Review

Can '24' be saved?

By TIMES STAFF
Published July 16, 2007

It's a tall order. But apparently 24's producers are trying to make good on their pledge to give the show a royal shakeup. TV Guide reports the series had to scrap a seasonlong story line that would have had them shooting in Africa, due to cost concerns and time constraints. This has delayed shooting for up to three weeks, which is wreaking havoc on the stars' schedules. "I don't know what's going on over there, but they're going crazy," said Mary Lynn Rajskub, a.k.a. Chloe. What does Jack have to say about all this? Kiefer Sutherland had this to say to MSNBC: "Bauer will be his own boss. At the end of the sixth season he's tired, disillusioned with the government and doesn't want to have anything more to do with the presidency. He's going to be on his own." Now he knows how we felt after last season.

Beyonce's show too hot to handle

If you thought Beyonce had an explosive boom-boom before, you should have seen her a weekend ago in St. Louis. The singer's July 8 concert was marred by a pyrotechnics accident that sent two fans to the hospital with minor injuries. After the show, Beyonce herself stopped by the burn ward to meet and greet her unlucky fans. Be sure to get your flame-retardant blankets ready, because Beyonce's coming to the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa on Saturday. She's hot.

Baldwin not a fan of his own movie

Here's a movie that just shot to the top of our future Netflix queue: Shortcut to Happiness, a dramedy shot in 2001 about a down-and-out writer who sells his soul to the devil, starring Alec Baldwin, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kim Cattrall and Dan Aykroyd. Why is this such a must-see? Because it's "one of the biggest train wrecks of all time," said Hollywood-Elsewhere.com's Jeffrey Wells. According to the New York Post, Baldwin, who produced and directed the film, is trying desperately to distance himself from it, going so far as to replace his own name in the credits with the pseudonym "Harry Kirkpatrick." Apparently, the studio didn't like Baldwin's cut and renamed and rearranged the entire flick, turning it into a comedy. A friend of Baldwin's tells the Post: "Alec doesn't recommend unrecognizable films to his fans." But guess what - you have a chance to see it. Shortcut opened in only six cities on Friday, but one of them is Fort Myers. Road trip!

OVERHEARD

"I'm taking time off to feel myself out, get to know myself and appreciate other people."

Michael Richards, Seinfeld actor and racist ranter, in the Los Angeles Times; Starpulse.com says he's off to Cambodia to "find himself."

[Last modified July 16, 2007, 06:34:06]