The Lightning Round: The Lost Season Finale, Legal Happenings, and Johnnie Morton Gets KO'd

Wow. The Detroit Pistons get themselves into a tough series with Cleveland, the Detroit Tigers bullpen implodes in on itself, and suddenly, that's all I'm really blogging about. So let's get caught up, with lots of good stuff to cover, from the Lost season finale to former Detroit Lions wide receiver Johnnie Morton having a debut in Mixed Martial Arts that he'd like to forget (and, actually, probably has forgotten, and not of his own volition).

** So, the Lost season finale was almost two weeks ago now, so everything that needs to be said has been said already. The Televisionary had a great review, showrunner Carlton Cuse was interviewed by TV Guide and showrunner Damon Lindelof was interviewed by Kristen @ E-Online.

I thought the finale was brilliant. Some of the best television I watched all season, and right up there with some of Lost's finest hours. After a very, very slow start to the season (the season premier was great, but then the rest of the "fall mini season" dragged) the show was on fire in the weeks leading up to the finale, and they really delivered. I loved the ending reveal of Jack's flashbacks being flashforwards was great, and I didn't see it coming. I was watching it with my buddies Ethan and Dave, and while Dave astutely pointed out that Jack's cell phone seemed too modern to be used in a flashback, we chalked it up to an error on the producers part. Ye of too little faith.

So this leads to all sorts of questions for next season, which starts in February of 2008 (man -- so far away). Who was in the coffin? What was Jack "lying" about and why is it so important for him to get back to the island (were people left behind?) and why does he need maps to find it if they were rescued? Is the island still shielded from view and impossible to return to once you leave? And if so, then who really rescued the castaways? And what about the "sickness" people are supposed to get on the island? Has that storyline been dropped completely or will we be getting back to it (it wasn't brought up in the finale, but I'm still waiting). Overall, a great, great finale.

** A few interesting television legal things which broke over the past week or so. Joe over at the great "I Am A TV Junkie" Blog sent me a link to a lawsuit filed by a former producer of Dateline NBC who was fired, she alleges, after she blew the whistle about unethical practices by the team behind "To Catch a Predator." NBC says she was let go in a cost cutting move. It's an interesting claim, but her allegations really don't surprise me. Even though Dateline is a news-magazine, the "To Catch a Predator" segments were turned into their own series, and seemed as much like entertainment programs as anything. As she alleges, some of the people featured in the broadcasts were "led into additional acts of humiliation (such as being encouraged to remove their clothes) in order to enhance the comedic effect of the public exposure of these persons", but I think that the claim has a few pretty obvious defenses. A) From what I saw (which wasn't much, but I would watch some segments while channel surfing) the suspects being asked to remove their clothes was not done so much for comedic effect as it was to show how serious they were about performing illegal acts and B)It's probably not great strategy to try to draw sympathy for alleged child predators. I understand her point that it may violate ethical standards or standards of news reporting, but people are not going to feel bad about it happening.

It will be interesting to see what happens though. If she was "sole producer" of "To Catch A Predator" as she claims, she likely knows quite a bit about what was really happening behind the scenes. On the other hand, Dateline NBC is undergoing a lot of cost cutting (NBC as a network is tightening things, and Dateline in particular let loose Stone Phillips, their standard bearer) and unless the former producer has some real "smoking gun" evidence, it may be hard to prove it wasn't a cost cutting move. "To Catch a Predator" was a series of specials anyway, so if they aren't producing anymore episodes, they probably don't need a producer. We'll see where it goes.

Then, this weekend, in news which probably frightened quite a few people who download television shows off the internet, The FBI filed charges against a man who posted episodes of 24 on YouTube and other filing sharing services.

The FBI filed a criminal complaint Friday against a Chicago man for allegedly uploading four episodes of the hit series "24" to LiveDigital.com, a video hosting site, before their primetime broadcast. If convicted on a felony count, Jorge Romero, 24, could face up to three years in prison.

The action represents a renewed aggressiveness to crack down on Internet bootleggers, particularly in the television industry, which has not been as vocal about anti-piracy activities as the music and movie businesses.

While the Internet is awash in pirated video content, it is rare for programs to find their way online before airdate. But eight days before the "24" TV premiere, Romero found the original file on a file-sharing service through Mininova.org, a bit torrent tracking site, according to the FBI affidavit.

Romero allegedly downloaded them from an illegal file-sharing service and subsequently uploaded them to LiveDigital, and also posted Web links to the pirated episodes on Digg.com.

