A couple of early, unfinished video trailers for the upcoming 8th season of 24 have been leaked online and they give us our first look at the next hectic and exciting day of Jack Bauer’s life. Here are a few screencaps from one of these new leaked trailers … as you can see, we also get our first look at new 24 castmember Freddie Prinze, Jr. as well as new castmember Kate Sackhoff in this new clip:

Now, as y’all are well aware when it comes to videos like these … they don’t tend to stay online for very long. After the jump, check out the two clips in full — while you still can …

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Amazing news for fans of both Battlestar Galactica and 24 … Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly is reporting exclusively that BG’s Katee Sackhoff has just signed a deal to join the cast of 24! According to Ausiello, Sackhoff’s character will be going head-to-head with Mary Lynn Rajkub’s Chloe O’Brien in the newly revamped NYC office of the show’s Counter Terrorist Unit. Um … OM-Frakking-G!!!

Suddenly, I find myself counting the minutes until 24’s new season. Perhaps this is why: Katee Sackhoff is joining the cast! Sources confirm to me exclusively that the Battlestar Galactica heroine has been tapped to play the series regular role of Dana Walsh, a highly respected and down-to-earth data analyst at the new and improved New York branch of CTU. Translation: Chloe-Starbuck catfight alert! This fraktastic casting coup hit a road block last week when Sackhoff abruptly took herself out of the running, prompting me to post this blind item. But late Friday, word surfaced that the BSG badass was once again in the mix. Here’s more scoop on Sackhoff’s character… She’s in a relationship with fellow agent Davis Cole (played by the just-cast Freddie Prinze. Jr.), and she apparently has a skeleton in her closet she’s trying desperately to keep hidden. As I previously reported, 24’s eighth season — which premieres Jan. 17, 2010 — will be set in the Big Apple and center on an assassination plot against a visiting foreign leader (Slumdog Millionaire’s Anil Kapoor). In addition to Sackhoff and Prinze, new Day 8 blood includes Forrest Gump’s Mykelti Williamson, Kissing Jessica Stein’s Jennifer Westfeldt (as a journalist with ties to Kapoor’s diplomat), and The Starter Wife’s Chris Diamantopoulos (as President Taylor’s Chief of Staff).

While I am not at all happy that Anil Kapoor will be on the show (he bugs me to no end), I’m thrilled that Katee Sackhoff has joined the cast … that she will be paired up with Freddie Prinze, Jr.’s character only makes the whole thing even more awesome! 24 remains my fave TV drama and from what we’re hearing about the new season, it looks like that will still be the case. Ugh … I hate that we have to wait until January to see our first ep of the series but at least we know we have much to look forward to! Excited much??

[Source, thanks Rawa]

More TV casting news from Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello … who is reporting that 24 has signed up a new castmember to join the show. Freddie Prinze, Jr. (hubby to the amazing Sarah Michelle Gellar) is joining the cast next season as a member of the newly reinstated Counter Terrorist Unit on the show:

Question: Got anything on 24? –Chris

Ausiello: Big casting scoop: Freddie Prinze Jr. has been tapped to play CTU’s head of Field Ops.

Altho this news is light on deets, allow me to wildly speculate for a minute. Kiefer Sutherland has said many times that there will come a time when Jack Bauer will have to die on the show. It is my understanding that producers are planning on introducing a young character to take the “Jack Bauer” position on the show if/when his death eventually comes. Could it be that FPJ is that character? A CTU Field Ops agent sounds like the perfect character to step into Bauer’s shoes. Again, this is mere speculation on my part but … you never know. I am very happy that Freddie got this role … what, with a first baby on the way, any money coming in can only be a boon. I love me some 24 … I can’t wait to see FPJ’s contribution to the show.

[Source]

Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Carlos Bernard and more were on hand at the Wadsworth Theater here in LA last night for a preview screening of the season finale of 24 (which airs on FOX next Monday night) and a launch event for the DVD release of Season 7 (which hits stores next Tuesday). Here are a few pics from the red carpet arrivals at last night’s event:

It PAINS me to reveal that I was graciously invited to attend this event last night but due to my previous engagement in Anaheim, I was unable to attend. I’m so happy to see that most of the cast came out for the event … including Glenn Morshower who plays the amazing Secret Serviceman Aaron Pierce on the show. He is my fave non-main character on the show. It’s really cool that the entire season of the show will be released on DVD the day after the finale airs … I really hate waiting months to get the DVDs after the season ends. This season started out a bit slow, IMHO, but it really picked up about 4 eps in … it’s been a great ride and it all ends next week. I’m still trying to get over the fact that Tony Almeida was a bad guy gone good gone bad. He is such a great character … I’m sure there will be a showdown with Jack Bauer soon (next week??). 24 remains one of my fave shows and I’m bummed that it’s ending next week … but it is of great comfort that the show has been renewed for at least 2 more seasons to come.

