Almost Found: Lost finale part 1

(Editor’s Note: Here is the long awaited LOST series finale recap and review. David will parse out the events of the finale and their meaning. There will be some big picture talk in terms of mythology, but for a larger retrospective about the show you’ll have to wait a few months. P.S. I look forward to those months. Sooo sick of LOST. Oh yeah, this is just PART 1.)

“This is the end. Beautiful friend. This is the end. My only friend, the end. Of our elaborate plans, the end. Of everything that stands, the end. No safety or surprise, the end. I’ll never look into your eyes…again.”

And that’s true, because as Jack’s eyes closed for the final time we saw his journey come full circle and the end of our ride with LOST.

It was a journey that begun with a bumpy plane ride full of troubled souls searching for redemption, absolution and wholeness. In the end, it took a limbo medium to provide the ultimate level of oneness that allowed our Oceanic passengers to move on in their journey.

The finale provided meaning to the big question of the season: WHAT ARE THE FLASH SIDEWAYS?!?!?!?

From the episode and Christian’s summation we are to understand that the sideways world is a post-death limbo created by the friends of Oceanic to ensure that they’d all meet up and proceed into the afterlife together. We’ll get to that big picture stuff in a bit, but let’s deconstruct the episode first.

In the penultimate episode we got the successor to Jacob, and it was the obvious Jack. Jack, the man without a purpose, except that he thought everything constantly needed his fixing. The role of island protector represented the perfect task for him, as it was a job that he would never complete and would live longer than him. It was Man in Locke (MiL), who put this all in context for the viewers, when he characterized the transition as predictable. Sawyer gave us the first, albeit brief analysis of the move, which was that it would feed Jack’s god complex. And so what if it did? Now Jack had a task worthy of his religious devotion to fixing.

As the new Jacob, Jack only knows that he needs to stop MiL at all costs. He is vaguely aware of the precise nature of the stakes, but he recognizes their potent meaning. In the first half of the episode, this manifests itself primarily in grandiose marches through the jungle accompanied by the swooping score of LOST. (I would go on hikes if someone would pipe this stuff in throughout the mountain. Seriously, I would charge up mountains with the purpose of saving the island or fighting The Others.) But the marching isn’t without purpose, as Jack has taken his task quite literally. His role as protector of the island’s light means that he will guard it like a goalie, and essentially set up camp in front of it.

This idea is sidetracked by the presence of Desmond, who represents the wild card. He may be a tool for MiL or the saving grace for the castaways. MiL and Jack both believe that Desmond is a weapon for their side, which is why they each have no problem utilizing Desmond.

As the weapon, Desmond is the third variable in this equation. Luckily, he too is fully committed to playing things out. His belief stems from the fact that he is aware of the sideways world.

DESMOND HAS SEEN THE FLASHES!!!!
Desmond is keenly aware of what awaits the castaways. In the aftermath of his exposure to the light by Widmore, Desmond caught a glimpse of the sideways world. Unfortunately for Desmond, he thought this world was the product of his actions.

To be fair to Desmond, he’d been told constantly that the he was special and that the island wasn’t done with him.
It makes sense that he would have inferred his purpose as the creator of the sideways world. His confidence was based in strong logic, since he’d experience the sideways world not once, but twice. Yeah, that’s what I said. And here’s why…

So yeah, I’ve been preaching the importance of the season three episode, “Flashes Before Your Eyes,” for a while now. Remember the episode? In the aftermath of Desmond blowing up the hatch, and letting out a lot of light, he woke up in a world where he didn’t belong. Why didn’t he belong? Because he wasn’t dead!

Ok, so I was a little misleading, because I don’t think Desmond was actually in the sideways world we saw in season 6. I think we were seeing a Desmond-centric sideways world in that brief exposure (we’ll get to the Jack-centric sideways world in a bit). In Desmond’s flash he is able to relive the most important time for him, which was the evolution of his relationship with Penny. In this reality he was poised to make Penny his wife, a momentous step that he’d flubbed the first time around. If he had been able to pull this alternate future off he would have moved on too early, which is why Eloise cautioned him against bucking his future. She was basically ensuring that he wouldn’t move on too early.

