As Seen On TV
'Lost': Murder by Death
John Locke, Resurrected!? In this week's pivotal episode of "Lost," we learned the truth about John Locke's death—and can't believe we didn't see that coming!—got a cameo from an old friend, and found out we are headed for some serious war games.
*SPOILER ALERT*
Dead Man Walking
We knew John Locke was going to make a "sacrifice" for the island, but this filled in the blanks as to his off-island activities. After giving the frozen wheel a spin, Locke wakes up on the sand in Tunisia (where we first met Charlotte) with a camera pointed on him. Apparently, Charles Widmore and Benjamin Linus are watching you and me and the Others and especially the Oceanic Six (preferably in HD).
Next thing you know, Charles Widmore is playing Florence Nightingale, flying in specialists to treat that little BONE STICKING OUT of Locke’s leg and claiming he's not the baddie we think he is—and that Ben tricked him into leaving the island just as he did Locke. He also offers Locke a personal driver in the form of that wonderfully eerie Abaddon (Lance Reddick), as well as some cash, a passport and a new identity—Jeremy Bentham.
The Importance of Being John Locke
After adjusting to the irony of Locke once again in a wheelchair, we see him hop from Santo Domingo to Santa Monica, with multiple stops in between, visiting the gang (Sayid, Jack, Kate, Hurley and even long-lost Walt, even though he’s not an Oceanic Six-er) and failing to convince any of them to go back to the island.
What was most upsetting about all of his encounters was how cold-hearted and mean everyone treated Locke:
Sayid presumed Locke only wanted to go back to the island “because you have nowhere else to go.” Kate assumed Locke wanted to go back because she thought he never loved anyone (Kate, the man you love is ON the island, shut up and go back…p.s. can’t wait for you and Sawyer to reunite next week!). Jack tells him “Maybe there’s nothing important about you at all. Maybe you are just a lonely old man.” Damn!
It made seeing Locke wrap that noose around his neck all that more difficult to watch (though his compound leg fracture wins for most wince inducing). That is, until I was floored when Ben shows up…and strangles Locke with the electrical cord instead!
A Date with Death
~The only woman Locke ever loved, Helen Norwood, died on April 8, 2006
~Sayid married the love of his life, but she was murdered nine months later
~At the Hydra Station, Caesar thumbs through an issue of Life magazine dated April 19, 1954, featuring a headline about a hydrogen test. U.S. military soldiers arrived on Lost island in 1954 and dropped off “Jughead” the hydrogen bomb, which the Losties discovered when they time-travelled to that same year
~At the hospital, Widmore hands Locke the London Daily Tribune newspaper, dated January 14, 2005. This article appears on Page 15: “Car crash causes major traffic headaches”
Collision Course
On top of everything else, Locke is in a car wreck in this episode after Abaddon is gunned down by Ben, so it’s time to revisit the wild number of vehicular incidences on this show:
~Michael was hit by a car (the elusive Golden Pontiac) in NYC and broke his leg.
~Locke was hit by a car in a parking lot while chasing his mother.
~Juliet’s husband was run over by a bus.
~Kate’s childhood sweetheart Tom was killed in a shoot-out car crash.
~Hurley crashes his Camaro during a police chase.
~Claire and her mother were in a car crash (it put her mom in a coma for five years).
~Shannon’s father Adam Rutherford was killed in the same car accident that paralyzed Jack’s wife Sarah.
~When Jack attempts suicide on the bridge (prompted by seeing Locke’s obituary), there is a car crash which stops him from jumping.
~Michael crashed his car on the docks in a failed suicide attempt.
~Locke’s father Anthony Cooper was in a car crash in Tallahassee right before he mysteriously turned up on the island.
~Kate was in an accident with the marshal, which led to her escape, after a black horse ran onto the road…Kate saw a black horse on the island (along with Sawyer’s boar).
~Martha Toomey lost her leg in a car accident; her husband Sam Toomey (Hurley’s fellow cursed lottery winner) committed suicide.
Rabbit Stew
~Locke says he “fell down a hole” in another reference to good old Alice in Wonderland.
~The revelation of Locke in the coffin was introduced in an episode called “Through the Looking Glass.”
