Anticipating "The Event" (Spoilers)

I watched the pilot of The Event, and I gotta say, I'm ready to see more.  The show tries to be a cross between 24 and Lost and even the first scenes, just like in 24 and Lost, take place on a plane.

Also like Lost, the show flashes back and forth to tell the story.  However unlike in Lost, the flashbacks are enough to make your head swim.

Despite that though, the pilot was a success.  It was suspenseful, I was interested in the characters and I was tantalized enough to want to know what The Event is.

Here's the plot in a nutshell. In flashbacks we see Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) and his cute girlfriend Leila Buchanan go off on a cruise.  A couple of days into the Leila disappears.  At the same time of the disappearance, the girlfriend's Dad, played by Scott Patterson (Luke Danes of the Gilmore Girls), Mom and little sister come under attack at their home. 

The next thing we know, cruise ship personnel are telling Sean they don't even have he and his girlfriend listed as being on the cruise and Sean has to escape the clutches of the authorities.

Meanwhile, in the present, Sean has pulled a gun and is trying to get into the cockpit of the aforementioned plane.  Evidently he wants to stop the pilot.

Also in the present, the President of the United States, a very well preserved Blair Underwood, is having a birthday party for his son at the presidential retreat in Miami, Florida.  He's also planning to relase some prisoners--that we know little about--and that his chief of staff, played by the wonderful Zeljko Ivanek (recently of True Blood and Damages fame) totally disagrees with.

The party is broken up when that same plane Sean is trying to turn around starts to head straight for the presidential retreat.  A warning goes out and the secret service try to get the president and his family out of there. 

But suddenly, it's too late.  Here comes the plane.  And who's piloting?  No less than Luke Danes!  Er, I mean Leila's father, Michael Buchanan!

Just when it looks like the Vice-President of the United States is going to get a bump up in pay, the plane disappears.  Right into thin air.  Gone. 

I didn't see that coming.  And I like that.  Here's a little preview from next week's show.

Photo courtesy NBC

The Upcoming "Lost" Auction: My Favorite Items

If you're a Lost fan you might want to mortgage your house and place a couple of bids on items at this weekend's Profiles in History auction of Lost props, costumes and set pieces.

The auction takes place August 21st and 22nd at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California and you can view the items up for sale in the online catalog on the Profile's in History's website. 

Some of the notable items up for sale are pieces of wreckage from Oceanic 815, Dharma jumpsuits, Hurley's winning lottery ticket, and the island's time shifting magic wheel.

Some of the really big ticket items are things like Hurley's red Camaro,
the Dharma Volkswagon van, the Swan door and the infamous Swan computer.

And if you're partial to Locke's wheelchair, you have a choice of his original chair from the season 1 or the what was left of the chair that Desmond ran over while Locke was in it, near the end of season 6.

If I didn't need a place to live and decided to cash in my valuables and bid on some items, the ones I'd go for would be:

Sun's wedding dress.  The way wedding dress prices are these days, it'd still probably come out cheaper than something from Kleinfelds.

Faraday's journal where he writes about Desmond being his constant.  Just imagine, I might be able to make some great physics discovery if I read his notes carefully.

Sawyer's letter to the man who murdered his parents.  Anytime I was feeling vengeful, I could use the letter as inspiration.

Season 2 production artwork. These drawings include diagrams of the Swan station, the Tailie's beach camp and Eko's church.  If in my next life I decide to become a set designer, why not learn from the best?

The original pilot script signed by J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof.  Why not own the one item that represents where it all began?  Not to mention, to date, the most expensive pilot ever filmed for television.

Talk about inspiration.

Photos courtesy Profile's In History

The "Lost" Finale: It Ended the Way It Began, Brilliantly!

Well, it ended the way it began.  "Lost," one of the most ambitious, mind bending and exciting shows ever on television ended by being true to itself and its characters.  Frustrated viewers be damned.

Personally, I loved it!

Though I'll be honest.  I had to watch the show all the way through, then spend the next hour going back through all the flash sideways scenes.   And then, spending the next half hour playing back the last fifteen minutes, twice.

