JackBauer24's Blog

FINISHED EPISODE 15!!!! 2 Episodes left!

Posted by JackBauer24 at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments

The DC Comics Encyclopedia

My Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you're a fan of DC Comics, this is the guide for you. It's a detailed guide to hundreds of characters from the DC Comics universe, from the well known like Batman and Superman, to the less popular. It's a great guide because it doesn't erase the past like many of the single-DC comic guides do (for example, Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight virtually erases Batman's pre-1970s history) but rather acknowledges it, mentioning even the most ridiculous of characters. It's fairly well updated as well, featuring mentions of events from more recent storylines like Hush and Bruce Wayne: Murderer. The only negative to this is that it's disproportionally detailed, giving more detail to some minor characters where it is not necessary instead of giving more information on the bigger cats, like Superman and Batman. It's a petty disappointment, and really meaningless when you consider the wealth of information contained within. For the comics fan in all of us, from the old-time fans of Action and Detective Comics to the newer fans of post-NML Batman and Superman, this guide is a must have.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

Analyze This (1999)
Rated R
Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring Robert DeNiro, Billy Crystal, and Lisa Kudrow

The Plot:
When a mobster (DeNiro) begins to have near-panic attacks, he thinks there's something wrong with him. Enter Dr. Ben Sobel (Crystal), a family psychiatrist who never imagined that this would be the "Family" he'd be treating. (Hey, I didn't write that joke. Don't blame me for it.)

The Good:
This movie was surprisingly funny. It had a lot of cute moments, and DeNiro was great to watch. Of course, Crystal is the star of this film, but he manages to play his character "lighter" than others would, giving his performance an interesting neurotic feel. Of course, Joe Viterelli is the best to watch here. He adds a dimention to the movie that really boosts its appeal.

The Bad:
Nothing major.

The Ugly:
Robert DeNiro should never cry on screen. EVER.

The Bottom Line:
Check this movie out. It's got a great cast, some pretty funny jokes, and a dream sequence filled with ironic glee.

My Rating: 4 out of 5.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

Comic Book: The Movie (2004)
Directed by Mark Hamill
Starring Mark Hamill, Donna D'Errico, Billy West

My Rating: 3 out of 5

This straight-to-video movie is about geeks, for geeks, and by a geek. Mark Hamill does a spoof of the geek-a-thons that are Conventions, playing a major geek himself. It's rather slow, and most of the jokes in it are aimed specifically at geeks (for example: one of the funniest jokes IMO is a tiny clip where Billy West stands near a picture of Phillip J. Fry from Futurama. He then turns to the camera and smiles. Only a geek would find that funny, since West was the voice of Fry. It's little stuff like that that fill this movie). If you're a geek at heart, you will enjoy it.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

Here's a fun quiz...please take it and post it in your blog...
(x) - you've done( ) - you haven't done(?) - maybe...

( ) been drunk
( ) been high
(x) kissed a member of the opposite sex
( ) kissed a member of the same sex
( ) crashed a friend's car
( ) been to Japan
( ) ridden in a taxi
( ) been in love
( ) been dumped
( ) shoplifted
( ) been fired
(x) been in a fist fight
( ) snuck out of my parent's house
( ) ever had a crush on someone of the same sex
(x) had feelings for someone who didnt have them back
( ) been arrested
( ) made out with a stranger
(?) stole something from my job
( ) gone on a blind date
(x) lied to a friend
(x) had a crush on a teacher
( ) had sex
( ) given or recieved oral sex
( ) celebrated mardi-gras in new orleans
( ) been to Europe
(x) skipped school
( ) slept with a co-worker
( ) been married
( ) gotten divorced
( ) had children
(?) seen someone die
( ) been to Africa
( ) had a crush on one of my Live journal friends
( ) Slapped someone I loved
( ) Driven over 400 miles to attend a show/festival/fetish ball
(x) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
( ) Thrown up in a bar
(?) Purposely set a part of myself on fire
( ) Eaten Sushi
( ) Been snowboarding
( ) Met someone in person from the internet
( ) Been moshing at a concert
( ) had real feelings for someone you knew only online
( ) taken partially nude/nude photos of yourself
( ) been in an abusive relationship
( ) been pregnant or got someone pregnant
( ) lost a child
(x) gone to college
( ) graduated college
( ) done hard drugs
( ) tried killing yourself
(x) taken painkillers
(x) love someone or miss someone right now
(x) been out of state
( ) told your parents you hated them
( ) faked being drunk
( ) dropped out of school
( ) crowd surfed
( ) met someone famous
( ) told a member of the same sex you had a crush on them
(x) lied to get out of trouble
(x) lied about your age
( ) thrown up from drinking

Posted by JackBauer24 at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

"Malice at the Palace."
"Deeeetroit BasketBRAWL."

