TVSquad

There's been some scuttlebutt stirred up to suggest that next season's two-hour 24 prequel TV movie will be considered part of the 24 hours in Day 7, therefore leading some to think that there'll only be 22 episodes. But how could there only be 22 hours in a day, right? Well, TV being what it is, I'm sure they'd find a way to do two hours in one -- other shows do! -- but that won't be the case. There will be 24 hours, 24 episodes in the 2009 season of 24.

Part of the reason for all this confusion is an interview that actor Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty) gave to Premiere.com. Carlyle, who will be playing someone who'd been a mentor to Jack, said that the 24 TV movie, which is meant to cover what's happened since the end of Day 6 with the new Day 7, would apply to the Fox episode commitment. He told Premiere.com, "This is two hours in real time, and there'll then be 22 episodes."

I don't think this is a case of a big star taking a role on TV for the paycheck. Mr. Box Office -- I gave him that name based on the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series alone -- Harrison Ford has agreed to star in a CBS film called Crowley. The picture is a true story, based on the case of John and Aileen Crowley, whose children are afflicted with a rare genetic condition. They seek the help of researcher -- Ford's character -- who may have the cure.

The book on which the Robert Nelson Jacobs (The Water Horse) screenplay was written is called The Cure. The original idea came from a Wall Street Journal article and book by Geeta Anand. The director is still being negotiated, but Tom Vaughan is the prime candidate. Considering his last film was What Happens in Vegas, I hope they keep looking. Ford will be executive producing the film as well as playing the scientist.

She's been a vamp, a vixen, a medicine woman, royalty and she's even tried Dancing with the Stars. Now she will solve crimes. The Hallmark Channel has greenlit Dear Prudence, a Jane Seymour crime-solving Martha Stewart-type celebrity. They're calling this a backdoor pilot because Hallmark doesn't do series TV; however, if the movie were to be successful, it could become one of a rotation of star-driven mystery movies that Hallmark currently presents.

Fans of 24 will have to wait until January 2009 for the seventh season to commence, but in a move that's likely to be met with cheers all around, Fox has announced that the producers of the Keifer Sutherland action drama are creating a 24 two-hour TV movie which will be a prequel to the next new season. The story will cover the two years between the end of season six and the beginning of season seven. The actors are being cast now, presumably the essential members of the team who survived the previous 24-hours of a nuclear disaster, terrorism, lies, betrayals, shootings and tragedies.

Rather than have you sit through what basically would amount to a more detailed version of the Early Look post I did about Razor last month, I wanted to at least make sure you all had a forum of sorts to discuss the movie. I will, however, mention a few points worth mentioning again ...

Character: Zuni fetish doll
Show: Trilogy of Terror
Episode: "Amelia"

Have you ever seen this (the original Trilogy of Terror, not the '90s remake)? It completely and utterly terrified me as a ten year-old.

The TV movie consisted of three short films, all starring Karen Black in different roles. The first one has her as a teacher who is blackmailed by a student, but she gets the upper hand on him in a creepy way. The second has Black playing twin sisters. But it's the third story that freaked me out. "Amelia" has Black alone in her apartment, being chased around by a little doll that has a knife in it's hand. It sounds silly, I know. How can a doll hurt a grown woman? But the little bastard is vicious and relentless, and it's entirely convincing. When Amelia thinks she has killed the doll by trapping it in the oven, we find out that it takes over her soul. The last scene has Amelia calling her mom to come over, so she can kill her.

Somehow I don't think this ran on The Wonderful World of Disney.

All of you Jericho fans out there writing letters, sending emails, and signing petitions can give yourself a pat on the back. The show hasn't been brought back from cancellation yet, but getting the President of CBS Entertainment to post an update is no small feat.

That President, Nina Tassler, posted an update to all of the fans on the Jericho Wiki over the weekend. You can read the full statement at the CBS site. In a nutshell, she says it was a hard decision, thanks the fans for their support, and teases that in the coming weeks they hope to develop a way to provide closure to the Jericho story.

That's the sticky wicket right there. "Develop" seems to imply the possibility of a tv movie, or maybe even a mini-series, to wrap things up. But we have been down this road before, where the closure came in the form of notes from the producers regarding what was planned. I think a movie or mini-series could work really well. There is already a built in audience, and it couldn't do any worse than whatever touchy-feely Hallmark movie event starring Valerie Bertinelli is already on the drawing board. Obviously, bringing the series back is the main goal for the fans, but what would you settle for?

[ thanks Jonathon ]

A movie created through a partnership between HBO and RAI, the Italian state broadcaster about Albert Einstein may feature Sean Penn playing the role of the acclaimed physicist. Penn has apparently expressed interest in both the script and in working with Italian director Liliana Cavani. The TV movie is obviously still in the early stages, so who knows what to expect, but I can easily picture Penn playing this role. The kid's got range, I'm telling you. Hopefully he can affect a decent German accent, too, or at the very least grasp the concept of an accelerating universe. What do you folks think? Could Penn handle this role? Who else would make a good Einstein?

Up to this point, the Behind The Camera series of TV movies has doled out an equal measure of campiness and seriousness for each show it's covered. But most of the shows they've covered don't have the dark history of Diff'rent Strokes. So, for Behind The Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Diff'rent Strokes (NBC, Monday at 8:00 ET), producers Stanley Brooks and Scott Anderson decided to concentrate more on the downfall of each of the show's child stars. But, unfortunately, the movie drifts too often into melodrama and gives a very unbalanced view of what contributed to the fates of Dana Plato, Todd Bridges, and Gary Coleman.

No, it's not any sort of Xander/Cordelia reunion, but as a starved Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan, I'll take what I can get. A friend pointed me to Nick's website where he has an audioblog. In his latest entry he talks about the play he recently did for the Blank Theater Company with Noah Wyle, how Wyle bought him for $1000 in a charity auction, and a TV movie for ABC Family that has him working with Charisma Carpenter again.

Relative Chaos is the story of the Gilbert family's annual contest for the Gilbert Cup. Every year the three Gilbert children, Dil (Christopher Gorham), Gil (Nick Brendon), and Lil (Jennifer Robertson) compete in contests that, as the website says, 'test their intelligence, agility, and sanity'. And yes, I said Dil, Gil, and Jil. It's ABC Family. Much to Dil's chagrin, he has never won the cup. But this year Dil has his new girlfriend Catherine (Charisma Carpenter) in his corner, which could make all the difference. And if that isn't enough chaos, the father of the Gilbert clan, Will (of course!), is played by Terry Bradshaw.

A video preview, wallpapers, bios, etc. are all available at the movie's website. Relative Chaos premieres Monday, September 4th on ABC Family.