Lost

I really can't believe I haven't blogged about how much of an enormous fan of ABC's hit series Lost I am. I am a total Lost geek. So much so that I shall continue to italicize said Lost each time I write Lost.

If you don't know, Lost tells the story of a large group of survivors living on an island (a weirdo/haunted/pimped-out-by-conspirators island) after a plane crashes on it's way from Australia to America. The show is drama/mystery/action/suspense/etc and there are many reasons to watch: Why did they crash there? How did they get there? Why them? Why do they all have "daddy issues"? Who is in charge here? What/Who is the Dharma Initiative? The list goes on and on.

Daphne and I missed the first season because we were always at church and never remembered to tape it. (No, we do not have DVR or TiVo. We live in a home with a VCR. For those of you who have forgotten that stands for Video Cassette Recorder. ) All of the guys in my band LOVED Lost and told me I needed to see it. So we rented the DVDs from Netflix (Netflix is awesome) and became immediately transfixed and quickly addicted. We once watched 3 discs in one day. I think that's around 12 hours of quality television...in one day.

Why ABC always releases the last season of their shows just a few weeks before the next season begins is a mystery to me. It seems they'd want newbies to get caught up so they could get higher ratings when the new season debuts. Anyway, since it came out so late and we were so wrapped up in season 1 on DVD, we missed several episodes as they aired and decided to wait for DVD for season 2 as well. (This was before I owned an iPod.)

We vowed to see each episode before season 3 debuted and were successful. And then it happened. Wednesday nights meant two religious opportunities for us...church and Lost. We faithfully watched each episode of last year's season and are now anxiously awaiting season 4.

I've been subscribed to the official podcast for a while now. That's been very helpful in understanding what the heck is going on with the show. Another thing that helps is the crazy extra-curricular opportunities the producers of Lost offer...

In a day of YouTube, DVDs, and downloads ABC was very smart to use the power of the internet to attract fans. There are sites for the airline, the organization that (maybe) funded research on the island (spoiler alert: don't go to that link if you want to do the Rachel Blake thing below...and you should), the crazy organization that did research on the island, and the list goes on and on.

I got totally wrapped up in "The Lost Experience" (go search Rachel Blake on YouTube and have fun). It not only provided insight into the show, but like most of these sites it had a complete subplot.

And now, I am relieved to find that I won't have to buy a video game console. I can play Lost: The Video Game on my PC when it debuts later this year. (My birthday and Christmas are on the way, people). Check the trailer below.

You have plenty of time to get caught up if you've never seen the show. Season 4 debuts in February on 2008 so that they can show all of the episodes in a row with no repeats (like 24).

I recently purchased a book called Lost: A Search for Meaning by Christian Piatt, a look at the show from a Christian perspective. Depending on my touring schedule next year I may teach a short-term Sunday school class on Lost when season 4 debuts. I could go into that but this blog is already too freaking long.

Making Whoopi

So Whoopi Goldberg is taking over Rosie's spot on The View.

Dang, I was pulling for Sherri Shepherd.

I'm such a girl.

What in the poop?

Clay Aiken is doing an interview on top of a horse sitting next to Jimmy Kimmel.
Oh and he's wearing a green vest. He looks like a freaking leprechaun. Look on
YouTube. I'm sure it will be there by the time you read this.

Oscar Predictions

• PICTURE – The Departed (This is the hardest to predict, I think. I liked Little Miss Sunshine but I can’t understand how got it nominated. I hated Babel but it really is the other top contender. I didn’t see the other two yet but Iwo Jima is unlikely because Eastwood has won so much lately and many would have preferred to see it nominated for Foreign Language Film. The Queen really is critically acclaimed so it may be the dark horse. I’m thinking they will reward Scorsese with Best Picture as well as Best Director.)
• DIRECTOR – Scorsese
• LEAD ACTOR – Forrest Whittaker
• LEAD ACTRESS – Helen Mirren
• SUPP ACTOR – Eddie Murphy
• SUPP ACTRESS – Jennifer Hudson
• ANIMATED – Cars
• ORIG SCREENPLAY – Little Miss Sunshine
• ADAP SCREENPLAY – The Departed
• FOREIGN FILM – Pan’s Labyrinth
• SCORE – Pan’s Labyrinth
• SONG – “Listen” from Dreamgirls
• ART DIRECTION – Pan’s Labyrinth
• CINEMATOGRAPHY – Children of Men
• EDITING – United 93
• COSTUME – Dreamgirls
• MAKEUP – Pan’s Labyrinth
• SOUND MIXING – Dreamgirls
• SOUND EDITING – Letters from Iwo Jima
• VISUAL EFFECTS – Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Man’s Chest
• DOCUMENTARY FEATURE – An Inconvenient Truth
• DOCUMENTARY SHORT – Recycled Life
• ANIMATED SHORT – The Little Matchgirl
• LIVE-ACTION SHORT – West Bank Story

