Disney Petition:  The Epic Journey Comes To An End

For those of you who don’t know the particulars:  LOSTblog’s very own Jon was the “hard core” LOST fan behind the Petition to ABC/Disney for LOST Themed Ride.  I suggested to Jon that since I was in Hawa’i and definitely going to the beach premiere, I’d be happy to try to present the petition to Damon and Carlton if I could.  Jon thought that might be cool, so once the signature reached a total of 4815, he sent me the file, I created a binder and we did everything we could to infiltrate the very thick layer of peeps around Team Darlton.

Long story short, we ALMOST got it to them!  Karen from Karen’s Lost Notebook hung out with me behind the screen while we waited for “official” word about what was to be.  Karen did “make it in” with the petition in hand, but in the hurry and chaos of scooting all the VIPs off the beach after the premiere ended, she couldn’t connect with Damon and Carlton.   [Many, many thanks to Karen for giving it a go! We appreciate your participation and enthusiasm!]

Undaunted, and irked, I reconnected with a very kind ABC publicity peep (the ABC spokesperson who contributed to the brief write up I did of the premiere) via email, and she offered to receive the petition in the mail and make sure it got sent directly to our boys.  Today I got email confirmation that, YES, that darn thing made it to Darlton’s offices.  No word on any personal reaction or any public comments about the petition. HOWEVER, I’m definitely proud that Paul Scheer brought up the LOST ride idea at the Paley fest!  (I’m also happy they think it’s as funny as we do!)

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by aohora

7 Days Until LOST Season 6 (Mini)-Premieres in Waikiki, Hawai’i

View From Hale Koa (Nearish to Waikiki)

As millions of LOST fans dodge spoilers, wrap up re-watch and finalize their best guesses on what happens after Juliet smacks the bomb, the Waikiki Improvement Association [WIA] and ABC/Disney studio marketing peeps are gearing it up, locking it down and rolling out the red carpet for what could be the single largest premiere event in television history.

On January 30, Sunset On The Beach, a WIA sponsored program that offers free, family-friendly movies viewed on a 30ft screen set up directly on Waikiki Beach, will host the highly anticipated, rabidly debated and virally marketed premiere of LOST’s sixth and final season.  A full-court media parade of LOST heavies will walk the red carpet, including writer/producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and (yet unconfirmed) number of cast and crew members. (FYI: Matthew Fox had better be there. That’s all I’m saying.)

This will be the first time since S3 that LOST has premiered at Sunset On The Beach.  S4’s was cancelled in the wake of the writer’s strike (and my pal Gina has never forgiven WAG for that because she moved off-island six months later), and S5’s was never scheduled at all.  No one was more irked than me (being 20 minutes away from Waikiki but only for a limited time).  I kept my ear on the ground, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

LOST Fans Rock — LOST Fans Rule!

And I got nothing.  After Damon and Carlton did a fan tribute skit-type deal at ComiCon (07/29/2009), the “We Love All You Crazy LOST Fans!” phase of ending the show seemed to run out of steam, and by the time I attended the Hawai’i International Film Festival [HIFF] sponsored “Evening with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse” (10/17/2009), it seemed unlikely ABC/Disney would revisit the event for S6.  They obviously didn’t need the publicity (I dare you to find a TV watcher who DOESN’T know about LOST ending).

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From DamonCarltonandAPolarBear.com :

In celebration of LOST’s final season and as a project of fan appreciation, 16 top designers and artists, who are also fans of the show, were commissioned to create artwork celebrating one of the series’ most memorable, and unforgettable, “water cooler” moments. This ultimate “fan art” was then turned into labor intensive, hand-pulled screen prints, limited to an edition of just 300, with less than 200 available to the public through our websites. Each beautiful poster tells its own different story, allowing the fan to relive memorable and influential moments in an artistic manner, as the show’s storied run comes to a close. Once this limited edition print has sold out, they will never be printed again. Celebrate the fandom, community and family created by one of televisions’ greatest shows by hanging a little part of it’s history, inspiration and influence on your wall.

Now that all 16 of the prints have been released, Lost Blog has set out to interview each of the respective artists. All these talented artists have different influences, different backgrounds, and accordingly…different takes on our favorite show. Over the next few weeks we will post our interviews with these incredible talents. Enjoy.