~A rabbit is the logo of the Dharma station called “The Looking Glass.”
~Rabbits are a symbol for fertility and we know the island has fertility issues.
~There also was a Jack-centric episode called “White Rabbit.”
~There was a rabbit in the hatch and a rabbit in Sawyer’s cage with the #8 painted on it.
~In the “Orientation” films, Dr. Marvin Candle holds a rabbit with #15 painted on it.
~Sawyer was reading “Watership Down,” starring rabbits.
~There was a white rabbit in the magic show at the old folks’ home where gramps was trying to escape from.
~Ben had a white rabbit as a child.
Mirror, Mirror
~Locke was back in a wheelchair, just as he was in the beginning. Last week, Sayid was escorted through the airport by authorities, just as he was in the premiere when Shannon reported him to security for leaving his bag unattended. And Jack woke up alone in the jungle, matching the opening scene of the first episode.
~Caesar was in line behind Jack at the airport counter for Flight 316, just as Ana-Lucia was in line behind Jack for Flight 815. Is it just me or does new passenger guy give off a cop vibe (just like Ana-Lucia was)? He’s been appointed leader of the new survivors, knows how to handle a gun, rifles through files and asks an awful lot of questions. He also noticed that Hurley and the others “disappeared” before Flight 316 actually crashed. Consider me intrigued by Caesar (Marshal Alana, not so much).
~Locke wakes up in a hospital and Charles Widmore is by his bedside. Later on, Locke wakes up in another hospital and Jack is by his bedside.
~At the Santa Rosa mental hospital, Hurley was drawing a picture of a desert with pyramids. Locke was blitzed from the island to Tunisia.
~When Locke goes to see his former little buddy, Walt says he had been dreaming of Locke: “You were wearing a suit, there were people around you…who wanted to hurt you.”
And since we now know Ben murdered Locke, it might be interesting to note the similarities of their origins:
~Locke’s mother—named Emily—was hit by a car, causing the premature birth of John Locke.
~Ben’s mother—named Emily—went into premature labor and died while delivering Ben.
Best Moments
~Locke visits WAAAALT!!!!!!! And he’s so TAAAALLLLL!!!
~Matthew Abaddon’s unexpected death
~Locke shaking up Jack with, “Your father says hello…he says his name is Christian.”
~Hurley sees dead people, but Locke's not one of them....
~Locke DIDN’T commit suicide. Ben Linus, you bastard! (But Michael Emerson is sooo good.)
Best Quotes
“Unless I’m mistaken, I thought you were my driver.”—Locke to Abaddon
“The timing would just confuse ya.”—Locke to an inquisitive Caesar, wisely avoiding the "time travel talk"
“I haven’t tried to kill you. Can you say the same for him [Ben]?”—Widmore to Locke, when asked why he should believe him
Burning Questions
~Who do we believe: Ben or Widmore?
~Who is (more) evil: Ben or Widmore???
~What is the "war" Widmore says is brewing?
~Was it Sun who ran off in the night with Lapidus in the canoe (and why would he make it a point to take the passenger list with him)?
~Are the car crashes significant?
~Ben seemed truly surprised to learn Jin was alive, and just hearing the name Eloise Hawking drove him to strangle Locke just after talking him down from hanging himself. WHY?
~So, um, is John Locke ALIVE? Or is he just alive-ish like Christian Shepherd and Claire?
Did you miss last night's episode of 'Lost'? Watch it here for free on Fancast.com!
Click here to comment: What did you think of the episode “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”?
Message Edited by Tracy_Phillips on 02-26-2009 12:52 PM…
Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:20:24 GMT | Tracy_Phillips
Andy Richter Rejoining Conan on New 'Tonight Show'
When Conan O'Brien debuts his new version of "The Tonight Show" on NBC on June 1, he'll have a familiar face with him. Andy Richter, O'Brien's former sidekick on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," will be joining the new "Tonight Show" as its announcer, the network announced in a press release Tuesday. It will be the first time O'Brien and Richter will be working together on a daily in almost nine years. In addition to his announcing duties, Richter will participate in comedic pieces, NBC announced.
