Saturday, July 26, 2008
ODI's Live Coverage
Talk about new autograph site, all the cast members will have signing services for charity.
Q&A almost immediately but some sponsorship: Dharma Initiative
Hans Van Eegan Appears!!
ASR Tests given were abysmal
`2:20 They show compilation of Dharma tests!! Fans shown, Damon says he cant live Carlton
Fans called up to stage for passing.
Four on stage and I think they are actors...not sure.
Fan Questions
Bo from Team ODI
Did the island travel when sky turned purple?
Answer is NO
Fans getting gifts for asking questions!! Bo gets Oceanic water!!
12:25
Not seen the last of Jin or Locke. Dead is a relative "term"
Show will have both of characters.
Confirmation of 17 episodes in last two seasons/
12:25 Which epi/season best??
Carlton says Constant favorite episode. S1 favorite.
Damon: S1 favorite and S4
Advertisements cast on island - what about reflection in water of city? No additional meaning just O6 getting off.
12:30 Rousseau FB?? WE willsee Rousseau's story this season!!! Staying away from
FB, but doing something!! Rousseau will be in S5!!
Do you guys know how the show will end?? Mentions D&C moms not knowing.
Other writers know most, but not everything.
Any guest today!? Hans Van Eegan was guest, but cast is all scattered around the world almost impossible because not together.
Fan gets signed copy of DVD!
12:35 Question about movie LOST Horizon? Yes, but not really going off of. But yes Stephen King, but anything in genre category is what we follow.
What happen to Vincent? Damon jokes that no questions about what happened at end of S4!?
Vincent will appear in S5
Question about Jack and Kate being together at end is shot down, but funny.
Carlton personally prefers Jate paring but pleads the 5th about show. Debate about fan gift. Jack action figure
Matthew Fox Appears!!!!!!!!!!! Joins Q&A!! Fan gets autograph!
12:40 Kate WILL see Sawyer again!!
Faraday will be ok. Authentic Faraday tie given to fan
Fox says he has built bind with crew and cast, including the minor characters.
when S5 starts you will not know where we are.
Will be on island and off AND different periods of time!!
Bon Stencil asks how show will end?? Jokes about Jin and gets Dharma beer!!
12:45 Question about Tempest and Secondary Protocol.
Faraday knows about it because of his notebook is filled with things that already happened and will play a KEY part in S5.
Damon: Didn't like that story line
Stuart who looks like Hurley gets Dharma Ranch!!!
Next fan does not know name of Fox, Damon or Carlton.
12:50 How old is Alpert and how many toes??
Quite OLD. Learn more about Alperts history in S5. Fox says 125, but is wrong. We will see Alpert barefooted in "NEAR" future.
Bentham and pentopticon prison.
Dan Bronson STOPS panel!!! Says you guys are not telling us shit!!! He has Dharma proof and what happened to him!!
He is going to show his video
Candle appears!!! Says his real name is Pierre Cheng. He is in casual clothes.
Astrophysics. Einsten Field equations. He is in the present and says you will get this 30 yers from now.
Colleagues are all dead. Violent purge. Work is valid if you see this video. Imperative DI is reconstituted. TIME IS THE ESSENCE.
Save us. Dan runs out!!
Van Eegan appears again and says canceling sponsorship.
End of panel!!
Hopefully video to follow, we were able to record it ALL!!
Source: http://comicconlive.blogspot.com/
Comic-Con: Live-Blogging the 'Lost' Panel
Jen and I spent a harrowing two hours in line outside the convention center this morning, worried that we may have seriously miscalculated. Based on the easy time we both had getting in to yesterday's "Watchmen" panel, we figured we'd get in line at 8:30 a.m. for today's Noon "Lost" panel. Imagine our surprise to find the line already stretching all the way around the massive convention center and past the next-door Marriott complex? Apparently rabid fans of "Lost" (and "Heroes," which has a panel in the same hall in the prior hour) had started queueing at 2 a.m.
There were some moments there when we thought, "Man, we need a Benjamin Linus. Ben always has a back-up plan." Turns out we didn't need it and we got in. En route to the entrance, we also saw Greg Grunberg of "Heroes," who popped out from his VIP entrance to say hi to the fans and snap a photo. As Hurley would say: "Awesome."
("Heroes," it should be noted is hosting a panel in the same room in the hour preceding our "Lost" fest.)
We finally made it and will kick off our live-blogging of the panel here at 3 p.m. ET (that's Noon here in Cali). Talk to you then. In the meantime, catch up on last season at our "Lost" Central page.
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We'll be adding newish stuff to the bottom, so scroll down for the latest. Oh, and one note: We have radio silence when any footage is shown, so if we disappear for a few minutes, don't despair -- we'll be back. -- Liz, 11:49 a.m. PT.
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The "Heroes" folks just finished up. We are minutes from Hurley Time. (BTW "Heroes" peeps, I'll post something on that later. They showed the first episode of the season and you know what? After hating last season, I might actually start watching again.)-- Jen, 11:59 a.m. PT
The panel was skedded to kick off at Noon PT (three minutes ago), but like everything else at Comic-Con, it's running a little bit behind. There's a lot of seat-shifting going on and the crowd has definitely thinned out. -- Liz, 12:04 p.m. ET
They're showing a doc about the Oceanic Six's "true" story. Disclaimer beforehand: It's from an "anonymous" source. "Who or what are they trying to protect?" asks the narrator. Now we're seeing a featurette on the freighter folk, undoubtedly to be including on the upcoming DVD. 00 Jen, 12:10 p.m. PT
Damon and Carlton onscreen now explaining flash forwards. They have flash forwarded and Carlton is wearting an Obama: Four More Years T-shirt. Damon is wearing a 2010 word series championship shirt. Funny stuff. Here come the real guys!! Damon and Carlton are onstage!! Damon is wearing a Trust Snape T-shirt. -- Jen, 12:12 PT
--Damon is holding up an autographed photo of Judson Scott from "Wrath of Khan." They are babbling a little now. They have mentioned liveautographs.com: Several of the stars of the show -- Matthew Fox, Ian Cusick, Josh Holloway, Evangeline Lilly are going to sign autographs live on this site. It's a fundraiser for cancer research.
