Matthew Fox Talks About What he Thinks Will Happen in Season 6 Posted by The ODI at 5/31/2009 04:21:00 PM View Comments Labels: Interviews, Jack, Matthew Fox, Season 6

Thanka to j Davis for the heads up about this recent inerview by Matthew Fox who provides his own opinion on Season 6 of LOST and more.

NOTE: As stated he provides his opinion on what happens, so if you consider that as spoilers then do NOT read.

Thanks to XFilesProject for the article

Matthew Fox, who plays Jack - the doctor, leader, 'Oceanic 6′ survivor and love interest of Kate - revealed all about playing his character, his love of travelling and family life in Hawaii.

Casual in jeans, a suit jacket and clutching a bottle of mineral water, the foxy Mr Fox is laid back and friendly. His approach appears in stark contrast to the intensity of his character, Jack Shephard, who - as any Lost fan will attest - has been historically full of angst for one reason or another.

Fox makes it clear from the outset that he was "so happy to get past the corner of Jack." Although he openly admits he's "very attracted to characters that are desperately trying to be better," he expresses his real relief about playing Jack in a new capacity this year: "He's a very, very different guy this year since he got back to the island."

Fox goes on to say that things do change as soon as Jack realises "he really is fated to accomplish something on that island, that he's meant to be there."

However, the challenge of playing this role is not something Fox passes off lightly. It's evident that it has been a long hard graft from the way he sighs out loud and without hesitation when speaking of Jack's despair.

Harking back to the first four years of the show where Jack was taken from a heroic place to a place of sheer and utter desperation, is painful for Fox. He feels that "towards the end there where he was really in that bad place, it was just really tough. The material was really tough and I couldn't wait to get past that. You don't just take that off and come home… Sometimes you carry that stuff around with you."

For Fox, work and family life have become intrinsically linked since his family's move to the Hawaian island of Oahu, (now five years ago) in order to start filming Lost. The knock-on effect meant there were big changes for his family and his career.

Given the shift and his obvious commitment to the show, Fox is keen to convey the importance of his family and extended family surrounding his career. Although personally happy in Hawaii where he can watch his daughter's love of surfing grow, Fox talks of his family's love of travelling, and how they are "looking forward to where we are heading after this and a lot of that because we are going to be closer to family." Fox fondly recalls speaking with his brothers about bringing all of their children closer together to ensure tighter relationships

Happy with home, family life and now with where Jack is, Fox (inbetween intermittently screwing and unscrewing the top of his water bottle) is constantly teasing forthcoming storylines.

When asked whether he knows about the ending of the show, he talks about all the misinformation as "an interesting dynamic." He feels that "what makes the show and what keeps the audience, I hope sort of on edge while they are watching Lost is that any character can die at any time."

So what about Jack? Could Jack die? For Fox it's a firm, "Oh, yeah!"

What's even more surprising is his answer to whether he'd like to see himself (Jack) die: "I think that would be awesome. I think Jack will die. I mean that's my own personal belief. Whether he will die in the last moments of the show or before that will remain to be seen. I think a lot of the characters are going to die, but I can be wrong. I might know that."

In addition to his thoughts on Jack's demise and all told through giggles, Fox also shed light on Locke and Jack together: "I think it is very cool to see how and where those two end up in the final moments of the show."

And with that final episode now less than a year away, there's little doubt that Fox will keep teasing us all, keeping us on tenterhooks for a little while longer.

Source: The ODI

Season 5 - Jungle Promotional Photo Posted by DarkUFO at 5/31/2009 11:52:00 AM View Comments Labels: Promotional Pictures

Here is a HQ version of the old Season 5 Promotional Photo. I hope to find one without the huge watermark on although it's a pretty bad photoshopped photo

Daniel Dae Kim - National Lottery Video Appearance Posted by DarkUFO at 5/30/2009 08:29:00 PM View Comments Labels: Daniel Dae Kim, TV appearance, Video

Thanks to DarkUFO reader Richard for this video of Daniel who appeared on the UK's National Lottery Draw.

Details and Art of New Book: Messages from the Island Posted by The ODI at 5/30/2009 05:43:00 AM View Comments Labels: Books

Hey All,
Thanks our good friend Charlie from io9 for the heads up about a new LOST book that provides us with a behind the scenes look at the show. If you are a fan of the LOST Magazine then you will love this book, because apparently it compilation of stuff from previous magazines.

Below are the details and some images and the cover art. Plus, if you are interested in this book you can pre-order it on Amazon for a special price here: LOST: Messages from the Island at Amazon

Lost: Messages From The Island, out June 30 from Titan Books, compiles the best content from Lost: The Official Magazine. Here are some details:

Full of secrets, flashbacks, twists and turns, Lost is a unique and captivating television experience that both challenges and entertains. This companion features the best of Lost: The Official Magazine. Inside you will find:

Exclusively written intro from executive producers Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse
Detailed interviews with all the show's stars
Original concept art and storyboards
Engrossing commentary on the making of key episodes
Scores of stunning photos direct from the set
Extensive interviews with the show's creators, producers and many crew members

(Click to Enlarge)


Source: The ODI

Fox, Bender, Lindelof & Cuse at Rome Festival Posted by b3rt4 at 5/29/2009 05:24:00 PM View Comments Labels: Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof, Jack Bender, Matthew Fox

Thanks to J Davis for the heads up.

MILAN -- The third Rome Fiction Fest has unveiled another varied international lineup, with a fair sprinkling of Hollywood product.

Steve Della Casa, artistic topper for the second year, said the TV drama fest, designed as a sister event to the Eternal City's RomeFilmFest, was "all about the product" and not just a chance for some backslapping.

But in a nod to nostalgia, headlining celeb will be lunar legend Buzz Aldrin. To mark the 40th anniversary of his epoch-defining jaunt to the moon, the fest will premiere Richard Dale's TV movie "Moonshot. The Flight of Apollo 11," in collaboration with The History Channel, on July 6 in the Auditorium Conciliazione.

Unspooling in the nearby Cinema Adriano plex, are Antonello Grimaldi's local drama "The Monster of Florence," based on a true-life serial killer, plus the latest series of U.S. hits "Grey's Anatomy" and "C.S.I: Crime Scene Investigation."

In the competish, Peter Travis' political thriller for Channel 4, "Endgame" and Ralph Hemecker's New Orleans-set drama "Midnight Bayou" with Faye Dunaway are in the running for best TV movie award.

HBO's polygamy drama "Big Love," and John Landis' "Fear Itself" are up for the best full-length series prize.

New to this year's fest is the RomaTvScreenings feature, which aims to "showcase all the best Italian TV product."

The Hollywood contingent includes Matthew Fox, alias Dr. Jack Shephard from hit drama "Lost," as well the series' executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who've scooped this year's Special Prize.

Both Lindelof and Cuse will also join "Lost" colleague Jack Bender in a masterclass designed at pin-pointing what makes a international hit series.

As last year, a special midnight sesh will show teen and horror fare.

The fest, which is backed by Italy's TV producers' association APT and top generalist broadcasters RAI and Mediaset as well as paybox Sky Italia, will run from July 6-11.

Source: Variety

Smoke Monster From 'Lost' Given Own Primetime Spin-Off Series Posted by b3rt4 at 5/29/2009 04:13:00 PM View Comments Labels: Online Article, The Smoke Monster

This is definitely a joke so please don't throw a wobbly. ;)

URBANK, CA—Executives at ABC announced Monday that the network will premier a new Lost spin-off series this fall based around that show's popular smoke monster character.

The new series, a half-hour family-oriented comedy called Where There's Smoke, is touted by ABC as the new anchor of its Thursday-night lineup.

"Somewhere between the smoke monster's first appearance on Lost— when it was depicted as a strange unseen force uprooting trees—and that episode in season three where it grabbed Mr. Eko and smashed him against the ground until he was dead, this character became the breakout star of the show," said Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment. "And that's exactly why we're so excited about Where There's Smoke. We get to see the monster's light comedic side in a show about life, love, and good friends having good times."

"Because after all, Where There's Smoke, there's laughter," McPherson added.

ABC sources reported that the series will transplant the evil black cloud from the island of Lost to the suburbs of Chicago, where it works as a sports radio host, surrounded by "a whole new group of crazy characters." Actress Lea Thompson has signed on to play the monster's long-suffering wife, who must put up with her husband's screwball antics while raising the couple's two rambunctious children, Tanner and Smoky, Jr.

Veteran TV producer Chuck Lorre, of Dharma & Greg and The Big Bang Theory fame, will helm the show, which he said will focus mainly on the deadly creature's adjustments to suburbia and fatherhood, and its comically contentious relationship with its boss, a fussy radio station manager played by Richard Kind.

"The whole concept began with us asking, 'So what happens to the monster after it kills somebody and disappears down that ancient temple vent? What kind of life might it have?'" Lorre said. "And what we realized is that audiences really relate to this character and would like to see it in everyday situations, shooting the breeze with buddies at a local watering hole or murdering its son's soccer coach and depositing his lifeless body in a tree."