Only then did I feel like I could do this post justice.  Only then did I feel I could verbalize what this long awaited finale was all about.

Ultimately, I figured it out.  All you had to do was listen carefully to Jack's dead father, Christian Shephard, as he answered Jack's questions, which were really our questions.

Okay, so here goes.  This entire season of flashes sideways, those were all scenes of the characters after they had died.  They were living not real lives, but spiritual lives.  Lives that they created based on their own experiences, hopes and desires. 

I'm Gonna Be Lost Without "Lost!"

Oh my Gawd!  What the heck am I gonna do?  "Lost" is ending tonight and though I'm beyond excited to see how one of the best shows ever on television ends, I'm feeling like a 5 year old who's about to get her blankie taken away.

I'm gonna be lost without "Lost!"

I'm anxious all the time, I break out into cold sweats for no reason, I look past tonight's finale and all I see is a vast wasteland without Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sawyer, Jin, Sun and even Juliet.

I'm thinking of starting a group next week called LA:  Losties Anonymous.  It'll be for those of us who can't bear the thought of never going back to the island.  Kind of like Jack when he was back home and flying around over the Pacific in Oceanic planes, hoping they would crash.  We'll grow really bad beards, start popping pills and never wash another dish.

Maybe the only way I can curb this terrible feeling is to make a few predictions about tonight's finale.  Here goes:

Um, errr....let me see...truth is--I don't know what the heck is gonna happen!  All I have is questions:

• Will the Crash Losties or the No Crash Losties survive?
• Will Desmond finally make the No Crash Losties wakeup to "reality?"
• Will Jack really stay on to take Jacob's place?
• Will Sun and Jin really stay dead?  Because I'm gonna be really pissed if Sun and Jin really stay dead.
• Is Claire permanently on the dark side?

Producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have said they've known for ages what the final shot will be in the whole series.  My prediction of that final shot?  It'll be the same as the first shot, a closeup of Jack's eye.

Check in tomorrow when I'll have a review of all the "Lost" finale fireworks.  In the meantime, enjoy the last of "Lost."

Related Links:

The 25 Best Moments of "Lost"

Ten Things "Lost" and President Obama Have in Common

"Lost," The 14 Casting Tapes That Started It All

Photo Courtesy and Copyright ABC

Hysterical Opening Credits for "Lost" with a Saul Bass Twist

Okay y'all this is the funniest thing I've seen in days!

It's a sample of the opening credits for "Lost" if they had been done by cinematic title designer Saul Bass.  Bass was a graphic designer and responsible for some of the most memorable film titles in history. 

Throughout his career he created over 50 film title sequences for such directors as Alfred Hitchcok, Otto Preminger and Martin Scorsese.

This one for "Lost is guaranteed fall on the floor funny.

My favorite images, the baby bottle for Claire and the dog with the wagging tail for Michael and Walt.

Enjoy!

Lost vs. Saul Bass from Hexagonall on Vimeo.

A Flash Back to "Flash Forward" and "V"

Image Courtesy ABC-TV

ABC's freshman sci-fi shows, "Flash Forward" and "V" have been missing in action since before Christmas.  Since "Flash Forward" returns with a two hour re-launch tonight and "V" returns on March 30, let's take a look back, shall we? 

"Flash Forward" is a perfect example of a really cool premise that's hard to carry off.   Basically everyone on the planet blacked out at the same time for 2 minutes and 17 seconds.  While out they also had visions or flashes forward of moments six months in the future.  Our hero, FBI agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) saw himself falling off the alcohol wagon and also in danger from the people who caused the blackout in the first place.  Olivia Benford (Sonya Walger), Mark's wife was horrified to see herself presumably having an affair with another man.  

"Lost" Has Returned! Sniff, Sniff... (Spoilers)

"Lost" has returned and it's terribly good and terribly sad! 

Good because the premiere jolted us back and forth like a ping pong ball and made us question everything we know about our intrepid characters and the island world.

Sad because it's almost over!  Only fifteen more episodes before the end.

Look at these pictures from last week's screening in Hawaii of the Season 6 premiere, "LAX" Parts 1 & 2.

