I almost forgot. Congratulations to Kiefer Sutherland on his Screen Actor's Guild Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series! It's hardly surprising that Kiefer's peers continue to recognize his enormous achievement on 24, even if the Emmy Academy refuses to follow suit. Yay Kiefer! For more information, read the article on Yahoo! News.

-- posted by Kasia @ 6:00 PM

Happy Holy Day! I've got the Photo Gallery re-implemented and all up to date. I've also added screencaps for episode 3x19. Still working on getting our content up to date. More soon.

-- posted by Kasia @ 4:41 PM

I'm currently experiencing technical nightmares with regard to our photo gallery. As some of you may have noticed, we were defaced again. This is an ongoing problem and generally seems to be related to security holes in PHP scripts for site utility tools like the photo gallery, etc. I have attempted to upgrade to the new, more secure version of Coppermine Photo Gallery, which did nothing but fuck up the gallery. As such, I have had to remove the entire gallery and re-install the new version of the program from scratch, then re-add all the screencaps, etc. It will take me some time to get things back up and running. Please be patient.

-- posted by Kasia @ 3:46 PM

It has come to our attention that the article posted yesterday on Carlos Bernard from hollywood.com may be sensationalistic and unreliable. We received this e-mail earlier tonight and wanted to make sure we posted both sides of the story.

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that the new article you linked to from hollywood.com about carlos' prank is actually very inaccurate and twists the whole story. in reality, carlos planned the prank with mia, so she certainly wasn't shaken up or any nonsense like that, and kiefer was told about it beforehand and found it hilarious. the story has been told in this carlos interview and in this recent kiefer interview.

someone posted on another board about hollywood.com's sources, and it's basically a tabloid - and tries to sensationalize everything. kinda annoying cause the article makes it seem like people were displeased with carlos, when in fact, everyone including kiefer found it hilarious and people are always retelling the story. i hope you take it off, hate for people to get the wrong impression.

To be honest, I have so much going on with the site that sometimes I simply don't have time to read all the articles that come across my inbox thoroughly before I post them. It's hard enough keeping everything up to date, and I often receive notice of new articles from third parties, which is the case with this one. The extensive article with Carlos refuting hollywood.com's take that is referenced in the above e-mail, I actually already posted but again did not get a chance to read thoroughly. I have since read it, and it is excellent. I did read the hollywood.com article quickly before I posted it, and I have to admit that the tone and slant of the article did seem strange to me, but I mostly took it as rather tongue in cheek and trying to make something out of nothing. I doubted at the outset that producers or Kiefer Sutherland were actually pissed off at Carlos Bernard, the way the article makes it sound, because as most fans well know, he is a merry prankster. I had no doubt that the whole thing was a hilarious prank that a tabloidish celeb website twisted into their own melodramatic thing, since the style and tone of the article reeks of that. For awhile, I was reading lots of print rags at the gym and it's easy to recognize the writing style. I guess I just wanted to say that I didn't take the article that seriously, and I didn't really think anyone else would either, just like you can never believe everything you read in "LIfe & Style" magazine.

The point is that until I got this e-mail, I never really considered anyone would misinterpret it, but I was wrong. And this website would never knowingly post inaccurate information as fact. It's more a case of being way too behind on 24-related things I would love to do, as I simply hadn't had time to read Carlos' own account of the incident yet, and was thus unprepared to post my own clarification of the other article.

As such, I have removed the hollywood.com link and encourage you all to read the above linked interview with Carlos instead.

-- posted by Kasia @ 9:53 PM

Hey all! Katarina here. Just wanted to pipe up quickly and let everyone know how much I'm enjoying season five. What is nothing short of miraculous is how I'm able to watch possibly the series' best season opening WITH KASH, in her livingroom. Unprecedented. It's quite a feeling, after all these years of devotion, to be able to properly honour Almeida with his most ardent admirer. It's very very gratifying. Almeidan providence intervened to get me home to Alberta for a month, the month wherein we celebrate the dawn of a great season, the birthday of my own little Holy Babe, and the anniversary of this wonderful site, of which I'm proud to be a part. The only thing left to experience is a screening with all three of us. That will be the pen-ultimate Almeida-worship experience.

Almeida be with you all, and here's to a satisfying and intense season of the show that brings us together, tears out our insides and ties us in knots. To AIG and 24!!

-- posted by Kat @ 3:46 PM

Quick update. I'm in the middle of work, but I wanted to let you all know that my hosting upgrade will not cause the site to go down. I spoke with a customer service rep about this and apparently, the upgrade will be seamless and there will be no downtime. Yay!