"And of course, you'll be hearing lots of its classic catchphrase, 'Brrrrr, chk-chk-chk-chk, muuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrhhh,'" Lorre added.

Lost producer Jack Bender has confirmed that the smoke monster will no longer be part of his show's regular cast. However, ABC has promised that Where There's Smoke will feature a number of guest appearances from Lost regulars. Sources said the pilot episode will feature an appearance by actor Michael Emerson as a slobby houseguest named Benjamin Linus who overstays his welcome, much to the chagrin of the smoke monster's wife.

Though the project has been in development for almost a year, negotiations reached a standstill last winter when representatives for the mysterious, billowing actor expressed concern that their client would risk being typecast as "just a smoke monster" if the role were carried into a new series.

"We're always sensitive to these kinds of things, but we actually think this new vehicle will make people realize [the monster] is a sophisticated actor with a great deal of range," said McPherson, who agreed to pay the show's star $2 million per episode after scenes between the smoke monster and a nosy, ethnic next-door neighbor tested well with audiences. "People love the smoke monster, and people love to laugh. This series is a can't-miss."

Added McPherson, "And I'm not just blowing smoke here."

Source: The Onion

Evangeline Lilly Calls Angelina Jolie Her Ideal 'Ice Queen' Posted by b3rt4 at 5/28/2009 03:36:00 PM View Comments Labels: Evangeline Lilly, Online Article

Lost star Evangeline Lilly doesn't want mega-stardom, but if she had to become a Hollywood A-lister, she'd want to do it like – who else? – Angelina Jolie, she says.

"No one knows that woman; she's a complete ice queen, which is perfect," the intensely private Lilly tells Women's Health in the June issue. "Why should she be any more? She doesn't owe us anything."

Lilly, who says she's frequently berated by a colleague on ABC's island drama for forgoing chances at becoming Hollywood's next big thing, says if she had to have Jolie's life, she'd choose only one half of it: the charity work.

"Sure, I'd love to be her, but just the [humanitarian] side," Lilly says.

Even now, she's not entirely happy with the attention she sometimes gets, saying that she get angry when people take her photograph, and that she doesn't understand why people keep asking her if she and former costar Dominic Monaghan are dating.

"If I were to tell you that Sandra Miggum and Henry Pickett are dating, would you ever care? They're completely fictional, so you don't know them," she says. "Well, people don't know us. So why should they care?"

But Lilly says she's confident she'll eventually find a path away from the cameras – and that she knows how to deal with it in the meantime.

"Right now, I'm happy doing a job that's not my ultimate dream," she says. "Even if you're unhappy, just pretend that you're happy. Eventually, your smile will be contagious to yourself. I had to learn that – I used to think, 'I'm being fake,' but you know what? Better to be fake and happy than real and miserable."

Source: People

Top 20 Shows for 2008/09 Posted by b3rt4 at 5/28/2009 03:32:00 PM View Comments Labels: Ratings

Source: TVbytheNumbers

Four-Toed Staue Confirmed as Tawaret by ABC Posted by The ODI at 5/28/2009 09:44:00 AM View Comments Labels: Benjamin Linus, Four-Toed Statue, Jacob, Locke, Richard

Hey All,
I was reading Jeff Jensen's most recent post at EW and in his post he had a link to the official ABC recap for the Season 5 Finale The Incident, that states the Four-Toed Statue is indeed the Goddess Tawaret.

I am not sure how long this recap has been available and this information was available, but it is the first time I have seen it.

So for all of you that were claiming the statue was Tawaret, I guess you are right.

What does this all mean!?

Tawaret is known as the goddess of pregnancy and childbirth, which of course could be a reference to the pregnancy issues on the island.

Also, if we think back to season three when Richard tells Locke that Ben is wasting the Others time with "novelties" such as the pregnancy issues and then hands Locke Sawyer's file. He basically "pushes" Locke towards convincing Sawyer to kill Locke's father Cooper.

So if Jacob lives in the statue and Richard seems to be working for Jacob then why do they convince or influence Locke to have Sawyer get redemption via a revenge killing!? Especially if we are led to believe that Jacob seems to be a force for good?? Maybe Jacob is not who we think he might be!?

I don't know, perhaps I am missing something!? What do you all think!?

Here is a link to Wikipedia's entry on Tawaret
Source: The ODI

Damon and Carlton Discuss the Season 5 Finale Posted by The ODI at 5/26/2009 10:11:00 AM View Comments Labels: Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof, Interviews, The Incident

**UPDATED** Non-US Video added.

Here is an interview with LOST writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse that they did with G4 before the S5 finale and before they went into radio silence.

Thanks to Linton for the heads up and LostLaFleur for the clip

Evangeline Lilly at Cannes as the Face of L'Oreal Posted by The ODI at 5/24/2009 11:13:00 AM View Comments Labels: Evangeline Lilly

Evangeline Lilly at Cannes as the Face of L'Oreal

Evangeline Lilly - Woman's Health Photoshoot Posted by The ODI at 5/23/2009 08:47:00 PM View Comments Labels: Evangeline Lilly, Magazines

Here are several new images of LOST star Evangeline Lilly from her photoshoot with Woman's Health Magazine.

Thanks to Jeffry for the images.

Evangeline Lilly - Woman's Health Photoshoot

(Click to Enlarge)

Third ABC Promo - New Scene with Jorge Garcia Posted by The ODI at 5/23/2009 08:14:00 PM View Comments Labels: Jorge Garcia

Hey All,
Here is the third promo from ABC that features several stars from the various shows on their network.

This is very similar to the previous promo except the end is different featuring a new scene with Jorge Garcia.

Enjoy

Lost in Elizabeth Mitchell Posted by DarkUFO at 5/22/2009 06:06:00 PM View Comments Labels: Elizabeth Mitchell, Interviews, Online Article

Thanks to Lisa for the following

"Lost in Elizabeth Mitchell" interview in Issue 5 of Coco Eco Magazine. Mitchell is on the Cover and the interview starts on page 70. Whole magazine is online. Talks about "Lost" and "V"

http://issuu.com/www.cocoecomag.com/docs/ccem_issue5_final/74?mode=a_p

'Lost': The shape of things to come (in Season 6) Posted by DarkUFO at 5/22/2009 03:36:00 PM View Comments Labels: Online Article, Season 6

OK, final day in my weeklong mailbag in which I answer your burning "Lost" questions about the game-changing finale. Today, we only have one question, but probably the one on most of your minds.

What do you think the shape of Season 6 to come will look like, based on what went down (or didn't) in "The Incident"?
Other Sean

Yup, this is the doozy, all right. After Season 1, we knew we were going down into the hatch. After Season 2, we were heading to the Others’ home. After Season 3, we knew that it was a mistake for certain people to leave the Island. After Season 4, we knew they had to return. But after Season 5? That fade to white has us baffled. Where do we go from here?

The paths are many, but luckily finite. To start with, we have to look at the two main branches, based in Juliet’s actions at the end of the episode. Some think that Jughead never went off, but would they spend a season introducing its detonation as the way out of a timeloop and then NOT blow it up? Wouldn't that massively annoy the majority of fans? It would annoy me. With that in mind, the two branches:
1. Jughead detonated, killing everyone in the vicinity. Juliet, Jack, and everyone else within a decent radius died instantaneously.
2. Jughead detonated, but rather than killing everyone, sent those within the radius to some other place and/or time.


Option #1 would be bold as hell, as it would imply that we’re left with just those in 2007 for Season 6. Not only was Locke a patsy of The Man in Black/Randall Flagg’s machinations, but so were all Lostaways/Freighter Folk in 1977. So, we’d be left with Sun, Richard, Ben, and Ilana’s crew against notLocke/UnLocke/BetaLocke/whatever we’re calling Randall-as-Locke these days. As a Def Leppard fan, I wanna call him “Locke of Ages” but somehow I doubt that will stick.

But while bold, Option #1 seems a bit farfetched, to say the least. So, we’re left with Option #2, which breaks down in my eyes to four main variations.
1. Several, if not all, of those in the vicinity of the explosion at the Swan are sent to the Island in 2007 immediately after Jacob is apparently killed under the statue.
2. Those at the Swan return to the crash site on September 22, 2004, with the memories of the past three years of their lives intact.
3. Those touched by Jacob throughout their lives return to the moment in which he touched them.
4. Faraday’s theory is actually correct, and Oceanic 815 lands in Los Angeles without problem.


I ordered those from my personal take on likeliness of occurring. The first is the simplest, from the perspective of a show that has 17 hours to wrap up its endgame, but I wouldn’t put it past the show to attempt the latter three as well. I would be slightly terrified if they did, as they spent too long in Season 5 untangling the end of Season 4 and would have an even harder time come Season 6. Doesn’t mean they couldn’t pull it off, but then again, after Jack’s “I’m going to blow up the Island so I have a shot at Kate again,” I’m moving towards the skeptical column when it comes to narrative Hail Marys.