It's a pretty aggressive act by the FBI, I am also surprised about how long it took for criminal action to be taken in a case like this. And especially with these 24 episodes, which were leaked before their airdate, which also interfered with a DVD release of the episodes days after the aired for the first time.

The networks, to their credit, have all done a great job in the past year establishing quality online video players for their episodes, which in many ways makes downloading them illegally unnecessary. But, at the same time, if you miss an episode of a show, which is not archived by the network's website, or sold on a system like ITunes, you have very few options other than downloading from BitTorrent if you want to watch the episode. These episodes, obviously though, were leaked before their aired. And I remember that too, because I had to restrain myself from downloading them because I was really looking forward to the 24 premiere.

In many ways, this probably is what the music industry should have been doing years ago. If you want to scare college kids away from downloading music, don't sue them, have them arrested.

** And lastly, former Detroit Lion wide receiver Johnnie Morton made his debut in Mixed Martial Arts fighting, and not as a gimmick, but as a serious new career path. He probably should have stayed with football. He was knocked out in 38 seconds and left on a backboard. Oops.

Ouch. Sort of makes being hit by John Lynch look docile by comparison.

The Lost Season Finale

I'm still trying to wrap my head around last night's Lost season finale, which featured a lot of bloodshed, a very interesting turn for Jack's character, and a glimpse of, well, I won't spoil it for those that haven't watched it yet. Very very interesting, I'll say that. And I'll say more, probably after I re-watch it sometime Friday.

What I'm Watching -- Lost Episode 21, Greatest Hits

As per usual, this story contains spoilers of tonight's episode of Lost, the last before next week's season finale. For those that have seen the episode and want to continue reading, I've included a "jump" below. Otherwise, feel free to check out my recaps of the Television Upfronts or the link roundup of all of my posts from yesterday involving TV, the Detroit Red Wings, and Detroit Pistons. Otherwise, my Lost thoughts can be found below.

"Greatest Hits" was Charlie Pace's (or, Dominic Monaghan for those keeping score at home) finest hour, and it was an hour which Charlie spent saying his goodbyes as the viewer prepared to do the same, as Desmond's flash-forwards foresaw Charlie dying, but his death leading to the rescue of the camp. But, in traditional Lost fashion, just when you thought Charlie would fulfill Desmond's prophecy by drowning (but saving the castaways in the process), the Others were lying in wait.

The rest of the episode was spent planning for the war which will, I imagine, be a large part of next week's season finale. Jack certainly has a more violent nature to him nowadays, but I guess being kidnapped and held prisoner will do that to you.

The show was good tonight, and was a great tribute and way to say goodbye to the Charlie character (if, indeed, Charlie dies next week as Desmond predicted) but other then that, it was largely a placeholder for next week's season finale, which is supposed to have a mind-blowing game-changing moment which will supposedly have everyone talking until Lost comes back next February. Let's hope it has something to do with John Locke rising from the grave, because I missed him tonight. I know spoilers are out there on the 'net, but I'm doing my best to avoid them at all costs, as I really don't want to spoil the "game changing" moment considering how big it's been built up. I want to experience it in real time, so I can have a real reaction to it. And since next weeks' two hour extravaganza is the last episode of Lost we'll see for 8 months or so, it better be good.

What I'm Watching -- Lost Episode 20, "The Man Behind The Curtain"

Spoilers of Lost Episode 20, The Man Behind The Curtain, are straight ahead, so if you haven't watched the show yet, or are visiting the site for the first time following a link from an Anaheim Ducks blog and asking "Why on earth was there a link on the Ducks blog to this funny sounding blog without any hockey content?" check out my Detroit Red Wings/Anaheim Ducks Western Conference Finals Preview instead. You can then follow on to the Lost analysis of tonight's incredible episode after the jump, placed here to ensure anybody who doesn't want to be spoiled, isn't (but fair warning, you'll miss the video of Evangeline Lilly on Jimmy Kimmel tonight). So if you want to read on, follow the link below to the full post.

Okay, still with me? Wow. What an episode. Locke died? Well, it didn't look good, after being shot by Ben. And Locke is my absolute favorite character on Lost, as I've been a huge Terry O'Quinn fan since his days as Director Kendall on Alias. And he had a stint on The West Wing. So that makes him 3-3. And his character on Lost is (was?) so interesting and his connection to the island so vital that you just couldn't see him dying. But, at the same time, him dying on the island does make sense, I just thought that it would be the island taking Locke, like it did Eko, not Ben killing him. But, the way the story was told, Ben killing Locke made perfect sense.

