Slacker's Anonymous

UT vs. Louisiana-Monroe pregame entrance

2009-09-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

Team entrance with new video...

Hooked on the Horns

2008-06-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

For all the Horn fans out there, this is one cool song.

Lost season 4 finale...

2008-05-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

... was awesome. Yes, I know I've been noticably AWOL in my posts this year, but who really has as much free time as they used to? Anyhow, I can't wait to make some time to read up on the episode and discuss everything with all of you who watch it. This show really is amazing in how it keeps on cranking out great story lines. I love the way it picked up where last season's finale left off (drunk Jack and Kate in the show's first flash-forward). I wonder where the show will go from here? I guess we've got 4 or 5 months to think about that. In the mean time, here are some random thoughts and discussion points...

* the disappearing island. So where'd it go? We now have confirmation from the video that the Orchid has power to move time and space, though there's got to be something missing about the fact the VCR just happened to malfunction before Locke could see all the info
* Ben's comment about "whoever moves the island can't come back" as he's bundling up in the parka we saw earlier this season as he popped up in the Tunsian desert.
* Lock telling Jack to lie to protect the island and those there. Jack following through.
* Michael seeing Christian immediately before the explosion "You can go now". Go where? Finally die, or back to the island, or home?
* What's Jin's fate? We see the ship blow up from the middle but it looked like the deck was initially intact. Did he jump off in time? If so, then what?
* What about Daniel Faraday and the people in the raft headed to the boat? Half way between a disappearing island and a blowing-up freightor. Or did they get absorbed by the island disappearance just as the 2nd island (and presumably the hydra station) did? Or are they out there to rescue Jin?
* What does Miles know about Charlotte coming "back to the island""? Why do they choose to stay? Was Charlotte born there?
* Sayid and Keamy's fight, and Keamy's body armor recovery to the Orchid and his heartbeat-monitoring transmitter (this I had a problem with -- how the heck did it have a strong enough signal to broadcast way back to the ship from that far underground?)
* Ben killing Keamy with no remorse for those on the ship
* Sawyer jumping out of the helicopter and whispering to and kissing Kate
* Penny rescuing the helicopter crew
* Sun contacting Charles Whitmore for what appears to be an alliance to get back to the island
* Claire appearing in Kate's dream saying DON'T go back
* Sayid continuing to off people
* Hurley and not-so-little Walt
* Sayid and Hurley
* Hurley playing chess with "Mr. Eko"
* Ben telling Jack ALL of them have to go back
* Many of the off-island characters saying "Jeremy Bentham" had come to visit them, and that things on the island have been bad in the ensuing three years since the Oceanic 6 got off. Jack says "He told me that after I left the island, some very bad things happened"
* Jeremy in the coffin being... Locke!
* How exactly does Ben get off the island? Is it during the relocation? How does Locke eventually get off?

Lots of interesting and conflicting story lines going on here. Ben telling Jack all of them have to go back, yet Claire telling Kate NOT to take Aaron back. Lots of people taking various sides. Sun potentially teaming up with Charles while we see Jack rejoining Ben. Sayid still teaming with Ben, and now Hurley joining Sayid. And of course we still have Charles vs. Ben, which means Sayid vs. Desmond? Ouch, my brain hurts again!

I have no idea where it is going, but I do know I need to get to sleep! Two seasons -- 34 episodes -- left to go!

Countdown to Lost

2008-04-13T07:52:00.001-07:00

Two more weeks until Lost returns from its strike-induced hiatus. From the sound of things in this Entertainment Weekly article, it will jump-start right back into the excitement!

A snippit from the article:
The ensuing four installments will answer some of the season's biggest questions: How did the much-vaunted Oceanic 6 leave the Island? What happened to those left behind? Why is Sayid (Naveen Andrews) killing people for Ben in the future? And who's rotting inside that darn coffin? "It's big and epic," promises Matthew Fox (Jack). "Our first eight episodes, by design, were all set up for these episodes to come. That we're doing just five instead of eight means they're even more packed with plot. It's payoff time."

Also interesting, here's a teaser for the upcoming episode:
In addition to being a flash-forward adventure for globe-trotting Ben, in which his war with British billionaire Charles Widmore (Alan Dale) over control of the Island will intensify, episode 9 revisits a long-simmering subplot: Sayid's romance with Iraqi love Nadia (Andrea Gabriel). According to Lindelof, a new dimension of Smokey the monster's mercurial nature will also be revealed, per the Lost rule that "you learn something new about the monster whenever it appears." And Cuse says a major story line will begin for Claire (Emilie de Ravin), Aaron's Aussie mommy, who lost boyfriend Charlie in last year's finale: "Mysterious things are happening to Claire that set up the next few episodes — and the next few years, too."

Lost, episode 4.07: Ji Yeon

2008-03-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well, the writers did it again! How brilliant was that to intermingle a Sun's flashFORWARD with Jin's flashBACK?!? Jin's headstone is marked date of death 9/22/2004 -- the day the flight crashed on the island. So is he really dead, or is this part of the coverup about everything that has happened on the island? The other big "surprise" is the return of Michael (as Kevin Johnson), though most of us have seen that coming for some time. Guess he is Ben's spy on the boat as predicted.

Here are some of the other noteworthy moments to discuss. For some good recaps, check out:
BuddyTV recap
Entertainment Weekly recap
MSNBC's recap

Juliet pulling out all the stops to stop Sun by telling Jin about the affair

Bernard's heart-to-heart with Jin, and then the reconciliation between Sun and Jin

Where's the helicopter?

Regina jumping off the ship wrapped in chains

Confirmation the boat is owned by Charles Widmore (loved Desmond's reaction)

Accusations that Ben may be responsible for staging the fake flight 815 and murdering hundreds of alternate passengers

What's up with the huge bloodstain on the wall of Sayid and Desmond's new room?

Fun seeing Hurley visiting Sun. So where does this flash forward hit in the big scheme of things? Perhaps first? Before Hurley commits himself again, before Kate's trial, before Jack goes unibomber on us?