Richter served as O'Brien's partner in late-night shenanigans for seven years before leaving the show to focus on acting. He went on to star in a few short-lived sitcoms, including "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," "Quintuplets" and "Andy Barker, P.I."
"Andy is one of the funniest people I know and we've maintained a close friendship since he left "Late Night," O'Brien said in the news release. "We have a proven chemistry that will be an incredible asset to "The Tonight Show." I'm looking forward to working with Andy on a daily basis again, particularly since he owes me $300."
*** Click here to comment! Are you excited for the reunion between Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter on the new "Tonight Show"?
Message Edited by Victor_Balta on 02-24-2009 04:30 PM…
Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:07:38 GMT | Victor_Balta
'Melrose' Remake in Place
History repeats itself. Everything old is new again. You know the drill.Those cliches are about as tired as TV and movie remakes, but they just keep on coming.
The CW has officially given the green light to yet another Fox rehash, "Melrose Place," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Our own Tracy Phillips already dropped the news last month that Ryan Eggold would likely be leaving the CW's current remake of "90210," where he plays teacher Ryan Matthews. There's still no word on the return of Heather Locklear to the new version, but Eggold said he thought she'd do it.
THR reports Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim will helm the new "Melrose," and he will serve as an executive producer along with Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin, who wrote the original series. Guggenheim is known mostly for darker and more dramatic work, like "Deadwood," "24" and "NYPD Blue," but earlier in his career he worked on lighter dramas, such as "Party of Five" and "Sisters." He won his Oscar for Al Gore's global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."
In other remake/import news, THR also reports that Fox has cast Zosia Mamet, the daughter of writer David Mamet ("The Unit") to star in its remake of the British comedy, "Absolutely Fabulous."
*** Click here to comment! What do you think of a "Melrose" remake? Should Heather Locklear come back?
Message Edited by Victor_Balta on 02-24-2009 09:43 AM…
Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:43:16 GMT | Victor_Balta
Whedon Pimps His 'Dollhouse'
We had the pleasure of sitting down with cult favorite Joss Whedon, creator of “Buffy,” “Angel” and the short-lived “Firefly” to chat about his newest venture, “Dollhouse.” The sci-fi drama, airing on FOX Friday nights at 8 pm, stars Whedon’s muse Eliza Dushku as Echo, a member of a secret group of people called “Actives." They have no memories, no habits, and no idea who they are. The live together in a futuristic laboratory know as the Dollhouse and for the right price, they are imprinted with new personalities and become whatever they are hired out to be.If you’re like me, you hear this premise and think, “Finally! A prime time show about prostitution! Take that, “Cathouse”!” Well, yes and no. According to Whedon, it’s not quite that simple.
When he was asked about whether he had managed to get a show about beautiful women fulfilling fantasies, i.e. prostitution, on a major network, the creator quipped, “First of all it’s not just women, it’s women AND men. And secondly, yes.”
He continued on more seriously.
“No, in the higher ranks there was some consternation after the show was being made of ‘Saaayyyy…that sounds like prostitution.’ And my response was yes, that’s part of the package. That is part of what is going on with 'Dollhouse,' it’s not all of what is going on with 'Dollhouse,' but it’s part of it.”
He went on, “Some people have been greatly offended by that, some people want to stay away from it. My response to it is to hit it head on and say let’s talk about exactly that. How much of this is morally reprehensible and how much is just stuff that we as an American culture deem morally reprehensible?”
“That’s a theme you’ll find in 'Serenity' and a lot of my work. I like to take the hero and find out what’s dark and strange and Canadian about him.”
He continued, “In reality prostitution is beyond appalling, but I want to be able to talk about it in a science fiction show as something that is part of the human condition."
For Whedon the biggest challenge in getting “Dollhouse” off the ground hasn’t been the questionable moral aspect of the show, or possible outrage it might spark. It’s been the changes in television production since “Angel” went off the air. In fact it seems like the king of sci-fi, might be a bit old fashioned when he gets behind the camera.“Producing television has changed a lot more than I expected. It’s been five years since watching the sunset and this, my old fat guy reunion tour. It’s changed just because of all the scramble that networks have had to go through to keep advertisers and figure out how to use the Internet. The webisodes -- you know everything behind the scenes is documented. When I started 'Buffy' we weren’t putting shows out on DVD, when I started 'Firefly,' we weren’t putting failed shows out on DVD,” he laughed.
