead yet. Sure, he’s suffering from the effects of the bioweapon that he was exposed to but you can’t keep a dying Jack down. And he sniffs out Tony and the syndicate’s plan right away believing they will use the weapon right away for the same reason they are trying to use it. So the president gives Jack and FBI full control over the recovery of the bioweapon canister setting up a “CTU Lite.”

Will the toxin affect Jack before Tony and crew can unleash the canister? There’s only four episodes left to find out and things keep getting better.

Link: iFMagazine.com

swine before pearls...

revenge of the Channel Island Pigs!!

so..did ya hear... Newspapers are in a losing battle to retain readers and advertisers...I think I figgered out why: the News-Press! When they put the New Kids on the Block on the front page, you know there aren't any journalists in the newsroom..when they put a bunch of fat chicks from Santa Ynez Valley on the front page to chronicle their weight loss, you start to wonder who is buying these newspapers and then destroying them...now, WTF do I care what bunch of valley gorillas eat...they are trailer park trash up there..hanging out at the casino, then going to the bakery, then going to the bars...then going to the greasy restaurants owned by the casino..what do you think is gonna happen..YOU GET TOO FAT.. the Indians own you now... alcohol and lard...this is no way to live, ladies...you need to regiment your lifestyles, not stuff your fat little faces...exercise.. run on the beach..oh yeah, no beach in the valley, then have sex..I'll do each of you over 18, even the chick in the wheelchair...I guarantee after two weeks you'll look like you got Ann Coulter's eating disorder!! SKINNY heroin chic! Actually, you need some fat reserves..fat is a lubricant for the joints and is necessary for good health, unless you have some oral control/fixation issues..

clutching forks and knives..to eat their bacon....

I predict the swine flu will spread and selectively wipe out some well deserving Americans..this is all because of the mass killing of Channel Island pigs..the souls of the porkers have banded together to exact this little payback..meanwhile, I'm buying vaccine stocks!

Porky Pig: [reading from his bill] "Ch-Ch-Chumash Hotel . B-bill. Room, uh, six-sixty-five dollars. Bath. Te-te-ten dollars and fifty cents. T-t-total: a hundred-and-fifty-two-dollars and fifty cents."

Casino Hotel manager: You will, of course, pay the bill now before you leave, no?
Porky Pig: N-no - I mean, yes! M-my partner, Daffy Duck, will be r-right back. He's out c-c-c-cashing a check.

abadee abaddee..that's all folks........

Three Clips From Episode 20

3 brief clips from Episode 20 are posted here:

MyFoxRaleigh.com

Q & A: A Conversation With '24's' Glenn Morshower - 4/27/09

Secret Service agent Aaron Pierce of 24 is a survivor.

On a TV show with an alarmingly high body count, in which even important and beloved characters can die at any moment, Pierce has remained standing through seven bloody seasons.

In fact, Glenn Morshower, the veteran character actor who plays Pierce, is the only person other than leading man Kiefer Sutherland to appear in every season.

That feat is all the more remarkable given that Morshower initially was cast with a guarantee of doing just two episodes.

"It was basically a disposable towel of a role at first," he says. "It was very procedural. They just wanted someone to be by Senator Palmer's side while he was seeking election as president."

But Morshower, a Dallas native, stuck around for the long haul -- in large part because he had great chemistry with Dennis Haysbert, who played David Palmer. The two actors are still good friends.

"The funniest thing you will ever see is when Dennis and I go to lunch," Morshower says. "When we go out in public together, people look at us and say, 'Oh, my God, this is bizarre! Even though President Palmer is dead, Pierce continues to protect him!'"

By season five, Pierce had so risen in stature that the writers gave him a platonic love story with First Lady Martha Logan (Jean Smart). And Pierce's heroics this season as protector of the president's daughter rate among the highlights of "Day Seven."

It's hardly a stretch to say that Morshower, thriving as a Hollywood actor for 30 years, is a survivor too. "I'm delighted to be winning in a business that routinely chews people up and spits them out," he says.

The thrill-a-minute 24 airs at 8 p.m. CST Mondays on Fox. (We haven't seen the last of Agent Pierce this season, by the way.)

Morshower also stars in a Desdemona: A Love Story, a Texas-made independent film that premieres Monday in the AFI Dallas Film Festival (with a 10:30 p.m. screening at Landmark's Magnolia Theatre).

What impact has 24 had on your life? Has it blown your anonymity as a character actor? Do people recognize you more than ever before?

