1. Optimus Prime Poster
2. Megtron Poster
3. BumbleBee wind-up transformer (which i let fly across my desk)
4. BumbeBee cast iron mini replica (un-transformable :(

Sadly, before they announced the big movie, i donated all my old tubberware buckets of loose leaf robots to my sister's co-worker.  You've got to keep the circle of life going.  Better to give, eh?  

What I'm looking forward to the most: Seeing the movie with my Transformer-crazy niece, who can't wait to see the flick herself and called me yesterday from her mom's cell to talk about it.  She's a bit hard core - at age three her favorite movies were the Jurassic Park Series - she thought they were comedies.  I tell you she's got nerves of steel.

The hype: So far the hype has been pretty good - 4.7 out of 5 on Fandango - and "Go See It" status.  And my co-worker forwarded an email saying, and i quote, "Pee before you see... cuz you will not want to get up once the movie starts."  Sounds like they may have got this one right!

1. Jack needs a protege.  Yes, we 20-something viewers need a young go-get'em Jack to relate too.  Plus, Jack is old enough that he needs a younger him to go on some of the dangerous field ops so he can have some more breakdowns.  They were on to something in season three with Chase.  
2. Enough with the Nuclear Bombs. I think they've played out the whole "nuclear bomb" idea and the whole president waging war on another country.  Shows don't have to have "big consequences" to be taken seriously.
3. Step away from the Presidency.  The writer's have definitely played out the presidency card.  They need to explore other politically charged positions like the DOD or the Supreme Court.
4. Remember the Time Paradigm.  Episodes now begin a mini-mission and end it within an hour.  although this is pretty exciting and cleverly executed, the show has lost most of the 'real-time' draw where someone actually does something that takes a realistic amount of time (for example take a minute to get coffee or eat).
5. Go global.  It's time the show took a plot beyond the US perspective and went oversea to look at the global impact of terror threats and their affects.  My suggestion would be to break up the season into 3 arcs that take place in three different global locations tied together.

The Best/Worst (yes they are both the same this week)

• Bad Father Figures: Could this be where Jack learned all his cut throat tactics?  So far i'm really not too impresed with the jack's actual dad in the show (see the coined phrase from last season) as he's fairly old and decrepid.  Call me harsh, but Henderson was a lot more old gen Bauer if you ask me.

Things I refuse to Ignore

• When in Doubt:  You can always count on the guys at fox for one thing each season (and twice if Kim's involved) - a good old fashion kidnapping.  You'd think they'd have some personal training as part of their "Hostile 101" training course - i mean at least have a can of mace or something.  you track TERRORISTS for crying out loud.

The million dollar question on everyone's mind - including my own - has been, "can this brother of jack's be a match against Jack Almight?"  Does he have the mental fortitude to take on our hero in season six?  Will He-Man Jack finally meet another arch-nemesis the likes of Nina Meyers?  As much as i hope he does - and hope its Graem - it seems like his long lost brother is a cringer instead of a mighty battle cat.  Then again, leave it to fox to throw in a last minute twist this week to keep us on the edge as the clock beats up to the top of the hour.

The Best

• There's Still Hope: The head of the Bland Bluetooth Gang may actually have enough backbone to take on Jack . . . and his dad!  Will wonders never cease.

The Worst

• Black Mail in the White House: Okay, enough is enough. How can we expect that Karen, after last season's battles with Miles the type-casted snake, to so easily cave under the vague threats of The Weasel?
• Hook, Line, and Sinker:  Looks like Milo's doing a little fishing for a lady called Nadia.  Anyone else seeing this?  I just hope his "i'll do all you're homework" lines work.  By the end of the day i predict we'll be seeing a little chemistry in this classroom.

Things I refuse to Ignore: Missing Persons: Calling all cars

I learned earlier this week that my hottie's old time fav. movie happens to be 1969's Best Pic "Hello, Dolly" and thought it'd be a nice treat to snag a DVD copy for her since we unloaded the old VHS copy last year without a second glance as part of our apartment cleansing.  I said farewell to a handful of old made-for-tv movies and she quickly made short work of them at Half-Price Books.

All that to say that the movie was a pretty witty mix of good humor and quick dialogue around a healthy plot (which you are seeing less and less of these days).  For that i must give credit to my lovely wife for introducing this well rounded flick.  If you are, however, annoyed by song and dance, i say steer clear of this one - as it's a musical - but if you dig more epic style classics - the likes of Gone with the Wind and Ten Commandments.  I'd give this Dolly a whirl.

Is it just me or is 24 sounding more and more like Days of our Lives after this week's episode? With some long lost Bauer's uncovered and more sappy "are you okay, dears" from the numerous wedded ones - i'm wondering if the guys at fox have gone soft on us. Then i remember Walid's sacrificial undercover beating and i'm jolted back into the espionage of the Counter Terrorist Unit.

The Best

• Jack's Never Too Busy: Even after a nuclear bomb exploding in California, Jack still has time to climb an impaired house to rescue a news reported from a dangling chopper only so the said reporter can return at 8:00pm to say we should impeach the president.
• Skeletor Incarnate: Looks like He-Man's arch nemesis has been reincarnated into an terrorist in California (the likes of Fayed) - how befitting. I'd recognize those strong cheek bones anywhere.
• Family Ties: If meeting Jack's brother wasn't enough of a joyous occasion, we got to see how strong these family ties really were as jack does the most heartwarming of traditions - tying up and torturing his beloved! I can't wait to see "Graem's" reciprocity when the long lost son story is out of the bag.
  