The Man Behind The Curtain was all about the journey that Ben and Locke took to visit "Jacob", the mysterious and potentially made-up man that Ben answers to. And in so doing, we learned about Ben's past (he wasn't born on the island as he claimed, he was brought to the island by his father (played by Jon Gries of The Pretender fame, another underrated show but that's a story for another day) who came to work for the Dharma Initiative, his mother died in childbirth which Ben's father always blamed Ben for, and when the "hostiles" killed all the remaining Dhrama Initiative people, Ben killed his own father and joined the "hostiles"). It also told us what happened the Dharma Initiative (all its members were killed by the Others) and what Dharma was (a research group studying the mysteries of the island).

We also met the mysterious Jacob, who appeared just to be a figment of Ben's imagination until Locke shined a flashlight in Jacob's underdeveloped house and it started practically exploding at the seems and a voice cried out "Help me." And according to screen captures from the DVDTalk.com message boards, there actually was a physical incarnation of Jacob as well, as you can see here:

I'm not sure how I feel about the Jacob reveal. It was interesting, and mystifying, that's for sure. Had it been in all in Ben's head, that would have been one thing, but with the voice, and now the pictures from the broadcast of a physical being inside the house, I don't know what to think. I did have a few questions though about the whole Ben flashback.

If Ben, as a child, ran into Richard (the doctor who recruited Juliet to the island and who gave Locke Sawyer's file last week) in the jungle, how is that possible given the timeline? Richard would have to be 20 years older then Ben, and it seems Ben is older then Richard. Maybe we'll get back to the theory of rapid aging of children on the island, but then with Alex, there isn't rapid aging, so I don't know what to think. Maybe just a bad job of makeup? Or was the Richard young Ben saw not the same Richard we know now? Maybe a fellow Lost fan can help me out there. And we still don't know how Ben turned out to be the leader of the group, unless "Jacob" chose him over the rest of the "hostiles". Another Flashback in the future perhaps.

And back to Locke's death. I still don't know how I feel about that, if, and that's a big if he is really dead. As I said, Locke's my favorite character, and he seems so central to the island mythology. But, at the same time, Ben killing him makes a lot of sense because Ben needs to feel as if he is the only person special enough to talk to Jacob or lead the Others, and Locke threatens that by being "more special" then Ben. I'm really going to miss Locke if he is gone, and the show won't be the same without him. My hope is we find out that he's still alive, but it didn't look promising.

Evangeline Lilly, who plays Kate, was on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight (a very underrated late night show, better then Connan I think), talked about Locke's "death" and was very tight lipped.

The last two episodes the next two weeks should be pretty amazing, with a "game changing" moment promised, and likely even more bloodshed. My hope is that Locke returns from the dead, but we'll see. And I'll be feverishly searching the internet for information on Terry O'Quinn's future on the show, despite not really wanting to spoil the finale for myself, because I just can't help myself. I need to know whether Locke is still alive.

Update 5/10, 8:30 am: So I was hoping I would wake up this morning and found out Locke was still alive. Instead I read he sold his house in Hawaii. Gulp.

Furthermore, Ben shot John in the chest!? Frak!! No, no, nooooooo. The fact that Locke was still breathing (okay, rasping) is a good thing, but I happen to know that Terry O'Quinn recently sold his house in Hawaii. He told me so when I was on the set in Hawaii, saying he wanted more "freedom" and "does better living in hotels." But...gaah! Here's hoping he's talking about a semipermanent residence in a Hawaiian hotel and not anywhere off the island, cause he simply cannot leave this show!

That doesn't sound promising. I still think Locke's connection to the island may save him, but maybe I shouldn't be holding my breath.

Lost to End in 2010; Only Three Seasons Left

One of my favorite television shows has announced today that it is coming to an end. But in the spirit of Jay Leno announcing he won't be hosting the Tonight Show after 2009 (as in, making the announcement of the ending of an era years in advance), while ABC's hit show Lost announced it was ending its brilliant but often frustrating series, we still have plenty of time to figure out what the numbers mean and just where the castaways are. That's because according to Variety, the show will run for three more seasons (Until 2010) with 16 episodes a year, each starting in the winter, each running repeat free.

"In considering the powerful storytelling of 'Lost,' we felt this was the only way to give it a proper creative conclusion," ABC Entertainment prexy Steve McPherson said.