"Yes, but that's true for all of us on the show. We felt like we won the lottery when 24 happened, because now anywhere we go, not just in this country, but in the world, the response is phenomenal. There are other countries, by the way, where 24 is far more popular than it is here. If any one of us goes to Japan, it's like being one of the Beatles. It's insane in the UK. It's that way in Australia as well. I flew to Bulgaria to do a movie two years ago. Nobody speaks a lick of English there. But you get off the plane and people are there to greet you in the airport saying, 'Aaron,' with wide open arms. They don't want a handshake. They want a hug. It's pretty great."

Given that your stay on the show has far surpassed your original expectations, how would you react if you got a script in which Pierce is killed?

"Given that you're asking me that, that tells me there's something you don't know. What you don't know is that I was scheduled to die and it wasn't merely an idea they were toying around with. The script was actually written. I have that script, with the death of Aaron Pierce, which was in season five."

So how did you manage to beat the reaper?

"Howard Gordon, our executive producer and now show-runner, called me and said, 'I want to give you the heads up. It's Aaron's last show. He dies in this one. I didn't want you to have cardiac arrest when you read the script.' He assured me it had nothing to do with me personally, which I knew. Basically, they were running out of people to kill that the audience cared about. And after I hung up, I actually cried. It hit me like a ton of bricks. What a sad thing to put this character, who I so enjoyed playing, to rest. And I thought about it and thought about it. And I phoned Howard the next day and said, 'I think it is a colossal mistake to kill Aaron Pierce.' This was the season that we killed David Palmer. We'd also killed Tony. Of course, Tony came back from the dead, but we didn't know that would happen. We'd killed Michelle. We'd had Edgar die in that gas-related situation. Now what are the chances that all of these deaths would occur on the same day in separate incidents? I said, 'If you're not careful, the show is going to wind up becoming cartoon-like.' I said, 'Let me assure you I'm not trying to lengthen my stay on the show. I'm saying don't kill Aaron because I think it will hurt the show. So if you're done with Aaron Pierce, give him the dignity of sending him off in retirement. You don't need to kill him.' Less than a week later, Howard called and said, 'You've jolted me with your conviction. My whole take on this has changed and I'm going to bat for you.' He went to Fox and pitched his newfound feelings and by noon they had destroyed that script."

And instead of Aaron dying, his relationship with the first lady continued to smolder. Of course, all that we ever witnessed onscreen were longing looks and hand-holding. How serious do you think it got off screen?

"In season five, I would say emphatically that they were not having a physical affair. What they had was a kinship of the heart. Aaron was the safest place for her to go. She felt understood by Pierce and loved unconditionally. But there was no hanky panky. However, as that bond grew, I believe that in season six, the answer changes. They were a couple up until the time she shoved a knife into her ex-husband's chest. That's when an alarm went off. Mind you, this was never talked about. It's just what I feel must have been going on in his life: An alarm went off in Aaron's head that said, 'This kind of instability, when it's operating at this level, is really more than I choose to be near.' And you might have noticed this season: I'm not wearing a wedding ring."

You seem to play a lot of law enforcement types, military types and government types. Is that because you find yourself drawn to these roles? Do you have these sensibilities? Or is it merely that you go where the work is?

"The answer to that is simple: It's called Harry Morshower. My stepfather was this way. He was a retired military guy and I was raised in an environment that was the strictest of strict. We had nightly nail inspections at our dinner table, including when we went out to dinner. It was very much like being in the military. All of that was downloaded onto me, because as actors we are mimics. We see life and then replicate it for camera. And I guess it is a manner that is not easily imitated. Which is why, many years ago, I basically would go in and imitate my stepfather and be hired for roles like that. And it has happened again and again and again. But, hey, better to be typecast than not cast."

-- David Martindale

Link: Star-Telegram.com

Red Carpet Thief

This wasn't in the script.

The Salem Cinema in Oregon rolled out a red carpet for its grand opening -- only to have a thief roll it back up and steal it.

It cost theater owner Loretta Miles $65 to rent the red carpet, and Mike Pearlenfein, co-owner of A to Z Party Rentals, said it'd cost $300 to replace.

Dem Leahy Wants to Limit Prez Power

WHEN President Obama re leased the "torture memos" exposing the CIA's en hanced interrogation tactics, he took advantage of his constitutional authority to disclose national-security information. But he should have weighed his actions against their likely outcome: that he won't have the exclusive ability to exercise this power for long.

The memos have given leftist opponents of the War on Terror -- from Congress to United Nations bureaucrats in Vienna -- more reason to demand the disclosure of further information. And they've given a political boost to those seeking to wrest the power to release sensitive information from the Executive Branch.

In particular, sources say that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy will, as early as this week, take up two disastrous pieces of legislation that could severely undermine the president's executive authority in this regard.