Our first interview is with Leia Bell. Her piece is entitled “The Love Triangle.”

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LOST BLOG is pleased to present the first of several sneak peeks of the
LOST season 5 DVD (release date December 8, 2009)! 

One of Ben's People: This deleted scene from LOST's fifth season episode
"Namaste"takes place when Christian Shephard, Sun and Frank
Lapidus meet at the abandoned Dharma barracks.

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Check out the press release and cool photos for the upcoming release of LOST Season 5. Courtesy of Buena Vista Home Entertainment. ©ABC Studios.

LOST S5 Press Release

Since I started talking about the lack of Asian Americans in mainstream media last week, I thought I’d continue that thread today, because it struck me this week that LOST has a fair number of regular and non-stereotypical Asian characters who have significant roles on network t.v.  And if we broaden this category out to include British actors, then there are four prominent Asian characters and Asian (American) actors on the show:  Jin & Sun, Sayid (Iraqi but played by Asian-British-Indian actor Naveen Andrews), and today’s subject: Ken Leung who playes Miles “he-can-talk-to-dead-people” Straume.

I find Miles to be a fascinating character, perhaps one of my favorite’s of the show (I also really liked Charlie–bummer that he had to die).  Anyway, it’s not surprising that Miles is a character with a lot of charisma, because he is played by Ken Leung, who is an AMAZING actor.  In fact, the role of Miles was created around Leung–the producers had seen him in the last season of The Sopranos (a show I never watched–not a single episode) and apparently loved him when he played the mental patient inmate of one of the regulars.   So he never had to audition for the role–he was always slated to play Miles, to be Miles.  And they created the name “Miles Straume” because they thought it sounded like “malestrom” and they liked the play on words.  I have to say, I like that this guy, who is clearly Asian, has this very non-Asian surname.  And, of course, once we learn about who his parents are, it adds to the mystery of why he’s chosen the last name “Straume.”

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Season four of LOST did a lot of things right. I think death, however,was not one of these things, with of course the exception of a couple moments presented terrifically. Differing from the three seasons preceding it, season four uses death less as a thematic device than before. The stories the writers tell this season rely more on the suspense and drama of who the people of the freighter are, whether they have good intentions, what the deal is with the “Oceanic Six,” and a sense of “Hey, check out how fresh the show is now that we flash forward instead of back.” With all this other focus, using death to tell stories about character and emotion takes a back seat for the most part. However, two key instances really shine through: Jin and Alex.

Alex pleads as Keamy has no mercy.

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In a world where the planning and casting of Lost happened exactly as the producers had planned, Yunjin Kim (who plays Sun) would have been cast as Kate. Kate would have been the main character throughout the series and would have been more like the character we know as Rose. Jack, who was originally written to be played by Michael Keaton, would have died in the pilot, and because Yunjin Kim’s audition is what made the producers create the characters of Sun and Jin, neither character would be included in the show. Sayid was not in the original script, either. Dominic Monaghan (who we know as Charlie) and Jorge Garcia (Hurley) both auditioned to be Sawyer, a suit-wearing con man, though the characters of Charlie and Hurley were created specifically for the actors. The producers liked Josh Halloway’s edge (according to Wikipedia he “kicked a chair when he forgot his lines and got angry in the audition”).

Locke and Michael were written with their respective actors in mind, however Ben (Michael Emerson) was supposed to appear in only three episodes. His role was extended due to his acting skill and, possibly, because of the way his character developed. Charlotte, played by Rebecca Mader, was supposed to be in only eight episodes of season 4 but her contract was extended, as well. As for why so many characters were added or kept around for longer than intended, series executive producer Bryan Burk has been quoted as saying, “You can have more interactions between characters and create more diverse characters, more back stories, more love triangles.”

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I recently stumbled across some news from the producers of our beloved program, who have decided to hold a “Mock Theme Contest.” As the official website for the show states:

“For this year’s Comic-Con panel, our theme is about giving back to YOU…the fans!!! It is because of you that we are celebrating our 5^th year at Comic-Con, and we would love to incorporate your astounding creativity. We’d like to feature YOUR ideal version of what you think a LOST title song would be (if the show had one). Over the years, we’ve been witness to your incredibly innovative pieces on LOST, and would love to hear your fetchy melody for LOST which you were waiting to share!” (http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=mocktheme).

