Major updates for Episode 19 (1-2AM) have been posted. Updates include Godlike Moments, Almeida Verbatim and Famous Last Words. We do have a debrief for this episode, but it's on my other computer which is at the office right now, so I will post that tomorrow.

Caliente! The Approved Carlos Bernard Fanlisting has received a renovation, so don't forget to check out our new look.

--posted by Kasia

This little tidbit from TV Guide is as close to confirming a fifth season as we've seen thus far and offers up news of a contract signed between 24 and one of the actors who plays a recurring character to become a series regular next season. So we basically know this character is not going to die this season. Don't read it if you don't want to know. Thanks to our new 24 News Correspondent Jon for the info.

We have posted a link to a newly discovered Audio interview with Carlos Bernard on ESPNRadio.com that talks about Tony's return to Season 4. There is a humourous segment where Carlos talks about "Beer In The Cubs Mug." We also have 5 new Carlos videos posted, featuring his recent appearances on The Tony Danza Show, Cold Pizza, Live With Regis & Kelly, as well as an interview on FOX News and clips from a Celebrity Ski Race. Because the original clips were in mpg format, which is very bloated, I had to use a free trial version of WinAVI Video Converter to convert them to wmv format. Because it is a trial, the program places a watermark in the video, but everything should still be completely watchable, you can still see and hear everything. Thanks to 4924CTU and our affiliate 24Online for the video clips. Shame on us for being so out of the loop on new Carlos media! All new Carlos media can be found in The Man Behind Almeida.

Also, Cast Spotted Log has been updated. Major updates for the latest episode are going to happen this evening, so stay tuned (though don't expect too much, as there was a severe and disappointing lack of Tony).

--posted by Kasia

Rumours abound of 24's renewal for a fifth season. This is basically as we figured. After all, 24 has become FOX's flagship show, so if s4 were really to be the end of the series, the network would be plastering and whoring the fact all over the TV at every available opportunity and there would be a lot more media attention. There has been no official confirmation of a fifth season yet, but we fully expect the announcement any day now. Along these lines, aintitcoolnews has reported that "Lost" writer David Fury has joined the creative team for 24 (we assume for the fifth season, as filming for the s4 finale has already wrapped). If this is true, I see it as a good move. Lost is definitely the best series to premiere this year, and probably the best series overall to premiere since 24 first came out in 2001. The writing for Season 5 can only get better, because I don't see how it can get much worse.

Of course, we would be thrilled if there was a Season 5 to continue on with the lives of our characters. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain. It would give the creative team a chance to redeem themselves after this horrible, sloppy and uninspired season which has been, by all rights, a complete and utter selling out and betrayal of the hardcore fans. Another Season would give them a chance to get back to their roots and right this ship.

That's all for now. Major updates will be posted tomorrow.

--posted by Kasia

One of Kat's contacts passed on this little gem to us - a video of Kiefer Sutherland doing a 24-themed commercial in Japan for something called "Calorie-Mate." My favourite part is when Jack takes a bite of the Calorie-Mate and then says "Tony, we've just touched down..." into his phone. I had no idea Kiefer was whoring out 24 to sell meal replacement snacks in Japan!

--posted by Kasia

Hmmm... well, I have to say that after all my bitching and whining over the last few weeks regarding the suckitude of s4, last night's episode was a welcome respite from boredom and frustration with where the show has gone and, despite the severe lack of any interesting Tony action, I truly enjoyed it.

I love Mike Novick, and you should too! He completely hasn't changed a bit, and I loved how even after everything that happened, he still respects Palmer to the highest level and knows him so well -- "when was your last intelligence briefing?". He totally knows that Palmer would take full advantage of his right as a former president to intelligence briefings without having to ask! Speaking of Palmer ... PALMER! The return of David Palmer to Season 4 was hardly a massive plot twist or totally shocking, but it was certainly welcome and also believable. I can't wait to see Jack, Palmer and Tony back in action together. And I love how the actors are so committed to their characters' little idiosyncrasies, like Tony and his soul patch and his Cubs mug, or in the case of Palmer, that magentized copper bracelet he always wears.