-- Okay, I'm a bad "Lost" fan. I snuck off to the bathroom. I missed a little of the intro, but luckily Jen was here to get the breaking . Carlton just said the Dharma initiative is sponsoring this year's panel. They're doing a lot of pre-promotion for the booth and other promotional tie-ins now. And here comes Hans Von Egan, a "Dharma" exec. -- Liz, 12:16 p.m. PT.
--He seems to be announcing the winners of the Comic-Con's aptitude tests. AKA -- Octagon Global Recruiting. The results, he says, were abysmal. Well, who knew what to study? -- Liz, 12:17 p.m. PT.
--Now he's showing footage of people taking the test. Kinda glad I wasn't in there now actually. Questions: What three words describe it? Describe your first kiss in three words? Who is your constant? What would you sacrifice to stay alive? Damon's answer: Carlton Cuse. -- Jen, 12:19 p.m. PT.
-- Okay, that was underwhelming. Now we're getting the winners announcement. What we win, so far we don't know. They will be allowed to move on to the next stage of the Dharma Initiative. One winner is wearing a fetching Oceanic Airlines shirt.
Dharmawantsyou.com: Register there on Monday to go to the next level of recruiting. Time for the Q&A with Carlton and Damon. Yay. -- Liz, 12:22 p.m. ET.
First question: Wants to know if island traveled when sky turned purple. Answer from Damon: No. There is a box with Dharma logo onstage. ,Everyone who asks a question will get a specially selected gift. The first guy just got an Oceanic bottle of water. -- Jen 12:24 PT
-- If Naveen Andrews is one of the prizes available in that box, then I may have to get up and ask a question. Another fan just asked about the fate of Jin and Locke. We heard Jin will still be on the show in some form and that we haven't see nthe last of either of those characters. This guy's gift: A stuffed panda bear. -- Liz, 12:25 p.m.
--Next guy wanted to know about show's schedule. They confirmed that it starts again in January,ends in 2010. And that guy gets a "Lost" calendar. Next guy, wearing a numbers shirt, wants to know their favorite episodes or seasons. Carlton votes "The Constant." Damon says he liked season three before it disintegrated, as well as season four. That guy gets an Apollo bar and an Apollo bar T-shirt. Am I the only one, after the electricity in here during "Heroes" when the entire cast came out, who wants to see some Holloway? -- Jen, 12:29 PT
-- Lots of walking around going on during this panel. Is it wrong that I want them to lock down the room so we can just concentrate on the stage without having Vulcans trying to get in and out of our aisle?
Next questioner just chastised Lindecuse for the split Jin/Sun time frame episodes -- the flash back/forward. Now he's asking about the city reflection in the "Lost" promo materials, the one reflected in the water. Carlton says we may be reading a little too much into it. That the campaign was reflective of the six characters who made it back to the real world. His gift, a set of "Heroes" DVDs. -- Liz, 12:30 p.m. PT.
--Next person wanted to know if there would be a Rousseau flashback. The guys confirmed that Rousseau will be on season five and we will see her story. Another guy asked a question about SAG contracts ... he gets a photo of Nikki and Paulo! -- Jen 12:33 p.m. PT
-- Carlton says the other writers do actually know a lot about the larger plot of the show and that they work collaboratively. Damon says they'd do fine without them. And the lucky questioner gets a life vest signed by all the writers.
Next question: Will there be a special guest this year? Hans Von Egan was a special guest, says Carlton. Damon says they haven't got anyhone here. Are they for real? Wah. Couldn't they even grab Cheech Marin? He can't be too far from San Diego. -- Liz, 12:35 p.m. PT.
--Sigh. I'm with Liz. Anyhoo, next guy is asking if they have seen or read "Lost Horizon." They have but it is not a "touchstone" for the show. And this questioner gets a copy of "Our Mutual Friend." A chick in an aviator's cap wants to know what happened to Vincent. They say Vincent made it and will appear in season five. "I think it's safe to say Vincent will make it to to the end of the show," Damon says. And she gets a polar bear.
-- I need to clarify something I wrote above: Damon meant that the other show writers would do fine without THEM, meaning Carlton and Damon. We've now got people sitting in the aisles. Are they true "Lost" fans or here for the next panel?
Next questioner wants to know if Jack and Kate are the "one true pairing." "We can't tell you," say LindeCuse. But they say Jack is the hero of the show and that the romantic triangle is still central to the show and will continue to play out -- which gives me hope that Sawyer will be back in a big way. The questioner gets a Jack Shepherd action figure. LindeCuse are debating the resemblance to Jack. The questioner is demanding the gift.
And here comes Matthew Fox! Looking tan and very well. He's getting his pic taken with the questioner and the doll. Matthew will now join the panel. This is way better than Cheech Marin. -- Liz, 12:40 p.m. PT.
Foxy!!! This is more like it. A little girl just asked if Sawyer would see Kate again. Not sure she got a straight answer but it was very cute. Guy in Watchmen T-shirt wants to know what happens to Faraday and the five people in his boat. They said the five people who have never spoken a word on the show? Their days are numbered. Matthew is looking hot. -- Jen 12:43 p.m. PT
-- Questioner got a genuine Daniel Faraday necktie for his troubles. New questioner wants to know how far forward we'll flash -- decades into the future? Damon says this year we won't know when and where we are, like earlier seasons, and that the way the story is told will be a little different -- we'll be on island, off island -- organized a bit differently. The questioner gets a Hanso Foundation hat. Damon said it should fit well on his head.
Someone needs to ask Matthew Fox a question. -- Liz, 12:45 p.m. PT.
This dude who calls himself Bob Stencil just asked "Between you and me how will the show end?" He asked a question yesterday during Kevin Smith. He gets Dharma beer and no straight answer. Holy Hugo. A dude who is a dead ringer for Hurley is asking about how Daniel knew about the second protocol. Damon answered but I am too distracted by this guy's Hurleyness, he gets a tub of Dharma Ranch dressing. I think he might cry from joy. -- Jen, 12:49 p.m. PT
--
-- Matthew Fox is looking a bit sheepish. Next guy -- after calling LindeCuse awesome -- is asking if they ever write themselves into a corner. Carlton says they actually try to write themselves into corners and then try to puzzle their way out and that's how the show evolves. The gift for this questioner? A dry erase board eraser signed by LindeCuse. Straight from the Lost writers' room. -- Liz, 12:51 p.m. PT
--A woman with a Save the Logging Guys sign (don't ask, because I don't know). She wants to know how old Richard Alpert is and how many toes? They are saying very old. Fox guessed 125-year-olds and was told he is wrong. Damon said something cryptic about seeing his bare feet in the "near" future. That woman just got a killer T-shirt that says, "I asked a question about Richard Alpert and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."
