I wanted to do something for Thanksgiving and because LOST has been pushed back to February. But chin up… LOST will be here soon. In the meantime, some things to be thankful for… ( My apologies, and total respect, to both Julie Andrews and Anna in Indiana.)

MY FAVORITE LOST THINGS

Raindrops on wreckage and whiskers on surgeons
Young rock stars kicking their heroin addictions
Locke telling Eko they’re puppets on strings
These are a few of my favorite LOST things

Cream colored jumpsuits and crisp Sawyer nicknames
Buttons and timers and Benjamin’s mind games
Wild Hurley Bird with the sun on its wings
These are a few of my favorite LOST things

Girls who knock boys out with just elbow smashes
Snowflake-like logos and subsequent hatches
Silver haired Ellie and Course Correcting
These are a few of my favorite LOST Things

Talk of end dates
And hiatus
Make me feel so sad
But I simply remember my favorite LOST things
And then I don’t feel so bad

Raindrops on wreckage and whiskers on surgeons
Young rock stars kicking their heroin addictions
Locke telling Eko they’re puppets on strings
These are a few of my favorite LOST things

Cream colored jumpsuits and crisp Sawyer nicknames
Buttons and timers and Benjamin’s mind games
Wild Hurley Bird with the sun on its wings
These are a few of my favorite LOST things

Girls who knock boys out with just elbow smashes
Snowflake-like logos and subsequent hatches
Silver haired Ellie with Course Correcting
These are a few of my favorite LOST Things

Talk of end dates
And hiatus
Make me feel so sad
But I simply remember my favorite LOST things
And then I don’t feel so bad

(Parody of the song “My Favorite Things” Written by Rodgers and Hammerstein II, 1959, for the Broadway Musical”The Sound of Music” . New lyrics by Wendy Lincoln, 2009)
MyFavoriteLOSTThings.mp3

Via. Can’t wait until the next season of Lost? You can still celebrate with A Michael Emerson Christmas!

Here’s the story.  Around Christmas time my dad was working on some geneology and wikipedia-ed his small hometown of Toledo, IA.  To his surprise, a classmate came up as a “notable native.”  My dad was a year older than him but they were on debate team, student council and even in a few plays together.  He knew him as little Michael Emerson.  (unfortunately my scanner didn’t do very well with the weird textured yearbook pages of the 70’s, but you get the idea)

We know him better as the Emmy Awarding Winning super-villain Benjamin Linus from Lost.

Wonder why my parents didn’t realize it sooner?  They have never watched Lost.

Apparently, my dad was not his favorite person, which is kinda funny if you know my dad (nicest guy around, liked by all).  He once called him “squirrelly Michael Emerson” and it got back to him (small high school).  My dad claims it was meant endearingly, but he clearly didn’t take it that way.  I can see why he might have been a little sensitive on the subject, but who isn’t a little scrawny as a sophomore?

I asked my dad why Emerson was hiding his face.  Apparently, he didn’t like the debate team.  At all.  He was into acting, not debating.  His mom made him stay on the team.  Once, he bragged of eating a whole tube of toothpaste to get out a debate competition.  Now that’s dedication!

I think this picture looks the most like his adult self.  I can’t help but smile.  Benjamin Linus looks so sweet with a tennis racket and a 16 year old grin!

Here’s a few more…His acting debut!

The Madwoman of Chaillot

My dad is on the left.  Note the 70’s style, chunky side burns.  Awesome!

And there is Michael Emerson in rehearsal on the far left.  Well, obviously…considering he’s the only guy in the picture.

He played the Ragpicker.  My dad said he was brilliant.

Androcles and the Lion

There’s Emerson.  Showing more leg than anyone is comfortable with!  And my dad–the Emperor–being assaulted at the robe.  And “Tommy.”

My dad couldn’t remember the story behind this picture… But this was another scene from the one-act play.

The club he actually wanted to be apart of.  The thespian society.  Nice pants!

And last but certainly not least:  Prom.  It’s not a yearbook party if you don’t include those dorky prom pictures!

I promised my cousin MONTHS ago that I would upload these pictures, so here you are Rachel!  I hope you feel better soon!

And to top it all, here’s a short Michael Emerson video from the Jimmy Fallon show!  Pretty darn funny.  For some reason, it wouldn’t let me embed it directly in.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallen

*Sings* “The one with the bobblily head” . Ahem..Sorry…
That’s right! The news is out that LOST bobble head dolls ( Ben Linus {first seen at ComicCon}, Daniel Faraday, Edgar Halliwax and Richard Alpert) and GI Joe style Jack and Sawyer jumpsuited action figures either are available for purchase or pre order at Entertainment Earth.

I was staying up way too late the other night and caught the Season 3 episode ” The Brig” on HD ( Why do I do this? I own all the seasons and can watch them at anytime! I guess there’s just something special about stumbling onto a program. ) Maybe because of the hour I started deducing this theory that can account for its ridiculousness. And yet, here I am, writing about it anyway.

In this episode, Sawyer finally does in the elusive “original recipe” Sawyer, Anthony Cooper… the man he sees as the one who ruined his life, by strangling him with a chain. This is because Cooper’s son, John Locke, cannot. But it’s assumed, Locke would if he could. Benjamin Linus, kills Mr. Cooper’s son, John Locke… the man he perceives who ruined his life, in a similar manner with an extension cord ( Season 5, ” The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”) . In turn, will Ben die, like Roger Linus, in an incident much like ” The Purge” ?