The cast looks happy.  Hurley, Kate, Jin, Michael, Ben, and Ben's wife--who plays on "True Blood" by the way.

They don't feel our pain, our loss, our devastation at the thought of no more island mysteries.

Oh the humanity!

The 25 Best Moments of "Lost"

 
All right Losties, it's here! 

The moment we've all been waiting for -- the return of "Lost" for its 6th and final season beginning February 2nd on ABC at 8/7c.

In honor of the big event, I thought it was the perfect time to review where we've been before we move forward.  Or backward, depending on what the island is doing.

I spent the last few weeks watching the show from the beginning to pick out my 25 best moments of "Lost."

Here they are:

Megan on Blog Talk Radio - Controversy Surrounding "The Princess and the Frog"

Last night I was interviewed by the fabulous Renee of the blog Thinking Out Loud for Blog Talk Radio.  Our discussion was about the Disney film, "The Princess and the Frog" and some of the controversy surrounding the star Tiana, Disney's first black princess.

The interview runs about 50 minutes but feel free to skip around.

If you have difficulty with the volume on the podcast, you can download it from iTunes and adjust the volume accordingly.

 

TV 2009: Major Moments, Major Madness

It's that time of year again.  Time to reflect on favorite TV moments and madness of 2009.  I personally had a lot of favorite shows this year: "Lost," "24," "House," "Dexter," "True Blood," "Battlestar Galactica," "Mad Men" to name just a few.

"Flash Forward" had a cool concept and a few good episodes, but it needs to retool itself before coming back in March.  The same thing goes for "V," though at least "V" is a pretty basic good guy/bad alien show that's hard to mess up.  

We were up to our scrubs in TV nurses which caused me to ask the question, "What if Nurse "Hawthorne" Were White and "Nurse Jackie" Were Black?"

Here are some more of my 2009 boob tube thoughts:

Biggest Surprises:  Glee, The Good Wife and Drop Dead Diva.  All quality shows with charismatic stars--Matthew Morrison, Julianna Margulies, Brooke Elliott--and in the case of "Glee" some kick ass musical numbers.

Biggest Disappointment:  Dollhouse.  Joss, I love ya' but here's hoping your next one's more well thought out.

Sweetest New Character:  Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) on "Grey's Anatomy."  She's the freshest thing about "Grey's" since McSteamy showed up and I love her to death.  The episode "Invest in Love" when she loses her young patient and does the sweet dreams speech with his mother at the end had me sobbing like a baby.

The 2009 Emmys Didn't Suck!

What can I say, the 61st Primetime Emmys didn't suck!  

Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, the show moved--except for a sharp dip during the variety/reality section. The set was a visual delight, there was very little awkward presenter banter mements and more importantly, the show was fun.

Harris was smart and adorable.  His opening "Put Down The Remote" musical number was really funny and would have stood up with any of Billy Crystal's best Oscar opening numbers.  Finally, he did what every good host should do, do your thing and then stay out of the way.

What else did I think about the show?  I'm glad you asked.

Stuff I Loved:

• Very cool, glitzy, multi-level set.  Especially loved the pixalized screens on stage with shots of all the stars and nominees.
• Pacing of the show was good except for the variety segment.  The dance number was short, but not short enough.
• The four box shots showing the stage, backstage, the press room and the control room.
• Ricky Gervais.
• Realizing I wasn't the only one who thought Dearbhla Walsh who won for directing "Little Dorrit" desperately needed a bra.  There were at least a hundred tweets saying the same thing.
• Dr. Horrible skit where he explained that TV is dead because the internet is so much faster...but then his video pauses while it buffers. 

The "Lost" Finale: An Incident To Remember (Major Spoilers)

I almost gave up on this season's "Lost" finale.

Yes, I was shocked and surprised to actually see Jacob (Mark Pellegrino) in the flesh.  Yes, I was I was stunned and pleased to see Rose and Bernard.  Yes, I was thrilled and excited by the rock 'em, sock 'em action.

But nearly two hours of all that walking on the beach with Locke and Richard and Sun and Ben and the Others was making me nuts! 
Until the payoff.