We finally have some idea of what Habib Marwan is up to. I've said before that Marwan seems like such a shitty villain because he seemed to have no real personal passion for or committment to his cause, choosing instead to manipulate others with radical sensibilities to do his dirty work for him. In fact, it occured to me last night that Marwan was a real pussy because he refused ever to get his hands dirty, using his henchman to do everything from shoot down Air Force One to stealing the warhead to killing Dina Araz, etc etc etc. However, Marwan FINALLY revealed his true intentions as a fundamentalist and finally got his hands dirty so to speak with putting his face on the video he made, so there goes my theory about the US Gov't somehow being behind these attacks to gain support for war and marshal law, but I'm glad I finally know where Marwan stands. Despite the fact that he keeps escaping, at least this time his escape made sense as Logan compleytely fucked up! Man, Logan sucks as President. Thank Almeida for Palmer.

Chloe with a machine gun! Holy fuck! What more can I say about that except that Chloe looked so cute in her little black blazer pumping that dude full of lead. Best preclock since Tony showed up at Felsted Security to save Jack's butt, definitely.

I hate to say it, but I might actually sort of heart Bill Buchanan now. When I thought he was sleeping with Michelle, of course I hated him because I was blinded by my love of Almeida. But now that I know he's not sleeping with Michelle, he has earned another chance. I like that he is different from all the other "Division" characters, willing to put his own ass on the line for the sake of the mission. I like how he totally backed up Jack instead of trying to save himself. Bill might just have some integrity and awesomeness in him after all. He's no Ryan Chappelle, but I think I can live with him.

Anyway, I'm still waiting on a chat with Matt and Kat, but as soon as we have it, I'll post it. Also, I managed to get another episode of Season 3 Tony Screencaps posted. Screencaps for 3x16 are now available in our Gallery.

--posted by Kasia

Happy Holy Day to all. Just a quick update to say that Cast Spotted Log has been updated and my Marie Warner Icon received an honourable mention in this week's 24_contest icon competition. Thanks to anyone who voted for me.

In the meantime, I'd like to share with our readers a little commentary from Katarina on the subject of what many of us have noticed and I've taken the liberty of dubbing "The Dumbing Down of TV's Smartest Series." Kat originally posted this message on our forum, but it deserves an audience from our regular readers. We invite your feedback over at our forum.

Kat's comments were posted in response to this comment from Ben, a longtime reader:

"I think the writers are just stretching to try and gain a more wide-spread audience with more excitement... as happens with most popular trends (which is what 24 has become... the epitome of hollywood). also please keep in mind that this show's target audience is "typical americans", who wouldnt be bitching about these things because their brains dont work this way."

Here is Kat's response, which essentially sums up the collective feeling of us as the AIG site staff and longtime hardcore 24 fans:

"Yeah, this thought occurred to me about this season awhile ago. Seems to me that the experimental quality of the show has diminished, they hit on a formula that made it popular to the unthinking masses, and now they're marketing a sutainable product to the lowest common viewing denominator. The hardcore fans who really appreciated the academic genius of the show, the creative risks they took and the dramatic choices, are noticing this lapse or abandonment of a certain integrity or level of challenge and risk. But It doesn't matter, cuz we're in the minority, and the show will continue to be eaten up by the mob.

Anyhow, just reiterating what's already been said. Waiting for something truly shocking. Eager to see the meeting of Jack and Marwan. Although I'm kind of dreading it cuz if it winds up being just good guy vs bad guy with some guns and the good guy wins, I'll be soooo disappointed. And I don't see much promise when it comes to the creative solution of conflicts here this season. So I guess we'll see."

