Update: Megan Fox Transforms into Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

So Megan Fox has been officially replaced. And did it go to some of the actresses in the running? Nope. It went to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the Victoria Secrets lingerie model.

I guess Michael Bay came to the realization that when you work with actresses they constantly want to do this really annoying thing called acting. Much better to have a lingerie model to give this direction to:

"In this scene, I need you to bend over and stick your ass out. Oh, and this part is really important, make sure to lick your lips."

"Lick my lips?"

"Yeah. Like you want to blow him."

"In which scene did you want me to do this?"

"In every scene."

(source)

Jack Bauer Power Hour

This is just a great look back on 24. It shows just how important this show was to a country that had lived through 9/11 weeks before it aired and how it broke the major rules of television again and again.

Check out the video essay here.

Megan Fox Transforms into...

So Megan Fox is off Transformers 3. The decision was hers according to her, stating Michael Bay was being verbally abusive. Paramount says it was their decision not to re-option her contract. However, earlier press releases state that it was ultimately Bay's decision.

I am inclined to believe Fox on this one. Because Bay lies all the time. This was the guy that said that Megatron was not going to be in Transformers 2, not hinted or implied, flat out said he wasn't going to be in it. Then guess who was in the movie?

But it ultimately doesn't matter. She is off and now her list of replacements has been narrowed down to three: Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Sarah Wright, and Brooklyn Decker. Huntington-Whitely is the frontrunner at this point. And now you ask yourself, "Who the hell are these people?" Good question. Wright was in The House Bunny. Decker is a swimsuit model that just landed a role in Just Go with It, a comedy starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, and Nicole Kidman. Huntington-Whitely is a Victoria Secrets model that has never acted before.

Hmm...a lingerie model with no acting experience? Sounds like the perfect person to play the co-lead of a multi-million dollar blockbuster. Sounds like Bay's thinking to me.

Bay says he wants to launch a fresh face in the role, but I'm sure there are mitigating factors leading to that. The film is already in production (started May17th) and the actress that is cast will have two weeks before she starts filming scenes with Shia LaBeouf. That's a pretty tight window. Also, there is the fact that he is Michael Bay and not Christopher Nolan and big talent only works with him for a paycheck.

On a final note, they are already in production and are now having to rewrite the script to kill off one love interest and introduce another. Yeah, that doesn't sound like a bad idea.

(source)

77 and 24

I just wanted to give an update on on film I talked about a while ago: '77. The film had its official premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival where it won the Heineken Red Star Award, which is awarded based on merits of innovation, originality, and vision. Unfortunately, this was during October 15-19, 2008 and there still seems to be no release date in sight.

Now on to the main event: 24.

I thought about posting last night but I wanted to give myself a chance to absorb everything that had happened and not just go on my gut reaction.

Spoilers for Season 8 of 24 ahead, including the finale.

This has been a pretty good season on the whole. I enjoyed the inclusion of multiple staples of CTU threats: assassinations and nuclear bombs. Hell, there was even a slight biohazard threat as the nuke was a dirty bomb, designed to disperse radioactive material to poison its target. I enjoyed Chloe finally getting her chance at running CTU. And above all, it was terrifying and awesome to see a Jack Bauer that was unhinged and out for blood. If you thought you had seen what Jack was capable of, you hadn't seen anything yet.

However, it had some pretty low lows. Almost exclusively Dana Walsh. Her whole back story of being an ex-con and having some redneck boyfriend from her past come back for her and blackmail her was quite possibly the worst, most uninteresting plot line in the shows entire run. Her character was saved when she became a double agent working for the Russians and suddenly took on multiple dimensions, rather than the one she was walking around with.

The last two hours of 24 were filled with some great moments. Such as President Taylor threatening to bomb the hell out of the IRK in order to force Dalia Hassan to sign the peace treaty. Or Jack's moving goodbye to Kim that shows President Taylor the error of her ways. Or Chloe managing to talk Jack down from pulling the trigger on the President of Russia. But most of all, Jack thanking Chloe for all the years of looking out for him. That really hit home. These were all satisfying moments leading to the end.

My issues with this ending is there is so much left unsolved. President Taylor broke up the peace agreement but never set anything in motion to begin the repair of distrust. Nor did she ever give her speech she kept promising to give (wait for it) within the hour. I am glad Jack lived through his last day but was sad to see him on the run again, and presumably, for the rest of his life. I felt that, despite his revenge killing spree, Jack had finally earned some peace. But maybe not. Maybe that is just what I wanted for him. Instead, he remains one of the most tragic characters to ever appear on television. Of all the previous seasons, the only character that is with Jack at the end is Chloe. He has lost everyone else. And in his final moments he says goodbye to her as he loses her too.

It's a heartbreaking end for the series as Jack runs off and the clock ticks down to zero.

Goodbye, Jack. Thank you.