Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Lost Returns in One Week

Lost is set to resume its broadcast schedule in exactly one week - with "Not In Portland", Episode 7 of Season 3 of Lost. Can you believe it, we only are up to Episode 7? This hiatus has been a bit of a sore point for a lot of Lost fans, and the producers will not repeat the hiatus in Season 4 of Lost.

The hiatus would have been considered a success if Daybreak, Lost's schedule replacement, had fared better in the ratings race. However it did not, leaving the network filling the schedule until February 7. I was in the evident minority liking Daybreak, and look forward to viewing the remaining episodes on ABC.com when they are released.

Follow this link for my spoilers blogs on the upcoming Lost episode spoilers
and scroll down when you get there.

Another spoiler leak du jour is that the big reveal of Nikki (Kiele Sanchez)and Paulo (Rodrigo Santoro) will be coming in Episode 14 of Season 3. Not very new news, but repackaged. The preceding episodes where we saw glimpses of these new characters in Season 3 were meant as brief intros, so the ultimate reveal later on is not so shocking. Of course everyone is wondering about their purposes anyway. I heard Rodrigo's contract only runs one year. If that is true, the implication is that he will die or melt back into the unnamed survivors. Of course there could be contract renewal options, so there is no guarantee, only a hint that Paulo will be gone.



Sunday, January 28, 2007

Lost Moment 11 - Skeleton

A humourous Lost Moment ... nice fit for my blog... Jin and Sawyer are sharing some beers, and Sawyer is teaching Jin some "important" English language phrases. Check out the skeleton next to Sawyer. Recently Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) gave an interview spoiler that Lost will lighten up a bit after the break. The video confirms that.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Final Episode Lost Spoiler: Kate Chooses

The outcome of the final episode of Lost now has been determined with 100% certainty :) REALLY, Maybe. Known only to the Contender's Lost Spoilers Blog network and its legion of readers ... oh, and 12,000,000 people on YouTube.

Here are the answers:

  • Yes, Kate chooses Jack over Sawyer ;)
  • No, the Island is not purgatory ;)
  • Yes, the Lostaways capture Ben ;)
  • Yes, the Final Episode has been filmed ;)

And, here it is, "LOST 'The Final Episode' " ...

[Update: This video has been taken off YouTube as requested by Disney/ABC. We have pretty good memories of the content and if there is enough interest will expand on the summary that is already here.]


Oh, one more thing ... Notice the Black Rock sailing ship in the background as "Jack" gazes at the island? That's a real spoiler, really. Expect more on the Black Rock.

(Video from Disney President and CEO Bob Iger’s keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas)

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Spoilers: Lost Survivor Guide, Kate and Claire









Deep in the recesses behind the scenes, and heard by our vast network of Lost Spoilers Blog informants, there has been considerable unease inside ABC and the Lost team about the public perception of this season 3. When the recognition started sinking in starting around the end of October, serious thought was given to avoiding the mistakes of other now defunct television series, and also to reinvigorate the Lost audience. You will never hear anyone make a big point of the deliberations, just the tantalizing hints of the outcome. And the fact of the matter is that the first six episodes of Lost this season were nothing short of brilliantly written and filmed.

We already have discussed a lot of the spoilers rolling out about the changes after Episode 9 of Season 3. There have been so many spoilers you have to wonder if this is just the second half. Before we know it Not In Portland will be here and the slew of spoilers will only continue week after week as the season progresses.

One spoiler is the recently announced episode called "Lost Survivor Guide". A nice play on the word "survivor", after all the Lostaways are stranded on an island to survive by their own moxie and wit to outplay, outwit and outlast the evil Others and the smoke monster. This Lost Survivor Guide will not only be to introduce Part II of season 3, but also to set the tone for bringing some new Lost fans on board. The ad campaign in the can will capitalize on this. For existing viewers, ABC is touting that the recap reiterate some hints, clues and secrets that everyone missed. Hmmmm is that the Kate is an Other secret? We think not.

The "guest stars" for Not In Portland have been announced as Robin Weigert as Rachel, M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly/Tom, William Mapother as Ethan, Blake Bashoff as Karl, Tania Raymonde as Alex, Michael Bowen as Pickett, Ariston Green as Jason, Teddy Wells as Ivan, Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert, Steve Labrash as morgue employee, Kimberly Estrada as Sherry, Rob McElhenney as Aldo and Zeljko Ivanek as Edmund.

Oh, I nearly forgot....Not. Why are there photos of Remington Steele, Moonlighting at the start of this post? Notice they are both couples but at the opposite ends of the romantic spectrum.

