The Lost Diary

An "interesting" take on last night's "Entourage."

Thanks to Samantha for passing this on...

(By the way: I don't know who "invented" the idea for keeping a running diary for a TV show, but my favorite sports writer -- favorite writer, period -- Bill Simmons does it for sporting events. I got the idea from him.) 

Posted by Daniel at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

It's question time ... 

Q: Usually at award shows they show a clip of an actor's performance, but generally only for the Best Actor/Actress categories. If you had to pick one good clip for the Best Supporting Actor Performance in a Drama Series for Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn from this season, that would show the world just why one of them should win, which one would you choose? -- Carly

A: I'd have to pick the scene from "The Man From Tallahassee" when Henry Gale explains "the box" to Locke. Which gives me the opportunity to re-run this quote: "Picture a box. You know something about boxes, don't you, John? What if I told you that somewhere on this island there is a very large box, and whatever you imagined, whatever you wanted to be in it -- when you opened that box, there it would be. What would you say about that John?"

Q: I once mentioned that I enjoyed Lost because it came with homework.  I just finished watching 7 hours of "John from Cincinnati" and I really like the show but I'm trying my hardest to keep up with what John is saying or trying to say...it just makes my head spin.  What do you think of this new show so far? -- Janice

A: Other than the fact that John is Jesus (I think), I have no clue what is going on. I am of the opinion that John's speech at the end of the episode 2 weeks ago somehow "cured" everyone of what has plagued them. I didn't watch tonight's (7/29) ep yet, but Butchie and Cissy have already made progress. We shall see. But I do love it so far.

Q: Have you read the book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? what's your opinion? -- Ana Maria

A: I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books and I am two movies behind thus far. They're ok -- doesn't really do much for me.

Q: Seeing as all the networks pretty much have revealed the new shows coming this fall- What show (or shows) has the most promise do you think? -- Amber

A: Well, I have several pilots in my possession, just haven't gotten around to them yet. I am hoping to watch them all in the next week or two and I will a report for you then. Honestly, nothing really has me overly excited -- I am still mourning "Studio 60."

Q: Which A-Team character would do best in the Island? -- Luis

A: The better question is, who is the better con man: Face or Sawyer? I'd say Sawyer, but I like Face better. All together now: I love it when a plan comes together.

Q: Do you watch any reality shows? If so, which ones? And if not, why not? -- George

A: Reality TV is a blight on society. I hate them all. Even the one show I kinda like, "Beauty and the Geek," I don't even have a season pass for and I don't even know who won. I like the written word. The fact that 10 times as many people watch glorified karaoke than the brilliance that was "Studio 60" (sorry, I am re-watching this season and it is just so damn good!) just makes me sick.

Q: How come Oscar Mayer and John Mayer spell their last names the same but pronounce them completely different? One of them must be wrong. Who is it? -- Jen

A: Oscar Mayer is wrong. If you're going to pronounce it like that, it should be Meyer.

Q: 1) Why are there no reruns of "Lost"? 2) Seen any good movies lately? 3) Do you have a girlfriend? -- Aly

A: I don't think "Lost" is the kind of show that does well in re-runs -- that's for "House" and "Law & Order." The last great movie I saw was "Sicko." I am a huge Michael Moore fan and I didn't like "Fahrenheit 9/11" at all, so it was good to see Moore get his groove back. It's a must-see. And yes, I have a girlfriend -- her name is Jennifer Love Hewitt. Heard of her?

Q: Ok, you're the judge of the LOST Island Wet T-Shirt Contest.  The contestants include Kate, Juliet, Sun, Claire, Danielle.  Who would come in first, second, and third and why? -- bc

A: Juliet, Kate, Sun -- and do I really need to explain why?

Q: Do you think Charlie is really dead? I think that since he gave his life for that of desmond’s and pretty much everyone else that the island is going to let him live. -- Elizabeth

A: Sigh...

Posted by Daniel at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)

1) If you haven't already, be sure to befriend the "Lost" Diary on MySpace. The battle between myself and Brody Jenner is heating up. He is now only beating me in friends 59399 to 575.

