What the Lost actors are up to

Now that Lost has wrapped up, it has been interesting how the actors have dispersed and found new places in the entertainment world.

Hurley's Face On An Album
Weezer is using Jorge Garcia's picture for their most recent album, which was released Sept 14th. Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo recently met Jorge and snapped a picture with him. They cropped Cuomo out and used Jorge's face for the cover. While discussing what to name the album, they knew people would refer to it as "the Hurley album" so they just named it Hurley. You can read more about it here or just check out the album on iTunes.

Locke And Ben Reunited
Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn will be back togetherr in a new drama produced by Lost co-creator JJ Abrams. On Sept 23rd, NBC announced they secured the rights to develop a show that supposedly started out as a brainstorm of Michael and Terry's. The two actors, who have become good friends, spent much of their downtime during Lost's final season thinking up projects they could do together once Lost ended. Apparently one of their ideas had enough merit to get Abrams on board. The details are still very hush-hush but the rumor is they will play two former black-ops cops. Since they were the only two Lost actors who actually went home with Emmy's this seems like a sure-fire hit in the making!

Daniel Dae Kim on Hawaii 5-0
If you have not checked out Hawaii 5-0 you are missing the best new show of the season. (in my humble opinion) Personally, I'm a little offended at all the shows who are trying to be "the next Lost." But that is not what this show it doing. It is a reboot of an old series. It is a police drama about a special task force in Hawaii. Most of the stories are resolved by the end of the episode although they have laid some groundwork in the pilot for an over arching storyline. The aspect I enjoy the most is the interaction between the characters. The two main officers are polar opposites and often argue with each other like an old married couple! It cracks me up every week! Daniel Dae Kim is doing an excellent job as Chin Ho Kelly, an officer who was wrongfully kicked off the police force. You don't have to start with the pilot to catch up, just jump in this Monday night on CBS.

Spike TV To Honor Lost
On October 19, Spike TV will have it's annual Scream Awards which will include a Farewell Tribute to Lost. Many of the shows actors will be reunited for it. They are using Lost-themed videos like this to promote it.


(Note: If you are a Back to the Future fan, Spike also made another promo clip that is Back to the Future themed. You can watch it here.)
My DRV is set!

Namaste!

"The New Man In Charge" Analysis and Online Buzz

As I mentioned in my last post, I feel like this epilogue should satisfy those who felt like they still needed answers after Lost ended. Where the finale gave us a lot of emotional closure on the characters and their journey, this epilogue was answer after answer rapidly fired at us as if from a machine gun. Personally, I'm glad they didn't try to squeeze all these explanations into the finale. It would have taken away the element that Lost has always been so good at: a character driven story.

Connect The Dots and Easter Eggs
The subtitle indicates the warehouse is located in Guam. This makes sense since Guam has always been referred to as the closest place to the island. The Black Rock, Danielle's crew, and the freighter all had their last port from Guam. So even though the island moves, it seems like it must stay in a general area in the Pacific Ocean.

Not that we really care, but the two men in the warehouse are named Hector and Glenn. I am a little disappointed they didn't take this opportunity to make an inside joke with the names. It would have been more interesting if they were named "Damon and Carlton" or something like that.

It is hilarious that Ben would only answer one question from each man yet this epilogue answers about 20 questions for us. It makes me wonder what one question would I ask if given this opportunity. It would be so hard to narrow it down!

Ben explained the coordinates of the island were sent to the warehouse from the computer at The Lamp Post Station. That is the one located under the church in Los Angeles. Remember when Mrs. Hawking taught the castaways Island 101 down there? (S5 E6 "316")

When Ben pulls out the Dharma DVDs it is very similar in appearance to the Season 5 DVD set. (The Deluxe Edition)

The orientation film Ben chose to show was for the Hydra Station. That is the station located on the other smaller island aka "Hydra Island." It is where Jack, Kate, and Sawyer were held hostage, and where the Ajira plane landed and took off from.

You'll notice it showed Room 23. We first learned about Room 23 when Karl was being held there. Alex came to rescue him with the help of Kate and Sawyer. (S3 E7 "Not in Portland") Walt was held there during his kidnapping. (Missing Pieces "Room 23") And Jin was also retained there by Zoe and her geek squad during the final season. ("The Package") I do think it is interesting to learn that the DI were kidnapping "the hostiles" and doing experiments on them. It explains the constant feuding between the two groups. And sheds light why the Others eventually "purged" all the Dharma folks.