One is the Free Flow of Information Act, a media-shield law that aims to prevent reporters from having to name sources to federal investigators -- and that would make identifying government leakers nearly impossible.

The legislation has bipartisan support, but some Republicans worry about the bill's extremely loose definition of who qualifies as a "journalist."

Texas Sen. John Cornyn has noted that virtually anyone who disseminates information for public consumption qualifies as a "covered person." It's easy to envision so-called "document dump" sites receiving classified papers and putting them, in their entirety, online -- offering a direct channel between government vaults and Web-savvy terrorists.

The real check on leaking comes from the government's ability to prosecute officials who violate confidentiality. As incentives for not disclosing classified information get stripped away, it becomes open season for leakers. For now, Obama can release classified information like the "torture memos" under the circumstances of his choosing -- but if Leahy gets the Free Flow of Information Act through, the president could soon lose that unique role to every bureaucrat with a security clearance and a blog.

Of greater concern is Leahy's own State Secrets Protection Act, which would strip the Executive Branch of its exclusive control of information vital to national security. Right now, if an American who thinks he was wiretapped demands that the National Security Administration release the details of its surveillance program during the legal discovery process, the government can invoke the "state-secrets privilege" -- arguing that the case should be dismissed because such disclosure would compromise national security. The practice is decades old; federal courts almost always respect the government's claims.

But not if Leahy has his way. Under his bill, a heavy burden would fall on the executive branch to prove that state secrets are worth keeping. Federal judges -- with no training or expertise in defense or security -- would decide what intelligence secrets are and aren't essential to keeping the American people safe.

Moreover, these unelected judges wouldn't be accountable for their decisions -- because they'd face no threat to their life tenure, even if their disclosures resulted in attacks on the American homeland. In a letter to Leahy last year, then-Attorney General Michael Mukasey warned that the bill might even be unconstitutional because it "raises separation-of-powers concerns because the provisions purport to transfer to the judiciary through legislation authorities that the Constitution commits to the president."

This shakeup is one Obama, in theory, opposes. Earlier this month, the administration filed a motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit, Jewel v. NSA, related to the terrorist-surveillance program. The Obama Justice Department hewed to the Bush administration's line that the case "would cause exceptionally grave harm to national security." In February, the administration maintained the Bush position on state secrets in Mohamed v. Jeppesen DataPlan Inc., in which the American Civil Liberties Union sued a unit of Boeing for its alleged role in helping the CIA conduct extraordinary renditions.

Now, if Obama wishes to preserve the state-secrets privilege, he'll have to oppose Leahy, a senior member of his own party. If not, he'll endure the embarrassment of having the legislative branch neuter his executive authority. Until last week, the president could have drawn comfort from the fact that both the media shield and state-secrets bills were controversial and wouldn't be enacted without a fight. But Obama's release of the "torture memos" -- in effect, a campaign to make the last eight years look like a massive cover-up of executive abuses -- has created a political environment in which it's hard to oppose constraints on executive power.

In this, Obama hasn't done himself any favors. Like it or not, the American people chose him for the presidency -- and to exercise all its rights, including deciding what defense information should be made available to the world. Obama has these responsibilities -- not bureaucrats, judges or a Congress determined to undermine presidential power.

By releasing the "torture memos," though, Obama plays right into their hands. He'd do well to stop now, because when it comes to presidential control over sensitive information, Obama may find out soon that if you abuse it, you lose it.

Meghan Clyne New York Post 4/27/09

Voight Adds Another Dimension To '24' Villain - 4/27/09

By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

Finally, Jack meets Jonas.

Monday's 24 showdown between hero Jack Bauer and one of the show's more memorable villains, Jonas Hodges, gives star Kiefer Sutherland face time with Jon Voight. Hodges heads Starkwood, a shadowy military contractor gone rogue with bioweapons.

Voight, in his first role in a TV series since the late '60s, lies in a hospital bed, falling ill after being ordered to take a heart-attack-inducing pill by a woman representing a shadowy overlord. Jack, fresh from a seizure induced by the biotoxin, arrives to find out why this bad day is about to get worse.

"It's really about broadening the conspiracy," says executive producer Howard Gordon, "by delivering on the details of the threat (Jonas) made to (President) Taylor, when he said he's just a cog in a larger machine." Hodges also explains his motives.

But the confrontation didn't come soon enough for Sutherland. "One of the great fears of mine is that in many cases in 24, characters don't meet, and Jon and I took until the very bitter end," he says. As he received script after script with no scenes between Bauer and Hodges, "I finally had to go up to Howard and said, 'If you don't let me work with him, I'll kill you.' "

Voight says he had a blast playing Hodges, first glimpsed in last summer's movie prequel before reappearing halfway through this season, after the previous baddie, Sangala's Col. Dubaku, was dispatched.