Next up:
Episode 4.08: Meet Kevin Johnson (Michael-centric)
Per TVGuide:
Sayid confronts Ben's spy on the freighter, and Ben urges daughter Alex to flee Locke's camp in order to survive an impending attack. Guest starring are Cynthia Watros as Libby, M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly/Tom, Mira Furlan as Danielle Rousseau, Tania Raymonde as Alex, Blake Bashoff as Karl, Marsha Thomason as Naomi Dorrit, Ken Leung as Miles Straume, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Kevin Durand as Keamy, Anthony Azizi as Omar, Fisher Stevens as George Minkowski, Grant Bowler as Captain Gault, Jill Kuramoto as female anchor, Galyn Gorg as nurse, Starletta DuPois as mom, William P. Ogilivie as Gus, Francesco Simone as Arturo and James Locke as mechanic.

This will be the last epside until April 24th due to strike delays.

Lost, episode 4.04: The Constant

2008-02-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

How fun was that? Cool episode as we saw Desmond's conscienceness jump between 1996 and 2004. Although we ended up with the usual slew of NEW questions, I actually felt this one went a long ways toward actually ANSWERING some questions. Loved the communication between Desmond and Penny. Cool seeing Penny's dad buying the Black Rock's journal (aka the slave ship on the island). You KNOW that's gotta come into play. Wild twist that DESMOND is "the constant" for Miles, and it certainly answers what is up with him and that card trick scene from a couple weeks ago.

I haven't had time to read any of the message boards for insight, but I have read these recaps, which are worth sharing. Feel free to share anything you guys come across.

Buddy TV's recap
Entertainment Weekly's recap
MSNBC's recap

Up next...
Episode 4.06: The Other Woman (Juliet-centric)
Airdate: March 6, 2008
Juliet receives an unwelcome visit from someone from her past and is given orders to track down Charlotte and Faraday in order to stop them from completing their mission -- by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Ben offers Locke an enticing deal. Guest starring are Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Rebecca Mader as Charlotte, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Andrea Roth as Harper, M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly/Tom and Brett Cullen as Goodwin. Source: ABC

Lost episode 4.04 - Eggtown (Kate-centric)

2008-02-22T08:44:00.000-08:00

This was probably my least favorite episode thus far this season, though I still enjoyed it. I haven't read any of the boards yet, other than the E! recap, but here are my thoughts so far. I may add more later. We'll see...

The big "wow" came on the last scene of the night, of course, with Kate picking up her "son"... who we didn't even know she had until the courtroom. All of us as viewers are sitting there guessing whether it is Jack's or Sawyer's... then assuming Sawyer's because it is blonde... then the bombshell is dropped at the end when the kid says "Hi, Mommy", to which she replies "Hi, Aaron"! As in Claire's Aaron?!? So did she steal him, did something happen to Claire, did Claire willingly send him or what?

Jack testifying a false story about the crash at Kate's trial about there only being 8 survivors of the crash, it being in water, etc. And what does that mean about the two who aren't part of the "Oceanic Six"?

Speaking of Jack, where does this place his flash-forward from last season's finale? Is drunken-scruff Jack AFTER this trial flash-forward? I'm guessing now the "I need to get back to him" exit Kate had in that finale is referencing Aaron.

What's up with Locke the tyrant? Severe frustration with Ben. Banishing Kate. Hand grenade in Miles' mouth!

As for Miles, what the heck was that about him trying to extort $3.2M from Ben? Are we to make anything of the fact that Miles had no concerns over Ben's current captivity in providing that amount? Or of his statement he'd "take care" of Charlotte?

We know Kate ends up off-island and on-trial... but why does she do that when she knows they know she's a fugitive? And what about her sentence of 10-years probation, with the agreement not to leave the state. That obviously sets up for interesting circumstances for her to get back to the island, if so needed/desired.

Does Jack really not want to see Aaron? Lest we forget, Claire is Jack's half-sister (though neither know it yet).

What's up with the scene with Daniel "only" correctly guessing 2 of 3 cards from the deck? Does he have some special power, too, much like Miles can communicate with the dead.

Next up: Episode 4.05 - The Constant (Desmond-centric)
Sayid and Desmond hit a bit of turbulence on the way to the freighter, which causes Desmond to experience some unexpected side effects. Guest starring are Jeremy Davies as Daniel Faraday, Rebecca Mader as Charlotte, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Sonya Walger as Penelope "Penny" Widmore, Graham McTavish as sergeant, Darren Keefe as Billy, Edward Conery as auctioneer, Marc Vann as doctor, Fisher Stevens as George Minkowski, Kevin Durand as Keamy and Anthony Azizi as Omar.

Lost 4x03: The Economist

2008-02-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Holy cow! Just when you think the show can't get better this season, they spring a Sayid episode on us... and we all know how awesome those ones are! This one surely didn't disappoint.

Here's a site for great screencaps of the episodes. Thanks to Kim for recommending them! Lost Easter Eggs Blog

Here are a collection of random tidbits of wow-ness...

* Sayid the hitman... working for Ben! Helping remove the bullet in a vet's office. Saying this all will help protect his friends. Oh my that is one massive switch when you think back to Sayid torturing Ben in the hatch closet. Also, earlier in this episode Sayid says "the day I trust him (Ben) is the day I sell my soul." I'm still not convinced Ben is bad. This show has a way of making me flaky that way!
* So what is this hit "list" Ben is feeding Sayid?
* time different on and off the island, as we see the time-tracking device show up 31 minutes AFTER its recorded impact. Multiply that times our survivors' time on the island and it is a LOT. Now multiply that times Desmond's years on the island. Or did the original "pushing the button" for the code in the hatch keep time in synch prior?
* Jacking talking about the Red Sox to the pilot then making the comment to the pilot that "I can't believe it's been 100 days" only to immediately be interrupted with Sayid returning.
* Miles: "Stay on the exact same course no matter what!"
* Ben's secret room filled with money, suits and passports.
* Locke's search for Jacob's cabin
* Hurley double-crossing Jack's group. Perhaps that is why in his episode he apologized to Jackk off-island for siding with Locke.
* Hurley had the line of the night in "oh great, the ship sent us another Sawyer."
* The bracelets on Naomi and Elsa. Naomi's says "N I'll Always Be There With You R.C."
* Elsa being a hitman using Sayid, while Sayid thought he was using Elsa to get to his target!
* Confirmed "Oceanic Six" thus far: Jack, Hurley, Sayid. Others shown off-island (though not described among the "six") are: Kate, Ben.
* Can't wait to see what Sayid and Desmond find on the freighter... assuming they make it there.

