24Spoilers.com has a link to video interviews from the 24 series finale wrap party, in which Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Annie Wersching and Leslie Hope dish about their Jack Bauer universe characters. It’s a fun clip, though also a sad reminder that the May 24 series ender is coming up way too quickly. Sigh.

Meanwhile, check out 24Spoilers.com for some other great videos (including a preview of Monday night’s episode that finds Jack at his Jack best in a scene with Jack-wannabe Cole) and some great photos from the aforementioned wrap party in Los Angeles.

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• Filed in 24
• Tags: 24, 24 series finale, Kiefer Sutherland

30 Rock with 22 nominations, 99 nods for HBO … big numbers for them at this morning’s 2009 Emmy Awards nominations announcement, but those weren’t the biggest surprises when Grey’s Anatomy star Chandra Wilson and The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons read the list of Emmy contenders.

Among the surprise snubs:
– No Best Drama nod for 24
– No Best Actor in a Drama nod for Kiefer Sutherland (what?!)
– No Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy nod for Jeremy Piven, who won the award last year. Guess people are still really ticked off about that whole mercury poisoning business
– A near shut-out for buzzworthy HBO drama True Blood, which got nominations for title design, casting and art direction … and that’s it

Now, among the surprise, mostly happy surprises, nominees:
– Family Guy and Flight of the Conchords for Best Comedy
– Big Love and Breaking Bad for Best Drama
– Sarah Silverman for Best Actress in a Comedy for The Sarah Silverman Show
– Jemaine Clement for Best Actor in a Comedy for Flight of the Conchords
– Elisabeth Moss for Best Actress in a Drama for Mad Men (so deserved)
– Aaron Paul for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for Breaking Bad (ditto)
– And Jack McBrayer, one of the most delightful guys on TV, for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for 30 Rock

And the nominations that really sum up this year’s contenders: in the Best Writing – Comedy category, four out of five nods went to 30 Rock, while Mad Men snagged four out of five nominations for Best Writing in a Drama.

With some of TV’s more popular – with viewers, not just with critics – shows earning some Emmy nomination recognition this year, it’s clear that the Emmy folk are trying to make sure the telecast fares better than last year’s show, which was the lowest-rated in Emmy history. Having Neil Patrick Harris as host (he’s also a Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy nominee for How I Met Your Mother – yay) is another step towards that, so here’s hoping that the Sept. 20 Emmy telecast will be one worth watching.

So, were your faves nominated? Are you bummed about 24, Kiefer or Piven’s snubs? Anyone or any show you think didn’t deserve the nomination(s) they got? And does NPH as host have you looking forward to the 61st annual Emmys show on Sept. 20?

And now, the rest of the nominees (the complete complete list, including technical awards, is available at Emmys.org)…

Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
Weeds

Outstanding Drama Series
Big Love
Breaking Bad
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

…Read more

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• Filed in Award shows
• Tags: 24, 30 Rock, Aaron Paul, Big Love, Elisabeth Moss, Emmy nominations, Flight of the Conchords, Jack McBrayer, Jemaine Clement, Kiefer Sutherland, Mad Men, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Neil Patrick Harris hosting the Emmys … that should definitely happen.

– Let no angle in the Michael Jackson story go uncovered: Anderson Cooper got the scoop on Bubbles the chimp last night on CNN.

– Speaking of celeb deaths, the sad trend continues for TV stars. Streets of San Francisco star (and Oscar winner) Karl Malden got all the press yesterday, but Broadway, big screen and tube star Harve Presnell – he was Dawson’s cantankerous friend/mentor Mr. Brooks on Dawson’s Creek – died on Tuesday at age 75.

– Bravo’s premiering a second season of The Rachel Zoe Project on Aug. 25.

– Christian Slater‘s My Own Worst Enemy flopped, but the Heathers star may be headed back to the tube in ABC’s fall drama The Forgotten. Slater would play a cop-turned-private detective whose daughter was kidnapped.

– Coyote Ugly star Piper Perabo (a fellow Ohio University alum – Go Bobcats!) has signed on to star in the USA drama pilot Covert Affairs, which sounds an awful lot like Alias. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

– Prison Break star Wentworth Miller will be on the other side of the law – playing an NYPD officer – on the season premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Sept. 23, NBC).

– Lost star Michael Emerson predicts a sad ending for the show, with (more) major character deaths and what he describes as a “series finale for grown-ups.”

– Kiefer Sutherland confirms that 24 will shoot some season eight scenes at the real United Nations. Jack Bauer’s next really long day will unfold in New York City (Jan. 17, 2010).

– This certainly trumps the Flintstone vitamin in TV-related pharmacology: Homer Simpson ecstasy.

– Billy Mays‘ infomercials will continue to air, and Discovery Channel has planned a tribute to the late pitchmen for July 9. Meanwhile, the New York Times has a rundown of five memorable moments from last night’s Pitchmen season (series?) finale.

– There’s official So You Think You Can Dance confirmation that Katie Holmes will be tapping her toes – for a new dance education charity she co-founded – on the show’s 100th episode, July 23.

