Today 4:00 PM PDT by Jennifer Godwin
Production on Lost season six doesn't begin for another few weeks, but thanks to Comic-Con, we're starting to get a sense of the new season, including which castmembers might be back to cavort in those alternate timelines the producers teased.
Which brings us to Dominic Monaghan's beloved Charlie. His appearance on stage as the grand finale of Lost's panel all but confirmed that Mr. Pace would be back for the final season of Lost. But is it true? And if so, how much might we see of him? Here's what we're hearing...
Sources tell us exclusively that, yes, Dom's deal to reappear on Lost is done and that the original castmember is set to appear in three episodes in season six.
No word yet on the answer to the big question: Is Charlie alive? We'll have to wait until Lost returns to ABC in January 2010 to find out.
Is three episodes enough for you? Are you stoked to see more of Dominic Monaghan on Lost?
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b136889_how_many_episodes_of_lost_dominic.html
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Carbonell Confirms Richard's Role in Burke's Death
Nestor Carbonell Confirms Richard's Role in Burke's (Juliet's Husband) DeathNestor Carbonell on the challenge of playing such a mysterious character: "My first episode was as a recruiter to get Juliet to come to the island. I ended up killing her ex-husband who was stopping her from leaving [for] the island... When I read the material I thought it'd be interesting if I didn't play him - I've got to convince her, so I can't tip her off that I've got some other surreptitious ideas, I've got to be genuine and honest and kind and probably have a good reason for doing this, for killing her ex-husband. So that was always my mantra was just don't play the villain, play him as a human being and to this day I don't really know if he's good or bad or evil or how much of him is good or how much of him is [evil]. Just when I've figured out the character, I open up another script and I say, 'Oh my God, now I'm completely thrown!'
"Source: Full Article @ TheFutonCritic
"Source: Full Article @ TheFutonCritic
Months of Script Sessions and Rehearsals Later, ‘Lost’ Goes to Comic-Con
Sandy Huffaker for The New York TimesTo appreciate how important the annual pop-entertainment convention here has become to movie studios and television networks — and how much effort it takes to get noticed at it — consider the “Lost” presentation on Saturday in front of more than 6,500 people. That hourlong show, complete with scripted comedy routines and 13 glossy original videos, took a dozen people four months to produce. The budget for song rights, props and actor travel alone was $25,000.
'Totally Lost': Live at Comic-Con!
'Totally Lost': Live at Comic-Con!
by Dan Snierson
Categories: 'Lost', Comic-Con 2009, News, San Diego Comic-Con 2009
Mere hours after the official Lost panel — with fans' heads still swimming with possibilities about Season 6 — Jeff "Doc" Jensen and Dan "Dan" Snierson hosted their own Lost confab, a live edition of "Totally Lost" that was packed with shocking news and revelations. Okay, maybe it was light in the shocking-news-and-revelations department, but a few surprise guests did rock the room. Some highlights:
• After we counted down the top facts learned about Season 6 at the Lost panel (more Faraday and Juliet! Less Dharma!), Lost co-producer Gregg Nations joined us on stage to discuss last season’s Star Wars-centric episode “Some Like It Hoth,” which he co-wrote. Turns out that (a) there are plenty of Star Wars fans over at Lost HQ and (b) read any Star Wars symbolism into the show at your risk/enjoyment. Next, Nations dished about his duties as script coordinator and high-commander curator of all Lost knowledge. Basically, if something happens on the show, could have happened, or will happen on the show, he keeps track of said info. (The details on Jack’s medical schooling? Check.) Nations noted that the characters of Jack and Ben were the hardest characters to keep track of, and that Michael Emerson and Elizabeth Mitchell impressed him the most with their Lost knowledge. Then as part of a trivia game, he stumped two fans from the audience with several triple-expert-level questions. (How many time-shifting flashes were there in season 5? That’d be 15.) Just as we were about to squeeze some season 6 intel out of Nations, Lost exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse ran into the room, busted up the inquisition, and unceremoniously threw a burlap sack over his head before whisking him away.
• Next up: A short video segment, in which the Doc—having reconsidered his stance on Season 3’s polarizing Nikki-Paolo episode “Expose”—apologized to the episode’s writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz for “crapping” on “Expose” in his recap. They were gracious, in an I-told-you-so kind of way. (We’ll be posting this video soon on EW.com, so you can see what the pair had to say about penning the episode.)
• Then came the big surprise: Michael Emerson, who graciously fielded questions from both us and the audience. Asked about the Season 5 finale, Emerson raised eyebrows by noting that Ben didn’t know that he was going to kill Jacob until he was face-to-face with Jacob, and that Jacob all but forced him to do it. (Of course, Emerson did wonder if an entity like Jacob really could be killed.) Emerson also chatted about his Emmy nomination, his charmed chemistry with Terry O’Quinn, his wonderfully ambiguous line-readings, and Ben’s issues (think emotionally malnourished child). Check back on the site soon for footage of Emerson as well as the rest of the panel. And sincere thanks to those of you who took time out of your busy Comic-Con schedule to attend our panel. —Additional reporting by Jeff Jensen
http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/07/26/totally-lost-comiccon/
by Dan Snierson
Categories: 'Lost', Comic-Con 2009, News, San Diego Comic-Con 2009
Mere hours after the official Lost panel — with fans' heads still swimming with possibilities about Season 6 — Jeff "Doc" Jensen and Dan "Dan" Snierson hosted their own Lost confab, a live edition of "Totally Lost" that was packed with shocking news and revelations. Okay, maybe it was light in the shocking-news-and-revelations department, but a few surprise guests did rock the room. Some highlights:
• After we counted down the top facts learned about Season 6 at the Lost panel (more Faraday and Juliet! Less Dharma!), Lost co-producer Gregg Nations joined us on stage to discuss last season’s Star Wars-centric episode “Some Like It Hoth,” which he co-wrote. Turns out that (a) there are plenty of Star Wars fans over at Lost HQ and (b) read any Star Wars symbolism into the show at your risk/enjoyment. Next, Nations dished about his duties as script coordinator and high-commander curator of all Lost knowledge. Basically, if something happens on the show, could have happened, or will happen on the show, he keeps track of said info. (The details on Jack’s medical schooling? Check.) Nations noted that the characters of Jack and Ben were the hardest characters to keep track of, and that Michael Emerson and Elizabeth Mitchell impressed him the most with their Lost knowledge. Then as part of a trivia game, he stumped two fans from the audience with several triple-expert-level questions. (How many time-shifting flashes were there in season 5? That’d be 15.) Just as we were about to squeeze some season 6 intel out of Nations, Lost exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse ran into the room, busted up the inquisition, and unceremoniously threw a burlap sack over his head before whisking him away.
• Next up: A short video segment, in which the Doc—having reconsidered his stance on Season 3’s polarizing Nikki-Paolo episode “Expose”—apologized to the episode’s writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz for “crapping” on “Expose” in his recap. They were gracious, in an I-told-you-so kind of way. (We’ll be posting this video soon on EW.com, so you can see what the pair had to say about penning the episode.)
• Then came the big surprise: Michael Emerson, who graciously fielded questions from both us and the audience. Asked about the Season 5 finale, Emerson raised eyebrows by noting that Ben didn’t know that he was going to kill Jacob until he was face-to-face with Jacob, and that Jacob all but forced him to do it. (Of course, Emerson did wonder if an entity like Jacob really could be killed.) Emerson also chatted about his Emmy nomination, his charmed chemistry with Terry O’Quinn, his wonderfully ambiguous line-readings, and Ben’s issues (think emotionally malnourished child). Check back on the site soon for footage of Emerson as well as the rest of the panel. And sincere thanks to those of you who took time out of your busy Comic-Con schedule to attend our panel. —Additional reporting by Jeff Jensen
http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/07/26/totally-lost-comiccon/
ABC launching a college devoted to 'Lost'? Sign us up!