More later ...

Lost 4x02: Confirmed Dead

2008-02-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven’t posted about Lost this season, but believe me I’ve been enjoying the show! I just don't seem to have the free time these days. And you know, the more I watch this show, the less I know! Thus far, Season 4 has been FANTASTIC!

Before I begin, let me give lots of credit to the message boards out there for the tidbits I’ve compiled for this episode. I didn’t realize I had so many questions until I started reading these! So, without further delay, here’s a collection of random questions and observations the helped turn my brain to mush. Misery loves company… :)

-----
The new people: An anthropologist. A ghostbuster with a magic vacuum. A physist. A pilot. It will be very interesting to see why this apparently inexperienced team was brought together for the alleged purpose of capturing Ben.

So Naomi, Miles, Frank, Daniel, and Charlotte work for Matthew, Hurley's “Oceanic lawyer” from last week. All appear to have a deep-rooted interest in either the island or flight 815. But why? Are Naomi and Abaddon covert ops? Are they with Oceanic… or Dharma? Why does Naomi persistently ask Abaddon about survivors... and why does he vehemently deny there would be?

The complete underwater plane they found near Sumatra threw me for a loop. We know for a fact the nose, tail and middle sections of the REAL flight 815 ended up on the island. So what is this? Has Oceanic (or Dharma) planted a second plane with fake (or other) bodies on it to throw off the public?

Back to our new crew, we’ve got Frank the helicopter pilot who knew Seth Norris and claimed he “was supposed to fly Flight 815.” Why didn't he? Anyone wonder if his apparent drunken nature is strikingly similar to what we’ve seen on Jack’s (and his dad’s) off-island experience? Oh, and did anyone recognize Frank as the actor from the old Stephen King movie, The Lawnmower Man?

Next, we’ve got Charlotte the well-funded anthropologist finding the polar bear remains in the middle of the Tunisian desert… with a Hydra logo (water station). Those are two big anomolies. How did it get there? WHEN did it get there? She obviously recognized the logo (and Dharma?) Can we assume the other newbies do as well – or at least know about the island?

One of the theorists out there proposed this connection – our anthropologists’ name is Charlotte Staples Lewis… is she any relation to Clive Staples Lewis, otherwise known as C.S. Lewis? He also knows a thing or two about alternate realities, since he created Narnia. His real-life nickname? JACK!

Next, we have Miles the cheating psycic/exorcist/ghostbuster who has some serious unexplained animosity towards the islands inhabitants. And what’s up with his vacuum thing? And how did he not need it to commune with Naomi’s “slab of meat”?

It has been noted that the pictures on the wall in Miles' flashback almost looked like Eko as a child. Combine that with the found drugs and drug money, could it be more Lost connections?

Next, we have Daniel Faraday, an awkward, too-trusting accomplice who is inexplicably moved by the wreckage of 815 under the sea (and he doesn’t know why). It has been noted his last name is reminiscent of both the English physicist and a main character from a Steven King novel. And he’s carrying a gun.

And he stumbled upon… a dropped crate of gas masks and hazmat uniforms. Could this be reminiscent of Ben's extermination of the original Dharma crew? Or is it perhaps due to the alleged "quarantine" nature of all the hatch doors?

Who is Regina, the woman Miles was talking to on the phone? She sounded a lot like Naomi. Perhaps a (twin) sister? Was her "code" a code after all? And who is the mysterious "Minkowski" who is too busy to answer the satellite phone?

Where the heck is Desmond? After all, Naomi had his picture, while Miles had Ben's.
Back to parallel relationships or "twins" - Dan is from Essex, Mass and Charlotte Lewis is from Essex. England.

Where are the rest of the 'Others'???

Love the ambush Sayid and Juliet staged. Why is it such a big deal to Daniel and Miles that Juliet wasn't on the plane?

"We are here for Benjamin Linus" -- why do they want Ben? I'm thinking it will have something to do with the extermination of the Dharma folks. Where was the photo of Ben taken? Looks like an airport. He said he’d never been off the island before. Is that true? Was that on the island or elsewhere?

So we have a working helicopter.... wonder how long until Locke destroys it?

How about Locke’s comment that if he’d had a kidney, he’d have probably died from Ben’s shot!

Anyone notice the shock from both Ben AND Locke when Hurley talked about the Jacob’s cabin? And if Hurley was correct in the direction he thought the cabin was in, where was Locke taking them? The metahpysical state of the cabin seemed to be solidified by Hurley and Locke's different locations comments. And why did Hurley change his story to say it was the plane cabin?

We all saw Ben eyeing the guns, but I sure didn’t expect him to shoot Charlotte! Interesting that she had on a bullet-proof vest.

I love that the first question that came to Locke's mind when Ben said he had answers was about the black smoke/monster. I'm not sure I believe that Ben doesn't know what it is. I think he may have an idea, even if he doesn't know 100%.

The speech Ben made about newbie Charlotte and her look when she knew she was caught was awesome. Those sort of things are what make Ben the hands-down best character on the show.

Who is Ben's man on the freighter? Many are guessing it is Michael.

Sawyerism of the night:
* Ben - "Yoda"

Can’t wait for this week! Glad to also read that me may get another 6 episodes this season (beyond these first 8!) Thank goodness the end of the writer’s strike is upon us!

Color changing card trick

2008-02-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

Funny how the brain works...

