Okay, this is an unprecedented emergency memo. We are actually in the midst of debriefing on what else but THE RETURN OF TONY ALMEIDA. Kat keeps refreshing the hit counter to see UNPRECEDENTED levels of traffic. This is the most hits that we have ever received in one day, and it is truly a fucking inspiration to see how much passion the awesome character of Tony Almeida has generated in the fanbase of 24. I'm eager to post some acknowledgment of THE GREATEST COMEBACK IN 24 HISTORY.

Seriously, THE FUCKING SOULPATCH. The naysayers mocked it. The satirists lampooned it. The faithful respected its awesome power. And now it is back. Not because Carlos Bernard felt like not shaving, but because THE SOULPATCH IS TONY!!!! Tony has come full circle.

There is truly so much to say. I am thrilled to report that Matt is debriefing with Kat and myself right here, right now, in the immediately aftermath of THE RETURN OF TONY. This debrief will cover THE MIRACLE THAT IS THE RETURN OF TONY in excruciating detail and will be posted post haste.

THE SOUL PATCH LIVES!!!!!!!!

ALMEIDA BE WITH YOU ALL!!!!!!

--posted by Kasia

Happy Holy Day to all. Something pretty neat happened with our site. It seems that Allison Robertson, guitarist of the Bay Area chick rock group The Donnas is a fan of AIG! I find this pretty neat. I'm not a hardcore Donnas listener, but my boyfriend has been a fan of them for a long time and got me into them a bit over the summer. I have to say that "You Wanna Get Me High" is definitely a great track and I'm also rather partial to "Take It Off." Not that I wanna get all crazy and star struck or anything, but I find it pretty damn cool that Allison Robertson would tell her fans about our site on The Donnas message board.

Here is a copy of the message Allison posted on The Donnas forum:

Greetings & Salutations...

xoxo,
Allison

If you would like to see the original message posted by Allison at The Donnas message board, click here. You will have to register as a user to view it.

In other news, thanks to Kat, Famous Last Words has been updated.

--posted by Kasia

An esoteric discussion between Matt and myself regarding the overwhelming need for Tony in Season 4 is posted in 24 Mega-Fandom. This started off as an attempt to debrief on the most recent episode and evolved into a full-on Tony love-fest.

In other news, Nothing To Be Sorry For: The Approved Aaron Pierce Fanlisting has been given a facelift and now has a new look. If you love Pierce (as you well should!) don't forget to visit.

--posted by Kasia

A delayed debrief transcript has between Kat and myself for the most recent episode 12PM - 1PM has been posted in 24 Mega-Fandom. Matt is MIA right now due to some personal stuff, so don't know when he'll be back in action, but I'm sure he'll be back for the return of Almeida. This debrief is pretty scant. Even though both Kat and I loved this episode, we didn't seem to have too much to say about it.

There is a new site on the Almeida Is God Fan Network! Visit Brother's Keeper: The Approved Wayne Palmer Fanlisting today!

--posted by Kasia

I finally got through the Famous Last Words for the past 5 episodes, so they've been posted. Cast Spotted Log has also been updated. Happy Holy Day to all!!!

In other news, amidst all the excitement of Tony's iminent return, some of you may not be aware of how desperately we here at AIG miss David Palmer. The Palmer storyline received a lot of flack last season for being kind of an "auxiliary" thread, and people were downing on David. But his absence in s4 has made all of us realize just how much we miss him! Not that we didn't appreciate David last season, but man, classic case of "don't know what ya got til it's gone" for a lot of fans. We are constantly assured of the brilliance of the 24 creative team when they always live up to our high expectations of what HAS to happen in order for this wonderous show to maintain its title as "Greatest TV Show of All Time." This is no exception. Without trying to spoil anything for anyone, read more here and here.

--posted by Kasia

Today is a very special day for us here at AIG. It is our birthday! One year ago today, on January 19, 2004, we unveiled this site for the very first time! It took us awhile to catch on, but we are so proud of how far we've come as a fansite. We have grown from a simplistic temple of Tony-worship into one of the most popular, comprehensive 24 fansites in the English language and host of the largest 24-related Fanlistings Collective on the web.

When Matt and I first came up with the idea for this site, we talked about all the crazy, hilarious features we wanted for it all the time, but never in a million years would I have imagined that we would actually produce all the content we have to offer our visitors today. The 24 Season 1 Ultimate Fan Commentary alone is sheer insanity! Anyway, to commemorate this special day for us, I'd like to acknowledge how much I have enjoyed running this site for the last 12 months -- not only because I love Tony, but because I love being part of this community. It makes a real difference to me to know that the work I've done has been enjoyed by over 16,000 fellow Tony and 24 fans throughout the world. It has been like a friend to me. Join us in celebrating a milestone of obsessive fandom today!

