I apologize that this post will not see the public dissemintation of Daphne Brogdon's correspondence with the staff of AIG.com or a link to the new 24 Calorie-Mate Commercial (both coming soon, we promise), but in important Tony-related news:

Reliable sources (i.e. TVGuide.com) report that Carlos Bernard has signed a contract for Season 5, so Tony will definitely be back, not that we here at AIG had any doubt. Tony's surviving being held captive by Mandy to reunite with Michelle in the finale left the door wide open for his imminent return. Here is the article, verbatim, with bad puns and all:

24 WINS TONY: No, no, no, there isn't a Broadway musical out there that you've somehow overlooked that stars Nathan Lane as a high-kicking Jack Bauer. What we mean is that the Fox thriller has gotten Carlos Bernard to return as Tony Almeida for the series' upcoming fifth season. Although, come to think of it, it would be pretty funny to see Nathan Lane battling terrorists armed with only the ol' razzle-dazzle.

It remains to be seen when Tony will make his appearance or how many episodes in, but I have no doubt that the brotherhood will be somehow involved. Some sources are reporting that he will return to series regular status. No official word yet on Reiko, but word on the street is that the Pilot she shot for CBS about brain surgeons has, as of yet, not been picked up. I heard something about it being optioned, but there is no confirmation. Not to mention the fact that the idea of Tony sans Michelle is, to quote Matt, "too ridiculous even to contemplate."

Now for the not-so-great news. It has also been confirmed that Louis Lombardi, who portrays my most loathed 24 character of all time, the bumbling bastion of raging idiocy that is Edgar Stiles, has also been signed on as a series regular for next season. I cannot tell you all how much I loathe Edgar! But on the bright side, at least this opens the door for the writers to get another shot at his violent death that never came to pass last season. The news that James Morrison, who plays Bill Buchanan, will also be a series regular next season leaves me pretty ambivalent. The Buchanan character as a whole never really did much for me, but I didn't despise him either (except for that one week where I thought he was banging Michelle). George Mason and Ryan Chappelle had more personality in their little fingers than Buchanan had in his entire bodies, and it just goes to show how sorely the talents of Xander and Paul are missed. I sincerely doubt that Buchanan will turn into the type of memorable character that Mason and Chappelle did. But I'll wait and see.

The hints I've heard about how the new season will open sound VERY promising and I also hear that the s4 DVD (which will be released in December) will include an s5 prequel that is almost half an hour long. Sweet!

In site-related news, I am working on a major renovation for AIG.com to debut before Season 5. I haven't had a hell of a lot of time lately to work on it, but it is something I am committed to and I really hope you will all bear with me while I work on getting the madness that is my life sorted out. And no, I haven't forgotten that Tony Screencaps for season 3 aren't done yet. I guess I should really get on that before I have a whole whack of them to deal with once the s4 DVD comes out.

All my best to everyone.

--posted by Kasia

I know it's been awhile since the last update. Truth be told, I've been extremely busy after having picked up a couple of freelance writing contracts, so I haven't had much time to update AIG. Luckily, there are plenty of other quality 24 fan news sources to keep you all entertained (check our affiliates page for great sources). This will be just a quick update, but I will be adding more detail a little later on this week.

Firstly, you all know how much we here at AIG adore the work of Sean Callery, 24's resident composer. We love him so much, in fact, that we've started a fanlisting for him. Visit Composing Truth: The Approved Sean Callery Fanlisting today!

In other news, you all probably know that we here at AIG have been very very mean to one certain Daphne Brogdon and have made no secret of the fact that we don't think much of her skills as host of the FOX webcast "24 Inside." We recently received a correspondence from Ms. Brogdon addressing some of the comments we made about her. Unfortunately, as I write this, the e-mail is on my other computer so it will have to be posted a little later. But rest assured, dear readers, that Ms. Brogdon's e-mail will be published here on the site in its entirety, spelling and grammar mistakes included. I will also be posting an open response.

And finally, we could not let this year's Emmy nominations pass by without a little AIG commentary. The slate this year has a lot of newcomers, but 24 has retained its hold on many of the categories for which it was nominated last year. Once again, here is our annual assessment of 24's nominations and our predictions for its possible successes.

Oustanding Casting for a Drama Series - Debi Manwiller & Peggy Kennedy
Once again, the casting department was nominated for an Emmy Award. I have to say though that the casting this year was not nearly as good as it has been in other years, particularly when it came to the minor roles. Two actors from previous seasons were double-cast as different characters this year (remember Mamud Faheen 2???) and there were far fewer really memorable performances from the supporting cast this year than in the past. While 24 won in this category last year, this time around we're up against the likes of Lost, Deadwood, House and Nip/Tuck. Will we win? Probably not. I say this category goes to Lost.

Outstanding Cinematography for a Single Camera Series - Rodney Charters
A lot of great things about 24 wavered dangerously in the fourth season: the plot, the character dynamics and hardcore fans' commitment. But one thing that never faltered was the outstanding cinematography. The visual look of the show was as good as it has ever been. Charters gets a nod again this year for his work on Episode 23 (5-6 AM, Mandy blackmails Michelle, Tony gets killed but not killed, Mandy is apprehended), and it is a well-deserved one. This was the first time in 24 history where there were scenes shot in the rain and Charters did a fantastic job. Up against Carnivale, Deadwood and Six Feet Under (which is always beautifully shot as well), it will be some stiff competition, but win some and lose some. If Charters wins, it will be a bonus. If he loses, he can rest assured in the knowledge that he lost to a deserving competitor.