The Worst

• Walid's Series of Unfortunate Events: The fact he's behind enemy lines is unbelievably bad enough. But to add his honey's over the fence regurgitation of overused, underdeveloped dialogue and you've got a terrible use of  these character's depth.  Hopefully we'll see these two get back in the political ring where they belong.

• 5 Seasons of Foreplay: After five seasons of near-successful terrorist attacks it looks like the terrorists will finally score big.  Major kudos for the plot on this one.  Just don't tell me that all 4 of the other nukes are in LA . . .
• Pedestrian Rage: How freakin raw was Mr. Dad's headbashing stint at the Terrorists 'R Us shop?  Too bad this guy vaporized in the nuke or we could've had a potential mini-jack walking around.

The Worst

• White Castle Terrorist: I don't care what you say, "Ahmed" is the pansiest terrorist i've ever seen.  And was it just me or was he wearing lipstick?  I'm a little dissapointed he died an unhumiliating death in the ambulance - a proper headshot via Fayed while cowering for mercy would've been more suitable role for this cry baby.

Yes, my friends that is all.  i don't normally blog this much and frankly i think it's giving me a headache.

• Family Ties:  Hello Sandra.  Not since Sherry have we seen a gutsy in-your-face woman ready to take charge and play hard ball with the president.  Can you imagine those two at Thanksgiving?  What i wouldn't give to spend the holidays with the Palmers circa (2000 -  before the Julia massacre of '03). 
• Bite Sized Escapes: Jack takes a solid bite our of crime and that poor guys trachea.  Not since the Decapitator Jack pulled that suprise primary witness barter has a season opener been so bloody raw!
• What happens in CTU stays in CTU: Jack's faded whisper telling Curtis to keep Audrey and Kim out of the sacrificial loop.  Well, at least this way Chloe can tell them in her usual sensitive way.
• Redneck Rally: The age old question - do you root for the redneck who suspects a Muslim for being a terrorist?  Or the misunderstood Muslim? What if the stereotype ends up being true?  oh, the dilemma.  Looks like they are pulling out some big guns this season.  Prepare for another Jack Bauer after show peace-keeping commentary.
• Breakdown: Although i am a raging fan of and Jack-always-knows-best - it's quite refreshing to see him portrayed more dynamically this season and given some humanity amidst all the relentless action.  I'm talking about that sad moment when Torturous Jack was unsuccessful at getting the "vital knowledge" from key contact to primary antagonist (see also the mundane 24 cycle).

The Worst

• Missing - White House Staples: Looks like Carl finally took that long overdue vacation.  Other then Jack, he's the only other main character to survive 5 seasons of terror.  (Aaron, although alive through all seasons is not what i consider a main character.)
• The Lame Get-Away: Jack's effortless flee from the sewer hideout into a very nice and well parked vehicle.  What ever happened to the terrrorists who track cell phone signals?
• Introducing the Weasel:  Move over type-casted Snake here comes the wallowing weasel, Tom.  The next evolutionary stage of bad guys pretending to be good and who look stupid doing it.  Although not as slithery as Miles, i think this Tom is going to be twice as weasely - kinda like Logan, only i'm sure he'll repeat himself a lot. 

• Holy Matrimony:  Looks like everyone's getting hitched (or re-hitched) around here.  Karen and Bill, Chloe and Morris, there was even a cameo by Wayne's left ring finger (with a solid gold band).  Despite past homicidal lovers Wayne has managed to find a suitable first lady - dare i even speculate?
• Bluetooth Back?  I heard a rumor that the head of the Bland Bluetooth Group from last season will be back to reek a little havok.  I hate these guys.  Really i do, they pale in comparision to the kind of top level villians i expect from a 6 season action show (see previous comments).

• New Directions: Thank God, Wayne Palmer is back as a primary character.  (And i freakin mean that - praise Jesus!)  I love this guy.  Not only is he back on as a regular but as the new President.  I'll admit that's a little hokey, but i'm too stoked to be critical at this moment.  Now if we can only get Evelyn as his aid . . .
  
• Farwell to the Farce: What a joke the Logans were (primarily the Mr.)  They only signed on as 'guest stars' this season *phew*.  Although i wouldn't mind a little of that crazy Martha storyline they quickly nixed at the beginning of Season 5.  For the record, Martha looked just fine as a frosted wedding cake.
  
• The Long Lost CTU Elf: Holy cow, do my eyes deceive me?  No, that's little Milo, back from Season 1.  He's no Edgar, for sure, but I always thought this guy's part was short lived.  Looks like we'll have a full 24 hours of Milo this time around.  Sweet.

• The Serpent's Missing: I hear no rumors of Miles returning for a second helping of selfish ambition?  What are we to do in the meantime?  I was really hoping that they'd bring this guy around with a paraplegic grandmother or autistic daughter to add a little depth to his one-dimension of evil.

So long for now, until Season 6 ensues!  In case you are dying of curiosity, check out the Season 6 Trailer!