Sexiest crime fighter? 24's Jack Bauer played by Kiefer Sutherland
24′s Jack Bauer has been named as the hottest TV crime fighter ever. The terrorist agent – played by Kiefer Sutherland – topped the list of the sexiest law enforcement officials, beating EastEnders’ retired police officer Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Ashes to Ashes detective Gene Hunt in the poll to celebrate the launch of the second series of cop drama Rookie Blue.
Anna Morgan of NBC Universal said: “‘Rookie Blue takes a sexy look at the high-octane lifestyle of rookie cops so we wanted to pay tribute to some of the hottest crime fighters of the small screen.
“It’s great to see some classics in there such as Farah Fawcett and Bruce Willis, proving that policing will always be the sexiest profession in the TV world!”
Hollywood stars Bruce Willis and David Duchovny rounded out the top five for their respective portrayals of detective David Addison in ‘Moonlighting’ and alien obsessed FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder in ‘The X Files’.
Sexiest female crime fighters include poll topper ‘Ashes to Ashes’ DI Alexandra Drake, played by Keeley Hawes, Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel from ‘The Avengers’ and Joanna Lumley’s Purdey as featured in ‘The New Avengers’.
Special Agent Dana Scully as played by Gillian Anderson in ‘The X Files’ and Helen Mirren’s smouldering Jane Tennison in ‘Prime Suspect’ complete the top five.
Rookie Blue, season two, starts on Sunday 25th September at 9pm on Universal Channel.
Top 10 Hot Male Cops
1. Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland in ’24′)
2. Jack Branning (Scott Maslen in ‘Eastenders’)
3. DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister in ‘Ashes to Ashes’)
4. David Addison (Bruce Willis in ‘Moonlighting’)
5. Special Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny in ‘X Files’)
6. Calvin Valentine (Ricky Whittle in ‘Hollyoaks’)
7. DCI Sam Tyler (John Simm in ‘Life on Mars’)
8. Detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth in ‘Law and Order’)
9. Sonny Crocket (Don Johnson in ‘Miami Vice’)
10. DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles in ‘Midsomer Murders’)
Top 10 Hot Female Cops
1. DI Alexandra Drake (Keeley Hawes ‘Ashes to Ashes’)
2. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg in ‘The Avengers’)
3. Purdey (Joanna Lumley in ‘The New Avengers’)
4. Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson in ‘The X Files’)
5. Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren in ‘Prime Suspect’)
6. Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett in ‘Charlie’s Angels’)
7. Nikki Alexander (Emilia Fox in ‘Silent Witness’)
8. Makepeace (Glynis Barber in ‘Dempsey and Makepeace’)
9. Agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner in ‘Alias’)
10. DS Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman in ‘New Tricks’)
Like all residents of southern California, the showbiz community has been affected by the horrendous wild fires that have killed a man and destroyed homes and businesses in the area. Many stars have been forced to leave their homes and now news reports are confirming that production on TV shows has also suffered. One such programme is real-time action thriller, 24, which had been shooting at a military base near Irvine, Orange County. Work there was abandoned after the cast and crew endured breathing problems and blurry vision, with shooting transferred to sound stages. Line producer Michael Klick said:” By 1 pm we’re back here and had shot two other scenes. When the dust settles, we probably lost five hours’ worth of work, and we have to reschedule the two days we missed.”
Other shows affected include Sky One’s crime drama Cold Case which saw its set blown over by the string winds, Big Shots and Living’s NCIS, which saw its crew depleted by members rushing home to protect their properties. It’s another blow to 24 after the last minute plot overhauls and star Kiefer Sutherland’s scheduled jail time.
After pleading no contest to drink-driving charges, it has been confirmed that 24 star, Kiefer Sutherland, will serve 48 days in jail. Producers for the real-time show have promised that this will not impact on production of the upcoming seventh season, but I wonder if they’ll still have his character, Jack Bauer, putting the pedal to the metal and recklessly racing around as per previous outings.
As for his promotion work for the Citroën C4 Pallas, I’m guessing he’s lost this contract…
I love the idea that those nearest and dearest to television stars devoutly follow their loved one’s onscreen antics. Such is the case in the Sutherland household, as screen legend Donald is a big fan of son Kiefer’s action drama 24. It is reported that he never misses an episode (not even season 6? C’mon, even a loving daddy has to admit that series was woeful), and he let rip at his son once when he accidentally divulged plot spoilers. Over to Kiefer to explain: “I remember last year we were having dinner and I made the mistake of saying I had to go home soon because we’re shooting x, y and z. And he got cross with me, because I had told him what I was shooting, just not thinking about it, and obviously gave away a piece of the plot.”
