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24 The Complete Series DVD Box Set Overview
On the lookout for a new box set to spend your evenings devouring? Today i recommend 24 the complete series (seasons 1-8, Live another day, and Redemption)
WHAT IS 24?
The concept is a simple one. The 24 complete series, features 24 episodes in each season, with all the episodes lasting for an hour each as we follow the life of Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) agent Jack Bauer.
Needless to say, these are fraught, tension-filled days, so there’s no sleeping and little time for eating. Throughout the show’s 8 seasons, we saw Jack battling presidential assassination attempts, nuclear bomb threats, deadly viruses and everything in between.
WHO IS IN 24?
Kiefer Sutherland starring as the aforementioned Bauer is the show’s only constant, appearing in every single one of the 24 complete series. Other regulars were Sarah Clarke (who also starred in Twilight) playing Bauer’s close colleague Nina Meyers, Elisha Cuthbert (The Girl Next Door) who played Bauer’s daughter Kim and Major League’s Dennis Haysbert is also a regular, playing President David Palmer.
The only other constants in the show’s life are Mary Lynn Rajskub, who played Chloe O’Brien, analyst at CTU Los Angeles, and Carlos Bernand, who portrayed Tony Almeida, another member of Bauer’s CTU.
WHY SHOULD I WATCH 24?
What set 24 apart from any other show was its format. All the events happen in real time, over the course of 1 day, giving us 24 hours (episodes) in a season. Don’t let the real-time element fool you, there’s no downtime in 24, it’s one of the most high-octane, thrilling TV shows in history, full of drama and action!
Here’s 24 interesting facts about the 24 TV series. It contains some plot spoilers, so look away now if you’ve not yet seen it…
1. In total the show has 192 episodes…
2. The show started in 2001 and ran until 2010. Season 9 was titled “Live Another Day” and it debuted in 2014 and 24 Redemption takes place between seasons 6 and 7.
3. Awards: 24 won two Golden Globes, had 191 nominations and won a further 62 awards…
4. 24 Season 7 has had scenes that were censored on Television but the scenes made it to DVD
5. During filming the actors weren’t told what would happen from each episode to the next…
6. In 2008, 24 was ranked the sixth greatest TV show of all time by Empire Magazine…
7. It was a requirement that all the cast had their hair trimmed every five days…
8. Approximately 25 hours of footage is edited down for just one show…
9. During season two, Kiefer Sutherland injured his leg whilst filming. To explain his limp, his character Bauer pulled a piece of debris from his leg in the aftermath of the plane crash…
10. Whilst filming season two, Elisha Cuthbert who plays Kim Bauer was bitten by a lion…
11. Completing a season (including post-production) takes approximately 42 weeks…
12. It was revealed that Jack Bauer had a tattoo in season three. Instead of recreating this each time with make-up, Kiefer Sutherland had the tattoo done in real life…
13. Season one is the only season that doesn’t feature the President of the USA…
14. Kiefer Sutherland signed up for three more series, during the filming of the fifth series…
15. After working together on the show, Freddie Prinze Junior said working with Kiefer Sutherland nearly made him stop acting for good…
16. Season one is the only season that takes place over a single day…
17. Kiefer Sutherland has never seen a full episode of 24…
18. Jack Bauer has killed a total of 267 people throughout the 24 complete series…
19. In season 3, the canister which contains the virus changes colour and size throughout the scene…
20. Sarah Clarke, who played Nina Myers, had to spend the entire first season in the clothes she wore to the audition, as she was cast on the morning filming began…
21. The series is produced by the Fox network…
22. 24 is the only Fox network drama to win an Emmy (as of 2015)…
23. Every even-numbered season features more kills than an odd-numbered season…
24. 24 was originally supposed to be a romantic comedy, showing 24 hours in the day of a wedding…
DC’s Justice League Takes Over The Cereal Aisle!
DC’s Justice League Takes Over The Cereal Aisle!