2) Email questions for next week's L.D.Q.A. to questions@thelostdiary.com. Remember, they don't always have to so serious and, considering it's the summer and all, they don't even have to be about "Lost." Feel free to have a little fun with it ...

 

Posted by Daniel at 08:10 AM | Permalink

I have been getting a shitload of spam comments lately, so I tried to up the spam filter on the site so they would stop getting posted and I would stop getting emails about them.

Thing is, it seems to be blocking all of them. So I am still playing with the settings and hopefully all will be ok.

Also, if you're looking for cheap viagra, I know a place now. Thanks, spam commentors!

 

Posted by Daniel at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

I'm starting this a little late tonight and I'm just thrilled to be writing about something other than Lindsay Lohan -- so let's just get right to it, shall we?

00:00 -- Nothing takes your mind of your long lost love like finding a power cable in the sand of the island you're stranded on.

00:01 -- As Sayid follows the cable into the forest, it occurs to me how long it took someone to follow that cable the other way.

00:03 -- One time, just one time, I'd like to slyly avoid trip wire. Looks fun. 00:04 -- What I don't want though is to hang upside down from a tree.

00:05 -- I just noticed "Guest Starring: William Mapother" in the credits. William Mapother is Tom Cruise's cousin. We know him as Ethan...

00:07 -- The torturer becomes the torturee ...

00:08 -- ... and then the torturer again.

00:09 -- Love at first torturer site. (Yes, I am enjoying the word torturer and all it's variations)

00:10 -- Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, it's Ethan! Sorry, just my usual reaction.

00:11 -- "Whoa, dude." --- Hurley. We got both Hurley catchphrases at once. My head might explode.

00:12 -- "Sixteen years ... has it really been that long." -- Rousseau.

00:13 -- As Rousseau and Sayid get acquainted, one thought keeps going through my mind: What would the sex between these two be like? I am going to go with painful. Very, very painful.

00:14 -- Nadia is sexier in person than she is in her picture.  

00:17 -- How did Rousseau not hear the plane crash? Seems like it would have been -- damn, what's the word I am looking for here? -- really, really LOUD.

00:18 -- Sayid tells Rousseau that Nadia is dead, but something tells me he'll see her again -- shit, Locke and Charlie did.

00:19 -- "Welcome to the first, and hopefully last, Island Open." -- Hurley.

00:21 -- If I had to pick someone to torture someone for me, I'd still go with Sayid.

00:23 -- "My name is Danielle." -- Rousseau.

00:25 -- "The Others ... I hear them out in the jungle. They whisper." -- Rousseau. Ah, them.

00:27 -- Sayid brings Nadia some food and it's kind of becoming unclear who is torturing who.

00:29 -- "There's no such thing as monsters." -- Rousseau. Um, on this island, yeah there is.

00:30 -- Nadia ain't looking too hot these days.

00:31 -- On his way out the door, Sayid grabs maps, a gun ... whatever he can find. He's always been the smartest of the bunch.

00:34 -- Sayid sure knows how to fake a prison break.

00:37 -- "You'll find me in the next life, if not in this one." -- Sayid. I could never pull that line off.

00:39 -- It's been three years and we still don't know if Rousseau's "sickness" is real or not.

00:40 -- Putting on weeds? You got to be kidding me.

00:41 -- Welcome to "Knife Throwing." I'm your host, John Locke. This week on the show, throwing knives against a tree for fun -- I'll show you how.

00:42 --
Male Voice- "Just let him get out of here"
Male Voice- "He's seen too much already"
Male Voice- "What if he tells?"
Female Voice - "Could just speak to him"
Male Voice- "No"

And so the mythology of the island begins.

That's really all there is to take away from this episode. Words and phrases that would come to mean so much, like "The Others."

I have to say, as I re-watch the first season, it's the mythology of it all that I miss the most (and of course, the man behind the bulk of it, Henry Gale). While these episodes are good, and there is plenty to watch, I miss what "Lost" eventually evolved into. Obviously you can't have season 2 without season 1 and so on, but this show builds and builds and builds so much that in a way every show is better than the one before it (except for the Nikki and Paulo one and the one with the van).

Anyway, I am rambling a bit so let me leave you with this quesion: which season of "Lost" do you think was best?

