jack is back and searching for Redemption

finally. some good news for 24 fans.

jack bauer (kiefer sutherland) is back, this time in a standalone 2-hour TV movie (Fox TV) that bridges the events of season 6 and the upcoming season 7. 24: Redemption, which is set in a fictional african country of Sangala, basically serves as a prequel for the expected structural “changes” in 24. 24: Redemption will be shown on november 23, 2008, and will feature a female president, Allison Taylor (played by cherry jones).

if you don’t mind reading spoilers, just click on this link. just be warned though, an old character (who jack thought was dead) will resurface and give good ol’ jack something else to worry about.

incidentally, 24: season 7 is scheduled to start airing in January 2009.

welcome back, jack. we sure missed you.

"Twilight" is just around the corner

it seems like everyone is anticipating the arrival of Twilight, which is based on the bestselling vampire/romance series authored by stephenie meyer. Twilight posters and ads are everywhere and book sales (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn) is really heating up.

the way i see it, there’s no way this film is going  to tank. in fact, i think it’s going to be a big hit. i guess it doesn’t hurt that this film has a cast of young, good-looking actors with charismatic screen presence — just the perfect ingredient to drag young viewers (and keep them coming back) into the theaters.

the lead couple is played by robert pattinson (edward cullen) and kirstin stewart (isabella swan). the cast also includes peter facinelli, elizabeth reaser, nikki reed, cam gigandet,kellan lutz and ashley green. Twilight is directed by catherine hardwicke.

pregnant guy expecting again

as if his first pregnancy wasn’t complex enough, thomas beattie — the man who famously got pregnant — is at it again.

beattie, who underwent a sex change operation 10 years ago, gave birth to a daughter (Susan) on june 29 and is expecting another child. in an interview with ABC’s barbara walters, he revealed that he had stopped taking male hormones after delivering his first child because he and his wife nancy wanted another child

the 34-year-old transgender (formerly known as tracy lagondino) also disclosed that his second child is due on june 12 next year.oh man.

film break: madagascar 2

i finished doing my errands earlier than expected last weekend, so i decided to treat myself to a movie.

after a casual perusal of the movies being shown, i noted with satisfaction that Quantum of Solace was on. a second later i saw Madagascar 2’s brightly colored floor display, and surprisingly stood there vacillating in front of the ticket booth as the couple behind me began to get impatient. finally, i blurted out “Madagascar.”

as full-length animated features go, Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa isn’t exactly top-notch but at the moment i wanted something light and frothy, and the resilient bond between alex the lion (ben stiller), marty the zebra (chris rock), melman the giraffee (david schwimmer), and gloria the hippo (jada pinkett-smith) seemed to hit the right spot.

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of course, when you come right down to it, much of the movie’s charm is provided by its zany cast of support players: spearheaded by king julian the lemur (sacha “borat” cohen) and his sidekick (cedrick the entertainer), and those penguins!

the plot runs along predictable lines but it’s easy to forgive that because there are other compensating factors (e.g., rich layers of colors and details). and then, there’s gloria’s laughter in the end (that tripped me up, because i was expecting something else).

i haven’t watched a james bond movie in years. i know daniel craig is a terrific actor and the gadgets and action sequences are prime (you expect nothing less from 007 movie), but after a while the plot just tends to repeat itself. 

for your viewing pleasure

i’m quite at a loss today, so to save myself from an extensive mental workout, i just “swiped” a couple of images from the PseudoShrink’s page because i feel these pictures really ought to be seen by millions of viewers out there.

this a paean to the undiluted charms of bunny-buns (a.k.a. Temperance Major Arcana. p.s. don’t ask me what it means because i’m in the dark myself.) enjoy it.

i’m flat-out tired and exhausted. wake me up when it’s time to eat.

this is just for starters. i’ve still got caviar and crackers in my icebox. yum!

*nibble, nibble, chomp chomp*

[sorry pseudoshrink. i just couldn’t help myself]. errm, for more updates and pics, just click on this link.

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UPDATE: sad news. i’ve just learned that bunny-buns met an untimely end today, courtesy of the family dog whose natural prey drive must have led him to view the rabbit as a convenient sport.

i guess this post might as well serve as something of a memorial for a remarkable creature whose brief existence transformed the Shrink’s household into a much livelier and interesting place. i’d like to believe that bunny-buns is friskily hopping his way into the pearly gates by now.