– And tonight in primetime:

– William Shatner stops by G4’s Attack of the Show (7PM ET) to chat about his new Tek War comic
– A military couple who has spent a lot of time apart is shipped home and given a dream wedding on TNT’s Wedding Day (8PM)
– ABC has back-to-back new eps of the sadly canceled Samantha Who? (8PM)
– Kelly Clarkson sings “I Do Not Hook Up” as the top 14 becomes the top 12 on So You Think You Can Dance (Fox, 9PM)
– A teen who wants to join the Air Force may have her dreams dashed when she becomes preggers on the latest ep of 16 & Pregnant on MTV (10PM)
– Shea becomes a full-on bridezilla on Southern Belles: Louisville on SoapNet (10PM)
– TV Land has a new installment of She’s Got the Look (10PM)
– Science Channel’s Science of the Movies examines 3-D animation (10PM)

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• Filed in Award shows, Lost, Reality, TV News
• Tags: 24 season 8, 24 United Nations, Anderson Cooper, Billy Mays, Billy Mays Pitchmen, Billy Mays tribute, Bubbles the chimp, Christian Slater The Forgotten, Emmys, Harve Presnell, Homer Simpson ecstasy, Kiefer Sutherland, Michael Emerson Lost, Michael Jackson, Neil Patrick Harris, Piper Perabo Covert Affairs, So You Think You Can Dance Katie Holmes, The Rachel Zoe Project, Wentworth Miller, William Shatner

Starbuck is coming to CTU! EW.com’s Michael Ausiello broke the news that Battlestar Galactica‘s Katee Sackhoff is joining 24 for season eight, where she’ll play a new member of the revamped CTU. And Fox just issued an official press release about season eight, with casting news and a few details on storyline. Put it all together, and here’s a round-up of 10 things we know about next season, which premieres on Jan. 17, 2010, so far …

1 – Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) lives! How do we know Jack survives that deadly bioweapon from season seven? Because, duh, he’s Jack Bauer. And because the Fox press release confirms Kiefer’s return. And because The Insider has these photos of Kiefer filming.

2 – Grandpa Bauer? Take a look at those Insider pics again. Kiefer’s carrying a little girl – an adorable little girl, who looks a lot like Jack and his daughter Kim, who we know has a kid. Add it all up, and methinks you can go ahead and buy that “World’s Greatest Grampy” mug for Mr. Bauer.

3 – Kim’s (Elisha Cuthbert) back, as are Agent Renee Walker (Annie Wersching), President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones), Paul Wesley as Kim’s hubby Stephen and geek goddess Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub, who’s been posting on Twitter about the new season).

4 – Freddie Prinze Jr. has been tapped to play Davis Cole, the new head of field ops for CTU and a character described as a wannabe Jack Bauer.

5 – Oh yeah, CTU lives! A new “upgraded” CTU, according to Fox, will be run by Brian Hastings (Forrest Gump star Mykelti Williamson), an “MBA-schooled and razor-sharp head honcho.”
…Read more

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• Filed in 24
• Tags: 24, 24 season eight, 24 season eight preview, 24: Redemption, Anil Kapoor, Annie Wersching, Battlestar Galactica, Becki Newton, Carlos Bernard, Cherry Jones, Chris Diamantopoulos, Colm Feore, CTU, Elisha Cuthbert, Emmys, Freddie Prinze Jr., Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Jack Bauer, James Morrison, Jennifer Westfeldt, John Boyd, Jon Hamm, Jon Voight, Katee Sackhoff, Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Bauer, Kurtwood Smith, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Mykelti Williamson, Paul Wesley, Rory Cochrane, Sprague Grayden, Starbuck

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– American Idol producers say there was no funny business with those AT&T text-messaging services that gave Kris Allen fans the chance to throw extra votes his way. You buying it? Well, then, read this story, in which one fan says the AT&T set-up helped her cast more than 10,000 votes for Allen. Whuuut?!

– John Lithgow as a serial killer on the new season of Dexter? Brilliant.

– Another surprising bit of casting: Freddie Prinze Jr. will play Davis Cole, the new CTU Field Ops head who wants to be just like Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) on season eight of 24. Not a name that would have popped into my head to play mini-Jack, but 24‘s castings have always been flawless, so I’ll trust that this one will be no exception.

– Clearly, I’m not the only one who finds Wipeout charming. And you have to love any show that puts John “Skunk Boy” Henson back on the tube every week.

– With the Gosselins‘ problems still major tabloid fodder, USA Today has a rundown of some other famous reality TV families, and the one thing that’s true about all of them: Being on TV only seemed to make their problems worse.

– Cindy Brady’s (Susan Olsen) writing a book about the bizarre bit of TV history that was The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.

– Now that the networks’ fall skeds are set, they’ve begun recasting some of their pilots. Sorry to see 24‘s Michelle Dessler (Reiko Aylesworth) out of a job.

– More 24 news: Jack Bauer and Captain Kirk will be presenting an award at Sunday’s live MTV Movie Awards.

– And, this Real Housewives business may quickly spiral out of control. Reportedly also on the list of upcoming spin-offs: Real Housewives of Chicago. Not that there’s anything wrong with that … just that there’s not gonna be much non-Housewives room left on the Bravo schedule soon if they roll out all these rumored spin-offs.

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• Filed in 24, American Idol, Celebreality, Comedy, Drama, TV News
• Tags: 24, American Idol voting scandal, American Idol. Kris Allen, AT&T, Brady Bunch, Bravo, Captain Kirk, Cindy Brady, Dexter, Freddie Prinze Jr., Gosselin, Jack Bauer, John Henson, John Lithgow, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Jon Gosselin, kate Gosselin, Kiefer Sutherland, pilots, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Chicago, Reality TV families, recasting, Reiko Aylesworth, Susan Olsen, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, voting, Wipeout