-- -- Okay, this is totally the Damon and Carlton show. Mayhaps ABC could slot them into latenight opposite Conan this spring, instead of hiring Jay Leno as has been rumored. One of the Dharma winners just jumped on stage and said LindeCuse aren't telling us "sh**," and says he has video to show us from the Dharma booth. This has to be totally scripted. We're watching the video now. Will fathfully report its contents momentarily. Or Jen will. -- Liz, 12:55 p.m .PT.
--The kid took the camera into the booth and now we're seeing video of Marvin Candle. His real name is Pierre Chang. He is a professor of physics from Ann Arbor. And he says we are receiving the message 30 years from now. He and his colleagues are dead. There has been a purge. We have to reinstitute the Dharma Initiative. Time is not just of the essence, it is the essence, he says. And how the Dharma guy is cutting off the panel and withdrawing sponsorship. -- Jen 1 p.m. PT
-- - See, LindeCuse rocks at humor. ABC should just turn over the entire prime-time lineup to them. The Egan Dharma guy says they are withdrawing their sponsorship and took away the cups. Panel over. HUGE ROAR from the crowd. -- Liz, 1 p.m. PT.
--Well, we didn't get many answers. But the experience was entertaining. And we got to see Matthew Fox. And a dude who looks a lot like Hurley. Actually, I've seen at least 15 of those dudes already.... -- Jen 1:04 p.m. PT
Looks like that is it! I will bring more over from Jen and Liz if they delve further in to Lost.
Source: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/celebritology/2008/07/comiccon_liveblogging_the_lost.html
Reviewing the video below
Other things in the video in no particular order...
"What makes you angry"
"Why does the female black widow spide eat the male after mating?
There's a flash of 4 spinal columns with the hip bones as well basically standing and looking like guitars in a stand.
A pic that looks like lava in a lava lamp rising
A pic that looks like the front end (could be the back) of the freighter after the explosion (Jin was on the front end, right?)
I couldn't make out what that orange looking thing was. Kinda looked like a deformed carrot or part of a chicken foot.
Pretty interesting recruiting video.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Octagon Global/Dharma Initiative "Secret Transmission"
ODI has been able to secure the exclusive new Dharma video which can only be downloaded via Bluetooth.
We are working to upload it but it is a dharma video with some flashing images like room 23 and find815.
ODI With Comprehensive Coverage
So we are live from the EW panel here at CC pics and details to follow.
Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof are scheduled to appear.
1:50 Panel has started with producers of LOST, Pushing Daisies, Chuck and Sarah Conner Chronicles
1:55 Questions to other producers.
2:00 D&C - Want to be referred ad Terminator *Crowd Laughs*
Question about adding hours to finale and Season 4 because of a the strike. The Sawyer Kate Kiss scene was a quick kiss. Bummed about not being able to get some stories, such as freighter folk, which will be covered in S5.
2:05 Gen Question about webisodes to all producers. SCC Producer answers. Economical way to communicate MORE.
Carlton Cuse - New platforms offer new opportunities like ARGs are allowed. Another one already started. The content is primarily for online only.
Damon Lindelof: Do the Mobisodes breakthrough to the masses, probably not but primarily for Die Hard fans. Damon drops an F Bomb....crowd goes crazy!!
LOL
Question about Joss Whedon's Dr Horrible
Damon: During the strike they discussed what they wanted to do before the show starts, of course not able to go back and do them. Whendon-verse created, done all by himself is amazing and in "Awe"
Carlton: Jokes about Zombie Season crowd loves it
SCC Season 2: Connected to movie or no? No McG does his own thing is ok.
2:10 Chuck LOST Crossover - Chuck produver says Chuck is real that is why they had the crossover. Carlton jokes that we told him that if they reveal anything that they would kill him.
Question about character v mythology.
Carlton: Mainly character driven show, but mythology is like the frosting on the cake.
Damon: Sense of gene is bad do not get TOO weird because might alienate. But every year a show that pushes the envelope with mystery and genre elements is the talk of the industry. Embrace it and go from there even if you are not a scifi fan.
Dark Knight and Iron Man genre movies and top grossing movies so why shy away!?
Carlton: Best to leave some things mysterious adds to the story, sometimes answer a mystery it weakens the story
2:15 Damon: Love Comic books, because serialized story that is ongoing. Mentions Watchmen story being an inspiration for LOST universe.
Fans rush to ask questions!! LOST LOST
2:20 Host says Constant was favorite episode.
How was it mapped out?
Carlton: Took 5 weeks, glad with strike because gave them time.
Damon: Almost impossible to explain to somebody. How do explain the whole flashes of Des
Worked on making sure there was a payout and it hit emotions. Bryan Fuller says best
Fans Questions.
1 - Characters came and go? Like to see come back - Mischa Barton.
Carlton says Eko. Crowd goes crazy. AAA got island fever so we had to write him off.
2:30 Tapdwag introduces himself and Carlton says this wll be about Gossip Girls. Crowd laughs.
Poor guy. He asks who writes the new ARG? New one is done by Hoodlum Find815 crew)
Jopiniated asks origin of Jeremy Bentham name?
List of philosophers and once we knew Locke we went with Bentham
Now typing with one hand lol
2:35 Charlie dying, but Aaron with Kate, and NOW Claire might not be around. How is this possible.
D&C: You will see Claire, but maybe not for awhile and it will be explained and will make sense. Sometimes there are paradoxes, but have a "plan"
2:40 Question about Time Travel
Carlton jokes will tell you tomorrow. Our characters can not change the future. FF is what you will see happen and won't change.
Damon: Jokes about networks worrying about TOO many time travel related shows
Stories seen on different screens across the world, how does that effect filming?
