Blogs.4Bauer

Kiefer’s done a series of commercials in Japan for something called “Calorie Mate.”

It’s some sort of snack food (why not just call it “Fat Food” or “Stuff Your Face”?).

Just had to share. Check them out. Full disclosure: I’m not certain I have them in the correct order, but I don’t think it matters too much.

Here’s one:

And here’s links to the others:

Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6

Imagine, if you will, a world where Jack Bauer was not Kiefer Sutherland but rather, say, Ricky Schroeder.

That’d never happen, you scoff. Don’t deny it, I hear you scoffing!

Aha, but that’s the thing. It could have happened (Source.)

Joel Surnow said he “was keen to cast a more youthful actor as lead in the action series.”

But then he met Kiefer, who was a whopping 34 at the time (the Rickster was only 31), and it was all over.

We’d conceived Jack as a guy who had a 16-year-old daughter but was still youthful enough to appeal to the Fox audience, which is skewed towards ‘young.’

Phew! Dodged that bullet. So to speak.

Thanks to Fox for the photo.

Apparently, on the Straight Talk Express this week, John McCain expressed his utter despair over our hero’s impending incarceration.

Carrie Dann from NBC/National Journal was on the bus when McCain exclaimed, “I’m heartbroken. HEARTBROKEN!” and pointed at a TV.

“Sutherland arrested,” read the cable news chyron. McCain shook his head as he rehashed the news that Kiefer Sutherland, the star of the hit action series “24,” will do jail time for a DUI arrest. “My hero, Jack Bauer!” McCain said with mock incredulity.

A reporter quickly pointed out that Jack Bauer might not spend a lot of time in jail.

McCain agreed:

If I know my Jack Bauer, he’s gonna be out of there in a New York minute! I’ve never seen him held captive for more than five minutes in any episode.

Because Kiefer’s just that kind of a standup guy.

He’ll serve 18 days starting Dec. 21 (the day 24 goes on a winter production break); that’s for his probation violation.

As for the 30 days he’ll get for the actual DWI, he can serve that any time before July 1 next year.

This is what Jack Kiefer had to say for himself, in a prepared statement:

I’m very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I’m deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers on ‘24’ and at 20th Century Fox.

More deets here. (Plus, me ranting about what the hell is wrong with stars who actually drive themselves anyway?!?)

Jack Bauer (aka Kiefer Sutherland) pleaded no contest to driving with a BAC over the legal limit (aka drunk driving).  He’ll spend 30 days in county jail. 

But wait, there’s more. 

Sutherland, star of Fox’s “24,” could face six months in jail for violating probation. Sentencing is set for Dec. 21, the same day the show begins its winter production break. (source)

Now I don’t know much about jail time.  Does he get sentenced and go straight to jail?  Let’s hope he goes to the bathroom before he’s booked, that’s a long time to hold it…even for Jack Bauer.

Do you go straight to jail after sentencing or do you get to save the world first?

TMZ.com says the Los Angeles County City Attorney’s office has officially charged Kiefer Sutherland with two misdemeanor counts of DUI.One is for driving under the influence and one for driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or above. He was arrested early Tuesday morning after making an illegal U-turn.

More importantly, the city attorney’s office asked that his 2004 probation be revoked.

He’ll be arraigned Oct. 16 in front of Judge Michael Sauer, he of “Paris Hilton must go to jail for violating her probation” fame.

TMZ reports that if he were convicted on both charges, he could face up to a total of a year and a half in jail and a $1,000 fine.

What might this mean for filming on Season 7?

No one knows.

Associated Press photo/Matt Sayles.

Turns out Kiefer’s got a few more DUIs under his belt — this would be his fourth, according to CelebTV.com (aside: what’s that?).

Here’s what the website had to say:

According to court documents first obtained by CelebTV.com, Sutherland was also arrested in 1988 for DUI and for carrying a concealed weapon and a loaded firearm in a public place.

In 1993, the actor was slapped with another a DUI charge.

Although Sutherland has at least four DUI charges to his name, CelebTV.com legal expert Royal Oakes says the ’89 and ’93 charges might not hurt Sutherland in court.

“The good news for Kiefer is that the old ones might not matter so much,” says Oakes. “Mandatory jail time is for back-to-back charges. Otherwise, the system kicks in to favor alcohol treatment, not jail.”

Ah, but what does any of this mean for Season 7? Who knows. The Hollywood Reporter says it’s unclear; he was due back on the set today.

In addition, HR said the 1993 case was a conviction for alcohol-related reckless driving.

He’s been involved in other alcohol-related silliness in the past couple years though, chief among them destroying the prototype for his McFarland action figure.

Associated Press photo/Matt Sayles, as Kiefer arrived at the Eco-Party

TMZ has updated the Kiefer Sutherland DUI saga:

Turns out, he’s on five years probation from his November 2004 DUI arrest, when he had a .22 blood alcohol level; he pleaded no contest to drunk driving at the time.

Given that not even three years have passed, if he’s convicted of this morning’s DUI, he will have violated probation.

Then Judge Michael Sauer, his judge in 2004, would decide the penalty. Who’s Sauer? He gave Paris Hilton 45 days in jail for violating her probation, which had nothing to do with drunk driving.

I somehow doubt Jack Bauer could throw Sauer up against a wall and hold him by the neck and get him to change his mind. Sauer might just give Kiefer double time.

Associated Press photo/Matt Sayles, as Kiefer arrived at the Eco-Party

According to TMZ.com, Kiefer Sutherland was arrested for DUI overnight. Sutherland is the star of the hit show 24, where he plays beleaguered CTU agent Jack Bauer who tries to keep the US safe from all manner of threat – foreign, domestic and mole.

TMZ has learned that “24″ star Kiefer Sutherland was busted on suspicion of DUI in West Hollywood last night, after allegedly blowing more than twice the legal limit of .08. This is the actor’s second DUI in the past five years — he was arrested in 2004. By California law, if he’s convicted, he must serve a mandatory minimum of five days in jail.

He was pulled over after being spotted making an illegal u-turn. He was able to post $25,000 bail and will go before a judge on October 16.

It looks like he’s got himself a jail sentence to deal with, which will come well before the season premiere of 24 in January 2008.

Cross posted to A Blog For All.

This gets filed under the heading of, “Um, what?”

When cornered (literally, according to TVGuide.com) by reporters the other day, Kiefer said he was proud of the Season that shall be known henceforth as the Crapapalooza.

To be exact, he said this:

“I felt that [Season 6] was no different than any other season. Every season we’ve had our strengths and every season we’ve confronted some bumps and hiccups. I felt that last year, the first four episodes were probably the best four we had ever done, and we certainly closed the show really well. We hit some rough roads around Episodes 13 and 14 [but] it’s a difficult show to write so we’re accustomed to running into things that we don’t agree on, but by virtue of the schedule, we have to plow ahead. But I was very proud of our last season.”

I (as would most) agree with him on the first four episodes (see my initial thoughts on Hours 1-2 here and Hours 3-4 here (wow, I’ve come a long blogging way).

But I’ve gotta think they filmed a different ending to the season and Kiefer didn’t know they used the crappy one when they broadcast it.

Anyhow, Africa is not totally off the table, apparently.

Again, Kiefer:

“We will maintain the Africa story line, but I think it was very difficult to shoot a television show on two, potentially three continents. They found a better way to tell the story from this country’s perspective.”

At least they gave up on the thought of pretending that Valencia (oh, wait, that’s been nuked) is the Ivory Coast (or whatever African nation they’re talking about; no one’s said anything other than “Africa,” as if it’s like, say, Staten Island).