In case you've been living under a rock the past few days, there was a big fight at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Friday night, during the Pistons-Pacers game.

Here's what happened: a fan threw a cup at one of the Pacers players, and that player went berserk and went up into the stands to attack the fan, starting a major fight that left several Pacers players suspended and one Pistons player suspended for a foul that started the whole thing. There's more to the story, but I ain't no sportscaster. If you want the rest, go find it.

My problem is that everyone is now blaming Detroit and the Pistons fans for the whole thing, when the fight was really the fault of this one Pacers player, Ron Artest. If he hadn't gone up into the stands, this whole thing would have never happened. He should have just pointed the fan out to security, had the guy removed from the game, and leave it at that. Instead, he attacked the guy and started some serious shit.

On ESPN, the anchors, in the most unprofessional piece of reporting I've ever seen, immediately jumped to the conclusion that the whole thing was the Detroit fans' fault. One anchor even said "Pistons fans are punks." That's bullshit, people. Fresh and smelly.

People are so ready to blame Detroit for this whole thing, simply because it happened at the arena for a Detroit team (The Palace is really in Auburn Hills, Michigan, quite far from Detroit). This could have happened anywhere, and I think that if it had happened at another arena, no one would say a word. But people are so ready to bash Detroit at the first opportunity, that it was easy for them to do so. Do you know that I heard one person say "This could only happen in Detroit."? That's probably the dumbest comment I heard in this whole situation. This could have happened anywhere in the world. It was mere coincidence that it happened here.

Frankly, this crap from ESPN and all the other "professional" newscasters attacking Detroit, like the comments made by Jimmy Kimmell during last year's playoffs, just shows that people really don't know anything about Detroit. It's a wonderful city. Certainly it's not the cleanest or safest city in the world, but it is not the hellhole that people want it to be. Certain historical events have colored people's opinion of the city. It's annoying as hell, and I'm sick of it.

People are also trying to make this a race issue about the city of Detroit, and to that I say this: the fan who threw the cup at Artest was a white guy from the predominately white Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills. This is not a race thing, nor is it a Detroit thing. It's a Ron Artest thing.

I'm not saying that the fans are blameless in this manner. But ESPN and some of these other news channells would have you believe that it's all their fault. Artest should know that YOU DO NOT GO INTO THE STANDS FOR ANY REASON. He's been suspended for a full year, and he got what he deserved.

This "Basketbrawl" has brought out the worst in a lot of people, and let's hope that it doesn't happen again for a long time.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments

Nothing major to report. Chugging along on episodes 15 and 5. I should have more time over the weekend to work on them, though, so we'll see what happens.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments

I HATE THOSE FUCKING CELL PHONE RING TONES!!!! THERE'S NO FUCKING REASON TO HAVE THEM, OTHER THAN TO SHOW OFF TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO REALLY DON'T GIVE A SHIT.

For those of you that don't know me, I work for a library. In the library, we have signs posted that tell people that cell phone use is prohibited in the library. There is a chart with the rules of the entire library system and it's posted right there. And even if you don't see those, it's COMMON FUCKING SENSE to be quiet in the library, and therefore, to not have your cell phones on. RIGHT?

This morning, this woman came into the library and her phone rang. It was one of those overly conspicious musical tones, too. She walked out of the library, did her conversation, then returned. Then, her phone went off again!!! She went back out and did her conversation, then returned. And guess what? Her cell went off AGAIN! FUCKING AGAIN! You'd think that after the second time, a person with reasonable intelligence would have put the phone on vibrate, or better yet shut it off. But not this one! Oh, no.

God, I hate these cell phones. Unless you're a fucking doctor, there is absolutely no reason for you to have to have your fucking cell on as loud as you possibly can 24 hours a day, 7 fucking days a week! You know what? I have a cell phone. I have it on silent all day, and when I get a chance, late in the day, I check and see if anyone called, then I return their calls. IT'S NOT THAT FUCKING HARD, PEOPLE!!!!!

AAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


/bitch mode: OFF

Posted by JackBauer24 at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments

GO TO www.starwarz.com/deletedmagic NOW!!!

Posted by JackBauer24 at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments

I know I've been promising for a while to tell you guys about Halloween, and the truth is that a few weeks ago, I spent an hour typing up a real detailed account of the night. But my damn computer crashed before I could save or post it, so it got lost. I know I'm probably never going to actually write all that again, so here's the basics:

• My best friend Kevin invited me to a Halloween party that was on the night before Halloween.
• It was me, Kev, his aunt, his uncle, and his mom.
• His uncle went as John Kerry (this WAS before the election) and Kevin and I went as Secret Service agents. Kevin even got us fake earpieces. We looked great!
• When we got there, we had a big grand entrance that we led him in with. Everyone got a kick out of it.
• We placed third in the costume contest and won $50!
• Kev and his family did karaoke.
• We played 5-6 games of darts and his uncle won in all but the last one. In the last one, by a stroke of luck, I won.
• I was there till almost 1:00AM. You know, there's something cool about driving down 696 at 1AM.

Basically, I had a great time. Eventually, maybe, I'll post pictures.

Matt/JB24

Posted by JackBauer24 at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

Lazy day. Haven't had much time to work on AU over the past two days due to school and work and all that crap, so I've still yet to start episode 5. Episode 15 is about half done now. Over the next two weeks, though, I'll have more time to work on it since school's lightening up for Thanksgiving, and my mom's gonna be gone for a week or so on vacation. I'll probably spend 90% of the time mom's gone on the computer, either on-line or working off the documents. I've also been a little distracted from the project lately because my mom just got us DSL, and I've been playing with that. Eh, well. I'll talk to you guys later. Maybe if I get ambitious today at work, I'll type up a new preview.

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.
ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments

Like last time, I'm gonna give you just a bulleted list of preview items. All of these are notes that would have appeared in a series called THE ALTERNATE VERSIONS OF 24: ALTERED UNIVERSE.

• "...That was one of those lines that really felt right for Chappelle's character. It was just a great moment where you read it and get a chill, like when viewers saw that great awkward hug in Season Three. The thing that took me a while to understand was that Chappelle isn't just Jack's asshole boss. He's also a CTU employee, a former husband and father, and other things. This line led to the establishment of Chappelle's background, which I felt was necessary to make him a more sympathetic character."
• "One thing that you have to remember about Tony is that he doesn't like Jack when the first season starts. Tony's attitude and his actions in the early episodes of the season were designed to make us think that he was the mole in CTU. Now that we know he is not, looking back on his actions makes him just look like an asshole who really doesn't like Jack Bauer. I decided to exploit that for this season, and you end up with some tense but interesting conversations. It's through this new method, however, that the two men come to an understanding and eventually become the friends that they seem to be in seasons 2 and 3."
• "[This particular scene] was very difficult for me, because I knew it had to end in a specific result, but as it was written originally, it looked very bad for the Secret Service agents of the show. I'm a big supporter and believer of the Secret Service, and I just couldn't in good conscious leave it the way it was originally written. It took me three or four re-workings just to get the original outline to satisfaction, and for the script I think that I finally got a nice balance. Part of the reason that the [text deleted] happens the way it does is because I wanted to make the Secret Service look better, and show that Jack Bauer isn't the only one trying to keep David Palmer alive. It was an interesting challenge, too, because I didn't allow for much room to give Agent Pierce and the other agents an actual storyline since I removed much of Palmer's tale for this series."
• "[The decision to take Palmer's storyline out] was very easy for me because while on the show it is very interesting, it's not something I wanted to write when I first started on the series. It was a little too slow, and all of the information relevant to his tale was out there in the show. Since I was already faced with bringing out the information on Operation Nightfall in a new way, I wasn't about to try to rework the Carl/Keith/Lyle Gibson storyline too."
• "Many of the character names, such as this one, are combinations of the names of Detroit radio hosts. If you know my tastes in radio shows, you can probably figure out where the names came from and who the character was based on."
• "Humor became a larger part of 24:AU than it is in the actual show. This is partly because I have a twisted sense of humor that I have a hard time restraining. There were a few instances where I just had to let it pop up in the series. In this way, George Mason became a fun character for me to write because he was the only character that I could write quips or jokes for and they felt right for the character. I mean, I gave a few quips to Jack and Chappelle and a few other characters, but they never really felt like something the character would actually say. The only character the lines would have felt right with is Mason, but in most of those scenes, Mason was tied up. As a result, there are a few moments in the series that are cute little lines that may not feel right for that particular character."