The point Kat makes here goes back to something Matt and I said in one of our chats, I'm not sure if it was the lost TGOVD chat or one of the chats posted on the site, but either way, our point was that 24 has stopped respecting the intellect and dedication of its fans, and has therefore, as Kat says, stopped challenging the audience. Throughout the first 3 seasons, we were challenged with all manner of issues, whether they be our own personal positions on the moral struggles our characters faced or simply challenged to change the way we thought about formulaic network television with things like the failure to provide an obligatory happy ending. A certain level of mass success and mass appeal gained by 24 has caused the people behind the show to become complacent, lazy and sloppy, and to compromise their vision in an effort to achieve a wider appeal. Rather than challenging us every single week to reach deep within our own souls and our own consciences, and to exercise our intellect, it has simply started catering to the masses -- something that Surnow et al swore they would never do. Is it any wonder that those of us who have been there since the very beginning, Season 1 Episode 1, feel betrayed?

--posted by Kasia

Happy Holy Eve to all. Major updates for Episode 18 have now been posted. This round of updates includes: Godlike Moments, Almeida Verbatim, Famous Last Words, Cast Spotted Log and 2 chat transcripts posted in 24 Mega-Fandom.

Not gonna spend too much time waxing poetic now, as I have a taped episode of Alias to watch before I start my Sunday chores. Inquantifiable thanks to Kat for her contrbution to getting this week's updates posted in a timely manner.

--posted by Kasia

Hello all! Updates for Episode 18 are forthcoming. Kat has sent me the content, I just need to find a few spare minutes to get them posted on the site.

In the meantime, I noticed that our Ultimate Fan Commentary files were defunct for the last couple of months without me even realizing it until the other day. Those have been replaced and are now once again available for download in 24 Mega-Fandom. Cast Spotted Log has also been updated.

Is anyone else pissed that the Palmer we were promised in episode 18 never materialized?

Also, one of our regular readers sent me an interesting e-mail yesterday about more production detail sloppiness. The van Dina and Jack get into when they are brought to Marwan's hideout, and that Dina's body is later discovered in, had the same license plate number (6CVA322) as the van Marwan was riding in in Monday night's episode. I guess the props people could only get their hands on one fake LA license plate this season. Thanks to Marilyn for this observation.

For the second time this season, it seems the casting department ran dry of good Middle Eastern actors, recasting Nicholas Guilak (Farhad Saleem of Season 2) as Yosik Khatami. At least this time he had different facial hair and his demeanor was different enough that it was not entirely obvious right away that he was a recast. This is not quite a brutal as the whole Faheen debacle, but still ... some of us out here are still paying attention to the details even if the creators have decided to give up on that.

I dunno, I'm starting to just want this season put out of its misery. How many more times can Curtis torture people or Marwan escape and one-up the threat level YET AGAIN. And, I apologize if I sound like a broken record, but can't Edgar just DIE already???? This is all so repetitive. I don't even feel anxious about what will happen next. All I care about right now is seeing FHTMA 3. Oh, and Novick. Novick was practically the only thing that made this last episode bearable. 24, what has happened to you? Why have you forsaken me??!!??

--posted by Kasia

Hallelujah and Praise Tony! At long last this site has been brought up to date. Thanks to a joint effort between Kat and myself, AIG is brimming with up to the minute Almeida Verbatim, Godlike Moments and Famous Last Words. I have also posted 6 new chat transcripts in 24 Mega-Fandom, including an extremely long chat in the 9-10PM episode time period that I did not post earlier because it had mention of the upcoming Novick appearance, which we did not want to spoil for our readers. Though the amazing debrief that was a victim to TGOVD can never be recovered, hopefully these will satiate your appetites. Though I warn you in advance there is a LOT of bitching about how crappy the plot has gotten this season.

Would also like to take a moment to say that the first 10-11PM debrief between me and Kat has me in a very negative place regarding my girl Michelle. Matt later talked me down off the ledge during the lost TGOVD chat, so this does not reflect my current feelings towards her. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the updates and again I apologize for the huge delay. Life is so crazy right now! That will change though, because Kat and I have made a formal plan to share the updates workload from now on, which should put an end to the long waiting periods between updates. We know our readers need their Tony fix and we are again here to reliably provide it!