The other important aspect of this episode is that it lends credence to the idea that the season 6 flashes were a product of “the incident.” If we think about the explosion of the bomb, we know that Jack blew it up to erase the past. He wanted to create a world where the departed wouldn’t have died on the island and all the bad experiences could have been avoided. Turns out Jack couldn’t make all of that happen, at least not in terms of his understand. But, and this is an important but (like J-Lo’s butt) he succeeded in this goal.

JACK REUNITED EVERYONE!?!?!??!
So yeah, Jack may not have saved everyone in their actual lives, but by detonating Jughead he created the sideways world and ensured that everyone would be reunited and have a chance to avoid the bad things of the island. He made sure that Oceanic did land, even if it was in a separate reality.

My belief in this idea stems from the fact that Desmond’s reality was the product of an explosion of light. With “the incident” we had a larger version of Desmond’s explosion, so it’s fair to believe that we could see amplified effects.

Don’t believe me? Well dead Juliet believed me. She said, “it worked.”
Ok, so it didn’t work in recreating the timeline, but the goals of the bomb detonation were achieved. Everyone was united and our castaways were given a new lease on life.

MORE TO COME....

Gleeful Podcast

So with the Glee finale a few days in the bag, i sat down with my friend Steve Wuest to breakdown the finale and the season. We ramble on for a while about the things we hate (story lines), people we love (Brit and Other Asian) and moments we keep coming back to ("My Life Would Suck Without You" vol. 1 finale).

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You'll notice we got cut off during recommendations, so here is the last two minutes of the show.

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At one point I mention Josh Groban's tv medley from the Emmy's, and here is that video.

WTF!!!

Ok, so i'm 18 minutes into the season finale of GLEE. Things are going great, as I've been emotionally won over by the Journey mash-up. As these twenty something high school kids tap back into their roots i'm forgetting about all the terrible story lines. Heck, i'm fighting back tears as I watch these young bastards sing their hearts out.
And then, it happens...
QUINN'S WATER BREAKS!!! WTF!!! She is the skinniest pregnant lady ever!!! I'm surprised she didn't crap out the kid. UGH...

Daybreakers: Eh...

I am a sucker for Vampire entertainment. I also love end of the world scenarios. Give me a little twist on all of these, and I'm halfway toward Bone Er town USA. (I can provide ladies with directions.)
With all that in mind, the movie DAYBREAKERS represented a very promising film. Apparently not that promising, though, as the movie waited about two years for a release date.
The premise of the film is a world where almost everyone is a vampire, which means their supply of human blood is running out. A small cabal of vampires are trying to find a blood substitute so they can sustain their lifestyle, but things aren't looking good.
Ethan Hawke plays a reluctant vampire who is trying to find a blood substitute. He is motivated by his revulsion surrounding what he's become. Become of his altruistic motives Hawke gets to play his role with an annoying bravado that primarily revolves around sullen looks and droopy eyes.
Hawke's enemy is Sam Neil, his boss early in the movie. Sam loves being a vampire. Not much more to say about him than that, except maybe the fact he's supposed to represent faceless corporations that are ruining American society. I'm sure there's some sort of metaphor like that in the movie, but it went either way over (or way under more likely) my head.
Oh yeah, but back to the plot, which introduces the revelation that the vampire condition can be reversed. We learn this fact through Willem Dafoe, whose character, Elvis, became human again after brief exposure to the sunlight. With this knowledge in hand, Hawke wants to recreate the experiment and hopefully offer a cure for vampires.
We're left with a bit of a cliffhanger surrounding the future of the vampires, although there is some suggestion that things will work out and they'll return to their humanity.
The only good thing from this movie is Dafoe, who embraces the manic gravitas that the late Dennis Hopper cultivated so well in the second half of his career. This is particularly relevant considering Dafoe succeeding Hopper as the villain in the SPEED series. Dafoe says weird catch phrases, yells and basically looks like he's still a vampire for most of his performance. I loved it.
Hated everything else about this movie. Brother against brother element, awful. Evil corporation, boring. Downfall of humanity, eh. Action, so boring! Intrigue, sorry, i fell asleep.
Finally, I just want to point out some failed foreshadowing in the movie. They let us know early on that there is a walkway the vampires can use during the daytime. Why didn't Hawke and company utilize this by exposing light down their for a brief time once they found out that this was the cure for vampires? Set up some mirrors and let the sun in for a few seconds, and boom, problem solved. Instead they choose a much less logical route that is as fulfilling as the piss poor blood substitute.
If you want to watch good vampire stuff you should devour TRUE BLOOD. If you need good end of humanity stuff, how about THE MATRIX? As for the Apocalypse, MAD MAX.
I wanted to like this movie, and in hindsight, it might be so bad it is good. Unfortunately i'm still too close to the train wreck to have that kind of perspective.