Jul 23, 2009, 08:53 AM by Jeff Jensen
For those of you currently enrolled in our EW University course on Lost (more essays to come over the next several days) and interested in pursuing graduate studies this fall, you're in luck: ABC is launching its own "Lost University," details of which are beginning to trickle out. Check out the very cool web presence at abc.com's Lost site, filled with course descriptions ("Introductory Physics of Time Travel"), selected reading ("A Treatise of Human Nature" by David Hume), and a faculty directory. Included among the many real-life academics on staff is actor Jeremy Davies (Daniel Faraday), who proved himself something of a science egghead the last time I interviewed him.
From the looks of it, "Lost University" is several things at once: pure fun (I love the mascot: a polar bear, of course); elaborate promotion for the Season 5 DVD (in stores later this year); and (possibly) a nifty alternate reality game designed to keep Lost top-of-mind in the months leading up to its sixth and final season. Visitors to Comic-Con this week are already finding clues (including a phone number for a "Professor Nusedorf:" 818-824-6300) suggesting that a major component to "Lost University" begins on September 22, a date of significance in Lost lore. (9/22/04: Oceanic 815 crashed on The Island. But you didn't need a college course to know that, right?) While I'm down at Comic-Con this weekend, I'll see if I can dig up any more info. Feel free to follow me on Twitter for updates: @ewdocjensen. Also: keep coming back to PopWatch all weekend long for updates about all of Comic-Con.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Mysteries of the Universe
Darlton said during the Lost Comic-Con Panel that these Dharma Documentaries would be screened on-line. This is the trailer & schedule. I love the old 80's look to the video.
The Dharma Initiative
A project discussed for years in and around conspiracy circles. Once thought to be lost, this explosive documentary series has never been seen before...until now.The five-part video series will screen as follows:
Episode 1: July 23rd, 2009
Episode 2: August 4th, 2009
Episode 3: September 8th, 2009
Episode 4: October 15th, 2009
Episode 5: November 16th, 2009
The Dharma Initiative
A project discussed for years in and around conspiracy circles. Once thought to be lost, this explosive documentary series has never been seen before...until now.The five-part video series will screen as follows:
Episode 1: July 23rd, 2009
Episode 2: August 4th, 2009
Episode 3: September 8th, 2009
Episode 4: October 15th, 2009
Episode 5: November 16th, 2009
Lost Auction Props
Lost had their booth in #315 which is actually on the far right of the Exibit floor which is where all of the booths that sell Comicbooks and collectible toys is. I found it odd that it was so far away all of the big movie & TV show presentations. There could be a reason for, but I can't think of it. After the series is ended they plan on auctioning off all of these props along with much more. It was cool being so close to it all.
Walt on a Milkbox (from Hurley's dream in season two of Jin in a chicken suit), Walts/Hurley's Spanish Comicbook, Virgin Mary Statues, Hurley's winning Lotto Ticket
Danielle's Island Map & Sayid's Notes
Closeup of Island Map
Dharma Jumpsuits (I think the Navy Blue one is Juliet's and the Tan one is La Fleur's if I remember correctly)
Jack's Hospital shirt and Charlie's Guitar
Walt on a Milkbox (from Hurley's dream in season two of Jin in a chicken suit), Walts/Hurley's Spanish Comicbook, Virgin Mary Statues, Hurley's winning Lotto Ticket
Danielle's Island Map & Sayid's Notes
Closeup of Island Map
Dharma Jumpsuits (I think the Navy Blue one is Juliet's and the Tan one is La Fleur's if I remember correctly)
Jack's Hospital shirt and Charlie's Guitar
Lost Auction Props
Dharma New Recruits Photo
Virgin Mary Statues
Messages in a Bottle for Raft & Juliets Rum for Mourning the Frieghter Explosion
Sawyers Letter & Danielle's Music Box
Boone/Sawyer's Watershipdown & Sawyer's Glasses
Virgin Mary Statues
Messages in a Bottle for Raft & Juliets Rum for Mourning the Frieghter Explosion
Sawyers Letter & Danielle's Music Box
Boone/Sawyer's Watershipdown & Sawyer's Glasses
Lost Auction Props
Dharma Food
Swan Fail Safe Key
Apollo Bars
Kate's Plane
Missing Orientation Video in Bible
Swan Fail Safe Key
Apollo Bars
Kate's Plane
Missing Orientation Video in Bible
Lost Auction Props
Eko's Jesus Stick & Cross
Jacob's Knife
Pearl Crash Printout
Frieghter Phone
Charlies Driveshaft Ring & Jin's Handcuff
Jacob's Knife
Pearl Crash Printout
Frieghter Phone
Charlies Driveshaft Ring & Jin's Handcuff
Lost Auction Props
Karl's Room 23 Glasses
One of Locke's Knives
Ben's Dean Moriarty Passport
Locke's Suicide Letter to Jack
Locke's Passport
One of Locke's Knives
Ben's Dean Moriarty Passport
Locke's Suicide Letter to Jack
Locke's Passport
Lost Auction Props
Hatch Door
Part of Plane
Charlotte's Bear Collar & Locke/Richard's Time Loop Compass
Photos of Des & Penny & Nadia
Locke's Backgammon game
Part of Plane
Charlotte's Bear Collar & Locke/Richard's Time Loop Compass
Photos of Des & Penny & Nadia
Locke's Backgammon game
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Lost Panel Summary Thanks to DarkUFO
1) Parallel with S1 and S6 - DL confirms many characters from season one!
CC: Says there is a way of discovery that they will have in play in S6
2) Faraday confirmed for S6!!
3) Will we see flashbacks to characters' childhood? CC says S6 will be different. CC won't describe what that point of difference is.
4) Richard Alpert's backstory is "involved"
5) DL: Juliet WILL be in final season.
6) Q: Is Man in Black's name "Esau?" Emerson: Might be too literal--but I like the way your mind works.
7) Food drop in S2 finale might be covered... DL: "Something we'll try to address."
8) We won't see much DHARMA in S6
9) Jacob has NOT appeared as another character on the show.
10) Dominic Monaghan appeared on the panel!!!!
Source: http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/
CC: Says there is a way of discovery that they will have in play in S6
2) Faraday confirmed for S6!!
3) Will we see flashbacks to characters' childhood? CC says S6 will be different. CC won't describe what that point of difference is.
4) Richard Alpert's backstory is "involved"
5) DL: Juliet WILL be in final season.
6) Q: Is Man in Black's name "Esau?" Emerson: Might be too literal--but I like the way your mind works.
7) Food drop in S2 finale might be covered... DL: "Something we'll try to address."
8) We won't see much DHARMA in S6
9) Jacob has NOT appeared as another character on the show.
10) Dominic Monaghan appeared on the panel!!!!
Source: http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/
Yet Another Favorite Castaway Returns To Lost!
Big news about island-castaway show Lost is breaking over at Comic Con. One of our all time favorites is heading back to the island! Details, and major spoilers, after the jump.
Lost news turned up in an unexpected place this afternoon, at the panel and screening of the CW's new teen vampire soap the Vampire Diaries. Ian Somerhalder, best known as the late great Boone from Lost, plays brooding vampire Damon in the new CW show, and was asked by panel moderator Lynette Rice what being cast on this show would mean for him and Lost, and whether he would be returning for the show's last season.
We were actually talking about it today and... Boone will be coming back to Lost.
Somerhalder offered no other details, but this begs the question of exactly which other season-one characters will be returning to the island for Lost's final season. All that's certain is that Somerhalder is going to need that sun-protection ring his vampire character uses in Vampire Diaries when he gets back to the island.
