So what is going to happen to Tony Almeida in this season?

Kiefer Sutherland admitted that Carlos Bernard wasn’t expecting fans to hold him personally accountable for his character’s actions. “Two episodes in he started getting hate mail,” he said. “Then he started getting the hate phone calls. It made him a little nervous.”

Carlos views Tony as a victim. “I don’t perceive Tony as evil. He’s gone through really traumatic events. He’s a damaged individual. He’s a guy who doesn’t trust anybody anymore, feels abandoned and feels he has to take matters into his own hands.”

Exec producer Jon Cassar urges viewers to reserve judgment until after Monday’s finale. “I know right now they are kind of upset that he’s bad, but it all kind of becomes clear in episode 24. We really wanted [the season] to end with Tony and Jack, and that’s how it’s going to end.”

Howard Gordon was slightly less apologetic. “If people are disappointed or don’t like [how Tony's arc is resolved], too bad.”

Source

There are SO many great articles about “24″ and interviews with the cast out, that I thought I would do a round up post on them. Get ready “24″ fans…you have a lot of reading to do! Here you go.

Articles about “24″:

• “24″ Goes Green
• Jack Bauer is Not Just a Character
• Cherry Jones Plays Formidable President
• “24″ is Worth Watching

Interviews with the Cast:

• Annie Wersching
• Cherry Jones
• Carlos Bernard
• Kiefer Sutherland

Image Credit: ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Michael Muller FOX

Carlos Bernard recently chatted with SciFi about the return of his character Tony Almeida! Bernard admitted he always knew Tony might not be ready to rest in peace.

“I’m very tight with the writers and producers, and I knew that when they did away with Tony in season five, they’d left the door open to possibly bring him back,” Bernard said. “I wasn’t shocked when they called me to come back, but I was definitely surprised.”

When Tony seemingly died in the arms of Jack Bauer in the fifth season, the character’s loyal fanbase went crazy! “I wasn’t aware of how vocal fans were getting on the Internet [at first],” Bernard admits. “[But] I was aware of it in terms of people coming up to me in the street and making their feelings known. It’s flattering.”

The fans are also hoping that Bernard may just take over for Jack Bauer, as Kiefer Sutherland has said that he only plans to do the show for a few more seasons

“I don’t know about that,” Bernard said, laughing at the idea. “I think the show, in general, is going to go another year, and then that’s going to be the end of it. I don’t really see that happening.”

What do you think?

©2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Kelsey McNeal/

Carlos Bernard graced the stages of Jimmy Kimmel live earlier this month to chat about rising from the dead on 24! Carlos chats about his return and says, “It’s been a really fun year. This is the first time we’ve filmed the entire year before it airs, so we know how it ends!”

Jimmy asks about the relationship between Carlos and Keifer. “He’s a bad influence, that guy!” Carlos says. “No, he is very polite and a great guy and a great friend of mine. We love each other to death, but man, a whole week with him was exhausting!“

Carlos Bernard chats with Hollywood 411 about being back on 24!

Carlos talks about the process of him returning to the show. “Actually, back in Season 5, when I was apparently killed off, I knew that they had left the door open, just a crack. They purposely did it in a way where they could bring me back. That being said, I didn’t think they were going to!”

“Anyhow, the producers called me called me and pitched this idea for Season 6. It was the last episode of Season 6 they were going to bring the character back. We all felt the idea was a little gimicky … sort of smacked of manipulating the audience a bit.”

So over the summer they kicked around the idea and brought him back in Season 7!

In regards to his character, Carlos says that “the character’s been through a lot. He’s finally reached the point where he snapped. He’s definitely damaged and he’s definitely got issues and things he’s trying to work through.“

We all know season six of 24 sucked. It was bad. So bad we longed for the cougar to return and finish Kim off. The talent behind 24 know fans we’re the most receptive to season six, and according to Kiefer Sutherland they’re doing everything they can to make season seven something we’d want to see.

“We’re not trying to invent the show. We’re trying to take what you guys say you like. We’re trying to take out what you don’t like and put in what you do like.” That right there? That’s so a backhand reference to the fact that no one liked last year.

Check out some photo’s of Kiefer Sutherland, Carlos Bernard and Jon Cassar below:

Exclusive panel photo’s to come in a little while.

Shocking right?  Every time Carlos Bernard got asked a question at last night’s 24 panel at Comic Con, he responded back with something snarky.  Not mean snarky, just smart ass snarky.  When asked if he though Tony Almeida was really gone for good, Bernard simply replied with, “Never!”

His working relationship with the cast and crew has been something to contend with, says Bernard.  First of all, I have to go back and work with these people. I don’t care what they say, it’s not easy.  I have to work with Kiefer, it’s not easy.  I have to basically write the story for them.  Not easy.” He quickly followed it up with a laugh, “No, no, it’s been amazing.”

Everyone’s glad to have Carlos back as Tony, even if the idea of his resurrection confused Sutherland at first. “I said how?  But the way he came back was so extraordinary.  So very 24.”

