Completed: 2-20 Two For the Road, 2-21 ?, 2-22 Three Minutes, 2-23 Live Together, Die Alone. 54 episodes left, 65 days to go. As you know I don’t know anything about this series except that I’ve seen previews that suggest the survivors gets off the island at some point.

Season 2 is now in the books and what an ending. Recap: Dumb-ass Dad is compromised and kills 5-0 (Ana Lucia) & Libby before shooting himself and letting Henry get away. Mr. Eko has a dream about his brother telling him he needs to talk to Locke and they soon find the Big Brother of hatches underneath the Nigerian plane crash site. Sayid realizes Dumb-ass Dad’s (DAD from now on) ruse and makes a plan with Jack to pull a rope-a-dope on The Others and Michael but the plan goes wrong when Jack, Sawyer, Kate & Hurley are kidnapped. Back at the hatch Desmond shows Locke how to simulate a lockdown and locks out Mr. Eko so he can let the countdown hit 000. Desmond realizes at the last minute that this is a bad idea and uses the failsafe key to the hatch.

Where to begin?? Let’s pour out a little airplane-sized liquor for Ana Lucia & Libby. I never liked Ana but she was starting to grow on me after she decided to “getting caught in a net” with Sawyer in order to steal his gun. Libby’s death was much more tragic and Hurley’s grief was summed up when he told her, “I’m sorry I forgot the blankets”. Tear. I’m very surprised they killed Libby without resolving the fact that her and Hurley were in the same institution and without resolving the fact that she gave Desmond his sailboat! I’m not going to spend much time on DAD but it’s safe to say that I hate him and hope he drowns to death several times. AND PLEASE STOP YELLING! While we’re on the subject of characters I don’t like, how about the hobbit (Charlie) stealing all the vaccine and giving it to Prego and Devil Baby (Aaron) just so he can try and “get caught in a net” with her.

Then there is the new hatch. So it appears there are 6 hatches on the island and 1 of those hatches is a spy hatch. We are led to believe whatever is happening in the other hatches are just psychological experiments. Locke believes this is true while Mr. Eko believes the real work is being done in the non Big Brother hatch. I agreed with Locke and like Locke was I proven wrong. Before we get to the timer, there is so much ground to cover on Desmond. Desmond goes to prison and writes his gf Penny but her dad makes sure his letters aren’t delivered. When Desmond gets out of jail the father offers him money to leave his daughter alone. Desmond declines the money, gets a free boat from Libby and enter’s Penny’s father’s race around the world and ends up on the island to become the next button pusher with the army guy Sayid was working with in Iraq. PREDICTION: Penny’s dad is SO pulling the strings here! He’s not the CEO but I think he’s one level below the big bad. Back at the hatch, Desmond uses Locke’s printout to discover that HE caused Oceanic Flight 815 to crash because the crash took place when Desmond let the countdown go past 000!! The electromagnetic thing on the island must have ripped apart the plane! Still no explanation on how everyone survived but I believe it’s coming.

Now back to Jack, Sawyer, Kate & Hurley. I think Kate had it right when she said that The Others are only pretending to be feet baring and living worse than the plane survivors. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole village DAD saw was just to trick people into underestimating The Others. It seems really important to The Others that they tell people they are good and keep their word because Henry (like Ethan before him) kept making that point. I also find it interesting that he told DAD that he must drive the boat on a specific course in order to be rescued. Somehow this island must be cloaked from the rest of the world and The Others know how to get off of it. This must be why Desmond couldn’t escape the island in his boat. Luckily for Desmond and the survivors, Penny seems to know a little about this stuff and is trying to find the EM disturbance. Help maybe coming. Meanwhile Hurley is let go so he can give a warning to the rest of the survivors and we are left to ponder what will happen to Jack, Sawyer & Kate (or at least I am since you already know).

So much happened in these 5 episodes and I wasn’t able to note them all so I wanted to bullet a few things I thought were important:
-  It’s interesting that The Others wanted Michael’s blood. I think Walt has some genetic gift/immunity they want/need which is why they kidnapped him in the first place
- Henry seems to be the local leader of The Others, too bad the survivors didn’t know what they had captured
- In Mr. Eko’s flashback we learn that Prego’s psychic is a fraud and was paid 16K (NUMBER) dollars by a couple in LA to mislead her into given the couple her baby. Knowing this show, the couple will probably turn out to be important
- What is up with the statue with 4 toes that Sayid saw. Reminded me of the Colossus
- It appears there are 6 hatches on the island but that isn’t a magic number. Maybe there is one hatch to rule them all plus the ?-mark in the middle which would make 8.

And finally the end of a season means I need to come up with new Season 3 predictions (some of which I’ve already said):
-  After being wrong about aliens I’m going to say the island is a gov project that utilize the strange but natural EM properties.
- The EM properties give the island the power to heal, the cloaking ability and I think some time travel ability
- Mr. Eko will die in season 3. Someone has to die and he seems the right combination of main character but not too main.
-  Penny will show up on the island before the end of Season 3
- Michael won’t abandon the survivors and will return to the island (but I hope him and Walt are eaten by sharks)

Next up on Finally Lost…Season 3!!

Completed: 2-11 The Hunting Party, 2-12 Fire + Water, 2-13 The Long Con, 2-14 One of Them. 64 episodes left, 66 days to go. As you know I don’t know anything about this series except for I believe the survivors gets off the island at some point. Recap: Jack, Locke & Sawyer go after Michael but turn back once The Others hold Kate hostage. Charlie goes crazy and thinks he needs to baptize Aaron, Sawyer cons everyone out of the gun stock and Danielle leads Sayid to someone she claims is an Other.

I believe I’ve severely underestimated Jack’s role in all of this. All the connections seem to go through him. He’s had the most flashbacks by far and he is connected to everyone. He seems to be pivotal. The miracle he performed on his wife prompted new hotty Gabriella and her French father to seek his new found deity skills. There is something very familiar about the French dad but I can’t put my finger on it. The drawback on catching up now is I can’t google certain things for fear of running into spoilers. Then there are The Others. Zeeke (the leader) made an interesting statement about the survivor’s of Oceanic Flight 815 being guests on their island but never answered questions such as why do you want Walt (I think for his luck power), why do you stay on the island and why have you let tribe prime (main survivors) live but put the hurtpiece on the tailgaters. The best theory I have is that The Others think a war with tribe prime would have been too costly while the tailgaters were weak.

I think I finally found an episode I didn’t like in Fire + Water. I am completely bored by Charlie and was not interested in his flashback at all. I got it, you were a junky with a crappy brother and now you’re seeing visions on the island, yawn. The Long Con on the other-hand was BRILLIANT. Sawyer should have been a general with his mind for strategy. He cons a woman by letting her think she’s become his partner. Back on magic island he’s long conning Locke and Jack out of the guns and medicine. I can only imagine the chaos the tribe is in for with Sawyer in charge of the guns. Jack & Locke really need to get on the same team. If they could put aside their differences they would be a much stronger leadership group. I think the man of faith and the man of science are destined to play a game of chicken all season 2  with the computer and the armor lock as their metaphorical cars. At least we almost found out what happens when the clock goes to 000! The numbers looked like they were turning into Dharma slot machine jackpot. Maybe Hurley will let it go to 000 and add more money into his already bloated bank account. In the connections file did anyone else notice that Sawyer was being served by Kate’s mom in the diner? The more obvious connection was GI Dad (Kate’s dad) was working with Sayid in Iraq. Interesting….

Finally we get to Frenchy and her new captive. Would it kill Frenchy to answer a goddamn question?? I think Sayid is wasting his time on hot air ballon guy and needs to torture Frenchy’s ah French ass instead. If I were Sayid I think the conversation would go more like…So Frenchy where ya been? Heard anything about The Others? Do you know what the hell that black smoke was and why it didn’t kill Mr. Eko when he stood still? Me? I’m doing OK, 5-0 (Ana) killed my superficial girlfriend but at least Hurley gave me white Bernard’s receiver so I’ve been trying to boost that signal lately. Strangest thing though, I got music from the 50’s and Hurley made a time traveling comment….Cut back to me. Time Traveling! Why didn’t I think of that?? Now there’s a theory. I don’t know what the theory is but maybe there’s some time traveling going on. Give me a few more episodes and I’ll come up with something…

Next up on Finally Lost…Hot Air Balloon guy rebuilds his balloon and uses his ruby slippers to get off the island. For the record my prediction with him is he’s going to convince the survivors that he’s a regular nice guy for a while but he’s DEFINITELY another Other infiltrator.

Completed: 2-8 Collision, 2-9 What Kate Did, 2-10 The 23rd Psalm. 68 episodes left, 67 days to go.

We get our first Ana & Mr. Eko flashbacks and we finally learn what Kate did. Let’s start with Collision, the episode where Ana keeps Sayid tied up. I seriously wanted to strangle 5-0 (Ana Lucia’s new nickname) during this episode. She is so uncompromising and unwilling to listen to reason. She told Bernard that she kept him alive, but the lives of the other 19 tailgaters were lost in some part due to her poor leadership. At least she makes the right decision in the end and let’s Sayid go. On a lighter note, Jin goes home to Sun and has the physical/metaphorical handcuff removed. It’s going to be great to see Jin evolve as a character now that he will begin to learn english.