To understand the shape of Season 6 is to understand the reason Jacob visited certain people at certain times of their lives, as well as the importance of touching them during these visits. The show’s constant use of the word “destiny” has always bugged me on a small level, as I’m a fan of personal choice and agency informing the ultimate outcomes of a life. But Jacob’s touches rectify that problem for me: by touching them, Jacob is identifying their potential, not dictating their actions. And so we have a nice marriage of fate and autonomy.

It seems, on a basic level, that in touching these people, Jacob was preparing them for something. But is that something in their past or in their future? By that I mean: did he touch them so, when landing upon the Island, they would choose to do X, only to watch them choose Y instead? If so, then Season 6 is about sending them back to the point at which they failed. That yields Options 2-4, with the middle two suggesting they return to a specific point with accumulated knowledge in the hopes that the 2nd time through they would get it right. Option #4 in this case suggests a nagging doubt amongst a group of now strangers that something is amiss after landing in LAX.

But if that’s not the case, then touching them at points in their past was all part of a plan to counter everything done by Randall in order to upset the balance on the Island. In the coming weeks, I’ll be looking at the few first seasons of “Lost” as a stalemate between Jacob and Randall, with the push/pull between them yielding a standstill only broken in “The Man Behind the Curtain.” But if Randall turned the tide in that episode, then Jacob perhaps looked past his enemy’s endgame long ago in order to get the proper people in the proper place at the proper time. And those people just so happened to be at the Swan Station in July, 1977.

And the scenario in the previous paragraph suggests Option 1, which nicely ties into the apparent theme of Season 6: “Destiny Found.” (Wasn’t it in the Halliburton case, next to the toy plane?) While the thoughts of the show circling back on itself, all Ouroboros-like, is fun to contemplate. But rather than look at like as if another version of Eloise’s brooch in “Flashes Before Your Eyes,” let’s look at Season 6 for what I think it is: the break from the cycle. Just as the circle of ash around the cabin has been broken, so too has the time loop enveloping both the show and its narrative. Rather than return to the past, I think the show’s going to push on into the future.

And whatever happens, will happen. Not because Jacob has pre-ordained it, but because he’s given specific people a tool to enable them to accomplish it.

Source: Zap2IT

Daniel Dae Kim - In the King and I Posted by DarkUFO at 5/22/2009 02:13:00 PM View Comments Labels: Daniel Dae Kim

Thanks to Geoff for heads up.


Source: AKAUK

Airman spots midair fuel leak - Going Oceanic Posted by DarkUFO at 5/22/2009 02:05:00 PM View Comments Labels: Online Article

Thanks to April for the heads up.

"I decided, if the captain doesn't know about this before we go oceanic -- meaning once we fly over the ocean -- and we're leaking this massive amount of fuel, this is going to be a bad day,"

Source: Full Article @ CNN

"Women's Health" - Evangeline Lilly cover and article scans Posted by DarkUFO at 5/22/2009 10:41:00 AM View Comments Labels: Evangeline Lilly, Magazines, Scans

Thanks to Marisa for the heads up.


Source: Carlost

Patrick Fischler Interview Posted by DarkUFO at 5/20/2009 10:55:00 PM View Comments Labels: Interviews, Patrick Fischler

Patrick Fischler grew up around stars when he worked in his father's Malibu, Calif., restaurant, Patrick's, which bears his name. Today, he's the envy of many an actor, thanks to his roles on three of television's most acclaimed shows: Lost, Mad Men and Southland. Fischler spoke to us before Phil, his Lost character, came to a grisly end, and was impressively tight-lipped about whether Phil or Jimmy Barrett, his insult-comic Mad Men character, might return next season. Looking ahead to Southland's finale (Thursday, 10 pm, NBC), the brand-new father of a baby girl also talked to us about his role on the acclaimed cop show, the other dream shows on his list, and the trouble with Lost.

TVGuide.com: You must have had some great celebrity sightings at Patrick's when you were a kid.
Patrick Fischler: Oh, dude. All the time. That was crazy. I mean, I worked there as a kid. I mean, Goldie Hawn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger — my dad was friends with Arnold before he was Arnold. He went to his wedding and everything, this small little wedding and my dad snuck this little camera in and got pictures of Jackie O. and Andy Warhol. Yeah, just famous people galore.

TVGuide.com: Did that make you want to act?
Fischler: You know, maybe. ... I've always loved television and I really have always loved movies. And I love theater. I love, love theater. I love all the mediums, so something obviously drew me to being an actor. I'm sure that was part of it.

TVGuide.com: You've appeared on so many shows, from Star Trek: Enterprise to Girlfriends to all three CSIs. What's left on the list of shows you want to do?
Fischler: Dexter. Breaking Bad... Californication. Those three.

TVGuide.com: How close together were your roles on Mad Men, Southland, and Lost?
Fischler: Mad Men was first, and then right at the end of Mad Men, I did the pilot for Southland, and then... I got Lost. And then in the new year when Southland got picked up... I was flying back and forth trying to do both of them. I have to say the producers of Lost were incredibly accommodating, mainly with my wife's pregnancy.

I've heard that Lost often has to introduce new characters because they'll want to do a storyline with a given character, but won't have the actor under contract, so they have to give the storyline to another, new character.
Fischler: That happens all the time. The problem with Lost is there's [about] 10 series regulars and then there's about 30 recurring people on that show. They just, they chance it. When I got cast on Lost, it was only supposed to be two episodes. ... Then I just ended up staying there on and off for basically six months.

TVGuide.com: Your characters keep getting punched by our heroes — first Don Draper and then Sawyer.
Fischler: Man, tell me about it! ... When I got Mad Men, when I got punched, I knew Don Draper had to have the last word. Because when I told him off, everyone was so jaw-on-the-ground shocked. No one ever tells Don off. Getting that script was the highlight of my career so far.

And then when it happened with Lost, I laughed so hard with those guys. I didn't even do anything to Sawyer. But I paid him back by hitting Juliet, which is just such a weaselly move.

TVGuide.com: Do you see yourself getting punched on Southland?
Fischler: Yeah. At some point, because I'm playing a detective. I'm not a weaselly guy. Kenny's a little offbeat, but with detectives you never know. But man, I've got to tell you, I take a good stunt-punch now.

TVGuide.com: How hard is it to switch between all these characters?
Fischler: The key, I've discovered... I think is the costumes. When I'm wearing the gun belt with the badge and the gun, it's really heavy. It's like 10 pounds added onto you. ... And then when I'm in that Dharma jumpsuit, they're hot and big and that feels different to me. And then with my hair parted and that white dinner jacket and the tux... the costumes help to lend themselves for me to become the character again.

I'm the furthest away from Jimmy Barrett right now. Finding him again is going to be hard. But I think putting that suit on I'll just snap to it pretty quick.

TVGuide.com: I hate to needle, but what you just said makes it sound like you'll be playing Jimmy again.
Fischler: Ahhh. ... I don't know what that meant. [Laughs]

Source: TV Guide

New ABC Promo featuring Matthew Fox Posted by DarkUFO at 5/20/2009 06:16:00 PM View Comments Labels: Jorge Garcia, Matthew Fox, Video

Update: 19:30 Thanks to Super J for the heads up on this 2nd promo which also features Jorge Garcia.

Thanks to glory for the heads up

'Lost': Juliet's Odyssey Posted by DarkUFO at 5/20/2009 03:38:00 PM View Comments Labels: Online Article, The Incident

Thanks to JNL for the heads up.

THE BURNER OF SHIPS
Mourning Juliet, Nausicaa-Isis. PLUS! Meet the secret father-killing, mother-humping Oedipus of Lost!

In the aftermath of last week's season finale, ''The Incident,'' there has been much gnashing of teeth and shredding of hairshirts over the death of Juliet Burke, who tumbled down a Swan hole and may have incinerated post-September 2004 history. I, too, am sad to see her go, and much more sad to see the departure of Elizabeth Mitchell, whose simultaneously sad and steely performance — assayed with cool and witty understatement — was a great gift to the series. I hear Mitchell — who has been tapped to headline ABC's reboot of the cheez-o-riffic sci-fi series V — may appear next season in cameo spots. I hope so: Juliet's romance with Sawyer was one of season 5's biggest surprises and creative successes, and I have to think that if Mitchell were available, Lost would want to explore this storyline, or give it just one more beat of closure. Here's how I think they would do it:

Last week, I speculated that in the new Lost timeline that will flow out of Juliet's detonation of Jughead, the characters that angelic Jacob visited and conspicuously touched during the flashbacks — definitely Sawyer, Kate, Sun, Jin, Jack, Locke, and Hurley — will retain their memories of the previous, now-deleted timeline. (Similar yet slightly different to what happened to Desmond after he was physically obliterated by the Swan's implosion — his consciousness migrated to the fateful week in which he broke up with Penny.) If that conjecture proves true, I can easily see a poignant moment in which James Ford seeks out Juliet in her pre-Island life, finds her, and realizes that, unlike him, she has no past-life memory of the Island or their life together. She'll look at him as if he's crazy; he'll look at her with forlorn eyes. Goodbye, my Dharma lady. I'll always have your back. And then he'll walk away. I'm already investing in the Kleenex!