Source: http://io9.com/5322970/yet-another-favorite-castaway-returns-to-lost
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Pa
BTW, Was great meeting you, sorry you didn't get in a question, but nobody else really did. Oh well, great panel nonetheless! Loved the book!
LOST Panel from Comic Con!
By now I guess everyone's seen the video on youtube, but not the videos played during the segments. So, here's my report on the panel:
Ok, after sleeping a whopping 4 hours on the hall H lawn, I woke up at 7am and continued to wait until 10:15 till they started seating. Adam and I speedwalked our asses off because they didn't want any running but no way were we not making the front.We got very close, front benches stage right, 15 rows back. Not bad in a room that sits 6500.
Ok, here's my weigh-in:Around 5 till 11, cc panel director, Stephen Johnson addresses the crowd, acknowledges the camping out and goes into 2 short videos-1st is all the characters appearing as they do side by side on the DVD covers, but as each character appears, they fade to a black with only small parts of them showing. When all characters are done, they go to white, POOM! : LOST- underneath "THE FINAL SEASON" 2010.
Place goes nuts Next video is a mock college recruiting commercial called LOST 'U', as in university. It's very similar to the dharma recruiting they did last year. The site they plugged is:Lostuniversity.orgThey handed out these flyers at the LOST #315 booth for the university and on the back is a penciled number, 818-824-6300 for needing a TA. A professor Nussdoef is listed. Weird.
There's another video of a "retro" ABC tv show from the 70's, "Mysteries of the Universe: The Dharma Initiative."Is sorta a conspiracy thing about dharma controlling society. The video had the bottom of the screens all messed up to give it an old feel to it. Not much, just images and voice over.
A video recap of the entire season 5 is played.Damon Lindenlot and Carlton Cuse, they are thrilled and sad about the panel but are stressing above all, this ones about Fan Appreciation.
They show some some fan films,The 1st is a mock brokeback mountain with Jack and Sawyer. Hysterical. Next is a weird al song with animated scenes from lost, decent.Toy figures of several losties lined up against the ny Yankees figures. Then they show the back of the yankees #'s, they read: 4 8 15 16 23 42 !Toy hurley busts out a gun and shoots all the Yankees! Awesome!Next, drugged out Jack from season 3 on the phone is calling xbox tech support cause his box has the blinking Red light. Nice dubbing with frustrating customer service op.Cuse: Says the question they get every year; is the show being made up as they go along? C&D both pull out a page each, Carlton pulls one out of a ankle knife holder, lol! Crowd pops!
With two keys each, They're locking the pages into a box for the audience. It will be taken to an undisclosed location, and, on the night of the series final, the executive producers will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live and will open the box and read the scene verbatim. D&C put the keys around their necks.Regarding the Q&A: They are giving a prize to any fan who says a secret word.
They play some Monty python music as a cue for what they will hear when secret word is spoken.1st fan question: Season 6 was said to have some similarities to Season 1. What does that mean?A: As soon as we were able to work toward an endpoint, we were closing a loop in certain ways. You'll see many characters you haven't seen since the first season.
Fan plant question. It's Paul Scherr of MTV's Human Giant. He's playing a crazed fan and did a painting on velvet of Damon and Carlton hugging a polar bear. He gives it to the on stage and plugs the website:DamonCarltonandapolarbear.com
This I was PISSED at cause you should have seen the line for the Q&A. It went from behind the end of the 1st 3 main sections till the end of the room. They wasted this on a bullshit mock. I mean, yeah, kinda funny, but for the LAST LOST (btb caps) this panel shouldve been 2 hours long. as, LOST finales go....
2nd Fan asks: Is there chance we'll see Faraday happily married next year. The producers say, basically, he's dead, so probably not, but Faraday will be on the show next season.3rd Fan asks is season 6 will have flashbacks, specifically childhood flashbacks. According to the producers, the time-travel season is over the flash-forward season is over, and they're doing something different.
D&C talk more fans stuff. They had a contest to make a legit theme song. Carlton mocks the sound in the LOST title:"eeeeeeeeennnnnnrrrooooowwwww." lol! They play a video to the winners of the fan-made LOST theme music, with a cheesy Magnum P.I. type video! Sick ending as the end of it pauses on running down an other from the season 3 finale, with 'LOST' over the van!
D&C show a quick Oceanic air commercial, followed by:Mr. Clucks commercial,Very interesting. It's Hugo promoting his Australian style chicken. He also says he's been so happy after winning the lottery, and how he's been lucky and he's created this business from a vision he had in the outbacks of Australia. About chicken! He does a funny Australian accent! Good shit.
A clip from America's Most Wanted, featuring Kate Austin. Nothing interesting. Except that instead of the father being killed, his work assistant is murdered in the blast of the house...I overlooked this last time. I guess with Hurleys commercial and Kates change in the person that was killed...hmmmm...things have changed....Wow. I didnt even realize this. Somethings VERY different here. Maybe some foreshadowing?
Returning to the Q&A, Jorge Garcia is playing a "fan" and asks about the commercial, why they don't call him for panels, etc.He wants some answers about it; like if that means the island was a memory cause if Juliet detonated the bomb, the last 5 seasons wouldn't mean anything, lol! But he goes on about getting answers and asks:"In like, season 1, where uh Sayid tortures Saywer for the inhaler, and they find out he doesn't have it....like....where did it go? Crowd died! Lol
So he's going on about getting answers. C&D say, Hurley, trust us, we will answer all important questions Hurley says, you said Nikki and Paolo were gonna be awesome tho, so... Huge pop. lol!
A voice off stage is mocking him. It's Michael Emerson, acting just like Ben! Insanity follows as fans flock to get pics.
Ben says there's a 2 question limit, and you're limited as it is already. Ben is talking about Hurley's character depth, saying at least the writers made the role of Ben, specifically for him. Hurley replies that Ben's upset cause Ben wanted to play Hurley. Hurley asks D&C for backup and they roll a Michael Emerson audition tape... he's auditioning for Hurley! Dressed in the t-shirt, with a bandanna, and even dropping the word "dude" every five seconds. It's the scene from the 1st scene when Hurley meets Sayid.Gold! At the end Emerson says to the casting director that, "this stuffs a little far fetched, but hey, they could like it.." grins, shakes head. Good stuff!
Fan question: When will get a Richard Alpert flashback, and does it have to do with the Black Rock in the middle of the island? They mention Richard's story is huge and they will address it.Next question: some sappy ass fan cries about Juliet dying and C&D confirm she will be back in season 6.
A planted audience member Bob Stencil, asks a Faraday complex time travel question, his nose bleeds and he says wait, I need my constant, pulls out a Dharma beer and he pounds it!
Funny, but not needed. So many fans got gipped who wanted to ask questions.
A Planted fan asks about Nestor Carbonell putting on eye-liner. They say, let's just ask him!Video plays, Richard is looking in a make up mirror talking to himself. 'Richard Alpert isn't immortal....you are, YOU are!' Puts on eyeliner, pauses then looks at the pencil. Fuckin cobalt?! I said onyx! What the fuck is this minor league Comic-Con makeup shit?!" Sees the camera and throws a chair.Chair comes off the real stage followed by actor, Nestor Carbonell!
A fan (who looks likes Hurley) asks: What made the food drop in Season 2? Jorge Garcia: It comes from planes. The producers say that that is something that might be dealt with. Damon: NO!
Fan question: can you confirm the name of the person Jacob was talking to on the beach as Esau?Ben answers the question but uses a confusing phrase to basically say no. But does it as Ben's character.Darlton- NO!
Damon and Carlton plug hints at the secret word which is clearly Claire. Another Hurley look-alike asks about how much of a role Dharma will play this season. Not a huge one, according to the producers. They're working on other stuff.