Posted by Daniel at 01:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)

-- A great article from The Envelope about why "Lost" might have gotten hosed this year.

-- DO NOT CLICK HERE if you don't want to know about a possible "casting" spoiler.

 

Posted by Daniel at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Since all of the questions I got were about the Emmys, I am just going to talk about them this week. This is a site about "Lost," but the show doesn't exist in a vacuum -- I venture to say we all watch PLENTY of different shows.

So let's break it down, category by category, shall we?

Drama Series: "Boston Legal," ABC; "Grey's Anatomy," ABC; "Heroes," NBC; "House," Fox; "The Sopranos," HBO.

I watch "Heroes" (like it, but it's overrated). I watch "The Sopranos" (like it, but it's REALLY overrated). I don't watch the others. My favorite shows -- "The Wire," "The Shield," "Dexter," "Lost" and "Deadwood" -- aren't on the list. The fact that none of these five shows can even get nominated is the #1 reason I will not be watching the Emmys (I say that now, but I always get sucked in).
 

Comedy Series: "Entourage," HBO; "The Office," NBC; "30 Rock," NBC; "Two and a Half Men," CBS; "Ugly Betty," ABC.

These nominees I get (though I am yet to find a single person that actually watches "Two and a Half Men"). My personal favorite, "Scrubs," did not make the cut and I am not the least bit surprised. "Ugly Betty" deserves to be on this list and "30 Rock" is amazing, but no one can beat "The Office." By the way, just because "Entourage" is on, doesn't mean it's funny. That show is slipping, big time.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series: James Spader, "Boston Legal," ABC; Hugh Laurie, "House," Fox; Denis Leary, "Rescue Me," FX; James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos," HBO; Kiefer Sutherland, "24," Fox.

Did anyone watch "24" this year? It was terrible. James Gandolfini is a shoe-in -- the rest of them shouldn't even show up. If Michael C. Hall ("Dexter") isn't on the list, the category is null and void. No one on TV is better right now.

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Ricky Gervais, "Extras," HBO; Tony Shalhoub, "Monk," USA; Steve Carell, "The Office," NBC; Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock," NBC; Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men," CBS.

If Alec Baldwin doesn't win, no one should ever take the Emmys serious ever again.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: William Shatner, "Boston Legal," ABC; T.R. Knight, "Grey's Anatomy," ABC; Masi Oka, "Heroes," NBC; Michael Emerson, "Lost," ABC; Terry O'Quinn, "Lost," ABC; Michael Imperioli, "The Sopranos," HBO.

Alright, here we go. First off, if Shatner wins I am going on a rampage, period. If T.R. or Masi wins, rampage. If Michael Imperioli wins, I turn off the TV and begin drinking immediately. If Terry O'Quinn wins, I jump up and down and applaud. But...

It's all about Michael Emerson. Henry Gale, Ben, Benry ... whatever you want to call him, he is without question the best character on TV right now. Now, pound for pound, I'll take Michael C. Hall on "Dexter" -- he carries that show. But every time Michael Emerson comes on camera, it's an event. He delivers 10 times out of 10 and who else can you say that about?

Emmy voters: give Emerson the trophy and all (ok, maybe not ALL) is forgiven.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Kevin Dillon, "Entourage," HBO; Jeremy Piven, "Entourage," HBO; Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother," CBS; Rainn Wilson, "The Office," NBC; Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men," CBS.

No, no, no, no and no. Note to Emmy voters: Zach Braff is not the only person on "Scrubs". John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox) and Donald Faison (Turk) should each have won an Emmy by now. God, this makes me so angry.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters," ABC; Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer," TNT; Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," NBC; Patricia Arquette, "Medium," NBC; Minnie Driver, "The Riches," FX; Edie Falco, "The Sopranos," HBO.

"The Sopranos" love fest continues. Stay home, Minnie -- it's all Edie this year. I would have LOVED for Kristen Bell to get nominated, but that was just a pipe dream.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives," ABC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine," CBS; Tina Fey, "30 Rock," NBC; America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty," ABC; Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds," Showtime.