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

US Weekly compiled a fun batch of photos of fictional African American Presidents of the US from TV and film and I thought it’d be cool to share some of my faves. As I said before, the pessimist in me never believed that I’d live to see an African American elected to the highest office in the land and, yet, that day has come. But, before Senator Barack Obama became President-elect Obama we were introduced to a few fictional African American Presidents in movies and on TV:

James Earl Jones became “president” in the 1972 film The Man and Morgan Freeman became “president” in the 1998 film Deep Impact (about the improbability that a meteor could crash into Earth and destroy mankind). My fave fictional African American Presidents are the Palmer brothers, David and Wayne, who ruled the country in a few seasons of the hit FOX TV series 24. President David Palmer, I gotta say, is my fave fictional President of all time. But with the election of Barack Obama as our Nation’s leader, there is no longer a need for Hollywood to create fictional African American leaders … I guess they’ll have to resort to creating fictional female presidents (like in the upcoming new season of 24) instead. It’s pretty remarkable how far this country has come with one Presidential election.

[Source]

Here are a couple pics of Elisha Cuthbert making her way to the gym here in SoCal yesterday afternoon … seeing these pics of the lass reminded me that she, you know, exists. They also reminded me that last week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly reports that she has signed on to reprise her role as Kim Bauer on the upcoming new season of 24 … which is good ‘cuz, you know, there’s that whole forgetting that she is still alive thing:

This from the mag’s new feature Ask Ausiello: Ladies and gentleman, we’ve got a signed contract! Sources confirm to me exclusively that Cuthbert has inked a deal to reprise her role as Jack’s lightning rod of an offspring for a season-ending arc that will no doubt trigger a new round of wholly outdated and painfully unfunny cougar jokes. Per my 24 mole, Kim will return minus her old beau (sorry, C. Thomas Howell) and plus a child! That’s right, Kim’s got a little puma all her own!

Well hallelujah! It’s been ages since we’ve seen Jack Bauer’s only child on 24 and I was starting to wonder what the hell has been doing on with her. You may recall that Jack got sprung from a Chinese prison in the last season of 24 (which aired about 10 years ago) and we got nary a hint that his daughter even cared. I’m glad to see that Kim Bauer will still feature in Jack’s life … I gotta say, I miss that. I’m not the biggest Kim Bauer fan but I do like the complications that she adds to his life. It’ll be great to catch up with the character to see how she’s been doing. I just hope she fixes that fried hair before she shoots new scenes for the show. Oh yeah, I’ve thought WAY TOO much about this … can you tell I’ve been suffering from 24 withdrawals?

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

An industrious Pink reader gave me the head’s up that the teaser trailer for the upcoming 2-hour prequel epsiode of season 7 of the FOX TV series 24 has been found online. According to the video, the prequel is tentatively titled 24: Exile. The video is labeled a “work in progress” and was put together for the FOX TCA Presentation, so it’s unclear how long it will stay online … click below to watch it while you still can:

Here is a bit of information about the 24 prequel that has already been released and fills in a few gaps presented in this video:

FOX has scheduled a two-hour “24″ telefilm to serve as a prequel to the Emmy-winning drama’s long-delayed seventh season. The network announced on Thursday (May 15) that the “24″ special will air on Sunday, Nov. 23 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET. The extended episode will take place just a few months before the events of Season Seven, which will premiere in January 2009 … When the prequel special begins, Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer is in South Africa handling an international crisis. Back at home, the newly elected president (series newcomer Cherry Jones) is preparing for her inauguration day. That second part is bound to be more exciting than it sounds. “We’re excited about the prequel because it explores Jack’s complex emotional state of mind and still has all the signature excitement and suspense that fans have come to expect from ‘24,’” says executive producer Howard Gordon in a statement. “Shooting in South Africa affirms everyone’s commitment to making this season especially memorable for our fans.”

There is further explanation of the upcoming 7th season of 24 available but I am putting it behind a cut so as not to unduly spoil those of you who may not want to know about key surprises that are in store for the new season. After the jump, read the rest of this report and find out more about what we can expect from Day 7 of 24 …

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