All during the question fans are yelling for him to just say Claire! The dude asking the question is oblivious. Damon says less Dharma this season, but expect something different.
Fan question: Has Jacob has ever appeared as any other image than himself, such as Claire or other characters? "Claire" is the secret word, so this guy gets a Lost prop: A representation of the seagull Claire released in season 2, with the actual note.The answer to the question: NO.
D&C run a Sawyer montage,The chicks in the row in front of Adam and I were having a fit. I'm surprised they didn't throw underwear at him it was that bad. Josh Holloway shows up on stage!With headset mic. Josh is talking all kinds of trash, calling Damon, Linda, Lindsey, JJ, etc. Hysterical! Josh pretends to take a taser Damon and the sound effect goes off late!
He takes his key to the box, then turns on Carlton. He calls Carlton Frankenstein! Tells him to give up the key, slick. Carlton refuses, Josh puts Damons hand in the water pitcher and threatens to tase him again. Josh gets the key! They're opening the box...Sawyer takes the script.. and reads... but he doesn't have his glasses. So Ben Linus reads a scene about a burning circus tent, and "Sy-larr and Park-man and staring at each other. You're the last of the Petrellis, you need to come to reason or you can't exist. Ben continues to read and just stops and says "what the fuck is this shit!?" are you fucking kidding me?" crowd dies laughing!
We get a montage of everyone who died on the island. From season one on ending with a long montage of Charlie.Then, Charlie shows up!!! He waves to the crowd and the panel closes.
Excellent and worth the wait, camping, having pizza delivered to us on the lawn, drinking Jim Beam and sharing lost stories with 'the others' who camped out!
I'll be on AICN to check in the thoughts.
Ok, after sleeping a whopping 4 hours on the hall H lawn, I woke up at 7am and continued to wait until 10:15 till they started seating. Adam and I speedwalked our asses off because they didn't want any running but no way were we not making the front.We got very close, front benches stage right, 15 rows back. Not bad in a room that sits 6500.
Ok, here's my weigh-in:Around 5 till 11, cc panel director, Stephen Johnson addresses the crowd, acknowledges the camping out and goes into 2 short videos-1st is all the characters appearing as they do side by side on the DVD covers, but as each character appears, they fade to a black with only small parts of them showing. When all characters are done, they go to white, POOM! : LOST- underneath "THE FINAL SEASON" 2010.
Place goes nuts Next video is a mock college recruiting commercial called LOST 'U', as in university. It's very similar to the dharma recruiting they did last year. The site they plugged is:Lostuniversity.orgThey handed out these flyers at the LOST #315 booth for the university and on the back is a penciled number, 818-824-6300 for needing a TA. A professor Nussdoef is listed. Weird.
There's another video of a "retro" ABC tv show from the 70's, "Mysteries of the Universe: The Dharma Initiative."Is sorta a conspiracy thing about dharma controlling society. The video had the bottom of the screens all messed up to give it an old feel to it. Not much, just images and voice over.
A video recap of the entire season 5 is played.Damon Lindenlot and Carlton Cuse, they are thrilled and sad about the panel but are stressing above all, this ones about Fan Appreciation.
They show some some fan films,The 1st is a mock brokeback mountain with Jack and Sawyer. Hysterical. Next is a weird al song with animated scenes from lost, decent.Toy figures of several losties lined up against the ny Yankees figures. Then they show the back of the yankees #'s, they read: 4 8 15 16 23 42 !Toy hurley busts out a gun and shoots all the Yankees! Awesome!Next, drugged out Jack from season 3 on the phone is calling xbox tech support cause his box has the blinking Red light. Nice dubbing with frustrating customer service op.Cuse: Says the question they get every year; is the show being made up as they go along? C&D both pull out a page each, Carlton pulls one out of a ankle knife holder, lol! Crowd pops!
With two keys each, They're locking the pages into a box for the audience. It will be taken to an undisclosed location, and, on the night of the series final, the executive producers will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live and will open the box and read the scene verbatim. D&C put the keys around their necks.Regarding the Q&A: They are giving a prize to any fan who says a secret word.
They play some Monty python music as a cue for what they will hear when secret word is spoken.1st fan question: Season 6 was said to have some similarities to Season 1. What does that mean?A: As soon as we were able to work toward an endpoint, we were closing a loop in certain ways. You'll see many characters you haven't seen since the first season.
Fan plant question. It's Paul Scherr of MTV's Human Giant. He's playing a crazed fan and did a painting on velvet of Damon and Carlton hugging a polar bear. He gives it to the on stage and plugs the website:DamonCarltonandapolarbear.com
This I was PISSED at cause you should have seen the line for the Q&A. It went from behind the end of the 1st 3 main sections till the end of the room. They wasted this on a bullshit mock. I mean, yeah, kinda funny, but for the LAST LOST (btb caps) this panel shouldve been 2 hours long. as, LOST finales go....
2nd Fan asks: Is there chance we'll see Faraday happily married next year. The producers say, basically, he's dead, so probably not, but Faraday will be on the show next season.3rd Fan asks is season 6 will have flashbacks, specifically childhood flashbacks. According to the producers, the time-travel season is over the flash-forward season is over, and they're doing something different.
D&C talk more fans stuff. They had a contest to make a legit theme song. Carlton mocks the sound in the LOST title:"eeeeeeeeennnnnnrrrooooowwwww." lol! They play a video to the winners of the fan-made LOST theme music, with a cheesy Magnum P.I. type video! Sick ending as the end of it pauses on running down an other from the season 3 finale, with 'LOST' over the van!
D&C show a quick Oceanic air commercial, followed by:Mr. Clucks commercial,Very interesting. It's Hugo promoting his Australian style chicken. He also says he's been so happy after winning the lottery, and how he's been lucky and he's created this business from a vision he had in the outbacks of Australia. About chicken! He does a funny Australian accent! Good shit.
A clip from America's Most Wanted, featuring Kate Austin. Nothing interesting. Except that instead of the father being killed, his work assistant is murdered in the blast of the house...I overlooked this last time. I guess with Hurleys commercial and Kates change in the person that was killed...hmmmm...things have changed....Wow. I didnt even realize this. Somethings VERY different here. Maybe some foreshadowing?
Returning to the Q&A, Jorge Garcia is playing a "fan" and asks about the commercial, why they don't call him for panels, etc.He wants some answers about it; like if that means the island was a memory cause if Juliet detonated the bomb, the last 5 seasons wouldn't mean anything, lol! But he goes on about getting answers and asks:"In like, season 1, where uh Sayid tortures Saywer for the inhaler, and they find out he doesn't have it....like....where did it go? Crowd died! Lol
So he's going on about getting answers. C&D say, Hurley, trust us, we will answer all important questions Hurley says, you said Nikki and Paolo were gonna be awesome tho, so... Huge pop. lol!
A voice off stage is mocking him. It's Michael Emerson, acting just like Ben! Insanity follows as fans flock to get pics.
Ben says there's a 2 question limit, and you're limited as it is already. Ben is talking about Hurley's character depth, saying at least the writers made the role of Ben, specifically for him. Hurley replies that Ben's upset cause Ben wanted to play Hurley. Hurley asks D&C for backup and they roll a Michael Emerson audition tape... he's auditioning for Hurley! Dressed in the t-shirt, with a bandanna, and even dropping the word "dude" every five seconds. It's the scene from the 1st scene when Hurley meets Sayid.Gold! At the end Emerson says to the casting director that, "this stuffs a little far fetched, but hey, they could like it.." grins, shakes head. Good stuff!
Fan question: When will get a Richard Alpert flashback, and does it have to do with the Black Rock in the middle of the island? They mention Richard's story is huge and they will address it.Next question: some sappy ass fan cries about Juliet dying and C&D confirm she will be back in season 6.