Now onto our girl Freckles (Kate). After a little rough touch nursing incident (Sawyer choking Kate), Kate decides to run off and get spooked by a horse. Is it real? Who the hell knows on this island! (It is later confirmed as read) BUT we FINALLY get to the bottom of Kate’s story and….we have a prediction winner. Cut to me your humble blogger host doing a solo fist pump (that’s what she said) and texting a friend bragging how right I was….Kate killed her dad! Never mind my invisible dino and alien island creation predictions looks rather poor at the moment. Who cares that my prediction record has historically resembled the Washington Generals (or Redskins for that matter)…I got one right! Or half right since it sounds like Kate was never molested, which makes her motive all the more intriguing…she didn’t want to be from someone that evil. I’m glad we finally got to meet General Dad (Kate’s dad) and I can’t help but think the onion’s going to peeled back on him a bit more. This episode also gives us some more insight into the Sawyer-Kate-Jack love triangle. Jack & Kate finally kiss but it’s a total party foul on Jack due to Sawyer’s condition, due to the fact he told Jack he loves Kate and after Sawyer did Jack such a solid by telling him about his dad. To make matters even more confusing, Kate tells Sawyer that it reminds her of Wayne (dead biological daddy) when she has feelings for him and it makes her sick. Sawyer picks that moment to have a Lazarus reawakening. There’s no WAY Kate is picking Jack, it’s Sawyer all the way…

After learning about Kate we finally get some info on our pal Mr. Eko. How cool is he?? Mr. Eko saves his brother the trouble of killing the town priest and goes all Blood Diamond and becomes a hardcore drug trafficker. In part 423 of the infinite part series of “I don’t believe in Lost coincidences”, Boone’s downed plane turns out to be Eko’s plane and the dead are his old partners and brother!! Didn’t see that coming! Is EVERYTHING in this show going to come back full circle?? For now I’ll throw it in the closest with Locke’s wheelchair and Boone’s distress call. The jungle and burial scene was great TV (or DVD) but I was hoping for Charlie to burn the heroin. Instead he takes all the statues and doesn’t explain himself well to Prego, who promptly tells him to find some other piece of charred plane and canopy to call home.

Mr. Eko doesn’t just shine is his flashback…he also gives the missing film to Locke. This must mean we’re about to find out more about the hatch?? Nope…just more questions. Don’t feed gremlins after midnight and don’t use the computer for anything else but the code! Cut to Dumb-ass Dad (Michael) talking to Walt on the computer! So The Other’s have a computer?? They must if they have a boat. Why haven’t The Other’s gone into the hatch already?? They are too skilled to not have broken in. Maybe this Walt thing is a ruse (your cunning attempt to trick me) to get into the hatch and get at the computer. And as far as the “incident” referred to on the film…er maybe..er…some other operators screwed up before and they blew up another island somewhere.? Did I mention I got the Kate thing right!! One thing is for sure, I agree Locke, it does not seem like a coincidence that the plane broke in 2 and both groups were able to discover pieces to the film. Finally a note on Walt’s ghost, how sad was it that we find out that Sayid could see Walt in the jungle when Sticks (Shannon) got shot? Just when he finds out she is telling the truth, she dies and he can never tell her she’s not crazy. Tear.

Next up on Finally Lost…Dumb-ass Dad goes solo and tries to rescue Walt??

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

O que esperar de um filme baseado na coleção de figuras de ação da Hasbro, os ‘bonequinhos’ do G. I. Joe? Explosões, gente bonita, e claro, te deixar com aquela vontade de entrar na primeira loja de brinquedos e comprar um bonequinho do Storm Shadow e outro do Snake Eyes assim que a sessão terminar!

Com direção de Stephen Sommers, que é conhecido por seus filmes que entretem sem compromisso, como Van Helsing e a trilogia A Múmia. Stephen brinca com o filme como se estivesse realizando seu sonho de criança. Os atores atiram, levam tiro, saltam, caem, brigam, beijam (beijos ridículos, só pra constar), e tem flashbacks. Vários. Sofridos. Na chuva, porque não tem como fugir do clichê.

O filme começa em um futuro não muito distante. O exército transporta uma nova arma com nanorobôs que destroem tudo o que é aço e só param quando são desativados por um controle remoto. O transporte segue bem até osCobra, um grupo de vilões com armas de tecnologia e treinamento superior ao do exército, atacarem o comboio atrás das tais armas. O capitão Duke, interpretado por Channing Tatum (que já foi stripper mas sem tirar a cueca, só pra deixar claro) e seu braço direito Ripcord, Marlon Wayans, que você provavelmente conhece pelas comédias Todo Mundo em Pânico, são salvos pelos G. I. Joe, uma divisão super secreta do exército internacional de inteligência, armas, tecnologia e treinamento tão avançados quanto os Cobra. É dado o ponta pé para várias reviravoltas, explosões e muita coisa acontecer ao mesmo tempo. Lógico que para haver uma, duas ou três continuações.

Com atores conhecidos, como Arnold Vosloo, interpretando o vilão camaleão Zartan e Brendan Fraser em uma participação muito rápida comoSargento Stone. Pois é, Imhotep e Richard O’Connell em lados opostos de novo! E claro,  Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (quero assistir uma entrevista com alguém dizendo o nome dele completo!) que os fãs de Lost conhecem como Mr Eko, interpretando Heavy Duty. Das gata-garotas temos a lindaSienna Miller, interpretando Ana, a baronesa. Sienna já deu vida a Victoria em Stardust. Rachel Nichols, é Scarlett, a nerd dos Joe. Rachel já atuou no seriado Alias, de J J Abrams. Será que isso pesou na escolha da atriz para a personagem?

G. I. Joe – The Rise of The Cobra (G.I. Joe – A Origem de Cobra) é uma rentável colcha de retalhos. Há diversos personagens que permitem diversas continuações tanto em grupo como histórias fechadas com um ou dos integrantes. Particularmente quero muito que façam um filme solo do Storm Shadow. Byung-hun Lee fez o personagem todo afetado, um verdadeiroElvis assassino from Japan!

Visto il lungo periodo di assenza dovuto a imprecisati motivi da parte del servizio pubblico wordpress.com abbiamo deciso di trasferirci in uno spazio dedicato che sia la nostra nuova casa nella speranza di non dover più vedere il sito “oscurato”.

 

Il diario di Locke

Οι φαν του Lost αλλά και όσοι, όπως και εγώ, το βλέπουν σχεδόν καταναγκαστικά προκειμένου να μην πάνε χαμένα 5 χρόνια περιμένουν εναγωνίως την 6η και τελευταία σεζόν της σειράς. Ωστόσο μερικά πράγματα φαίνεται να γίνονται ήδη γνωστά, όχι βέβαια πως ξεδιαλύνει κάτι…

SPOILER ALERT!!!…
SPOILER ALERT!!!…
SPOILER ALERT!!!…
SPOILER ALERT!!!…
SPOILER ALERT!!!…

Όλοι σχεδόν οι χαρακτήρες της σειράς φαίνεται να επιστρέφουν στο νησί, ανάμεσα στους οποίους και η Charlotte, η Ana Lucia, ο Mr. Eko αλλά και ο Boone που εθεάθη στα γυρίσματα του Lost στην Hawaii.
Ωστόσο ένας χαρακτήρας, γένους θηλυκού, εγκατέλειψε ήδη την παρέα του νησιού. Ο λόγος για την Maggie Grace, την τηλεοπτική Shannon, αρνήθηκε να υπογράψει για την τελευταία σεζόν, καθώς όπως δήλωσε πνίγεται στη δουλειά και δεν μπορούσε να βρει χρόνο ώστε να ταξιδέψει μέχρι τη Hawaii για τα γυρίσματα. Ας ελπίσουμε να (μην) το μετανιώσει πικρά….

Listening to the latest “Keys To LOST” podcast hiatus episode , Matt brought up some unsolved mysteries sent in by Stefany Mac of Lostaholics blog. They were all really thought provoking reminders of how much we still have yet to discover the answer to ( or that the likelihood that some of them may remain “Unsolved”). But one in particular caught my attention. ” How did the Army discover the Island and get those photos of if it is so hard to find?”

Ms. Hawking was there when the US Army came in 1954 . The Hostiles eliminated the soldiers and took their uniforms and weapons ( one of which is most likely the knife Ana Lucia had in ” The Other 48 Days”, Season 2). Eloise might have taken those photos with her to the ” real world” and perhaps gave them to the “smart young man” who built The Lamppost.

Then it hit me… Granddad Ray!

I have a hunch that Eldest Shephard may have been a surviving member from the Army that located the Island back in the 1950’s and has been trying to get back ever since? Or he might be someone on ” The Mainland” that spearheaded operations and/or kept track of what was happening, much like Sam Toomey and Leonard Simms? Then again, he could be a Hostile who posed as a soldier out of necessity, much like Mr. Eko posing as a priest?