Giving You THE BUSINESS

A magazine like ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY sets off my entertainment geekdom with its inside baseball conversations, but that taste was a just a bite compared to the feast that is KCRW's THE BUSINESS.
THE BUSINESS is hosted by Kim Masters, who previously covered general business stuff for NPR. Now she dives deep behind the scenes of the entertainment industry, as she explores a host of issues, including how movies get made, awards and the fall tv schedules. Masters demonstrates obviously knowledge of her industry, but the most compelling aspect of her hosting is her inquisitive nature. She asks the questions I wonder about as an outsider.

Below is a link to a recent episode where Masters talks about a movie financier from the Middle East and an interview with Michael Sheen.
Hollywood's Strange Bedfellows; Actor Michael Sheen - The Business on KCRW

My Idol

Whil I didn't watch AMERICAN IDOL this season, I've still managed to come up with some opinions about the show. Essentially it comes down to Lee sucks, Crystal rules and Siobhan never got her chance to shine.
But don't take my word for it, why don't you check out some of these videos. Don't worry, I won't waste your time with Lee's weak ass attempts to sing.

1. This is the breakout performance for Crystal this season. She cemented her odd niche on the show and demonstrated that she was a class above the competition. Here she is with ME AND BOBBY MCGEE.


2. But guess what, Crystal could go mainstream, as she illustrated with her rendition of MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA. I dare you not to go buy this on iTunes right now.


3. Yet, while I recognize that Crystal was the most talented contestant, my love is reserved for Siobhan Magnus. With her tatoos, piercings and wackjob attitude I was completely in love. She filled the space in my heart I have reserved for lovable outcasts. I really can't express how much I love her.
Oh yeah, she also sings, and here she is with the ROllING STONE'S "Paint It Black." Her slowed down and dramatic rendition is great.


4. But to be fair, let's acknowledge the talent of Crystal one more time. I was a fan of Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason," but I think I'm a bigger fan of Crystal's version. What do you think?


Ok, that's the 9th season of American Idol in a nutshell. If i can think of anything important you should know, I'll let you know.

First PODCAST!!!!

This is the inaugural podcast of Entertainment Daily. (I hope I'm using inaugural right.)
For our first show we've got Zach Smith, who will be giving us a brief review of the movie THE ROAD.
Fair warning, there are spoilers in this podcast and the sound quality isn't spectacular.

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In the future you can look forward to me breaking down GLEE with blogger ENTERTAINMENT DAILY FAN and a host of other guest stars. Give us feedback on who you like and what you want to hear about.

For the Web's eyes only

Video exclusively for consumption on the internet has been a growing trend of late. LOST used to put tidbits of extras online and THE OFFICE went so far as to create some of the first webisodes. Now, it is common for shows to promote themselves with additional footage online. Typically it is stuff that will be the DVD extras in the form of deleted scenes or interviews.
TOP CHEF: MASTERS offers additional footage online. I'm a huge fan of this move, as I've constantly advocated for this show to run twice a week, on the basis that there must be tons of extra footage that gets wasted. Below is a quick clip of web exclusive footage.

How the Other Half Doesn't Live: No TV

I am always shocked by people who don't consume 10% of the entertainment I do. For that reason, I sat down with my friend Kareem Ghobrial to discuss his odd life style. Sure, he has a job and participates in non-loner activities, but I still wanted to understand his motivations. You are the benefactor of my investigation.

Dave Lombardo: What was the last movie you saw in theaters?