A planted audience member Bob Stencil, asks a Faraday complex time travel question, his nose bleeds and he says wait, I need my constant, pulls out a Dharma beer and he pounds it!
Funny, but not needed. So many fans got gipped who wanted to ask questions.
A Planted fan asks about Nestor Carbonell putting on eye-liner. They say, let's just ask him!Video plays, Richard is looking in a make up mirror talking to himself. 'Richard Alpert isn't immortal....you are, YOU are!' Puts on eyeliner, pauses then looks at the pencil. Fuckin cobalt?! I said onyx! What the fuck is this minor league Comic-Con makeup shit?!" Sees the camera and throws a chair.Chair comes off the real stage followed by actor, Nestor Carbonell!
A fan (who looks likes Hurley) asks: What made the food drop in Season 2? Jorge Garcia: It comes from planes. The producers say that that is something that might be dealt with. Damon: NO!
Fan question: can you confirm the name of the person Jacob was talking to on the beach as Esau?Ben answers the question but uses a confusing phrase to basically say no. But does it as Ben's character.Darlton- NO!
Damon and Carlton plug hints at the secret word which is clearly Claire. Another Hurley look-alike asks about how much of a role Dharma will play this season. Not a huge one, according to the producers. They're working on other stuff.
All during the question fans are yelling for him to just say Claire! The dude asking the question is oblivious. Damon says less Dharma this season, but expect something different.
Fan question: Has Jacob has ever appeared as any other image than himself, such as Claire or other characters? "Claire" is the secret word, so this guy gets a Lost prop: A representation of the seagull Claire released in season 2, with the actual note.The answer to the question: NO.
D&C run a Sawyer montage,The chicks in the row in front of Adam and I were having a fit. I'm surprised they didn't throw underwear at him it was that bad. Josh Holloway shows up on stage!With headset mic. Josh is talking all kinds of trash, calling Damon, Linda, Lindsey, JJ, etc. Hysterical! Josh pretends to take a taser Damon and the sound effect goes off late!
He takes his key to the box, then turns on Carlton. He calls Carlton Frankenstein! Tells him to give up the key, slick. Carlton refuses, Josh puts Damons hand in the water pitcher and threatens to tase him again. Josh gets the key! They're opening the box...Sawyer takes the script.. and reads... but he doesn't have his glasses. So Ben Linus reads a scene about a burning circus tent, and "Sy-larr and Park-man and staring at each other. You're the last of the Petrellis, you need to come to reason or you can't exist. Ben continues to read and just stops and says "what the fuck is this shit!?" are you fucking kidding me?" crowd dies laughing!
We get a montage of everyone who died on the island. From season one on ending with a long montage of Charlie.Then, Charlie shows up!!! He waves to the crowd and the panel closes.
Excellent and worth the wait, camping, having pizza delivered to us on the lawn, drinking Jim Beam and sharing lost stories with 'the others' who camped out!
I'll be on AICN to check in the thoughts.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Walkabout
After a busy day 2 of comic-con, I decided after finishing my planned activities for the day to just walk. I dint know how, I don't know why, but I'm one lucky mofo. Possibly the Irish in me came thru today.
I met Carlton & Damon today.
Not at a signing booth either. I was coming down the easclator by hall H, (where LOST is screening tomorrow) and I saw them. I did a double take, even took off my dr who 3-D glasses.
It was them.
They were talking to an event planner, maybe about tomorrows set up, cause they are usually in ballroom 20 upstairs. So, after they were done, the 3-4 ppl around hanging asked them to take pics.
They were very cool, shook hands, etc. I have a few pics and will post them tonight or tomorrow. I'm camping out later so unless I go to my friends at the Hilton with laptops, it'll have to wait.
Last night, my friend Adam from my Nyc LOST meetup group met and had a drink with Dominic Monhagn, (spelled wrong ) Charlie and asked him what's up with LOST. He said he couldn't say.
Well, he isn't listed in the whole cc program for panels or signings. So, what gives???
I asked D&C about Charlie and they played it off. WTF?
Anyway. Camping out. I'm from the BX, Ill survive.
Looking forward to a great panel.
Keep u guys posted!
The Long Con So Far....
I've been to Comic-Con for almost 10 years now and I cannot believe how enduring and over crowded it has become. Today truly felt like the usual Saturday portion of the con....but...well...., it's freakin' THURSDAY!
Before I mention anything about the con specifically, I do need to say that Dominic Monahan IS here; I saw him in the Gaslamp downtown early evening in passing and a close friend of mine from the NYC LOST meetup group had a few minutes with him; shared a drink at a restaurant.
I texted him that he was full of it, my friend insisted, SO, hopefully he's here for the panel. He said Dominic swore he was not, but in the CC "bible," the entire scheduling program, he is not listed for any series as making an appearance nor doing any signings.So, take it for what its worth.
Anyway, it's been very busy and nearly impossible to get into your regular panels, even by trying to get in line an hour and a half prior. Most panels have the line forming outside in the sun and going today as Dr. Horrible was not going to happen. 2 people on line with me for a later panel said they waited 2 1/2 hours for Avatar. There's so much more to do here than have to stand still. (Maybe that's just the New Yorker in me.)
Regardless, you have to plan very well here in order to see what you wanna see. Gone are the days of getting to see 3-4 panels in one day. (Major ones, at least)Well, I plan to get in line tomorrow night around midnight if possible. I am not missing this panel.
Figure, ah, gettin' a bottle and a pillow will make the night go faster.I will do my best not to fail Jacob and the Island!
Before I mention anything about the con specifically, I do need to say that Dominic Monahan IS here; I saw him in the Gaslamp downtown early evening in passing and a close friend of mine from the NYC LOST meetup group had a few minutes with him; shared a drink at a restaurant.
I texted him that he was full of it, my friend insisted, SO, hopefully he's here for the panel. He said Dominic swore he was not, but in the CC "bible," the entire scheduling program, he is not listed for any series as making an appearance nor doing any signings.So, take it for what its worth.
Anyway, it's been very busy and nearly impossible to get into your regular panels, even by trying to get in line an hour and a half prior. Most panels have the line forming outside in the sun and going today as Dr. Horrible was not going to happen. 2 people on line with me for a later panel said they waited 2 1/2 hours for Avatar. There's so much more to do here than have to stand still. (Maybe that's just the New Yorker in me.)
Regardless, you have to plan very well here in order to see what you wanna see. Gone are the days of getting to see 3-4 panels in one day. (Major ones, at least)Well, I plan to get in line tomorrow night around midnight if possible. I am not missing this panel.
Figure, ah, gettin' a bottle and a pillow will make the night go faster.I will do my best not to fail Jacob and the Island!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thursday
From my Phone:
Woman power with eliabeth mitchell asked if juliet would come back darlton told her to say that it all depends on if jacks plan worked and that its a cliffhanger
Night Report:
Today I went to the Female Power Panel withElizabeth Mitchell. I wasn't expecting a lot. The moderator did ask it she was coming back or not. She mentioned that Darlton had couched her that she had been asked that to say that it all depended on if Jacks plan worked. SHe also said that they told her that it was a Cliffhanger.
Later I visited Booth #315 on the Exhibit Hall after reading a Lost ad in the guide. It was awsome There was tons of the show props on display and they are going to be auxtioned off at the end of the series! Stuff like Eko's Jesus STick, Ben's passport, Karl's Room 23 Glasses, Virgin Mary Statues, The island map, Charlies Guitar, etc, etc. THey were also handing out cards for a Lost University for this fall. Im guessing that its the next ARG with some sort of connection to the stated focus on Ann Arbor for seaon 6. I'll post pictures when I get back.