Definitely America Ferrera's to lose, but this might be the most even category of the year. I wouldn't complain if anyone won. Wow, I am actually not homicidal over an Emmy category. Sweet.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers & Sisters," ABC; Katherine Heigl, "Grey's Anatomy," ABC; Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy," ABC; Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy," ABC; Aida Turturro, "The Sopranos," HBO; Lorraine Bracco, "The Sopranos," HBO.

Dear lord what an atrocious list. No C.C.H. Pounder, no Connie Britton and Elizabeth Mitchell. When someone says "And the nominees for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series are ..." that's my cue to go to the bathroom ... even if I don't have to.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Jaime Pressly, "My Name Is Earl," NBC; Jenna Fischer, "The Office," NBC; Holland Taylor, "Two and a Half Men," CBS; Conchata Ferrell, "Two and a Half Men," CBS; Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty," ABC; Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds," Showtime.

"My Name Is Earl" isn't really that funny any more -- it's just cute. Jenna Fischer, Vanessa Williams and Elizabeth Perkins might be the three best women working in television. Very strong category and I don't know who to pull for. If I had to pick one... I'll take Vanessa Williams.

Original Music and Lyrics: "Family Guy: Peter's Two Dads," Song Title: "My Drunken Irish Dad," Fox; "MADtv: Episode 1209," Song Title: "Merry Ex-Mas," Fox; "Saturday Night Live Host: Justin Timberlake," Song Title: "D--- in a Box," NBC; "Scrubs: My Musical," Song Title: "Everything Comes Down to Poo," NBC; "Scrubs: My Musical," Song Title: "Guy Love," NBC.

Every single holiday a dick in a box...

Posted by Daniel at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)

Check out this article about Richard (Nestor Carbonell) and his future on "Lost."

I maintain my original prediction: his CBS show gets cancelled after 4 episodes and this all becomes moot. 

Posted by Daniel at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

An IM conversation I had with my friend Josh on Wednesday morning:

Josh: I watched "John From Cincinnati" last night. Weird ending.
Me: Man, I have watched that scene at least 10 times
Josh: I rewound and watched a 2nd time
Josh: so weird
Me: yeah
Josh: so you like the show?
Me: if it leads to something yeah. if this whole thing pays off with shit I'll be pissed
Josh: funny, i say the same thing about "Lost"

00:01 -- It's when I see Sawyer dripping wet that I realize watching "Lost" isn't the same without Lauren around.

00:02 -- Now Sawyer is in bed with some blonde. Somewhere, Lauren's ears are burning. Or her something else... 00:03 -- Whoops, did I drop my suitcase full of money on the floor? My bad.

00:04 -- "What are you doing in my stuff, son?" -- Sawyer to Boone. How old do you have to be to start referring to people as son? Or is it more of a Southern thing -- like calling people "boy"?

00:05 -- "I will do what I need to do to find the man responsible." -- Sayid. That line sounds threatening enough at the time, but now that we know what Sayid is capable of ... that line is quite intimidating.

00:06 -- Ok, allow me to rant for just a moment. So the people who stay on the beach want to be there for "when they get rescued." What do they expect to happen? Do they expect the people who do stay on the beach -- because they could stay there in shifts -- to NOT go back and tell the people in the caves? Like Kate and Sawyer are going to get rescued and forget to mention Jack and the others are back in the caves? Always bothered me.

00:07 -- So now Jack goes rummaging through Sawyer's things and talking all tough. I know Sawyer is an asshole and all, but is ASKING for the inhalers sooooooo wrong?

00:08 -- I love watching a con artist do his thing.

00:10 -- "Freckles, I got so many answers to that question I don't even know where to start." -- Sawyer. Yeah, I can think of a couple too, but this is a family-friendly blog.

00:11 -- I am having the same reaction now that I can remember having the first time I watched this episode -- no one even asked if Sawyer had the inhalers. They just assumed. Always bothered me.

00:12 -- "You killed my parents, Mr. Sawyer." -- Sawyer's letter. Now, do we find out in this episode that Sawyer is the one that actually wrote the letter? I can't remember.

00:13 -- This scene between Locke and Sayid is AMAZING the second time around. Locke is, in some ways, admitting it was him. Just awesome.