--posted by Kasia

Things have been insanely busy for me this last two weeks. Work has been mad with an upcoming tradeshow. Kat has offered to help me out by doing the updates for the last two episodes. They will be posted as soon as she gets back to me with the content.

In other news, Mike Novick is back! Fucking NOVICK! Awesome! Was everyone else this happy to see him? Though the writers could have done more to build up his return, it's still awesome and wonderful to see a familiar face

My overall impression of this episode was not all that stellar. Once again, the writers have gotten lazy and changed the course of the plot completely midstream instead of following through with the mess they created in the first place. This tactic is really getting on my nerves. To read more, check out this thread on our Forum.

Due to popular demand, our Straight To Chappelle line of t-shirts and accessories is back. Check out the Almeida Is God Store!

Matt has discovered an article about Carlos playing the ponies for charity. It is posted in The Man Behind Almeida.

--posted by Kasia

Happy holy day to all. As you can see, I was unable to complete the updates this weekend. I had housework coming out the yinyang and I really needed to get it done. I fully intended to take care of the site as well, but I simply ran out of time. My boyfriend and I have tickets to Queens of the Stone Age tonight, so I won't even be seeing tonight's episode until the wee hours of the morning or tomorrow evening. I have a lot of work to do with updating two episodes now, but that's what happens when one starts a dedicated website like this and then suddenly acquires a life. All I can do is apologize, really. One of these days, I will get a nice big chunk of time to devote to all the things I wanna add to this site, but unfortunately, things are too hectic right now. I know, excuses, excuses.

In the meantime, see how compatible you are with Carlos Bernard, Reiko Aylesworth, Kiefer Sutherland, Dennis Haysbert and Elisha Cuthbert based on BioRhythms.

As for the staff of AIG, Kasia boasts a 96% overall compatability with Carlos Bernard (having scores above 90% in every category), and a 99% emotional compatability with Reiko Aylesworth. Matt boasts at 100% intellectual compatability with Carlos Bernard. Kat boasts a 99% physical compatability with Carlos Bernard.

--posted by Kasia

Hello, hello, and a happy pseudo-Holy Eve to all. As 24 airs again tomorrow night, we do consider this a pseudo-holy occasion. Major updates for Episode 16 are forthcoming on Saturday. I know in advance that I will have free time, so I can plan to complete my updates then.

In the meantime, we have revamped the product offerings in the AIG Store. I've done away with stuff that isn't selling and I am offering completely different merchandise designs as well as new products, so even if you've ordered before, you may still wanna check it out. Happy shopping!

--posted by Kasia

The Ghost of Victor Drazen has struck again! Matt and I were in the middle of what might quite possibly have been the mother of all debriefs on all manner of topics, including last night's episode, how much we want Tony to punch Bill Buchanan in the face and about fifty possible interpretations of the phrase "legally, yes", not to mention a great deal of discussion of the evolution of Tony overall, as well as overall scope of the Tony/Michelle dynamic, not to mention the Jack/Audrey dynamic. We had been talking for about 3 hours when TGOVD decided to fucking overheat my computer, causing it to spontaneously turn itself off with no warning BEFORE I saved the transcript of this crucial conversation. Matt tells me I should live in the now and not worry, but I was really upset that none of you will get to read this discussion, as it was the very best debrief AIG staff has conducted since the end of season 3 and definitely the best T/M related debrief ever! FUCKING TGOVD!!!!!

Though this debrief was lost forever, I do have an earlier convo between Kat and myself that I will post later. Hopefully all is not lost, as I'm sure Matt and I will be ripe to discuss T/M some more over the next week.

A few salient points: it was so great when Bill Buchanan gets all pissed off at Michelle and Tony for "letting" Marwan escape and Tony just completely dispenses with any formalities or any apologies of any kind and replies "it doesn't matter how it happened" all pissed off with the Classic Almeida Sass. Tony has spent so much time in his career dealing with suits from Division who are quick to lay blame but never offer up any of their own solutions and he just no longer has any patience for it. I love it.