The actor, 70, says he found the experience "an adventure," and he made some significant contributions. Gordon says Voight ad-libbed several lines, including the producer's favorite: "Stress is the fertilizer of creativity."

And more important, he broke a rule of 24, which frowns on food or bathroom breaks. "He was eating when you first see him," Voight says. Specifically, Chinese noodles. "They said, 'We don't do that on this show.' " ("It might be the first time food's been eaten on 24," Gordon says.)

But Voight argued that "you want to see he's got levels of concentration, he's doing lots of things and he's comfortable. It's not like he's working hard or scared or has the weight of the world on him. He's living his life and he's not intimidated."

Hodges is also "out of his mind," Gordon says, crediting Voight with giving the role an extra layer. "He's operatic and over-the-top. It's a character that's one-dimensional on the page, but he makes it three-dimensional."

Sutherland says, "The key to a villain like this is you want to like him. Jon floats that fantastic line; his ideology is insane, but he almost sells it to you. He's charming, which is what makes him scary."

One of his favorite scenes was a few weeks back, when Jonas bashed the head of Starkwood's chairman of the board with a brandy snifter, then hurled him over a balcony to his death.

Voight was relieved, because it enabled him to show Hodges' true character. "I felt this guy was holding himself back," Voight says. "He had this venom, and it had to be unleashed." It also clearly signaled to viewers that Hodges is a man of action: "He's not just talking, he's nuts. We're keeping him in this danger zone."

Also tonight, Chloe returns (Mary Lynn Rajskub is back from maternity leave), locking horns with Janis (Janeane Garofalo), and the president's daughter Olivia (Sprague Grayden) seeks her own way to get at Hodges.

Just four hours remain in 24's day, including a two-hour finale scheduled for May 18, and Sutherland says they're among the series' best. They bring the show's controversial stance on torture — still making headlines in the real world as recently as last week — full circle from the start of the season, when Bauer faced a congressional hearing on his interrogation methods.

Jack "really goes inside himself in a very deep way, not only about things he's been asked to do but things he's done by his own choice," Sutherland says. "It's a much more emotional four episodes than dramatic, explosive, blow-up-everything episodes."

And on May 28, 24 — absent last year due to the writers' strike — will begin filming its eighth season, to be set (and partially shot) in New York with a story centering on the United Nations.

Link: USAToday.com

Tippecanoe and Tyler, too...

the shadowy world of Santa Barbara non profits...

It seems to me if you are afraid to work for a living, you can start a non-profit...
I'd rather give a quarter to homeless people..they're more honest!
I'm sure there are a few charities and non profits that are on the up and up...the Ventura Rescue Mission is good!...
but....and this is a big but...Santa Barbara is full of funny money!
everytime I turn around, there's a questionable non profit org sprouting up like a wine tasting room. There's a guy who gets a lot of his letters printed in the News-Press...Terry Tyler..another anti-labor, goofy looking bald Wendy puppet who used to work for the City of Santa Barbara and failed at a city council attempt...an obviously disgruntled ex-employee.. what's with these guys always ragging on the budgets..the country is going thru a recession dickwad!..and fraud, mismangement and warmongering by the criminal conservatives caused it..PERIOD!!
Tyler's focus is on the city's shrinking reserve, altho still viable at nearly one million dollars.. but he doesn't mention the $16 million in disaster reserves, of course. He wants you to vote in fiscally responsible people next election..so who are his horses? Probably the new guy Thyne, who used Tyler's testimonial on the Goodwin and Thyne realty website...
Put to the Test
Since opening their doors, Goodwin & Thyne Properties has represented many home buyers and sellers who rave about the superior service at a fair price. "Many of our customers have posted letters of recommendation on our website at www.g-tproperties.com" offers Thyne. In one, Terry and Gail Tyler, a long-time successful CPA and his wife who runs an amazing non-profit called JobSmart, helping the homeless to work, said of Goodwin & Thyne Properties, "they handled the contract negotiations, the extensive disclosure requirements, the inspection process, and all the other details right through the close of escrow. Every aspect was handled in a courteous and professional manner, and we saved a bundle with their Sellers' Advantage Program. We have purchased and sold many properties, and we've never had a more pleasant experience than we had with Kevin and John."
I think Thyne's a good guy but his candidacy is dead because he's on probation for drunk driving...not a good thing for your resume, pal..
Ok..now we know some things about Tyler..first he's a CPA..no big deal, but he and his wife also are in tight with another friggin' non profit called Jobsmart...remember..non profits rake in cash and don't pay taxes while they supposedly help others... Tyler has cried to the city council about the homeless derelicts, yet his non-profit is supposed to help the homeless??
His wife, who ain't half bad looking, is executive director of JOBSMART and he is on the advisory board...is he using the non profit for political purposes and to enrich himself instead of helping needy folks find jobs..Did he expect a handout to JOBSMART from the city's reserve?
jobsmart
and what do they really do? a supposed satisfied customer said "I left feeling good about myself, showed up at the job interview, and obtained the job I always wanted"...huh? does real life work like that??? do people really talk like that? NO!
I'm tellin' ya..something is fishy in Santa Barbara..there's more non profits here than street corner liquor stores in east LA.. and the money is shooting through the veins of these people like a heroin addict drunk on Old Hermitage!
I wanna see their books..how much they make, their tax statements... the works!! Is it any wonder that the corrupt NewsPress is trying so hard to demonize city workers, when the greedy and crooked folks that caused the whole financial mess are irresponsible friends of the paper, ie, most of the private sector! Tyler seems like just another example of these misfits posing as public saviors..and hiding behind non-profits to escape paying taxes!!
I might just have to go undercover to infiltrate these non profits and see what flushes out...and report back later...