DOC JENSEN'S LOST HIATUS READING LIST
Selection No. 1: Replay

A number of you have been asking me to do this — and so we shall! Your first assignment is Replay by Ken Grimwood. It's not so much a science-fiction novel as it is a really wonderful human story built around a sci-fi conceit: The hero is stuck in a circuit: Every time he hits the age of 43, his consciousness automatically zip-lines backward in time to a point in his early 20s and gets the chance to live the next 20 years over. There's more to this premise, including a couple of twists. The story's beauty lies in its emphasis on character and how each richly imagined cycle through the hero's life affects him and builds upon the others. It gives you moments like the aforementioned James-Juliet scenario that I sketched — but with much, much better dialogue — and much more. It's a book that will move your heart and expand your mind without hurting your head. If season 6 of Lost can possess the emotional texture of Replay, we will be very, very happy. Or at least I will be.

Back to grieving Juliet. In retrospect, cryptic bits of business now pop as foreshadowing. Remember the opening sequence of season 3? We met Juliet as she woke up in her Dharma cabin. She was in tears; she had just learned that Ben had been diagnosed with a tumor on his spine, which was upsetting to her because it made her doubt Ben's promise that all-powerful, never-seen Jacob could heal her sister's cancer. We saw her listen to a song — Petula Clark's rendition of ''Downtown'' (''When you're alone and life is making you lonely you can always go/Downtown!''), though the Clark disc had been inside a different jewel case: Talking Heads' Remain In Light (which includes the Lost-ironic track ''Once In A Lifetime.'' She got her home ready to host book club. Her choice: Stephen King's Carrie, a character who, like her, literally went down in blazes, burning down her house and the downtown portion of her town in the process, too. During book club, Juliet made an angry point about free will (or the lack thereof) on the Island — or at least, she tried to, but she was rudely interrupted by the crash of Oceanic 815. We now know from the finale that free will is very important to Jacob, and what's more, could be the philosophical bone of contention between the seemingly benign, Christ-like entity and his mopey, nameless adversary, the Man In Black.

Like King's Carrie, Juliet was a victim of deception — she had been brought to the Island under any number of false pretenses, including the unspoken assumption that she had the freedom to leave at any time. But in the season finale, we saw her finally get the chance to escape her weird prison — and we also got to see her choose to go back. I think this is significant: It is the model, I believe, for every character's heroic arc in Lost. The first time to the Island, you are a victim of circumstances and possibly manipulation. The second time to the Island, you do so freely, as the captain of your fate — as a hero. Juliet may have given us a peek at the essential storyline for each character next season. Born again off the Island, the ex-castaways are all going to choose to come back, hard and heroically — to save the Island and Jacob; to complete the ongoing, unbroken redemption projects of their strange, timeline-bent lives.

ABC had already given season 6 a tagline: Destiny Calls. But maybe it needs to be five words longer:

Read Full Article Here

Source: EW

'Lost' Nuggets looking for redemption Posted by DarkUFO at 5/20/2009 02:41:00 PM View Comments Labels: Online Article

Thanks to adpatel203 for the heads up.

If you're already suffering from "Lost" withdrawal and worried that you can't last until the new season begins in 2010, the Western Conference finals are the perfect fill-in. The Denver Nuggets couldn't be more like "Lost" if they took chartered flights on Oceanic Airlines.

You want characters seeking to atone for their mistakes and reinvent their lives? Check the Nuggets.

"This is a team of redemption," Nuggets coach George Karl says. "This is not 1, 2, 3, this is 5, 6, 7 stories of redemption."

It's a group of castoffs, the unwanted. Carmelo Anthony is the only member of the team who stepped on stage with a Denver Nuggets cap to shake David Stern's hand on draft night -- and even he has been haunted by first-round playoff failures, perpetually running to catch up with his more accomplished mates in the class of 2003.

Everyone else is some other team's leftovers.

It's easy to draw the comparisons between the Nuggets and the "Lost" characters.

Kenyon Martin: Sawyer, the reformed bad boy who is now a team player. Karl gave Martin the boot in the middle of a playoff series three years ago. This year, Martin stepped up at a preseason meeting to apologize for his problematic past and commit to better behavior.

Chris Andersen: Charlie, the former drug abuser turned hero. After a two-year ban for violating the NBA's substance-abuse policy, Andersen is back to doing all the little things Denver needs, like rebounding and blocking shots. Not quite as valiant as sacrificing his life in an underwater communication station, but he gives the Nuggets everything he has on the court.

Dahntay Jones: Sayid, the defensive specialist, the type of guy you'd want to fix a radio, "coerce" information from someone, or guard Kobe Bryant.

Nene: Rose, a cancer survivor and steadying influence.

J.R. Smith: Kate, knows how to shoot, can definitely heat things up, but also a threat to burn down your house.

Allen Iverson: Michael, tended to do things on his own, and now isn't around anymore.

Carmelo is Jack, the leader by default who had to come to grips with his own insufficient ways to become a better person. Part of his growth was his willingness to yield to Chauncey Billups, who is a blend of Desmond and Faraday, newer arrivals on the show who wound up providing critical guidance.

It's not easy to hop on the bus in the middle of the trip and take the wheel. Billups wasn't around for training camp. Then again, he also wasn't there for the Nuggets' string of early exits over the years. While they were losing in the first round, Billups was in Detroit, going to the conference finals six straight years. Make it seven. That's what gave him the credibility.

Nothing about Billups' athletic abilities jumps out at you when you watch him, but talk to players and they'll tell you his hidden asset is his strength. He's just as strong in the huddle and the locker room.

"My whole thing was, I was just going to be me and not worry about taking too much of the responsibility," Billups says. "I was just going to be me. I'm a leader by nature. It pretty much just worked itself out.

"It's tough for some people, but my whole thing was, I know these guys wanted to win. That's one thing I know how to do, is win. I don't do it all the time, but I'm trying to. Walking through a bunch of different situations throughout the season, us getting better throughout the season, my leadership just kind of showed up."

Give Anthony credit, too. Like Jack, he recognized that doing it his way all the time wasn't bringing the desired results. So he was man enough to listen to other ideas.

"It was a matter of me and everybody else putting the ball in [Billups'] hands and saying, 'Do what you've got to do,'" Anthony says. "Everybody bought into him being the point guard, him being our leader."

"Lost" is up to its tiki torches in leaders. Different leaders at different times. Different leaders for different sides. Which brings us to the Nuggets' main leader, George Karl. He's Locke, perhaps the central character on the show.

Karl has found a new path to confidence and serenity, like Locke after he arrived on the island. Karl calls it "my mellowness," and at times he can sound almost Phil Jacksonian when he does things like talk about his team's "quiet happiness."

Karl is partly responsible (assisted by a profane challenge from assistant Tim Grgurich last summer) for the team's more defensive-minded approach this season, which started with an emphasis on D for the first half hour of every practice. Among the payoffs: the Nuggets have forced 16.4 turnovers per game in the postseason, the most of any team.

Karl, like Locke, believes in destiny, one that is set in motion by your beliefs.

"Your spirit, your thoughts, your heart, direct what you become," Karl says.

Destiny versus free will is a question that's as pivotal to this series as it is to "Lost."

"Lost" began as a show about the lives of its characters, but every indication is that the final season will examine how they fit into the grander scheme of the island. They could be nothing more than a version of bowling pins, constantly knocked down and reset (in a new form) for the next frame. There are greater forces at work.

It's hard to go against the machinations the NBA sets in motion. Plenty of players and coaches believe the matchups are preordained. It sure felt that way when the Lakers and Celtics met last season. Can anything overcome the marketing momentum of Lakers and Cavaliers, Kobe and LeBron meeting in the NBA Finals? It might take a nuclear weapon to deter that inevitable matchup. Hmmm...

The Nuggets have played the best basketball in the Western Conference during the playoffs. They've had two slipups, but no complete letdowns the way the Lakers have in their past two road games. The Nuggets unleashed an epic beatdown on the New Orleans Hornets in the first round, equal to the biggest blowout in playoff history. They have an array of inside attackers and defenders in Martin, Nene and Andersen. They have Melo, who will be hard for the Lakers to keep in check. The Lakers' main weapon, Kobe Bryant, has not been his usual franchise-carrying, ultimate closer self in every game.

And yet, playing at home seems to make L.A. big man Pau Gasol tougher and Trevor Ariza and the Lakers' reserves more active. The Lakers do have home-court advantage in this series. There will be no time-traveling to the past to change that outcome.

The tone of a playoff series shifts dramatically whenever a team wins on the road or wins two games in a row.

"My vision is we get the first two swings," Karl says. "We want to open up the window of opportunity for our fans to energize us."

Already there are all sorts of theories floating around the Internet about how "Lost" will turn out. The conference finals have far fewer possibilities. At least not when it comes to Karl's prediction for his team.

"We're going to challenge ourselves to be what we can be, the best we can be," Karl says. "And if someone beats us, I think that's what you'll write: They beat us."