Outstanding Singe-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series - David Latham/Chris Willingham/Scott Powell
If there was ever any doubt who rules the editing room in Hollywood TV, there isn't anymore. Ever since its debut in 2001, it's been obvious that 24's editing team is absolutely the cream of the crop and is consistently doing work that is the most innovative and creative in the field. Ever since its debut, the trademark split screen editing technique has been ripped off by tons of different sources in film, TV and commercials. So it is hardly surprising to see that not only did 24 receive a nomination in this category, it received 3 out of a possible 5 for 3 different editors. David Latham is nominated for the Season 4 premiere, which certainly had some great cuts, particularly at the end of the episode when Heller and Audrey are ambushed and kidnapped. Scott Powell receives his nomination for the Season 4 finale,which includes highlights such as Marwan's fall from a building and the amazing scene where Tony, Michelle and Chloe help Jack fake his own death. Chris Willingham, the veteran, receives yet another nomination, this time for his work on episode 13, 7-8PM, the episode where Jack and Paul Raines fight McLennan-Forrester's mercenaries with the help of two young store owner civilians of Middle Eastern descent. All three of these had great editing moments, but I'd like to see Powell win it for the finale. Though odds are on our side with 3 nominations, a win is not a given. We are up against Lost's pilot episode, and that will be some very stiff competition.

Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) - Sean Callery
It's no secret that we think Sean Callery is the most talented composer working in TV and is a full-fledged, bonafide musical genius. This is the fourth consecutive year he's been nominated in this category, one nomination for every year that 24 has been on the air. He won in 2003 for Season 2. He should have won every other year as well. This year, Callery is nominated for Episode 20 (2-3 AM, Jack attacks Chinese consulate and Paul Raines dies). Like the editing and cinematography, the music of 24 is one of the few things that didn't suffer at all in Season 4. The episode for which Callery receives his nomination this year was once again a stand-out musically. Who could forget the low, bass-y, tragic notes that played deeply like a funeral requiem as Jack made the decision to let Paul Raines die to save a witness? I remember Kat commenting that this was Callery's finest hour of Season 4, and once again, AIG and the Emmy Academy agree on this point. However, that being said, Callery sees some very stiff competition from Michael Giacchino of Lost. Giacchino, the resident composer of Alias, did some incredible work on Lost this season. I would love to see Callery win, but as a veteran nominee, he may get passed over in favour of fresh blood. We'll have to wait and see.

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series - William Dotson
I know as little about sound editing now as I did last year. 24 always has great editing, both visually and for sound. Will we win against Lost? I doubt it. But anything is possible.

Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Series - Bill Gocke, Michael Olman & Kenneth Kobett
Ditto above.

Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Series - Matt Taylor
As always, the stunts on 24 were outstanding in Season 4. Actually, this plot this year was possibly even more action packed with even crazier physical stunts, so Taylor has a good shot at this award. Not surprisingly, Taylor is nominated for the 12-1PM episode where Jack rescues James and Audrey Heller from their terrorist kidnappers. This episode had some truly awesome stuntwork. But again, Alias will be some stuff competition.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Kiefer Sutherland
Nominated for the fourth consecutive year, this might be Kiefer's year. I don't think that his performance as Jack this year had quite as many highlights as it did last year, and it definitely did not have as many as either of the first two seasons. Sutherland's performance as Jack Bauer suffered a great deal at the hands of bad writing and a season that was focused a lot on a plot that couldn't make up its mind where it was going to the detriment of the introspective character-driven scenes that ushered Kiefer into this slot at the very beginning. Keifer's performance as Jack Bauer sorely missed the talents of Elisha Cutherbert as his daughter Kim and Sarah Clarke as his dark mistress and nemesis, Nina. Kiefer's best scenes were those with Kim Raver as his girlfriend Audrey Raines, and there weren't enough of them. But he could definitely still win, if only getting the nod because of how he was completedly robbed of this Emmy when he did deserve it for the last 3 years. If James Spader wins again, I will vomit. Serously. Kiefer could very likely lose to Ian McShane of Deadwood or newcomer Hugh Laurie of House.

Outstanding Drama Series - Joel Surnow, Howard Gordon, Robert Cochran, et al
To be honest, I was a little surprised we managed to squeak into this category again this season. This season was far less inspired than past seasons and there was some heavy competition from new shows. I feel like a total traitor, but I don't think 24 actually deserves this award this year. Did it deserve it last year when it didn't win? Hell yes. Did it deserve it in 2003 when it didn't win? Damn straight. Did it deserve it in 2002 when it didn't win? Fucking rights it did. But this year, up against the fresh and inspired Lost, this lagging fourth season just doesn't have what it takes. Not to mention competition from Six Feet Under and our old nemesis, The West Wing. If we do win, it will be a cumulative result of having been robbed of this award for the last 3 years. I am rooting for Lost in this category, and I feel like a fucking traitor.

Well, that sums up the 24 Emmy round-up for 2005. We'll be watching on September 18 to see how it all plays out.

Oh, and apparently there is a new 24-themed Calorie-Mate commercial, but I left the URL on my other machine. Will post that ASAP.

--posted by Kasia