Garden of Eden...

if Adam hadn't bitten into Eve's apple or if Eve wasn't so damn cute..none of this stuff would be happening.. esp so close to Mother's Day...REPENT ye MOTHERFUCKERS

more non profit crooks exposed...

the Independent and EDHAT had great coverage of a story on the SB Botanical Gardens... (the News-Press basically copied their story a few days later..ha ha)_ the gist is garden volunteers are protesting the Board of Directors, who seem to be made up of ex-cons and socialites who want to turn the garden into a country club, for cutting the working staff but keeping the directors with their bloated salaries and shady pasts..how did this Santa Barbara gem get infiltated by a bunch of con artists??
and the 2007 Chairman of the Board/present vice chair....LOOK at this guy!! he's seen UFOs! he's corrupt! and the Botanic Garden elected him chairman?? and Bubba pardoned him! from the web: Symington splits his time between Phoenix and Santa Barbara, Calif., where wife Ann spends the majority of her time, serving as a deacon in the Episcopal Church and looking after her father, John Pritzlaff. Earlier this year (2007), Symington was elected chairman of the board of the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden. It's not just an honorific post: The garden is starting an expansion sure to create a community backlash. Symington the political consultant and battle-tested pol is up for the task, promising that opponents will be surprised to find the garden is no longer a silent punching bag. "Typical campaign war-room tactics," he said, describing how he plans to steer the board through the expansion.
fife

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Plaintiff,
V.
JOHN FIFE SYMINGTON, III,
Defendant.
CR 96
I N D I C T M E N T
[18 U.S.C. $ 1014: FalseStatements to FederallyInsured Financial¤ 1343: Wire Fraud; 18 U.S.C.¤ 1951: Attempted Extortion;18 U.S.C. ¤ 152: FalseStatements in BankruptcyProceeding; 18 U.S.C. ¤ 2(a):Aiding and Abetting; 18U.S.C. ¤ 2(b): Causing Act to be Done]
the funny thing is the NewsPurse had a little blurb about his getting elected to the SBBG in 2007, but didn't mention anything about his corrupt past, instead they only printed the flowery stuff and that he was a professional pastry chef!
It is high time this town exposes all these greasy-rat-private-non-profit-but-really-for-profit crooks and their fat salaries..this is a good start! take back the SBBG!!
way to go, volunteers!

Voight Enjoys Playing '24' Villain - 4/25/09

By Jay Bobbin
ZAP2IT

This season on “24,” Jon Voight is bad to the bone—and loving it.

The “Coming Home” Oscar winner has done the occasional television project (“Return to Lonesome Dove,” “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”), but he’s a series regular for the first time as Jonas Hodges, the rogue security-force bigwig now giving counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) a tough time on Fox’s suspense drama, airing at 9 p. m. Monday.

And for those awaiting Hodges and Bauer face to face, it happens in this week’s episode.

“People are telling me they don’t want this character to have his demise, and I don’t know what to say to them,” said the soft-spoken Voight, who knows anything can happen to anyone at any time on “24.” “I had seen a couple of episodes in its first season, and I was very impressed with it — and with Kiefer’s work in it.

“I had occasion to meet him then at a charity event. I didn’t know him real well, but I went up to him and said, ‘This is going to be a wonderful thing for you, and I wish you the best with it.’ Then, when they asked if I would do this, I thought, ‘That’s interesting. That almost brings it full circle.’ The first day I started work on it, Kiefer showed up at my camper to welcome me, even though he wasn’t working that day. It was such a nice thing.”

