Watching Lost

Doc Jensen of EW was on the Lost set in Hawaii and did a lot of poking around the set. There are some things he’s taking home for Lost fans to digest…and they are good!

Spoilers after the cut.

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So, the buzz about Lost’s extra episodes for Season 4 is finally going to happen. E! has confirmed that the show is indeed going to have an extended season finale and has been stretched to not just two, but THREE full hours! E! reports that finale’s script is even 80-pages long.

Earlier, speculations about scheduling problems with ABC’s other shows like Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy prevented this from happening. These shows were also set to do their season premieres on the same week as Lost. But when producers Lindelof and Cuse asked for the extensions, ABC has given them the go signal.

So, here’s what is going to happen:

• May 15th is when we’ll see the first part of Lost’s season finale, following new episodes for Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy
• The following week, May 22, Lost will give way to these two shows, with Grey’s Anatomy going on a two-hour finale.
• On May 29, it’s Lost for three whole hours, beginning with an encore of the episode airing May 15 and then followed by the two-hour show.

Huge, right? I need not ask if you’re very pleased because I know every Lost fan is!

Lost, Lost Season 4, Lost Season Finale, Lost extended episode

The Daily Script has a collection of authentic scripts written for Lost. Apparently, it’s one that is common in the industry. The Defective Yeti describes it “as if the writer has just hit his thumb with a hammer” and gives this example from Season 1, Episode 9 - All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues

And as Jack slowly looks up — standing right in front of him — just FIVE FUCKING FEET AWAY — Is ETHAN.

ETHAN
Hello, Jack.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

Jack looks at him, ragged breath, but EYES BURNING. And he asks the question that hopefully all of America has been asking for the past week –

JACK
Who are you?

And we’re LOOKING UP at Ethan. SOAKING WET but seemingly oblivious to the rain. And his EYES. His FUCKING EYES.

According to the same site, who has consulted with Alex Epstein, the author of Crafty TV Writing, the writers churn out scripts in this manner because, “Everybody does it ’cause their boss, JJ Abrams, does it. It gives an ‘energetic read’ Network execs like it. They don’t have to put too much energy into reading it.” But at the same time, he calls these screenplays vulgar and cheap, and definitely not something every writer should adopt to.

More insights from Defective Yeti .

Lost, Lost Script, Lost writers

From the very beginning, Damon Linderlof, Executive Producer of Lost, knew that the show was going to be more than just a television program. The cult series came at a right time — when multiple interactive platforms are becoming very popular among consumers and end users.

Today, Lost, the TV series, now also operates as a videogame. There are even books, comics, magazines and hundreds of interactive sites dedicated to the show. Viral publicity tools aired on television and found mostly on the internet has made Lost a much more exciting TV series. Fans swallow every bit of it, with each platform building its own loyal following.

But according to this article from Variety, not every marketing idea necessarily have something to do with the actual program and collaborating with other new media entities is key.

Carlton Cuse says: “Our criteria is, everything you need to know about ‘Lost’ is contained in the mother ship. There are definitely large segments of the audience that want more. And the ancillary media platforms give us opportunities to put out stories that might be interesting to some but not all.”

The article goes on to say that for Season Five, the team behind Lost is already “plotting” new viral campaigns that should continue to peak fans’ interest while the show is on hiatus. They have hired a brand manager to oversee its different expansions outside of the TV series, including one that involves a mobile game platform.

But the mobisodes will probably have to go.

“The process of breaking those 13 two-minute stories and editing them was enormously time consuming. In terms of doing them again, creative has to drive it“.

Lost, Lost franchise, Lost video game, Lost mobisodes, Lost viral campaign

Lost fans are abuzz yesterday everning, spinning from reports that Lost is going to get an additional hour’s worth of episodes. Whether this is going to be a two-hour finale or just an extra hour for the series, is still undetermined. Because of a conflict in schedule, speculations as to how it will play out are ripe.

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I’m in the habit of compiling lists. But for some reason, I have yet to try making one for Lost.

I don’t know how others can pick and rank the best characters, the best couples, the best moments or the best episodes so far. Although, it is impressive how others can remember facts as far back as Season one. I, on the other hand, would need more than one round of viewing so that a few facts are retained in my memory…only, I’d soon forget about this in a couple of weeks! I’m actually following Season 2 on cable TV for the nth time and there are some scenes and episodes there that feels like I am watching them for the first time.