The first episode is Tuesday night (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET). And the best thing about sports is there are no spoilers.

Source: ESPN

Not Too Late to Find Lost Posted by DarkUFO at 5/19/2009 04:21:00 PM View Comments Labels: Online Article

Thanks to Born_of_Fire for the heads up.

When ABC's Lost premiered in 2004, the show's premise—that a group of plane-crash survivors found themselves stranded on a strange and apparently uninhabited island—exhibited all the trappings and clichés of an archetypal, humdrum Hollywood drama: mortal danger, a tropical island locale, and of course the requisite beautiful women and muscular men whose good looks are somehow sustained in the absence of showers, shampoo, and a clean shave. Factor in an ongoing leadership struggle and the tribal atmosphere, and it seemed the inevitable result would be an over-dramatized cross between Lord of the Flies and Survivor.

But from the pilot to the present—with season 5 just completed—Lost has rewarded sustained attention, not least by posing questions that keep viewers thinking about the show between episodes. To begin with, there's the puzzle of the island itself. An island patrolled by a seemingly sadistic smoke monster, where a paraplegic is healed completely and instantaneously. An island where the dead don't always stay silent, or still. An island with unique magnetic properties, pockets of energy, and other scientific anomalies. (In other words, the ideal environment for science-fiction plot twists.)

Still more captivating than the mysterious island are the capricious and conflicted characters stranded on it. Despite having one of the largest casts in television, and a richly diverse one at that, Lost has devoted valuable airtime to back stories and characterization, deliberately exhibiting complexities and flaws in every character—a rarity in television. But ultimately, these flaws must be revealed, because stripped down to its core, Lost is about the potential for redemption, even if some of the castaways fail to recognize the nature of their own story. For some of the castaways—the ones who've adopted the aphorism, "Live together, die alone"—redemption appears to loiter on the other side of philosophical conflicts that have emerged as ongoing themes. Dr. Jack Shephard and John Locke represent opposing sides in the "Science vs. Faith" debate, and most of the characters have pondered the merits of "Fate vs. Free Will."

John Locke? Yes, Lost employs so many allusions—incorporating history, philosophy, mythology, literature, religion, art—that each episode serves as a veritable playground for the erudite. Lost introduces, for example, a physicist named Faraday and a time-travel aficionado named Hawking. Philosophers, however, are most prevalent. There's John Locke (who temporarily uses a pseudonym, Jeremy Bentham), Mikhail Bakunin, and Edmund Burke. On the island, one can also encounter a Rousseau, a Hume, and a Carlyle. And to make things even more amusing, there's an Oxford-born woman named Charlotte Staples Lewis.

Speaking of C.S. Lewis (Clive, not Charlotte), Lost has evoked comparisons to Narnia and Lewis' Space Trilogy, as well as works by a host of other authors. As devoted fans comb each episode for clues, book titles have become fodder for conversation—and conspiracy theories. Episode titles include "There's No Place Like Home," "The White Rabbit," "Through the Looking Glass," "A Tale of Two Cities," "The Shape of Things to Come," and "Stranger in a Strange Land" (which probably references Heinlein's novel, though Books & Culture readers might associate it with a certain bi-monthly literary column).

In season 3, when viewers first suspected the possibility of time travel, one character was shown reading A Brief History of Time. More specifically, he was reading the seventh chapter, "Black Holes Ain't So Black." In spite of the deserted island setting, the castaways could compile a significant library of literary classics. Characters are shown reading everything from Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret to VALIS, Watership Down, A Wrinkle in Time, The Fountainhead, The Brothers Karamazov, and Ulysses. Most recently, the season 5 finale revealed a prominent character reading Flannery O'Connor's Everything That Rises Must Converge. Considering the backdrop for this scene, those familiar with O'Connor's portrayals of violent revelation will find its inclusion especially poignant.

Adding to the show's intrigue, Lost's writers often communicate to their audience in winks and nudges, providing information that exists outside the narrative thread. For example, Lost often includes "Easter eggs," hidden clues that might suggest answers to one of the show's mysteries or maybe just teasingly signpost something insignificant—a mere "Did you catch that?" nudge. For example, one scene includes an advertisement for Nozz-A-La Cola, a fictional soft drink that exists in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Other Easter eggs involve characters appearing in the background of another character's flashback.

The fifth season of Lost wasn't shy about showcasing previously shrouded science-fiction elements. In response, Popular Mechanics started blogging about the ideas in the show, enlisting experts to weigh in on Lost's representation of topics like electromagnetism, relativistic physics, wormholes, and Egyptology. And the expert reviews were largely positive; the scientific and historical depictions, though far-fetched at times, were at least rooted in plausibility—proof, it seems, that Lost has done its homework.

Despite the inclusion of science-fiction elements like time travel, Lost seldom feels like sci-fi. Perhaps this is because viewers are left to wonder whether the island's forces are scientific, supernatural, or, quite possibly, both. Take for example, the character Richard Alpert (who shares his name with Timothy Leary's former cohort, before he became Ram Dass), a man who doesn't appear to age. His immortality—if he even is immortal—is one of the unexplained elements that has baffled and intrigued viewers.

When the fifth season wasn't boggling minds with its time-jumping storyline, the plot delved deep into island history. The finale to season 5 confirmed that the castaways have staggered into a conflict that predates them by centuries, if not longer. The most telling scene included an exchange between two characters that seems to set the stage for Lost's final season:

"They come. They fight. They destroy. They corrupt. It always ends the same way."

"It only ends once. Everything that happens before that is just progress."

So what does that mean for the original castaways, the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815? Are they going to factor into an ultimate conclusion? Or will their ordeals be "just progress"? Will the story culminate in a good-versus-evil showdown with supernatural implications? Will it establish the solvency of free will? Will there be redemption? For whom?

Whatever happens, if the first five seasons are any indication, the sixth and final season will be worth watching. If nothing else, Lost's final season promises to answer some if not quite all of the island's mysteries. Most likely, those answers will be unlike anything viewers are anticipating.

But then again, that's exactly what they should expect by now.

Source: Christianity Today

The mystery of how ABC's 'Lost' keeps its secrets Posted by DarkUFO at 5/18/2009 08:55:00 PM View Comments Labels: Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof, JJ Abrams, Online Article

I'm not sure the reporter was 100% with this statement "Their greatest success was hiding one of the biggest plot twists in TV history; the flash forward at the end of Season 3" LOL

By this time Thursday, you will know as many of the secrets of ABC's "Lost" as the enigmatic Ben – or at least, as much as Michael Emerson, the actor who plays the sociopathic former leader of the Others.

"At the beginning of each season when we have eight or ten episodes in the can, I know a lot more of the storyline than the audience," said Emerson, "By the end of the season, like right now, I know two more hours than you know….the script of what airs on Wednesday night and that's it."

He's as curious as everybody else.

And that's just the way that executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof like it heading into Wednesday's Season 5 finale. Short of building a bunker on a remote, deserted island, they've taken steps to protect their closely-guarded secrets from the hordes of spoiler seekers that regularly float around the show's Oahu set.

"We write fake sides when we cast guest actors since those scenes have to be faxed all over town to actor's agents," Cuse told the News by email. "Actors are cast never actually having read or having auditioned doing the real scenes they will be doing in the show."

Emerson knows that full well, having debuted on the show in what was originally intended as a guest spot. He flew to Hawaii, and in his words, "and the next morning I was hanging from a tree.

"I had sort of reached the point where I thought where I was now beyond the world of action, so that what ever heavy lifting I was going to do from now on would be cigarettes and martinis," said Emerson. "Now, I'm handling more weapons than I ever dreamt."

A number of Web sites are dedicated to showcasing photos uploaded from cellphone cameras that show scenes being filmed in Honolulu – which doubles for a number of far flung city exteriors on the show, The show's brain-trust has been accused of leaking "foilers" – fake spoilers like doctored script pages – to throw nosy fans off the scent of major developments.

Their greatest success was hiding one of the biggest plot twists in TV history: the flash forward at the end of Season 3, said TV Guide Magazine reporter Rob Moynihan, who covers the show. Lindelof and Cuse had teased reporters in the weeks before, calling it "the snake in the mailbox," because they bragged it was going to shock everybody. "It absolutely took me by surprise," said Moynihan.

Actor Matthew Fox told Entertainment Weekly in 2007 that most of the cast and crew didn't see that episode's script until their scenes were being filmed.

Often the fear of igniting fans' ire keeps journalists in line, said Moynihan.

"People are purists and they don't want anything to ruin it for them," said Moynihan. "There are viewers who turn off the television before the teaser for next week's episode is shown."

Even co-creator J.J. Abrams professed to be kept in the dark where the show is going during an interview for his new movie, "Star Trek."

"My role on that job is to watch in amazement at what they're able to do," Abrams said.

Just like Emerson and the rest of us.