Even though the show has never had any official theme song (aside from the lovely eerie tone that reverberates as the title comes into view, of course), LOST has always been a program that utilizes music to its fullest effect to capture the feel of a moment. My personal favorites are the distinct marching tunes that usher in an air of triumph and determination. These melodies usually make themselves heard near the end of each season, especially season finales. Possibly the one that sticks out the best for me is the driving rhythm that carried the survivors along during the finale of season 3, as they marched with certainty, determined to stand against the Others once and for all.

Needless to say, music within LOST also goes a long way to establishing creepy and frightening ambience to enhance the thrill of harrowing moments. What I find even more intriguing, though, is the use of an absence of music to up the chill factor. In season one’s “Raised by Another,” Claire has a nightmare in which she encounters Locke with black eyes and finds blood in a cradle. The complete lack of music coupled with faint sounds of a baby crying solidify this scene as one of the most terrifying over the whole five seasons of LOST.

I’m curious to see what you all think about the use of music in general throughout the course of the program. Leave a comment below with your thoughts. Now I would like to transition from discussing the masterful use of music to create mood to some fun speculation on what might make a good theme song for the show, and what the implications of the choice may be. I am fully going to break the rules of the contest, however, and not actually create a song of my own.

Theme 1: “(You All) Everybody” by DriveSHAFT. This choice is clearly a no-brainer since it is the hit song of awesome rocker and Claire-obsessed Brit, Charlie. It doesn’t really fit the mood of the show though. Something about lyrics that say “You all, everybody / You all, everybody / I don’t like you stupid people / Wearing expensive clothes,” fail to capture what the show is actually about. I do applaud the producers for basing a song on what I have heard were the insane ranting of a Jerry Springer guest…

Theme 2: “Fly Like an Eagle” by Steve Miller. Who wouldn’t love to see a montage of clips of the show paired with the lyrics, “Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin / Into the future”? Unfortunately the rest of the song doesn’t really work for the show. The Smoke Monster’s flight patterns are more serpentine than eagle.

Theme 3: Theme from “Sanford and Son” OR theme from “Benny Hill.” I can’t really justify these choices. I just personally think these are two of the most memorable and hilarious theme songs of all time. I would love to see Ben chasing Sun and Kate in bikinis before stumbling onto Sawyer selling junk. It’s moments like these that write themselves…

Theme 4: “HOUSE Theme.” Sure it’s already on television, but it’s an awesome song. (Yes, I am aware it is part of a real song, but this is the best part.) Add some darker and deeper discordant tones, slow down the track, and you adapt the song to better fit the creepier mood of LOST. Instant classic.

Well those are my brief thoughts on the subject. Let me know what you all think would make good – or funny – theme songs. Stupid people in expensive clothes need not reply…

So before I started watching Lost (and really, to watch Lost is to be addicted to Lost) I used to wonder why the couple on the show was Korean (as in from Korea) rather than Korean American. You see, although I didn’t follow the show, Lost was on my radar screen because, well, if you are alive and well and follow pop culture at all, it’d be hard not to miss the show and the fact that it has a somewhat multicultural/multiethnic/multiracial cast. And since I study race and pop culture (esp. regarding Asian Americans) I was aware that there were Asian characters on Lost, and it bothered me that there was yet another show featuring Asians rather than Asian Americans.

[Note: for those of you perhaps not sure of the difference, someone who is Asian is from an Asian country and speaks an Asian language and identifies with that Asian nation. Someone Asian American is someone who was either born here or who came over at a fairly young age (like both Daniel Day Kim and Yunjin Kim, the actors on Lost) who may or may not speak a language from their ethnic ancestry but they are also fluent in English and identify as Americans and with American culture--hence the Asian AMERICAN]

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Season 3 saw the death of main character Charlie

The writers and producers of LOST have consistently demonstrated an apt ability to use death as a tool for exploring the emotional complexities of characters, as well as recognizing the overall social consequences of death for a group and solidarity. Once season three of the show commences, however, the element of death takes more of the role of antagonist over mere condition.