“Now you pretty much pick your nose and there’s a DVD. And by the way it’s fabulous. It’s three episodes and I really get in there," he added, prompting a big laugh from the room.
He went on, quietly. “It’s a little overwhelming. They want to give us a director’s cut and then they cut theirs and then we’re going to have a B camera there the whole time and then the webisode…and we’re sitting there going ‘You know, just churning out a television show is more than we can handle.’”
“So it’s a little overwhelming, but they say this will drive business to the show and I’m like what if the show’s crappy when they get there? For me I get a little shirty about it. I’m like, let’s concentrate on what’s important."
Although it’s been five years since Whedon’s last stint on prime time, he hasn’t been relaxing. His web-based TV show, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” was released as an independent experiment last year and it's since become an underground sensation, thanks in no small part to the hilarious performance of Neil Patrick Harris. When asked what he thinks about Harris making a cameo on “Dollhouse,” Whedon deadpanned.
“I don’t know if he’s got talent of any kind. Did he ever do radio?” he joked. “I’d love any chance to work with Neil. I would grab at it instantly. He apparently is on another series [CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother]. But, I’m going to make sure he knows that I know that he said that. He’s as good as they get.”
Maybe we’ll see a “Dollhouse”-“How I Met Your Mother” crossover show? A girl’s got to have a fantasy.
What do you think? Is "Dollhouse" better than "Buffy?" Is the premise too scandalous? Will you let your kids watch it? Click here to comment!
Message Edited by SaraC on 02-20-2009 02:04 PM…
Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:49:31 GMT | SaraC
'Lost:' They're Baaaack!
Is “Lost” making your head hurt? This season has been on fire, bursting with twists and turns and revelations, as the puzzle pieces finally start to fall into place. All a good thing.
And it looks like people are taking notice. Wednesday’s episode got a nice ratings surprise: It was the highest-rated scripted series of the night, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
And it sure was a doozy. The Oceanic Six finally returned to the island, and how they got there was out of this world.
Now it’s time to get “Lost” in the clues:
Windows to the Soul
~The enigmatic Mrs. Hawking explained there are “pockets of energy” all over the world that can be harnessed into “windows” of opportunity to get to the island, which is constantly moving (this is why the Losties were never rescued). According to the magical calculations of a “very clever fellow” (Faraday? Hanso?) and a swinging pendulum, an Ajira Airways flight from LA to Guam will put them in the exact position of the island’s next location. All they have to do is board that plane--and re-create the conditions under which they left.
~The episode opened on Jack’s eye, a device used in many episodes, with the eyes, of course, being the window to your soul. This scene of Jack waking up alone in the jungle mirrors the opening scene of the series’ pilot episode.
The Gospel of John
~The title of this episode is “316,” which is the flight number of the Ajira jet that transports the Oceanic Six to the island (and departs from Gate 15, naturally).
~John 3:16 is the Bible verse that reads: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
~“We’re all convinced sooner or later, Jack.” Ben recounts the story of Thomas the Apostle, who doubted Jesus’ Resurrection (hence his nickname, “Doubting Thomas,” and Jack is definitely one of those...so does that make Locke the Jesus figure?). Also was Ben praying in the church? Or just plotting while clasping his hands together?
~We learned that Locke hung himself and left a suicide note for Jack, which in typical control freak, stubborn Jack form, he refused to read until AFTER they’re all on the plane. I was hoping it would say, “Don’t come back! This place is DEATH!” but it simply read: Jack, “I wish you had believed me.”—JL
Father Figure
~John Locke is a proxy, or substitute, for Jack’s father (so it’s no coincidence they’re both in a coffin) to get back to the island. As such, Mrs. Hawking tells Jack he has to give Locke something that belonged to his father. Interesting that our "man of science" is now forced to take a "leap of faith."
~It always bothered me that Christian Shepherd was wandering around the island in a suit and white sneakers…and now we know it’s because Jack didn’t bother to bring him nice shoes for his burial. So for his act of transference, Jack puts his dad’s shoes on Locke’s feet in the coffin.
