NBC MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN HIT SHOW 24

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THE WEB GOSSIP
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The guy or girl that writes this column is a very big industry insider who wishes to remain anonymous, but wants to write about all the headlines happening in Hollywood and the Music Industry.
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Keifer Sutherland

24 MORE --- The truly ground breaking show “24,” after eight seasons, was reported to be on the verge of cancellation as of Wednesday evening. The show, begun in the shadows of 9/11 and featuring the brilliant Keifer Sutherland, had become a victim of time and viewers-ever changing tastes. The blogs featured impassioned responses from fans, some either championing the imminent cancellation after all these years, while others decrying the possible fate and wishing for just one more season to suitably tie everything up. Well, Friday morning brought news that NBC might just be interested in picking up the entire franchise, which remains for the most part as strong as ever, but just very, very expensive to produce, from the talent onward. My thoughts are two-fold: The show’s unique presentation, presented in one-day, from hour to hour, has become, yes, somewhat formulaic … what was once new and truly profound, now has become almost a parody of itself. Two: I think I would like to see it for one more year, with maybe a new network and creative team somewhat, somehow energizing the show. Sutherland, who I've enjoyed from the 1990 movie “Flatliners” on should definitely go for it. In all fairness, you don't get much better than Sutherland. Look at what having a true end-date has done for “Lost”; this final season is truly energizing in a way it hasn't been since their debut season. Sometimes knowing the end-date does help!

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Rob Morrow

NUMBERS UP --- Last night brought the season and show finale of one of the best TV shows I've regularly watched on TV in the last decade, CBS’ “Numbers,” starring Rob Morrow and David Krumholtz. The crime-drama procedural was based around the usage of math in solving crimes. Krumholtz, played something of a math genius whose creative concepts usually helped solved the crime. Morrow played his brother and head of a special FBI unit tasked with specific crimes. Morrow, who had already become a major star on the show “Northern Exposure” was spot-on terrific. Peter MacNicol, Dylan Bruno, Alimi Ballard, Aya Sumika, and Navi Rawat, also co-starred and were equally as sensational. The show also featured Judd Hirsch as the father of the two, living with them and was equally as terrific. The dynamic of the two with Hirsch was unusual for TV in that it presented very real situations … a father and his two songs … imagine that? The show was shot in very moody, atmospheric light, and had tons of drama. The scripts, usually by the show’s creators, Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci, were always particularly well written. Last night’s penultimate show (“Cause And Effect”) featured a marriage, a crisis of conscience, and as usual, a tight, tight script,a s well as just a sensational coda to the show. If you never caught this show, you should take a shot. Always well written and performed. … usually an anomaly in TV. The show will definitely be missed. Both Morrow and Krumholtz are already signed up for new shows next year; a testament to how good these guys are. Best of luck! Numbers has gone out on top.

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Vincent Pastore

BIG PUSSY REDEUX --- I don't know where you're going to be on Monday, April 12 … but, I'll be at The Gramercy Theatre (127 East 23rd Street) watching Vincent Pastore’s Big Pussy’s New Rat Pack Revue featuring Pastore and Vincent Curatola, along with a crew featuring, among others, Goombah Johnny (John Anthony Sialiano), Paul Mercurio, Al Sapienza, Killer Joe, Lido Soul Revue, and Phyllis Martin. Pastore, terrific in his work on HBO’s The Sopranos, has been involved in several theater presentations of late, and this is his take on the famous Rat Pack-conglom of the ‘60s. Curatola, who famously essayed 'Johnny Sack' on the HBO show, is an actor of uncommon taste and perception. His acting borders on the brilliant ... a slow burn, if you will. Who can forget his performance alongside Carol Burnett, last year on “Law And Order/SUV (episode was titled “Ballerina.”)." The hostess for the show, from Sirius Radio, will be Diane Falzone. We’ll have more on this in the next dispatch.

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Scott Shannon

SCRIPT THIS --- This Tuesday night, WPLJ heads back to their terrific Up Close And Personal series of shows at Danny Fried’s China Club, presenting the band The Script. The three-man band, featuring Danny O’Donoghue, Mark Sheehan, and Glen Power, are an Irish trio whose music features terrifically well written verses and song. We might even call it a new type of Celtic Soul, featuring haunting nuances as they successfully blend hip hop lyrical flourishes with rock dynamics and classic song structure. “Soul is not a black thing or white thing; it’s a human thing,” says Sheehan. Should be a terrific show as well as seeing the ‘WPLJ force again: Scott Shannon, Todd Pettengill; Race Taylor; Theresa Angela, Monkey Boy, and, Tony Carfarelli. PR-guru David Salidor will be there with his latest client, Modern Clockwork, featuring Harrison Forbes. We'll have more come Wednesday.

Photos By: RD/Bruan/Leon/Sara De Boer/Retna