00:15 -- Again, no one asks Sawyer if he even has the inhalers. Just stupid. But at least we get some punches thrown this time.  

00:16 -- Man, I do love watching a con artist do his thing.

00:17 -- Ugh, is this the peanut butter episode?

00:19 -- Is Shannon just now learning that humans can breathe through their noses?

00:20 -- I love Locke, you know that. I LOVE, Henry Gale, you know that too. But when the chips are down, I want Sayid on my side.

00:21 -- Charlie points out to Hurley that he's fat and he takes it the news like, well ... like it's news.

00:22 -- "Good morning." -- Sayid.

00:24 -- "You know what, Ali? I think you've never actually tortured anybody in your life." -- Sawyer. I'm sorry, incorrect. We were looking for "Tortures people for a living."

00:27 -- "Baby, I am tied to a tree in the jungle of mystery." -- Sawyer. Come to think of it, I might let Sayid stick bamboo in my fingernails for the chance to kiss Kate.

00:28 -- Kate finally kisses Sawyer and somewhere Lauren's head just exploded.

00:29 -- "I don't have it." -- Sawyer. It was just as easy to spot the second time around.

00:30 -- After some more testosterone-based posturing, Sayid accidentally stabs Sawyer in the arm with a knife. I myself have never been stabbed, so I cannot relate to this particular ailment. If Sawyer had turned his ankle, or maybe jammed a finger, then I could weigh in.

00:32 -- Nobody ever likes getting yelled at, but getting yelled at in Korean sounds even worse.

00:33 -- "If the tables were turned, I'd watch you die." -- Sawyer. Pleasant.

00:34 -- The sight of Jess' kid gives Sawyer second thoughts about the con. With all that has gone on, watching this the first time we probably forgot all about Sawyer's letter and how his con mirrors that one. But now, with the kid, it's all painfully obvious.

00:35 -- "Take your hand off me, boy." -- Sawyer. See, what I tell you? You never want to be called "son" or "boy."

00:36 -- Detective Austen cracked the case.

00:38 -- Sun helps to cure Shannon of her asthma, the first real interaction either her or Jin has with anyone else (not counting Sun talking to Michael behind everyone's back).

00:40 -- I understand the peanut butter scene is cute -- I really, really do. And part of me does love it, except for two things: 1) I hate Charle and 2) I hate peanut butter.

00:41 -- "Someone has to walk the shore and map the island, see what else there is." -- Sayid. My #1 pet peeve with "Lost" has always been that they never really explored the island. My running joke with my mom is that there is a Hilton just around the corner, only they never see it.

So while I certainly remembered this episode as I watched it, I have to admit that I kind of forgot everything that went on. As a result, I kept having one question go through my head -- How did these people forgive each other for what went on?

I know Sawyer is a little twisted at times, and loves (in a way) to be hated -- but they tied him to a tree and tortured him for something they didn't even really know he had! I'd have a hard time getting past that.

And Sawyer was playing games with Jack, Sayid and the rest of them while Shannon's life (kind of) hung in the balance. They were focusing all their attention on him when they didn't need to be.

Then again, with all that went on afterwards, it's probably hard to dwell on the "little things."

I give this episode a B- the second time around. I am always a fan of con man movies, so watching Sawyer do his thing, while predictable, was still enjoyable. His season two flashback episode "The Long Con" is my favorite of the Sawyer bunch and in a lot of ways it's similar to this one -- just done better.

Alright, here is my question to you: Would you ever forgive Sawyer for all the things he did while on the island? Til next week...

Posted by Daniel at 12:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)

Back again this week with more of your questions. We definitely got our fair share this time around, so let's dive right into it.

Q: What would you like to see as the very first scene of S4? -- Nannie

A: If memory serves, the first scene of season 2 centered around a character we didn't know yet (Desmond) -- as did season 3 (Juliet). That said, I wouldn't mind a similar scene ... Jacob, perhaps?