Countless theories strive to ascertain the experience of death. The German philosopher Heidegger illustrates a mode of being called “being toward death” in which a person faces his or her own reality of the possibility of non-existence. This mode of being is very personal, since no one can truly experience the death of another. At best, people can experience their own sense of loss at another’s death. However, in perhaps the most interesting use of death to date on LOST, Desmond inherits the ability to experience Charlie’s death(s) in a very personal way, albeit still as a spectator. Desmond’s new sixth sense provides the foundation for some excellently executed stories, which inevitably culminate in a profoundly heroic and personal event as Charlie comes face to face with his own mortality.

I remember back when the third season of LOST first aired on television. The producers capitalized on an inspired idea and decided to air the episodes new each week without reruns. Unfortunately, though, this began the infamous six episodes in the fall, sixteen in the spring approach. The fall duration of the show marks some of the less-than-excellent moments of the program, and it also coincided with the beginnings of the first season of HEROES – I’ll save my rant on this show for a different venue, but for the purposes of this article the show’s first season delivered a decent amount of intrigue and cool elements. Long story long, by the time the spring episodes of LOST aired, I was thrilled to see some very interesting super natural elements and some solid story telling to boot. I still stand by my belief that Desmond’s newfound power was the most interesting ability on television that year – aside from the ability of Tina Fey to make comedy gold with 30 Rock, but I digress…

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We had a nice little tweetup last night to watch the 22nd hour of season one goodness.  This was a Kate-centric backstory that focused on her life as a fugitive and the tension between staying and running.  The island drama focused on the raft leaving and gave us a great introduction to Doc Artz, that high school science teacher and part time greek chorus that gave greater urgency to getting the raft off and into the northward blowing trade winds before the reversed during monsoon season. Locke showed Sayid and Jack the hatch, and Jack wants to open it, Sayid thinks that’s nutz. Michael got severely sick. Jack and Locke bury their hatchet to work the leads on who’s poisioning Mike, but in the end the D.A. decides not to prosecute the perp (Sun. *gasp*)

There is the thumbnail recap for the episode, read on for the transcript of our tweets.

Programming Note: The #WFTB group is going to skip Friday, and then watch all of S1 Finale (Exodus) on Monday.  If timing allows we may start a half-hour early so the east coasters can get to be before midnight.  So stay tuned on Monday for last minute schedule adjustments and have a great weekend.  (And happy Independence Day to you staters. )

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Last night we re-watched The Greater Good the 21st episode of season one. We coming to the final episodes of season one, and this is what I call a chess-piece episode, moving all the people into the right places for the finale. The consensus seems to be that it was good but not as good as Do No Harm.  So read what we wrote, and tell us what you think, or what we missed.  And don’t forget to vote for what to do on Friday.

Quick synopsis: The Sayid backstory revealed that Sayid will do almost anything for a chance to be with Nadia.   The island story had a few interesting things happen.  Jack confronted a still blood coated Locke for lying about Boone’s injuries. Jack almost exhausted himself searching for Locke, and Kate had to drug him to keep him settled. (hey, didn’t Jack get addicted to pain killers? THANKS for that KATE!).  Locke takes Sayid to the plane where they discuss more stuff.  The end result is Locke gets away with lying again.

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This was a great TweetUp… It seems the Locke episodes are heavily salted with big mythos, large storylines that weave through the whole series. After Walkabout where we see Locke was paralyzed on the island, Locke has been present as the resident island guru, talking Jack though accepting the mantle of leadership, helping Charlie with his Heroin addition, even guiding Sawyer on a boar hunt. He’s found the ominous hatch with the help of Boone, has excavated around it, exposing its huge shape, but its mysteries are still impenetrable. Much like the final mysteries of LOST going into the final season, we can discern the shape but we don’t really know what’s on the other side of the bright flash of light.

Deus Ex Machina, the title of the episode, means literally God from the Machine and Wikipedia defines it as:

…is a plot device in which a person or thing appears “out of the blue” to help a character to overcome a seemingly insolvable difficulty.

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