“Nice” does not apply to Voight’s “24” alter ego, since Hodges masterminded a temporary takeover of the White House, steered biological weapons into the United States and turned murderous. “You can’t figure out who this guy is,” Voight said, “and even as I was doing it, I didn’t know the whole story. It was kind of fun to get the next script, to see who he’d be then. I got to work with the writers on that.”

Starkwood, the fictional organization Hodges heads, has clear parallels to the controversial Blackwater security operation. “There are corrupt guys in every aspect of life,” Voight reasons, “and especially when you get into a situation that involves power, there’s always the opportunity for people to turn. I think that’s what makes ‘24’ interesting; you never know who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy.”

Because of the way the seventh season of “24” was done, Hodges hadn’t been created yet when production began. The first eight hours were filmed in 2007, before the writers strike; then, Voight-as-Hodges was introduced briefly in “24: Redemption,” the TV movie made later and aired as a prequel to the series’ current year.

“I kind of liked that,” Voight says of disappearing from the “24” world for a while, then resurfacing in a big way. “I think it was all to the positive. I must say it was an adventure to do this, but of course, you want the audience to be satisfied. With each episode, you try to top the previous one, and it’s really been quite fun. This guy takes a lot of turns.”

The father of actress Angelina Jolie, Voight has stayed active in a career marked by such big-screen classics as “Midnight Cowboy” and “Deliverance.” More-recent credits include “Transformers,” “Four Christmases” and “National Treasure,” and Voight is grateful to continue work that began with series guest shots (“Gunsmoke,” “Naked City”) and New York stage jobs in the 1960s.

“Listen, I’m very happy to be working at this time and to still have that sort of celebrity. It helps me a lot if I’m doing charity work. I just like to be in touch with the public.”

Link: http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/story/651025.html

The Buffalo News

Episode 19 Recap & Comments (2:00 am - 3:00 am)

2:00am - 3:00am

Episode Quotes:

“I told you earlier today, if you were lying to me I’d kill you myself”

-Jack Bauer (to Tony Almedia)

“Is this what you are looking for?.... I never wanted to hurt you Jack. I told you to stay out of it… but you wouldn’t listen, would you?"

– Tony Almeida

Jonas Hodges' favorite attorney, Patricia Eames, gets a phone call at her home. Hodges wants her to represent him. As she opens her front door to leave, she's ambushed by a man hidden behind a mask who gasses her and then gives her a lethal injection. Just before she dies, she sees a woman who seems to be her exact double. The double, Cara Bowden, steals Patricia's glasses. The man uses a device to scan Patricia's thumbprint and transplant it to Cara's hand in the form of a thin plastic coating.

Comment: Didn't see that coming. Someone doubling for Hodges attorney. The recap says she was given a lethal injection. I was wondering if they killed her or just knocked her out.

At the FBI, Galvez is ID'd from a Starkwood security camera. A four-block area is locked down. Within that perimeter, Tony shoots himself in the side and then tells Galvez via phone to stay put because the canister Galvez stole is worth a lot of money to the people Tony's working for. The FBI arrives to find Tony shot and Larry Moss dead. He claims they were ambushed.

Comment: I can't believe Tony's just doing this for the money. There's got to be something bigger Tony's after. I still wish Larry hadn't have been killed off. He was one of the best characters 24 has ever created.

Later, Tony calls Galvez to warn him about the FBI's movements. Tony advises him to find a large store or warehouse in the area that he can lure the FBI into and then blow it up. Back at the FBI, Kim Bauer says goodbye to Renee. Her father won't agree to the treatment, and she knows there's no point in trying to change his mind. Kim is just happy they got to say some of the things they have always wanted to express. Just then, Renee gets the call informing her that Larry Moss is dead. She is now the ranking agent in charge. Renee is stunned, but pulls herself together and begins issuing orders. She shows no trace of emotion, and cuts Janis off when she tries to offer condolences.

Comment: So Kim's leaving. Somehow I think she'll be back. Great acting by Annie Wershing when she's told Larry had been killed. Her facial expressions said it all.

Jack is having trouble with his debriefing because his memory is starting to fade due to the bioweapon's effects. He is distracted by the sight of Renee addressing a SWAT team, and he goes to investigate. When Jack learns that the bioweapon is still out there and that Larry is dead, he insists on going along with Renee. Jack promises that he will stand down if his condition compromises the operation in any way. She continues to protest, but he cuts her off. He is going, and that's final.

Comment: The bioweapon is starting to effect Jack even more. Now he's starting to repeat himself. So sad. :( It seems Renee is now reacting to Larry's death as Jack has in the past; compartmentalize and keep moving forward with the mission. Put emotions on hold.