Carlton: Knew the mobisodes were on small screen, so planned accordingly and planned the story and production around it. Always thinking about the DVD format and digital format.
Fan LOVES Lost - Once in awhile how often do you plan in advance and how much spur of the moment?
2:45 Damon talks about the fan debate about plan v made up. End of 3rd season was a little of both, but now we have a plan. Before we were in a place where we did not know how long we had left to write the story.
Knew hatch at end of Season 2 will blow up, but things like where when who was adjusted.
Producers discuss each others show and Damon says Dexter is his favorite show
End of panel......AND I gave the Team ODI shirts to Damon and Carlton and they loved them!!!
ODI Coverage: Damon and Carlton Make a Surprise Visit at the OGR Booth!!
We happened to arrive right after both arrived and Cuse was taking the DI test. Immediately a large gathering of fans surrounded the tiny booth, but we were there with a few other Losties and Gwen, Ron and I were able to get some good pics.
As I said last year after CC, Cuse and Lindelof are the coolest guys and spent quite a bit of time to take several pics with fans and talk to them. We even got some good video footage and will post it soon!!
Here are the pics:
Source: http://comicconlive.blogspot.com/2008/07/damon-and-carlton-make-surprise-visit.html
Welcome to a Special Comic-Con Concert With Darlton and the Pips!
The "Pip" thing was Josh Friedman’s joke, not mine, as the fans attending the showrunners panel—starring Josh Schwartz (Chuck, Gossip Girl), Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies), Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (both of Lost)—spent a lot of time asking about that little teleporting island we hold so dear.
Have you heard that people who watch that show have a few, um, questions?
Still, there was much love for the other shows (despite Schwartz’s assertion that “I feel Gossip Girl is verboten here” even that series got some raucous cheers), and even a little scoop, so click here for the goodies...
Claire-Bear Will Be Back on Lost: Despite my earlier scoop that Emilie de Ravin is not a series regular for the coming season, Darlton promises: "You will see Claire again. Not right away but what happened with her will be explained."
Chuck Bartowski Knows Lost Secrets: Remember in the pilot when Chuck (Zachary Levi) flashed on the location of the crash of Oceanic Flight 815? Well, Schwartz recalls that, “[Damon and Carlton] sent me a box of cookies that said ‘If you give away any more of our secrets we’ll kill you.” Funny, I got the same cookies one time from ABC after revealing a Lost death but they were laced with arsenic. (Delicious!) Meanwhile, Carlton had a question for Josh: "Wait, where is it?"
Chuck’s Mama Drama Is So Coming Out: “We are picking up 10 months later,” Fuller says of Daisies’ second season opener. “And all the secrets have been kept by our people for a long time and they are going to burst.” Fuller says he also was told by ABC that Daisies would not get a “previously on” opener, so he is cramming a lot of cool exposition into the first three minutes of the premiere.
Ditto the Other Chuck: “The second season premiere is a pilot for us,” says Schwartz. “We are treating this season as if the show were off the air for years.” He says the new season will start off where season one left off, with Chuck being dangled off the roof, and telling the story of how he got there.
Terminator vs. Terminator: When asked if the Terminator movies and Terminator television show are now two totally separate worlds, Friedman replied, “They really don’t commune. We’ve always felt the TV show is an expression of the universe and the movies are another expression of the universe. They are alternate paths taken through the timeline.” He added that he spoke to McG about this very topic and "we agreed it’s best that he does his thing and we d our thing and never the tween shall meet.”
“Serena Is Now a Cyborg!” You heard it here first, people, the latest on Blake Lively’s glamorous socialite character from Gossip mastermind Schwartz, who revealed Serena Van der Woodsen's robot status in response to Damon’s artfully crafted take on why mythology genre TV shows and movies rock, and are taking over the world. (See: Dark Knight.) Only question: Does Dan Humphrey like toasters?
Put the Kiddies Away! When Damon slipped an s-word into an answer, Bryan kindly pointed out the sign in front of him which Damon read aloud, “Please be aware that there may audience members under 18,” then added,“So you guys are f**ked.” Hee.
Damon Loves Dr. Horrible and Dex: “Considering the job that we do and that it takes 300 people to do an episode of Lost, I’m just in awe of Dr. Horrible,” says Damon, who also admits he’s a “huge fan of Dexter.” Fuller, who won big points with this crowd for his clear love of mythology, genre, Star Wars, Star Trek (his past writing gig) and everything of the like also got a huge laugh when he announced the one series he’d love to work on: “Um, I love Project Runway.”
Wait a Minute, Yvonne Strahovski Was Almost Bionic? Okay, perhaps Schwartz was kidding around, but he made it seem as though Chuck’s resident butt-kicking hottie could have ended up at the leading lady on NBC’s now-dead remake. “We saw Yvonne on a tape from Australia, and our casting director was literally waiting for her at the airport and snatched her up before Bionic Woman could take her away.” I’m moderating the Chuck panel tomorrow and you can be sure I'm gonna follow up on that.
Please check back later for some seriously awesome (no joke) video with lots of Lost goodness that is still uploading...And 24!
Comic-Con: 'Lost,' 'Sarah Connor,' 'Chuck,' 'Daisies' showrunners meet on EW's Visionaries panel
Jul 25, 2008, 08:10 PM | by Lynette Rice
Categories: Comic-Con 2008
The executive producers of TV's most buzzed-about genre shows had a message for their obsessive fans at Comic-Con today: Don't expect too much explanation on screen for why they do the things they do.
"Cake is the character in the show while the mythology is the frosting," explained Lost's Carlton Cuse. He was joined on EW's "The Visionaries: TV Showrunners" panel (moderated by EW's Jeff Jensen) by his fellow EP Damon Lindelof (pictured, with Cuse), as well as Chuck's Josh Schwartz, Pushing Daisies' Bryan Fuller, and The Sarah Connor Chronicles' Josh Friedman. Cuse said that Lost would be stripped of its power if he and Lindelof tried to incorporate more exposition about, say, the origin of the smoke monster — which is why we'll probably never hear Jack and Kate talk in great detail about it. The other producers nodded in agreement. "We need to keep you in awe," Fuller added. "If you talk about it, it's not so much fun."