Ray’s grandson, Jack has been shown as somewhat incompetent in all things jungle. He can’t track. We are told on a few occasions that he keeps walking in circles. But in ” The Hunting Party”, Locke informs Sawyer and Jack that he lost Michael’s trail when they went looking for him. ” You don’t just LOSE a trail, John!” How would he know that ?!

And then there is Dr. Jack’s skills with a gun. Caught in a net? No problem. One shot and he and Kate hit the ground.

Maybe like Kate learned from her father Sam Austen ( another Sam in the military, Toomey the other one ) maybe Jack was educated by his granddad, Ray in survivalist tactics? In the fine LOST tradition… Jack’s just not telling anyone.

Maybe it’s just me and my wishful thinking that Granddad Ray is more involved than “accidently” having a pair of Christian’s shoes ( despite the quality footwear’s significance) .

Episodes nineteen through twenty-one of season 2 of ABC’s hit television show Lost first aired from April 12, 2006 until May 10, 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 12 of my Lost Rewatch finds me reviewing the episodes “S.O.S”, “Two for the Road”, and “?”. This was a pretty good block, as it chronicles Locke’s gradual loss of faith, Micheal’s return and subsequent murder-death-kill rampage, and sort of sets the stage for the events in the finale. “S.O.S.” really felt like a callback episode of season 1, back when we didn’t know anything about the characters. It was a bit of filler, honestly, but it was a GOOD bit of filler.

In-Depth Discussion

In “S.O.S,” we get a flashback of Rose and Bernard for the first time, and see how they met and eventually came to be married. Rose had cancer, and Bernard tried to help her by taking her to see a psychic, and she reluctantly went to no avail. As another interesting revelation, we find out that Locke wasn’t the only one who was healed by the Island, as Rose’s cancer has disappeared since the crash. On the Island, Bernard decides to start building a giant “S.O.S” sign in the sand with rocks in hopes that a passing aircraft will see it, but Rose is surprisingly opposed to the idea. She eventually explains to him that she believes the Island healed her, and he should stop trying to “do something” and start enjoying their time together on the Island. Meanwhile, John is feeling more and more frustrated with his new station in life, pushing buttons and trying to recall the details of the blast door map, nursing his injured leg. He yells at “Henry”, asking him if he was telling the truth about not pressing the button. Locke is clearly beginning to lose his faith. During this time, Jack decides to try to make a trade, the newly discovered Other “Henry” for Walt. “Henry” scoffs that they’ll never give him Walt. Jack and Kate go out into the jungle to find the “line” they are not supposed to cross to talk to the Others. Although they get caught in a net that is presumably Russeau’s, they eventually find the place and wait for hours. Eventually, they are shocked as Michael stumbles out of the jungle to meet them.

In “Two for the Road,” we see a flashback of Ana Lucia. She loses her job as a cop after the body of the man she killed was found. She seemed to have a job as airport security until she met Christian Shephard, who hired her to come to Australia with him. On the Island, Ana was trying to feed “Henry” when he attacked her. She decides to go to Sawyer to get a gun, and eventually steals one from him. Meanwhile, Jack gives medical attention to Michael in the hatch and refuses to let “Henry” go. When Michael wakes up, he tells them that he found their home, and they should begin planning for an assault. On the beach, Hurley begins making preparations to take Libby out for a romantic picnic. Jack, Kate, and Locke go to Sawyer to get the guns back, leaving Ana Lucia alone in the hatch. She tries to kill “Henry”, but cannot pull the trigger. Michael says he will do it instead, and grabs the gun. In a shocking twist, he shoots and kills Ana Lucia and Libby as well, who was coming down to the hatch to get blankets for her picnic with Hurley. Then he unlocks the vault and sets “Henry” free, and injurs himself to make it look like an escape.

In “?”, we get an Eko flashback in which he is sent to investigate a possible occurrence of a miracle. A girl who was dead woke up a day or two later in the morgue. Later, this girl tells Eko that Yemi is proud of him, but he still owes him a church. On the Island, Eko receives another powerful prophetic dream, in which he is told to help John and make him take him to the Question Mark. He goes to the hatch in time to meet up with Jack and the others, and they discover the carnage Michael caused. Libby is still not dead, but eventually dies before she is able to tell Jack that it was Michael who killed her. Eko takes John out, pretending to track down “Henry,” but begins asking about the Question Mark, and eventually makes him take him there. They arrive at the crashed Nigerian drug plane, and discover a hatch underneath it, the Pearl. In this hatch, there are many monitors, and they find another orientation video which explains the Pearl’s purpose is to watch all the other hatches and keep extensive notes, as they are all just psychological experiments. This news completely breaks Locke’s already fragile faith, and he refuses to press the button anymore. Eko, however, says he now believes the button to be of vital importance, and takes Locke’s position on “button duty.” Before they leave, they print out logs from the computer.

Casual Observations

• We get our first mentions of “Frogurt” in this episode. Neil “Frogurt” is a long-running inside joke amongst the fans and Damon and Carlton. Eventually, Frogurt actually shows up in the “mobisodes” and later in the show itself in season 5.
• Rose and Bernard’s quarrel in “S.O.S.” was over Bernard’s tendency to always “do something” to fix their situation. He comes around to her way of thinking, and we see them finally settle down in season 5, content to let all the other survivors run around while they built a cabin.
• It’s interesting to note that the psychic Rose went to see is named Isaac, while the leader of the Others is named Jacob. Now, whether or not there is a connection between the two characters is anyone’s guess, but their names would seem to suggest so, as Jacob and Isaac were brothers in the Bible.
• Isaac first posits the notion of specific spots on the globe with “unique” energy, saying these “ley lines” could be used for healing and other purposes. The Island is clearly one of these spots, perhaps even a sort of “nexus” of all ley lines on Earth. That’s a personal favorite theory of mine.
• Also of note from “S.O.S” is the type of rocks Bernard uses to make his signal. These rocks are the product of volcanic activity without a doubt. There have been several mentions and hints of a volcano being located on the Island. Will we see an eruption in season 6? That would be a truly epic source of dramatic tension. We shall see.
• I love the title “Two for the Road,” because it could refer to the many alcoholic drinks consumed by Christian Shephard, but mainly because it refers to the two survivors that were killed in order to get “Henry” out of confinement.
• The lady Christian Shephard goes to visit was Claire’s aunt. He clearly says “I want to see my daughter.” This is the first mention of her being related to Jack.
• When Ana Lucia dropped Christian off at the bar, this location was the same place where Sawyer met him in an episode in season 1.
• Mr. Eko is so cool. I love how he gets prophetic dreams and just follows them blindly.
• The father of the girl who came back to life is none other than the psychic who warned Claire about Aaron’s importance.

There are a great many reasons to watch ABC’s “Lost.”  For one thing, it’s system of time travel is internally consistent (a rare occurrence in any fiction, of any media)… however much that bothers resident physicist Daniel Faraday.  Also, Michael Emerson is brilliant.  The most compelling reason, however, involves the interesting behavior of the “Smoke Monster,” which seems to follow a strangely philosophical pattern…

[Warning: There be spoilers yonder.]

When asked what he saw when coming face to face with the Monster, John Locke replied, very simply: “I saw a bright light.”

That’s odd, because it seems to terrify and/or dismember nearly everyone else who comes in contact with it.

One notable exception (at least for a while) is Mr. Eko.

Eko and Locke are, superficially, rather similar— both are talented trackers who can throw a knife with crazy accuracy; both have young, devoted accomplices (disciples?) who meet untimely ends (Boone and Charlie); both seem to have some sort of spirituality (Locke with his constant prattle about “faith” and “destiny,” and Eko, a… er… priest with his scripture-laden “Jesus stick”); and both reject that quality when practical (Locke, for example, puts his knife-throwing skills to good use stabbing Naomi in the back… literally; meanwhile, Charlie asks an insightful question as to why Eko’s said Jesus Stick is covered with dried blood).

But the similarities only make the contrasts more obvious:

Locke’s faith is real—so real, in fact, that he’s willing to brush off Boone’s death as a necessary “sacrifice the Island demanded.”

Eko is revealed to be a posturing priest at best… a murderer and drug trafficker at worst.

Locke’s belief in “Destiny” is almost fanatical.

Eko enjoins him not to “mistake coincidence for Fate.”

Locke is the embodiment of sacrifice and mysticism, while Eko is a paragon of rational self-interest.

And this is where Smokey comes in—

After the season 5 finale, it seems clear to us viewers that Jacob’s nemesis (whether Esau, “Smocke,” or whoever) is Smokey, able to take the form of sundry others in order to manipulate the Losties (as in, appearing as Alex to get Ben to follow “reanimated” Locke).  In retrospect, then, we see that all the visions people had on the Island may not be as innocent as they appear—

Locke’s vision of Boone (how creepy was that one, anyway?) leads him to find and save Eko in the lair of the polar bear.  But shortly after, Eko is killed by the Monster it(him?)self.

Eko clearly doesn’t see a “bright light” when he encounters Smokey.