At the White House, President Taylor worries about Hodges' claim to be a small cog in a much larger machine. She wants him interrogated by the FBI. Olivia knows he will want some kind of deal in exchange for information. The President promises not to make any deals with the monster who is responsible for her son Roger's death.

Cara, disguised as Patricia, arrives at the White House brig to see Hodges. He knows exactly who she is. She tells him that his actions have put everybody in a very difficult position. He shouldn't have worried about Senator Mayer's subpoenas because he and Starkwood would have been taken care of. The bioweapon wasn't for his own personal use. The consensus is that Hodges has had a psychotic break. He has exposed himself, and there is concern that he will expose the others. Hodges says he doesn't even know who the others are. Cara surmises that he knows enough to be dangerous. She threatens his family, but promises their safety if he does "the right thing." She slips him a capsule that will induce cardiac arrest without leaving a trace. It will look like a natural death. Without Hodges to prosecute, the case against him and Starkwood will be difficult, if not impossible. Starkwood's legacy can be preserved.

Comment: Interesting scene. So Hodges is just a smaller fish in this pond. I love the music in these scene. Very creepy. Sean Callery is doing an outstanding job this season as usual.

Olivia arrives in the brig and Cara's time alone with her client is over. He is being moved. Cara calls Alan Wilson and tells him she hopes his impending interrogation will pressure him to "resolve" the situation. He asks if she's heard from Tony. She assures him that Tony will have the canister secured soon. Wilson notes that Tony is her guy and he'd better not screw up. Cara has faith that Tony will come through.

Comment: So Tony is working for he group the fake attorney is working for. The plot thickens!

Tony finds a secluded area and speak to Galvez, who has found a building for the FBI set up. He has less than twenty minutes to rig it with C-4. Meanwhile, Jack and Renee head to the scene in a chopper. Jack tries to advise her on how to cope with the pain of losing a partner, but she doesn't want to hear it. They arrive at Tony's location. Jack realizes that Tony's story about the ambush doesn't quite check out. Most of the bullet holes are from a .45 caliber gun, but Tony was shot with a 9mm. Yet Jack assumes that Galvez must have had someone else helping him.

Comment: It is interesting to see Jack and Renee in a role reversal here. In past seasons, Jack would be the one hearing what he said to Renee about losing a partner and how to deal with it. Now Jack's giving the advice. Notice the look on Tony's face when he sees Jack get off the helicopter? He looked like "Oh %^$*&$#@ Jack's here, I'm screwed!" Even as sick as Jack is, he's already on top of things.

From a taxi, Kim calls her husband, Stephen, to let him know she's coming home. He asks if she at least told Jack about his granddaughter, 14-month-old Teri. Kim didn't tell him because it would have made things harder for her father. She explains that she will be on the 7:10am flight and be home by nine.

Comment: Awww...Jack's a grandpa! That's very nice that the granddaughter is named Teri. Nice touch. Such a cute little girl. She even looks a bit like Jack. I'm wondering if it is little Teri who will end up saving Jack...Hmmm.

Renee is concerned that the sweep isn't happening fast enough. The FBI are being slowed by civilians who are protesting that their homes are searched without a warrant. Renee orders any civilians who interfere to be arrested. Jack's body begins to shake, and he retreats to an area to administer himself anti-seizure medication. Tony tries to persuade him to go back to the FBI, but Jack says he is here to support Renee.

A static-filled transmission comes in. It's Galvez, pretending to be Agent Stoller, whom he has really just killed. Galvez claims to have a confirmed visual on the suspect and the canister entering an abandoned apartment building. Jack asks if there was anyone with Galvez. The reply is no, which troubles Jack. As Renee and the FBI team prepare to move out, Jack stays behind to monitor operations. Galvez, as Stoller, lures the FBI up to the second floor of the building. Jack gets a call from Agent Mizelli, who was conducting his debriefing earlier, to try to clear up a discrepancy. Is Jack sure that Tony's source on the White House attack was named Vincent Cardiff? Jack is sure, even with his condition. Something catches Jack's attention and he hangs up on Mizelli.

As Renee and the other agents go deeper into the building, Jack sees that the agents' transponders are showing that Stoller isn't in the building with the rest of the team. He radios Renee to get out because it's a trap. As the agents begin to retreat, Galvez, hearing this exchange, sets off the detonator. Confused reports come in of agents being down and requests for assistance. Jack takes command and demands that the perimeter teams hold position. This was an attempt to draw them off their line. Any hole in the cordon and they lose the canister. When Renee appears to be missing, Jack rushes over to the site with Tony in tow.