Oscars

This is the first year in nearly a decade we haven't had an Oscar party and I'm depressed about it and having withdrawals. I'll post my predictions for the awards tomorrow.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

I've lamented on many occasions the lack of quality programming on television and the larger lack of well represented Christians. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip provides both. But despite its all-star cast and stellar writing from West Wing mastermind Aaron Sorkin, Studio 60 is in danger of camcelation by the numbskulls at NBC.

This is not the first show about a show to come around (Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Tyler Moore, Murphy Brown, The Ben Stiller Show), but it's one of the few times I've seen it really work. It's based on a Saturday Night Live premise and the writing makes me wish Sorkin would go to work for SNL.

Studio 60's breakout character is a Christian actress played by Sarah Paulson. Her character, loosely based on Sorkin's real-life girlfriend and Christian actress Kristin Chenoweth, is one of the finest portrayals of a Christian I have seen on network television. A Christian who is funny? What? Compare that to the new character--or should I say idiotic Christian stereotype--played by Busy Philipps on ER.

Watch the show tonight at 10 eastern/9 central on NBC. Then go here to sign a petition to keep it on the air.

Beck on SNL

Saturday Night Live is one of those traditions I can't seem to kill. Even when it's terrible I watch. Week before last it was just that. Last Saturday it was more good than bad but still not great. But the highlight was definitely Beck. He put on two of the best performances I have seen on SNL.

Both performance featured a replica set of the music stage with marrionettes for each member of Beck's band doing whatever the real members were doing. Classic. The second featured Beck on a small guitar with the rest of his band playing dinnerware.

I have found neither performance on YouTube or the like. However, Borat's hilarious intro (which reminded me of early SNLs with special guests like Andy Kauffman or Penn & Teller) is available here. Schwing?

My dad was always afraid this would happen to him...

Dad, a retired UM pastor, always joked about accidentally leaving his wireless mic on when he went in the bathroom on a Sunday morning.

By now you've probably heard about Kyra Phillips, the CNN anchor, doing just that during the president's New Orleans speech. If you haven't, click here to see Gavin's blog.

I was actually eating my lunch and watching at the time, wondering what the heck was going on. I thought, "oh, this is totally gonna end up on YouTube." I was correct.

What I love is that she is taking it quite well. She appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight to present the top ten. I just looked and that particular performance is not yet on YouTube...it's just a matter of time. In fact by the time you click YouTube above it will probably be there!

For now you can check it out on Dave's site here: Top Ten Kyra Phillips Excuses.

Random

I'm so random in posting blogs these days. And so I decided to post a random blog. Nay, I shall post a blog about the word "random".

I do believe the word is overused in today’s vernacular. I have heard the following:

“I have to go to the bathroom…”

“You’re so random!”

To which I reply (in my mind anyway), “No, I’m not, you schmuck. I just have to go to the bathroom. If I were to stand up and quack like a duck--now that would be random." And then I usually stand up and quack like a duck.

This brings me to another complaint—those people who say the following when you tell them you are going to leave to go to the bathroom:

“Thanks for the information!”

To which I reply (in my mind anyway), “What would have happened if I just disappeared without telling you where I was going? Would you think me rude if I up and ran for the urinal saying nary a word? Would you wonder, ‘where the crud did Eric go?‘ You know what? You’re welcome for the information. And again I say re-schmuck.”

Oscar wrap up

So, I just watched the Oscars with a bunch of friends and it was a really boring show as far as speeches go, but Jon Stewart was hee-lay-ree-us.

Okay and here's my conclusion on the score for Brokeback Mountain...the theme rips off Maddonna's "Oh Father".

Crash won best picture! The only surprise all night and it was a big one.