I've added a Paypal Donation button on the right. The costs of running this website have only increased over time. When we offer large downloads -- such as all the Carlos video content -- direct from our server, it requires bandwidth. Bandwidth costs money, and right now that money is coming straight out of my own pocket. So if you've enjoyed this site, if you've found it useful and especially if you are downloading media content from us on a regular basis -- please consider making a donation, however small. Every little bit helps! Thanks.

-- posted by Kasia @ 12:55 PM

Last's night's episode was amazing! I'm still working on old content, so right now I won't spend too much time on it, but I was nothing short of completely enthralled. Rest assured that extensive debriefs will be posted as soon as possible. In technical news, between the increased traffic with 24 being back on the air and my heavy file upload sessions getting the new layout and new content posted, and all of you people downloading the new Carlos videos we posted, as of this writing I am currently at 99% of my bandwidth allowance for the month with 6 days still left. I've made the decision to upgrade my hosting package again in response to the increased demands on this website. When my upgrade request is processed, this site will likely be down until I get a chance to republish, so if you show up tomorrow and we're down, DON'T PANIC. It's temporary.

A new Carlos article has been posted in The Man Behind Almeida about a prank Carlos played on Mia Kirshner. That crazy Carlos! I believe this article, written today, is actually in reference to the end of Season 4's shooting season, with the Mandy/Tony storyline.

-- posted by Kasia @ 10:05 PM

Happy Holy Day to all! Quick update. I'm still working on getting all our old content transferred to the new format. I've managed to get through 2 or 3 episodes every couple of days, but I still have a ton to do there, as well as finishing up screencaps. It's coming along. As a result, I'm backlogged with current updates and probably won't get any of that stuff done for a little while longer. On the bright side, there isn't much Tony action going on right now, so when I do get to the updates, they won't take me too long to get through for the backlog episodes. I posted a bunch of new Carlos video and audio clips since I launched the new layout, including one today, in case you haven't had a chance to check them out yet. As always, thank you to 4924CTU for keeping us current on Carlos media.

-- posted by Kasia @ 4:30 PM

I'm here to wish myself a happy anniversary. Two years ago today, the very first incarnation of AlmeidaIsGod.com launched. This is where I get all sappy and misty eyed about how much I love doing this site and how much 24 means to me and how much I appreciate everyone who has helped me with this site and who has been a part of our community over the last two years. I truly can't believe how much this site has grown and changed over the last two years, I never imagined for a second it would end becoming as big or as well-known as it is today. So thank you all for your support.

-- posted by Kasia @ 3:38 PM

Global Television Edmonton fucking sucks!!!! After dragging their commercial breaks during last night's double header ON and ON and ON, they ended up so off-schedule that they literally cut off the last 10 minutes of episode 3 and just launched straight into episode 4. Not only that, but the last 10 minutes of the episode prominently featured Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce!!!! You KNOWWWW how I feel about Pierce! This is absolutely unforgivable. Especially after how much Global hyped the 2-night 4-hour premiere. They were promoting it every other commercial break for like a month, and then when it finally happens, they fuck up and deprive the audience of 10 minutes of footage to run promo spots for fucking Entertainment Tonight Canada? I don't give a FUCK if Brad knocked up Angelina. I MISSED PIERCE!!!! This is unacceptable.

In other news, I am slowly but surely transferring the rest of the content over. Each day you will see a little more happening. I have our first debrief of the season to post soon and I'm also working on getting the forum up and running. Many changes to come.

-- posted by Kasia @ 12:08 PM

Quick note to post a media tidbit on Carlos and Season 5 from January 6. I came across this last week, and most of you have probably already seen it, but for those of you who haven't, enjoy.

According to Carlos Bernard, things will be very different for his character, Tony Almeida, on the Jan. 15-launching new season of "24" - but that's exactly how he prefers it. "The great thing about my character is that every year he's changing. His predicaments force him to change," notes Bernard. "Sometimes with television shows you get a little bit repetitive. If anything, I just want things to keep moving forward so that there are new challenges for the character. One thing I'd never want to have happen with this show is to feel like you're doing the same thing over and over again."

He adds, "I want to be a part of telling interesting, moving stories - whether that be in acting, writing, developing producing projects. I don't really ever see myself retiring. It's a difficult career to maneuver in, but I'm doing what I love to do, so I'm blessed."