Since three of the shows represented on the panel — Chuck, Sarah Connor, and Daisies — had abbreviated freshman seasons due to the 100-day writers strike, the producers said that they have specific plans to bring viewers up to speed. "Our first episode back will be like a pilot," Schwartz explained. "You'll see Chuck dangling off the roof and we'll tell the story of how he'll get there." Sarah Connor, meanwhile, will pick up two seconds after where it left off last March — with a big explosion — and this fall's debut episode of Daisies will include three minutes of setup about the pie maker and his mysterious gift to revive the dead.
In other highlights, Cuse admitted that he misses Mr. Eko (the actor who played the role on Lost, the London-based Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, didn't like living in Hawaii). A playful Fuller said he based Daisies around pies rather than cakes because they're "moist." And Friedman said his series is not expected to compliment Terminator: Salvation,the big-screen version of the franchise that's in the works with Christian Bale. "Genre fans understand that there are alternative paths," he said. "I've talked to McG (the director of the upcoming Terminator movie) and we decided: I do mine, he does his, and never the twain shall meet." Friedman also admitted his crew thought he was "nuts" to cast Beverly Hills, 90210 alum Brian Austin Green as a resistance fighter sent to the past by the future John Connor, but the actor "makes him look like a genius."
And finally, a few random thoughts from the panelists. Fuller admitted that he's a huge fan of Project Runway. Lindelof said that his favorite show is Dexter. And Cuse didn't rule out the possibility of someday continuing Lost on the Internet once it has completed its run on ABC. "Maybe we can do the zombie season of Lost," said Cuse.
Comic-Con '08: Showrunners Assess Strike Fallout
WGA strike offered relief for Lost showrunners, chance to start over for others.
By Susanne Ault -- Special to Broadcasting & Cable -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/25/2008 7:42:00 PM
Although the Writers Guild of America strike disrupted many primetime series' plot lines, the showrunners from ABC drama Lost admitted to some relief from the imposed hiatus.
Speaking Friday at a panel at 2008 Comic-Con in San Diego that included shownrunners from Gossip Girl, Chuck, Pushing Daisies and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Lost executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof appeared grateful for the breather the strike afforded, given the challenges of completing the show’s fourth season.
Particularly harrowing was the “Constant” episode, in which the character Desmond Hume struggles with his time-traveling consciousness -- a difficult premise for even the imaginative Lost showrunners to pull off.
"Normally, it takes two weeks to break an episode," Cuse said of the conception process. “‘The Constant’ episode took five weeks. We'd exhausted ourselves breaking that story. We were completely zapped. It was a good time to go on strike."
But the strike did present some hardships for the other showrunners on the panel, which included Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl, Chuck), Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) and Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Many are having to start their shows from nothing, assuming that many viewers have totally forgotten what happened during the last, abbreviated season. ABC’s Pushing Daisies and NBC’s Chuck haven't been seen since last year.
"We're treating our first show like a pilot," Schwartz said of Chuck. "We're treating it like its been several years since we last saw Chuck and we have a lot of ground to make up."
Fuller was happy to start all over, however, thinking that the long time off probably saved the show from cancellation.
"The studio said that they didn't want to throw us in front of the American Idol bus. That would have squashed us,” Fuller said. “So ABC is relaunching us like this was our first season."
As for things to look out for, the Lost duo promises more stories about the "Freighter People." But not all of the plot confusion will be solved.
"There are some things that are best left mysterious," Cuse said. "You strip them from their power by trying to explain them."
Susanne Ault is a senior reporter for Video Business.
Paul's Comic Con Report: Friday
As we like to remind ourselves, nothing happens by accident in the world of Lost. So, as the Lost special on G4 plays in the background, I am typing Paul's report from Comic Con. Fighting a terrible cell phone reception, we manged to hit on some of the highlights of his Lost adventure.
The panel Paul sat in on was headlined by Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, as well as showrunners from Pushing Daisies, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Chuck, and Gossip Girl. It was moderated by Doc Jensen. Some of the Lost-related information: Darlton addressed the strike (once again) and offered up a little more insight into how the delay affected the show. As they reviewed the grand plan for the show, they realized that, as far as the characters were concerned, the story was lacking. They wanted to expound more, and on a deeper level, the story of several of the main characters. An example given was the helicopter scene where Sawyer kisses Kate and jumps to insure the safety of the Oceanic 6. That scene was very superficial initially but was expanded in a rewrite during the strike to give more weight to the moment. There were other moments like this that were redone with the added time during the strike. One storyline that suffered, however, was that of the Freighter Folk. Darlton assured the crowd that their story has not changed and Season 5 will uncover their mysteries. But because it will no longer be in the context of the events of season 4, how their story is told will be rewritten.
With the story wrapping up in Season 6, the Zombie season will now be presented in Mobisode form. This scoop was given with tongue firmly planted in cheek.
The Lost ARG is being handled by Hoodlum, the folks behind last year's ARG. It is made for the die-hard fans and not a necessary part of the "mothership" or main television show. It is an extended universe for the fans that really invest themselves in the deeper mythology, but is not something you need to understand the big picture.
The showrunner for Pushing Daisies made a comment that Darlton agreed with and is something that Paul emphasized in his report. That is, some things within the story are better left unexplained and that some mysteries are not meant to be solved. In other words, the fans are left to explore parts of this story with their imagination. I agree completely, Paul.
Damon mentioned The Watchmen hoopla and how the story has influenced his writing. Also that a storytelling device they like to use is to explore the main characters through the introduction of new characters. That little bit of information really makes sense as I think about how fearless Lost is with their creation of more and more characters.
Another one of the questions Paul was hoping to ask that was brought up by another was the story surounding Desmond's visions and Charlie's sacrifice and how it does not jive with the events that unfolded in season 4. Also, the psychic's insistance that Claire be the only one to raise Aaron, and by all indications, Kate is raising baby Turniphead. All Darlton would reveal is that none of this is paradox. The story is unfolding according to plan and as more is revealed in the next 2 seasons, the reasons behind Desmond's flashes, Charlie's heartbreaking decision, and who should be raising Aaron will become abundantly clear.