Donald first fell for the charms of Jack Bauer and CTU when in France filming. “My old man started to watch 24 in France when he was on location – it didn’t have any commercials over there” explains Kiefer. “Then he came to the States and he hated the commercials. Then he went back to France and he missed the commercials, because it gave him time to breathe. I always found that funny.” Yeah – you Sutherlands are a real hoot.
It appears that Kiefer Sutherland will do anything to drum up a bit of interest in the next season of 24 – even going so far as to get himself arrested. Of course, I jest – it’s going to take a lot more than that to get folks interested in 24 again, but the show’s star has been in trouble with the law. Again. On his way home after a FOX network party, the famed hell-raiser was pulled over by the police for making an illegal U-turn. This led officials to test his alcohol levels, which were found to be twice the legal limit.
Sutherland was promptly arrested for misdemeanor DUI, a crime he was also charged with back in 2004. He is scheduled to appear in court on October 16th and if found guilty could serve at least five days behind bars as part of California’s two strikes system. Not to worry though Jack – this should be nothing compared to the long months spent in a Chinese prison.
Even the best television shows are formulaic. I happily concede that personal favourites of mine such as House have a strict structure that they rarely deviate from, not to mention the endless makeover shows (DIY/ fashion/ beauty, etc.) that clog our airwaves. But is it possible that these unimaginative restrictions are not just limited to individual programmes, but could be applicable to TV in a wider sense? Since arriving at this cognitive conundrum I quietly mused on the matter. And now after much peaceful reflection and many cups of tea, I am convinced that there are many similarities out there in TV land between shows. Call it what you will: a formula, a coincidence, societal trends. There is a recipe for success that many TV writers are cooking up in their kitchens, and we at the Scoop are here to serve up these tasty ingredients.
So please sit down to the table and chow down with me as we feast on the first in our series: Jack the (anti-)hero.
Ryan Seacrest might have gotten the nod to present this year’s Emmy Awards, but he’ll have a tough job ahead of him after the success of talk-show host Conan O’Brien’s stint last year. One particular highlight was the introduction, with the now popular use of the host integrated in some of the prominently nominated shows. In Conan’s case, he opened the infamous hatch in Lost, visited Steve Carell and co. at The Office, clashed with Jack Bauer in 24, was treated to an examination from House, hid in the closet (with Tom Cruise) in South Park and aroused suspicions on Dateline.
Will Seacrest adopt this approach, and if so can we expect to see him stopping time with Hiro in Heroes, hanging out at the Bada Bing club with Tony Soprano or having a makeover in Ugly Betty come Sunday night/ Monday morning? To get us in the Emmys spirit – enjoy Conan’s past prologue to the ceremony.
Sky One with his goofy antics and obsession with The Simpsons might seem younger than he is. Interestingly, Sky One is the fourth eldest TV channel in the UK, but was held back in his early years by people’s reluctance to adopt satellite dishes. Now that Sky One has been allowed to compete with the big boys of terrestrial TV, he has progressed in interesting and unexpected ways.
Strengths
Sky One has always succeeded when working with American formats. These have historically included ER, Friends and Married With Children. Now looking to keep his work modern and relevant, Sky One has forged promising new bonds with the dramatic society (Cold Case, Bones, Las Vegas), while managing to inject some colour into their work with science-fiction (The 4400) and fashion (Project Runway.) This ability to work well with international tasks has also been evidenced by the number of mini-series, such as Marco Polo and Final Approach.
TV related merchandise has sunk to a weird new low with the unveiling of the Jack Bauer doll. Yes, you can get your mitts on a miniature Kiefer Sutherland waving his gun around and frowning seriously for all he’s worth. I’m a little creeped out by the eyes – I thought Jack had pupils, but what do I know?
I understand that an action figure coming equipped with a gun is no different to all the GI Joes and Action Mans currently gathering dust on Toys R Us shelves everywhere – but when the doll is based on a flesh and blood actor that you can witness torture, maim and murder on TV, it seems to hit a grey patch. Would you buy this for someone or would you be interested in it yourself? I’m sure the doll with soon become valuable as a collector’s item and be a must have for hard-core fans of the show. If popular maybe it will kick start a series of toys based on the programme. You’ll be able to pick up your very own scowling Chloe, the assassinated David Palmer (complete with gun wounds) and numerous anonymous torture victims for endless hours of fun – goodie!