'Lost': Matthew Fox Flash Forwards to Season 4

2008-01-04T13:20:00.000-08:00

Interesting read from Entertainment Weekly:
'Lost': Matthew Fox Flash Forwards to Season 4

Let's hope Season 4 keeps up the amazing momentum we had at the end of Season 3!

Headache

2007-12-31T17:21:00.000-08:00

What happens when a 230-lb RB flies full-speed up the field on a kickoff return and is met by a 288-lb defensive lineman running straight into him? Let's introduce Chris Henry to Darrell Reid. In his credit, he pops right back up!

amazing Division III football finish

2007-10-30T19:38:00.001-07:00

2 seconds to go, needing a TD to win, ball on their 40... a pass and 15 laterals later they get the win! Wild stuff!

Fall TV musings

2007-10-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well, fall tv is officially upon us. Along with some of our old favorites, we've got the new shows out in full force. What is everyone watching these days? Here's what we tried the past couple weeks...

Monday

Chuck: probably my favorite new show thus far. It has already made the "season pass" list. Think "Alias" meets "Scrubs" -- a loveable dorky guy caught up in a spy story. Week 1 was funny and week 2 didn't disappoint. Hilarious line from week 2 was when the NSA doc was tapping into the secrets trapped in Chuck's mind and he begins spouting off assassination plots and, among many other things, a comment about "Oceanic flight 815 shot down by a surface-to-air..." Funny that an NBC show would make a pop culture reference to the ABC show "Lost".

Heroes: well, week one was a snoozer, but week two was better. If season one had started this way I wouldn't have kept with it. That said, you can tell this is all storyline-builder and hopefully future episodes will continue to get better. I can't help but think of Lost and how you inevitably run into some build-up episodes that force you to wait to see the good stuff. I'm intrigued to see where the Hiro and Peter storylines go. "Yuck" moments thus far -- Claire cutting off her pinky toe with scissors, and Maya's black blood eyes.

Tuesday

Wow, no show on the itinerary!

Wednesday

Bionic Woman: This may be a guilty pleasure, but I loved it and have got the season pass set up and I'm ready for more! This show is dark and the action is great. Throw your preconceived notions of it out the window, because this one isn't your 70's model! That said, I don't expect many surprises with this one, because thus far it seems pretty predictable.

Pushing Daisies: this hasn't started yet, but I've got the DVR ready to roll on it as it seems intriguing.

Thursday

The Office: Thank Goodness this show is back. I about spit up my drink when Michael ran over Meredith in the opening segment.

Friday

Moonlight: I tried this one, but the jury is still out on it for me. It was intriguing enough for a 2nd visit this Friday, but we'll see.

Numb3rs: this one isn't new and it's not critically aclaimed, but it feeds my need for a CSI / Law & Order type of show, since the rest of my schedule is packed.

Saturday

Nothing on the tv plate for Saturdays except college football and catching up with everything on our DVR!

Sunday

Sunday is another day of catching up with everything on our DVR, in between watching NFL football. Sunday nights, though, features one of my favorite shows these days -- Dexter. I already blogged about how great this show is here.

That's it for now...

Disney slide show

2007-09-23T11:10:00.001-07:00

Dexter

2007-08-26T19:38:00.001-07:00

Looking for a show to tide you over until all the fall lineup starts? Look no further than Dexter. Season 1 is now out on DVD. It's only 12 episodes, so you aren't far behind! Yes, I'm behind the curve on this one, but we didn't have Showtime back when it was first out. If the Amazon reviews (5 out of 5 stars at the time of this blog) don't sell it, check out Metacritic and see how all the newpaper/press reviewed it so highly -- as in it showed up all over the "Best of 2006" lists. Season 2 starts up at the end of September.

So what is it? Well, in a nutshell, he is a forensic blood splatter expert who spends his spare time hunting down -- and killing -- serial killers. A serial killer whose code of ethics constrains him to only killing other serial killers. Think CSI, Superman, Hannibal Lecter, Natural Born Killers and American Psycho all rolled into one. He's a likable, if not lovable murderer. A dark vigilante hero. Definitely quirky. Let me tell you the show will suck you in. It's extremely dark and suspenseful, but funny at times. The character development is incredible and you'll find yourself torn because you actually like the guy. Pick up the DVDs and give it a try. Just be sure it's after the kids are in bed!

College Football Schedule

2007-08-24T04:58:00.000-07:00

Here we are a week away from kickoff (at least for the Longhorns). I stumbled on this cool college football schedule and figured I'd share the link.

Lost finale!

2007-05-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

Man, I just got done watching the Lost season finale. Now, Heroes was fun... but Lost... and all I can say is "WOW!" THAT was everything you want in a season-ending cliff-hanger. Talk about an awesome twist that it wasn't Jack flashbacks, but flashFORWARDS! I didn't see that coming. The main thing that threw me off was he referenced his dad several times, whom we think is dead. Has that now changed? Hmmm...

Random thoughts before I got to bed far too late for my 5am alarm clock...

* so long Charlie. I never loved his character, but his end played out very cool and you couldn't help but feel sorry for him
* Mikhail is straight out of a Friday the 13th movie. The guy just wouldn't die...
* Mikhail to the girls in the undersea station: "I thought you two were on a mission in canada"
* Penny! And "Not Penny's Boat"...
* Interesting explanation from Ben about why he tortured Karl -- didn't want Alex to get pregnant. Guess that makes sense, since she'd die...
* So what's the "temple" Ben referred to?
* Jack and Locke both in near suicidal moments
* WAAAAAAALT!!! How cool was that?! And wasn't that a biblical-feeling moment when Locke told him he couldn't move his legs and Walt replied "yes, you can... now get up and move... you have work to do"?
* Hurley and the magic bus! Way to go, big man!
* Alex and Danielle meet at last. First words: "Wanna help me tie him up?"
* Haven't you missed Bernard (and Rose)? Very cool seeing the empathy he had toward Jin when they were about to shoot him
* Who actually thought any of the trio were really dead? Bernard, maybe... but Sayid or Jin... ya right...
* Sayid with the leg-induced neck break. Wow!
* Sawyer shooting Tom: "this is for taking the boy". I was kinda hoping they'd keep him alive...
* Locke's knife-toss into Naomi. D'oh!
* So who was in the coffin? Ben? Locke? Juliette? Sawyer?
* Who was it future-Kate was referring to that she needed to go back to? Sawyer? A baby (assuming she was pregnant)? Is she still a fugutive?