On the left there is Remington Steele featuring not quite lovebirds Laura Holt (Stephanie Zimbalist) and Remington Steele (Pierce Brosnan). That's Laura with the wide open eyes in the picture. Can't take her eyes of Pierce, and he for her. So what happened? Nothing - not until after the ratings tanked and the decision to cancel had been made. Romantic tension never let up.

Now, on the right there is Moonlighting, featuring the lovebirds Madeline "Maddie" Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and David Addison (Bruce Willis). So what happened? ... Well, nothing until season 4. In the picture you see they are back-to-back, but touching. Looking different ways, but still close to one another. Then what happened, well they became a couple and ratings tanked.

Conventional wisdom actually being hinted at by the producers of Lost is that Moonlighting tanked after Maddie and David became a couple. But what about Remington Steele? It tanked even though Remington and Laura were apart. There are also are alternative explanations for the demise of Moonlighting's ratings, like, lagging scripts and exiling Maddie to the end of a phone line when Cybill Shepherd became pregnant.

So HEY Lost producers: don't take the wrong lessons from the past!

And HEY Lost Spoilers blogger, why is this a Lost spoiler anyway?

Oh...Yeah ... they don't want to repeat the past mistakes of Moonlighting and all.

This means: Charlie and Claire - although dancing with couple-dom throughout the first two seasons - WILL become a couple sort of and maybe not. First it looked like Claire was accepting Charlie, then came heroine, uh heroin between them. Yet now, have no doubt at all, about the Charlie's back spoiler. Count on the relationship to blossom then become and remain tense, Charlie never quite knowing where he stands ... sort of and maybe not.

Also have no doubt about this spoiler - Kate and Sawyer will not remain a happy pair, white picket fence, doggie and all. Their relationship will be sort of and maybe not as well. It will not be a tidy one and count on circumstances and their own natures to drive them apart, while the affection pulls in the other direction. Also don't forget all of Kate's longing for Jack. Moonlighting Lost will not be, nor will it Steele.




Thursday, January 18, 2007

Lost Spoilers Rolling In

Yet again we have had the Lost spoilers activity nailed, sort of, kind of, 110%. Follow the thought. Right at the start of the hiatus we already had the Not In Portland spoilers and put them up in our Lost Spoilers for Not in Portland article. True to prediction the clever marketing people at ABC have kept the buzz going during the hiatus, dishing out spoilers and maybe some misdirection on the future of Lost.

The biggest Lost spoiler, reported first here maybe weeks ago is that the Lost creators and ABC marketing gurus are keenly aware of the discontent with the first six episodes by a segment of the Lost fan base. Not us, but some people were getting really discouraged that the first six episodes were a set up of things to come, rather than clear answers to the hatch, kidnapping etc. Cinematically they were pure genius. But unfulfilling for some.

So the spoiler here is that adjustments have been made to episode 9 onwards to provide more "answers" to mysteries of the island and crash. It was too late to do many changes to episodes 7 and 8 because of filming schedules, but not with the later Lost episodes. This retooling has been done with an eye to closing some issues and raising others - in classic Lost fashion.

For example, we will find out more about those two guys in an arctic igloo - speaking Brazilian Portuguese, - monitoring magnetic disturbances. Remember them? They were the closing scene of Season 2, notifying mysterious Penny Widmore they found Desmond's island. A reminder of Penny always has been planned for Lost Season 3, Episode 8 - Flashes Before Your Eyes. The adjustment is that this story line will be expanded and explored in great detail later in the season. Personally I think the Widmores present a great side story and focusing on Penny is a good move.

Here's some of the other Lost Spoilers floating around: Michael and Walt return to Lost. Personally, I could do without that story line, and still am annoyed that Michael shot Ana Lucia - writing a fan favorite out of the show. But people are dying to know what happened when Walt and dad Michael gleefully sailed away in Fenry/Benry's Others boat.

We already reported that Episode 7, Not in Portland, will have a Juliet flashback. The new news is that she has a sister (Robin Weigert) who appears and also recurs in another flashback for later in the season.

There is a rumor that at least one of the Nicki and Paulo duet will be gone by the end of the season. A lot of us cannot even figure out why they are on the island in the first place. Some answers to come in Episode 14.

Here is a Lost Spoiler that will bring a lot of joy: Action moves away from the little zoo island -- again by Episode 9. Kate and Sawyer will escape by boat in Episode 7 Not in Portland and Jack stays behind with the Others.

And the big Kate - Sawyer relationship spoiler - stay tuned for my next post :). Who is that standing behind Sawyer in the group PR photo above anyway ...?


Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Lost Movie - Season 4


Are Mulder and Sculley coming to Lost? Remember them, the protagonists of the X-Files in the photo?

Now it has leaked out that the producers of Lost are going to be announcing the end of the series. The objective will be to avoid the problems perceived with the last two seasons of the X-files. With the X-Files, ratings lagged in the last season, and the storyline was perceived to lag. Personally, I would like to see some lessons learned from the hiatus. No need to worry about Lost repeating patterns of other shows. Why don't we just go on and as long as it is interesting, keep going?

What really may be happening is that the producers want to do a movie and are looking to wind up the series to make time to produce the movie, and then another, and another and another... Personally, I have no problem with that either. Rumors about the movie were floated last summer. Here is a link to the Lost Exposed thread. This is one more step in that direction. 2009 Update: It's not in the 2009 Movies season, but Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje aka Mr. Eko, is showing up in the new G.I. Joe movie coming out in 2009.

Season 4 scheduling options also are on the table. 24 improved its ratings last year by going to an uninterrupted schedule. Meanwhile Lost took a ratings hit by going to a split schedule this year, leaving ABC scrambling to move the return a week early (not happening). So, in the spirit of emulating success (24), conventional thinking is that Lost will be going to an uninterrupted schedule next year. In the humble opinion of the Lost Spoilers blogger, this would be a big mistake. Lost should return to the conventional schedule on which it was ratings dy-no-mite. Starting late this year enabled the competition to become entrenched and led to a decline in viewership (from stellar to "just outstanding" :)).

Oh, one more thing... What is Lost's answer to Mulder-Sculley? Here it is, so there:



Friday, January 12, 2007

Black Rock and Enterprise Spoilers

I was thinking of devoting this post to the true meaning of Black Rock, but that will have to wait for another day.

There is some great news today for Lost creator J.J. Abrams. He has been signed to produce the next installment in the Star Trek franchise. The details are set and this one will be an action adventure focusing on the events that brought Kirk and Mr. Spock (another Mr., not Eko) together for greatness, never Lost. You can see I still miss Mr. Eko. Kirk goes to Star Fleet academy and becomes the world's most famous captain.

Lost's J.J. Abrams also produced Mission Impossible III, released in 2006. If you saw it you also could see his greatness in directing an action drama. It succeeded despite the huge personal baggage literally and figuratively trailing its star Tom Cruise.


Oh, the Black Rock, ABC calls it a "19th century sailing ship" - talking about captains ... Wondering how I'd tie this together? At the left is a publicity photo put out by ABC - Touchstone Pictures a while ago showing Lostaways exploring the hulking wreck of the Black Rock - You can make out Hurley, Charlie, and Jack in the released photo.

Did you notice that ABC highlighted the Black Rock as one of the unsolved mysteries listed in the Season 3, Part 2 Spoilers
a few days ago? We've got the spoiler about Black Rock coming soon right here at the Lost Spoilers blog, or at LostExposed.com ... haven't decided yet where to put it, or maybe not at all since it's hard to verify with the 100% spoiler accuracy for which we are known.

Here is a riddle clue: A spoiler on hulking wreck Black Rock known to only a few and believed by fewer, it is not as profound as some people might expect, and more profound than others might expect, and is not even be a true Lost spoiler. I do not think that is solvable, so don't waste time trying. Vague enough?


Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Official Season 3 Spoilers, Part 2

ABC now has released their "teaser" for the mid-season premier of Lost. It contains a lot of "spoilers", which if history is the guide, may potentially, maybe, possibly ... ok probably maybe has some misdirection. It included a group photo that omits Mr. Eko, not a surprise:


Here are the Lost spoilers we believe are verified:

  • More for the Guys Lost Spoiler ... ABC now has officially stated the "second act" of “Lost” season 3 (or Lost series 3 as the Brits might say) has "action-packed mystery and adventure". You might say ... well duh. However this actually is a concealed spoiler. Before season 3 began, the creators of Lost were hyping the "relationship" aspects of the upcoming season. Although they provided the sort of answer on who Kate picked (Sawyer) they also did not adequately address the male demographic largely responsible for all the grumbling about lack of "answers" for Lost this season. This is ABC's clue that we can expect an attempt to bring everyone home to the Lost fold.
  • ABC has not forgotten about all the mysteries for which we want some attention. How do we know that? They summarized them all in their release. They have not forgotten!
"the island holds many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, a strange French woman and another group of island residents known as “The Others.” The survivors have also found signs of those who came to the island before them, including a 19th century sailing ship called The Black Rock, the remains of an ancient statue, as well as bunkers belonging to the Dharma Initiative -- a group of scientific researchers who inhabited the island in the recent past."
  • Juliet – the Others' fertility doctor - makes a "shocking" decision that could endanger her standing with her people. Remember, she will shoot someone.
  • Look for a Charlie storyline about his future, as revealed cryptically by Desmond

Here is one that looks like misdirection: "can the survivors find a way to interact with the outside world". Our prediction is No. Although the Others might, we predict Sawyer, Locke et al. will not.