Instead, he’s taunted in the jungle with the specter of the Monster appearing and disappearing, until finally his beloved (and deeply pious) brother Yemi arrives, asking for Eko’s confession.  In possibly one of the best scenes of the series, Eko refuses to ask forgiveness.

(The episode is, tellingly, titled “The Cost of Living.”)

He asks for no forgiveness; he’s proud of what he’s done; and he did it only to survive.

And after this “confession,” he gets one of the most brutal murders of the series.  Ouch.

Eko abandoned traditional religion and morality for reason, and for survival—for his self-interest.  Not only that, he’s proud of it.  Did someone say Objectivism?

Locke is a great favorite of good ol’ Smokey because he, unlike Eko, is plagued with guilt and regret.  He values sacrifice, not survival, and faith, not reason.  How much easier to manipulate can you get?  No wonder Smokey was so comfortable in John Locke’s body during season 5.

Smokey wants the survivors of Oceanic 815 to have the sort of blind faith in the supernatural that Locke has.  Just look at what happens when Sawyer comes face to face with the real Sawyer: Smokey/Anthony Cooper tries to plant the seed of doubt and mysticism by suggesting the Island is “too hot for Heaven.”  Of course, Sawyer doesn’t buy it, and for the same reason Eko rejects Locke’s faith.

There’s a dualism here—and Locke’s the one who introduces it from the start, with his little backgammon speech to Walt.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether season 6 sides with the altruists of the self-interested.  Because though Locke and Eko are dead (and dead is dead, after all), Jack and Sawyer parallel the former two pretty darn well themselves.  Who’s the one who (looking absolutely horrific with that beard, by the way) raves that it’s their destiny to return to the Island—and who’s the one who very clearly states “I don’t do Destiny” ?

So, like I said the other day, I’ve read The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and it’s really good.

The movie, however, maybe not so much.

But now there’s going to be an attempt at a television show version of the novel. The attempts to bring the story to the small screen started before Brad Pitt’s Plan B production company tried to bring it to the big screen, and presumably it’ll keep the same basic premise: A man with a genetic disorder that causes him to involuntary move through time and space and his romance with the woman who loves him.

This is a relatively new thing, the turning of novels into television shows, right? I mean, True Blood and Dexter and even shit like Roswell make a kind of sense since they’re not just a single novel, though a series of continued novels, and Veronica Mars doesn’t count because it was an adapting idea in continuous morphing form from it’s original young adult novelized version (featuring a male lead character). But like Flashforward? I mean, I get that it’s easily cashable as an attempt to synthesize what people think is so successful about a show like Lost, but does anyone really expect it to last longer than one season?

Not impressed by the filmic version of The Time Traveler’s Wife, I eagerly look forward to an attempt to do good on the story/characters via television, and succeeding where a show like Journeyman did not.

In other television news:

James Marsters of Buffy/Angel/Smallville/Torchwood fame is going to be featured in Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica spinoff prequel, which also will now feature Patton Oswalt amongst it’s cast.

Robert Kirkman’s zombie comic The Walking Dead is the getting a television adaptation, but for AMC, and with Frank Darabont involved somehow (nice to see him pulling his face out of Stephen King’s lap for a while), joining the ranks of Mad Men and Breaking Bad, showing that AMC has an interesting taste for original programming. More so than FX, at least. The Walking Dead is quality work, and probably the most realistic take on the zombie thing. I just hope they lose the folksy atmosphere, but other than that: it’s something that has good elements that can translate straight from page to screen and plenty of things that could be improved via television writing.

Right now: You can watch my favorite episode of Joss Whedon’s Firefly, “Objects In Space.”

Experience The Venture Bros. panel at this past Comic-con.

Everyone was joking around the release of G.I. Joe that Mr. Eko would want to be one of the returning cast members to Lost this coming season, and then the actor who played Mr. Eko, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, confirmed that he would indeed like to make such a return (which makes a kind of sense since they’re even bringing fucking Charlie back). Now, it’s looking like he may get his wish since they’re rebuilding his church. Or maybe not.

O que esperar de um filme baseado na coleção de figuras de ação da Hasbro, os ‘bonequinhos’ do G. I. Joe? Explosões, gente bonita, e claro, te deixar com aquela vontade de entrar na primeira loja de brinquedos e comprar um bonequinho do Storm Shadow e outro do Snake Eyes assim que a sessão terminar!

Com direção de Stephen Sommers, que é conhecido por seus filmes que entretem sem compromisso, como Van Helsing e a trilogia A Múmia. Stephen brinca com o filme como se estivesse realizando seu sonho de criança. Os atores atiram, levam tiro, saltam, caem, brigam, beijam (beijos ridículos, só pra constar), e tem flashbacks. Vários. Sofridos. Na chuva, porque não tem como fugir do clichê.

O filme começa em um futuro não muito distante. O exército transporta uma nova arma com nanorobôs que destroem tudo o que é aço e só param quando são desativados por um controle remoto. O transporte segue bem até os Cobra, um grupo de vilões com armas de tecnologia e treinamento superior ao do exército, atacarem o comboio atrás das tais armas. O capitão Duke, interpretado por Channing Tatum (que já foi stripper mas sem tirar a cueca, só pra deixar claro) e seu braço direito Ripcord, Marlon Wayans, que você provavelmente conhece pelas comédias Todo Mundo em Pânico, são salvos pelos G. I. Joe, uma divisão super secreta do exército internacional de inteligência, armas, tecnologia e treinamento tão avançados quanto os Cobra. É dado o ponta pé para várias reviravoltas, explosões e muita coisa acontecer ao mesmo tempo. Lógico que para haver uma, duas ou três continuações.

Com atores conhecidos, como Arnold Vosloo, interpretando o vilão camaleão Zartan e Brendan Fraser em uma participação muito rápida como Sargento Stone. Pois é, Imhotep e Richard O’Connell em lados opostos de novo! E claro,  Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (quero assistir uma entrevista com alguém dizendo o nome dele completo!) que os fãs de Lost conhecem como Mr Eko, interpretando Heavy Duty. Das gata-garotas temos a linda Sienna Miller, interpretando Ana, a baronesa. Sienna já deu vida a Victoria em Stardust. Rachel Nichols, é Scarlett, a nerd dos Joe. Rachel já atuou no seriado Alias, de J J Abrams. Será que isso pesou na escolha da atriz para a personagem?

G. I. Joe – The Rise of The Cobra (G.I. Joe – A Origem de Cobra) é uma rentável colcha de retalhos. Há diversos personagens que permitem diversas continuações tanto em grupo como histórias fechadas com um ou dos integrantes. Particularmente quero muito que façam um filme solo do Storm Shadow. Byung-hun Lee fez o personagem todo afetado, um verdadeiro Elvis assassino from Japan!

Episodes seven through ten of season 2 of ABC’s hit television show Lost first aired from November 16, 2005 until January 11, 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 9 of my Lost Rewatch finds me reviewing the episodes “The Other 48 Days,” “Collision,” “What Kate Did,” and “The 23rd Psalm.” This was a phenomenal block of episodes, in my opinion. The 23rd Psalm and The Other 48 Days are two of my favorite episodes of the entire series, mainly because we get to learn more about Mr. Eko and the other tail section survivors.

In-Depth Discussion

In “The Other 48 Days,” we see a full recount of the events that the survivors of the tail section of the plane went through during their time on the Island. On the first night, The Others kidnapped several of them. This pattern continued with more attacks, but things escalate when Ana Lucia finds a list of names on one of The Others of the people they would kidnap. She suspects they have been infiltrated and blames Nathan, one of the survivors, and throws him in a prison hole she dug. When Goodwin, the real Other, kills him, they decide to move again, and find an abandoned Dharma bunker to take shelter in. After Ana discovers Goodwin and kills him, they remain in the Dharma bunker until they find Jin, Michael, and Sawyer washed up on the beach. The episode ends with Ana Lucia shooting Shannon.

In “Collision,” we see a flashback of Ana Lucia, and find out she was once a police officer in Los Angeles. She was once pregnant and got shot by a criminal, and eventually got revenge for the death of her unborn child. On the Island, she ties Sayid to a tree to stop him from killing her for revenge for Shannon. She starts to lose it a bit, and everyone abandons her to join the beach camp. Mr. Eko takes Sawyer to the camp to get medical attention. Eventually Ana talks things out with Sayid and they all meet up with Jack, and they realize they had met right before the plane took off. We get a nice tearful reunion for Rose and Bernard, and Sun and Jin.

In “What Kate Did,” we get a flashback of Kate in which we, oddly enough, find out what exactly she did to earn her criminal record. She killed her father, who beat her mother often. On the Island, Kate is busy tending to Sawyer while he recovers, but keeps seeing and hearing strange things, including a horse that looks exactly like one she saw while running from the police, and hearing Sawyer speak as though he were Wayne, her dead father. On the beach, a funeral is held for Shannon. Meanwhile, the new guys get acquainted with the Dharma station. Eko gives Locke a reel he found in another Dharma hatch which reveals that the computer should never be used for communication, only for entering the code. Michael, unaware of this, receives a message on the computer which appears to be coming from Walt.