~The out-of-the-blue introduction of Jack’s “granddad” Ray has to be more than just a plot device to get Jack his dad’s shoes. He was trying to escape an old folks’ home with magic shows for the fourth time. Who is Ray really?
Final Destination
~Despite their adamant refusals, everyone turned up at the airport for the flight back to the island. No doubt Mrs. Hawking had something to do with getting everyone on board (springing Hurley from jail, having Sayid arrested).
~What was really interesting about the flight was how each person reflected one of the other survivors…Sayid was in handcuffs escorted by a marshal, just as Kate was on the original flight. Kate was acting shady in sunglasses, reminding me of Sawyer. Hurley had Charlie’s guitar…the unexplained element is the new passenger (Said Taghmaoui).
An Unlucky Penny?
~“I made a promise to an old friend of mine. Just a loose end that needs tying up.” That’s what Ben tells Jack as he’s leaving the church, and I’m assuming he means the threat he made to Charles Widmore that he would kill his daughter—oh Penny! How unsettling was Ben’s call to Jack when he was bloody at the marina; we know Desmond, Penny and little Charlie arrived by boat. Shades of Hannibal Lector in “Silence of the Lambs,” no?...the pay phone, the old friend…not to mention Charlotte referred to “Hannibal” last week.
Kate’s Not So Great
~Kate’s moodiness reached new levels of irritation. She and Jack have desperation sex. Kate has morning-after aloofness, Jack has morning-after cluelessness. And oh yeah, what the hell did she do with Aaron? I’m hoping she just dropped the tyke off with Claire’s mom, but when Kate made Jack promise to never ask about the kid again, well that was creepy. (And Jack just says okay? No questions on the whereabouts of his nephew?!) And what’s with Kate’s line: Just because we’re on the same plane, doesn’t make us together?
Guiding Light
~So Mrs. Hawking’s church hideaway is actually a Dharma station called The Lamp Post. It’s another reference to the “Chronicles of Narnia,” in which the lamp post is a landmark that shows the way between worlds and burns continuously without fuel. (It's been noted that when the character was introduced in Season 4, Charlotte Staples Lewis’s initials match C.S. Lewis, the author of Narnia.)
~In “The Little Prince,” the children’s book referenced two episodes ago, there's “the lamplighter” who lives on a planet that has 1,440 sunsets every twenty-four hours because it turns so fast there is a new day every minute.
~In last week’s episode, Christian Shepherd was holding a lantern to help show Locke “the rest of the way.”
~Ben was reading “Ulysses” on the plane, which features motifs of lightness and darkness, surrogate fathers and sons, heroes and saviors, and parallels with Homer's Odyssey, among many other complicated things I can’t get into here.
The Numbers Game
~After the intro with Jack waking up on the island, the caption says these events took place 46 hours earlier. But when Mrs. Hawking tells Jack they all must be on the Ajira flight, she says they have only 36 hours. What happened to those 10 hours?
~Hurley buys up 78 seats on the flight to minimize casualties. Sweet Hurley.
~Lapidus says he picked up the Ajira pilot gig eight months ago.
~Jack is in seat 8C. On the Oceanic flight, he was in 23B.
Best Moments
~The Oceanic Six (well, five) return to the island!
~The ominous scene at the marina when Bloody Ben called Jack and told him to proceed without him
~The revelation that Locke committed suicide
~The person behind the wheel of the blue VW Dharma bus (and gun) was Jin
Best Quotes
“We’re not going to Guam are we?”—Captain Frank J. Lapidus to Jack aboard Ajira Airways Flight 316
“You might want to fasten your seat belt”—Hurley to the mysterious new passenger
“My mother taught me.”—Ben, on who taught him to read (his mother died in child birth)
Burning Questions
~What did Kate do with Aaron? What are the ramifications of his not returning to the island with the rest of the O6? (Mrs. Hawking says the outcome is “unpredictable.”)
~Did Ben kill Penny? Or did Desmond beat the crap out of Ben and stop him?