Source: NY Daily News

Lost Peabody Award Article Posted by DarkUFO at 5/18/2009 06:31:00 PM View Comments Labels: ABC, Awards, Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof, Online Article, Steve McPherson

Since the moment it first splashed into primetime in 2004, ABC’s drama “Lost” has been the epitome of a buzz-worthy, successful TV show. It also has been an award winner, snaring Emmys, Saturns, Golden Globes and now the Peabody.

Even though producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are well acquainted with winning, the news that the Peabody board had recognized their show came as a shock.

“Considering it was April 1, we were fairly certain this was a cruel joke. But when it turned out to be the truth, we were flabbergasted,” said Mr. Lindelof. “In fact, we got the news from [ABC Entertainment Group President] Steve McPherson, who simply e-mailed, “Did you just win an effing Peabody?”

The Peabodys cited “Lost” for “breezily mixing metaphysics, quantum physics, romance and cliffhanger action in a genre-bending series about a group of air-crash survivors on a mysterious island. ‘Lost’ has rewritten the rules of television fiction.”

Since “Lost” began, it has been a water-cooler show. “We appreciate the passion our fans have for our show,” said Mr. Cuse. “We try to make the best show we can every week, and we try to be bold, knowing that we risk swinging and missing sometimes. But we think the thing that would let the fans down the most is if we played it safe in our storytelling choices.”

One innovative choice the “Lost” creators made to satisfy viewers was to set a 2010 end date for the show. In American TV, successful series run until they’re no longer successful, however long that is. However, “Getting to announce an end date was the best thing that could have happened for us,” said Mr. Cuse. “We had all this story and mythology but with no idea how long it had to last. As a result, we found ourselves stalling.”

“‘Lost’ is an incredibly difficult show to make in all respects, and pretty much everyone who works on the show has in a large part given his or her life over to it,” Mr. Lindelof said. “To be acknowledged with a Peabody for that hard work and creative commitment is a really nice reward.”

Source: TV Week

If The Characters on ‘Lost’ Told the Truth Posted by DarkUFO at 5/18/2009 01:49:00 PM View Comments Labels: Humour, Online Article

Thanks to Aaron for the following.

Thought this was funny and wanted to share it with everyone here at Dark UFO. Enjoy.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/if-the-characters-on-lost-told-the-truth/

ABC shows merge for ad campaign Posted by DarkUFO at 5/18/2009 08:53:00 AM View Comments Labels: Online Article

Update: 12:00 Thanks to Sluky for the heads up on another article on this campaign.

After spending the last few years telling viewers to “Start Here,” ABC this week will begin telling viewers just where “here” is.

During its upfront presentation to advertisers Tuesday, the network will unveil a massive new on-air promotional campaign built around the concept of the ABC House. “Your favorite shows live here,” the network will tell viewers with the spots, which will feature a comedic tone and a wide assortment of ABC talent appearing in character.

“We want people to think of ABC as a place,” said Mike Benson, the network’s co-executive VP of marketing with Marla Provencio. “We want people to feel ABC is more of a home, a place where you and your family can gather.”

The new campaign comes as ABC, which will finish just behind CBS to rank third in adults 18-49 this season, is expected to unveil an aggressive slate of programming, including more comedies than in recent years. The comic bent of the ads could serve to evolve ABC’s reputation as a drama-heavy network.

ABC plans to roll out around a dozen different spots at the start of the campaign. In one, Sally Field of “Brothers & Sisters” reads a bedtime story to Jimmy Kimmel; another has “Lost’s” Matthew Fox freaking out when Teri Hatcher of “Desperate Housewives” uses the word “island.”

“We’re cross-pollinating all of our different characters,” explained Ms. Provencio, also executive VP, marketing. “Viewers might feel they know these characters, but we’re showing you how they would act if they lived together in a house. It’s giving you a slice of life as to what an ABC family would feel like.”

Other ABC star combinations seen in the spots include Dana Delany with “Dancing With the Stars” cast members; Jorge Garcia (“Lost”) with judges from “Dancing”; Kate Walsh (“Private Practice”) with Dave Annable (“Brothers & Sisters”); and Christina Applegate (“Samantha Who?”) with Rob Lowe (“Brothers & Sisters”).

Former NBC marketing chief Vince Manze, who quietly signed a consultancy deal with ABC in January, helped shape the campaign, along with Becky Daugherty, VP of specials and late night, and her team.

ABC’s marketing department wrote the scripts for the spots in-house. A house in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles was rented to film the ads.

“It’s a nice house, but nothing you wouldn’t see on ABC,” Mr. Benson said. “We wanted a house that seemed like it could be on Wisteria Lane. We wanted it to be familiar and to represent the personality of ABC.”

Each of the ads begins with a shot at the ABC House front door, which is emblazoned with an ABC logo. The network’s four-note musical signature serves as a doorbell sound.

As with most ABC promo spots, the ABC House ads make extensive use of pop music. Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” can be heard in the ad featuring Ms. Hatcher and Mr. Fox; other spots feature artists old and new on their soundtracks.

Right now, the ABC House is limited to on-air promotions.

“But we think this campaign has legs,” Mr. Benson said. “Not only with more spots, but in other ways.”

While the ABC House ads will be a key part of the network’s fall marketing plan, ABC obviously will devote the lion’s share of its promo budget to ads hyping individual shows. The network began airing teaser ads for new drama “Flash Forward” back on April 29.

“It was very strategic why this campaign started on that day,” Mr. Benson said. “There was a reason that date was used.”

Mr. Benson, however, declined to reveal the reason, saying he needed to preserve the mystery behind the date, at least for now.

Source: TV Week


Somewhere in Pacific Palisades, characters from ABC series such as "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" eat, sleep and play together in the same house.

At least, that's the conceit of the Alphabet net's latest marketing campaign, dubbed the "ABC House."

The tongue-in-cheek spots will feature ABC stars, but in character, mingling with each other under the presumption that they all live under one, big Alphabet roof.

In one spot, Susan of "Desperate Housewives" (Teri Hatcher) attempts to cook with "Lost's" Jack (Matthew Fox). In another, "Brothers and Sisters" matriarch Nora (Sally Field) reads a bedtime story to talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel.

The campaign will be unveiled Tuesday during ABC's upfront presentation in New York. About a dozen spots were put together; others featured include "Grey's Anatomy's" Patrick Dempsey, "Dancing With the Stars" host Tom Bergeron and the folks behind "Wipeout."

"We want to create the idea of ABC as more of a place, reinforcing the idea that all of your favorite shows live in one spot," said marketing exec VP Mike Benson. "So we took it literally, and actually have a house where all of our characters live."

In a twist on the net's "Start Here" slogan, the spots will all feature the line "Your favorite shows live here."

In a way, the campaign is a throwback to the big, star-driven network marketing campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s. Those spots usually featured a network's collection of stars interacting on a soundstage or on location.

"This is unique in that the new spots, they're all in character," said marketing co-exec VP Marla Provencio. "That's what the audience relates to."

ABC shot the spots in a Pacific Palisades rental over the course of four days a few weeks ago. Benson and Provencio said they're now mulling the next stage of the campaign.

"I feel like this is an idea that has legs," Benson said. "We've been looking for something that's uniquely us and from an identity standpoint developed a look for the network that is unique."

Source: Variety

What Is JJ Abrams Trying To Tell Us? Posted by DarkUFO at 5/18/2009 08:09:00 AM View Comments Labels: JJ Abrams, Online Article

Thanks to The ODI for the heads up.

Fans of Lost, Fringe and the new Star Trek may have noticed a couple of recurring themes running through JJ Abrams' work, making us think that he's trying to tell us something. But what?

JJ Abrams is a time-traveler from a parallel Earth here to prepare us for some kind of upcoming reality shift. Really, it's the only solution that makes sense.

Think about it. Lost has turned into your weekly primer on the rules of time travel and what can, and can't be done by those sailing the silver seas of the chronoverse. Its creators have spoken before about how they've had to sneak in the more science fictional aspects of the show before this past season's all-out time travel insanity, in order to lure in unsuspecting, potentially sci-fi-phobic audiences, and that's clearly because they are the ones who need to be taught this stuff the most. Sure, most of us know our time travel rules - So much so that we suspect that even detonating a hydrogen bomb through the brute force of lost love isn't going to undo everything as much as cement a new timeline and bump the Lostees forward in time so that they can meet NotLocke - but not everyone is as... let's go with "educated," shall we? as us. Hurley and Miles' most important roles in Lost season 5 were to bring the newbies up to speed about what time travel is all about.

Fringe, meanwhile, dropped the pretense of being an enjoyable dumb-science procedural in the last few weeks of its first season, as soon as Walter wheeled out that chalkboard and started trying to explain the multiverse to us all. Now, I'm not buying the "And that's where deja vu comes from!" aspect of the explanation at all, but you have to take some of it with a grain of salt thanks to Akiva Goldsman's involvement; nonetheless, there's now a whole new audience out there who have discovered the idea of parallel Earths and Schrödinger's cat (Okay, maybe that one is better illustrated here), just as Lost has educated them about time travel.