In “The 23rd Psalm,” we get the fantastic flashback of Mr. Eko. We see his life as a drug lord, and his origins as a fake priest. The small plane with the Virgin Mary statues full of heroin was in fact flown by his men, and his brother Yemi was in it. On the Island, Michael continues to use the computer to talk to “Walt,” and learns from Locke how to use guns properly. Claire, in a conversation with Eko, reveals the information that Charlie has one of the Virgin Mary statues. Eko breaks it open and reveals the drugs inside, and forces Charlie to take him to the plane. Along the way, they encounter the Smoke Monster, and Eko actually stares it down without fear. After this, they find the bodies of Eko’s men and brother, and Eko performs a funeral for them all. He gives Charlie a new statue to replace the one he broke, and we see Charlie put it with many others he has stashed away in the jungle. The reveal that Charlie is a recovering drug addict places a strain on Charlie and Claire’s relationship.

Casual Observations

• We see the origin of Mr. Eko’s “Jesus Stick” in “The Other 48 Days.” He kills two of The Others when they attempt to kidnap him, and goes into a sort of vow of silence for a long time, carving scriptures into the stick, which he uses for protection. Just amazing.
• I like the fake-out they pulled off with the tail section. One of the survivors was named Nathan (similar to Ethan), and he even looked like Ethan. Ana Lucia mistakes him for an Other and imprisons him, but Goodwin ends up being the real spy.
• The Other 48 Days introduced us to the idea that the Others have “lists” and care about the notion of “good” people versus “bad” people. It seems they choose people to kidnap and indoctrinate based on these lists, which presumably come from Jacob.
• Ana Lucia finds a knife on one of The Others that appears to be an old U.S. Army knife. It’s very likely that this knife came from one of the soldiers who found their way to the Island in the 50’s who were carrying the Jughead nuclear bomb. Very cool touch that ties season 2 nicely together with season 5.
• In the Dharma bunker, Eko finds the hollowed-out Bible with an orientation video in it. He will later give this to John Locke.
• We see Bernard on the other side of the conversation with Boone on the radio when he fell in the plane from the cliff.
• The numbers appear on top of police cars in Ana Lucia’s flashback.
• I love the first meeting between Locke and Eko. It’s so simple but effective. “Hello.” “Hello.”
• The message from “Walt” continues to confuse me. I suppose it could have been sent by Ben or even “Patchy” in the Flame station in order to trick Michael.
• Jin finally gets his handcuffs cut off in the Dharma station. This has been on his wrist since season 1 when he attacked Michael for wearing his watch.
• The “love triangle” stuff was in full swing in these episodes, but it was actually good and compelling. I guess over time I just lost interest in it.
• The scene in which Eko gives Locke the video reel he found is epic. Everything is so mystical and legendary in this show.
• The reveal that Eko’s brother and men were the ones flying the small plane that Boone and Locke found was pretty huge. So many twists of fate tangle up the lives of the characters in Lost.
• We found out in Season 4 and 5 that the Island actually moves. This can explain how the drug plane, which departed from Nigeria, ended up on the Island, even though it is now located somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
• We get our best view of the Smoke Monster to date in The 23rd Psalm. As it “scans” Eko, we can see brief glimpses of scenes from his life flash inside the smoke. This sets up the notion that the Monster is some sort of judge, and can see into the lives of people. In season 5, we see the Monster judge Ben himself.

Mint tudjuk, Ian Somerhalder (Boone), főszerepet kapott a CW új vámpíros sorozatában a “Vampire Diaries”-ben. Éppen emiatt a sorozat miatt volt ő is jelen ezen a 2009-es Comic Con-on (említettük, hogy még Adewale A. A., azaz Mr. Eko, is ott volt?!), ahol természetesen megkérdezték tőle új sorozatának a paneljén, hogy visszatér(het)-e a Lostba. Semmi részletet nem mondott, csupán annyit, hogy: “Pont ma beszéltünk erről, és… Boone visszatér a Lostba.“

Here is a brief mention of the latest interview with ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE who played Mr. Eko on Lost from contactmusic.com :

LOST STAR WHO QUIT WANTS TO RETURN TO THE SHOW

British actor ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE is keen to get LOST again after quitting the hit desert island drama to mourn his dead parents.
The star, who played Mr. Eko on the show, asked producers to release him from his contract in 2006, so he could leave Hawaii – where the drama is filmed – and return home to England.
He tells TV Guide magazine, “It was a very traumatic year.”
But Akinnuoye-Agbaje is now hoping the show’s creators will give him and his character a second chance.
He adds, “To be able to give that rich character some completion would be nice.”

Darlton, take me back, please. Pretty please!

I don’t know what to make of this.  It is simply Adewale’s regret that he’d like to return to the show.  If he where to return, it would most likely be maybe a scene or 2 or even an episode.  A few people have said that we should  only  see him in flashback form.  I’m not sure if that would work.  We’ve seen all the flashback we need from the Eko character.  But maybe if Hurley had an island vision or Eko as a guide to the Losties on on the island.  A great way to use Eko if he helped the Losties defeat Dark Locke.  Jack is about to get killed then spirit Eko saves the day!

Honestly, I really would like to see Eko again.  It would make for a great season 6 treat.  It would really add excitement for the end and again, enhance season 2.  I think Adewale probably heard the fan out cry of missing his character.  He also probably realized that he had it made working on Lost.  But you have to give him some credit.  He was on the best show of the century, his mother was ill, and he left to be with her.  You can’t blame a son for wanting to be with his mom in her final days.  This is the first I heard of this.  If this is the case, then I think I’m even more sad.  But there is a way to make us happy again.  If they do it right, bring back Mr. Eko.  Please.  Pretty Please.

Below is a very long interview with Carlton Cuse and Jack Bender at the Curzon Theatre with summary by attendee mcleron and posted on Dark UFO by The ODI. There’s only a couple of bits that are spoilerish so I’ve preceeded them with a red * followed by the usual blacked-out text. Enjoy!

1) D&C confirmed that Stranger In A Strange Land was the turning point for the studio, and they were allowed to establish an end date.
2) Jack’s beard is bad.
3) 16 episodes next year, but 18 hours of Lost. Jack Bender confirmed a two hour season premiere, and a two hour finale.
4) After Lost, they will go in to hiding for a while, due to the inevitably interpretive quality to the series ending.
Damon: You are married to your destiny, you can try to avoid it, but it will catch up to you. This is why Charlie shut the door in the Looking Glass station, because he embraced his death.
Sometimes they get pointers from the studio, telling them stuff is too outlandish. Originally, in the season four premiere, Hurley was going to come across himself in Jacob’s cabin, but the network urged them to change the scene to Christian Shepherd, afraid it would set a precedent of weirdness. With season six, there won’t be any of that

Questions:

Q: What was your favorite scene to watch or write?
CC: The scoring session we attended for the raft’s launch at the end of Exodus . These musicians were playing this incredible music without having rehearsed it, and the moment was so beautiful, there were tears in the control booth. That was just one of those great moments where you felt this blessed synergy of all these talented collaborators all come together and make Lost what it is.
JB: I love all of them
DL: I have many…but for me, during season one, when we first started writing the show coming out of the pilot, when it first started revealing itself, was really cool. I’m drawn to scenes that take place with just two characters and somehow they’re talking about very very heady things and I’m a huge fan of whenever Jack and Locke talk to each other. We’ve been very judicious in having those guys talk to each other, it happens very rarely. I go back back to White Rabbit and that 6 or 7 minute long scene where they’re just sitting in the jungle and Jack says he’s following the impossible and Locke says what if it’s not impossible and we were all put here for a reason, and that scene is the genesis for those guys’ relationship and if you think about how that was the 3rd episode shot out of the pilot, here we are now, 100 episodes later, and now Jack is finally saying ‘Y’know, Locke might be onto something’
CC: Jack’s kinda slow.
DL: It had to permeate through his beard
Q: My wife is fascinated with the artistry of delivering this idea into a script. We had, in a video podcast last year, a glimpse into the writers’ room and she’s fascinated that you get the idea and put it into a script
CC: We have a call centre in Delhi. We just ask them ‘we need a flashforward this week’
DL: We have a minicamp before we write, where we just discuss the season with the writers, the character arcs and we decide on the season’s final image so we know exactly our beginning and where we’re trying to get to. Once we start writing the show on a week-to-week episode basis it gets a bit more intense
CC: We spend a lot of time breaking each aspect of the story and once we have the story worked out from beginning to end, we’ll put it up on whiteboard and then pitch it back to ourselves, and we’ll have scenes in different colours, withan on island story, an off island story, and a C-story, split it into six acts for the commercial breaks and structure it so you’ll wanna come back after each act. Then we’ll give it to some writers to rewrite and send back, and we’ll give our notes, make some changes
Q: Jack was originally a protagonist for the show, but he seems to have gotten more antagonistic as it goes on. Was this intentional?
JB: Matthew Fox loved the idea of wearing the not so flattering jumpsuits and his character beginning to let go of his heroic side, which people accuse me of, taking Jack Shepherd’s character.
DL: Basically Jack spent a hundred hours majorly rejecting it, there was no purpose whatsoever to the island and now he’s come back in the 70s and he’s still waiting to be told ‘Here’s what you’re supposed to do’ and then when he is told what to do, he then gets to decide what he is going to do, so basically it’s contingent on what he feels his mission is.
Q: Can we get more Lost screening where you project episodes in a cinema like this?
CC: I think so. It’s a good idea and it may happen in some form or other
Q: On the official website, there was a video of behind the scenes and you went into your offices and you had a wall of whose dead and whose alive, I want to know about Claire being on the wall of dead
[shocked gasps from audience]
DL: Are you absolutely sure
Q: I am
DL: [explains wall of alive, dead, undead] Well, uh, if you say you saw her there, I don’t know what to tell you.
JB: I think her agent slipped it in there
DL: She is going to be back on the show.
* CC: Eventually all of them will be on the wall of the dead.
Q: My question is about the fate of Lost, because I know it ends with season 6, but do you think because of Bryan Fuller with Pushing Daisies continuing it in a comic book, and I love Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk (Damon’s comic) and with Lost it has a disjointed timeline and it comes together in the end, do you think that you’ll do any spin offs in a comic book form?
DL: We feel that if we hold anything back for the final season of the show, it will be bad. People have come along this far, and they need a conclusion.
Q: You make a lot about the characters searching for their destiny and their purpose, do you feel that you yourselves had a purpose in your own lives being involved in the show, or you’ve learned something about life from doing it?
CC: I think as writers we use the show to explore personal issues, spiritual or otherwise. We’re mainly concerned by how much faith and how much control do you have over your own destiny, something which is very fascinating to us, and obviously season 5 was an exploration of that with the time travel leading to an event at the end of the season, so that is going to be something we’re going to explore a lot on the final season of the show. The writers room is diverse and that diversity gets worked out in the characters.
Q: What’s Brian K. Vaughan like?
DL: Unfortunately he has left for greener pastures. When he first came on the show Jorge Garcia was ecstatic because he’s a huge fan of his work.
Q: Where are exactly are you with season 6?
CC: We are here, and the following Monday we’ll start writing.
JB: Shooting starts August 24th (Added by me: Woo Hoo!)
CC: We’ll work continuously until the middle of April and the show will air sometime between January and February and will finish around May.
Q: I want to know about the end of Lost. Michael Emerson said in an interview this week that he suspects it will be quite bittersweet or melancholy. Is it going to be an upbeat ending or ambiguous? Just any kind of hint to the flavour of the ending.
DL: * All of the above. We are aspiring for an ending that is fair. Bittersweet comes with the territory. The ending will be different as for once, we won’t leave you on a cliffhanger. You will stay on the cliff this time.
CC: We hope that if we like it, you will like it.
Q: I was sad Charlie died, but he had to die to give his story credibility. That makes me wonder about John Locke. The fact he is now dead, having hit his lowest ebb…what’s up with that character arc?
CC: We’re not prepared to answer any of those questions here tonight. We feel that the final part of the experience of Lost is that you have this time between to theorise, postulate, agonise.
JB: If the actors really need to know what’s coming ahead, they’ll ask. As an example, Josh Holloway did not know what he was whispering to Kate when he jumped out of the helicopter, and neither did Evangeline Lilly, but the actors sold it so well. Terry O’ Quinn was playing Locke with this dark mysterious quality, unintentionally playing into the ending which he didn’t know. I presented him with the script asking him he wanted to read it and he was sure. He came back after saying ‘I wish I hadn’t read it’
Q: How much do you know about each character’s story, are there any you’re particularly proud of, or not proud of?
DL: When you come up with an idea for a character, and they come into the show, like Eko, who was originally a priest who had a crisis of faith, and we found Adewale in New York, and we basically said we don’t buy that this guy is a priest who has lost his faith, we buy that this guy is a warlord impersonating a priest, and somewhere along the way he’d decide he wasn’t just impersonating a priest, he’d decide to be one.  So we’re certainly proud of the way that one worked out, and as for the ones we’re not proud of, we bury alive…or have Michael shoot them.
Q: How do you come up with these amazing twists?
CC: A lot of getting yourself to a point where you cry. We have a really brilliant writing staff and that’s part of the DNA of the show now, and that’s a big part of the writer’s room, how we re-route things one way and flip it back another. We love introducing a character in a certain way and then reveal the character to be very different. You know originally Sawyer tested the second lowest after the pilot, and now of course he’s a very heroic version of that character.
Q: Keep the Smoke!
DL: You’ll be seeing the smoke in a probably interesting character in itself
JB: And it will be in the shape of Jack’s beard
Q: Season 5 was hard work watching, with time travel. How are you going to pay that off
DL: We acknowledge with a degree of difficulty. We were ostensibly frightened at first with the time travel story, were basically desperate to get everybody back together again. * Time travel is now complete and everybody gets back together in one form or another and we feel that season 6 is a lot like season 1 with its community.
Q&A ended here. The guys signed stuff for the fans. My friend had a copy of Half Blood Prince, Damon signed it saying ‘Locke is VERY similar to Snape!’

The entire interview can be viewed at SL-LOST.

If you love Charlie, Boone, Shannon, Mr. Eko, et al…you have to read the latest from TV Guide! Remember to highlight below to read!

“What the hell’s going on with Lost? I don’t think they know. I think from week to week they go, ‘Let’s do this.’ And then someone else says, ‘No, this would be a good idea.’ I love that show, but I don’t think they know what they’re doing.” —Ellen DeGeneres“I am flattered that Ellen is a fan of our show,” says exec producer Carlton Cuse, who promises Ellen there is a master plan, with some sweet payoffs, if she sticks through the final season. Dominic Monaghan recently had a secret breakfast meeting with producer Damon Lindelof to discuss how he might manage returning to Lost as Charlie. “We would like there to be some visitations from people we’ve loved over time,” Cuse says. Michael Emerson, who plays Ben, confirms, “The final season will resemble the first. I know there are plans for big people we have parted company with to reappear.” But one crucial component from the very first pilot episode will most likely be absent from the reunion: cocreator J.J. Abrams, who tells me he won’t be returning to Hawaii to direct the series finale. “I would selfishly love it,” he says, “but director Jack Bender has been living in Hawaii for years and doing amazing work. For me to come in and direct the finale would be cruel and unusual.”

RUMOR ALERT!

E Online just posted the following:

Rumors have been swirling for the past month about Dominic Monaghan’s upcoming projects.

In addition to talk that he might have a role on ABC’s Flash Forward (with fellow Lostie Sonya Walger), there’s been ever-noisier buzz about a possible Lost return engagement. Could it really happen?

Well, we just got a juicy tip that suggests there very well might be a place for doomed rock bassist Charlie Pace in season six of Lost. Here’s what we’re hearing…

A reliable spy tells us that Monaghan, one of the key original Lost castmembers, and Lost show runner Damon Lindelof had breakfast together this morning at a Fairfax district eatery in Los Angeles. Of course, the meal might just have been a friendly sit-down between two colleagues (and/or because waffles are delicious), but as Lost-loving optimists, we have to hope that it was a meeting where the two talents came to terms about the story that puts Charlie Pace back in the mix for season six.

Now, there’s no telling what the last episodes of Lost will really be like. Speculation begins with a safe landing for Oceanic flight 815 and from there gets really, really crazy.

In the many months between now and the season-six premiere, the best we can do is sit back and let our imaginations run wild, collect pieces of the jigsaw puzzle and hone our dreams and theories about the castaways of Mystery Friggin’ Island. So what’s your theory?

If Dominic Monaghan is returning to Lost, do you think he will reappear as strung out 815 Charlie? Or would he be hanging out with Hurley (Jorge Garcia) as a transcendent (but dead) rock god? Does he have an alternate-universe dopplegänger? The possibilities are endless.

This is getting better by the day. First we have Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Mr. Eko) telling TV Guide he wants to come back on LOST “To be able to give that rich character some completion would be nice,” Ian Somerhalder also telling TV Guide he may be back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi9lp2ZwfjE

one just has to wonder…Did Jack succeed? Will there be a time loop with the Losties safely landing at LAX in 2004?

All I know is it’s going to be a long seven months.

Wow. I’m typing this one handed; the other is stuck to my face from over-facepalming. Dear lord is this bad.

I mean, I hung shit on the last G.I. Joe trailer, and that was the one to introduce us to the exciting characters. In this grab bag of yawn-causing avid farts and unfunny slapstick, you’ll:

a) be reminded Marlon Wayans is in this movie, rather substantially from the looks of it
b) see Mr Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) sit and bark orders, twice
c) briefly spot Rachel McNichols look disapprovingly at the entire affair

The chances of me seeing this film are about as likely as Natalie Portman bringing me waffles while i fart November Rain in the bath.

Pathetic. Bury it already.