Someone wondered aloud to the panel if viewers would grow tired of Time Travelling Stories (indicating Lost, Terminator, Heroes among others). Darlton said simply that they believed Lost is doing it differently than most and that if anything, with all the crime procedurals, medical, and reality shows, they are a refreshing change of pace.
Lastly, Paul was disappointed at being turned away, both at the Dharma booth (they shut it down RIGHT as he got to the front) and in the question line for the panel. He had one of his main questions answered, but walked away a little dejected at not being able to catch Darlton afterwards - as they were whisked away quite efficiently. Paul will correct me if I don't tell this story quite right, as he will be writing up his personal account of his experiences when he returns. And I am going to just spill the beans on the event and leave it to Paul to tell you about how it all came about. There are no coincidences in Lost my friends, and a meeting with Darlton was meant to be. Pa met our infamous pair. Carlton and Damon were able to give him an answer to his other main question personally: "Does Ethan have Super Strength due to the Island's mystical powers?" We have debated the question before. Now, in a Pa Burrows exclusive, we have a definative answer. And wouldn't you love to know what it is?
Mustache twist and "MuHahahaha"
Submit your answer in the Poll to your right and I will give you an answer tomorrow night after Paul's Saturday Comic Con report.
Thank you Paul on the fantastic job - he is having a great time and says hello to all of you back home. Look for more on the big Lost event sometime Saturday evening.
Namaste
Edshrinker
Test Categories Revealed
Io
Europa
Ganymede
Callisto
Amalthea
Himalia
Elara
Leda
Again, a weird combo? I see on Wikipedia that there are other ones bigger than the latter four (the former four of course are the ones first seen by Galileo). First letter acronyms at work? Come on, there must be something!
UPDATE - Get yourself over to DocArzt stat for a video from inside the booth!!! The info is not great, I think the tests themselves are merely random questions, though they will probably from this indicate personality and what job you should do for DHARMA.
Click on Picture to Embiggen
SOURCE: http://blog.lostpedia.com/2008/07/test-categories-revealed.html
Dharma Booth Featured on G4 Friday
-Edshrinker
Thursday, July 24, 2008
LOST: The Remains - chapter seventeen - "American History 101"
Lost: THE REMAINS
Napoleon Park
Chapter Seventeen.
“American History 101”
================
It's been an interesting trip. We met a woman named Naomi who helped us get in touch with the freighter. Then that crazy psycho John Locke put a knife in her back. Jack pulled a gun on him and pulled the trigger. Click. Locke warned against trusting the freighter people and took off and eight or nine people went with him including Hurley and Steve and a couple women I didn't know - I think one of them was Steve's tent-mate Tracy - and the girl with the baby. Then some scientists from the ship showed up. So this is it, it's real. We're actually going to get off this island just like Jack promised us. That's one heck of a Christmas present.
So where was I...?
Then there were the islands doers and shakers, the people who got things done, the self-appointed leaders and what Arzt called The Clique.
The big romantic triangle everyone gossiped about - Doctor Jack and Kate and the hillbilly Sawyer. That eccentric coot Locke. The Korean couple, the Iraqi torturer, the rock star and his pregnant girlfriend. Michael and his son and their dog. I guess you'd include Ana Lucia and Mr. Eko from the tail section in that group. The US Marshal who died. Maybe even Rose and Bernard had their place in the island hierarchy. Oh, and that woman Juliet that Jack brought back from his time with the Others. Those are the stars of the story. Someone will probably write a book about them, maybe even make a movie about them when they get home. Hell, if I'd been taking better notes maybe it could have been me. Instead I decided to focus on the rest - the remaining section of the group that no one gossiped about or talked about except on the slowest of news days.
I decided to focus on the people who just hunkered down and found a way to get on with their lives without running around in the jungle shooting guns and blowing up hatches and pushing buttons and making enemies of the people who were here before us. But who am I to judge - that kind of sounds like American History 101. But those movers and shakers will have to find some other writer - maybe a team of writers - to tell their stories. I'm going to write my book on the rest of the survivors. The Remains.
There are still some people I want to interview about their island experiences. Hopefully I'll have a chance to talk to them on the ship on the ride home.
Oops - gotta go. Sayid showed up with a raft and that scientist Faraday is ferrying people back to the freighter in groups of six. Will write more later --
[Manuscript ends here]
LOST - A G4 Special
LOST Producer Damon Lindelof remembers the day clearly. Not long after turning into ABC a 23-page outline for a show that would be called Lost, his phone rang, on a Sunday. It was Lloyd Braun(SEINFELD!), who at the time was the president of ABC Entertainment. "I'm going to greenlight this show," Braun said. Lindelof's immediate thought? "Oh, s--t!"
That story and many more reflections on the serialized phenomenon concerning 815-ers and Others are shared in Lost: A G4 Special, premiering Friday, July 25, at 10 pm/ET on the G4 cable network.
Among the Losties sharing their views on the series' secrets and theories are TV GUIDE's Matt Mitovich, Entertainment Weekly's Jeff "Doc" Jensen and MediaWeek's Marc Berman.
More on the OGR Test
At the Octagon Global Recruiting booth, fans are given a waiver form and an appointment time. At their appropriate time, they can enter the booth, which has cameras on the ceiling (these appear to feed outside the booth so observers can see what is going on). With a set of headphones and television equipment, participants are shown images and have to say what first pops into their heads. Some of the images are reportedly very bizarre. Questions are then asked such as “You just took away a child’s favorite toy. Why?”
The test apparently lasts about five minutes, and upon completion you are told whether you passed or not (its likely everyone will “pass” as part of the ARG). Participants are then told to make sure they see the Lost panel on Saturday, and have their test sheet with them (they apparently make a point of having your own sheet with you).
sl-LOST With Some Preview-Night Goodies
sl-LOST.com got a sneak peak at Comic Con International on Preview Night, Wednesday in San Diego. If the massive crowds at this “insider” event were any indication, Comic Con will smash all prior attendance records this year.
