24

A TMZ insider was attending a bachelor party in Bucharest, Romania. When a mysterious figure came out of the shadows to offer a helping hand, er, light.

Our source had a killer craving for a cancer stick and asked his friends if someone had a light. From the darkness crawled Kiefer Sutherland, dressed in ash black, saying, "Did someone ask for a light?" Kiefer then exhaled, "It is good to hear familiar voices." Random!

With her fate hanging in the balance, Paris Hilton decided to face the judge dressed in ... drab gray sweats!

How's Chris Daughtry doing since his album release? --Sara

Chris Daughtry and his band are seeing nothing but success since their record hit stores last November. In fact, Sara, their self-titled album shot to number one last week, selling nearly 1.3 million copies. A lot of those sales can be attributed to their hit single, "It's Not Over." The band's concerts are sold out all of next week, but if you're on the West coast, click here to see some more Daughtry dates mid-February.

For the latest on "American Idol," check this out.

When a helicopter crashes through your apartment building, a gun toting man crawls on your roof and a fiery explosion ruins your nap, it's safe to say your day has been ruined ... well unless "24" star Kiefer Sutherland is there to rectify the situation.

That's exactly what happened to a normally quiet Los Angeles community yesterday when Kiefer and his crew stopped by to shoot an action-packed scene for next season's "24."

Sutherland's character, Jack Bauer, pulled an injured man from the smoldering wreckage before the chopper fell to the ground and exploded.

But, when the Emmy winner wasn't running from explosions or chasing after bad guys, Kiefer relaxed by playing a friendly game of chess with a crew member between takes.

If you're still craving for your fix of Jack Bauer, just hang on a for a little bit longer. "24" will return for it's highly anticipated sixth season in January.

When does season five of "24" come out on DVD?

Kristy, this is something everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats for. Plan to catch up on the action of "24" by getting your copy of the Emmy award-winning season on December 5. This release date comes as little surprise as the last two seasons have also come out on DVD during the first week of December. And just in time -- season six premieres Monday nights on FOX beginning January 2007.

For more on FOX, read this.

TMZ spotted Kiefer Sutherland and his father Donald sharing an emotional post-dinner hug last night, amidst an audience of cheering fans. The two stars each signed autographs and posed for photogs ouside popular Hollywood hotspot Mr. Chow, before going their separate ways.

Raver hit the trendy Harmony Lane Boutique and scored big on a shopping spree. She tried on everything from sunglasses to bathing suits to shawls.

Today's Emmy nominations announcement was supposed to mark a turning point in Emmy history. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences revised the nomination process to ensure, in part, that some new faces got nods. Did they succeed? There certainly a was a lot of turnover this year, but the new nominees still leave a lot to be desired.

The list of those that didn't get recognized is surprising, for both good and bad reasons. Here are the five things that stood out most to us:

Forget last year...
"Lost," James Spader, Felicity Huffman and Patricia Arquette were all major winners last year - and not nominated this year. Kiefer Sutherland is the only lead actor nominated from last year in the drama category. Tony Shalhoub is the only lead actor nominated from last year in the comedy category.

Our friends at Blender Magazine have published a terrific list of the "Worst 50 Songs Ever." (A quick hat tip to them for not writing Worst. 50. Songs. Ever.) Big names like Madonna and Clay Aiken we're right near the top.

Clay's "invisible" comes in at #11. Blender says:

"It's not just the schmaltzy play for loser pity ("If I was invisible - wait, I already am"). It's not just the ridiculously purple lyrics. And it's not just the thought of Aiken's eternally asymmetrical porcupine 'do quivering as he soars into a high note. It's the whole hey-girl-I-want-to-watch-you-while-you-think-you're-alone-in-your-bedroom thing that transforms this song from a merely mediocre ballad to a disturbing voyeur fantasy, filling your head with images of Aiken downloading porn and thinking bad things about that girl from homeroom. What lurks in the hearts of lonely geeks? Clay Aiken knows, and it's not pretty."

While Meat Loaf did not work with Bat I and Bat II collaborator, and now courtroom opponent, Jim Steinman on this project, he did bring in some heavy hitters to give Bat III some lift.

The 11th Annual E3 tradeshow hit LA this week, showcasing the latest games in the industry. The convention revealed some of your favorite TV shows and movies are getting into the game business.

Among TV programs set to get a makeover: "Family Guy," "24" and even "Desperate Housewives." The hit comedy may not seem like the obvious choice but according to producer Mary Schuyler, it's perfect fodder for an adaptation.

Big screen projects undergoing a gaming transformation include Al Pacino's "Scarface," as well as the upcoming animated film "Flushed Away."

E3 concludes its three-day run tonight.

'EXTRA' caught up with the cast of the FOX series '24' at the show's 5th season wrap party. The stars discussed working with Keifer Sutherland, their favorite episodes and some perks of their new found fame.

Actress Kim Raver revealed how fans come up to her asking if she is doing ok ever since her character almost bled to death.

'24' airs Mondays at 9pm on FOX. Check local listings for when 'EXTRA' airs.

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Jean Smart plays Martha Logan, the First Lady to President Charles Logan, on FOX's '24,' and she gave 'EXTRA' a tour of the hit show's set.

Jean begins the tour in CTU (the Counter-Terrorist Unit), and then moves around the corner to the Presidential abode.The mid-century ultra-modern retreat has been the Logans' fictional West Coast output for the fifth season of the hit show. The

Nobody on the round-the-clock thriller, notorious for its high body count, can ever be sure if they'll survive until the final second of the entire season is ticked off.

On this day, Smart is shooting the 17th and 18th hours of federal agent Jack Bauer's latest struggle to save the country from terrorists in just 24 hours -- so she knows she's made it that far. But come next week, she could easily become the late Martha Logan.

"I just hope if she goes, she goes in a real big way and takes a few people with her," Smart laughs, noting her teenage son, Connor, is "disappointed I haven't shot anybody yet."

Smart says she believes the show's writers when they say "they kind of do it on the fly," without a predetermined story line for the entire season.

In fact, the following day, co-executive producer Howard Gordon announced the writing team had just come up with "something that actually reverses very much where we were going."

"Three months after I was on the 'American Idol' tour," says Verraros, "I was working in a tanning salon. I had to deal with people coming into the salon saying, 'Weren't you that dude on 'American Idol'?' I got through those kinds of hard experiences with music."

When 'American Idol' debuted in 2002, Verraros was one of the most recognizable finalists on the show, thanks in large part to his memorable audition in which he talked about having deaf parents.

"When I watch 'American Idol' now," Verarros tells TMZ, "I have to smirk because these contestants have no idea what they're getting themselves into."

A native of the Chicago area, Verraros went from being on the cover of TV Guide in 2002 to now performing at bridal expos. It's not exactly a cruise ship, but it's pretty close.

But this year, the Globes broadcast faced a different daunting rival: the final two hours of the four-hour launch of the new season of Fox's thriller "24."

Monday, the three-hour "Golden Globes" drew 18.7 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research figures, up about 2 million viewers from last year's total.

But "24" attracted a robust 14.9 million viewers, helping keep NBC's gains to a minimum.

By comparison, in 2004 -- pre- "Housewives" and the increasingly popular "Grey's Anatomy" -- the Globes broadcast drew 26.8 million viewers.

Final numbers for this year's faceoff are due Wednesday.

Last August, NBC announced it would move "The Golden Globes" from its traditional Sunday perch to Monday to steer clear of ABC's dual drama threat.