Speaking of Bill Buchanan, as I said before, he sorely needs a punch in the face from Tony. How Michelle could possibly lower herself to sweating up the sheets with that suit goon lame-ass Chappelle wannabe is beyond me. Not only is he a mere fraction of the man Tony is, he's not even half the bastard boss Chappelle was! I'm not sure which is worse, the mental picture of Michelle screwing Buchanan, or the mental picture of Tony screwing that skank Jen.

At first I was really upset and disillusioned with Michelle because of the statement she made concerning her marriage to Tony during her time in Seattle while he was in jail. When he confronted her about Bill and said "we were still married then" and she replies "Legally, yes" intoning that in her mind, their marriage was on paper only and she did not still care for Tony -- well, I found that unforgivable and in complete opposition to everything we have ever known about Michelle. Particularly since Jack already revealed to us that Michelle gave up on their marriage only AFTER Tony got out of prison and started drinking and abusing her dedication to him. So Michelle's response went against all of that and made it seem like she was already moving on even as Tony's ass was rotting in jail because he sacrificed everything to save her life.

However, Matt and I have since come to the conclusion that Michelle was merely fronting because not only is she still angry and bitter at how Tony treated her after getting out of prison, but also she definitely took offense to his confrontational, possessive demeanour and accusations about Bill. So perhaps it was just a bitchy, hurtful thing to say and we are not intended to read so much into it. After all, the creators have been uncharacteristically sloppy this season regarding the details. So far, they've renamed Darren Richards Eric, brought Mamud Faheen back from the dead, failed to tell us how the hell Navi Araz located Heller and Audrey and kept Edgar around for no good reason instead of killing him off 6 episodes ago.

So, despite earlier assertions, no, Michelle is not dead to me. I am just desperate for her to reclaim her passion, her loyalty, her emotion and her nature as a crusader for justice, because I don't like her as this stiff-upper-lip heart-of-stone Bitch on Heels any more than Tony does (though I have no doubt he is deserving of her wrath for fucking things up so badly). My sheer love and adoration for Almeida was clouding my judgement and I can't stand to see him heartbroken like this even though he brought it on himself.

All that said, however, at least there is some tension and some relevance brought back into the T/M storyline, which I guess is what I wanted. I just can't stand the idea of Michelle with another man!

DOWN WITH BUCHANAN. More 24 Poetry is definitely forthcoming.

--posted by Kasia

I'm pleased to announce that major updates for Episode 15 are posted. Updates include Godlike Moments and Almeida Verbatim, plus two chat transcripts in 24 Mega-Fandom. Unfortunately, the tone of these transcripts are rather dire and rehash our overall sense of dissatisfaction with this episode, however you KNOW you wanna read 'em. No one bit the big one in this episode, so Famous Last Words stands as it is (but GOD we wish Edgar would hurry up and die!).

I just wanted to take a second to address a comment made in our guestbook regarding our Top 24 Most Memorable Deaths of 24 list. It is not that we feel Alan Milliken's death was more tragic than George Mason's or that the loss of his character was more significant -- it is only that we feel his actual death (being talked into a heart attack by Sherry and then watching Sherry convince his wife to with-hold his medication) was a more memorable scene than seeing George in the last few moments before crashing the plane. That was our point.

We have an upcoming fanlisting as well, but I will stay hush hush on that for now until it is ready to be unveiled.

For a sneak-peek on the soon-to-be-released 24 PS2 game, check out this site. Includes screenshots and some very juicy tidbits on supplemental storyline info to be included in the game. Very exciting!

If you are a LiveJournal member, don't forget to vote in this week's 24 Icon Contest poll. I am entry #4. You have to log into your account before you can vote.

Also wanted to take a moment to thank all the people who have written to us over the last few weeks and given us such positive feedback on the site. We really appreciate your continued support!

--posted by Kasia