Can't type more today--I'll post more tomorrow.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments

Catch Me if You Can (2002)
Directed by Stephen Speiberg
Starring Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Walken

My Rating: 4 out of 5.

The final of Speilberg's loose "runing man" trilogy (the other two being AI: Artificial Intelligence and Minority Report), this movie is the true story of a con artist who made his way across the country scamming airports, hospitals, and other places while an FBI agent doggedly tracks his moves. It's a good movie that starts off a little slow but picks up as the movie goes on. Look for especially interesting performances by Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments

Bone (Graphic Novel)
Created by Jeff Smith

Before I get into my review of this, let me tell you that I read the first few issues when they were printed in a kid's magazine that I used to read when I was a kid. They never printed the whole thing, though, so I had to wait almost ten years for the conclusion to this series. Hell of a build of anticipation.

The Plot
When cousins Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone (small white creatures with big noses) are run out of their hometown of Boneville, they find themselves in a strange valley filled with weird creatures and a massive history that is returning to haunt it.

The Good
This graphic novel series is amazing. It's a great mix of humor, action and fantesy and is really damn entertaining. It's a graphic novel (i.e. a comic book), but it isn't just for kids. It's definitely entertaining for all ages. Think of it as a combination between Disney comics, Star Wars, and the Lord of the Rings. There's a wicked sense of humor underlying this story that grabs your attention, but it's the mystery and history that really keeps you reading. The characters are all unique and interesting, from the Bone cousins to the STUPID, STUPID RAT CREATURES (if you've ever heard of an online geek refer to something as stupid, stupid ----, here's where that came from) to the Great Red Dragon. I really can't say enough about this. It's currently available in two forms; as a nine-book graphic novel series, or as a gigantic 1300+ page single volume graphic novel.

The Bad
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Ugly (here you go, Clownie)
The Rat Creature leader Kingdok. He starts out creepy and gets worse as the series goes on.

The Bottom Line
Go find this series. RIGHT NOW!!!

My Rating: a big 5 out of 5!

Posted by JackBauer24 at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments

Drawn Together
Rated: TV-MA (for lots of crap; I'm not about to list them.)
Starring Adam Carolla, Jess Harnell, Abbey McBride

My Rating: 0 out of 5!!!

Terrible. Just terrible. The concept's good, but the show sucks. If you've got nothing else to watch, go do something else, because this show ain't worth wasting your time on.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

The Rock (1995)
Rated R for Graphic Violence, Language, and a scene of sexuality.
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris

My Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Rock is a good action movie with some great action setpieces, but it tends to stretch the boundaries of plausibility. A good popcorn flick, and Connery is a joy to watch. Features one of the best car chases in cinema history, too!

Posted by JackBauer24 at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments

Finished with Ep 4's final outline today. I'll get started on ep 5 as soon as I can. Bookin like mad on the first draft outlines.

Oh, and if anyone wanted to know, THE COMPLETE OUTLINE is so far 54 pages (after only 4 episodes), with an additional dozen or so temporary script portions.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments

In case anyone cares, I'm having an incredibly shitty Saturday.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments

Shattered Glass (2003)
Directed by Billy Ray
Starring Hayden Christensen, Peter Saarsgard, Chloe Sevigny

The Plot

Shattered Glass is the true story of Stephen Glass (Christensen), a reporter for The New Republic, who was known for the exciting stories of his articles. When the facts of one of his articles are questioned, he quickly finds his web of lies unraveling around him.


What's Good?

This movie is truly one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Christensen is excellent as the Glass, evolving from an earnest and endearing writer at the beginning of the film to a man who has seen his world get shattered by the end. Sarsgaard is also excellent as Charles Lane, the New Republic editor who discovers Glass's lies.
The film moves at a quick enough pace to keep it interesting, and you find yourself drawn to the characters more and more as it progresses. It does a terrific job of opening with Glass as the hero and evolving to show Lane as the true hero of the story, despite a somewhat inauspicious introduction. It's deeply interesting throughout, and keeps you watching till the end. Who could want more?
--Keep an eye out for excellent performances by Hank Azaria, Steve Zahn, and Rosario Dawson


What's Bad?