I'm sure there are tons more things I'll think of later, but that was an amazingly quick 2-hour finale. Suspense, action... excellent. Can't wait for next season...

Leapin' lizards

2007-05-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

This one is actually from last year, but it's still pretty funny...

Lost and Heroes

2007-05-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I haven't posted much, but man oh man have those shows been good lately. Heroes has been EXCELLENT and I still have no idea what is going on. Can't wait for those last two episodes this season. But for sheer intensity, last night's Lost takes the cake! It has been a LONG time since we've had that good an episode. Don't get me wrong, it has definitely been back to season 1 form, but last night was incredible. It definitely was the best this season for me.

Lots of hot points and questions:
* Jack and Juliette telling the camp "its time we got caught up" as they prepare for the showdown
* Locke returning to his alpha dog role by beating the crap out of the russian dude.
* Why did Alex give Locke a gun?
* Ben was born off the island
* Ben's dad, Roger, is the Ben's dad was the one Hurley found in that van
* what happened with Ben's childhood friend, Annie?
* I about jumped out of my couch when young Ben turns around in his room and sees his mom
* Richard is a native/hostile, and he hasn't aged since Ben was a boy?
* The whole Jacob scene, especially when only Locke heard "Help me". For a split second you actually see someone else in the room! More on that later...
* Was that gunpowder Locke was looking at when they approached the cabin? Volcano ash?
* The whole gassing scene, Ben killing his dad, the hostiles gassing the Dharma camp. Wow!
* I got chills in that scene by the mass grave where you realize Ben is going to take out Locke, and shoots him before Locke can react. Wild!

For the first time in ages I actually hit the Lost forums. LOTS of theories about Jacob. And, yes, you see him if you pause your Tivo:

One theory is he's Locke. Or Locke's twin? I can see the resemblence, minus the big 'ole hole in his head.

Another talks about the clothing he's wearing and the wig... very 1700s... like a pirate of say a certain slave ship (Black Rock)?

Another talks about him being Jacob Radzinsky, the maker of the map, and the dude who left part of his brains on the ceiling of the Swan hatch.

Another theory is he's Alvar Hanso, i.e. the founder of the Hanso foundation (which the ABC site had all those online references to). I can definitely see that resemblence as well:

I haven't read it yet, but here's the Entertainment Weekly recap.

So much to discuss. Can't wait for next week!

up for a quick game?

2007-04-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick, simple, yet surprisingly difficult little game, which I've found to be quite addicting! Red Square

My best so far is 29.231 seconds. Yes, that was after dozens of attempts. My first game lasted about, oh, 0.236 seconds! At about 18 seconds it becomes insanely fast.

Lost, Episode 3.16: One of Us

2007-04-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

What an excellent episode! I know I've been horrible about finding time to blog about this season (despite how great the past few weeks have been), but this episode was the kind that forces me to jot something quick down right away!

I just love the episodes that have a total twist at the end, and this one sure fit that category! I had told my wife during the handcuff scene when Juliet said they abandoned her just like they did Kate that I wasn't convinced it wasn't a setup. Even so, seeing that scene tonight where her and Ben are plotting the plan of action for her to infiltrate, and discussing the activation of Claire's implant, well it all still caught me by surprise. Or is she double-crossing Ben yet again? Her character is so intriguing! I still don't know what to think of Ben since he did apparently keep his promise to cure her sister (or did she ever really relapse?) And what does this all mean to Sun's pregnancy? Also interesting seeing Juliet had hooked up with Goodwin. Great episode...

P.S. I still don't know why Jack doesn't recommend the camp relocate to Otherville. Why stay in lean-to's on the beach when they can have actual houses with running water?!?

Lost... oh, so Lost

2007-03-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I haven't posted anything on Lost in a while. There's just too much going on in the real world to keep up with a weekly recap. That said... hasn't it been awesome lately?!?! It has certainly returned to the suspenseful thriller it was Season 1. I came dangerously close to losing interest, but the past few weeks have definitely sucked me right back in! Love the Locke storyline, but boy does he annoy me how he keeps screwing things up. Can't wait to see what happens with his dad...

The Office

2007-03-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

So who misses "The Office"? I know I do. Here's a little clip to get you psyched for it to return April 5th! It's a nice recap of the Jim-Pam storyline and gets you primed for the Jim-Roy showdown. The last 20 seconds of this clip definitely leaves you hanging! So much for this being a comedy!

Lost, episode 3x09: Stranger in a strange land

2007-02-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

Came across this great recap below on LostForum. Combine it with the recaps on Entertainment Weekly and the MSNBC and we've got some stuff to talk about...

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3x09: Stranger In A Strange Land (A Jack Episode)

We open with Sawyer singing as he rows their canoe. Kate asks him to stop, saying they have to go back, because they can't leave Jack behind. Sawyer tells her that they can because that's what he asked them to do. Karl, groggily laying at the end of the canoe, says that Ben will kill him and "God loves you as he loved Jacob", Sawyer responds to him confused, and tells Kate that Jack is on his own.

Tom comes in and tells Jack they're moving him. Jack tells Tom if they're going to kill him at least show him the respect of not calling it moving, and asks what kind of people they are, Tom asks what kind of people he thinks they are, and Jack lists the list of things they've done (hanging Charlie, taking children, etc.) but Tom only knocks on the glass, and asks Jack if he wants any stones for his glass house. A couple of other Others come in, put handcuffs on Jack, and they all walk out together. On the way, Jack passes Juliet also in handcuffs, and she just says "Hey."

As they walk out the door, they pass an older woman that Tom stops to talk to, and before going out the door, Jack sees Juliet being put in the room he just left from.