Woman power with eliabeth mitchell asked if juliet would come back darlton told her to say that it all depends on if jacks plan worked and that its a cliffhanger
Night Report:
Today I went to the Female Power Panel withElizabeth Mitchell. I wasn't expecting a lot. The moderator did ask it she was coming back or not. She mentioned that Darlton had couched her that she had been asked that to say that it all depended on if Jacks plan worked. SHe also said that they told her that it was a Cliffhanger.
Later I visited Booth #315 on the Exhibit Hall after reading a Lost ad in the guide. It was awsome There was tons of the show props on display and they are going to be auxtioned off at the end of the series! Stuff like Eko's Jesus STick, Ben's passport, Karl's Room 23 Glasses, Virgin Mary Statues, The island map, Charlies Guitar, etc, etc. THey were also handing out cards for a Lost University for this fall. Im guessing that its the next ARG with some sort of connection to the stated focus on Ann Arbor for seaon 6. I'll post pictures when I get back.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
EW Doc Jensen: 'Lost': 15 Must-Answer Mysteries
'Lost': 15 Must-Answer Mysteries
At the end of season 5, Doc Jensen asked you to send in the ''Top 3 Lost Mysteries You Absolutely Need to See Resolved in Season 6.'' Here, the wish list of questions whose answers would satisfy just about every Lost-ie
By Jeff Jensen Jul 17, 2009
15: What are The Whispers?
We kick off with that creepy murmur that usually precedes the appearance of The Others. Why the ethereal gossiping? How do they do it? Maybe season 6 will tell us the answer — in a loud, clear voice.
14: What's Libby's backstory?
When this Tailie was killed by Michael at the end of season 2, she left behind several unanswered questions. Why did she end up in Hurley's mental institution? Was it merely coincidence that she was the one who gave Desmond his sailboat? As much as fans want resolution, alas, the producers have said that actress Cynthia Watros is unlikely to return to the show.
13: What's the complete Dharma backstory?
We still haven't met the majordomos who ran the secretive utopian science enclave from afar in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And where in the world is its mysterious Danish financial backer, Alvar Hanso? And why did Pierre Chang use alternative names in the Dharma orientation films? And another thing...
12: Where did The Others come from?
They speak Latin, hang out in Egyptian temples, like to dress up in the clothes of the Island visitors...that they kidnap and kill! They have been called The Island's ''indigenous'' people but who are they really?
11: Do all the castaways have a secret connection?
The first season suggested that the castaways — complete strangers to each other prior to Oceanic 815's crash — are at the very least linked by common acquaintances or experiences. But do they share a more cosmic connection? Perhaps: the season 5 finale revealed that many of them had previously met — and were conspicuously touched by — Jacob. More on him in a minute.
10: Who are Adam and Eve?
Early in season 1, Jack found a pair of male and female skeletons, dubbed ''Adam and Eve,'' near a spring of water. Fans immediately wondered if they belong to characters we know, and indeed, the producers have said that the bones are connected to season 5's time-travel story line. So: Who are they?
9: What's the significance of The Numbers?
4 8 15 16 23 42. Together, they add up to 108, another recurring digit in Lost. Hurley played them to win the lottery, and the Dharma dudes used them as computer code. An explanation for The Numbers was provided via ''The Lost Experience,'' a 2006 online ARG (just Google the words ''Valenzetti Equation''), but that explanation has never been referenced on the show itself.
8: Why are there Egyptian ruins on The Island?
At least, we presume they are Egyptian ruins. The hieroglyphics on the Temple are Egyptian, while the Four Toed Statue was recently revealed to be that of the Egyptian deity Taweret, linked to fertility, death, and evil.
7. Where are stewardess Cindy and the kids?
Little Zack and his sister Emma were among The Tailies and were abducted by the Others shortly after the crash of Oceanic 815. Stewardess Cindy was taken a couple weeks later. In the third season, we learned they are living happily among the Others. But why did the Others want them in the first place?
6. What is the Island, anyway?
When fans ask this question, what they usually want is an explanation for the Island's seemingly supernatural properties. Why is there an anomaly surrounding it that kills people or zaps them back in time? How did it heal Locke's legs? How can it be home to ghosts? While there may be answers for some of these specific concerns, the producers have already warned fans that resolving the meta-question ''What is the Island?'' may be impossible.
5: What happened to Claire?
Aaron's Aussie mommy survived a rocket attack on her cabin — or did she? She seemed fine, but soon after, she disappeared into the jungle with her father, Christian Shephard (also Jack's dad), who may or may not be a ghost. She's been MIA ever since.
4: What was up with Walt?
Our top four ''Lost Must-Answer Mysteries'' were the only ones to receive more than 5% of the total vote — an indication, I think, that one fan's mystery is another fan's ''Who cares?'' Anyway, Walt. Maybe psychic. Seemingly capable of astral projection. Ben told Michael that his son proved to be ''more than we bargained for'' after they took him from the raft. What did that mean?
3: What is The Monster?
2: Who is Jacob?
This was Top-10 material even before the season 5 finale, when Jacob was still a phantom. But after ''The Incident,'' when it was revealed that Jacob (Mark Pellegrino) was a youthful looking fortysomething, partial to fish, free will, and Flannery O'Connor, he rocketed up the charts. But he still came nowhere close to Number 1....
1: Why doesn't Richard Alpert age?
This result (10.8% of the vote) surprised me: I thought for sure the Monster, the Island, or the Numbers would be up here. The phrasing of the mystery is pretty much exactly how everyone articulated it. Still, I interpret the question to mean that we want answers for the whole Alpert enigma. What's his role on the Island? How did he meet Jacob? And more importantly: Eyeliner or what?
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20209564_20209584_20291928,00.html?xid=email-alert-lost-20090720-item1
At the end of season 5, Doc Jensen asked you to send in the ''Top 3 Lost Mysteries You Absolutely Need to See Resolved in Season 6.'' Here, the wish list of questions whose answers would satisfy just about every Lost-ie
By Jeff Jensen Jul 17, 2009
15: What are The Whispers?
We kick off with that creepy murmur that usually precedes the appearance of The Others. Why the ethereal gossiping? How do they do it? Maybe season 6 will tell us the answer — in a loud, clear voice.
14: What's Libby's backstory?
When this Tailie was killed by Michael at the end of season 2, she left behind several unanswered questions. Why did she end up in Hurley's mental institution? Was it merely coincidence that she was the one who gave Desmond his sailboat? As much as fans want resolution, alas, the producers have said that actress Cynthia Watros is unlikely to return to the show.
13: What's the complete Dharma backstory?
We still haven't met the majordomos who ran the secretive utopian science enclave from afar in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And where in the world is its mysterious Danish financial backer, Alvar Hanso? And why did Pierre Chang use alternative names in the Dharma orientation films? And another thing...
12: Where did The Others come from?
They speak Latin, hang out in Egyptian temples, like to dress up in the clothes of the Island visitors...that they kidnap and kill! They have been called The Island's ''indigenous'' people but who are they really?
11: Do all the castaways have a secret connection?
The first season suggested that the castaways — complete strangers to each other prior to Oceanic 815's crash — are at the very least linked by common acquaintances or experiences. But do they share a more cosmic connection? Perhaps: the season 5 finale revealed that many of them had previously met — and were conspicuously touched by — Jacob. More on him in a minute.
10: Who are Adam and Eve?
Early in season 1, Jack found a pair of male and female skeletons, dubbed ''Adam and Eve,'' near a spring of water. Fans immediately wondered if they belong to characters we know, and indeed, the producers have said that the bones are connected to season 5's time-travel story line. So: Who are they?
9: What's the significance of The Numbers?