In the Season 3 finale, Jack Shephard is just about to make a suicidal move by throwing himself off a bridge in a drunken stupor, when he is stopped short by an accident on the road behind him. Christian Shephard, died in a suicidal drunken binge and threw himself into a fight he probably knew he couldn’t win (or at least, that’s what we were told).

So, this got me thinking… is this how things will end for the Losties? Will each of their demises ( if they take place) mirror those of their fathers/parents? Will Sawyer end up in a murder/suicide, possibly with Kate as his wife ? And will she die the same way as she killed her father i.e. in some kind of premeditated explosion?

There is another side to this scenario…

We saw Charlie’s mom in one episode but in ” Greatest Hits” she wasn’t there, especially noticeable absence during The Paces holiday/swimming lesson. Liam named his baby girl after Charlie and his mom in ” Fire + Water”. The way they spoke it sounded like she was no longer alive. Had Megan Pace given her life, possibly even in a sacrificial way, for her son(s) ? ( This is purely speculative…but it would be cool if we found that to be true somehow in Season Six).

David and Carmen are still around. So, does this bode well for Hugo?

Pierre Chang sent his son and wife away knowing that they would despise him, if it would save their lives. Miles finds out who his dad is and what he did for him. Miles, in turn, puts himself in a place of rejection by telling Pierre he is a time traveler to save his life ( and later, physically does rescue his father).

Does this work in reverse? Will Eloise get shot like she shot Daniel?

In this respect, is it fate or living by example?

I know… I know… I need to get more sleep.

This one’s going all the way back to when Ben wasn’t even Ben.

I’M HENRY GALE I AM

I’m Henry Gale, I Am
Henry Gale, I am, I am
Jennifer died, so a widower I be
So, please don’t sick Sayid on me
From Minnesota, I’m Henry ( Henry!)
Crashed in my balloon, so here I am ( Ka-blam!)
I am not an Other, I’m Henry
Henry Gale, I am

( Second verse…same as the first!)

I’m Henry Gale, I Am
Henry Gale, I am, I am
Jennifer died, so a widower I be
So, please don’t sick Sayid on me
From Minnesota, I’m Henry ( Henry!)
Crashed in my balloon, so here I am ( Ka-blam!)
I am not an Other, I’m Henry
Henry Gale, I am

So, Henry Gale, you are
Henry Gale, you are, you are
Followed your map right to the balloon
But Henry’s grave sang a different tune
This license proves you ain’t Henry ( Henry!)
Danielle caught an Other in her trap ( Oh, snap!)
No more milk for you, fake Henry
Henry Gale’s a sham

H-E-N-R-Y
Henry ( Henry! ) Henry (Henry!)
Henry Gale, I am, I am
Henry Gale, I am

I’m Henry Gale I Am
(Parody of the song “Henry the Eighth, I Am” by Herman’s Hermits {Murray/Weston, 1910, Revised by Herman’s Hermits, 1965 } New lyrics by Wendy Lincoln, 2007)

(If you would like to listen to more LOST parodies, click here).

As many of you know, I’m a big LOST fan. On another blog, I posted all of my thoughts re: each episode of the last few seasons of LOST. As soon as last season ended, I started slowly going back and watching all of the previous episodes from seasons 1-5. I’m at the final episode of Season 3 right now (trying to finish up Season 5 by January just in time for the final season). Here’s something that’s struck me.

Throughout Season 3, Desmond has these “flashes” of Charlie’s impending death. Desmond constantly tries to keep Charlie from dying (he saves Claire from drowning, keeps lightning from striking Charlie’s tent, keeps an arrow from piercing him in the throat, etc.). By the finale, Desmond realizes that Charlie’s death is inevitable, a necessary “course correction” in the cosmic drama of fate or “The Island” or whatever. But he has this final flash of Charlie swimming down to The Looking Glass station, flipping a switch, seeing the yellow light turn off and then Charlie drowns. This flash comes to pass in the Season 3 finale when Charlie cryptically tells Desmond that the rig offshore is “Not Penny’s Boat”.

But one thing has always bothered me. Desmond’s flash has a conditional element to it. IF Charlie does all of this, then he sees Claire and Aaron climbing aboard a helicopter and leaving The Island. Of course, this doesn’t happen. Or at least, it hasn’t happened yet.

Which gets me to thinking: what happened that prevented that portion of Desmond’s flash from occurring?

Elsewhere in the episode, Ben meets Jack and the castaways as they are trekking across The Island to the radio tower. Of course, this is where Jack will make the phone call that ultimately leads to he and the rest of the Oceanic Six leaving the Island. Just before he makes the call, Locke shows up (after receiving a vision of Walt) and tells Jack this is not what he is “supposed” to do. Prior to this, in Ben’s conversation with Jack, Ben tells the good doctor that he once made a decision that caused 40 of his people to lose their lives in a single day. Of course, Ben is talking about the Purge. But Ben is also trying to keep Jack from making that call. He says to Jack, “If you make this call, every single living person on this Island will die.” He warns Jack that history is about to repeat itself if Jack makes this phone call.