Kareem Ghobrial: (Stares at me blankly) Avatar. Before that, Iron Man.
DL: Why AVATAR? Who was the girl?
KG: Heard it was a good movie and that the best way to see it was in 3D. DIdn't want to see it on DVD.
DL: What was the last DVD you bought?
KG: (Rips off his shirt to expose his Egyptian physique.) I think Million Dollar Baby. (I now understand he was providing me with a visual aide.)
DL: What tv shows do you follow?
KG: HOUSE. 2 and a half men.
DL: WHat did you think of the HOUSE finale?
KG: Didn't see it?
DL: So can you define what following it means to you?
KG: I FOLLOW Two and a half men. I watch it every Monday. I watch HOUSE when I can.
DL: SO why do you think shows geared toward the lowest common denominator in society appeal to you?
KG: (He slaps me) I spend enough time thinking during the day.
DL: What is your favorite movie?
KG: (20 minutes later) I liked V FOR VENDETTA.
DL: Why?
KG: A lot of symbolism, and i thought it was interesting how history was repeating itself. By that i mean, i think it was originally based on politiking in England. Well, based on the comic book, which had to do with the political struggle in England after WWII. I thought the same argument made then could be applied to contemporary politics.
DL: SO you like meaningful crap in your movies?
KG: Yes.
DL: Have you seen stuff like Children of Men?
KG: No.
DL: You'd love that. It's a really beautiful movie, and it was full of meaning. Went right over me head, so you know it's good.
KG: I either like movies that make you think a lot, where you can't figure out what's coming next, or things that are entertaining. Comedy or fantasy.
DL: And you didn't watch LOST?
KG: Nope, never saw an episode. Heard it was one of those things where you had to start from the beginning.
DL: You could try the DVDs...
KG: THat would entail buying them. (As if he doesn't have a Middle Eastern connection to get a bootleg copy from.)
DL: So what do u do at night? You get home from work, do physical stuff, eat, and then....
KG: Usually finish reading the Wall Street Journal, if i haven't done so already.
DL: SO that would be your conservative side rearing its ugly head. Have you heard of the old grey lady?
KG: Nope.
DL: How about the Ny Times?
KG: Yeah.
DL: ANd?
KG: I don't read the NY times.
DL: Why one over the other?
KG: Really only interested in what's going on in the world of finance and staying up to date with companies and individuals that are making investments in specific sectors of our economy.
DL: That sounded a lot like Children of Men to me, so i didn't really grasp it. The words made sense, but not in sentence form. Let's move on. Do you listen to any podcasts?
KG: Never.
DL: DO you know what they are? ANd why not enjoying them?
KG: I know what they are, and never taken the time to listen to one.
DL: I'd recommend some, but they're not up your alley at all. They're actually not even bowling related. Get it?
KG: Um.
DL: Not up your alley...
KG: Oh. Gotcha.
DL: Do you go to movies on dates?
KG: Ironically enough, AVATAR and Iron Man.
DL: Who picked the movies?
KG: I picked. She paid.
DL: Would you teach me how to be you? (Side note: His gf is awesome.)
KG: Those were the terms and conditions for me to see a movie.
DL: Have you seen Twilight?
KG: No.
DL: Now I'm going to say some movie quotes, and i want you to guess what they're from. Ok?
KG: Sure.
DL: "So you're saying there's a chance?"
KG: Dumb and Dumber
DL: Correct. "Let's make 'em an offer they can't refuse." Or something to that extent.
KG: (Shrugs) I feel like Nicolas Cage says that in GONE IN 60 SECONDS.
DL: That's pretty close, except that it's from THE GODFATHER.
KG: Never seen that. That's cheating.
DL: Would you agree this game sucks?
KG: Probably only for you.
DL: Are there any shows, movies, books or CDs that you get excited about or care passionately about?
KG: Yes, but that wouldn't be up your alley. No bowling alley joke intended.
DL: Try me. Let's expand the horizons of this blog. No bowling pun intended.
KG: (Clears throat) I like reading books Warren Buffet has commented on or released himself.
DL: You know how i know you're gay? You look for Warren Buffet Books. Do you like his son?
KG: DOn't know him...Jimmy Buffet?
DL: Yeah, that's where i was going with that. So that business crap entertains and captivates you?
KG: I wouldn't say it's entertaining. I'd say i don't understand it, but i'm interested in it. I would like to learn more about it considering my academic skill set is not from there.
DL: But neither is politics. Do you read history or current political books?
KG: No. That doesn't interest me and i don't want to understand it. I'm an engineer trying to make the transition to finance. Best way for me to do that is by reading what's going on everyday.
DL: Have you heard of Omar Kadafy's son?
KG: No. Which one?
DL: The one that was an engineer who is now involved in finance. Specifically relevant to this blog, the financing of movies!
KG: No.
DL: Well I'd recommend that route for you. Well we've spent about all the time I want to waste on this, so let's move to the final part of this interview, where we each give entertainment recommendations. You can go first.
KG: (Cracks open low sodium V8) Comcast just bought NBC from GE-
DL: I belive you mean CABLETOWN bought NBC. Or do you not watch 30 Rock?
KG: Which will now, eventually, one day use the rights to the channels associated with NBC in combination with their broadcasting capabilities to limit the market of channels available to non-comcast users. This will force other networks, such as time warner to pay a premium for their viewers to still have those channels.
DL: On the same issue, there's some worry about comcast unfairly setting downloading speeds in favor of their NBC programs. This would mean you could stream THE OFFICE with no problems, while Grey's Anatomy might have some problems. Actually, ER and WEST WING producer Jon Wells recently testified about this in front of Congress.
KG: I believe that is true as well.
DL: So why do you care about this issue?
KG: It's just another step in the virtualization of media, similar to the way i-phone and Droid have apps, pretty soon television will broadcast in a similar fashion.
DL: Yeah, i've heard murmurs about how you'll be able to pick your channels in an a la carte fashion.
KG: Or even one step further, to be able to pick shows on certain channels. That would reduce the amount of channels needed by the user, and therefore reduce their bill, since they're not paying for channels they don't watch. It would also cut down on the bandwidth these cable companies use to broadcast their channels. In effect, the consumer would be paying less, based on their selection, while the cable companies could allocate their resources more efficiently based on the needs of their target audience.
DL: And after that, I'm going to recommend the GLEE season finale that will be happening soon.
KG: Not game one of the NBA finals with the celtics?
DL: Depends, what channel is it on?
KG: ABC.
DL: Well, if by game time they invent a technology that lets me hear only Jeff Van Gundy, then i would totally endorse that game. Anyway, thanks for sitting down with me and letting me bore you and the audience who are basically suckers if they're still reading. Yes, i'm talking you.