Kiefer wasn’t telling the audience how or why it was so extraordinary, so we’ll have to wait until January 2009 to find out how Tony’s not only returned from the dead but is at first glance, Jack’s new nemesis.

Thanks to Nikki Katz for her great Comic Con coverage!

Comic Con is officially in full swing, and 24 took main stage earlier tonight.  Present were Kiefer Sutherland and Carlos Bernard, along with executive producer’s Jon Cassar, Howard Gordon and David Fury.  They spoke briefly about 24: Exile, their working relationships and the upcoming seventh season, but for now, I’ll just post about Exile.

Howard Gordon initially did not think that doing a two hour movie was a good idea, but after some prodding he came around to the idea.  The writers’ strike gave them time to work the kinks, and according to Kiefer, “When we went to Africa, we arguable had the best script we’ve ever had.”

When asked if he’s had a favourite episode to shoot, Kiefer exclaimed, “I have to tell you that the stuff we did in Africa is up there.”

24: Exile features Jack Bauer in Africa, stuck in the middle of a civil war, protecting a school that provides safety for past child soldiers.  Cast and crew seem really excited about 24: Exile, do you think the prequel is going to live up to lofty expectations fans have now that the show has been off the air for so long?

Come back to 24HQ tomorrow where I’ll tell you about how Carlos Bernard is a smart ass, and why we never see Jack Bauer take a bathroom break.

*Thanks to Nikki Katz for all the great Comic Con reporting.  You rock!

Photo’s of the panel coming soon! Until then, check out the official 24: Exile photo’s released by Fox.

Two weeks ago I reported that 24 would have some kind of presence at ComicCon 2008 in San Diego. At the time actual details were unknown, but now TVWeek is confirming that both Kiefer Sutherland and Carlos Bernard have been confirmed for the 24 panel. Additional cast members and writers are expected to make appearances, as well as sign autographs at the convention.

ComicCon runs from July 24th - July 27th, with the cast and crew of 24 making an appearance on July 25th.

If any loyal readers of 24HQ are planning to be at the convention, let me know.

Source

Talk about reveals, this episode had them in spades. First we found out who was behind Kim’s kidnapping, then what Maureen Kingsley had on Senator Palmer. Plus Mandy’s an evil lesbian who cries, Nina’s not evil, and Tony’s a rat. And a brat. Ah the drama.

Turns out Nina wasn’t the CTU mole after all. Her computer had been hacked into. The thing that got her off? One weekend when her card was accessed, she was with Jack. Jack straight out confirmed to Jaime that he was dating Nina while he was separated from Terry, and even worse, he couldn’t say for sure if he didn’t give her confidential information. Bad Jack. Not to be confused with Badass Jack, who used the finger he cut off for a fingerprint. Tony is so not badass, as he called a higher up at CTU to try to get Jack ousted. Once again, BRAT.

Also bad? Senator Palmer’s son Keith. He’s apparently the reason Maureen Kingsley is after the Senator. Keith was involved in an accidental death a few years prior, but Kingsley seems to think it wasn’t so accidental. Palmer parked his vehicle is the most ghetto parking structure in LA, where he encountered two hoodlums who attempted to beat him with a baseball bat. Too bad Palmer’s strong like bull. He caught the bat with his bare hands, leading me to have a Major League flashback. He met with a shady cohort who promised to help deal with the matter, before the secret service finally hunted him down.

Mandy handled Brigit’s revolt by giving her the most overdramatic slap. It was hysterical. Then of course, they were revealed to be lesbians, and my issue with this plot grew exponentially. It’s already been established that Mandy is a black widow, willing to seduce men, and kill men to get what she wants. However, by adding the lesbianism to her sexuality it just creates one massive cliché. One I thought the writers of 24 would be above. There was no doubt Brigit was going to die, so seeing her get shot, followed by Mandy accepting Gaines’ offer of a new job, did have some emotional impact. Mandy was no doubt affected by her death, and one can only assume that she will get her revenge eventually.

Gaines was double dipping this week, as he was revealed to be the guy ordering the two jackasses who kidnapped Kim and Janet. I have to give Kim points for bravery as she did attempt a noble escape, but her friend was dead weight all along. Janet is left for dead after being hit by the car, but the cops are going to find her, and then she’ll be able to give some details into what’s going on. Anyone else think Jack’s going to be pissed that his little girl has been kidnapped? I can’t wait to see him kill the blond guy. Also, heroine probably isn’t the best solution to a broken arm. I’m just saying.

Discussion Questions:

• Tony Almeida, could you get any more annoying? It’s a testament to the writers and Carlos Bernard that Tony was this bad in the beginning. It’s hard to believe he’s the same guy.
• Does Nina Meyers still carry a torch for Jack? I couldn’t help but notice the annoyance in her voice when she relayed Terry’s call to Jack.
• Does Mandy’s sexuality as justification for her black widowness make you like the character less?

Episode 4 links will go up later in the evening.