"I always said that we would allow the series to grow and give viewers the most compelling hour possible," he added. "And, due to the unique nature of the series, we knew it would require an end date to keep the integrity and strength of the show consistent throughout, and to give the audience the payoff they deserve. "

"I think for story-based shows like 'Lost,' as opposed to franchise-based shows like 'ER' or 'CSI,' the audience wants to know when the story is going to be over," Cuse wrote. "When J.K. Rowling announced that there would be seven 'Harry Potter' books, it gave the readers a clear sense of exactly what their investment would be. We want our audience to do the same."

Cuse confirmed that devising an exit strategy for "Lost" was key to reupping with ABC Television Studio.

"In making this deal, Damon and I had two priorities: defining an end point for the show and keeping the quality bar high," Cuse said. "To do that we are both fully committed to the day-to-day running of the show right up until the very end. It's also why the 16 episodes per year was key for us. Because our show is so mythological, and because, unlike '24,' we can't reset each season, we need the extra time fewer episodes affords us to really plan out the specifics of our storytelling."

Even more interesting is what Kristen from E-Online said about why the show picked 48 episodes as how many more they will produce after this season.

I'm told that when we see the "game-changer," which the show's writing team is calling "the snake in the mailbox," at the end of the May 23 season finale, we will understand why the show can not go longer than 48 more episodes.

What on earth can that mean? This is why I love Lost.

As for the decision to announce an end-point, I think it is a great one for a number of reasons. As Carlton Cuse says, setting an endpoint for the show sends a message to the audience that if they continue to invest their time into the show, there will be a payoff at the end. No need to worry that Lost will be canceled after a giant cliffhanger or that the producers don't know exactaly when they have to wrap up all their stories by. We now know how long the show will last for and how long the writers and producers have to tell the fans what the monster is and what Dharma really is.

And even though waiting until February every year to have more Lost episode is going to be frustrating, I can live with it. 24 does the same thing and it is very successful (well, usually, unlike this season where 24 is just boring) and it allows the show to go forward without repeats. And without the horrendous "mini-season" in the fall which all but ruined this season. A lot of people gave up on Lost after that arc of episodes this fall, but if they did abandon ship, they've missed out on some of the best episodes of the year in the past two months.

Hopefully setting a firm end-date for the series will get some of those fans, who left, back on board, because as a big fan of the show I can tell you, things are really starting to get good.

What I'm Watching -- Lost Episode 19, "The Brig"

LOST is officially back on track. After a horrendous start to the year with their six-episode "mini-season" back in the fall, as the season finale approaches, LOST has really found a groove, and tonight's Episode 19, titled "The Brig" was one of its best episodes ever.

Following John Locke and explaining where he's been during the last week he's spent with the mysterious "Others", the show finally connected some of the dots that have been hanging out in space during the past two and a half seasons. A few episode back, when Locke's father mysteriously showed up on the island, prisoner of Ben and the Others, it was a shocking moment. Not so shocking, but, pleasantly logical and satisfying, was the revelation that not only was Anthony Cooper Locke's estranged father, but he was also the original "Sawyer", whom our Sawyer has been chasing after since he was a boy. And that revelation played out perfectly throughout the episode, as Locke convinced Sawyer that he had "Ben" tied up, waiting to be killed by Sawyer, when in truth it was his father, whom Locke knew (thanks to the Others playbook on the island castaways) was the original Sawyer. The fact that Locke's dad was the man who led to Sawyer's father's suicide (and murder of Sawyer's mother) made a lot of sense in the broader storyline of the show, and fits with the puzzle the producers and writers have been putting together since the early days of the show.

Not only that, but the mystery of the Others continues to get more and more interesting. Is Locke really healing Ben? And if he is, why is Ben seemingly pushing Locke away? And is there dissension in the Others camp, with some wanting Ben to taken down, or was it all a ruse to get Locke to kill his father, one way or another? Ben is such a fascinating character, and through him, it really looks like we are getting a much broader understanding of the island (and next week, a Ben flashback, seems to give us even more answers into the origin and power of the island, a story we have been waiting almost three seasons for).

And Locke's dad seemed to confirm Naomi's story that Oceanic Flight 851 crashed with all aboard dead, but with the producers saying time and time again that the answer to "where are we" is not "purgatory", one has to think the answer lies with a ruse of "The Others" making sure nobody looks for the survivors. That's my theory anyway.

And then their's the whole Jack-Juliet storyline. It certainly seems like Jack and Juliet either knew about the woman who parachuted in to look for Desmond, or they had some other scheme cooking. Juliet seems to be a mole, but maybe she is really working with Jack. In either case, next week's episode seems to lead to a camp "town hall meeting" where these grievances will be discussed, and even perhaps answered. There certainly seems like more there than meets the eye.