Is this true? In a way, yes. By making this call, Jack essentially forfeited the lives of “his people”, the 40 or so “redshirts” that we see in the background. So here’s my thought: what if Season 6 somehow leads us up to that moment of decision again for Jack? What if it’s true that Jack was never “supposed” to make that phone call? What if his fate is truly tied to The Island? What if Desmond’s flash of Claire and Aaron getting aboard the helicopter didn’t happen because of Jack’s decision to go “outside the box” by doing something he wasn’t “supposed” to do? Season 5’s trippy timeline-shifting story seems to be leading us to some sort of revision of the history we’ve been acquainted with thus far? Now that Jack has lived with the despair of that decision, perhaps we’ll see him being led to this moment of decision again, only this time he chooses not to make the call and thus fulfill his ultimate destiny on the Island. In this way, he and Locke are finally aligned as the rightful leaders of the Island in a way that “pleases” Jacob (who I think was communicating to Locke via Walt, encouraging Locke to implore Jack not to make the impending phone call).

Does this make sense? I know the mythology of this show can get sort of dense at times, but I’m thinking that everything may hinge on this decision Jack made. Ultimately, I think we’re going to see Jack and Locke emerging as the new leaders of The Island, replacing the current regime of Ben and Richard.

Your thoughts? I’m probably way off here, but it’s something to ponder.

Only a few more months until Season 6!

People love them stars, yes sir they most certainly do. Look at how they carry themselves some mutter. Don’t they look perfect together? How is she so thin? Why is he so brooding? Why am I talking to the LCD?

The fold is always happy to provide the answers:

Physics.
No.
Surgery.
Tosser.
The crystal!

If we were to distance ourselves from the glossed silicone for two minutes, we would see that every acclaimed emmy-coveted docu-dramedy has a support performance of such brilliance and restrained subtlety – you barely notice they damn near made the show.

Heres six of the best.

Hiro Nakamura (Heroes, played by Masi Oka)

It’s disappointing to see how far our heroes have fallen from season to season. You can fly for Christ sake – go take a trip, look at the Northern Lights. Let’s see if that doesn’t broaden the horizons you sulking little cretins. While many have faltered over the years, one has remained true to his mission statement and true to the fans – Hiro Nakamura. Yes Hiro, the subtitled bit, where the texts jumps around like a giddy school girl and the fans scream Waffle! Hiro is the only realistic portrayal of an otherwise unfathomable high-concept. Put simply, if you had powers you would enjoy them. And Hiro certainly does that. It has now got to the stage where I simply gloss over the screen until that cheery chubby cherub turns up to save the day.

Ari Gold (Entourage, played by Jeremy Piven)

Like it, Loath it. It is probably because of one man – Jeremy Piven’s alter-ego onanist Ari Gold. Piven brings such a high level of intensity to the character that its got many people wondering how does the man do it. I heard through the grapevine he isn’t actually acting. Fair dues though.

Tobias Funke (Arrested Development, played by David Cross)

While the cast of Arrested Development nailed their roles to absolute perfection, it was David Cross’ Tobias Funke that stood out amongst the rest. Cross plays ambivalence down to a science, and in a strong emsemble, somehow managed to steal the show with each one of his pathetic attempts. Arrested Development went under the radar over here and if you haven’t heard of the program I strongly recommend having a ganders. We could all do with a bit more Funke in our lives (sorry, no more puns – im better than this!).

Jack Donaghy (30 Rock, played by Alec Baldwin)

Ladies, Mr Jack Donaghy. NBC’s head of television programming and microwave ovens and a voice that would make a wolverine purr. Since I keep throwing out statements as facts, I shall continue to keep balance. He is the greatest suit to ever appear on television, with humour so dry he could pass for cider. Alec may be known stateside for his numerous SNL appearances. Over here we know him for straight to dvd flicks. But I think it’s time Baldwin Sr. got a few more roles thrown his way – we can forgive him for Sisters Keeper.

Benjamin Linus (Lost, played by Michael Emerson)

It’s a piece of piss to play the lead on a primetime show. You got a chin? You got the part stubbles! To play the creep though; you need a solid thespian. Linus has mastered the art of being the unnerving, unknowing specimen that has become the hallmark of the franchise. Oh he’s so evil, so bloody weird looking! The fans passionate disdain for this character speaks volumes of just how good a job Michael Emerson is doing. For this reason, I think he might just be my favourite character on the most frustrating, unrewarding programme to have ever been conceived by man.

Omar Little (The Wire, played by Michael K. Williams)

There are too many strong performances in The Wire to mention in this one post, but you knew if you had to pick one, only one, it would be Omar Little. The homosexual-gangster-whistling-robin-hood-assassin takes the biscuit for strange hyphenated partners. I’m pretty certain David Simon simply threw contradictory stereotypes into a bucket, tossed them against a wall and brought to life one of the most compelling characters in television history. This takes nothing away from Mr K. Williams performance. Brando put cotton wool in his mouth and talked like a chimp for an Oscar. Omar has not only redefined ethnic categorisation in contemporary culture (listen to Kane and Ghet’s for proof of the pud), he’s done it with a kick in his step and a whistle in his…

Anyways. Keep ya leads, we got these.