[Lost]

Out on another island, Jack puts on sunglasses, puts a backpack on his back, and walks out on the sand. A young boy runs up asking if "Dr. Jack want soda" and gives it to him, and Jack pays him. "You know I can't understand a word you're saying right" Jack says as the boy goes on in another language.

At the beach, Jack is trying to put what looks like a kite together, as a woman further down the beach laughs at him and comes up to help. After they finish, it's a bird that flies wonderfully to nice violin music. Jack thanks her, and the woman says he's not from around here (obviously....), and introduces herself as Achara.

Jack is now in the cage Sawyer was in, and Tom comes out to give him food. He asks who the woman was that he was speaking to, and Tom says she's the "sheriff". After asking why Juliet was put in Jack's old room, Tom tells him that Juliet is in trouble. Tom tells Jack to stay put, and Jack tells him that he knows they're watching him from the cameras. Tom remembers Ben telling him that Jack got into the control room, and Jack sits down further back in the cage, not looking fondly back on those memories. Tom asks him why he risked his neck to get them loose, and they run away and don't ever get back, but Jack cuts him off thanking him for the sandwich.

Sawyer and Kate are getting near the shore, Kate tells him they have to go around and get to the camp to tell Locke and Sayid to go back. Sawyer tells her they're both going to shore to make a camp, they argue a bit as Sawyer acts almost like a jackass to get her to shut up and he eventually takes his way to go and land the canoe where they're at. After making a fire, Sawyer asks her if she's hungry, and she says no "James." Karl tells them not to fight because theyre glad to be alive. Karl says that island is where they work on projects, they don't live on that island, they live on this island. Kate asks what they did with people, he says give them a better life, better than theirs. He tells them of how Alex and him used to name the stars.

Jack pushes the "Warning" button Sawyer got so trained with, and paces around his cage a bit. Juilet then comes out, followed by two Others with guns. She says they let her out to examine Ben, his vitals are low and he has a fever. She shows him a picture of his stitches, and they are indeed infected. Juliet asks Jack to come looking at him, and Jack says no, Juliet asks as a personal favor for her. Juliet says it's because she's in trouble, she just killed someone, and says complicated. Jack tells her he's not going to help Ben and he's not going to help her.

Jack has a special "Thai" dish at dinner with his new friend, and after downing it the waiter, who is Achara's brother calls him "very brave." She asks why he doesn't know how to fly a kite, and he says he just never learned. He says his dad worked a lot and was never the kite flying type. The woman tells him she has no interest in his father, some things are personal. She asks if he's in Puckit to find himself, he asks why she would say that, and she says "Because you're an American." Someone else comes up and gives her a package, Jack asks what that was about, and she tells him that she has a gift. Jack comments that it must be one hell of a gift.

Jack leans against the bars of his cage as the woman Tom was speaking with comes up and reads off what Jack's tatoos say, saying she finds the Chinese a bit ironic. She asks him if he knows what it says, and he says yeah he does. She says it's fairly common for some things to get lost in translation. She introduces herself as Isabelle, and asks if Jack will come with her so she can ask him a few questions.

They walk and on the way pass Alex, Isabelle tells her to check on her father, and they continue walking down the halls. They eventually come to a room where Juliet is handcuffed to the chair. She tells him they don't live on the island, they don't even like coming here, but there was an inicident and they're clearning up questions. She asks Tom about Juliet asking Jack to kill Ben, and Jack says that he was lying, that he would have done anything to get his friends out, and turning the Others against each other was his best chance at creating chaos. Isabelle asks why he's lying for her, and Jack says he'd like to go back to his cage.

Back in Thailand, Jack is laying in his bed as his new friend comes in, and gets into the bed with him. She asks if there's anything he'd like to ask her, Jack says it'd be nice if for a month of her coming in whenever she wants, he would be able to find out something about her. She says there are things that happen here that he could never understand. "Like your gift?" "Yes, like my gift." She tells him to stop asking questions, for them to have fun.

When Jack wakes up in his cage it's morning, and there are a lot of people just...standing around watching him, and hey, it's all the Tailies that were taken by the Others! He screams some and Cindy, the flight stewardess who gave Jack all the wonderful alcohol, calls his name. He asks what she's doing here with them, he thought she was taken, she says it's not that simple. She says they're "here to watch.", a child comes up and whispers into her ear, and Cindy tells Jack the child wants to know how Ana Lucia is doing. "Are you serious?" Jack yells, and screams at her to go, she seems taken aback by this, and the girl and her walk off with the other little boy, with their teddy bear in hand.

Kate and Sawyer wake up from sleeping in the dirt and Karl is gone, they find him crying, and Sawyer goes to talk to him, stopping Kate claiming it's guy time. He walks up and hits him in the shoulder, and tells him to cowboy up, and tells him that he thought his people were tough. He makes a reference to the Brady Bunch, of which Karl has never heard about. Sawyer tells Karl he's been with a lot of girls, some of them worth the trouble and some not, and every now and again there's one that you name dumb stars with. He asks Karl if he loves Alex, and Karl replies more than anything, so Sawyer tells him to go and get her back. Karl says if he gets caught they'll kill him this time, but Sawyer says at least it will be worth it.

Back on the other island, Alex walks up to Jack's cage, asking why he saved Ben's life. She tells him they're not watching him anymore, they're all busy with Juliet. Alex is confused why Jack still fixed Ben after his friends got away, and Jack says he will answer her question if he answers his. He asks where Juliet is, and Alex tells him that they're reading the verdict. Alex says they're really strict about killing one of their own, eye for an eye, and tells Jack she murdered the guy who was going to kill one of his friends. Jack tells her that he saved Ben because he said he would. Jack asks if Ben is still in charge, will that woman Isabelle do what he says. Alex says yes, so Jack asks Alex to get him out of the cage.