I’ve been bookmarking and meaning to do several one-time memes, but I’ve been lazy and kept putting them off. Inspired by the Bloggiesta that I didn’t sign up for, but seem to be doing anyway… unofficially… I figured this Sunday Salon post would be a good time to do it

First off, I grabbed this one from Page247’s Sunday Salon over a month ago:

Diversity in Reading Meme

1. Name the last book by a female author that you’ve read.

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards, but I’m currently reading Water for Elephantsby Sara Gruen (and loving it )

2. Name the last book by an African or African-American author that you’ve read.

I can’t remember, actually… The last one I remember was Sacred Cows and Other Edibles by Nikki Giovanni, but I’m sure I’ve read something since then *hangs head in shame* Must remedy this….

3. Name one from a Latino/a author.

One that I read?  or just a title out of the blue?  This is harder than I thought… it looked so fun on Page247’s site.  Love in the Time of Choleraby Gabriel García Márquez.  It’s on Mt. TBR… somewhere….

4. How about one from an Asian country or Asian-American?

Finally!  an easy one!  The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, and an excellent book, I might add

5. What about a GLBT writer?

I don’t know the author’s sex life unless they say it in bold print at the beginning.  It doesn’t matter to me, as long as the writing’s good and the story pulls me in… the rest is their business.  Jordan, the main character in the modern part of The 19th Wife is gay, does that count?

6. Why not name an Israeli/Arab/Turk/Persian writer, if you’re feeling lucky?

Yeah, I got this easy…. lol.  A book I’d love to get to on Mt TBR:  The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be Godby Israeli author Etgar Keret.  One of the short stories in this book was made into the movie Wristcutters:  A Love Story

7. Any other “marginalized” authors you’ve read lately?

I guess I should be more politically minded or something.  Marginalized?  IDK…  Um, I’m reading The Last Lectureright now… it’s author, Randy Pausch died of cancer before it was published.  Is he marginalized now?  He can’t vote, and if he were to speak through Melinda Gordon or Allison DuBois, I don’t think anyone would listen.

***************************************************************************************

Okay, this looked like too much fun to pass up.  I’m ripping it off Sink or Swim, who did it as part of Ten on Tuesday meme.  Okay, so I’m a couple days late on it…

Ten Things You’d Bring on a Deserted Island

1. The entire inventory of Mt. TBR… That’ll keep me busy for a good five years at least, and if I don’t like a book, it can be re-appropriated for other purposes:  Firewood, note paper (remember The Book Thief?), TP, etc.
2. TWO lifetime supplies of Charmin 2-ply quilted with aloe and floral scent.  Hey, I might as well splurge on something!
3. Charlie Hobbit of Driveshaft, wait… he died.  Mr Eko, then … crap, he’s dead, too… John Locke… he died, but came back… No, wait… he’s possessed by an evil spirit or some such…  Aw, heck… Gimme the Professor, then.  Is he dead, yet? 
4. The Magic Conch Shell :-) 
5. A volleyball and some red paint.. So I can make my own friend
6. A team of sexy masseurs
7. Ioan Gruffudd *drool* And Hugh Jackman …  and would it be greedy of me to want Gerard Butler , too…  *long, cleansing breaths…. I think I need to lay down*  Oh heck, since I’m being greedy… Gimme James Callis , too… he was who I pictured as Max in The Book Thief.
8. Ty Pennington, he can build me an awesome island home
9. A laptop with solar charger so I can blog about it all.
10. A helicopter so I can leave whenever I want.

The Magic Conch Shell Rap

Okay, after number 7 on what I’d bring to the island, I now have to go to confession…  I’ve got some thoughts of a sinful nature   no, no smilies… that’s bad!

So what would you bring to the desert island?

SEE a Collections Supervisor of a Box Company raised from the DEAD!!!
SEE Brutal Mutant Hostile Man/Boy push his beautiful daughter on a SWING!!!
SEE Berserk Control Freak Blasted with a shotgun meant for ZOMBIES!!!
SEE it ALL in Ectoplasmic COLOR in IllustrO 720 HDTV!!! (1080p on Blu Ray, Dec 8 2009)
DON’T Walk….RUN … to SEE THE THRILLS…. SEE THE SHOCKS… SEE THE HAIRSTYLES…of

DEAD IS DEAD!!!

And now after that implausible anticipatory build -up … some thought about this week’s fabulous episode. ( * Some people really, really enjoyed it…. )

Middle aged Charles on horseback is Russell Crowe’s stand-in… but in a good way.

” The Island chooses who the Island chooses. You know that. ” Richard Alpert to Charles Widmore. What exactly is the criteria in that process?

The Hostiles/Others don’t have a name for it… you (Losties) call it ” The Monster”. Do they not name it out of reverence to it? Is this much like not speaking Jeremy Bentham’s name in Season 4 finale. Come to think of it, Kate tried to keep people from saying Aaron’s name as well on several occasions. Plot devise or clue?

Big silver box that Illana and her crew are fiddling around with. Putting polls on the side to carry it. Ark of the Covenant ? Mini Jughead bomb? Dead body? I hope it the rest of Locke’s 400 knives.

Caesar assuring a “concerned” Ben he “Got your back” about their potential ” Locke Problem” ? And Ben “got his front” with the sawed off shot gun that Caesar took from the Hydra Station. Sometimes… I just think Ben lies purely for the love of it.

Younger Ben and little Ethan… reminded me of River Phoenix (Indy) and his scout friend in the beginning of ” Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. But instead of a gold cross… they took a baby. Ben even had the emo bangs and the neckerchief.

Indiana Ben telling young Rousseau if she looks for him and Alex, he will kill her. “Every time you hear whispers, you run the other way!” Are the whispers the Others? What brought Ben “back”? Are they they near the “wormhole” that might be a way of help/escape? Time will tell (no pun intended)

Ben finds Photo-shopped picture of him and Alex at the The Others Company picnic (seeing that Locke seems to see Mr. Linus’s leadership style as a bit on the “corporate” side). Ben then informs an apology-seeking Locke that he didn’t want John to die until he got some vital information from him. The two points of interest that came up in that info : Jin Kwon is alive and Eloise Hawking is Daniel Faraday’s mother and that’s who was to help Locke. I assume that the former was to give validity to his plan for getting Sun on the plane. But did Ben not know who he was talking to this whole time in LA? Was it because she is Daniel’s mother and this has much bigger significance?

John making Ben take him to his ” judgment” by Smokey is much like Locke making Ben take him to Jacob’s cabin. At the cabin, Locke was able to see and hear things Ben thought John was “too limited” for. I wonder what new knowledge Locke will acquired on this field trip? Is Locke’s insistence on going actually part of Ben’s “plan”… or has finally thrown away his playbook after his Smoke Encounters of the Weird Kind, underneath the Temple wall?

First Widmore wants to kill young Ben…then new mother Rousseau…then baby Alex. From Charles perspective, I’m curious as to who else exactly would be the “wrong” side of winning in the war?

Ben and Locke at the old New Otherton. Risk on the table… last thing they were doing before The Keam Team showed up. Light in Alex’s old room… is from Sun. Frank Lapidus is there too. Waiting for a dead Locke to appear, by orders of a dead (?) Christian Shepard. How did Frank know who Locke was if they never met? For one thing, I’m sure that word got back to him that Locke was the man who killed Naomi. Also, Frank does a pretty bang up job at memorizing manifests, with I’m sure he recalled a John Locke (Deceased) on the list.

John’s “got some ideas” how Sun can see Jin again even though he’s in 1977… Just like Ben told Jack before they left on Ajira 316. Are those “ideas” coming from the same “source”?

Just for a second, when Sun was told that Ben had to do something first before she was going to see her husband again, I thought he was going to kill her too.

Ben pushing Alex on the swing in a now New Otherton. When was this? Most likely, post purge, 1992 and beyond
Alex born : 1988
The Purge: December 19 , 1992 ( Ben’s thirtieth birthday)
The Crash : September 22, 2004
The Return : 2007
Charles said he was leader for over 30 years. ( The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham)
Charles said he has been trying to get back to The Island for almost 20 years
So, Charles was exiled after the purge. 2007-1992 = 15 years.
Originally from dialog, I thought…
Jughead : 1954 -1984 thirty years as leader.
Exiled in 1984, still trying to get to Island in 2007
2007-1984 = 23 years
But then again….
Maybe Richard came back in 1961, five years after Locke’s birth when he gave John “the test” and in frustration , made Charles permanent leader. So…
1961-1992 Leader of Others
1992- Exiled
2007- Searched for 15 years…kind of a stretch for “almost 20″

Probably making a “thing” out of this but ” Time is the Essence” . So, should I chalk this up to writer error or something else like what happened in Daniel’s rocket experiment when 31 minutes went “missing”? Please, any theories…love to hear them.

And speaking of Widmore exile who is the “Outsider” that Charles had a child with… and who is that child? And was it inevitable that Alex was going to die, whether by Charles orders or some other means (Course correction)? And if that is the case, recruit Juliet and tell her ” You’re mine!!” if she appears to be an “Outsider”? The only recruitment we have seen so far by The Others are of John and Juliet…both who are on The Island in the past…which means they were already here…? So, technically, they aren’t “Outsiders” but might just have been rounding up a couple of their own people? (Miles….help me out here! ) Or is it one of those “beyond science” issues, that
Daniel spoke about? Hmmm..

” I assure you Sun, I’m the same man I’ve always been.” says John Locke. Yeah but….To quote Hurley “Who is this guy?!” Or should we start saying ” What is this guy?!” John mysteriously wanders off after Ben pulls the plug to call Smokey. Red herring or another clue? Too soon to be sure.

Ben saved Locke’s phone that Widmore gave him. He dials up #23 and gets Charles on the phone. ” I’m going to kill you daughter” Ben tells him. And while he’s there, he shoots a grocery toting Desmond for good measure .”Our Mutual Friend” was almost the last thing Des did ever read… on the back of their boat. But instead, Des gives Ben the beating of his life ( and that’s sayin’ somethin’) and dumped in the ocean. 316 Mystery solved!
( Got to love LOST. Even when characters are hunting down the answers to time travel or their ultimate destinies… they still need to stop at the store.)

Locke, Sun and Ben going to the Temple… Well, the wall around the Temple. The real thing 1/2 a miles inward. Ben says that this was where he was healed. Thought he wouldn’t remember. Maybe someone told him… or maybe the forgetting part didn’t “take”?

Frank is back with the Ajira passengers, as any good pilot would. Ilana and her friends and more interested in knowing ” What lies in the shadow of the statue”. Sorry, Frank. No shadow…no snowman…no mercy. Ilana says ” Tell the others its time” . Question is ” Who are the others…and what is it time for”? Think maybe Walt dream of Locke in his suit about to get hurt is a part of it.

Ben and Locke under the wall. Room full of hieroglyphs. Some images…
Upside down ankh
A snake
An eye
A river
A staircase
Egyptian god Anubis, kneeling
A creature with a lighting body and dragon like face

Anubis looks subservient to the creature. The stairs are taken to get to Smokey. The eye (possibly the “eye of the island) is next to the “river” which are under the creature and Anubis. Perhaps these two are watching over the Island?

After his ” This if Your Life” experience. Ben “repented” and lived. Eko didn’t and died ( Seasons Three’s “The Cost of Living” ). But until we know what Smokey is… not sure who actually did the wise thing. ” Alex” caught Ben wanting to kill Locke again. But if he does anything other than follow, listen and do whatever Locke says…. ” Alex” will destroy Ben. ” She” , in the end, let Ben live. And this might be the thing that changes Ben permanently. Now, if it’s for the better, is yet to be seen.

And…

Biggest mystery of the episode : Why is one of the red shirts still wearing a lei ?

* Donald from Donald is Lost Podcast

When DHARMA Roamed the Earth

If Lost hasn’t jumped the shark yet, it’s certainly jumped a decade or three.

John Locke reset the off-kilter donkey wheel and fixed the island’s unstable time travel. The problem? The island wound up in the wrong time, seemingly for good. Left behind are James ‘Sawyer’ Ford, Juliet Burke, Jin Soo-Kwon, Miles Straume and Daniel Faraday. So how does their new time period suit them? For some — like Saywer and Juliet — it fits them quite well. By the look of it, however, everyone’s cozy hippy excursion is coming to a screeching halt with the arrival of the Oceanic Six, their old pals and would-be saviors.

Click inside for the full scoop on the latest episode of Lost, “LaFleur.”

Suited for the ’70s

It’s straight to the days of DHARMA for Sawyer and friends, trading their tattered beach clothes for a pair of DHARMA jumpsuits. Shortly after Locke’s departure, the Left Behinders stumbled upon Amy (Reiko Aylesworth of 24 fame), a young woman whose husband had been killed by the Others. Sawyer and Juliet make short work of the assailants and are led back to New Otherton, known then as the Barracks, to join the legendary DHARMA Initiative.

The theory that Daniel posits is that “whatever happened, happened,” meaning that the pseudo-permanent fixture of our heroes in the ’70s has always been a part of history. When Sawyer asked in 2004 if  the DHARMA Initiative were aliens, he had no idea that he’d been part of the hippy science crew back in the island’s history and in his future. Sounds trippy? Those tree-hugging DHARMites wouldn’t have it any other way.

By the look of it, the ’70s has had a profound effect on our favorite castaways. Miles is more friendly and laidback, Jin speaks perfect English, Sawyer and Juliet are making kissy-face and Daniel is… well, we’re not quite sure where Daniel is, but this whole time-shift thing certainly explains why he was at the construction of the Orchid back in the season premiere. The Sawyer and Juliet relationship is particularly interesting, firmly adding a new edge to the previous Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle. Even better is that Sawyer and Juliet appear happier than any other prior combination of the love square — what? I need to come up with a poetic name for it? — proving once and for all that Sawyer > Jack and Juliet > Kate. I’m not a ’shipper, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pleased as punch about this new dynamic duo.

Whatever Happened, Happened

The ever present Richard Alpert’s age isn’t any closer to explanation, but at least we’re getting a clearer picture of some important Lost mythology. If Daniel’s words are true that “whatever happened, happened,” then Sawyer’s conversation with Richard was always fated to happen in 1974. It’s worth wondering then if the crash of Oceanic 815 was foretold by Alpert, if not caused by him. (The current explanation that Desmond’s lapse of button pushing brought the plane down isn’t completely satisfying.)

Richard has to know who Sawyer is in present times as their ’70s conversation was very profound for Alpert, who had already been visited by John Locke in the ’50s. Further, Richard had detailed files on several of the castaways including Locke, in which it was revealed that John’s father was the infamous “Sawyer” that James Ford had been hunting his entire life. During all that time compiling information about the castaways, you have to imagine that Richard took one look at Sawyer’s picture and went, “Oh, that’s right. That guy. Totally forgot about that guy.”

The best example other than Sawyer is Juliet. Perhaps Alpert learned of her role in delivering Amy’s baby. When all the baby problems start to go down in present times, Richard would think back to the ’70s and remember Juliet, the woman who successfully delivered a DHARMA baby. That’s why the Others recruit her into their fold so aggressively. She is a tried and true success in the DHARMA days which makes her a valuable asset on the island.

Basically, the coexistance of eternal Richard Alpert and our temporally displaced castaways — which includes Jack, Kate, Hurley and maybe the others — is more fated than coincidental and also more circular than some might like. It’s a chicken and the egg conundrum that might be telling of Lost’s typical non-answer answers — everything is Alpha, Omega, beginning and end all at once and, ultimately, there might not be any answers. Kind of a bummer, but such is life.

Walk Like A Four-Toed Egyptian

It’s a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moment, but there it is — the four-toed statue back from the dead. Not seen since the season two finale, the four-toed statue is one of Lost’s most compelling mysteries. Fans long wondered why the statue hadn’t been addressed by the show since its introduction, but last night’s return sheds some light on the mysterious figure.

The shape of the statue has a distinctly Egyptian vibe to it. On a superficial level, the shape of the ears and the style of the hair are reminiscent of ancient depictions of Anubis, Horus and other Egyptian deities. There’s also the skirt, a dinstinct characteristic of the Egyptian gods. Further, if you look at the hands, the statue appears to be holding an ankh — the same symbol that Amy retrieved from her dead husband’s necklace. The ankh is a symbol commonly held by Egyptian gods — that’s just research, baby — and it represents eternal life, magical protection, purification and a slew of other Lost related themes.

The idea that there’s some sort of Egyptian element on Lost isn’t totally new. When the numbers used to go haywire in the Swan station, they would flip to reveal ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Similar markings have been seen elsewhere on the island, most recently at the black smoke monster’s underground temple in this season’s “This Place is Death.” What’s the significance of Egyptian mythology in relation to the show’s greater meaning? Hard to say, but there’s very little doubt now that the exotic island has much in common with Ancient Egypt.

Bonus Points

When Charlotte told Daniel that she’d lived on the island before, it seemed obvious that we’d see her again at some point — but so soon? And you have to admit, baby Charlotte is a heck of a lot cuter and less annoying than older Charlotte. Also note that Daniel repeatedly muttered “I won’t, I won’t, I won’t tell her” when the Left Behinders rediscovered him, yet he’s the one talking about how events cannot be changed. Poor Danny boy is in for a let down.

Another excellent moment is Sawyer’s latest insult, this time towards Richard Alpert — or, as Sawyer calls him, “the guy with the eyeliner.” Nestor Carbonell, the actor who plays Alpert, maintains that he just has very dark eyelashes, so it’s pretty funny to see the argument taken into the proper series.

While the numbers stayed relatively quiet last night, there’s a new number that’s come front and center — three. That’s how many years the Oceanic Six were off the island, and how many years the Left Behinders have lived in DHARMA’s time. It’s tough to admit, but we really don’t know our cast very well anymore. Three full years of their lives have elapsed since the main events of the fourth season. While we’ve seen glimpses here and there, there are major chunks of time missing that we haven’t witnessed. It will be very interesting rediscovering the cast of Lost and to see how their being off the island, being displaced by time and, in one case, being dead will influence the show’s dynamic.

Check back in two weeks for an all-new edition of Lost: Island Fever.