Not much, really. I think there were a few details of the story that could have been explored better, but considering the film's length (just over an hour and a half), exploring those details would have left the film feeling crowded.


What About the DVD?

The DVD's not as extras-packed as most, but it makes the most of the features it does have. Of special interest is the 60 Minutes piece done on the real Stephen Glass that makes an excellent bookend to the film. The sad irony of it, however, is that after watching a film about how easy it is to manipulate the information put out in the media, you have to wonder how much of the 60 Minutes piece is fictionalized.


The Bottom Line

A great movie. This is definitely one to see.


My rating: 5 out of 5.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments

Yes!

I finally did it! I finally finished episode 14.

I’m back to work now. A week and a half of near inactivity (due largely to a test that I HAD to study for) preceded by two weeks of writer’s block has been washed away. Over the past two days, I’ve gotten back to serious work of 24AU. Here’s where things stand right now:
–Episode 14's first outline is complete and ready to go into THE COMPLETE OUTLINE.
–THE COMPLETE OUTLINE is finished up to about 10:45am. That’s episode 4.
–Episode 15's first outline has been started.
THE COMPLETE OUTLINE is getting easier now. Episodes 4 and 5 were the only episodes of the original scripts that were actually in real time. What needs to be done in converting them to TCO is merely reforming a few scenes to jive with my changes to earlier episodes and the plot of the rest of the day. After episode 5, things will get even easier because episode 6-14 are already in the outline form I’m using for TCO. Then it’ll just be a matter of typing them up and cleaning up minor details. It’s starting to look like I might actually reach my goal: to have THE COMPLETE OUTLINE complete by January 1, 2005. I’m shooting for a May 19, 2005 premiere for my scripts, but don’t hold me to that.

The odd thing right now is that my sense of real-time is a little off right now. I’m writing scenes and fitting them into times much smaller than they would need. Here’s an example: the other night, I wrote a scene in TCO that I figured as running from 10:30 to 10:34. I was a little suspicious of that, so I typed up the whole scene using a script writing program on my computer. The scene turned out to be almost 7 pages long–roughly 6 and a half minutes. I’m starting to get the distinct impression that 24: Altered Universe is going to be MUCH longer than I ever intended. If could well be the longest single-season 24 fanfic out there. Jeez. The handwritten outline for eps 6-14 alone is 170 pages. Just the OUTLINE! And that’s without the first five or the final three! I already have written over a ream’s worth of paper on this–I’m quickly filling a cardboard box with old outlines, story ideas, and drafts. When all is said and done, I’ll post a total on this blog of the amount of pages the whole process took.

Until next time, this is JackBauer24.

6 months until the release of 24AU?
2 months until the completion of THE COMPLETE OUTLINE?
2 months since I started this blog.
3 months since I started TCO.
6 months since I started the outlines for 6-14.
11 months since I started 24AU.
1 year, 9 months since I first got the idea for 24AU
– seconds until I go insane.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments

"We were having one of those arguments and she took a butcher knife and went out and slashed the tires of my truck, so I dug up an old polaroid of her and entered her in Penthouse's *****a-thon, and she won, and I used the money to buy me some new tires. Then she superglued my dick to my stomach. You see how these things sorta escalate? Still itches, too."
--Ron White

Posted by JackBauer24 at 1:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

Have you seen the first trailer for Star Wars- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith? I have. It kicks ass! I can't post it on this blog, but if you go to IMDB.com's RotS page, you can find a link to the trailer. It's pretty damn cool.

Oh, and no, I haven't forgotten about the halloween story. I spent an hour on Thursday typing up a summary of it, but the computer froze and it never got posted. I'll try and get it within the next week.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments

Happy (Belated) Halloween! I got major news on what happened Saturday night, but I don't have the time to post it right now. I'll post later.

Posted by JackBauer24 at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. No real news to report. Just trying to finish the episodes I'm working on. I haven't had much time for AU due to the fact that I am facing a test that could cost me the class I'm in. Once I get past the test, I'll be working more on the story.

http://www.jb24.blogspot.com

Posted by JackBauer24 at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments