Fox Series 24 Officially Cancelled

FOX has just announced that 24 is officially canceled and that this current season will be its final season. The season finale will air as a special two hour episode on Monday, May 24 2010 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

PRESS RELEASE

In a joint decision made by 24's star and executive producer Kiefer Sutherland, executive producer and showrunner Howard Gordon, Twentieth Century Fox Television, Imagine Entertainment and Fox Broadcasting Company, it was determined that the acclaimed series will end its remarkable eight-season run. Jack Bauer's last day on FOX will conclude when the final two hours of "Day Eight" air Monday, May 24 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). As the countdown to the series' climactic conclusion races on, the final 11 hours will air uninterrupted Mondays (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Multiple award-winning series star Kiefer Sutherland reflected on the show's run: "This has been the role of a lifetime, and I will never be able to fully express my appreciation to everyone who made it possible. While the end of the series is bittersweet, we always wanted 24 to finish on a high note, so the decision to make the eighth season our last was one we all agreed upon. This feels like the culmination of all our efforts from the writers to the actors to our fantastic crew and everyone at Fox. Looking ahead to the future, Howard Gordon and I are excited about the opportunity to create the feature film version of 24. But when all is said and done, it is the loyal worldwide fan base that made it possible for me to have the experience of playing the role of Jack Bauer, and for that I am eternally grateful."

Executive producer and showrunner Howard Gordon said, "Kiefer and I have loved every minute of making 24, but we all believe that now is the right time to call it a day. I echo his sentiments of gratitude toward the show's amazing creative team, as well as the studio and network who have always believed in us and shown us unbelievable support."

"24 is so much more than just a TV show - it has redefined the drama genre and created one of the most admired action icons in television history," said Peter Rice, Chairman, Entertainment, Fox Networks Group. Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company added, "We are extremely proud of this groundbreaking series and will be forever thankful to Kiefer, the producers, the cast and crew for everything they've put into 24 over the years. It's truly been an amazing and unforgettable eight days."

"We are so grateful to Kiefer and Howard who have really poured their hearts and souls into making this show over the past eight seasons," commented Gary Newman and Dana Walden, Chairmen, Twentieth Century Fox Television. "To everyone who contributed to this iconic series over its amazing run, we want to extend our heartfelt appreciation for your incredible work."

Added Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer, "I'm so proud to have been a part of 24, which has become such a cultural phenomenon. And to Kiefer and Howard and everyone who has worked on the show, many thanks."

Now in its eighth season with Kiefer Sutherland starring as the heroic Jack Bauer, the inventive and suspenseful 24 has been nominated for a total of 68 Emmy Awards, winning for Outstanding Drama Series in 2006. Over the course of seven seasons, Sutherland garnered seven Emmy nominations and one win for Outstanding Lead Actor - Drama Series. While the series gained global recognition, Sutherland's portrayal of the legendary character penetrated the American psyche like no other dramatic television character to become part of the English lexicon.

Premiering November 6, 2001, 24 employed a pioneering split-screen, fast-paced format with complex interweaving storylines as viewers followed anti-terrorism agent Jack Bauer through 24 pulse-pounding episodes, each covering one hour and presented in real time. Subsequent seasons combined the show's unique and trend-setting format while delivering compelling new elements and attracting talented actors and guest stars, including the Emmy Award-winning Cherry Jones (President Allison Taylor). The series also currently stars Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O'Brian), Anil Kapoor (Omar Hassan), Annie Wersching (Renee Walker), Katee Sackhoff (Dana Walsh), Mykelti Williamson (Brian Hastings), Freddie Prinze Jr. (Cole Ortiz), Chris Diamantopoulos (Rob Weiss) and John Boyd (Arlo Glass).

The first six seasons were set in Los Angeles, and following the strike-induced delay of Season Seven, "24: Redemption," a two-hour film bridging Seasons Six and Seven, was set in Africa. Washington , D.C. was the setting for Season Seven, and the final season of 24 finds Jack Bauer thwarting a terrorist attack in New York .

At the conclusion of Season Eight, 24 will have a produced a total of 194 episodes (including "24: Redemption"), making it one of the longest-running action television shows in history.

Tune in Monday, March 29 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) for the next all-new installment of 24 and Monday, April 5 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) for a special two-hour episode.