At the preview event, we visited with Dharma Initiative representatives, whose presence at Comic-Con was first alluded to in the Octagon Global Recruiting ad shown in the Season 4 finale. While ever so polite and respectful, the stoic Dharma staff were most concealed as to their true intent, providing little information except that their role was to take applications for volunteer eligibility assessments (long since over subscribed given the massive crowds). Even the eventual outcome of a successful interview was deemed too secretive to share. Unknowing Comic-Con visitors, who were unfamiliar with the Dharma Initiative or its connection to the Lost television series, were abruptly told to move along without receiving any background on the underlying intent of the Initiative or its khaki-clad staff. The few lucky individuals who secured assessment interviews were huddled into one of two tiny closet-like spaces within the Dharma booth and appeared to be interviewed from someone in a different location given the oversize headphones worn by the applicants.
One of the more helpful Dharma staff told me in confidence that the successful applicants would be introduced during the Lost panel discussion on Saturday, perhaps as part of a roll out of a new alternate reality game (ARG). Hours later, when I alluded to this seemingly insignificant tid bit to a more senior Dharma member, his response showed great concern, with wonderment as to who in particular provided such confidential information. Needless to say, I maintained the confidentiality as to my sources.
sl-Lost.com plans to attend the Saturday panel with Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and will report back with updates as they occur. In the meantime, here are a few photos of the opening night.
From San Diego at Comic-Con International, Namaste to all sl-LOST members and readers.
Bif.
SOURCE: http://www.sl-lost.com/
COMIC-CON 2008 J.J. Abrams New Pilot Fringe Reviewed!
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
One of the most anticipated new shows this coming fall season is the latest from J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production company, Fringe, which will debut with a two-hour premiere on Tuesday, September 9 at 8 PM ET. The folks at Comic-Con know how much the fans love J.J. Abrams' work and they kicked off this year's festivities with a special Preview Night extravaganza, with two screenings of the Fringe. I was busy waiting in the monstrosity of a line for my press badge so I was unable to make the first showing, but I did catch the second one! So, without further ado, here's my review of the Fringe pilot.
Fringe Pilot Review
It's getting to the point these days where film and televeision icon J.J. Abrams' best marketing gimmick is simply his name. Put a big fat "From J.J. Abrams" or "From the creator of Lost" in front of something and the fans go bonkers. Exhibit A: Cloverfield, which he executive produced. Exhibit B: Star Trek, Abrams next directorial effort, which got so much buzz behind it they moved the film from a December bow to an early-May tentpole release. Exhibit C: Fringe, which has garnered so much buzz from practically nothing but his name alone. However, with Fringe, it is well-warranted.
The pilot starts out with an international flight landing in Boston's Logan Airport, only every passenger and crew member aboard is dead, which calls for an FBI investigation to be led by Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), although under the close supervision of Special Agent Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick), with whom Dunham has some bad blood through her previous job. When she investigates a lead with Special Agent John Scott (Mark Valley), with whom she's developing romantic feeling for, things go awry when a suspect gets away, nearly killing Scott with an explosive blast that spews forth all sorts of nasty chemicals and radiation, which leaves him with nearly-transparent skin. With little time left before the bizarre infection will consume Scott, Dunham's mad dash for help leads her to Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble). Naturally, there's a catch: Bishop has been institutionalized for nearly a decade and the only way to be cleared to talk with him is to bring in his son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), who hasn't spoken to him for years. When this odd trio get together, and start pulling back the layers of this mystery, it only uncovers more mysteries to be solved.
This was an extraordinary pilot from Abrams and his two trusty screenwriters Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who previously cut their screenwriting teeth under Abrams in his series Alias as well Mission: Impossible III and their upcoming collaboration on Star Trek. While at times it feels this could easily be a stand-alone feature, there is plenty of fodder just in this pilot alone to warrant multiple seasons of this series. The characters are drawn-out superbly with some great dialogue and just the right dash of humor to break up the action. Sure, it does feel like there are some subtle nods to Heroes and other shows here, I'm sure Abrams is fully equipped to set this new series apart from the pack.
While I'm not 100% sold on Anna Torv quite yet, she does a fine job as Olivia Dunham in the pilot, although at times she reminds me of Claire Forlani, for some reason. However, she is surrounded by a wonderful cast with a smashing performance from Joshua Jackson, finally returning to his wonderfully smarmy form as Peter, a drifter/hustler with daddy issues, and Jackson's rapid-fire dialogue delivery would make even Aaron Sorkin proud. If this goes for a long run, though, I can easily see John Noble stealing the show many a time as the oddball Dr. Walter Bishop, who's readjusting to life outside a sanitarium for the first time in almost 20 years and The Wire's Lance Reddick is a glove-perfect fit as Phillip Broyles, the boss with a grudge against Torv's Dunham for getting him canned from his last military post.
While I'd love to tell you all about how this marvelous pilot ends and gets the season kicked off, that's just not how I operate, or "how I roll" as the kids say. Suffice it to say, this first episode will get you hooked and give many channel surfers a new spot to find home on 9 PM on Tuesday nights. Mark my words, folks. J.J. Abrams has a new hit on his hands and, while you'll surely see an enormous amount of promotional bait to lure you into this series, all you really need is his name alone.
4.5 stars out of 5
Fringe will premiere with this two-hour pilot on Tuesday, September 9 at 8 PM ET and the show will be regularly seen on Tuesday's at 9 PM ET thereafter. Well, that's it from Preview Night at Comic-Con 2008.
http://www.movieweb.com/tv/news/42/30142.php
Comic-Con ‘08: An Inside Look at Preview Night
Posted on July 24, 2008 1:42 am
by robin
Every year, Comic-Con seems to become more and more like the E3 of old, with increasingly loud and rowdy booths full of giveaways, big money being spent all over the place to promote the heck out of the biggest stuff, and con goers who mad-dash their way through the most impressive booths in zany attempts to score all the best swag.
In other words, every year… Comic-Con just keeps getting better. This year is no different. We’d already heard and seen evidence of Hollywood studios spending more money on Comic-Con than ever before, even before arriving here, but it’s all you can think about when you’re here in San Diego: city buses have been covered in promotional imagery for movies, video games, and TV shows; more banners and signage are visible everywhere you look, both inside and outside the convention center; and the booths in the exhibit hall are more elaborate and impressive than ever. If they dimmed the overhead lights to shroud the exhibit hall in shadow, you might swear you were at the old E3 (during its glory days, not the pale shadow it has recently become) with its pulsating spotlights and huge, widescreen, LED displays, and loud music blaring around every corner.