Dré

Guess you can’t say ” What about ME!” anymore, Ben. Because ME… that is, Michael Emerson, won the Emmy for ” Best Supporting Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama”. Congratulations for your well deserved honor.

No writing award for Darlton? No statuette to LOST for ” Best Drama”?!

Look for a serious sweep next year for the show’s swan song.

És igen, VÉGRE sikerült a Benjamin Linus-t alakító színésznek Emmy-díjat nyernie. Itt a beszéde… [Egyébként a Lost is jelölve volt a legjobb dráma kategóriában, de sajnos nem nyert - na majd jövőre!]

The folks at sl-LOST have made spectacular videos, prepping us for the season to come. And this is no exception.

( Made by campetin for youtube)

De la mano de Apple, nos llegan estos fondos de Lost  al más puro estilo Ipod. Espero que pronto hagan el de Benjamin Linus. Mientras tanto, pongo los fondos del resto del elenco de mi serie favorita.

Episodes fifteen through eighteen of season 2 of ABC’s hit television show Lost first aired from March 1, 2006 until April 5, 2006.

Plot Synopsis

After surviving on a mysterious Island for over a month after a plane crash, the search for rescue has taken a back seat. When the survivors discover an underground bunker built by an organization named The Dharma Initiative, the era of exploration and discovery begins. As it becomes increasingly clearer that there are other inhabitants on the Island, thoughts turn to defense rather than only survival.

Initial Reaction

Week 11 of my Lost Rewatch finds me reviewing the episodes “Maternity Leave,” “The Whole Truth,” “Lockdown,” and “Dave.” This was a pretty great block of episodes. We finally get to learn what happened to Claire back in season 1 when she disappeared between the episodes “Raised By Another” and “Special.” We learn more about the mysterious “Henry Gale” and get some very intriguing dramatic scenes in the hatch. We see the infamous “blast door map” in the Swan, which has been intensely studied by fans on the internet for the last few years. To cap it off, we get a nice Hurley episode in which they tease us to think everything might in fact be going on in Hurley’s mind. Pretty great way to play with the audience.

In-Depth Discussion

In “Maternity Leave,” Aaron is starting to feel ill, and Claire gets a visit from Russeau, who warns that the baby may be infected with a sickness. Claire approaches Libby, who claimed to be a clinical psychologist, to help her remember what happened to her and the baby.  Here, we get a series of flashbacks as Claire slowly remembers her time on the Island after she was kidnapped. We see Ethan performing various blood tests on her and the child as Claire is kept sedated with some sort of hallucinogenic drug. The tests were performed in a yet-undiscovered Dharma bunker with medical equipment. One day, a teenage girl we now know as Alex Russeau helped Claire escape, saying they were going to “cut the baby out of her,” and Danielle found her in the jungle and brought her the rest of the way back to her camp.  In the present, Claire and Kate decide to search for this Dharma hatch. Along the way, they find Russeau, who accompanies them. They find the “Staff” hatch, but it is empty except for a few costume props, including a fake beard (presumably used by Tom during his theatrics to scare the survivors). Meanwhile, Jack and Locke continue to try to keep their prisoner a secret. Mr. Eko figures it out, and asks Jack if he can speak privately with him. When he does, he apologizes for slaying the two Others in self defense on the first night after the crash, and cuts off the two strands of his beard he has been growing as a reminder of them. After all of this, “Henry” pushes Locke, asking why Jack is calling all of the shots. Locke is clearly affected by the words, and throws things across the room.

In “The Whole Truth,” we get a Jin and Sun flashback in which we see they are having trouble conceiving a child. They go to a fertility specialist and Sun finds out that Jin is sterile, but decides to keep it a secret from him. At the same time, Sun is taking English lessons from Jae Lee, the man she was put together with during the matchmaking in an earlier episode. It is unclear, but it appears she was having an affair with him as well, while planning to leave Jin and go to America. On the Island, Jin is feeling protective again after Sun’s recent attack in the garden, causing them to get in another fight. Later, Sun is feeling sick, and decides to go to Sawyer to ask for a pregnancy test. It turns out to be positive, but she knows Jin is sterile. Eventually she confides everything in him, and he accepts it as a miracle, apologizing to her for the recent fight. Meanwhile, Locke asks Ana Lucia to interrogate “Henry,” using her experience with the Others and as a cop to help her. In their conversation, “Henry” tells her the story about the balloon crash, and draws her a map to the site and his wife’s grave. She takes Sayid and Charlie with her. Back at the hatch, Jack and Locke find out that Ana, Sayid, and Charlie are gone. In a brilliant conversation with “Henry,” he ponders what he would do if he WERE one of “them.” He speculates that he would draw a map to an ambush, and use them as hostages to bargain for his own release. He finishes with, “It’s a good thing I’m not one of them.”

In “Lockdown,” we get a Locke flashback, and see his father fake his own death to get away from some people he cheated. Locke helps him recover the money, and in doing so he loses his relationship with Helen. On the Island, Jack plays against Sawyer in poker for all of the medical supplies and wins. In the hatch, “Henry” continues to play mind games with Locke, and a mysterious alarm condition causes all the blast doors to slam shut. Locke is able to get a large bar under one of the doors before it shuts completely, and enlists “Henry’s” help to attempt to get it open before the button needs to be pressed. Eventually, his leg is caught under the door, so he asks “Henry” to crawl through the ducts to press the button. While he is gone, a black light reveals a hidden map of the Dharma stations on the Island. Near the hatch, Jack and Kate find a “food drop” that had parachuted in while the blast doors were locked down. Meanwhile, Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie find the balloon, but come back with the surprising news that they dug up the grave, and found the real Henry Gale buried with a picture ID. The prisoner is indeed an “Other.”

