Simply Everything

By Peter K. Lam

Tom Wellings as Clark Kent and Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan

I was sad to find out today that Allison Mack, who plays Chloe Sullivan A.K.A. Watchtower, has decided not to return as a season regular for the tenth and final season of “Smallville!” She is one of my most favorite characters on the show. When “Smallville” started nearly nine years ago, Chloe was just Clark’s best friend who happened to catalogue Smallville’s strange happenings on what she called the Wall of Weird. I didn’t ever expect her character to grow into such an integral part of the “Smallville” mythos. Her complex nature and strong heart turned her into a fan favorite.

As followers of the Superman comics know, there is no such character named Chloe Sullivan in Clark’s past. This knowledge has always made fans fearful that the show creators would one day kill off Chloe’s character. I can honestly say that I gasp and wrench whenever Chloe’s life is in danger because you never know if that’s the last time you’d ever see her character again. Luckily Chloe has stuck around and rather than disappear into limbo, she became Watchtower, the central command of the future Justice League of America. Gotta give some props to the “Smallville” executive producers because that was a pretty brilliant take on her character. Her intelligence and ability to just coordinate and be the backup for any situation truly makes her a watchtower.

Since Chloe Sullivan will be returning for several episodes of the tenth season, hopefully they don’t jack up her character at the very end like killing her off then having the JLA name their headquarters Watchtower in her honor. That would be an absolute waste of a brilliant character. Chloe deserves a proper send off and definitely should be part of the pantheon of DC heroes. I can’t wait for next season! There’s going to be lots of fun and action.

Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer in Fox's 24

By Peter K. Lam

The long wait for the return of Fox’s “24″ is nearly over! “24″ kicks off with a two night, four hour premiere event. Part one of the premiere airs tomorrow night at 9 pm and will continue on Monday, January 18 starting at 8 pm. This time Jack Bauer reluctantly returns from retirement to help protect a Middle Eastern leader determined maintain peace and negotiate international security with the United States.

“24″ is one of my favorites shows. It’s action packed, cinematic and has decent storylines. I watched season 1-6 on DVD and powered through mini marathons much like what I did with Battlestar Galactica.  Although “24″ continues to build upon its moment, the show is entering it’s eighth season. I’m not sure what more this show can cover.

The producers and Keifer Sutherland are not sure if there will be a ninth season but if they do make another season, both sides say that refined story returning to the roots of the show is essential. If they are not able to come up with a gripping storyline and return to the basics of the show back in season one, it might be best to end the series with season 8.

Eight seasons of any TV show is remarkable. “24″ is a show that changed the face of television but bringing big budget film making caliber to the small screen. The stories of terrorism and heroics have sweep over audiences making it one of Fox’s most highly rated shows. Sure “24″ could probably crank out one more season but if they aren’t able to do it well, we might be looking at another failure like season 6 was. Luckily the show was able to find balance and redeem themselves with an exceptional story last year in season 7.

I can’t wait for tomorrow night! The insanity begins once again!

Fox's "American Idol"

By Peter K. Lam

For those of you who’ve been shaking in your pants over Fox’s threats to leave Time Warner can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Fox and Time Warner have agreed to a broadcasting deal so Fox will continue to air on Time Warner. The contract expired midnight on Thursday but luckily broadcasts were extended till Friday as talks continued to formulate a deal.

Had Fox been dropped from Time Warner, many people will no longer be able to watch “American Idol,” “24,” “Fringe,” football games and more. It would’ve been devastating not only for the fans but both Fox and Time Warner. The network has many programs, several of which are highly rated. Viewership would’ve been cut down tremendously and in turn negatively affect the ratings of several programs.

It’s a good thing that they were able to strike a deal. I know several people who get TV primarily through cable instead of over the air so they would’ve been hurting big time. People that are able to receive TV from over the air signals would’ve been fine but that’s a small group of people in this day and age. Details of the deal were not disclosed so one can only hope that a scare like this would not happen again.