Jack walks into the surgery room and stops the lame Other doctor, Jack tells Ben who is lying awake on the table that he would be much more impressed if they had a good surgeon. Ben says they had an excellent surgeon, his name was Ethan. Jack tells Ben what he needs after his surgery, and it entails Jack keeping a close watch over him. Ben tells him Jack needs to work on his bedside manner, but Jack says he's stuck with him, he needs a doctor to bring him back to good health. Ben says he's already given him a ticket off this island, what's next, and Jack says he wants him to stop the execution of Juliet. Ben tells him that Juilet doesn't care about Jack, no matter what she's done, she's one of them. Jack ignores him, asking if they have a deal, and asks if Isabelle has a "Walkie". Alex tells him they're already in a meeting, and Ben asks for somethign to write on.

This..somehow leads us into the rest of our flashback, where Jack is watching Achara and follows her behind an alley and into a building where he finds a lot of candles lit and a chair with various tattoo things around it (I'm assuming.) She's suprised that he followed her. Jack asks what this is, and she tells him it's where she works and they shouldn't be here. Jack asks if a tatoo parlor was her big secret, she tells him she is not a tattoo artist, she's able to see who people are. Her work is not decoration, it's definition, and this is her gift. She sees who people are, and she marks them. Jack asks who he is, and she shakes her head, because she's not allowed. After some coersion, she tells him he is a leader, a great man, but this makes him lonely and angry (Okay, you don't have to have a gift to tell Jack that.) Jack wants her to mark him, she tells him it's against her people, there will be consequences, and he tells her there always are. So Jack gets his tattoo.

Jack and Alex knock on the door to where their little hearing is going on in Other Court. Tom pushes Jack against the wall but Isabelle demands he be let go, and Alex gives her the letter from Ben. Ben has taken execution off the table, and the rules don't apply, but he has ordered her to be "marked."

Back in Thailand, Jack has on his sunglasses and backpack on the beach, and the young boy is there again, but this time he runs away. Achara's brother and a load of his friends show up, take a look at Jack's tatooo, and beat the hell out of him, screaming for him to get out of the beach and leave the country, Achara watches all teary eyed, and please don't ever give her a close up again.

Juliet now goes to see Jack in his cage, and she hands him a grilled sandwich with toothpicks, of which Jack missed. He wants to see her "markings" and Juliet lifts up the back of her shirt to reveal what looks like an astrick with a line coming from it. He tells her to break a branch of the aloe plant behind her, she gives it to him, and he places it on her back where the scar is. She asks why he helped her, and he tells her that Ben promised them both they could go home and together they are going to make sure he keeps his word. Juliet tells him they'll be coming for him, all of them. Jack's friends know where they are so they're going to leave the island to go back to where they live.

Back on the other island, Kate asks where Karl is, and Sawyer says he let him go, that he is only a target, Ben isn't going to stop looking for him. Kate says Ben only wanted Karl as far away from his kid as possible. Sawyer asks her if she's coming, and Kate yells if he wants her to walk beside her or ten steps behind because Sawyer has managed to be a controlling asshole all episode long. Sawyer asks if she feels guilty about what they did, Kate says she doesn't feel guilty for leaving Jack behind, they had to, but Sawyer says he's not talking about Jack, he's talkign about them. He says he knows she did it because hse thought that he was a dead man. He tells her to not beat herself up because the docs left behind. She says she's not beting herself up, and Sawyer tells her now that they've got that out of the way, let's go.

Isabelle walks Jack to where various Others are taking a canoe, and Tom (hillariously, in my opinion) holds a little umbrella over Ben in a stretcher....

Isabelle says "He walks amongst us but he is not one of us" Apparantly, that's what Jack's tattoos say, but I'm sure that's not what Foxy's say...

Jack says that is what his tatoos say, but not what they mean. They all get on the canoes to go back to the Other's "home"

After this, we get a montage of people to nice music, Sawyer and Kate are lighting torches to go back to camp, Karl is watching the stars, and Jack and Juliet are smiling at each other all on a ship with the Others.

Lost and Heroes

2007-02-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm a slacker and didn't get around to writing recaps this week. So, here's links to sites that actually took the time to sum things up for the rest of us.

Heroes recap by TVBlend.

I found Lost to be a bit slow, although I enjoyed Desmond's sad back story, and loved the twist at the end where you find out he'd been trying to save Charlie over and over. I will say it makes the show more confusing than ever. Not sure that is a good thing. We shall see...
Entertainment Weekly recap
MSNBC recap

some creative video splicing

2007-02-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

This was originally posted in December 2005, but I just recently came across it. Someone had way too much time on their hands... but it's pretty funny!

Bush and Blair - "Endless Love"

Keeping things in perspective

2007-02-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

This topic makes its way through the email-forwarding circuit ever year or so, but it still never ceases to impress me how incredibly insignificant we are in the "big picture"...

Lost, episode 3x07: Not in Portland

2007-02-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've received some email criticism for not having a Lost blog up already, so here is a quick blog. We watched the episode late last night so I didn't get around to putting up a blog. I didn't take a full long hour today, so I didn't have time to put together anything spiffy, so here's a couple links and a few random comments. Feel free to comment away and I'll try to respond and add more later.

Entertainment Weekly recap
MSNBC recap

Random thoughts:
I liked this episode a lot -- perhaps not as great as some of those articles had hyped it, but it was definitely among the better from this season thus far.
I love Juliet's back story and how you see she's not as heartless as she's been portrayed thus far. I imagine 3 yrs on the island can definitely change you!
I totally saw the bus scene coming. I told my wife "oh, he's a goner" as soon as Juliet said that thing about maybe her ex could get hit by a bus. Now I can't say I saw it coming that he'd actually get hit by a bus.
How about that Clockwork Orange type of scene with Carl? That was pretty creepy. Notice how Sawyer started to go into a trance watching the film? Wonder if that is significant?
So Alex is Ben's daughter... Or at least she was raised as his daughter. Interesting twist.
Speaking of Ben... how creapy was it that he woke up during his surgery?

Yes, I think Lost is back... which unfortunately means it brings up more and more questions onto its huge stack!