Q: Have you noticed that most of the characters are only children? (Or, at any rate, the show doesn't mention many siblings.) Think about it: Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Sun, Jin, Hurley, Walt...none of them seem to have brothers or sisters. Charlie obviously has a brother, and I guess we can safely assume Locke has some siblings scattered around the country, too, but otherwise most of the characters were flying solo during childhood. I don't know if you'd make anything of it, but since a lot of people have pointed out the characters' various Daddy Issues,  I thought I'd bring it into the discussion. -- Juliet

A: Well, Jack does have a half-sister in Claire, but otherwise you make an interesting point. I have always found that only children are the most magnificent of all of God's creatures. Why yes, I am an only child. Why do you ask?

Q: Hopefully you watch Big Brother, or at least know what the show is about otherwise this question might be hard to answer.  If the Lost characters were the contestants on Big Brother, who do you think would make the final four, two, and the winner (I think I have an idea of who you might say for this one!)? -- Jamie

A: I do not watch "Big Brother" but I know how it works. Locke was my first choice as winner, but the strong players are usually kicked out because they are a threat. I think Sayid would come out on top. He's the perfect combination of a good person, a tactical thinker and he's well-loved. Sawyer wouldn't stand a chance.

Q: When you first saw the promos for LOST did you immediately know that you would watch it? -- Liz

A: Absolutely. Once I heard the premise, and that JJ Abrams was involved, I was in. But to honest -- much like I do now -- once I realized I wanted to see the show, I tried to avoid all promos because all they do is ruin things.

Q: Why do you think Locke doesn't have as much hate for his Mom as he does for his Dad?  I mean, after, she gave him up and then came back into his life and sold him out to his father. -- Amber

A: I'm thinking it was because she didn't steal any of his organs or throw him out of a window. Sometimes the simplest answer is the best answer.

Q: After Ben shoots Locke, he asks Locke what Jacob said to him.  The answer was, “Help me.”  Ben says that he certainly hopes that Jacob helps Locke.  As Locke is about to shoot himself, “Walt” appears.  Once again, someone who is dead or not on the island appears to seemingly guide the island’s inhabitants down a certain path of events.  Can we imply from Ben saying that he hopes Jacob helps Locke and “Walt” showing up to help, that Jacob controls these appearances?  Or that Jacob is actually appearing to people in these different forms?
 
Think of how many major events on the island have occurred after these appearances.  Jack sees his father and finds the caves and fresh water.  Shannon sees Walt and gets shot (it was major for me because she was smokin hot).  Eko sees his brother and gets killed by the monster.  Ben sees his mother and finds the others.  I think they are setting Jacob up to me this god-like character, which makes him asking Locke for help all the more confusing to me.  Thoughts? -- Shannon

A: Long question, but a good one. My guess is that everything that is happening on the island is Jacob's doing. And by "happening" I mean all the visions you mentioned and the black smoke monster.

Q: If they are going to have a new character for next season of Lost, where do you hope this person is going to come from? -- Aly

A: Well, after last season's new characters worked out so well (HA!) I hope they don't introduce anyone new for next season -- we've got enough going on with the characters we have. That said, I imagine we'll have a few -- mainly, whoever was on the other end of Jack's phone. But again, some Jacob would be nice.

Q: What was the first episode in which you began to hate Charlie? -- Kristina

A: I was born to dislike Charlie Pace. It was ingrained in me from the womb.

Q: I suspect much of season 4 will have to do with Sun's pregnancy, any theories as to what will happen there? Will the baby survive & Sun will die? Will they both survive? Lets place our bets now, I'm going to say both mother and baby survive & it's a boy. -- Leilani

A: Each season has been a month on the island so far, so I don't know when Sun's pregnancy will come into play. That said, it reminds me a lot of Charlie's death in that they told us it was going to happen. Barring anything unforeseen, I don't see Sun making it -- but I think somehow the kid will.

Q: So reading your diary for "The Moth" you said Charlie was doomed from the beginning. You think there really is something to that? You think the island was trying to kill off Charlie from the beginning? and why was the island so mad at him? being as how you feel the same way. If Charlie's purpose for dying was to save the others (according to Desmond) how would him dying all those other times (rescuing Claire from drowning, the lightening etc.) really save all the others? -- George

A: I doubt that the producers had Charlie's death planned from the beginning -- I'll just chalk up the other near-death experiences to the fact he's an idiot. As for Charlie's ultimate purpose, I think helping him get to that point was Desmond's purpose. Their destinys were sort of intertwined, perhaps.