4 8 15 16 23 42. Together, they add up to 108, another recurring digit in Lost. Hurley played them to win the lottery, and the Dharma dudes used them as computer code. An explanation for The Numbers was provided via ''The Lost Experience,'' a 2006 online ARG (just Google the words ''Valenzetti Equation''), but that explanation has never been referenced on the show itself.
8: Why are there Egyptian ruins on The Island?
At least, we presume they are Egyptian ruins. The hieroglyphics on the Temple are Egyptian, while the Four Toed Statue was recently revealed to be that of the Egyptian deity Taweret, linked to fertility, death, and evil.
7. Where are stewardess Cindy and the kids?
Little Zack and his sister Emma were among The Tailies and were abducted by the Others shortly after the crash of Oceanic 815. Stewardess Cindy was taken a couple weeks later. In the third season, we learned they are living happily among the Others. But why did the Others want them in the first place?
6. What is the Island, anyway?
When fans ask this question, what they usually want is an explanation for the Island's seemingly supernatural properties. Why is there an anomaly surrounding it that kills people or zaps them back in time? How did it heal Locke's legs? How can it be home to ghosts? While there may be answers for some of these specific concerns, the producers have already warned fans that resolving the meta-question ''What is the Island?'' may be impossible.
5: What happened to Claire?
Aaron's Aussie mommy survived a rocket attack on her cabin — or did she? She seemed fine, but soon after, she disappeared into the jungle with her father, Christian Shephard (also Jack's dad), who may or may not be a ghost. She's been MIA ever since.
4: What was up with Walt?
Our top four ''Lost Must-Answer Mysteries'' were the only ones to receive more than 5% of the total vote — an indication, I think, that one fan's mystery is another fan's ''Who cares?'' Anyway, Walt. Maybe psychic. Seemingly capable of astral projection. Ben told Michael that his son proved to be ''more than we bargained for'' after they took him from the raft. What did that mean?
3: What is The Monster?
2: Who is Jacob?
This was Top-10 material even before the season 5 finale, when Jacob was still a phantom. But after ''The Incident,'' when it was revealed that Jacob (Mark Pellegrino) was a youthful looking fortysomething, partial to fish, free will, and Flannery O'Connor, he rocketed up the charts. But he still came nowhere close to Number 1....
1: Why doesn't Richard Alpert age?
This result (10.8% of the vote) surprised me: I thought for sure the Monster, the Island, or the Numbers would be up here. The phrasing of the mystery is pretty much exactly how everyone articulated it. Still, I interpret the question to mean that we want answers for the whole Alpert enigma. What's his role on the Island? How did he meet Jacob? And more importantly: Eyeliner or what?
http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20209564_20209584_20291928,00.html?xid=email-alert-lost-20090720-item1
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Could Lost's Final Season Pull A Battlestar Galactica?
Earlier this week, Brad Templeton wrote an essay explaining why Battlestar Galactica's ending was the worst on-screen sci-fi ending of all time. Could Lost be headed down the same disappointing path? Spoilers for both shows ahead!
In his essay, Templeton breaks his analysis of the BSG finale into 6 distinct failures. Here's how Lost measures up in each of those categories.
Failure 1 - God did it
Templeton explains why blaming god for all the twists and turns of the plot, and the eventual resolution of the story, renders the journey of the story meaningless. In BSG, Templeton explains, when we find out that humanity ended up where they did solely because of the will of some sort of god figure, we stop caring about the story.
Lost does run a slight risk of this being the case. The show and the writers seem to suggest that god won't be the answer, but there are mysterious forces at play here. Jacob's enemy using Locke to attack Jacob is an instance of possible god-like manipulation. Mrs. Hawking, course correction, the "doubting Thomas" scenes... there is clearly some element of fate, of some unseen force maneuvering events for their own gains.
But despite this "fate" aspect, Lost has always been about exploring how much influence fate can have versus our ability to make our own destinies. Lost is a show primarily about the conflict between fate and free will, so I'd wager we'll get our due, without a "deus ex machina" cop-out.
Failure 2 - Science errors on plot-turning elements
The next major flaw Templeton discusses is a giant, plot-determinative science mistake. On BSG, this mistake was a misunderstanding of just what the term "mitochondrial Eve" means. On Lost, if there is such a mistake, it's likely to be a bit more elusive and complex.
The creators and show-runners of Lost have claimed since the beginning that the show can all be explained using science or pseudo-science. Lost never claimed to be a hard science fiction show; it's more in the soft sci-fi camp. But that doesn't mean some key errors can't undermine the show's believability.
For example, Lost could make some severe errors in time travel science. It could suggest something that violates the known rules of how our universe works. Or it could break some of it's own internal rules (whatever happened, happened, for example).
But Lost always chooses to keep the science very speculative and very experimental. That means that even their most heavily-relied-upon science is mostly theoretical. This lets Lost try a lot more complex and interesting things with science.
This particular failure is hard to predict. Knowing Lost, we might already be through the most complex or unbelievable science. Only time will tell on this one.
Failure 3 - Collective unconscious
The third failure, in Templeton's essay, is BSG's use of the hokey concept of cultural memory to explain the parallels between the colonial fleet and our own Earth. Lost hasn't taken this particular risk, but it has experimented with an equally dangerous science fiction psychology cliche: mind reading.
Lost is probably going to have a difficult time explaining (in any believable or coherent way) how the "monster" (whatever it is) can read people's minds and pasts. It's happened a few times, and the "monster" has even used this information to mimic people from its victims' pasts.
The big question now is how Jacob's newly revealed enemy relates to this monster and how this connection can be explained scientifically. It's a tough one, and it might end up being Lost's undoing, as much as the collective unconscious partially undid BSG's finale.
Failure 4 - The future vs. a secret history
Failure four of BSG's ending, according to Templeton, was the inevitable complexity of casting a fictional story as a secret history of our own Earth. Lost has flirted with this particular failure pretty often this season (ancient Egyptian symbols, time travel, etc.), but the eventual resolution could be a pretty explosively bad example of a poorly constructed "secret history."
This season, of course, a few of our Lost folks spent some time in the 70s. Whenever you send a character into the past, you run the risk of doing exactly what BSG did, mainly depicting a past event that certainly could not have happened.
Lost had the perfect fix for this: all of the possible past-defying happenings took place on a secret isolated island. Even if something big happened, no one would know, and its effects would be felt nearly exclusively on the island. This works, but it might prove problematic, of course, with the detonation of a hydrogen bomb that spews strange matter and electromagnetic energy all over the place...
And then there's the whole Egyptian culture, Latin language, ancient history side of Lost. While this could look troubling from a "secret history" standpoint, these aspects of the show only hint at a secret history of the island, not an impossible, unwieldy one for the whole of humanity.
Lost seems to be headed pretty squarely towards a present-day finale. It seems as though the time jumping is over. Unless something really strange happens (which, again, knowing Lost, is a possibility), Lost has seemingly sidestepped any possible "secret history" troubles for their finale.
Failure 5 - It's the characters, stupid
To me, this is where Lost most clearly distinguishes itself from BSG. In his essay, Templeton says that BSG lost sight of its true goal of character development in its final episodes. Lost seems to be not only sticking to these character roots, but moving even further towards them in its final seasons.
Take, for example, the fan-favorite episode, "The Constant." In it, we got a slew of information on one way that time travel was meant to work on the show. But if you ask people why it's a highlight of the show, fans inevitably cite the final moments, when Penny and Desmond have their tearful, emotionally powerful reunion. This speaks volumes for Lost's ability to put characters first, mystery second.
For a more recent example, take this season's finale, "The Incident." As psyched as I was to finally see what the incident was and how it came to pass, the real impact of the episode was witnessing Sawyer lose the woman he loved, Juliet.
