Hollywood veteran Donald Sutherland was forced to turn down the chance of playing real life son Kiefer’s fictional dad in hit TV show 24 – because he was too busy.
The actor was tied up working on Fool’s Gold when Kiefer approached him about the role, which ultimately went to Babe star James Cromwell.

Oh come on, Donald Sutherland as Jack Bauer’s father. Like that is even believable.

The 72-year-old- an avid viewer of the action series – says, “He asked me to play his father but I couldn’t because I was doing (Fool’s Gold). That was sad.
“When it turned out I couldn’t do it, I said to Kiefer, ‘Why don’t you have it turn out that James is your stepfather? And then I come in…”

Hell, Jack Bauer as a pissed off step-child? Donald should write for the show, that plot sure beats the hell out of the Africa plot the real writers were toying with. That would also make the subplot of Josh Bauer as his blond lovechild less objectionable. After all, it would mean that it was his step-brother’s wife Jack was messing around with instead of his biological bro’s.

Source: PR-inside

Alberta Watson’s name is on the IMDB cast list for the first episode of Season 7.

Name doesn’t ring a bell? Go all the way back to Season 4. Recall CTU Director Erin Driscoll? No? Remember the CTU director whose schizo daughter killed herself while in CTU medical so her mom collapsed and basically had to be carried out of work and was never seen nor heard from again?

Yeah, I thought that might jog your memory.

But given that Season 7 begins with Jack in front of a Senate committee, defending his actions (many of which Driscoll disagreed with), it’s not a wholly unreasonable thought that Driscoll might show up for at least a cameo appearance.

BuddyTV opines (thanks for finding this tidbit, guys):

Erin Driscoll could easily testify against him or, if she’s a changed woman, for him. But, she was a firsthand witness of what Jack was capable of at CTU, and would definitely be called upon to testify before Congress.

So, what do you think? Will we see Erin Driscoll or did IMDB just make a mistake?

Photo via Alberta Watson Fans.

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?

24‘s added another woman to the cast for Season 7 — Carly Pope, late of the show Popular and also co-star of Dirt on FX (horrible, horrible show) — according to The Hollywood Reporter (that Pope’s joining the cast, that is, not that Dirt sucks. That’s just my humble opinion.).

Anyhow, she’s also been in the indie movies “Itty Bitty Titty Committee” and “Young People Fucking.”

Don’t ever say I don’t look out for you guys.

Anyhow, she’s going to play Samatha Roth, the girlfriend of the president’s son, who is missing. Roth, they suspect, is connected to his disappearance.

Photo courtesy of Fox.

Yep, you’ve heard that last name before —Ever (what a name. but it’s better than Apple, I guess) is the granddaughter of John, daughter of Robert, neice of Keith and David and also is a cousin of Martha Plimpton.

She’ll play an FBI agent. She also has a recurring role on Women’s Murder Club, which debuts Oct. 12 (next Friday) on ABC, which I know all of you will be tuning in to see (ha!).

According to Wikipedia:

The first of her legendary family to go to college, Carradine played volleyball and skiied during her time at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She started as an anthropology major, later following her family by switching to a theater major midway through college. After graduating from Lewis & Clark in 1996, she returned to Los Angeles and promptly landed guest parts on several television shows including Diagnosis Murder, Tracey Takes On…, and The Sentinel. In 1998, she received her first recurring guest role as “Rosalie”, a love interest on Party of Five. She is also remembered during that era for her role as “Pepper”, a ditzy assistant on Veronica’s Closet. In 2003, she got her first regular series role on Lucky, an FX drama about a professional poker player living in Las Vegas.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

I read on Blogs4Bauer that Tony Almeida is coming back for Season 7 and I think that’s really great. Tony was a real swell guy and never got a silent clock. Come to mention it, I never got a silent clock…can I come back for Season 7 as well. Please?

Seriously, I would really like to come back next season and I have some great ideas that would really help the writers of the show. Are you listening Manny Coto, you no-talent hack? Jack in Africa? What in the hell were you thinking?

The first thing I’d do is give me a better name, Lynn is a girl’s name and I was always getting teased by the CTU security staff. How does Lance Powers sound? Powers and Bauer, we could be nicknamed Bacardi and Baileys. Watch out bad guys – here comes Powers and Bauer! Sorry Jack, I meant Bauer and Powers.

I would also need an eye patch, a mustache, and a motorcycle. No make that two eye patches. Have I mentioned the midgets? We’d need at least three that would be there to serve us drinks and fetch babes. Then we need a cool black dude who’s only role is to wear aviator sun glasses and say cool things like “damn bro’ that’s gonna leave a mark” and “he did not see that coming“.

Well that’s all that I’ve come up with so far. There’s this one storyline involving an underground dolphin fighting ring, but I’ve yet to hear back from Brett Farve on his availability.

Powers out.

Annie Wersching is a lock. She’ll be an FBI agent squaring off against Jack. She’s being named as the “major new female lead.” Maybe she’ll finally get Jack’s mind off Audrey. (Please!)

Bob Gunton is the other name being dropped. He played SecDef Ethan Kanin in four episodes last season. In other words, he’s the guy who succeeded the best SecDef ever, James Heller. He’s also the guy who made Karen fire Bill. He’s in negotiations to become a regular this season.

Wersching’s claim to fame is as a star of General Hospital, playing Amelia Joffe. She’s also been in eps of Supernatural, Company Man, Boston Legal, Cold Case and lots of stuff like that. Gunton’s a character actor who’s been in tons of stuff.

If this entry sounds rushed, it was. I wanted to make sure to post it before bRight caught wind of it.

Jeffrey Nordling, who co-starred on “Dirt” this year, has joined the cast of Fox’s “24″ as an FBI agent.

Also joining the real-time thriller is John Billingsley (ABC’s “The Nine”), whose character details are being kept under wraps.

It is good to see that progress is being made. It is also good to get up early on a Friday morning and beat AmyV to the punch. ;-D

Janeane spilled the beans in an interview with the Ottawa Sun. (She’s in Ottowa, Canada, shooting the made-for-TV movie “Binky.” I kid you not. It’s described as being “about the bittersweet relationship between a cranky rock critic and her [dead] mother’s Jack Russell Terrier.” Alrighty then.)

She told the Sun that she and Coiro’s characters will be working together on a counter-terrorism task force and she doesn’t know if they’re going to be good guys or bad guys.

The best news about this? Casting is continuing apace! Maybe the writers actually know where this season’s going, finally.

She’s scheduled to report to the set in Hollywood on Sept. 7. Hopefully, things won’t be postponed again.

And OK, here’s a quote from Janeane, about the fact that she’s a total leftie on a show considered by many to skew to the right. It’s gonna send all of you into paroxysms of, well, something:

That’s why I feel like I’m being punked. I feel like the creators are going to make me say things that cause my sphincter to tighten.

Photo of Coiro courtesy of HBO, by Claudette Barius.