In “Dave,” we see a flashback of Hurley at the mental hospital. We find out he has an imaginary friend named Dave who tells him to eat unhealthy food. Finally, we discover that Libby was in the same hospital as Hurley for an unknown reason. On the Island, Libby and Hurley are out exercising, and he decides to show her his secret food stash. They destroy it together, but soon find out about the Dharma food drop that came from the sky. Hurley begins to panic, and starts seeing his “friend” Dave walking around. Hurley starts losing it, and begins doubting his sanity and the reality of his situation. Dave tells him the entire ordeal he has been through is all in his head, and he must kill himself to escape it all. Libby consoles him and talks him out of it, assuring him that everything will be OK. Meanwhile in the hatch, they all confront “Henry” and demand information. He says he can’t say anything because of what “he” would do (we later discover he means Jacob). He tells Locke that he didn’t press the button, he just saw some hieroglyphs and a lot of noise happened, but nothing else, and that the Swan station was a “joke.” Again, he knows the exact words to say to push John’s buttons.

Casual Observations

• “Maternity Leave” is an interesting episode in that it is the first episode of Lost to have flashbacks that take place entirely on the Island. “The Other 48 Days” also took place entirely on the Island, but those events were seen first hand, and aren’t considered a true “character-centric flashback” in the sense that “Maternity Leave” is.
• The mobile in the crib in Claire’s flashback was playing “Catch a Falling Star,” a song that is strongly tied with the Shephard family. Christian told Claire he used to sing it to her as a child, and Jack said he remembered a similar memory.
• Tom mentioned a “list” to Ethan in Claire’s flashback, and also mentioned a mysterious “him,” which could refer to either Ben or Jacob.
• I’m still confused by all of the implications of “Maternity Leave.” If we assume the “sickness” is the time sickness that caused some of our Losties to get nosebleeds, this all would make more sense. Russeau seems to think the “sickness” is synonymous with the “doppelganger” effects of the smoke monster. It’s all very confusing, especially since Claire has now completely vanished from the earth. Hopefully this whole mess will be clear by the end of Season 6.
• The pregnancy test Sun uses in “The Whole Truth” is made by a company called “Widmore Labs.” It seems Charles Widmore made his fortune by dabbling in a bit of everything, from construction to scientific research to other ventures, including the crashed balloon they find in the jungle, which clearly has the “Widmore Labs” logo on its side.
• I love the little “fake-out” Charlie does when giving the gun to Sayid. For one second, he made it appear he was giving it to Ana Lucia.
• “The Whole Truth” still wins in my opinion for the best closing line for an episode. The simple phrase, “You guys got any milk?” has never sounded so ominous and scary. I love Ben Linus so much.
• The woman Locke is doing home repairs for in his flashback is Nadia, Sayid’s tragic love interest.
• Kate had a nice comment when Jack and Sawyer were messing with each other during the poker game. She said, “Should I go get a ruler?” Pretty funny.
• Once again, Locke sustains a leg injury in “Lockdown.” If I were him, I’d start wearing protective gear.
• The Dharma food drop is pretty mysterious. It seems the blast doors lock down when a food drop is scheduled to arrive, but the thing is the Dharma Initiative no longer exists, so where is the food coming from? I suspect it has something to do with time travel. Like, they found a way to infinitely duplicate this food and drop from the sky on a schedule.
• We see Eko continue to build his church in “Dave,” and he enlists Charlie’s help.
• The “Libby in the mental institution” thing was a set up for a later episode that would never come. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to be on the show anymore, so they killed her character. Later, Damon and Carlton came out and said she was in the hospital for awhile after her husband died, and she got out before the scene in which she gives the boat to Desmond in the season 2 finale.
• Hurley’s epic battle with Sawyer was one of the funniest things ever.
• I always wondered if Hurley seeing “Dave” has any connection with his ability to see dead people like Charlie later in the series. My instinct is “yes.” I think Dave was one of the people who died in Hurley’s accident (the deck collapse).

LOST’s Benjamin Linus is, quite simply, one of the absolute best characters on TV. He is so fascinatingly complex and complicated that it almost does him a disservice to call him a villain, although he clearly fills the antagonist role. He is dangerously intelligent and surprisingly resourceful; that capacity to think on his feet enables him to spin any event to his advantage. And if there is one constant, it is Ben’s capacity to act in his own self-interest. And Michael Emerson is jaw-droppingly good at playing the slimy devil. The only character who comes close to Ben is BATTLESTAR GALACTICA’s Gaius Baltar. Both are wickedly crafty, and even when they appear to be doing something noble, there’s always a huge upside for them. Going to the Frozen Donkey Wheel to move the Island was actually about him (Jacob/Christian had ordered John to move the Island), and got Ben off the Island. So what is his interest in going back to the Island? As Ben told Locke, whoever moves the Island cannot return, and Widmore doubted the Island would even allow it.