Q: So I was watching "The Wire" the other night, and I started wondering what it would be like if the casts of other shows had been on the jet that crashed. Would McNulty have been the Jack character? Conversely, how long would Charlie have lasted in West Baltimore? -- Allen

A: The thought of Charlie meeting the business end of Omar's shotgun is going to leave a smile on my face for the rest of the week.

Q: Say you were a producer of "Lost" and after the series finale you decided to spin off some of the characters into new shows.  Which characters would you choose and what would their show be about?

A: I think I've mentioned this before, but I just want to spin off Locke and Henry Gale into some kind of buddy show along the lines of "Bosom Buddies" or "Perfect Strangers." Or perhaps some kind of "Crossfire" type show where they talk about the news of the day and interview George Stephanopoulos  or something.

Q: Got Wii? Any plans to get one? -- Jay

A: Xbox360 for me. The new NCAA Football 2008 comes out this week and I probably won't leave my house other than to go to work and play basketball for like a month.

Q: OK, this one is more about you. Since you attended Syracuse, I assume for a journalism degree (we have an intern at my office that is going there for journalism). I was a newspaper reporter for years before selling out for marketing communications recently.
 
I keep telling the intern that she needs to look into a masters program. EVERY ONE my old newspaper group hired had a master’s — most of them from either Medill or from Mizzou (just not me). Would you tell her she needs it?
 
And, do you find the entertainment reporting fullfulling as a writer? I am curious. Several of the people I worked with (at a sun-times paper) including me have always thought it would be fun, but is it really? -- Janelle

A: I was a double major at the Cuse -- broadcast journalism and business. College was great, school I could have done without. I learned plenty, for sure, but I would have rather learned in the real world (i.e. working). But that's just me.

As for whether or not working at TMZ is fulfilling ... man, not the word I would use. Entertainment news is a part of society now and I do have a blast with it. As long as you never take it all too seriously, you'll be fine. That said, somewhere down the road, I'd rather be doing this kind of thing full time instead of writing about Britney and Lindsay and those types.

Posted by Daniel at 01:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)

Miss me? Yeah, me too.

A few notes before we start:

-- Sorry we didn't have the L.D.Q.A. this week, but there were only three questions. I should have posted the reminder post sooner, so that's my bad. But I'll be back in full force next Monday.

-- My summer TV viewing projects are going well. I am eight episodes into season three of "The Office." It certainly has its moments, but I can't anoint it legendary status like everyone else does. Michael and Dwight are funny, but it's the same joke over and over again. Jim, on the other hand, is comedy gold. Absolutely love the guy. It's a shame he chose "License to Wed" as his first movie choice. Ouch.

I am also about 10 episodes into season two of "Battlestar Galactica" and I am digging it. I am not head over heels or anything, but it's definitely getting better, so that's a good sign. On a bad note, I am now convinced Ari is a Cylon. The signs are totally there. First off, he talks a lot about destroying the human race. Secondly, he hates when I call machines "toasters." And third, there are like 10 copies of him around town. I can't believe I didn't pick up on this sooner.

Alright, let's roll:

00:00 -- I could look it up, but I am too lazy. Whoever did the makeup for this episode should have won an Emmy. Charlie looks like an absolute mess.

00:01 -- Jack's not mad at Kate for not coming to the caves with him and I think Kate would kind of prefer it if he was. I remember whenever I screwed up as a kid, my mom was never mad -- she was disappointed. And that was soooooooo much worse.

00:03 -- Charlie and I have had our differences, but if I had known him more during the days of his confession I think we might have gotten along better. "You all, everybody!" has a whole different meeting to me now.

00:04 -- If I root really, really hard will the boar catch and eat Charlie this time?

00:05 -- "Now give me my bloody drugs." -- Charlie. And the nominees for the least threatening line are ...

00:06 -- I don't remember this whole episode very well, but I do remember LOVING the whole "ask me for the drugs three times" thing. God I love Locke.

00:07 -- Sayid is giving his plan for finding the source of the French transmission. Who ya got: Sayid or MacGyver? I'll take my main Iraqi.