If you'd like to see what our site looked like when we first opened on January 19, 2004 (without graphics), click here. If you'd like to see what we looked like after our first facelift in February of 2004, click here. These links don't always work because the servers on archives.org are really busy.

In other news, the debrief for the latest episode, 11 AM - 12 PM, as been posted in 24 Mega-Fandom. Matt and I thought this was a pretty weak episode compared to how the season started off, but we remain optimistic that Almeida's iminent return will pick things up. No, I still don't have Famous Last Words done. I really gotta get my act together.

--posted by Kasia

There is a new site on the Almeida Is God Fan Network. Visit Dataphile: The Approved Adam Kaufman Fanlisting today!

There is also a brief article here about the return of Tony and Michelle to Season 4, including which episode Tony returns in and a little bit of spoilery info about Tony and Michelle. Don't read if you don't wanna know.

In other news, Happy Holy Day to all! I have still not yet finished doing Famous Last Words for last week's episodes. This is what happens when you are a 100% geek fan that suddenly gets a life. Anyway, I swear I will finish this tonight before the show airs. Also, I still have 5 other fanlistings to work on. Yes, you should pity me and the mess I've gotten myself into :)

The Golden Globe Awards aired last night. 24 lost to Nip/Tuck for Best Drama Series. I can't even bring myself to be outraged by this. We won last year, and rightfully so, but given that we are only 4 episodes in to this season, I can't say it was much of a shock or disappointment to lose. We got our moment in the sun last year, and I am happy with that.

--posted by Kasia

Season 3 Tony Screencaps for Episode 12, 12-1AM, have been posted in the Gallery. I still haven't had time to do Famous Last Words. This weekend I plan to catch up on that, as well as all the other crap I mentioned in my previous memo. Man, being such a dedicated 24 fan is damn hard work!

Cast Spotted Log has also been updated.

I also received my copy of "24: One Shot", the 24 comic book, in the mail yesterday. I ordered it way back in October, but Amazon.ca had to special order it from the supplier, so it took forever to arrive. I thought it was REALLY neat, especially because the story in it takes place as a prequel to Season 1, so all of our favourite characters are back for more action, including Walsh, Nina, Tony and Jamey Farrell, and includes the first meeting between Jack and Nina. The way it ends is certainly interesting...

In other news, stuff like this pisses me off. The comments made about how the audience knows nothing about Jack as a person, which makes it difficult to care about him as a character, are simply laughable. I feel sorry for people who need every little thing spoonfed to them through unecessary expository dialogue. Does anyone really care if Jack Bauer prefers Ginger or Mary-Anne? Please! Throughout 3 seasons and starting on the fourth, the audience has seen the character of Jack Bauer go through monumental trials and an incredible range of character development. He is a different man now than he was at the beginning of the series. His hobbies are incidental, as are most of the boring details about anyone's life. The members of the audience who "get" this show and who have followed it are aware that Jack Bauer is a complex man with a complex soul, that he rides the line between what's "right" and what's necessary, that he can be as ruthless as any of the terrorists he's pursued, or as benevolent and human as David Palmer himself -- especially when it comes to his daughter or other innocents. This is what attracts us to the character of Jack and what makes us care about him, not whether he does woodworking on the weekends or ever watched Gilligan's Island at all. And don't get me started on the blatant insults to Kiefer Sutherland's acting abilities. For someone who freely admits in the article that they watched the first two seasons only casually, and then hardly watched the third season at all, to make judgements about the show (especially in terms of character development, which evolved very slowly over the courses of the seasons) is just garbage. It's like talking about how disgusting brussel sprouts taste if you've never eaten them. People are fucking clueless.

--posted by Kasia

The Official AIG Debrief for last night's 2-episode stint is posted in 24 Mega-Fandom. This debrief is quite long and includes detailed discussion between Matt and I, not only of what transpired in last night's episodes, but also Season 4 so far in general, as well as some sentimental discussion of past seasons in comparison, some of our old favourite characters, our theories on where Season 4 is going and our hopes for the future. As always, feedback, comments and additional discussion from our readers is always welcome on The Open Channel.

I did not get to updates of other areas of this site (most notably Famous Last Words). There just aren't enough hours in the day. Last season, I seriously had no life. I would come home from work every day and spend the evening by myself watching episodes of 24, working on this site and talking to Matt and Kat about the episodes on MSN. This season, my schedule is a lot more hectic. I have a boyfriend who I spend a fair bit of my free time with and I'm working out at the gym twice a week, not to mention the rest of my TV viewing schedule, which is back in complete full swing with the return of 24 and Alias. Things seem a little overwhelming right now because we basically had 4 episodes crammed into 2 days, so it will take me some time to get caught up. Thankfully, we now have a week until the next episode so this weekend should afford me some time to get to some of the things I have on the backburner (including 6 unfinished 24-related fanlistings, Season 4 episode updates to this site and the remainder of s3 Tony screencaps).