Ben claimed he returned because he wanted the Monster to judge him for “breaking the rules,” but copped to actually feeling guilty for allowing “his” daughter, Alex, to be killed. He conveniently failed to mention trying to murder Penny Widmore, but then again, he did stop himself before Desmond emphatically stopped him. (Is that why Ben told Sun to apologize to Des for him?) And Ben considered blowing away Caesar to be his way of apologizing for killing Locke. Continuing their rivalry, Ben failed to summon the monster in his usual manner (by draining a secret pool of muddy water), so Locke led them to the creature’s lair; Ben did not know it was based at the Temple. (After all those years on the Island, he must have been lying about that!) The interior of the Temple turned out to feature even more Egyptian hieroglyphs, including a large one depicting jackal-headed Anubis (the god of the afterlife) interacting with the Monster. The black smoke emerged from a rock grate under an altar, and surrounded Ben. It showed him relevant clips (LOL) of Alex’s life and death. Ben appeared to be truly remorseful of Alex’s death. I originally thought Ben had disavowed her as part of a gambit to get the mercenary Keamy to release her, but in light of the flashback to Widmore’s warning that one day Ben would have to choose between his daughter and the Island, perhaps Ben was upset at his enemy’s prophecy coming true. Still, the monster appeared to take Ben’s anguish into account — and perhaps his statement that he did everything for the greater good of the Island — and did not kill him. But that’s not to say he wasn’t punished. The Monster assumed Alex’s form to deliver its final message: Follow John Locke and obey his every command — or be killed. For the proud Ben, being forced to submit to John in any way, let alone accepting him as the rightful leader, has got to be a type of hell. Baltar experienced a redemption of sorts in the mind-blowing BSG finale; can Ben atone for “breaking the rules” before LOST wraps up next season?

•The most nagging question this story left is, Why didn’t Ben remember the Losties being in the DHARMA Initiative in 1977?
•Ben’s dialogue included the episode title, “Dead is Dead.” So, is Caesar, the man Ben shot, dead?
•Oh, let’s not forget Ilana’s question: What does lie in the shadow of the statue?

I’m betting it’s not a Starbucks…

The problem with naming your show THE UNUSUALS is that it better be pretty darn… not usual. And the problem with this show is that it’s pretty darn ordinary. It’s just another cop show. Yeah, the details are a little different – the cops interviewed one potential suspect who uses a wheelchair, and another was of Asian descent – but overall it’s just another procedural. The new character who serves as the audience’s stand-in: boring. The secretly rich scion who doesn’t want the family inheritance: boring. And worst of all, The story begins with vice cop Casey Shraeger being reassigned to homicide to look into the murder of a cop named Kowalski. This leads to that cliché of clichés, the crooked cop. Boring! Amber Tamblyn (ex-Emily, GENERAL HOSPITAL) is vulnerable and engaging enough, but she looks 14 years old, and leaves me thinking she would have been a better choice to headline a relaunch of 21 JUMP STREET. I think me watching THE UNUSUALS in the future would be…unusual.

The other day, spending some time at the library, I played a few games of chess. It’s been a long time since I’ve played chess. A very loooong time. And to show how far back it has been since I’ve played, my considerably younger opponent needed to reminded me that ” A king can’t take out another king”. Also according to the rules, a King can not be captured or removed from the board like other pieces. Which got me thinking about LOST, of course… and this scene…

( Ben Confronts Widmore, LOST Season 4, The Shape of Things to Come, Posted by edshrinker on youtube)

And maybe because of this rule, a “King” of a certain game cannot truly be banished or “taken off the board”. Maybe that’s why Ben was able to make it back. Maybe that’s why Widmore believes the Island ( the board”) is his. In their game… they are the “leaders”. But it appears, a much larger competition is being played out.

Which brought me to this scene…

( Jacob and ? on the beach, Season 5’s “The Incident”, Posted by CTUBauerUK on youtube)

And then , my thoughts went to Richard telling , who he thought was Locke, that two leaders (Kings?) cannot go into the Temple with Jacob ( another King?) But Ben had been stripped of …or voluntarily stepped down, from his position as leader ( King) once he thought that John was raised from the dead. So, technically, Ben became just another piece in the game. In this case, a King wasn’t attacked by another King ( Ben killing Jacob) … hence the loophole.

Another thought has come to mind since Season Five has ended. Jacob visited Sun and Jin at their wedding. A blond ‘American ” man who speaks perfect Korean, offering a blessing upon their marriage. But in Season One, another blond “American” man who speaks perfect Korean, shows up in the bathroom of the airport in Sydney. He tells Jin that he works for Sun’s father and that they can’t escape to America or he will lose his wife. This man is wearing a black Hawaiian shirt with large white flowers. Could this be … the MIB? (possibly representing his darkness surrounding their relationship, since their love is symbolized with a white flower)

* ComicCon spoiler. Don’t read any further if you don’t want to know*

Damon said at ComicCon that Jacob has never appeared as anyone but himself. But we know that his nemesis has at least once (as Locke) . So… was this man Jacob’s enemy? Unlike Jacob giving a “blessing” , this man was, in a sense, was giving a “curse” over their marriage. That The Kwons would be separated permanently.