Created by Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, 24 is a production of 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television in association with Teakwood Lane Productions. Howard Gordon, Evan Katz, David Fury, Manny Coto, Brannon Braga, Brad Turner, Alex Gansa, Kiefer Sutherland and Brian Grazer are executive producers, while Chip Johannessen and Patrick Harbinson serve as co-executive producers. Brad Turner will direct the series finale.

Sandra Bullock heads home for divorce shoot-out with Jesse James

Now that Jesse James' alleged mistress count is up to four, a source close to Sandra Bullock told Popeater that the actress has come back to California (after going into hiding in Texas) so she can set her divorce in motion.

"It's over," the friend told gossip website Popeater. "After everything that has happened, it is impossible for them to get back together, even though I'm sure she still loves the man she thought he was."

According to Radar Online, the recent Oscar winner has moved back into the Hollywood Hills mansion she lived in before her marriage.

"Sandra has returned home to face the problem head-on. She isn't the sort of woman to bury her head in the sand and hope everything will go away," another Bullock insider said. "As painful as this is going to be, expect Sandra to cut out the cancer very soon."

Meanwhile, the father of alleged mistress No. 1, Michelle McGee, is defending her choice in men, telling Us Weekly that his daughter believed James and Bullock were separated.

"(James said), 'They have a thing now where they kind of live apart and she's on the scene for movies in stuff, and I'm here in San Diego,'" Denny McGee told Us Weekly, adding that his daughter only found out the truth when she saw the couple together at the Academy Awards. "She was under the impression they weren't seeing each other. She felt like she was going to have a relationship and this happened and she was mad."

Mad enough to seek a $30,000 US payday for her story, apparently. But aside from that, and despite those pesky Nazi-themed photographs, Denny insists his daughter is neither anti-Semitic nor a homewrecker.

"She's always been a great kid and a good mom to her kids. She's just a little bit different with the tattoos and stuff," he said. "The truth of the matter is, going into this whole thing with Jesse James, Michelle was single, and she was under the assumption that Jesse was single. As far as I'm concerned, they were two single people going out with each other, and there's nothing wrong with that."

From: The Vancuver Sun

Gadhafi: Nigeria should split along ethnic lines

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi suggested Monday that Nigeria be split along ethnic lines, like Yugoslavia, into several mini-states as a way of resolving violence in Africa's most populous nation.

Gadhafi drew Nigeria's anger last week by saying the oil-rich nation should be divided into Muslim and Christian nations along the model of the 1947 partitioning of the Indian subcontinent, which led to the independence of India and Pakistan.

In those comments, he told a group of African student leaders in Tripoli that the violence in Nigeria was symptomatic of a "deep-rooted conflict of a religious nature" and required a radical solution.

On Monday, Gadhafi said that wasn't radical enough.

"Actually, the problem of Nigeria won't be solved by dividing it into two Muslim and Christian states. There are other people who, regardless of their religion, also demand independence," Libya's official JANA news agency quoted Gadhafi as saying.

"Therefore, what fits Nigeria in this case is Yugoslavia," he said.

From: AP News

Nigerian Senate vets cabinet nominees

Nigeria's Senate on Monday started screening potential ministers picked by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan who recently sacked an entire cabinet in a move seen to signal his quest for change.

Senate speaker David Mark read out five more names adding to the first list of 33 he submitted by Jonathan last week.

The Senate was planning to comb through a partial list of 14 nominees out of 38 sent in following months of political paralysis in the African oil giant, according to an official Senate agenda.

The exercise is expected to last several days.

I hope they come up with something good for us all...

Everyone wants to smell like Beyonce

Beyonce Knowles at the groundbreaking ceremony for The Barclays Center at Atlantic Yards in New York 

Incredibly, Beyonce's new perfume "Heat" is not a miserable failure. It's had sales of $3 million+ since it's launch last month. From Yahoo!:

Singer Beyonce Knowles has had a whiff of the sweet smell of success - $3 million worth of her Beyonce Heat fragrance has been sold since its launch last month.

The perfume hit the US departmental store Macy's in Feburary. Contactmusic.com reports that fans clamored to purchase the fragrance, which features 'notes of red vanilla orchid, magnolia, neroli and blush peach', and it quickly became America's top-selling beauty counter product.