Speaking of Tony screencaps, I have finished capping episode 12, 12-1am, but have not yet finished formatting the images for posting on the web. This should be finished very soon, so stay tuned.

Anyone who hasn't yet watched the 2 new 24-Inside interview montages posted on the Fox website should go and watch them immediately. The videos are comprised of interview clips from a recent 24 cast party, and includes footage of some of the new cast, as well as all our old favourites. For fans of Tony and Michelle, there is some great footage of Carlos and Reiko. I particularly enjoyed Carlos's comments about the Jack/Tony bond. I've never been a huge fan of the 24-Inside webcasts, because I really hate the people they've gotten so far to host them, and I really don't think they bring that much to the table except for the casual fan. Most of the audience questions (and even a lot of the questions posed by the interviewers) are really basic, obvious stuff that most of the people who have loyally followed this show for all the seasons have already pretty much figured out the answers to on their own. However, I still watch them because once in awhile, the guests (actors, writers, producers, etc) touch on something or get deeper into something that I, as a serious and dedicated fan, get something new out of. I really wish I could just sit down with Carlos Bernard someday over a few beers and pick his brain, instead of listening to him answer the same questions from the same lame interviewers season after season. Anyway, my point is that these videos are just a series of interview clips where the cast members sit down in front of the camera and talk to whoever is behind it, and then the best sound bytes are shown. I enjoyed them.

--posted by Kasia

OK, the Official AIG Debriefs for last night's premiere have been posted in 24 Mega-Fandom. If you would like to add your own comments or continue with discussion of the stuff we talk about in our Debriefs, don't forget to register for the Open Channel Forum, where our readers can share their thoughts with us on debriefs and their own critical analysis.

Famous Last Words will be updated after tonight's show, as I may as well just do them all at once.

WELCOME BACK, ONE AND ALL!!!

--posted by Kasia

Well, the glorious moment arrived last night. The premiere of Season 4. I approached it with a lot of excitement, but also a little trepidation, as I knew that there would be very few familiar faces and a lot of changes. However, all three of Matt, Kat and I enjoyed the premiere very much and are absolutely thrilled that our favourite show is back in action. The new cast members all look to be very interesting, and this season looks like it will be fantastic! I can't believe there is 2 more hours of it tonight!

There is some interesting discussion resulting from our debrief last night, but I probably won't have a chance to post them until I get home tonight. There are 2 debriefs to post, as well as updates of some of our other regular features, including Famous Last Words. Obviously, many of our features will not be in full swing for this season until the inevitable return of Tony, but I'm thrilled to be back at it.

Also, it has taken me a long time to warm up to Chloe, but she was so awesome in last night episode that I have at last broken down and joined the Chloe Fanlisting!

I have also not hyet had the opportunity to watch the new 24 Inside webcasts with the new cast yet. I wanted to get to know them and their characters a bit before viewing them, so reviews of those will also be forthcoming. Look for major updates a little later today, as I will need something to keep me occupied until the show comes on tonight.

--posted by Kasia

Happy New Year to all you 24 fans out there from the staff of AIG!!! We are officially less than a week away from the Season Premiere and no one could possibly as excited as we are. There has been much discussion while Matt was online at home in Ottawa over the Christmas break about the premiere and we have all decided that Season 4 will kick some ass, especially now that we know there WILL be Tony action.

Cast Spotted Log has been updated.

Blind Ambition: The Approved Ryan Chappelle Fanlisting has a new look and some new s3 Ryan codes.

In other Fanlisting news, the Adam Kaufman fanlisting will be up and running within a day or so, so stay tuned for that.

Season 3 Tony Screencaps for Episode 11, 11PM-12AM have been posted in the Gallery.

It appears as though my worries about site hosting were in vain, as the renewal went off without a hitch and we are here without incident for 2005!

The New Year is a time for reflection, and I've had a blast re-reading all the posts in the Memorandum Archives, chronicling our thoughts about Season 3 and the state of 24 in general over this last year. The one year anniversary of this site is coming up in a few weeks, and I'd just like to take a moment to thank all the people who have made it what it has become: my compatriots, Matt and Kat, for being as obsessed as I am, our affiliates for directing traffic to our site, and most of all our visitors. We wouldn't be here without you (well, maybe we would, but we wouldn't have nearly as much fun doing it if there was no one reading on the other end).

--posted by Kasia