But with growth always comes growing pains. The biggest pain I noticed this year was the poorly thought-out reconfiguration of press badge pickup. Every year, it’s always entailed a long wait, but this year broke all records. It started out with positive signs; pre-registered media were emailed unique barcodes that would speed along the process of on-site verification. Just print out the email and bring it to the media check-in booth. The problem: the media check-in booth was moved to a new, incredibly inconvenient location, and there seems to be more media here than ever before. So the convention center had the line broken up so that you start in a painfully long line outside, and then a few at a time were allowed to go inside to join the equally long line there. The wait seemed to take forever, and once inside, no one knew which of three separate lines to use, or even what the difference was between them. Worst of all, the long, snaking indoor line completely cut off traffic in the Convention Center’s lobby, causing frustration for those of us in the line, and those who simply wanted to cross to the other side. Not your smartest move ever, CCI.
All told, the check-in process was somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, so by the time we were done, we had little choice but to go upstairs and get in line for entrance to the exhibit hall. For the first time ever, Comic-Con held a special event at the same time as Preview Night: two screenings of the pilot for Fox’s new J.J. Abrams paranormal thriller TV show, Fringe. Upstairs, we found that the line to go into the ballroom where Fringe was being screened was actually longer than the line to get into the exhibit hall! This didn’t last, of course, but it was impressive to see the amount of people willing to forgo Preview Night just to get an early look at a new TV show. Fringe has gotten a lot of buzz — it’s being called this year’s Lost or Heroes, and clearly the CCI crowd believes the hype.
In line to enter the exhibit hall, we noticed that all of the convention center’s bathrooms have been outfitted with funny posters that claim that the restrooms are “For Humans Only — Non-Humans Banned”. The signs include the domain name d-9.com, which appears to be some sort of viral site owned by Sony Pictures, though it’s not immediately clear what property they’re advertising.
Once inside the exhibit hall, the first thing you notice is that the video game vendors have all been shuffled off to the far left end of the hall. Clustering them together makes a lot of sense; I’m not sure that moving them so far away from the central portion of the hall, “where the action is,” does as well.
There’s a huge presence here this year for Watchmen, with a big panel planned for tomorrow, and a major booth from Warner Bros. complete with “Archie,” Nite Owl’s flying submarine vehicle, which you can go inside of and tour. Banners proclaiming, “Who Watches the Watchmen?” abound.
Another big presence felt this year is The Spirit, the Frank Miller film adaptation of the classic Will Eisner comic. Lionsgate Films has a major focus on the film at its booth, which comes complete with artificial snow raining down onto Con attendees. (I heard more than one person remark about how the stuff “had better be asbestos-free” and the like.)
BBC America is here with a big booth for the first time. And it was extremely busy, with lots of Con exclusive merchandise, every time I passed by.
ABC is doing a fun promotion surrounding Lost. The Dharma Initiative itself is here with its own booth. If you sign up for an appointment, you’ll get to go inside a special enclosed room where you’re subjected to a sort of pseudo-psychiatric quiz, and it’s videotaped. Nothing invasive or uncomfortable is asked; it’s mostly word association and the like, though the end sort of devolved into some funky music and weird swirly images on the big screen where all the questions were — clearly a cheeky attempt at “brainwashing” applicants. One of the Dharma attendants even asked how I felt after it was over. I was lucky enough to nab an appointment for this evening, and was rewarded by being told that I’d passed and would be inducted into the Dharma Initiative (I have a feeling everyone passes). On my way out, I was given a unique membership card and told to bring it to the Lost panel on Saturday, where “it might be needed.” Hm. This all seems to be the beginning of a new viral game campaign meant to fill the void between seasons of the show.
Lego, which always has an extremely popular booth, this year is offering a couple of Con exclusive items that you can only get here. One is a Lego Indiana Jones set, which is still being kept under wraps, and is so exclusive, you have to win a raffle to gain the opportunity to buy it. The other is a Star Wars: Clone Wars tank set that looks extremely cool but costs a whopping $75. (Personally, the Lego Batman Tumbler set was calling to me, but I resisted its siren song. At least so far.) They also have a cool selection of trinkets like keyrings and magnets, as well as a very nice ringer t-shirt ($21.95) that I’d love to have.
Speaking of t-shirts, Comic-Con does an official shirt every year, and this year’s features the artwork of J.G. Jones from DC Comics’ Final Crisis. I must admit, even though I’m not the world’s biggest DC fan, that’s one sweet shirt and I’m sorely tempted. There’s just entirely too much cool stuff here, darn it!
The much-talked-about widened aisles seem to have made very little difference in getting around. That’s probably because people still tend to be as rude as ever, elbowing and pushing and practically stepping over each other to get to that free swag. It’s the price we pay to take part in all this crazy fun. As Doug said to me this evening, “Happiness is being able to put your arms out in both directions and spin, spin, spin.”
Lucasfilm has that blasted life-sized Jabba the Hutt here yet again, and I’ve decided I’m sick of seeing it and I’m not taking a picture of it this year, doggone it! I’ve taken pictures of it every year, and enough is just enough. I don’t care if a hundred Slave Leias pile on top of that thing, I’m just not doing it. Hey George, would it kill ya to upgrade your booth with a new centerpiece? I’m sure that Jabba cost a pretty penny, but he’s outlived his usefulness. I’m just saying.
Overall, it seems like we’re in for a fun ride this year. There’s a tremendous level of excitement and energy in the air on the show floor, and there’s so much good stuff to take in, everywhere you turn, that it’s overwhelming. I can’t remember a year at Comic-Con when there was just so much going on.
Stick with PopCultureGeek for all the news, photos, and video you can handle, on all the news out of Comic-Con that’s worth knowing about. We’re here for the duration and we’ve got you covered.
All of our photos from today have been posted on Flickr; be sure and check them out!
http://popculturegeek.com/2008/07/24/comic-con-08-an-inside-look-at-preview-night/
The Dharma Initiative wants you - VIDEO - Comic-Con Report
Posted Jul 24th 2008 12:03AM