Here are some excerpts from the ABC Lost press release, but as usual, be wary of misdirection contained in it:

"As the second part of Season Three opens, Jack seems to have gained the upper hand, as Ben’s life literally rests in his hands. His demands are simple – release Kate and Sawyer as prisoners of “The Others,” let them safely return to the island and he’ll stay behind. But does Jack have a hidden agenda? Kate finally made her romantic decision between Jack and Sawyer by choosing the smitten con man – but were her feelings for him genuine? Juliet – one of “The Others” -- makes a shocking decision that could endanger her standing with her people. After the death of Eko, Locke’s obsession to uncover the secrets of the island leads Sayid to believe that his intentions may not be in the best interests of his fellow survivors. Sun and Jin will continue to celebrate their pregnancy – but is the child really Jin’s? Just as Charlie returns into the good graces of Claire and her baby, Aaron, Desmond drops a bombshell on him that could change the course of his life forever. After the hatch imploded and the electromagnetic charge was expelled, questions arise as to what effects it had on the island – as well as the outside world. Will Penny Widmore find the island and her long, lost love, Desmond, and can the survivors find a way to interact with the outside world?" No.

How about this reference to "heroes": "Even heroes have secrets." A lot of people are speculating on a connection between the NBC show and Lost. We can confirm there is no connection except the creators of Heroes are admirers of what Lost has achieved.

Summary of the stars not including Eko or Ana-Lucia. Don't look for their return flashbacks soon.

Naveen Andrews as Sayid
Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond
Emilie de Ravin as Claire
Michael Emerson as Ben
Matthew Fox as Jack
Jorge Garcia as Hurley
Josh Holloway as Sawyer
Daniel Dae Kim as Jin
Yunjin Kim as Sun
Evangeline Lilly as Kate
Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet
Dominic Monaghan as Charlie
Terry O’Quinn as Locke.



Monday, January 8, 2007

Lost Spoilers, Season 3, Episode 9



ABC now has confirmed the Episode 9 Lost spoilers posted here first over three weeks ago. This came in the latest Lost Moment ad.

The Lost Moment shows a sexy "lady" with Jack in bed. That's it, really. Here is the Lost Moment on YouTube if you want to watch it.

The real Lost spoilers are found if you read between the lines, and our Tattoo spoiler post. In Episode 9, Jack goes to Thailand, meets girl (played by Bai Ling), and gets his first tattoos. The girl in the ad seducing Jack is played by actress Bai Ling. The scene takes place in a the Jack flashback in Bangkok, Thailand. Notice the tattoo on the girl's back. Jack will join her style statement soon.

In an interview in E-Online, Bai Ling says her character is very important in Jack's life and his tattoos have something to do with her character. Take those statements with some skepticism since she also claimed to be a recurring character, a claim we could not confirm.

Sunday, January 7, 2007

Spoilers for Post-Hiatus - "Not In Portland", Season 3, Episode 7

Spoiler Alert: Don't read this if you don't want to know the future of Lost.
*Updated*

Ok, here we go with the new Lost Spoilers Blog. This enry will have the spoilers as best I can expertly and with 2 zillion % accuracy can discern from the vague and muted rumblings from the all-powerful creators ;).

Let's get serious now, after all, Lost spoilers is serious business... NOT.

Ok, let's try again, the producers and ABC’s spin-meisters are out there churnin’ and churnin’ to keep interest in the show during the 13 week hiatus. So, there have been repeated spoiler leaks, not to mention the Lost Nuggets that are being broadcast on Daybreak. One thing about Daybreak: *updated*: I WAS liking it - making me a minority of one! (old: I'm liking it! Surprise Surprise!) *Another update*: It's ratings were terrible, so it's gone (old: It's ratings have not been very good though, so don't worry Lost fans, it won't "spoil" our fun!).