And we never did find out why Charlotte spoke fluent Korean. Did Jin teach her in The Seventies when she was little so she could tell him what was going on in the future? Did she learn it as part of her studies because she was told she was “supposed” to? Hurley also spoke Korean in a dream in ” Everybody Hates Hugo”. Will we ever find out the significance of all of this? Probably not…lol. But then again, it may prove more relevant in Season Six. Somehow, I don’t think they showed us the Paik/Widmore connection for nothing.

Comic Con 2009

Well, Comic Con has come and gone, but if you didn’t make it down to San Diego your old friend Darby is here to lay it all out for you. The one thing that seems to always be true about Comic Con, year after year, is the fact that it has less and less to do with comics each year. This year it was the teenie girls and their “Twilight: New Moon” that over ran the Con. The one thing I always hated about Comic Con is the standing in line for two hours to get a ticket so you can stand in line for three hours the next day; the whole time not being able to spend any time on the floor. The panels are the same story. Wait in line for hours for a panel and miss a bunch of events while sitting on the floor. The Con is amazing. It’s so much fun and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. But every year, I make a list of the things I want to do, and every year I get like two done if I’m lucky. So, here’s a run down of some of the events that went down at Comic Con this year. Some I got to see and others that I only got to hear about.

“Iron Man 2”

The buzz for the first “Iron Man” movie started at Comic Con. So even with production having only wrapped a week ago, nothing was going to stop Jon Favreau from sharing what he could with the fans at Comic Con this year. Appearing with Favreau on the panel was Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, and Sam Rockwell. After the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to Favreau’s son Max, they rolled the exclusive clip that introduced all the film’s new characters. “Iron Man 2” will hit theaters in May of 2010.

“Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead” & “Torchwood: Children of Earth”

At the Saturday night screening of “Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead” and the 5th and final episode of “Torchwood: Children of Earth,” fans got a little bit more than they were expecting.

“The Green Hornet”

Seth Rogen stopped by the Con to unveil the new Black Beauty, a modified 1965 Chrysler Crown Imperial that he’ll be cursing around in for the upcoming film.

“Alice in Wonderland”

Tim Burton premiered the first trailer for “Alice in Wonderland” on Thursday at the Con, with a huge surprise visit from the Mad Hatter himself Johnny Depp.

“Avatar”

James Cameron makes up for his lame E3 appearance with over 20 minutes of footage from his already over hyped film “Avatar.” He also announced that fans worldwide would be able to see 15 minutes of the film for free, online on “Avatar Day,” which is August 21^st. The film is set to open this year on December 18^th.

“New Moon”

“Twilight” fangirls came by the thousands to Comic Con this year. Some would say it was the downfall of Comic Con this year. These two guys were walking the floor on late Sunday with signs to show their displease of the upcoming film’s presences this year. Some of the fangirls stayed two nights outside the convention center waiting in line to attend the “Twilight” panel on Thursday. This was truly the craziness of this year’s Con. There’s always one thing at the Con that you can’t get away from, and you at times just wish would go away. This year it was most definitely “Twilight.” It’s hard to explain. It’s like a high school click. Comic Con is geek’s paradise, and this year the popular cheerleaders stormed the gates and stole the show. “Twilight” seems like the kind of thing that would fit in at the Con, but it really just seemed to overpower everything around it. For the last six years Hollywood has been taking over Comic Con, but this is like the Jonas Brothers performing on the center of the convention floor.

“Dollhouse”

The almost canceled series had a screening of the unaired thirteenth episode, which can also be found on the “Dollhouse” Season One DVD set. Look for my “Dollhouse” DVD review here soon.

“LOST”

This was probably one of the best panels of the Con. Wayne has already done a write up on this so I’ll just redirect you there. Click Here!

“The Hobbit”

Peter Jackson talked a little bit about the upcoming project.

“Jonah Hex”

The next DC Comic film, starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox, was premiered by the new teaser trailer. The new teaser poster was unveiled as well. I cannot wait to see this movie!

“Tron: Legacy”

Last but not least… The long awaited “Tron” sequel “Tron: Legacy.” A scavenger hunt sent convention goes around downtown San Diego, and finally brought them to their final destination, a marvelously reconstructed 1980’s arcade, called Flynn’s Arcade! They actually had Flynn’s Arcade tokens! I know! They also unveiled the first teaser trailer. I for one cannot wait!

But it’s not just all about the movies at Comic Con. One of the best reasons to go to Comic Con is to get your hands on the exclusive toys and action figures only available at the Con… Well that is until they’re put on eBay for five times the original price. This is just a few of them; there really are way too many to list.

The Wonder Twins and Gleek

This is the one I really wanted, but sadly it sold out by the time I stood in line for a ticket to stand in line for a figure. These DC Universe figures are so cool. I love that they make figures for the secondary characters. I can’t wait for the upcoming Question figure.

The LOST Benjamin Linus Bobble Head

This beaten up Michael Emerson bobble head is so cool. The likeness is uncanny.

Doctor Who Comic Con Exclusives

Okay, I’m a huge “Doctor Who” fan, and I love the figures, but there just always seems to be just too many of them to buy at the Con. This year there were five, all between twenty and forty dollars, mostly forty. I’m sorry, six figures if you count the Captain Jack Harkness Torchwood figure. I wish they would just make one exclusive figure each year. I would buy that figure every year, but I’m not going to spend over two hundred dollars at one booth. 