The thing that made all that walking and confusion and frustration worthwhile.  Remember how at the end of last year's season finale, I said it didn't eject me out of my chair?

Well man, what a difference a year makes!  When those New Others opened up that trunk and dumped out John Locke's body, my own body flew out of my chair as if propelled by a rocket.

Wow!

Here are some more incredibly wonderful and startling things/questions/observations about this season's finale:

• Someone give Josh Holloway an Emmy nomination and then submit that scene of him trying to hold onto Juliet as she's being sucked into the Swan magnetic pit.  She was wonderful, he was wonderful and I was nearly sobbing like a baby.  Great, great scene.
• Just when I'm ready for someone to poke a sharp metal stick into Ben's brain, they make him almost, kinda sympathetic again.  That scene where he's like a jealous little boy, accusing Jacob of ignoring him in favor of John?  Really good stuff from Michael Emerson.
• All that going back and forth by Kate, Sawyer and Juliet:  "Should they stop Jack?" "Shouldn't they stop Jack?" "They're stopping Jack." "They're helping Jack."  God, it was just as bad as popping in and out of time!   I was getting a nose bleed.
• What was so fabulous though was Jack thinking the bomb was going to change things and Juliet, Sawyer and Kate thinking the bomb was going to keep them the same. It seems Miles got through to somebody. They all wanted the bomb to go down the pit, but I'm pretty sure they expected different outcomes.
• Who the heck is that Ilana chick and how did she get her face bashed in?
• Notice how Jacob touched Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Sayid, Hurley and Locke when he met them off the island?
• Notice how Sayid and Hurley were the only Oceanic survivors Jacob approached after they returned from the island?
• Notice how Jacob saved Sayid's life, but not Nadia's by keeping him from walking into the street?
• The book Jacob was reading before Locke came slamming to the ground was "Everything That Rises Must Converge" by American novelist Flannery O'Connor.  And I'll admit it, I've already ordered the book from Amazon.  The publisher couldn't have asked for a better plug.
• "What lies in the shadow of the statue?"  According to Lostepedia, Richard responded in Latin, "Ille qui nos omnes servabit." Translation:  "He who will protect/save us all."
• What do we call Locke now?  Locke 2.0?  Fake Locke?  Evil Locke?  Island Locke? Lively Locke?
• Hearing Jin actually speaking English all season long.
• Miles saving his own father's life.  Hee, hee.
• Rose and Bernard living happily ever after.  If they don't get blown up.

It's a horrifying thought but next season is the final one for "Lost."  So in honor of that, here are some final season predictions:

• Jacob ain't dead.
• Sayid is dead.
• Real Locke is dead.
• Juliet is dead.
• Claire will return and reclaim Aaron.
• Ben will die in the very last minutes of the next to the last episode.
• Jin and Sun will live happily ever after.
• Desmond and Penny will live happily ever after.

Love, love, love this show!

Photos courtesy and copyright ABC

10 Things "Lost" and President Obama Have In Common

Last Wednesday was President Barack Obama's 100th day in office and it was also the night ABC's "Lost" aired its 100th episode. 

Both events got me thinking about the similarities between "Lost" and our new president.

So here are 10 things "Lost" and President Obama have in common:

1. Similar Origins:  "Lost" is shot in Hawaii.  President Obama grew up in Hawaii.
2. Limited Runs:  "Lost" will end in 2011.  President Obama's administration will end either in 2013 or 2018.
3. Multicultural Casts:  "Lost" has blacks, whites, Asians, and Others.  President Obama, as the first black POTUS has blacks, whites, and Hillary Clinton.
4. Fresh, New Storytelling:  "Lost" broke new TV ground with it's flashback/flash forward storytelling technique.  President Obama broke new political ground with his flashy Twitter tweets and campaign websites.
5. Knowing The Value of Consensus:  "Lost" had Jack telling the crash survivors, "Live together or die alone."  President Obama is telling the country, "save together or default a loan."
6. Some Serious Spending:  The "Lost" pilot was one of the most expensive ever produced for television.  President Obama's recovery plan is spending money faster than the dollar machines in D.C. can print it.
7. Collaborating with Former Opponents:  The crash survivors on "Lost" had to collaborate with the evil Benjamin Linus to get off the island.  President Obama has had to collaborate with Hillary Clinton.
8. People Were Skeptical At First:  There were a lot of doubters that a show about crash survivors on an exotic, mysterious island could be a success.  There were a lot of doubters that a black man from an exotic, mysterious island could become president.
9. Critics Demanding Answers:  Many viewers got frustrated with "Lost's" lack of answers to plot questions.  Many politicians got frustrated with President Obama's lack of being able to say when he could clean up the economic mess it took about 20 years to create.
10. Mysterious Oracles Who Don't Make Any Kind Of Sense:  "Lost" has Jacob.  President Obama has Rush Limbaugh.