00:08 -- I am sure there are more interesting things I could say about this Sawyer/Kate thing, but here's what I got: What is that laptop Sawyer had? The battery came out of a handle!?!?

00:09 -- "You ok? You're looking a little ..." Jack to Charlie. Death, Jack. He's looking like grim death.

00:11 -- No foreshadowing in the scene between Charlie and his brother, was there? None at all.

00:12 -- Did you know Charlie was in a band called Driveshaft? Cause he never mentions it with no prompting whatsoever.

00:13 -- Charlie's incessant yelling caused a cave-in, trapping Jack inside. There are too many snarky things I could say here, I honestly can't pick one.

00:14 -- Another useless scene between Boone and Shannon. Not hard to see why they were killed off.

00:15 -- "Just keep doing whatever it is you do around here." Sawyer to Charlie. Yeah, that didn't go over too well.

00:16 -- What weighs more: Charlie or his guitar? Here's another one: Which song is better, "You All Everybody" or "That Thing You Do"? Underrated movie.

00:17 -- And finally Michael serves a purpose, other than being beaten up by Jin. Anything is better than hearing him yell about "my boy!!!"

00:19 -- Please sir, can I have my stash?

00:20 -- If Locke narrated more specials on The Discovery Channel, I'd watch more of The Discovery Channel.

00:22 -- "I can handle him." -- Kate about Sawyer. Yeah, we saw you handle him alright.

00:23 -- Charlie volunteers to go in the cave to save Jack. Nice to see him step up to the plate -- when certain death isn't involved.

00:24 -- One of the things I like about the early episodes was how big of an asshole Sawyer was. I guarantee he was never as nice off the island as he was the last few seasons.

00:25 -- In you go, Charlie.

00:26 -- Wait, you mean Charlie's brother turns into an asshole? Did not see that coming, even the second time around.

00:28 -- Charlie causes yet another cave-in. Man, he was doomed from the beginning, wasn't he?

00:30 -- Charlie keeps saying he can't help Jack pop his shoulder into place. All he has to do is pull him arm -- what is so damn hard about that?

00:33 -- Just a wrenching scene between Charlie and his brother. The guy gets him hooked on heroin and then gets clean, leaving his little bro still hooked. Oh, the irony of it all.

00:36 -- Speaking of irony, it turns out a moth is what helps save Jack and Charlie from the cave ... and Charlie from himself.

00:38 -- Let the island fireworks show begin.

00:39 -- And down goes Sayid!

00:40 -- Charlie is jonesing for some smack. Third time is the charm.

00:41 -- Jack totally blew his chance to nail Kate right there.

00:42 -- "I've made my choice." -- Charlie. Well it's good to see Charlie got rid of the last bit of heroin on the island. I mean, it's not as if there's a wrecked plane full of heroin anywhere around there. Oh wait...

It's amazing what used to pass for an episode of "Lost." I am not saying I didn't enjoy this episode, because I did. But when you look at all that is going on now, man these episodes pale by comparison just in terms of plot. It's almost like watching two different shows.

I guess it comes down to why you watch "Lost." If you like character development and a good, touching story, then season 1 is for you. If you're more into mystery and plot, seasons 2 and 3 are probably more your speed.

It really is true: season 1 was about the Losties, season 2 was about the island and season 3 was about the Others.

So as I said, watching season 1 for the second time I am just amazed at how little actually happens. What surprises you most about watching season 1 again? Til next week...

Don't forget, you can email me questions for Monday's L.D.Q.A. by clicking here and you can help me out-friend Brody Jenner on MySpace by clicking here.

 

Posted by Daniel at 02:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)

Only got 3 questions this week, so we'll skip the L.D.Q.A.

Check back Thurdsay morning for the new diary and hopefully we'll get things rolling again next week.

Posted by Daniel at 09:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)

The L.D.Q.A. is back on Monday, so send your questions to questions@thelostdiary.com.

Posted by Daniel at 05:22 PM | Permalink

A lot of people wrote in wondering what we'd do this week, since July 4 falls on a Wednesday. I figure with people going out of town and vacationing this week, we'll just take the week off and pick up again with the Q&A on July 9.

Enjoy the week.

Posted by Daniel at 01:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)