"The Brig" was a great episode of LOST, and continues the hot run the show is on. With only a few episodes left until the season concludes, things are getting more and more interesting and even a few questions are being answered, and as a LOST fan, that's all we can ask for.

Update on Lost's Episode 19

Update 5/2: LOST Episode 19, has aired. click here to read my thoughts on the episode.

Late last week, news broke that ABC's great television program Lost was going off the grid and abandoning the flashbacks which the shows has famously used throughout its first three seasons for an episode which continues the build towards the series third season finale. I blogged about it at the time, speculating on what the producers and writers may be planning, especially when news broke that flashbacks would be used, just in a way we haven't seen before. Well, now more information has come out about Episode 19 and we know exactaly what it'll be about. For those that don't want to be spoiled, I've included a "jump" below, so if you are reading this on the main-page, and don't want to be spoiled, you won't be.

Okay, so here's what we now know. Ain't It Cool News, who first reported the flashback-less episode, has a new update on what is planned for Episode 19.

UPDATE!! Another reputable source told us late last night that 3.19 WILL contain flashbacks, and they'll be Locke flashbacks. So I called my original source (the one who said no flashbacks for 3.19), and that source said my latter source was right. The original source got confused because all of Locke's flashbacks are very RECENT flashbacks. All apparently take place on Dharma Island (or thereabouts) subsequent to Ben reintroducing Locke to his daddy (the last time we all saw Locke)

ABC themselves, in releasing a description of the episode, may have inadvertently spoiled too much. Here's the text from SpoilerFix.com:

A newly focused Locke breaks away from "The Others" in an attempt to persuade Sawyer to help rid them of a great nemesis that has caused nothing but pain in both of their lives. Meanwhile, a new island inhabitant discloses some shocking information about Oceanic Flight 815.

Ignoring the "new island inhabitant" information (we do know though that the great Marsha Thomason, previously of Las Vegas will be playing said inhabitant) it appears that Locke likely learned what many online have speculated about, that his father, life long con-man was the "original" Sawyer, who conned Sawyer's mother, and led to Sawyer's father's breakdown. I'm surprised ABC would just give that piece of information out. And as for the flashback itself, it should be really interesting. Locke has always been my favorite character on the show, certainly the most interesting character on the show, and seeing what he has been up to will be well worth watching. It's great to see Lost on the comeback trial after a slow start to the season. I'm very excited about this show again, as are a lot of fans.

Lost May Not Abandon Flashback After All

Some interesting news on ABC's hit television Lost today. With the series ramping up to its third season finale (and really hitting its stride with some great, great episodes) TVGuide.com reported earlier this morning that Episode 19 would be "flashback free".

Lost is about to go somewhere it never has before: two steps forward, no steps back. Per AintItCoolNews.com, Episode 19 will be 100-percent flashback-free. The hour, says the website's mole, "focuses on one of Season 1's ‘mysteries’ — if that's the right word.”

This got the blogsphere buzzing with what Lost could possibly have up its sleeve. Well, as it turns out, the report may have gotten a bit ahead of itself. Because TVGuide.com is now reporting a slight alteration to their original story.

UPDATE: A source at ABC has since whispered to TVGuide.com, "Although the episode doesn't have a traditional flashback, the flashback device is still used." Hmmm....

So what does this mean? It could be an episode told entirely in flashback form, similar to Desmond's episode earlier in the year. And if it does focus on Season One mysteries, maybe it has to do with Dharma and not the castaways on the island? There has been speculation that one episode this season was going to be focused on the mysterious DeGroots who led the Dharma Initiative, perhaps this will be that episode, or maybe, as has speculated on SpoierFix.com, that episode may be tied to the Ben flashback scheduled for Episode 20, which Kristen, at E-Online has speculated about.

Another Other will get a flashback. And it just might be the best episode ever. So, will it be Ben? Michael Emerson coyly answered a question about such a prospect, saying, "I would look forward to a Ben flashback. I can't wait for such a thing to happen. I'm not sure when the audience is going to see that happen, but…When we do a Ben flashback, what would be the use of it if we didn't get to go back in time with Ben and see him? How exciting will that be? To see little Bens or different stages of Bens, maybe a whole mess of Bens! I can't wait for that." Neither can we fans!

As always, the Lost braintrust has their fans on the edges of their seats, not knowing what on earth is going on. And that's probably just how they like it.