And the Celebrity Apprentice is...

Occasionally a show will catch lightning in a bottle, as all the right ingredients come together to form something fantastic. Maybe it's a current event that alters relevancy, a lucky casting decision or just a good idea and a show elevates its game to a new level.
Season 3 of CELEBRITY APPRENTICE captured a little bit of all those elements this seasons, with some relevant events outside the show (Brett's brain hemorrhage), great contestants (Rod B, Brett Michaels, WWE chick, Curtis and Cyndi Lauper) and creative competitions (designing and marketing a snapple flavor or running a diner).
In the end, it was Brett Michaels who was "hired" by The Donald. Michaels was a creative spark all season, whose leadership style was characterized by a need for a strong #2 in the wake of his erratic style. Ultimately, the win wasn't based on his record as a leader, as Mrs. Rodney Pete (a connection i didn't make until after he appeared on the show) was a much better leader. That rationale behind Brett's win was the sentimental vote, and to a lesser extent the fact that Holly was really unlikeable.
To Holly's credit, though, she was on the show to raise money and she did. WHen it was all said and done, she had raised over half a million dollars for her charity. I doubt her acting career will pick up or she'll get to be on next season, but i have a feeling she doesn't really care about any of that.
The only thing i can be entirely sure of is that Brett Michaels has definitely secured himself another season of ROCK OF LOVE or some other reality show. This guy is fantastic, and his daughter is charming as hell. I would watch him play house with his "borderline-diabetic" daughter. (Sorry, that phrase just makes me laugh.)
What made this season a success for me was the rapport of the character. While there was some tension surrounding Lauper, it was all a far cry from the "Whore Pit Viper" moment of last season. For the most part there was a lot of good spirited camaraderie that was fun to watch. It was fun because most of these characters were likable. Even scumbag Rod Blagojevich was disarmingly charming as the bumbling moron. (Illinois needs a literacy test for candidates.)
The worst part for me is the boardroom scenes. I can't stand Donald Trump's character and I think the celebrities do a poor job articulating their arguments. It's all so random anyway that I don't care what happens in the boardroom, as it basically rests on the whims of show producers who want to ensure a good product.
After heaping all this praise on the show, I want to make it clear that I never intend to watch the crap The Donald puts out. Somehow i get pulled in, and i can't quit him (I'm a regular brokeback mountain cowboy). Haven't decided if i'll watch the next reinvention of the Apprentice, which will be giving people hit hard by the economy a chance to appear on a fourth-rate network.