The brainwashing video may have seemed like the same one they showed to Karl, but his was slightly different. It seems the Others added in a few slides after they took it over, including this one about Jacob.

Dr. Chang also mentioned that once the polar bears figured out the fish biscuit challenge, they would be transferred to the The Orchid Station. That is the station on top of the donkey wheel. Remember when Ben turned the wheel he ended up in the desert of Tunisia. Evidently they would put tracking devices on the polar bear and send them through "the exit point" to discover where it went.

Dr. Chang also mentioned studies on birds, making them into "Hy-birds." I think this is more of an inside joke than a trivial detail. Back in the Season 1 finale ("Exodus") Hurley and company first went through "the dark territory" to get to The Black Rock. During the hike, a large bird flew overhead and squawked. Fans thought it sounded like the bird had said "Hurley" and had a field day debating about it. It became known as "The Hurley Bird" and even had it's own page on Lostpedia. The creators probably never intended for the squawk to sound like anything other than a squawk. But in the Season 2 finale ("Live Together Die Alone") the bird flew over Hurley and made the sound again. This time Hurley asked "Did that bird just say my name?" And Sawyer mocked him. This was put in as a wink to the fans. And now in the epilogue they are confirming there was bird testing going on. But it is possible the storyline was heavily influenced by the fans!

When the orientation video ended, Hector said "I think we're gonna need to see that again." This echos Locke's line the first time he watched the orientation video for The Swan Station: "We're going to need to watch that again." (S2 E3 "Orientation")

Santa Rosa must not have many games for their patients to play. We've seen most of our characters admitted there play Connect Four in the rec room! First Lenny, then Hurley, and now Waaaaaaaaalt! Incidentally, you win Connect Four by getting 4 in a row and there are 42 playing spaces on the board.

Walt was registered as "Keith Johnson." This is significant because Michael's alias, when he was on the freighter, was "Kevin Johnson." We know that Walt always had to live under an alias after he returned from the island because his grandmother referenced it. But it could not have always been Keith Johnson since it seems to be fashioned after his father's alias. But Tom didn't give Michael that identity until after Michael and Walt had chosen their first aliases. ("Meet Kevin Johnson") When Lost ended, the last Walt had heard of his father was what Locke told him: Michael was on a boat near the island. But I guess he learned the truth some time later. So my guess is that Walt took on the name Keith Johnson after he found out what happened to Michael on the freighter.

Did you notice how Ben said "Everyone has friends, Walt. Even me." It made me realize that Hurley is most likely Ben's first real friend since he was a kid!

I'm not sure what the significance was in Ben giving Walt a granola bar. It's not like he's a child who will follow anyone who gives him sweets. But you can see Ben pocket the granola bar earlier, while he was in the Dharma warehouse.

It was fulfilling for Hurley to be able to rescue Walt from Santa Rosa and tell him he's not crazy since Hurley spent so much time there wondering if he, himself was crazy.

In case you need a tally of how many questions were answered in this epilogue:

• Why were food drops still being delivered to the island?
  
• Why were there polar bears on the island?
  
• Why did Dr. Chang use aliases?
  
• How did that one polar bear get to Tunisia?
  
• Why are pregnancies fatal on the island?
  
• Why didn't Dharma and The Others get along?
• Was there really a "Hurley bird?"
• What was the purpose of the brainwashing video?
  
• Who made the brainwashing video?
  
• How did Widmore know about the exit point?
  
• What ever happened to Walt?
• Was Walt really 'special?'
  

Fan reaction
For the most part, fans were very satisfied with this epilogue. I've read many comments of people who didn't feel like they needed any more after the show's finale yet it was nice to get this little bit more. There were those who were disappointed that the answers lead to still more questions. (Those people will never be satisfied.) But the most common complaint I saw was that it did not take place on the island. I feel this is a valid complaint. It would not have been difficult to add an island scene since they filmed it all in Hawaii. I think it would have been better if Hurley had been waiting for Ben and Walt on the island's dock instead of in the van. Then after greeting each other Vincent would've run out of the jungle and reunited with Walt. Now THAT would've been satisfying!