Daphne and I watched March of the Pengiuns (a winner tonight) and Walk the Line (ditto) this week and loved both. The DVD for Crash was sitting on our shelf for two months (we have Netflix) because we got it right around the time of Hurricane Katrina and didn't feel like watching such a serious movie. Finally I got tired of seeing it sit there and sent it back. Well I got it again and maybe we'll watch it tomorrow night.

We're kind of TV junkies though and tomorrow night is a double helping of new 24 on Fox so I don't know. I do know we're not going to let it sit there for two more months.

"Oh boy" part 2

Well, Sam just leapt into the body of a woman in a poodle skirt. He's getting ready to ride off to the local beauty pageant he so deserves to win. Oh boy. Guess I have to watch tomorrow to see how he pulls that off.

Memory served incorrect. Stephen King was not in the episode. However, a boy named Stevie King was, and Sam inadvertently gave little Stevie some ideas that would later scare up a lot of money for Stevie-from an evil car named Christine to flying knives.

Good episode.

"Oh boy."

Okay, I'm a night owl. It's clear that's true.

And my new habit? Watching re-runs of Quantum Leap every night at 1 a.m. on Sci-Fi.

I loved that show and should probably get the DVDs. If you don't remember the show, Dr. Sam Beckett, played by Scott Backula, leaps from episode to episode into the body of a different person (both male and female - and it's especially funny to see him in drag) who lived during his lifetime in order to right wrongs done throughout that part of history.

At the end of each episode he leaps into the next character and, many times, immediately encounters their problems - always leaving Sam plenty reason to say/scream/whisper/utter his signature line, "Oh boy." And of course the "Oh boy" lends to the addictive quality of the show.

Well, Halloween can officially begin for me. One of my favorite episodes is on right now. Sam leaps into the body of a horror novelist (think Stephen King) whose life is being turned upside down by mysterious deaths and murders on Halloween day.

I can't remember how it ends (except that Stephen King actually shows up)...so, I'm going to stop typing and start watching. And then maybe I'll go to bed.

Speaking as a big fan of "My So Called Life"

Jordan Catalano's band was called The Frozen Embryos.
Jared Leto's band is called Thirty Seconds to Mars.

http://www.thirtysecondstomars.com

Jesus Juice

Jimmy Kimmel has the most random stuff on his show. Maybe that's why I like him... That and that Conan has been in re-runs a lot lately.

Check out this video.

I can't sleep. And when I can't sleep, most often I watch television.

I wish to God there was a decent Christian network on television. I wish there was good Christian programming on television. We can lament all day and night about the lack of good television on the major networks, but when it comes right down to it the worst television off all is on Christian channels like TBN.

What's worse is that TBN has decent programs but throws them out there at 3 in the morning on occasion. So, instead of airing a reality show like Travel the Road or TruthQuest during prime time they elect to show a fifteen year old re-run of some idiot in a bad wig preaching Hell-fire and damnation.

Shame on us Christians for not standing up and asking for more from the major networks. But shame on us twice for not asking for more from the so-called Christian networks!

Start a Christian network aimed at the MTV/VH1/Comedy Central crowd. Somebody find some money and start a Christian network for people like you and me.

Start out small. Read Bob Briner's Roaring Lambs and Final Roar. Show re-runs of Joan of Arcadia and the quality Christian shows the existing Christians networks shove into the wee hours on the morning. Show movies like Levity, Bruce Almighty, Shadowlands, Stigmata, and The Big Kahuna.

Of course PAX TV was supposed to eventually offer all of this and do a decent job with shows like 7th Heaven and Touched By An Angel. But for the most part they show gameshows like Family Feud every night and offer little original programming,

Here's the thing. Bob Briner mentioned his friend Mack Perryman who was to head a Christian branch of HBO that never got off the ground. Well, after many years as senior VP of HBO Asia, Perryman retired a few years ago and moved back to the states. Someone out there find him, hand him a big wad of cash and tell him to call Cameron Strang, Steve Taylor, Billy Graham, Mel Gibson, Phil Vischer, David Bruce and whomever else makes sense.

Maybe I just need a satellite dish (I have been made aware of JCTV), but please pray with me for something radical like this to happen and for it to be made widely available. In a year where Christians proved that they are a marketable commodity with The Passion of the Christ, I think it's time we stand up and do something about it.