5 Ways to Get Your ''24'' Fix

Here it is the first Monday in February and no Jack Bauer to be found -- not even in a Chinese prison.

In a perfect world (one without a writers' strike), we should be about four or five hours into "24'' by now. Instead, we're forced to suffer through "Two and a Half Men'' reruns and whatever other sludge abounds.

But dig around enough and there is "24'' news to be found. Here then, 5 things to help ease the pain of life with no clicking tock.

1. Hold out hope for Season 7 of "24'' in 2008. It could happen. On his blog, "24'' director and executive producer Jon Cassar made this recent post: "I was hoping that FOX comes up with an alternative to airing us in 2009, and now there is a rumor that has us airing a half season in the fall.''

Cassar also confirms that the show has eight episodes in the can. So even if the strike doesn't end for another month or more, the cast and crew could still spit out another four episodes and be ready with a 12-hour day to roll in the fall. Hey, a half of season in the fall sounds a heck of a lot better than waiting for a fulll season way off in 2009.

2. Knit something kind of twisted for Chloe's baby. Yes, Mary Lynn Rajskub, who plays snarky computer genius Chloe O'Brian, is preggers. See what happens when production schedules come to a halt and people have time on their hands? People magazine reported the news last week, saying Rajskub, 36, and her live-in boyfriend Matthew Rolph, 27, a personal trainer, are expecting their first child at the end of the summer. First the writers' strike robbed us of Tony Almeida's return (with or without his soul patch), and now we're denied seeing a hormonal and pregnant Chloe at CTU? Boo.

3. Check out Kim Raver on "Lipstick Jungle,'' premiering at 9 p.m. Feb. 7 on NBC. Then keep your fingers crossed that the new show that looks like "Sex and the City'' (just like "Cashmere Mafia'' looks like "Sex and the City)'' catches on, meaning Raver -- who played the insufferable, chemistry-challenged Audrey Raines on "24'' -- won't be back whenever Jack is.

4. Keep an eye out for sightings of The Kief on VH1. Few pics or reports of Kiefer Sutherand have surfaced since he was released from a jail in Glendale, Calif., last month after serving 48 days on a drunken driving charge. Which, of course, is why we love him. Plus, would you expect anything less from someone who plays Jack Bauer. Stealth!

But he is scheduled to appear on the premiere of a new series on VH1, "Free Radio,'' at 8:30 p.m. Friday. When a station DJ quits, a dimwitted intern is forced to fill in, subjecting celeb guests to clueless questions in what VH1 promises to be "a spectacular train wreck.'' (Hey, isn't that "Rock of Love 2''?) The Kief, Angela Kinsey of "The Office'' and Luis Guzman of "Boogie Nights'' are on the guest list for the pilot episode.

5. Laugh it off. If you've never seen this video, titled "24: The Unaired 1994 Pilot: Jack Bauer Saves the World with AOL 3.0,'' you're missing out on some good humor. Check it out at www.collegehumor.com/video:1788161. And here you thought you knew all there was to know about Jack's most famous line: "Damnit!''

Anybody else out there heard any good "24'' buzz or know of any good Web sites to help ease the pain? Pass them along, PLEASE. We're desperate.

-- Kendra Meinert, kmeinert@greenbaypressgazette.com