So, instead of compiling my own list, I’ve rounded up the list of others. Here are the many Top 10 Lost related lists from 2006 to present, compiled around the world wide web:

• The Top 10 Lost Deaths
• The Top 10 Gifts for Lost Fans
• The Top 10 Lost Characters
• The Top 10 Hottest Lost Characters
• The Top 10 Lost Unsolved Mysteries
• The Top 10 Most Annoying Moments of Lost
• The Top 10 Episodes

And finally, the Top 10 signs you’re obsessed with the Lost series (as aired on the Letterman show few years back):

And well, I can probably add “compiling a list of Lost’s Top 10, making me twice the loser” to this one!

Have you got a Lost Top 10 List we should know about?

Lost, Lost Top 10 List, Lost Top, Top 10 Lost Deaths, Top 10 Gifts for Lost Fans, Top 10 Lost Characters, Top 10 Hottest Lost Characters, Top 10 Lost Unsolved Mysteries, Top 10 Most Annoying Moments of Lost, Top 10 Episodes

There’s a group of Lost fans from the East Coast who has turned their love for the series into another art form: song writing and making music.

Called as The Others, the band only creates songs about LOST. They have been doing this for years now and according to their band member, via the DoczArt website, “We go to great lengths to make the songs as interesting as possible and we really put our hearts into it. We are not a joke band.”

I have listened to some of their music. They have been writing a lot about each episode beginning Season 3 and have been pretty much spot on with their music interpretation. Some of it is quite catchy, and some tunes are really good.

Here, have a listen…

If you want to listen to more of that, The Others have a site on MySpace.

The Others, The Others band, Lost Music

UK based Empire Online Magazine has chosen Lost as one of its Top 50 Greatest Shows of all time. It’s actually on the fifth spot, naming the two-parter season ender from Season 1 (Exodus) as its best episode. (They have yet to watch, The Constant, huh?)…

Only time will tell whether it’s as clever as it seems, but few TV shows have gripped viewers’ imaginations like this hybrid of Swiss Family Robinson and Twin Peaks. An innovative structure in which each episode hones in on a different character, with flashbacks and flashforwards expanding their backstory, ensures the entire cast is fleshed out beyond the constraints of the primary narrative. But aside from the host of unique and colourful characters - from earnest Jack to cocky Sawyer, noble Jin to bug-eyed Ben - it’s the epic mysteries at the core of the story that keeps us coming back. What powers does the island have? What’s that polar bear doing in the tropics? And how come Hurley never loses weight despite being marooned on an island? | Empire Magazine

Lost, Empire Magazine Top 50 Show, Lost Greatest TV Show

This video is supposed to be 2 minute recap of everything that has happened in Lost in the previous seasons. And it’s cleverly summed up in one word: WHAT?

Pretty hilarious! I counted 330. Were you crazy enough to do the same? How many did you count?

Lost, Lost recap, Lost summary, Lost videos

So what do you think is happening on April 24? I know it’s still at least three weeks away but ABC already has an official description as well as promo pictures released.

The official description only has one line, but even so…it’s saying a lot: “Locke’s camp comes under attack and Jack tries to discover the identity of a body that has washed ashore.”

The photo of Ben and Locke (above) shows their team preparing for the attack. Does this mean the Freighter people are already in the island? Remember, the captain said Frank Lapidus was sent on an “errand” in the last episode. Or are these the people who also shot Danielle and Karl? Could they be one and the same group, or separate entities? Could the attack be coming from The Others? Have they come to realize it’s time to turn against Ben?

And whose body are they talking about? Charlie’s? Or the Regina’s, who jumped off board from the Freighter?

I found the promo clip of the upcoming episode off YouTube:

Lost, Lost Season 4 Episode 9, Lost Shape of Things To Come, Lost Spoilers

Remember this scene from the episode, Eggtown? Where Miles talks to Ben for the first time and negotiates a deal with him?

MILES: Do you know who I am?
BEN: Yes.
MILES: Do you know who I work for?
BEN: Yes.
MILES: Then you know he’s put a lot of time and energy into finding you. So now I’ve found you. And I can tell him exactly where you are. Or I can lie, and tell him you were already dead. I’d be willing to do that, for 3.2 million dollars.
BEN: You’ve arranged this meeting so you could blackmail me?
MILES: It’s extortion if you want to get technical.
BEN: 3.2? But why not 3.3 or 3.4?
….
BEN: What makes you think I have access to that kind of money?
MILES: Do not treat me like I’m one of them! Like I don’t know who you are, or what you can do!
BEN: Your friend Charlotte has seen me, she knows I’m alive.
MILES: I’ll take care of Charlotte. You just worry about getting me the money. You have two days.
BEN: My present situation is a little bit restricted. Can that be amended?
MILES: Okay. One week, in cash.

Is Miles actually talking to Ben about money or is this a code?

Some are theorizing it’s a code for the bearing the freighter people or “rescuers” already know. And Miles is passing that information to Ben. Miles may actually be one of Ben’s men.