Theories
The appearance of Walt and the "job" Hurley was planning to offer him was the center of many theories. Starting with the craziest and moving to more plausible, here is what I came across:

Walt will help Hurley create the Sideways World. Some think that because he is special, he and the island can some how harness their magic to create the world that becomes the group's waiting room to the afterlife. I've even read arguments that Walt's absence in the church is proof that he created it!?

Walt's job will be to deal with the "Hurley Bird." He has a history of birds crashing into walls near him. (S2 E22 "Three Minutes" and Missing Pieces "Room 23") So some think he will kill or train the "Hy-Bird."

Walt helps Michael and the other "Whisperers" to "move on." Ben did tell Walt that he could still help his father. And "moving on" seems to be something Michael wanted when he explained his situation to Hurley. But I wonder if Michael would still want to leave if Walt came back to live on the island. It would be their chance to finally have a good relationship. It's easier for me to believe that Walt would help all the Whisperers move on but Michael chooses to stay.

Hurley is grooming Walt to became The New Man In Charge. This would explain why he (and maybe Michael) were not in the church in the final episode. They might be spending their eternity on the island. And it gives a second possible interpretation of the title "The New Man In Charge." Someone pointed out that the first line on The Pilot was Michael yelling "Waaaalt!" So it would seem fitting that the whole show ended with Walt becoming the island's caretaker!

The fact is, the writers left the epilogue (and the show) ambiguous on purpose. They want us to fill in the blanks in our own way. I've seen many interviews of Darlton where they explained it does not bother them that people got upset with the ending. They don't mind if people are still debating about the show ten years from now. They would consider it a compliment if people still talk about the show ten years from now!

Ten years from now I know I'll want to still talk about it. I just hope I can still find someone to talk with, so I won't be "that crazy lady who talks to herself about smoke monsters!"

Namaste!

The Last 12 Minutes of Lost

Lost: The Sixth And Final Season and Lost: The Complete Collection DVD and Blu-Ray sets were released on August 23rd. The box itself looks like a brick from The Temple. It comes with lots of extra "stuff" like a Senet game, a letter from The Black Rock, and a black light flash light. You use the light to find many hidden messages/codes in the packaging. There is even a hidden disk in the box for those who figure out the secret to opening it. There are many entries on YouTube of fans opening their box set and finding the hidden treasures. But I feel like Jimmy Kimmel did it best when he had Matthew Fox on his show:




The thing which had fans salivating was the bonus material. There is an epilogue titled "The New Man In Charge." It is a 12 minute featurette set in present day time, aka the days when Hurley and Ben rule the island.

A Little Behind The Scenes Info
The epilogue was shot at the same time they filmed the finale. I heard reports of the actors getting confused about what they were filming for as they went back and forth between scenes for the finale and scenes for the DVD bonus materials. However, the producers never intended the epilogue material to be in the finale. So it's not like a collection of deleted scenes. They always planned on holding on to this last little piece to come out with the DVDs. That's why it is considered an epilogue.

Originally we were told the epilogue would only be available in the box collection of the Complete Series and not in the Season 6 set. This really made me mad since it doesn't really respect those of us who have bought each season as they came out. But something must have changed that plan and it ended up on both.

To promote sales, a few weeks before the sets were released, abc "leaked" a clip of the first minute or so of "The New Man In Charge."

The New Man In Charge
Before you watch the epilogue, let me tell you what a moment I had before I was able to push 'play' on my remote to watch it. I had to take a few deep breaths and prepare myself because it was the last... new... Lost... I would... ever... watch... ...forever. It was extremely exciting to know my eyes would soon be filled with frames I've never seen. It had story on it I didn't know, and possible answers to questions. It had been over three months since the finale and I have missed this show dearly. Yet it was so sad to know it truly was the last I would ever see of my beloved show, the last piece to pick apart and over-analyze, the last time I would see these characters who feel like friends. I knew at the end of the clip there was one last Lost logo waiting to 'thud' onto my TV screen to indicate the end. But I was able to hit 'play' anyway.

I don't feel right about posting it on my site since there are copyright laws against it. So I'm going to send you to another site to watch it. Then next week I will post my analysis of it. Let me know if the clip was removed from this site and I'll try to replace it with another one.

http://c0up.posterous.com/lost-season-6-epilogue-new-man-in-charge

Namaste!

A Fun Clip

This is NOT the Lost epilogue but it is still very funny.



Namaste!