American Idol referee Ryan Seacrest has been announced as the host of this year’s Emmy Awards. [via Reuters]
Funny lady Janeane Garofalo is going to keep a straight face in the new season of 24. Yes, the bespectacled actress/comedienne will play a government agent on the Sky One action drama. I don’t care if they sign Santa Claus to be in it – just make it better! [via Hollywood Reporter]
Piers Morgan garnered no sympthy from David Hasselhoff, his fellow judge on the US show America’s Got Talent when he revealed he had broken three of his ribs. Why? Because Piers did it falling off his Segway unicycle. The Hoff scoffed: “When I found out how he had his wreck, I said, ‘Come on man, at least I wrecked the Harley [Davidson] on the 405 [freeway], going 60 miles an hour!’ [via Digital Spy]
He’s faced off against nasty terrorists, a corrupt President and even his dad, but now Jack Bauer has one foe that won’t be so easy to defeat: global-warming. Yes, the TV show famous for its ticking clock is now going to count down to man’s destruction of the planet – or something like that. 24 has gone green!
New plots will involve climate change to help “inspire” viewers to do their bit “before it’s too late.” Star Kiefer Sutherland has been a very vocal environmentalist saying: “Global warming is a crime for which we are all guilty. All of us at 24 understand the urgency of this problem and over the next year will be implementing creative new ways to more efficiently produce our show and significantly reduce our carbon footprint. And you can too.” Can I Jack, can I really? These changes all sound very nicey nicey, but stop deflecting attention away from the bigger issue concerning the new season of 24: will it be any good? As if there’s no improvement on the dross that was day 6, I’ll definitely be doing my bit for the environment by turning the TV off.
When looking through the TV listings, I feel like I’m stuck in Groundhog Day. The current scheduling is so uninspired and repetitive (when is Big Brother going to end and give us back Channel 4?) I know that Mof has mused on the lack of choice currently afforded us by TV (see here), but I wondered if, rather than it be considered a general problem, it could be analysed further. Is it just the same kind of programming clogging up our airwaves, or is it in fact, the same programmes?
There seem to be some shows that have been on TV forever and others that never seem to go away for long. I’m not talking about those that are acknowledged mainstays like soaps, but those that never let-up, are always on when you don’t want them to be and are TV equivalents to stalkers. Out of the 24 shows listed as the longest-running in their various genres (music, sitcom, current affairs, etc.) on Wikipedia, half of them are from the UK. Is this because we have a long tradition of quality programming or a lack of imagination and no balls to shake things up?
With the massive white-washing act going on at Fox, I’m beginning to question myself. Was season 6 of 24 really bad or did I just make it up? Nope, it was genuinely awful, but seems like I’m the only one who will come out and say it. After we reported that the new Entertainment President at Fox has pretended all is well, now star Kiefer Sutherland is playing along. At the Fox All-Star party, the TV tough guy defended his show to TV Guide.
“I felt that [Season 6] was no different than any other season. Every season we’ve had our strengths and every season we’ve confronted some bumps and hiccups. I felt that last year, the first four episodes were probably the best four we had ever done, and we certainly closed the show really well. We hit some rough roads around Episodes 13 and 14 [but] it’s a difficult show to write so we’re accustomed to running into things that we don’t agree on, but by virtue of the schedule, we have to plow ahead. But I was very proud of our last season.”
The newly promoted Entertainment President at Fox has been talking about 24 and seems like he’s been watching a different show to the rest of us. According to Entertainment Weekly, Peter Liguori has claimed that he for one, was not disappointed with the show’s poor sixth season outing, saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well you might be new in the job Peter – but I’m afraid to say that 24 is broken and needs fixing now if it is to survive.
He has admitted that there will be some changes in store for Jack Bauer and co. come day 7, but this is nothing new and has been Fox’s policy from the start. These decisions to ”reinvigorate the franchise” are much needed, with the rumours for a female president confirmed. Liguori revealed that ”we’ve been thinking about a woman as president for a long time” and was happy to announce Cherry Jones as the woman in charge. Let’s hope these comments were a PR exercise in dialing down panic at Fox, because if they honestly believe the last season to have been good enough, 24 is in serious trouble.
From:Set The Video: NASA: Triumph and Tragedy, BBC Two, Wednesday, 24 June, 9pm