So tomorrow night when you watch "Lost's" 101st episode, just remember all the things this excellent show has in common with our excellent 44th President of the United States. 

TV Quick Hits: "The Bachelor," "BSG," "Ugly Betty," "Lost," & "American Idol"

It's been one crazy week on TV what with "The Bachelor" dumping his "true love" for his other "true love," "24's" hostage taking at the White House of all places, and "American Idol's" Tatiana hysterics. 

Here's my take on some of the action this week and be warned...there are spoilers aplenty:

The Bachelor: 

Am I the only one in the country who thinks it's time to break-up with "The Bachelor?"  At the beginning of the season all I heard was women sighing all over the place, "Oh Jason, he's a single Dad!"  As if somehow that was going to make him better husband material than the other "princes" they've had on that show.

Well a few weeks and some dead roses later, Jason Mesnick ditched his fiancee, his "one true love" Melissa, for his other "really one true love," Molly.

That all happened on Monday and since then Jason's replaced Bernie Madoff as the most hated man in America.  The producers of "The Bachelor" have been accused of fixing the results, there were not so secret angry emails back and forth between Jason and Melissa, and the whole country was in an uproar.  So much so that Jason's had to start his own national apology tour.

People, can I just tell you, take a page out of former fan, Kelly Ripa's book and stop watching that blasted show.  There's never going to be another Trista and Ryan, there will be no happy endings, and "The Bachelor?"  He's just not that into you...or Melissa.

American Idol: 

Continuing on the reality TV front, y'all know I'm a fair weather "Idol" watcher meaning I almost never write about "American Idol" until the final 12 are chosen.  Well this week that milestone came to pass.  Thursday night, the judges made their wild card choices.  That meant adding the very worthy Jasmine, Matt and Megan.  

Jasmine was especially moving with her rendition of Christina Aguilera's "Reflection." That kid's got potential

Then came the big surprise, Simon announced that this year there was going to be a final 13!  And the 13th contestant was...Anoop, this year's answer to Sanjaya.  Now if I were as crude as say, Dr. Gregory House, I would say that "American Idol" had picked their own "Slumdog Millionaire." But I'm not, am I?

And like on "The Bachelor" the emotional train wreck was the entertaining part.  Namely, Tatiana del Toro. You know, the "thank you, thank you, I love you, I love you," girl. The judges finally puts her and us out of our collective miseries and dumped her. 

Next week, Megan's "Idol Chit Chat" returns.

Let the singing begin!

"Lost" Explodes With Answers

"Lost" this season is giving us so many answers to plot questions I can't keep track of them all, but I'm going to touch on some highlights.

***Major Spoilers Ahead, Stop Now If You Haven't Watched Last Night's Episode***

Reveal:  The whole time popping business is a brilliant plot and not only explains a lot but also allows the producers and writers to go wherever and whenever they want.  That means we can see Shannon or Boone or Charlie again.  And by having Desmond as Daniel's constant, there's the possibility that Daniel will be able to communicate with the outside world through Desmond.

Questions This Reveal Brings Up:  Why do the Oceanic Six and Locke need to go back to save their fellow survivors?  What will their going back do?  Is Charlotte, who I can't stand, gonna die before she makes me nuts?  How long is it going to take Sawyer and Juliet to hook up just from the stress?

Questions This Reveal Answers:   Why Widmore is so obsessed with the island.  Why he thinks Ben stole it from him.  Why Richard went to see Locke as a kid.