And then we come to Star Trek, which demonstrates to the previously unaware that time travel + changing the past = parallel timeline. I mean, okay, so it really demonstrates that time travel + changing the past = everyone becomes a younger, hotter version of themselves, but you get what I'm saying. It's a movie that takes the lessons of Abrams' two television shows and puts them into something approaching practice... But for what end?

Clearly, Abrams' entire career to date has not been one of merely entertainment, but instead a cunningly disguised form of education in scientific theories unlikely to be taught in even the most liberal schools (Even Felicity ended with time travel shenanigans!). We may not know exactly why he is trying his best to make sure that as many people as possible understand the nature of time travel and parallel universes - Perhaps he's taunted us with an evil master plan that he intends to carry out when he tires of being called the new Spielberg - but the evidence is unmistakable. All we can do now is hope that interviewers in future will be able to ask him more pointed, valuable questions... before it's too late.

Source: IO9

ABC's on the End Of Lost Posted by DarkUFO at 5/18/2009 06:32:00 AM View Comments Labels: ABC, Steve McPherson

Thanks to thedemonhog for this little snippet from ABC's Steve McPherson about ending Lost.

TVWeek: Are you OK with 'Lost' ending next year, and airing only in winter? In other words, are you going do something with 'Lost' in the fall?

Steve McPherson: As a fan, it's incredibly bittersweet. Pronouncing an end to a show that's doing really well for you is really gut-wrenching on a number of levels for any network executive. But it provided Damon and Carlton with the ability to end the show and also allowed us to truly respect our audience. And honestly, I'm very proud that we took that step.

Source: TV Week

Interview with J.J. Abrams Posted by b3rt4 at 5/16/2009 02:42:00 PM View Comments Labels: Interviews, JJ Abrams, Online Article

Note: There's a little information you might consider a spoiler.

Were you a Star Trek fan growing up? Michael Bradburn, TORONTO
Star Trek was always a little bit closed emotionally. I never connected to the characters. The show I loved more than anything was The Twilight Zone. In every episode, Rod Serling would introduce you to any number of characters, often broken people who are struggling in some weird way.

You've created several original TV shows, but your movies have been TV remakes. Is television more receptive to new ideas? Forrest Karbowski NEW YORK CITY
Because of the risk in budget, because films cost as much as they do, it's simply harder to find opportunities to take those kinds of creative risks in film. For right now, I think TV might be a place where there are more unexpected stories being told.

How much of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's philosophy did you keep in the film? Oscar Trevino AUSTIN, TEXAS
The beauty of what he created is that sense of optimism and diversity. It was refreshing to work on a film that had a bighearted approach to the future--to show a future you'd actually like to live in, as opposed to many films where you think, "I'll pass."

With Lost entering its final season next year, do you have dibs on directing the series finale? Martin Sundstedt STOCKHOLM
It would be an honor to go back and direct the finale. The reason I won't do it is that Jack Bender, who is the directing producer on the show, has essentially earned the right to do whatever he wants. He should be directing the finale.

Are you a comic-book geek? Melissa Wolland LOS ANGELES
I was never really a comic-book fanatic. It's funny, because that stuff that I'm entertained by now are the same things I was entertained by when I was a kid. I remember my first day of nursery school, bawling because I was afraid I would miss Batman. I remember the teacher saying, "What's wrong?" And I couldn't catch my breath through the tears to say, "Am I going to miss Batman?"

You've directed two movies now. Have you developed your own style, a J.J. Abrams touch? Carlos Diaz-Velazquez SAN JUAN, P.R.
I have no style. There are certain people who just have a visual sense that defines their work. You could probably watch 30 seconds of anything they do and you'll know exactly who directed it. I don't have that skill.

Lost's elaborate, seasons-long story line seems to be the exception on TV. Is there pressure to create easily digestible shows? Mike North, BOALSBURG, PA.
When we created Lost, it was so clearly going to be a serialized show. We thought, They're never in a million years going to let us do it. Somehow, though, ABC was O.K. with it because it did well. But that was a complete anomaly. Networks prefer stand-alones. They syndicate better, and they're easier to watch.

Your shows are less about mysterious islands and mad scientists than they are about dysfunctional families. Why? Martin Petersen SCHLESWIG, GERMANY
Especially in television, the more that you're telling a story about a family, the better the show ends up being. And the family can be a family, a group of friends or the members of a starship. You're telling the story of relationships and how characters grow.

Do you have plans for another television series? Divya Chungi NEW YORK CITY
I do have an idea. It's like a romantic and comedic show with a little bit of action thrown in. That's the best broad definition I can give.

What is your favorite plot twist of all time? Emi Chang Kaneshiro MILILANI, HAWAII
The one that comes to mind is the end of Planet of the Apes, when you realize, "Oh my God, he's never getting home because that is home." I just remember seeing that as a kid and I was like, "That's it. My brain just stopped."

Source: Time

Jorge Garcia Channels John Belushi Posted by Congested at 5/16/2009 07:03:00 AM View Comments Labels: Jorge Garcia

Looks like Jorge Garcia is getting lost in another role. With the current season of Lost finally wrapped up, Garcia can set aside Hugo "Hurley" Reyes for a while and focus on other, and perhaps more challenging, parts.
Such as a modern-day samurai warrior.

Garcia spent Thursday helping a buddy out by donning a samurai outfit and sword and tying his hair into a topknot for his pal's film project. All done up in the warrior getup, the beefy actor couldn't help but bring John Belushi's famous "Samurai Delicatessen" Saturday Night Live sketch.

Source: Celebuzz

'Lost' owes a debt to King Posted by Congested at 5/16/2009 06:55:00 AM View Comments Labels: Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof, Entertainment Weekly, Interviews, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Stephen King

It’s a riveting character study set against a supernatural backdrop.

“It” in this case is ABC’s often surreal, sometimes frustrating but always intriguing drama “Lost,” which airs its two-hour, fifth-season finale at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

But “it” could just as well be many of the works by Bangor’s own Stephen King.

That’s not coincidence, according to “Lost” executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who, along with series creator J.J. Abrams, admit to being huge King fans.

In a 2005 “Lost” podcast, Cuse explained, “Stephen King is so artful at blending science fiction or horror concepts with really compelling character stories, and that is so much a model for what we are doing on the show. I mean, those books of his sustain for 800 to 1,000 pages. Not because of the mythology, but because the characters are so damn cool.”

In a recent phone interview, Lindelof and Cuse credited King’s influence for helping them to become the writers they are today.

“I read the first book in the Gunslinger series at age 9 or 10,” said Lindelof, 36, “When I read ‘The Stand,’ it was a real game-changer for me. It had supernatural leanings, but it was a character study as well. It shaped what I became as a writer.”

Cuse, 40, praised the addictive quality to King’s writing.

“Once I picked one up, I couldn’t put it down,” he said. “That was a lesson I strove to emulate in my own writing.”

A King masterpiece served as the model for “Lost” as it was being developed for its 2004 debut.

“There wasn’t a template for this type of show,” Cuse said. “The best thing for us was ‘The Stand,’ for its beautiful character writing more than the mythology. That’s why we owe a huge debut to Stephen King, for showing us the way.”

The “Lost” creators have repaid that debt with King references throughout its five seasons, such The Others discussing “Carrie” in their book group in the episode “A Tale of Two Cities” in Season 3. The Web site Lostpedia is packed with hundreds of “Lost”-King connections, but Lindelof downplays the actual number of in-tentional shout-outs.

“Clearly there are things we do consciously,” Lindelof said. “Others are less overt but purposeful. Then there’s a vast number on the subconscious level. If you look hard enough, you’ll find hundreds. But only 10 percent of those are purposeful on our part.”

King has been a “Lost” fan since the beginning, touting the show in his monthly Entertainment Weekly column “The Pop of King.”

Therefore, he enjoys the connections to his writings.

“It’s amusing and sometimes touching,” he said in a recent e-mail interview. “It makes me feel a little old — more like a founding father than an angry old man — but I guess that’s part of life. The important thing is that I’m still here to appreciate it.”

Lindelof, Cuse and Abrams got to meet the idol in 2006 during an Entertainment Weekly-sponsored visit to Bangor for a round-table discussion on writing. It’s a visit that Cuse and Lindelof remember fondly.

“We had the ultimate Stephen King tour,” Cuse said. “He took us to his house, showed us around Bangor, took us out for a lobster meal and then finally to the horror movie ‘The Descent.’ It was fantastic to be there with him, to witness his enthusiasm for that movie and that genre. That was unbelievably special.”

“For someone who doesn’t get starstruck, I have never been so starstruck as I was hanging out with Mr. King,” Lindelof added. “It kept getting more surrealistic as it went on. He’d seen the movie before, so he provided us with a DVD commentary as it unfolded.”

King was the first to suggest, in a 2005 EW column, that the “Lost” producers firm up an end date for the series, which will conclude next season,

“Having an end date is the difference from being out of control and in control,” Lindelof said. “Until you establish that there’s going to be an end date, all you have is middle. [Having an end date] allows us to save the show, to hammer out the plan we’ve been executing ever since.”