A lot of science fiction claims up and down that the real focus of their story is character, but only Lost has proved time and time again that they can make good on this claim. The show's ability to balance compelling mystery and mythology with fascinating characters that we care about will probably be what makes it one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time.
Failure 6 - Not a great ending
The bottom line of Templeton's essay, it seems, is that the show was great, but the ending wasn't. It didn't tie everything together as well as it could, it didn't fulfill the goals of the show, and it just wasn't as good as it could have been.
We've already been told by the producers of Lost that Libby's fate isn't going to be revealed, that the show has a hierarchy of which mysteries will get tied up and which won't. But the fact that the show-runners are thinking hard about this is probably a good sign. It indicates that they know their priority is a good story, not nitpicky details.
So all told, it looks like Lost has a good chance of avoiding a BSG-sized disappointment. Here's hoping no one has to write an essay about Lost's colossal failure this time next year.
Source: http://io9.com/5317172/could-losts-final-season-pull-a-battlestar-galactica?skyline=true&s=x
Friday, July 17, 2009
ABC Comic-Con Press Release
LOST - The Final Season Begins with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
In appreciation of all the fan support through five seasons of "Lost," co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse will pay homage to all of the fans at their final Comic-Con appearance for "Lost." Questions will be answered. Fun will be had. And you won't want to miss the surprises in store for the audience. This will be the must-attend event of Comic Con! Hall H
Other "Lost" treats at Comic-Con are:
"Lost" Magazine, a must-have for fans, available at Titan Publishing's booth 5337
Free "Lost" promotional cards from Rittenhouse Archives.
"Lost" collectible bobble-head dolls from Bif Bang Pow! at Entertainment Earth Booth #2343
Click here for the whole press release
http://spoilertv-comiccon.blogspot.com/2009/07/disneyabc-comic-con-press-release.html
In appreciation of all the fan support through five seasons of "Lost," co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse will pay homage to all of the fans at their final Comic-Con appearance for "Lost." Questions will be answered. Fun will be had. And you won't want to miss the surprises in store for the audience. This will be the must-attend event of Comic Con! Hall H
Other "Lost" treats at Comic-Con are:
"Lost" Magazine, a must-have for fans, available at Titan Publishing's booth 5337
Free "Lost" promotional cards from Rittenhouse Archives.
"Lost" collectible bobble-head dolls from Bif Bang Pow! at Entertainment Earth Booth #2343
Click here for the whole press release
http://spoilertv-comiccon.blogspot.com/2009/07/disneyabc-comic-con-press-release.html
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Producer sues, says he created Lost
07/14/09 12:29 PM
Lawsuit claims Baretta producer wrote pilot for show similar to ABC's hit in 1977.
Eerie coincidences aren't unusual in ABC's Lost -- in fact, they're a driving force of the show's twisting-and-turning storyline. But television producer Anthony Spinner has a Lost co-inky-dink that isn't going to go over well at ABC.
According to court documents acquired by the gossip-hounds at TMZ.com, Spinner, a former producer on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Baretta, is suing ABC, claiming the company stole the idea for Lost from a television pilot he wrote way back in 1977.
If his claims are accurate, he may have a case. Spinner points out several similarities from his pilot script -- also titled Lost -- that are enough to make even the most rabid Lost fan look twice. His script allegedly features a Los Angeles-bound plane crashing in a tropical environment, "cold-weather animals in a warm tropical jungle" (Lost uses a polar bear, Spinner used a saber-toothed tiger), and the use of pre-crash flashbacks to provide character development, among other parallel plot points.
There are also striking similarities between characters, says Spinner, including a doctor who leads the group (Jack), a "trailblazer" who tries to convince the survivors to make the island home (Locke), a drug addict (Charlie), a military man whose skills are used for survival (Sayid), and a "stubborn and reluctant semi-hero" who challenges the doctor and has a shady father-son past (Sawyer).
Spinner, age 79, is suing for damages and a share of profits. He reportedly tried to sue a few years ago, but the suit was dismissed for procedural reasons. ABC has yet to comment.
We'll watch to see how this pans out (most suits of this nature don't go anywhere), but we'll also keep an eye out for proof that this could just be another case of creative publicity for Lost. It may be the conspiracy theorist in us, but 1977 -- the year Spinner's script was allegedly written -- is also the year season five ended in Lost's timeline. Maybe Spinner is from the Dharma Initiative? It wouldn't surprise us one bit if he made a special appearance at Comic-Con (which is, conveniently, less than two weeks away) as the Lost panel's "special guest."
Lawsuit claims Baretta producer wrote pilot for show similar to ABC's hit in 1977.
Eerie coincidences aren't unusual in ABC's Lost -- in fact, they're a driving force of the show's twisting-and-turning storyline. But television producer Anthony Spinner has a Lost co-inky-dink that isn't going to go over well at ABC.
According to court documents acquired by the gossip-hounds at TMZ.com, Spinner, a former producer on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Baretta, is suing ABC, claiming the company stole the idea for Lost from a television pilot he wrote way back in 1977.
If his claims are accurate, he may have a case. Spinner points out several similarities from his pilot script -- also titled Lost -- that are enough to make even the most rabid Lost fan look twice. His script allegedly features a Los Angeles-bound plane crashing in a tropical environment, "cold-weather animals in a warm tropical jungle" (Lost uses a polar bear, Spinner used a saber-toothed tiger), and the use of pre-crash flashbacks to provide character development, among other parallel plot points.
There are also striking similarities between characters, says Spinner, including a doctor who leads the group (Jack), a "trailblazer" who tries to convince the survivors to make the island home (Locke), a drug addict (Charlie), a military man whose skills are used for survival (Sayid), and a "stubborn and reluctant semi-hero" who challenges the doctor and has a shady father-son past (Sawyer).
Spinner, age 79, is suing for damages and a share of profits. He reportedly tried to sue a few years ago, but the suit was dismissed for procedural reasons. ABC has yet to comment.
We'll watch to see how this pans out (most suits of this nature don't go anywhere), but we'll also keep an eye out for proof that this could just be another case of creative publicity for Lost. It may be the conspiracy theorist in us, but 1977 -- the year Spinner's script was allegedly written -- is also the year season five ended in Lost's timeline. Maybe Spinner is from the Dharma Initiative? It wouldn't surprise us one bit if he made a special appearance at Comic-Con (which is, conveniently, less than two weeks away) as the Lost panel's "special guest."
EW: Emmy Awards: The 2009 Nominees
See who will be competing for TV's biggest awards on Sunday, Sept. 20; ''30 Rock'' leads with 22 nominations
30 ROCK Leading the field with 22 nominations
Mary Ellen Mathew
By Mandi Bierly Mandi Bierly
With 22 nominations, NBC's 30 Rock leads the way for the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards, which will be hosted by nominee Neil Patrick Harris and broadcast live on CBS on Sept. 20. For the first time since 1961, an animated series, Fox's Family Guy, earned an Outstanding Comedy Series bid. It will compete against fellow first-timers How I Met Your Mother (CBS), Flight of the Conchords (HBO), and Weeds (Showtime), along with veterans 30 Rock, Entourage (HBO), and The Office (NBC).
30 ROCK Leading the field with 22 nominations
Mary Ellen Mathew
By Mandi Bierly Mandi Bierly
With 22 nominations, NBC's 30 Rock leads the way for the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards, which will be hosted by nominee Neil Patrick Harris and broadcast live on CBS on Sept. 20. For the first time since 1961, an animated series, Fox's Family Guy, earned an Outstanding Comedy Series bid. It will compete against fellow first-timers How I Met Your Mother (CBS), Flight of the Conchords (HBO), and Weeds (Showtime), along with veterans 30 Rock, Entourage (HBO), and The Office (NBC).
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