In case you've missed them thus far, the 24-themed CalorieMate commercials from Japan, in which Kiefer whores out himself and the 24 concept to Japanese meal replacement drinks, are available for viewing on iFilm.com: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3.

-- posted by Kasia @ 11:31 AM

Well, I've seen the first two hours of Season 5. Obviously, I have thoughts.

I guess the first thing that must be addressed immediately is the deaths of David Palmer and Michelle Dessler, two of the most well-loved, longest running and most popular characters on the series. I am fully willing to eat my words regarding the death of Michelle. The people behind 24 indeed did have the balls to kill off Michelle. Ultimately, as shocking and tragic as these turns of events may be, and as much as I hate the thought of an entire season of 24 without any Michelle or Palmer, I have concluded that the sacrifice of these two characters was a hugely necessary evil to move the show forward and recapture its magic. Hear me out.

One of the biggest problems I had all along in Season 4 is that there was very little character investment in the story. The plot became very episodic and the characters were simply mouthpieces for that, aside of course from a handful of key moments that were highlights. Ultimately, the story stopped being hugely personal for the characters and instead became this sort of grand scale "we must save millions of innocent people." Although the whole "save the world on a grand scale" idea was explored in both Seasons 2 and 3, the writers succeeded in making those seasons personal due in large part to the personal struggles of Jack in both seasons and also in bringing Michelle directly into the virus exposure and having the terrorist reach out and manipulate Tony. There was little of this personal investment for the characters in Season 4, and what little there was were sidebars. In centering the main plot arc of the first act of Season 5 around the assassinations of David Palmer and Michelle Dessler, and the framing of Jack Bauer for the crimes, the show ensured that all the main characters in the season (and the audience) were immediately invested in every story thread. In ways, the show has scaled things back down to this idea of one man and his personal struggle against insurmountable odds, surrounded by his allies and his enemies.

I think ultimately, there are only so many times that the writers can replay the "crazy shit happens, which leads to return of old faces in the same old roles" before it begins to wear thin. They needed to do something completely different this year, and some difficult decisions needed to be made. Although we have lost our beloved Palmer and our sweet righteous angel Michelle, I feel that in this case, their sacrifice was truly made for the good of the story, much like Mason and Chappelle. I really miss Mason and Chappelle, but there is no question their deaths were integral and that the show was better for them. The characters that remain, many of whom we know and have formed some sort of relationship with as members of the audience - Jack, Tony, Chloe, Wayne, Novick, Audrey, Curtis, Buchanan and yes even Edgar - will explore new ground in the wake of these events. My faith has already been restored that this season, the edge will be back.

I think the decision to use characters like Wayne Palmer and Mike Novick to carry on Palmer's legacy is a good one, and I also think that CTU is starting off a lot more solidly this season than last. We are already acquainted with the major CTU players, and having that context and that point of reference early on will cause their story threads to be far more meaningful than at this time last year, when we weren't acquainted with anyone. Even the new character, Spencer, was introduced in such a way that his existence is already meaningful.

So what does all this mean for Tony? Well, I have very little doubt that he will survive brain surgery. If he survives (and really, we have no choice at this point in time but to believe that he will), his sole reason for living and sole purpose in life will be to exact revenge upon the people who murdered Michelle and we will see a side of Almeida's character that we have never seen before: the utterly dark side, who literally has nothing left to live for. I cannot wait to see how things turn out.

It's good to be back, even as Almeida's life hangs in the balance. More will be posted soon.

-- posted by Kasia @ 12:51 AM

HAPPY HOLY DAY!!!! It's great to be back with our new layout and new format. I had hoped to have the entire new version of this site up and running in time for tonight's premiere. Unfortunately, I was not able to get everything completed. But I wanted to get something up to make sure you all know we have not abandoned this site or our love of 24! We are back and better than ever for Season 5!

There are a number of fairly significant changes to the site, mainly the way that we're organizing and presenting content. Take a browse through using the navigation menus on the left, and it won't take long to get acquainted with the new AIG. Rest assured that all your favourite features are still right here where they've always been. You may encounter several areas that are marked "Under Construction." I simply have not yet had time to transfer this content over to the new format, so please bear with me over the next week or so until I get everything up to date.

It's about 2 hours until the s5 premiere airs here in Edmonton, and Kat happens to be in town so we will be watchin it together and sharing our thoughts with all of you here soon. Based on the DVD prequel, this season looks to be incredible. We can't wait to share it all with you over the next six months. Almeida Be With You All!

-- posted by Kasia @ 7:02PM