The fragrance's popularity continues to soar - Macy's CEO Terry Lungren has revealed sales have reached a staggering $3 million in its first few weeks of release.

Celebrity perfumes have to be the dumbest thing out there. Neroli? What the fuck is neroli? Beyonce can't even spell neroli. She didn't develop this. You really want to smell like Beyonce? Fill a kiddie pool with $50k or so in large bills. And then just roll around in it. Or if you want to smell like Lindsay Lohan, fill that same kiddie pool with unpaid credit card bills and "past due" notices.

From: Celebslam

Sandra Bullock says she wouldn't have spared Tiger Woods

New York, March 27 (IANS) This year's Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock, who walked out on husband Jesse James two weeks ago after his philandering ways came to light, says she would have given Tiger Woods a tough time if she were in his wife's place.

The remarks by the 45-year-old actress were made in January - much before she won the Oscar and her husband's infidelities came to light - to 'The Insider' magazine at People's Choice Awards but revealed this week.

In the audio Bullock says that had she been in the place of Tiger Woods' wife she would have not stopped using the golf club against the philandering golfer.

Woods' wife Elin Nordegren had reportedly hit him with a golf club on the night he crashed his car into a fire hydrant outside their Florida home in November. The accident led to revelations about his multiple affairs.

"If I were Elin... man, I would have hit a lot more than she did... I would have kept hitting!

"Yeah, she (Elin) stopped. She was respectable. I'd get the baseball bat.

I'd get everything out.''

Bullock had no clues about her own husband's infidelities when she made these remarks.

Her marital life collapsed immediately after her Oscar victory, with porn star Michelle McGee claiming that she had an 11-month affair with Bullock's husband Jesse James.

After the porn star's claim, three more mistresses, including a stripper and a fetish model, have claimed sex with Jesse James.

"She's devastated. She's beyond upset. And she has every right to be. She was on top of the world with her Oscar victory and now this. It's such a difficult thing to deal with,'' reported radaronline Friday.

"She (Bullock) has a tight circle of friends. They won't say much about her. They want to protect her. And that's because she's been nice to everyone along the way. She's not stuck up. She doesn't act like a star. She acts like a normal, sweet person, which is exactly what she is. And that's why everyone is so loyal to her,'' the celebrity website says. 

From: Indian Times

US Commends President Goodluck Jonathan

*Says he has consolidated grip on power

*Believes Yar’Adua’s men won’t engineer political come back

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan’s consolidation of his grip on power is drawing applause from the United States of America which says his efforts are easing a political crisis that once fanned fears of instability in the country.

Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said Washington was encouraged that Jonathan was moving on electoral reforms, anti-corruption efforts and peace outreach in the restive Niger Delta, the centre of Nigeria’s largest energy industry.

“I think he’s done a very good job of consolidating his authority and reassuring all segments of the community,” Carson, the Obama administration’s top diplomat for Africa, told Reuters in an interview.

Jonathan assumed power in early February to try to end government paralysis in the absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua, who had been in Saudi Arabia receiving treatment for a heart condition for more than two months.

Yar’Adua subsequently returned but remains too sick to govern and is essentially incommunicado – a situation that led U.S. officials to express concern over a potential power struggle among different leadership factions.

Carson said those fears had receded as Jonathan cemented his authority, including taking steps to name a new Cabinet, and that it was unlikely those who back Yar’Adua would try to engineer a political comeback.

“We don’t know whether he will come back. But I think the country is in fact moving on,” Carson said. “We believe those in power in senior positions have clearly opted to support a stable democracy during this period of uncertainty.”

U.S. officials have urged Jonathan to speed preparations for elections due in 2011, saying a repeat of the vote-rigging and intimidation that marred the 2007 vote that brought Yar’Adua to power would be disastrous.

Nigeria’s ruling party has said it wants the next president to be a northerner, in line with a principle that power rotates around the country, effectively ruling Jonathan out of another term.

Carson said the United States supported the rotation principle as a guarantor of stability in Nigeria.
“We hope that the political balance which has given Nigeria its political stability will prevail,” he said
Source: Vanguardngr.com