During the hiatus, be on heightened alert for mis-direction and false rumors. (UPDATE: There have been a million already.) A lot of the operatives of the Lost PR machine are itchin’ to buzz buzz buzz buzzzzzzz during the break, so be highly skeptical of spoilers that have not been fully verified in this Spoilers Blog, or on my blog over at LostExposed! After all, as I have said before, we would not want any inaccurate spoilers to appear in this blog, snicker snicker. The Clues blog on this episode is here: Lost Clues Blog, and will be updated after the broadcast.

The "Not In Portland" episode will be picking up after the mid-season finale that originally was broadcast in the U.S. in November 2006. There were several mini – cliffhangers that in true Lost fashion will be fully resolved in Episode 7 … NOT . One that we can count on being resolved is whether Kate runs or does not run. You hear it here with 100% certainty: What will happen is Kate decides to run and takes Sawyer with her.

As for Saywer, he had a gun to his head when we last saw him. Now Kate isn't the type to just kiss and run . So she'll take him along for the ride. While escaping, receive a little assist from Alex who mysteriously still happens to be in the woods, even thought the Others sent her home.

News Flash,..... I mean Flashback: The flashback for this episode will take us to Portland, just like the title says, "Not In Portland". Haha, nice twist huh?

Now Portland is a great place (yeah Portland), but the really good news is that we will learn pieces of Juliet’s back story in this episode. Who is she? How did she get so good with a gun? Why is she an Other instead of a nice Lostie? Did you catch the gun reference? Yes, Juliet is a pistol … expert. Look for her to aim, and pull the trigger, with deadly results. Her aim is more aligned with the Losties than we know, so look for another other to bite the dirt.



Thursday, January 4, 2007

Episode 7 Lost Moment Spoiler

This is an Episode 7, Not In Portland, post-hiatus spoiler:

I really haven't been tracking the Lost Moment ads that ABC is dishing now and then. However my interest was piqued between New Year's games by an ad they showed that seemed to compile two of the Moments. They are not really spoilers, since ABC is showing the world.

Regardless of what we call them, here's the scoop:

The Others don't just let Kate and Sawyer waltz away. They put pressure on Jack to ditch them, pointing out that the only reason he is alive is to cure Ben and if Ben dies Jack dies. Ninja Jack says, "I'll take my chances". Then to the beach. Surprise surprise. Kate doesn't have a boat. So much for Jack's brilliant plan. Of course, she's on an island, she needs a boat to get off! Pickett is in hot pursuit, gunfire erupts and then, from behind, Pickett is surprised and incapacitated. Whew.

Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Lost Spoilers - "Flashes Before Your Eyes", Season 3, Episode 8

Widmore Return – Lost Episode 8, Season 3, Flashes Before Your Eyes
Spoilers Ahead (Maybe)
**Updated**
In the spirit of the season and outright good PR, someone, maybe even someone at ABC let “slip” some inside spoilers on upcoming Lost episodes.


Here are the spoilers although like any Lost spoilers emanating from the inner sanctum, they may complete misdirection :).

The infamous Widmore family finally makes their return. Remember them? There is Penny Widmore – beautiful Juliet look-alike (not Juliet, right?) who was Desmond’s love before his boating accident on the island. Still his inspiration though, since it was her image that propelled Desmond into the dark hatch-hole risking his own life to turn the key and save the world at the end of season 2.

Then there was her spooky limousine riding dad named Charles. He set the whole thing up with Desmond.

Of course there is the Lost novel Bad Twin – that’s the book Sawyer found in the plane wreckage and was reading during Lost's Season 2. It mysteriously surfaced in the real world and actually hit the New York Times best seller list over the summer. Here is a good review of Bad Twin by Michelle. The book was authored by Gary Troup who died in the crash of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815. In the real world, Laurence Shames wrote the book, under the nom-de-plum of Gary Troup.

All this happens in Episode 8, Season 3. This will be a lovers’ broadcast on Valentine’s Day, February 14 - unless ABC manages to speed up the production schedule. So look for love to blossom. Maybe Penny-Desmond in this extravaganza.

If the infamous Widmores re-appear it also is clear that this episode will center on Desmond, both on the island and off. We will get a glimpse of Desmond's pre-military life and hints but no resolution as to how Desmond wound his way on the path to the boat race that crash landed him on the island, destined never to escape.

We also will follow some pretty inane head scratching by Hurley and Charlie as to who Desmond seem to have changed since the hatch explosion. OK, that was a hint on how I feel about the potential for that exercise. But we at Contender's Lost Spoiler's blog hope as much as anyone that the writers make it a compelling investigation by Hurley. Let's get the H-man back to season 1 form

The episode title has been set as, “Flashes Before Your Eyes”.

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