Notes from the 'Lost' set

http://blogs.usatoday.com/popcandy/

Pop reader and diehard Lost fan dj_cleo has been keeping me updated on her life ever since she moved to Hawaii a few months ago. This morning I received an e-mail from her with some exciting news:

"I got the call!" she writes. "I did some filming as an extra yesterday. God, it was a long day. Our call was 4:45 a.m., and we had to arrive dressed with makeup and hair ready, and we weren't signed out to drive home until 7 p.m. The whole experience was very, very cool."

Dj_cleo filmed an episode called "There's No Place Like Home" that's scheduled to air May 15. She shares more details below -- they don't contain any major spoilers, though if you scour her descriptions hard enough, you may be able to make out some clues:

"I saw Jack, Sayid, Kate, Hurley, Nadia and Aaron," she says. "Keep an eye out for me when Kate, Hurley and Sayid greet each other and talk in a group at the top of the steps outside a church. I tried to catch the eye of all of the actors; Kate actually smiled back at me, Sayid kind of half-smiled (very weird to hear his South London accent rather than the 'Sayid' voice), and Jack didn't really smile at all.

"I sat two seats over from Kate while getting my hair done at about 5:15 a.m. She was having her hair blown out. We exchanged 'good morning's. They touch up their hair and makeup between every take; they film something from six different angles to get about 30 seconds of film ... wow. It was really interesting to watch the process.

She adds, "Someone on the crew was telling me they are working crazy hours (13-14-hour days) to get everything done, and two crews are filming every day. The other extras were all very interesting people and fun to chat with. Some of them have done this a lot, (for) some it was their first time, some do this as their job and some had never watched the show."

And how does the show keep all of its plotlines under wraps? "I had to sign a confidentiality agreement that says they would sue me for $5 million if I give away any secrets, so I can't tell you much besides all of us were wearing black and we filmed at a church (it's not the coffin from last season's finale)." So there you have it. Color me jealous.