King isn’t the only Bangor connection to “Lost,” as Bangor native Melinda Hsu Taylor joined the show’s writing staff this season.

“Melinda has been great,” Cuse said. “She’s a real genre fan and a Stephen King fan, and shared the same interests that we have. Once we heard her story, we figured that she’s the perfect fit for our group. We felt an immediate kinship with her.”

“Lost” has more science-fiction elements this season, and fans have responded well to it, Cuse said.

“The audience seems to embrace the time-travel elements of the show, and that’s been enormously satisfying,” he said. “The biggest question we get now is, ‘Will you change the future by changing the past?’ and the show will be asking that question through to the end.”

King remains a big fan of the show, which recently passed its 100th episode.

“It’s still terrific fun,” he said. “It’s not quite as mysterious, because we’re in the ‘answers’ phase rather than the ‘questions’ phase, but the lure of the island is, for me, still very strong. I never miss an episode, which is probably the best answer.”

Source: Bangor Daily News

E!Online - Submit your Lost Nominations Posted by DarkUFO at 5/16/2009 06:54:00 AM View Comments Labels: Polls

Thanks to Maria for the following.

The people at Eonline are having their annual Tater Tops again and I think we should try to get Lost into as many categories as possible.

Come one, come all, it's time for the 2009 Tater Top Awards, the most coveted TV awards in the entire world!

OK, fine, the Tater Top is just a golden potato, in honor of our couch-potato tendencies, and maybe it isn't that prestigious, but how 'bout we just agree that potatoes are delicious and leave it at that—cool?

Now, voting for the awards launches next month, but first we need your suggestions! Who should be nominated? And what categories should we be adding to the 2009 Tater Tops that we've never done before?

Want to make sure your favorite show or star is represented? Take a look at the categories below and then send in your suggestions via email (tvdiva@eonline.com) or post them in the comments before May 31.

* Breakout Star
* Moment That Made You Want to Throw Out Your TV
* Best Fight
* Best Baddie
* Best Bitch
* Best Kiss
* Best Show of Skin
* Best Guest Star
* Biggest Tearjerker
* Best Chemistry
* Godforsaken Love Polygon You're Totally Over
* New Show You're Anticipating the Most
* Show You'll Miss the Most
* Star You'll Miss the Most
* Biggest Shocker
* Biggest Disappointment
* Best New Show
* Best Reality Show
* Best Funnyguy
* Best Funnylady
* Best Comedy
* Drama Mama
* Drama King
* Best Drama Ensemble
* Best Drama
* Best Line

Source: E!Online

Damon Lindelof on adapting "Dark Tower" Posted by Congested at 5/16/2009 06:47:00 AM View Comments Labels: Damon Lindelof, Dark Tower, Interviews, JJ Abrams, Stephen King, Watchmen

As “Star Trek” makes its case for the new J.J. Abrams age of the franchise this weekend, he and fellow “Lost” creator Damon Lindelof continue to have early discussions about Stephen King’s cult series of books “The Dark Tower.” Lindelof confirmed Abrams’ assertion that “Lost” is priority number one at the moment, but said the project would require at least as much care as Zack Snyder’s adaptation of “Watchmen.”

“Having seen Zack go through what he went through on ‘Watchmen’ in terms of saying of where can I digress from the material I just get headaches thinking about changing anything,” Lindelof told MTV News. “It was the defining literary tale of my young adulthood into adulthood.”

Lindelof is keenly aware of how that level of attachment can affect his approach to the project. “My reverence for Stephen King is now getting in the way of what any good writer would do first when they’re adapting a book, which is take creative license in changing stuff,” he explained.

If the Hollywood power duo indeed moves on to King’s fantasy/Western tale when they finish with “Lost” it may be an extended commitment in addition to being a demanding one, given the scope of the seven-book series.

“Paramount is certainly looking at it as a franchise movie and thinking about sequels but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” Lindelof said. “Ideas have been thrown around that are very informal at this point.”

And more formal conversations very well may not be in the cards until the fates of Oceanic Flight 815’s passengers are firmly on the ground for the the “Lost” finale.

Source: MTV Movies

Full Matthew Fox on Kimmel Interview Posted by DarkUFO at 5/15/2009 06:56:00 PM View Comments Labels: Interviews, Matthew Fox, Video

Thanks to glory for the video.

Vote for Lost at ESPN Radio Posted by DarkUFO at 5/15/2009 01:11:00 PM View Comments Labels: Polls

Thanks to David for the following

So I was on ESPN Radio and they have a playoff Final Four of TV shows. LOST is the number 1 seed but it is now loosing to The Office.

Thought LOST fans would want to vote on this.

Vote Here for Lost

Episode 5x16/17 Season Finale - Shocking End Posted by The ODI at 5/14/2009 11:43:00 PM View Comments Labels: Benjamin Linus, Jacob, Juliet, Locke, The Incident, Video

Hey All,
As all of you know the Season 5 finale ended with one of the biggest cliffhangers the show has ever had.

The fade to a white flash was a classic cliffhanger and yes it sucks we have to wait 8 months to find out what happens next, but before the fade to white, there were two main shocking twists.

First, we had the reveal that Locke indeed is dead and was never resurrected, but the fake Locke (other man in black in opening scene) convinces Ben into killing Jacob.

Of course at the Swan site the dramatic twist of fate for Juliet falling into the hole only to cause the white flash.

Here thanks to SycloneFX is the Season 5 Finale ending scenes.

Enjoy!!

Episode 5x16/17 The Incident (Season Finale) - Shocking End


Source: The ODI

Lost among leaders in power ratings Posted by DarkUFO at 5/14/2009 09:53:00 PM View Comments Labels: Online Article, Ratings

Shows remain strong marketing draw despite lower Nielsens

While ABC's "Lost" and NBC's "Heroes" have lost some steam in the Nielsen ratings over the past year, they remain two of the most valuable program franchises a marketer can tap into, according to the just-released calendar year "content power ratings" (CPR) released by Publicis Group's Optimedia.

The CPR rankings, which the media shop first launched a little more than a year ago, try to assess the overall value of network and cable TV programs to advertisers by going beyond the Nielsen TV ratings to look at factors such as program environment and viewer involvement, as well as by monitoring chatter on blogs and social networks about programs. (These are assessed in part by in-house qualitative research, involving a panel of several thousand viewers). The Optimedia ranking also considers a program's cross-platform viewing performance and trends on mobile and online.

As Optimedia U.S. CEO Antony Young explained in a Webinar unveiling the new rankings today, "TV isn't just TV anymore. Agencies buy shows, not ratings."

The conversation about declining TV ratings needs to be reframed said Greg Kahn, senior vp, director of strategic resources at Optimedia. "It's now about viewership and engagement on multiple platforms."

The shop's power ratings have also helped shape the agency's agenda for the upcoming upfront market place, said Young. "We're going to be really interested in the network's online video strategy," he said. "We're very interested in the cross-platform extensions for individual TV shows, which our power ratings indicate have a meaningful impact on their overall ranking." Young also said the shop will be interested in marketing plans the networks are preparing for individual shows.

For the 2008 rankings, the science-fiction program genre fared exceptionally well during the year, as viewers sought escapist fare to distract themselves from the harsh realities of the recession, the Optimedia index showed. Lost was number two on the CPR ranking followed by Heroes at six and Fringe at 13.

Comedy made a comeback in the CPR rankings as six made the top 20 list in 2008, versus just two in 2007. "This is a genre the networks are sort of giving up on, and we encourage them not to do that, " said Kahn.

Politics impacted the rankings last year, boosting Saturday Night Live to the top-ranked late night spot, helped by Tiny Fey's take on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. In the fourth quarter, search volume for SNL clips online quintupled, per Google Trends. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart--always heavy on political satire--placed second among late night programs, per the Optimedia CPR rankings.

American Idol repeated as the top-ranked show in the CPR prime-time rankings. It dominated viewing across multiple platforms, "but went way beyond that," said Kahn, with theme park tie-ins, iTunes downloads of the show's performers and merchandising. "It really has taken on a life of its own," he said.

Rounding out the top 10 prime-time CPR shows are The Office, Dancing with the Stars, Grey's Anatomy, Family Guy, CSI, Survivor and House.

The top-ranked cable show in the CPR index was AMC's Mad Men, about Madison Avenue in the 1960s, which placed 30th out of the 200 prime-time shows that the index measured.

Premium cable shows turned in a surprisingly strong showing said Kahn, noting that Showtime's serial killer drama Dexter placed 33rd while Weeds, another Showtime original was not far behind at 41st. HBO's Entourage placed 43rd. "They were all very viable online and received a lot of buzz generally," he said. Not every advertiser, of course, will want to integrate its brand in a show about a serial killer, "but the point is that these shows can compete on a different level as well."

In addition to its own research and the Nielsen ratings, Optimedia culled data from Nielsen Online's VideoCenus, Comscore's Media Metrix 2.0, E-Poll's FastTrack Television and Dow Jones Factiva to formulate its power ratings.

Source: Hollywood Reporter