General Mills Partners with DC’s Custom Creative Studio + Advertising Team for New Cereal Box Artwork and Original Comics
DC Entertainment’s Custom Creative Studio + Advertising team is bringing Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the Justice League to the cereal aisle through a new partnership with General Mills featuring six Big G cereals. The new promotion features an all-star line-up of comic talent, bringing Big G characters to life dressed as members of the Justice League on the cereal box covers, including:
– Honey Nut Cheerios’ BuzzBee as BATMAN with art by Dave Johnson
– Lucky Charms’ Lucky the Leprechaun as GREEN LANTERN with art by Joe Quinones
– Cocoa Puffs’ Sonny the Bird as THE FLASH with art by Karl Kerscher
– The Trix Rabbit as SUPERMAN with art by Amanda Conner
– Multi Grain Cheerios featuring WONDER WOMAN on the cover with art by Neal Adams
– Cinnamon Toast Crunch (available exclusively in Family Size) featuring the Crazy Squares as AQUAMAN, CYBORG, and GREEN LANTERN with art by Tony Daniel
DC fans will want to collect all of the cereal boxes to piece together a Justice League five-part mural on the back of each box penciled by Ivan Reis with inks by Joe Prado and colors by Marcelo Maiolo. Plus, each box will include one of four original, custom comic books featuring DC’s Justice League characters. The four original, 24-page comics from DC’s Custom Creative Studio include:
– SUPERMAN: POWER PLAY written by Tony Bedard, penciled by Jerry Ordway
– BATMAN: DARK REFLECTIONS written by Fabian Nicieza, penciled by Rick Leonardi
– WONDER WOMAN: TRUTH HURTS written by Ivan Cohen, penciled by June Brigman
– AQUAMAN: ALIEN JUSTICE written by Tony Bedard, penciled by Tom Grummett
“We’re excited to bring DC’s Justice League to a broad new audience on the cereal aisle with Big G,” stated Kelly Li, DC Custom Creative + Advertising. “This is just another example of how our team can bring top notch comic talent together to tell original stories with DC characters and organically incorporate top tier brands like General Mills.”
DC’s promotion with General Mills is part of a larger, ongoing partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and is the latest innovative campaign from DC’s Custom Creative Studio, following last year’s KFC: THE COLONEL CORPS custom comic receiving critical acclaim and an Ad Age A-List & Creativity Award nomination.
Build or Boom review
The object of Build or Boom is to be the first player to build the plans on the Blueprint Card. Once your building is done, smash your Boomer and your opponent’s structure comes down. If your tower matches exactly what’s on the card, score a point. Replace the blocks in the middle of the table and play again with a new Blueprint Card. The first Builder to reach 10 points wins.
Sounds simple, but is it really? At times, it can be, that is once the game has been played with for a while. Playing the game with my 5 year old, she and her friends struggled to get the pieces set up as pictured and it isn’t so easy to stack quickly with accuracy. For that reason, younger kids 5 to about 7 shouldn’t try to race until they really understand the game. It can be a super fast paced game that helps young children learn to react quickly and come up with some unique ideas, which is a great skill to learn. But, without the dexterity that older children have, it might make it downright frustrating to accomplish.
There’s 50 structures from the Blueprint Card deck to make. Build with speed but keep your buildings balanced. Some of these structures take some pretty careful balance. Ever build something several stories high on top of a cone before? You will now. Or boom goes the dynamite.
The game is well made from strong plastic and the packaging is sturdy. To optimize the game hopefully in future releases, they should rethink the platform by making it a flat concrete looking base and make the box from a cheaper material to cut on cost.
If you love games that are truly interactive, I give build or boom 3.5 out of 5 stars!
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: MILLENNIUM #1: based on the smash hit Stieg Larsson Millennium novels!
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: MILLENNIUM #1
Writer: Sylvain Runberg
Artist: Jose Homs
FC • 64pp • $5.99
On Sale: June 28, 2017
Facing prison time for libel, discredited journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired by a a reclusive industrialist to investigate an unresolved family disappearance. Aided by the mysterious computer hacker, Lisabeth Salander, the two soon discover a brutal trail of murder, deception and dark secrets.
Toy Fair 2017: Super 7
Here are just some quick teaser pics of the amazing world of Super 7
Anno Dracula Issue #1: First lettered interior art + launch event details!
Titan Comics is pleased to share with you the first lettered pages from ANNO DRACULA #1 – an all-new comic mini-series based on the best selling ANNO DRACULA novels, written by creator Kim Newman with art by Paul McCaffrey (The Third Doctor).
Take a bite out of this exciting new comic series on 22 March, 2017!
The Anno Dracula series depict an alternate 19th-century history where the characters of Bram Stoker’s Dracula fail to prevent Count Dracula’s subjugation of Great Britain, creating a world where vampires are living amongst humans and a central part of society.
Titan Comics’ brand-new Anno Dracula #1 comes with some spectacular variant covers to collect from top industry artists including; Paul McCaffrey, Tom Mandrake (The Mummy), Brian Williamson (The New Avengers), Jeff Zornow (Halloween), and Mike Collins (Batman) as well as a special Forbidden Planet / Jetpack Comics variant cover by Ben Oliver (Justice League, Batman/Superman).
Anno Dracula #1 hits comic stores and digital platforms on March 22, 2017 and is available to order from January Diamond PREVIEWS now.
