Welcome To Elizabeth's Place!: 24 Finale Preview! Plus: Carlos Bernard Says Kiefer Sutherland's Head-Butt Case "Smells Bad"

Kiefer Sutherland's Return To Television Gets Cautious Praise

Kiefer Sutherland can't have felt anything but pressure as his first major TV role since 10 phenomenal years spent on '24' aired for the first time last night (26 January 2012).
Fans and critics were certainly eager to see how the Canadian actor was going to follow up what has come to be known as one of the iconic TV characters of the 21st century in secret agent Jack Bauer.
'Touch,' which sees Sutherland playing a single father of a mute son who sees things other cannot, aired last night for the first time - and the answer to whether he's managed to follow up what may be career defining role successfully?
A cautious yes, according to the critics.
Newsday was effusive in its praise, saying the program was "A bit melodramatic, a bit manipulative, Touch is still one of the best pilots of the 2011-12 season to date," and others were similar praiseworthy though understandably a little more cautious given it was the pilot episode.
"It's Mr. Sutherland's portrayal of the father--unyielding in his effort to break through to his mute child and grasp what he's trying to say with his numbers--that is the heart of this story, the power likely to sustain this promising enterprise," said the Wall Street Journal, whilst
TV Guide said "[Touch is] emotionally compelling but wildly fantastical and undeniably manipulative."Not all were enthused though, The New York Times commented "The 11-year-old boy at the center of the story has never spoken and is also the show's narrator.
It's a perfectly acceptable device, if not a particularly interesting one in this case," whilst the Los Angeles Times weren't fans at all, stating "Ironically, given a show that so clearly wants to touch its audience--from that weighty one-word title on down--we have met, apart from Martin, hardly a single character who incorporates more than the hint of an actual person.
"Contactmusic

Monday, May 18, 2009

24 Finale Preview! Plus: Carlos Bernard Says Kiefer Sutherland's Head-Butt Case "Smells Bad"

This Monday from 8 to 10 pm/ET, Fox's 24 wraps up its latest wild day with Jack compelled to set free his fallen friend, Tony, lest daughter Kim get killed. In this TVGuide.com Q&A, Carlos Bernard previews the surprise-filled season-ender, takes some issue with Tony's "bad guy" status, and also shares his take on Kiefer Sutherland's recent scrape with the law, saying the whole situation "smells bad."

Are we going to get a final showdown between Jack and Tony?
Bernard: The thing that's going to be really satisfying for fans is that we definitely get a face-off between the characters. We just screened [the finale] for, like, 1,200 people, and they went bananas. It's probably my favorite finale in the seven years.

Watching Kiefer convulse during Jack's seizure scenes gave me chills. As his scene partner, what's it like standing there, laying witness to that?
Bernard: He's pretty fantastic, and so great to work with. When we have scenes together, we know it's going to be a great day. We really push each other to new levels.

Brooke Shields is saying that she can't fathom the frenzy surrounding her, Kiefer and this head-butting case. [Sutherland was charged with misdemeanor assault after he was accused of head-butting fashion designer Jack McCollough, following an argument at a New York City night club.] How is Kiefer himself reacting to the media circus?
He's doing really well, considering. It's out there how I feel about it — he's a good friend of mine, and I've got to say I'm amazed by how patient and courteous he is with people coming up to him. I've never seen anything but that. I've never even seen him have a cross word with anybody. He filled me in on what happened [that night], and the situation just smells bad to me. I'm going to be completely honest with you — I think [McCollough]'s looking for publicity, and he got more than he was hoping for.

Vist tvguide.com for more of the interview http://www.tvguide.com/News/24-Finale-Bernard-1006138.aspx