Remember what Ben told Michael at the end of Season 2, in the episode Live Together, Die Alone?

BEN: I’m not happy about the arrangement that was made with you Michael, but we got more than we bargained for when Walt joined us, so I suppose this is what’s best. And you let me go, set me free—you lived up to your word. We live up to our word, too. Do you know how to drive a boat?
MICHAEL: Yeah, I can drive a boat.
BEN: Good, then you’re going to take this boat and follow a compass bearing of 325, and if you do that exactly, you and your son will find rescue.
MICHAEL: That’s it? I follow the bearing and me and my son get rescued?
BEN: Yes.

Hmmmm…have they figured something out here? Is the theory spot on?

Lost, 3.2 Million Dollars Lost, Lost Theories

This is the third one from the guys from RavenStake.

They sure made use of those action figures other than just leaving them for display!

Lost Parody, Lost & Harry Potter, Lost Action Figures, RavenStake

Dominic Monaghan has had a few hours to spare after being killed off Lost at the end of the third season. And he spent that time mounting his solo photo exhibit, a hobby he has been pursuing even before working on the TV show.

The exhibit, called Happy Accidents, just had its successful run last March at the Hamilton Selway Fine Art in West Hollywood. The beneficiary of this exhibit was the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

The Hamilton website has a few of his photos online. Dominic took some images from the Lord of the Rings set and the Lost set. This one is my favorite, a photo of Jorge Garcia (Hurley):

Up next for Dominic? Working on the Xmen Origins movie Wolverine with Hugh Jackman. Dominic will play Barnell Bohusk or Beak, a bird man…with bird-like features. If you’re not familiar with the comic book character, here’s what he looks like.

Beak has the ability to fly. The original character from the comic book apparently takes much of his powers from a body suit but some changes to it have been done for the movie version. Dominic’s Beak will be without the bird-like appearance and he will have the power to manipulate electricity, according to Wikipedia.

He is also starring in the suspense flick Pet, which I have written about earlier.

In a more personal news, Dominic and his girlfriend, Evangeline Lilly, have apparently gotten back together after a three month break-up, stays Star Magazine. (And I didn’t even know they’ve broken up…).

Dominic Monaghan, Dominic Monaghan Photographer, Evangeline Lilly, Wolverine, Barnell Bohusk Beak

According to a spoiler site, Michael Emerson was spotted flying into Heathrow with Yunjin Kim, with director Jack Bender. DarkUFO goes on to speculate, they must be filming the series finale, as Jack Bender’s handy work is usually always behind the series’ edge of your seat endings. The site even has a picture of Michael Emerson in London.

If this is indeed correct and Michael’s visit is related to Lost, who could possibly in London but Charles Widmore?

And why is Yunjin Kim with him? What could Sun be doing in London, too? Is this going to be a flashforward?

Still on spoilers, a Locke centric episode is being filmed in Hawaii as well, and it also involves the appearance of two characters from the past who are actually connected to him (Locke). If you don’t like to read the information, don’t click after the split…

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Executive producer, writer and creator of Lost, J.J. Abrams, is going to have two more television series to offer viewers in the coming season (2008-2009).

The first one is “Fringe”, which is sounds very much similar to the X Files. It’s centered on a female FBI agent who has to work together with a seemingly mad or crazy scientist (someone like Daniel from Lost?) in investigating a series of unexplained phenomena. It doesn’t exactly say whether this is related to aliens.

The program will air on Fox and will mark the return of Joshua Jackson (from Dawson’s Creek) to television.

Not quite buzzed about as Fringe is another drama series from Abrams called “Anatomy of Hope”. It’s a medical drama specifically aimed at telling stories about cancer patients and is based on the book, “The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness.” by Jerome Groopman. HBO is going to air about 10 episodes of the said program.

“Star Trek” is Abrams’ movie project set for release in the summer. It’s rumored to take place in several time elements, one before the TV series from 1966 even came to be, and one after. So, we’re going to see a younger Spock or Captain Kirk and their older versions.

I can’t call myself a Trekker but this is something I’d look forward to watching. The movie stars Zachary Quinto (from Heroes), Eric Bana, Winona Ryder and Chris Pine,  with a special appearance by Leonard Nimoy.

JJ Abrams hasn’t been exactly very involved in Lost, has he? If anything, it’s Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse who are really the show’s front runners, and who are very much visible and accessible to the media and fans. But since JJ and Damon has worked out the mythology of the series from the very beginning, he’s still greatly credited for his work and ideas on Lost. Half of this show’s ingenuity may still be because of him.

Lost, JJ Abrams, Fringe, Anatomy of Hope, Star Trek