~Did the O6 crash or just flash back to the island? Are we certain they are in the ‘70s? Where are Ben, Sun and Sayid? Are they the new tailies (just as the survivors were separated into two groups after Flight 815 crashed)?
~Why did Mrs. Hawking seem unfazed by Desmond’s desperate message from her son Daniel Faraday?
~The newly buff Jin is probably worth the trip, but why isn't Sun at least a little sad she might never see her child again?
~Who is the clever mastermind behind the Lamp Post?
~The Oceanic Six are back on the island. NOW WHAT?
Did you miss last night’s mind-blowing return to the island? Watch the entire episode of “Lost” on Fancast.com.
Click here to comment: What did you think of the Oceanic Six returning to the island? Are you digging this season or are you more confused than ever? And does the show lack something when it doesn’t feature the island gang (or is that just me missing Sawyer?!)?
Message Edited by Tracy_Phillips on 02-19-2009 09:26 PM…
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:36:29 GMT | Tracy_Phillips
Sedaris Gets Psyched for 'The Closer'
Psychics, pseudo and otherwise, are everywhere on TV these days from “Medium” to “The Mentalist” to “Psych” to “Lie to Me.”
Now “The Closer” gets in on the act, or the sister act rather, with Amy Sedaris arriving like a whirlwind as someone’s sister on the acclaimed cop show for a two-part arc beginning tonight.
With Sedaris’ resemblance to star Kyra Sedgwick, it would seem like perfect casting to have her be Brenda Leigh Johnson’s sibling, but she’s not. She’s actually playing Claire, the sister of Brenda’s fiancé, FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney).
That is actually even more intriguing, in a Freudian way. Sedaris tells me, “How much fun is it that Fritz’s sister looks like his girlfriend? It’s funny.”
(Take a peek at our "Celebrity Lookalikes" gallery here.)
Fritzy is also a little reticent about his sister—an excitable vegan psychic or “intuitionist” as she likes to call it—meeting his girlfriend for the first time.
Watch a sneak peek of Amy Sedaris on “The Closer.”
Says Sedaris, “He is a little embarrassed at first, but I come to stay with Fritz and Brenda—Brenda likes me a lot—and I become involved in one of her cases.”
The case involves a cell phone containing lovers' text messages that point to murder, which Sedaris says “is funny to me because I don’t have a cell phone. I do have a computer, but I have never done texting. That’s like some weird other world.”
The light-hearted episode also features Claire having a psychic friends connection with Lt. Mike Tao (Michael Paul Chan), who believes in her “gift” and Claire tags along with him and Brenda to help unravel the case.
With Brenda's parents (Frances Sternhagen, Barry Corbin) also in town, the big question surrounds the impending wedding between Brenda and Fritz. Brenda's been having cold feet, so could the arrival of Fritz's zany sister turn her into a runaway bride?
“Maybe,” demures Sedaris, “I don’t know…I’m not gonna tell anybody what goes down in that situation.”
We’ll have to watch next week’s final episode of this mini-season to find out!
Sedaris, who’s best known for her role as Jeri Blank in “Strangers with Candy,” has cornered the market on quirky characters. I asked her what draws her to these kinds of roles:
“When you’re already pretty, it’s like, ugh, I don’t know, I’m sure they have a whole different struggle. But to me, it’s more fun to play unattractive people who think they are attractive.”
Amy Sedaris is also known for making the rounds as a talk show guest, with some particularly memorable spots on David Letterman. How did she get to be the go-to girl? “I think a lot of it is because I don’t have a publicist. And I’m not trying to sell something, like most people, so I think I’m invited because they just want me to visit. It’s fun that way, the pressure’s off.”
On top of her “Closer” stint, Sedaris is working on a new sitcom for Fox and a new book on crafts to follow up her last one, wonderfully titled, “I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence.” Oh, and in between all that she bakes cupcakes which she sells out of her apartment.
Amy Sedaris’ two-episode stint on “The Closer” begins Monday, Feb. 16th at 9 p.m. on TNT.
Click here to comment: Are you excited to meet Fritz’s sister? Do you think Brenda will go through with the wedding?
Message Edited by Tracy_Phillips on 02-16-2009 12:29 PM…
Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:08:59 GMT | Tracy_Phillips