The Blackest Night 5 Figure Green Lantern Set

One last thing, before heading back to L.A. I stopped in Eureka to have dinner at Café Diem.

Well, that does it for this year. Comic Con will be July 22^nd to the 25^th next year, so start making plans now.

Jorge Garcia and Michael Emerson debate about the source of the obvious longtime “friction” between them, that came to a boiling point at the San Diego ComicCom 2009. No spoilers…just funny.

(Posted by LostSawyer840 on youtube)

I just watched the entire Lost series this summer, banging out all five seasons in a little over two months. It was riveting, but now I have no idea how I am going to wait until January 2010 to see the exciting conclusion to the series. All I can really do is make random references to the show in my posts until it comes back. That being said I was re-watching the iconic season three finale, an exchange between a drunken, bearded Jack Shephred telling Kate Austin “we have to go back!” It made me think about the Suns off-season. Check out the clip:

Just imagine that scene with Robert Sarver playing the roll of bearded, pill-popping Jack and Steve Kerr playing the role of disinterested and slightly disturbed Kate. Change all references of the island to “fast break basketball” and this is totally a conversation Sarver and Kerr probably had early this Summer.

We can even go so far as relating the finale of season four to this off-season. Here is the clip for that one:

In this clip, Sarver still plays the roll of Jack. Amare Stoudemire can play the role of Ben (keeps switching from good and bad) and anything that signifies the death of the seven seconds or less era can be represented by the dead John Locke (Steve Nash being an obvious choice here).

So the Suns had to go back, back to fast break basketball. They did, which should make next year somewhat exciting. At least they aren’t stuck in 1977, but if they were that would be cool because that was the year after they made their first NBA Finals.

If we were going to relate current Suns players to other characters of Lost, who would be who?

So… yeah.

I’ve done a few posts like this in the past, where I’m like, “Well, that happened.” And this post about attending the “Lost” panel at San Diego Comic-Con will be no different.

Of course, there’s a lot of info I could share with you about the panel itself, but I’ll let the videos below do that instead. What I will tell you about is the time leading up to the panel.

Kathy and I drove down to San Diego early Saturday morning. Originally, we were going to drive down Friday night, but Kathy ended up working late so we decided to go to Disneyland for margaritas instead. But that’s another story.

We got into San Diego around 9AM and parked at the Ivy, the hotel my sister and Jorge were staying at. We went up to their room, hung out for a bit, and then met the rest of the “Lost” gang down in the lobby to get ready to leave for the convention center.

The plan was this: Three SUVs were going to pick everybody up and take them through the back entrance. Each SUV held seven people or so, so we figured we might have to get split up in some way.

(As a side note, while waiting for the car, Beth saw Scarlett Johansson walk through the lobby. I barely saw her out of the corner of my eye and Kathy didn’t see her at all, so we’ll just have to take Beth’s word for it that it was actually her.)

Waiting in the lobby with us was Michael Emerson (Ben), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert), and writers/producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof. The day was already shaping up to be pretty cool, but the big surprise, however, would come shortly.

The cars pulled up: Jorge got in the first car with most of the other cast members. The second car filled up with some friends and family. And that left Beth, Kathy and I waiting on the third car with a few publicists.

All of a sudden, Dominic Monaghan comes walking out of the Ivy and gets into the car with us.

Now, Dominic was the big reveal at the end of the panel so very few people knew he was going to be there. This included Kathy, Beth and me. From the car, Beth texted Jorge: “Ah… why is Dom in our car?” Jorge’s response: “Surprise!”

And it definitely was cool having that surprise, especially as someone who sometimes catches wind of such surprises before they happen.

We got to the convention center and were rushed into a green room. While Jorge went over the outline of the panel with the other cast members, Kathy, Beth and I grabbed some free coffee.

There were a bunch of people milling about (I assumed waiting for their own thing to get underway), and it was at this time that I realized that Jimmy Fallon was in the room with us. As was Paul Scheer of “Human Giant,” and Woody Harrelson and Mila Kunis and Jason Bateman. They were just hanging out, grabbing free cold cut sandwiches and drinks. And this proves a theory I’ve had for awhile now: I don’t give a shit how rich and famous you are, you never turn down free food and drink.

After rehearsal wrapped, they rushed everyone back downstairs to the hall. We were quickly ushered from backstage into the seating area and, holy crap, it was insane. Nearly 8,000 people waited in line to get into that hall, some of them camping out overnight.

It was at this moment that I felt extremely fortunate to get into the panel without having to wait in a line.

The lights dimmed, the final “Lost” panel of Comic-Con had begun, and people went absolutely ape shit.

It was truly something to behold, and I’m glad I could be there for it.

So here’s the panel in its entirety. Actually, that’s not true. There were a lot of video clips shown during the panel that can’t legally be posted online, but here’s the most I can show you without getting sued:

The “Lost” Panel – San Diego Comic-Con 2009 – PART I

The “Lost” Panel – San Diego Comic-Con 2009 – PART II

The “Lost” Panel – San Diego Comic-Con 2009 – PART III

The “Lost” Panel – San Diego Comic-Con 2009 – PART IV

Also, be sure to check this out:

Heading to Hawaii in eight weeks,

-Shady