Jack in the box?
Kiefer Sutherland suggested that the producers of “24” kill off his character, Jack Bauer – which, given the show’s success, was never going to happen.
Still, Sutherland tells TV Guide that he did make the suggestion for last season’s finale. “I felt very strongly that if you really want to jar the audience, take Jack out,” he says. “As much as it would break my heart not to do this show, I think it’s important the audience believe that at any given moment, any cast member can go.”
TV Guide also reveals that the “24” season opener takes place three years after last season’s finale.
Vinnie Politan and Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom are joining Court TV as the co- hosts of “Both Sides” in January. They replace Rikki Klieman, who moved to L.A. to be with husband (and LAPD chief) Bill Bratton. Diane Dimond has filled in.
Politan joined Court TV in 2000, while Guilfoyle Newsom joins the network from the San Francisco DA’s office. She’s a regular contributor to CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” and “Good Morning America.”
Politan is also a new dad – he and wife Dolly welcomed Max Antonio last Saturday.
Jack Black is angling to star in the big-screen Ozzy Osbourne biopic – and he’s not shy about wanting the job. “He’s been a huge influence on me,” Black tells Ozzy’s wife, Sharon, on today’s “Sharon Osbourne Show”
(1 p.m./Ch. 11).
“[Ozzy] was a hero of mine as a kid and I have to say, I’ve been tracking the Ozzy film. . . .” Black then tells Sharon that it would be a “bad call” to cast Colin Farrell in the role. “If anyone’s Ozzy, I’m Ozzy,” he says.
Last, but not least: Congrats to Ch. 4’s Tina Silvestri and David Pugh on their engagement. Somewhere, Tina’s mom smiles.
Mel Brooks on today’s “Jakers!” (4:30 p.m./Ch. 21).