The clock is ticking down on 24.
Ending months of speculation, Fox officially canceled the hit action series on Friday. The current eighth season will be the show's last, with the final episode airing on May 24.
"This has been the role of a lifetime, and I will never be able to fully express my appreciation to everyone who made it possible," series star Kiefer Sutherland, who plays counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer, said in a statement. "While the end of the series is bittersweet, we always wanted 24 to finish on a high note, so the decision to make the eighth season our last was one we all agreed upon. This feels like the culmination of all our efforts from the writers to the actors to our fantastic crew and everyone at Fox."
24 debuted on Fox on Nov. 6, 2001, utilizing a ticking clock to represent the countdown for each hour of the season's 24-hour storyline.
Fans of the groundbreaking series have likely not seen the end of Jack Bauer and his fellow CTU agents. A feature film based on the show is currently in development.
The father of Michelle "Bombshell" McGee, the first woman to claim she had an affair with Sandra Bullock's husband, Jesse James, is speaking out in defense of his daughter.
On Friday, Denny McGee told a local Ohio Fox affiliate that he knew his daughter was having a relationship with the Monster Garage star, but that he was under the impression James and Bullock were estranged.
"She told me that she was going out with Jesse James... the motorcycle guy," McGee told WJH-TV. "I'm like, 'Oh, I thought he was married to Sandra Bullock.' She goes, 'Well, they were, but now they have a thing where they kind of live apart.' "
McGee said his 32-year-old daughter's relationship with James came to a screeching halt after she saw him at the Oscars with Bullock.
"She was under the impression they weren't seeing each other," explained McGee, who said his daughter is currently in seclusion at her home in San Diego. "She felt [betrayed]... she felt like she was going to have a relationship and this happened and she was mad."
"I don't think they're on speaking terms right now," he added.
McGee admitted that his daughter is "a little bit different with the tattoos and stuff," but said she's always been a great mom to her two kids, Elijah, 11, and Avery, 5. So would he have anything to say to James if given the chance?
"I wouldn't want to say anything to him," answered McGee. "I just wish he would've been honest with my daughter from the beginning so this wouldn't have happened."
Three more women, including Melissa Smith and Bridgitte Daguerre, have also claimed affairs with James since the infidelity scandal broke.
Bullock and James married in 2005 at a ranch north of Santa Barbara.
How to Train Your Dragon breathed new life into the weekend box office with a $43.3 million debut to easily grab the No. 1 spot, according to studio estimates released Sunday.
The DreamWorks Animation adventure knocked off Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's Alice in Wonderland, which finished second at $17.3 million. Alice had won the box office the past three weekends since being released.
John Cusack's raunchy comedy Hot Tub Time Machine debuted in third place at $13.7 million, just ahead of the Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston film The Bounty Hunter, which held strong in its second week at $12.4 million.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid slipped to fifth place at $10 million to round out the weekend top five.
Weekend Box Office
1. How to Train Your Dragon, $43.3 million.
2. Alice in Wonderland, $17.3 million.
3. Hot Tub Time Machine, $13.7 million.
4. The Bounty Hunter, $12.4 million.
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, $10 million.
6. She's Out of My League, $3.5 million.
7. Green Zone, $3.3 million.
8. Shutter Island, $3.2 million.
9. Repo Men, $3 million.
10. Our Family Wedding, $2.2 million.
Sandra Bullock has reportedly escaped to her pre-marital home in the wake of husband Jesse James' alleged infidelity.
According to TMZ, the Academy Award-winning actress has been living at the Hollywood Hills home she purchased prior to marrying the Monster Garage star, who is accused of having multiple affairs.
The celebrity gossip site said Bullock, 45, arrived at the home last Wednesday and hasn't since returned to the Orange County residence she shares with James. Since arriving, the Blind Side star has rarely left the home. On one occasion when she did, Bullock managed to elude photographers by hiding behind a tarp held by her two assistants.
Until last week, it is believed Bullock was staying in her hometown of Austin, Texas.
James, 40, issued a public apology earlier this month to Bullock and his children after San Diego-based tattoo model Michelle "Bombshell" McGee claimed she had a months-long affair with him. Three more women — stripper Melissa Smith, photographer Brigitte Daguerre and an unnamed mistress represented by high-powered lawyer Gloria Allred — have also claimed affairs with James since the cheating scandal broke.
"Sandra is such a classy woman," a source tells RadarOnline. "To have her husband cheating on her and cheating with so many women, it's just something she doesn’t deserve.
"She's always conducted herself with dignity. A lot of people never understood her attraction to James but she was loyal to him. And not only did he cheat but he cheated with these women that just make you shake your head. Not that it matters anyway – the only thing that matters is he cheated."
Bullock and James married in 2005 at a ranch north of Santa Barbara.