A Long Overdue Update

I apologize for not posting for so long. I know it seems like the show ended and I just walked away. But in actuality, my family and I moved from Tennessee to Georgia shortly after the finale. I really was thankful I was able to stay in Tennessee long enough to have my finale party. But I was super busy once it ended. If you've ever moved, you know you spend a long time packing then a longer time unpacking. So I have been very busy getting my family settled into our new home.

Anyway, as you might imagine, there has not been much Lost news to report. Over the summer, fans continued to discuss their opinions of the finale. Most of them, like me, hold onto the same feelings they had the night it aired. But some have jumped to the opposite side of the fence. Some fans who didn't like it the first night, didn't like it because they were confused by it or were upset to learn that all the characters had been dead all season. But after having discussions with friends, many understand it better and decided they like where it landed . Some fans who loved it on the first night, have decided it left them with too many unanswered questions. But those people should be pleasantly surprised by the epilogue which came out this month. (More on that in my next post.)

Comic Con
July 22-25 was the annual Comic Con in San Diego. We were warned last year that there would not be a Lost panel this year and Darlton would not be making an appearance. They were true to their word. Fans of the show rooted for Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) who will be starring in the new Hawaii Five-0 reboot. At the Hawaii Five-0 panel Daniel was asked what he thought of the show's new theme song. He replied that he was just happy to be on a show that has a theme song! He also shared he was very satisfied with how Lost ended. He claimed he had always felt Jin and Sun would have some sort of tragic ending because it seemed to fit with their journey. And he felt it was very poetic how they gave their lives for one another.

The Auction
August 21-23 there was an online auction of Lost memorabilia. The items were a collection of just about every significant prop from the show plus more. The money went to charity but I don't know which one. The top selling item was the Dharma VW bus. It went for $47,500!

Here is a short list of the 1,100 items and what they sold for:
the frozen donkey wheel $22,500
a pilot script signed by JJ Abrams and Damon Lindeloff $15,000
the wheel from The Lighthouse $27,500
Sawyer's copy of Watership Down $2,750
Desmond's Dharma fail-safe key $11,000
Jack's outfit from the finale (blue t-shirt and jeans he died in) $9,000
Locke's wheelchair $3,250
Daniel Faraday's journal (the one with notes) $20,000
Jin's wedding ring $4,750
Hurley's lottery ticket $5,500
two crates of Virgin Mary statues $5,000
12 cans of Dharma beer $5,000
Dharma Jeep $20,000
Hurley's Camero $20,000
Swan Station computer $16,000
large section of the Oceanic wreckage $9,000
Charlie's Driveshaft ring $9,000
Locke's compass $8,000
baby Aaron's crib $8,000
section of Jacob's tapestry $6,500
Jack's suit from the pilot $3,000
Sawyer's improvised reading glasses $2250
the key to the gun case Jack wore around his neck in Season 1 $2,000
Set chair for Matthew Fox $1,200

One of the most talked about items was this chair back for Titus Welliver who played "The Man in Black."
On the chair back you can see under the actor's name is the character name "Samuel." So it caused a little bit of a stir that the Man in Black's name was finally revealed. Most diehard fans, myself definitely included, feel that if it never made it into the show it is not considered canon of the show. And we feel the fact that he was never given a name adds to his persona. But a few days after this news broke there was a statement made by a supposed inside source explaining that the name "Samuel" was only an alias used for casting the actor. When the show has a casting call, those roles and their descriptions are made public. Since the show's creators don't always want the fans to know spoilers about the show the make alias names for those characters. A good example would be when they decided to cast Jacob and Young Jacob. They used other names (Jason and Teenage Boy) so we would know who they were until we were supposed to. Samuel was the name used when casting this role. It is unclear how that name ended up on the chair. But according to that inside source, Titus Welliver himself never knew the name of his character and his lines in the scripts were labeled "Man In Black."

The Emmys
Lost received 12 Emmy nominations including Outstanding Drama, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Matthew Fox (Jack), and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Michael Emerson (Ben) AND Terry O'Quinn (Locke/UnLocke) But on August 29th, it was heart breaking to watch all those Emmys go to someone else. Lost went home empty-handed.

The Final Season on DVD
The 6th Season of Lost was released on Aug 23rd. Since this post is already long I will have to save it for the next post which I promise will be in the next few days.

Namaste!