ANNO DRACULA #1
Writer: Kim Newman
Artist: Paul McCaffrey
Colorist: Kevin Enhart
FC • 32pp • $3.99 On sale: March 22, 2017
1895. Prince Dracula has ruled Great Britain for ten years, spreading vampirism through every level of society. On the eve of Dracula’s Jubilee, radical forces gather to oppose the tyrant. Kate Reed, vampire journalist and free-thinker, takes a seat on the revolutionary Council of Seven Days, though she learns that the anarchist group harbors a traitor in its midst. The Grey Men, Dracula’s dreaded secret police, have been ordered to quash all resistance to the rule of the arch-vampire. With intrigue on all sides, the scene is set for an explosive addition to the Anno Dracula series.
COVER B: TOM MANDRAKE (Order code: JAN171978)
COVER C: BRIAN WILLIAMSON (Order code: JAN171979)
COVER D: JEFF ZORNOW (Order code: JAN171980)
COVER E: MIKE COLLINS (Order code: JAN171981)
COVER: BEN OLIVER (FORBIDDEN PLANET / JETPACK COMICS VARIANT)
COVER: BEN OLIVER (“PHOENIX EVENT EXCLUSIVE” FORBIDDEN PLANET / JETPACK COMICS VARIANT)
Southard Freeman Toy Fair Media Room Brand Showcase
I was able to cover this event over the weekend during toyfair and i was given an entire walkthrough of all the toy/merchandise line for Thames and Kosmos, Green Toys, Magformers, Peaceable Kingdom, Odyssey Toys and much more and here are the photos i have taken for it.
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Kaiju Epic! Releases Monsters New And Old, Real and Epic
KAIJU EPIC! is the newest title from publisher Big Dog Ink, and a pet project for lead writer, Tom Hutchison. Kaiju Epic! is grounded in the campy, fun-loving genre of the giant monster, such as Godzilla or Gamera, but this particular story also adds a bit of “real” kaiju to the mix, as well as legends of the end of days from around the world. Readers will find monsters they may have heard of, like the Kraken or even Quetzalcoatl, roaming the pages of Kaiju Epic!, but there will also be all-new monsters created just for this series.
Kaiju Epic! will be a 5 volume series each with two separate stories. These stories will take place on opposite ends of the globe and give a real feeling of the end of the world, rather than the destruction of a specific city. Tom is joined by co-writer Kari Castor. Kari is known to BDI fans as one of the writers of the hit mini-series, Shahrazad.
Kaiju Epic! is no standard comic book, either! This is a huge 48 page monster sized comic book!
Tom’s story takes place in both China and the South America, specifically the Gulf of Mexico, where Bermeja Island has reappeared in the Gulf after being lost for decades. In China, a dragon headed tower has been unearthed, and it carries with it a strange connection to Bermeja and the rock concert that is planned to take place there.
Kari’s story takes place in London, England and follows a group of friends who have a tendency to dabble in eco-politics and animal protection. But this group is forced to re-evaluate their stance when something from legends of old appears and begins to shake London to the ground!
The overarching story is based on the Hopi Indian’s stories of the cycles of man and the Purifier. These stories will blend with other cultures “end of days” myths and allow us to see mankind as a whole struggling with the kaiju destruction of the planet. Kaiju Epic! will also mix genre tropes along the way by taking giant monsters, ancient gods and rock & roll and tossing them into the story blender to create something that is unique, relatable and fun.
The Kickstarter campaign will launch February 18th, during the AZ Eventure Con in Phoenix Arizona. Exclusive covers will be available in limited editions, as well as digital editions and art prints.
Writers: Tom Hutchison
Artists: Renato Rei and CB Zane
Cover Artists: Renato Rei, CB Zane, Rob Duenas, Samantha Sawyer and Matt Frank.
Colors: Ceci de la Cruz
Letters: HDE
Logo: Kel Nuttall
Toy Fair 2017-Dark Souls The Board Game
I had no clue that this game was being made until i saw it at Toy Fair and i was blown away. The board game started life as a humble Kickstarter project. In time, however, it amassed an army of backers some 31,178-strong. These rabid “Souls” and board game fans then proceeded to raise more than $5.4 million in crowdfunding. Now that’s a Kickstarter success story!
The Company behind the game is Steamforged games and it is a 1-4 player exploration and combat game. It comes with many great looking minatures, dice, boards, cards and much more for you and up to 4 people to begin playing.
I was able to play in a boss battle against Dancer of the Boreal Valley (from Dark Souls 3) and i used both a Knight and Warrior to go against him. The Dancer’s actions are controlled by AI cards and your objective is to defeat him so you can advance to the next board. To do so, you have to have the best equipment and experience points avaliable. Your hits, dodges and blocks are determined by the dice and you will lose when both your stamina and health reach together. I was told that there was only about 5 people that actually defeated the Dancer since they started demoing the game back in the summer but I came close but i lost. When one player dies in the game, everyone else is sent back to the bonfire (or in this case, back to start) so it is recommended that you and your players strategize your moves before you make them.
The Game comes out in April and i cannot wait to try this in full.
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