Comment: Of course Jack notices Stoller is not in the building and it's a setup. Even Jack infected with a bioweapon is better than any of those FBI agents in the field! You can see the wheels in Jack's head start to turn.

Hodges is transported to the FBI, and he notices a tattoo on the arm of one of the Marines who have him in custody. It symbolizes that the Marine served in Pakistan, side by side with Starkwood operatives. Hodges asks how he'd rate their professionalism and performance under fire. The Marine tells him they were good men who were well trained. Hodges is moved, and says that he just made his day. Hodges then retrieves the capsule. He regards it for a moment, then swallows it. He goes into cardiac arrest.

Comment: I kind of felt sorry for Hodges here. Even though he's delusional, in his mind, he's a patriot and was proud of the work Starkwood did along side the military. I actually thought he wasn't going to take the pill, but he did. I bet they get him to the hospital before he dies.

Jack and Tony enter the building. Tony meets with Galvez, who is disguised in Stoller's uniform. Galvez confirms that he still has the canister, then dips his hands in the blood of an agent killed in the blast. He smears the blood all over his face.

Jack finds Renee alive and well. Her radio was knocked out and she's been tending to a severely wounded agent. Renee realizes that whoever did this knew their sweep pattern. Jack calls Mizelli back, and Mizelli tells him that Vincent Cardiff didn't expire as a result of the interrogation as Tony had said. Cardiff was arrested by Customs an hour ago while trying to sneak over the Canada border. He shows no signs of any physical abuse whatsoever.

Comment: For those eagle-eyed 24 fans out there, did you notice the picture of "Cardiff" in the file was actually 24 Director Jon Cassar?

Jack confronts Tony, who is just bundling Galvez into an ambulance. As the ambulance drives away, Jack draws a gun on Tony. He threatens that if Tony ever lied to him, Jack will take him down himself. Tony tries to talk his way out of it, but Jack isn't buying his story. Suddenly, Jack begins to spasm again. He drops to his knees, shaking. He tries to find his hypo kit. Yet Tony has stolen it from him. Tony takes away Jack's gun and says he never wanted to hurt him. As Tony is about to shoot Jack, two medical techs run up so Tony hides the gun. He asks them to help Jack and walks away. Jack tries to shout a warning, but he cannot speak.

Comment: Intense Tony/Jack scenes are always a treat and this one doesn't disappoint. I hated how Tony taunted Jack by keeping his shots from him. That was cruel beyond words. I know there are many who hate the turn Tony's character takes here and I will comment about that more in my final comments. However, I have to give kudos to Carlos Bernard for doing such a great job with Tony not only in this scene, but during the whole season. He has certainly kept us guessing... is he bad... is he really good...is he really bad?

I noticed the recap said Tony was about to shoot Jack but in viewing it the 2nd time, Tony kept the gun at his side, I never saw him point it at Jack. I don't know if Tony's intent was to kill Jack, but I think his main motive in this situation was to just get out of there and withholding Jack's pouch of shots while he was incapacitated accomplished that.

What more can you say about Kiefer Sutherland's performance this season? He has made the symptoms of this bioweapon seem SO realistic. A wonderful performance as always.

When the ambulance carrying Galvez is waved through the roadblock, Galvez stabs the med tech tending to him in the throat. Glavez then takes the driver hostage at knife point.

...clock ticks to 3:00 am

Final Comments: There has been a lot of discussion on the message boards among 24 fans about this apparent turn to the dark side by Tony. The reaction has been somewhat mixed, but it seems to be mostly against this turn the character has taken. My initial reaction was negative as well but since I've seen the episode a 2nd time and thought about it awhile, I've come to the conclusion that it's a great idea and even plausible that Tony's gone down this road.

Here's why: Someone on the '24 forum' mentioned that Tony's turn was similar to Stephen Saunders in Season 3. I thought that was a great comparison. Remember, according to Jack in S3, Saunders was a "patriot" at one time and after what happened to him after Operation Nightfall, he believed that he was abandoned by the government, causing him to hate them and that was the reason he did the things he did in S3.

In Tony's mind, the Federal Government took the what was most important to him... Michelle. So for Tony, when Michelle was killed, his life WAS over and now he is consumed with getting back at the government he once worked for but now hates. When I thought about it in this way and compared it to Saunders, it made Tony's character change a bit easier to accept and more believable.

I'm very excited to see where this Jack vs. Tony drama is going with the remaining 5 episodes. I think this has been a great season and I am dreading seeing that clock tick to 8:00 am on May 18th.

Episode Recap From: http://www.fox.com/24

Comments Are Mine: (24FanForever)