Guest Post: GLEE

(Editor's Note: THis was first published as a comment to one of Dave's articles. It is a crime when the comment is better than the actual post, so we're hoping to correct that injustice by highlighting the work of Steve . We think people will like this, and hopefully we can start grooming Dave's replacement. At the very least, maybe they'll figure out how to arrange a GLEE podcast and sing-a-long. P.s. The first picture is Steve)

I have a weekly date with a group of friends. We started watching GLEE in the fall, and it used to be fun. GLEE is not normally a show I would watch, but everyone else was into it and the group dynamic was fun. It helped that there was a group setting to make fun of the utterly ridiculous things that happened. The characters were fine, the story was ok, but it was a fun experience.


Lately though, the story has gotten more out there. The show is a lot more preachy, and is much less fun to watch. I probably would have stopped watching it if not for the group.

Unlike most people, I'm not blown away by the music. Some songs are really good (Dream On was fantastic) but most of the others are just ok.

Miscellaneous points:
-I was going to rant about Kurt and Finn, but you beat me to it. My thoughts exactly. I used to like Kurt but now I can't stand him.
-My favorite characters (in order): Other Asian, Brittany, Sue, Puck, Santana. Oh, and Neil Patrick Harris.
-No Sue this episode. I was disappointed.
-When you find yourself rooting for the jocks against the protagonists, it's not a good sign for the show.

Finally, is Rachel hot? I change my mind from "super attractive" to "not good looking at all" at least ten times an episode. No exaggeration.

(I vote SUPER HOT)

This Old HOUSE

I am an embarrassed HOUSE fan. Embarrassed because the show stands for many of the things I hate. It is episodic in nature, no matter how many running threads there might be, none of the characters change. The show is extremely formulaic, to the point where I'm surprised why the doctors even try to diagnosis before the fifty minute mark, as everything prior will be pointless.
What I love is the main character, Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie). Specifically, I love his snarky comments. Sure, it's predictable and riddled with too many pop culture references that don't really work, but I love it. He cuts so close to the bone, much like the amputation he performed in the finale. (Except he doesn't accidentally kill anyone with an insult, as opposed to his underground surgeries.)
The finale gave us a real romance between Cuddy (Lisa Eddlestein, probably spelled wrong) and House. We got a taste of it last season in a hallucination, so it seemed kind of obvious that the show would deliver the real thing this season. The actual payoff made no sense, as it stemmed from HOUSE insisting a patient let go. Apparently Cuddy had reserved feelings for him all along, but she was just waiting on him to show he was ready or something. Personally, I think it was all pretty ridiculous, and i guess it makes me hypocritical for accepting all the other ridiculousness.
Oh yeah, and 13 (Hottie Olivia Wilde) is leaving the show for a bit next season. I'm assuming she is either planning on making a movie or is pregnant.
My money is on a movie in the fall, as she seems poised to be entering Megan Fox hotness territory and she'll want to strike while the iron is hot (and she is too).
It's all pretty pointless, though, as the show itself and its characters won't change. Something always happens that reverts the characters back to their core principles, so that they never really change. We'll get maybe 10 episodes of HUDDY, but something will happen and he'll enter a dark spiral that sees him return to his old habits. While that's happening, Wilson will end up single, Foreman will be huffy, the short guy will cheat and 13 will get a citation for smoking indoors (because she's so hot!).
What i'd like to see is the next season be the last. Just blow everything up and let HUDDY work. Maybe let Wilson get cancer. Castration for short baldie. Kill off 13 after her and Chase begin dating. As for Foreman, well he makes LOVE AND BASKETBALL 2 and realizes he got really fat. In an attempt to lose the weight he dies of a heart attack that House saw coming, but felt compelled not to warn him about.