Heroes, episode 1x14 - Distractions

2007-02-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

Good episode of Heroes this week. I love the dark ones, and this was definitely dark with Sylar back in play and Niki/Jessica going crazy with the taser in prison. Check out the recap at TV Blend.

For those (like me) who can't help but peak ahead, here are the upcoming episodes per TV Rage:

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Heroes, episode 1x15: Run!
2.12.2007

While the scandalous truth about Claire's real father is revealed, her adoptive mother faces a crisis. Matt takes a job as a bodyguard for a crooked attorney, which puts him in the crosshairs of Linderman's new assassin. Hiro and Ando return to Las Vegas to find the sword, but get sidetracked by a damsel in distress. Suresh finds someone on the list and unknowingly puts himself in grave danger. Meanwhile, Simone turns to some unlikely help in her and Nathan's struggle to find Peter.

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Heroes, episode 1x16: Unexpected
2.19.2007

Peter painfully learns that someone close may have betrayed him and Claude. Matt's world spirals out of control when radioactive man Ted Sprague and Hana Gitelman, a fierce young woman with "wireless" mental abilities, drop into his life. After blood is spilled, Hiro makes a difficult decision about his mission. Claire is unable to contain her anger at her father.

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Heroes, episode 1x17: Company Man
2.26.2007

H.R.G.'s past catches up to him as Matt and Ted Sprague, come to Texas looking for answers, and take him, his wife, son and Claire hostage -- leading to a tragic, explosive showdown. Secrets are revealed and new threats to the "heroes" are introduced

Lost Is Back! (And So, So Good Again)

2007-02-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

Here's a great article from E! Online to get you ready for this week's Lost "premier" (hey, we've been off for months...)
Lost Is Back! (And So, So Good Again)

The article is well worth the read, if for no other reason than these two snippits:

"Most important, for you who have perhaps lost a wee bit of your faith in Lost after the first six episodes (tsk-tsk), I truly believe this episode will make you believe again and bring you back to the show's glory days. Honest."

"Bottom Line If you don't watch Lost this Wednesday, you are a stone-cold fool. Yeah, you heard me."

Sounds like Lost is ready to regain it's "Don't Miss" status!

Heroes, episode 1.12 "Godsend"

2007-01-23T05:11:00.000-08:00

Well, our beloved show returned with a resounding thud. Not to say it wasn't entertaining, but it was simply a build-up episode in my opinion with no "wow" moments. Check out the recap on TVBlend. As always, it does a better job than me in summarizing stuff.

I like how the known characters are starting to come together, how the fringe characters (ex. the Haitian) are becoming more prominent, and how we are getting exposed to yet more new characters (ex. Peter's encounter with the invisible man). The common thread in all the story line seems to be the infamous Linderman. What is his role and interest in all of this? My random thought is what if he is Horn-rimmed Glasses Man's boss? I guess we'll have to keep watching to find out!

For those who can't help but get a sneak peak, here are the teasers for the next couple weeks, courtesy of TVRage...

Jan 29 1x13 The Fix

Chased by unknown assailants, Hiro's search for the sword takes a turn when his father appears. A cleaned up Issac dedicates himself to stopping New York's destruction -- and Peter. Claude, an invisible man with a mysterious past, might have something to teach a would-be hero. D.L. struggles with new family responsibilities as Matt opens up to his wife Janice. H.R.G. focuses on his murderous captive, Sylar. Meanwhile, after seeking out the Haitian, Claire secretly embarks on a search for her true birth parents. While working to find those on "the list," Suresh receives a surprising visitor.

Feb 5 1x14 Distractions

Hiro struggles to make his father, a corporate tycoon, and ambitious sister understand his new heroic path in life. Niki has a chance to be with D.L and Micah again, but will she really be with them? Claude attempts to teach Peter to harness his abilities, but the process could shatter Peter's faith in those closest to him. Determined to find her birth mother, Claire makes her way to a trailer park in Texas. Meanwhile, Sylar makes a shocking move against H.R.G. -- and his family.

Feb 12 1x15 Nothing to Lose

the end of Lost

2007-01-15T07:20:00.000-08:00

'Lost' Producers Discuss Series' End

Fiesta Bowl highlights

2007-01-02T06:36:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable game. Per Fox Sports: "It'll go down as one of the best college football games in history. The Fiesta Bowl had it all, trickery, drama, failure, surprises and a win by the underdog." I have to admit this was an amazing game that deserves to be up there with last years' National Championship Rose Bowl between UT and USC.

A quick summary:

Boise St. dominates the first 40 minutes
OU comes back from an 18-pt deficit
Boise St. then rallies late twice, the final time following an interception returned for a TD
22 total points scored in the final 86 seconds.
Boise St. faces 4th and 18 in the final seconds, and scores a 50-yd "hook and ladder" TD to take it to OT!
Peterson scores a 25-yd TD on the first play in OT.
Boise St. then scores on 4th down on a trick play where the QB went in motion and the RB threw a TD to a lineman.
Boise St. then went for broke and goes for two, and ran a "Statue of Liberty" to perfection to win it!

See for yourself... check out the 4th quarter and OT highlights:
Fiesta Bowl Highlights

Lost season 3 previews

2006-12-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the teaser sneak-peaks ABC has released so far for season 3..

1) Desmond and Charlie fighting

2) Hurley and Locke discussing "super powers"

3) Hurley and Charlie ransacking Sawyer's stash

4) Desmond running into the ocean to rescue Claire

5) Jack in the polar bear cage being approached by... Cindy?!?

Charlie Brown Christmas - Performed by the Cast of Scrubs

2006-12-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

Here's the cast of Scrubs' rather off-color take on "A Charlie Brown Christmas".

VY does it again

2006-12-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

Gotta love Vince Young's TD in OT to win it vs. the Texans. He ran for a 39-yard touchdown in overtime against Houston, playing just six miles from where he grew up. Young led the Titans to their third straight comeback victory and fourth win in a row.

Here's the highlight:

Heroes - Chapter 11 - Fallout

2006-12-05T05:42:00.000-08:00

Though my head hurt by the end, I really enjoyed this episode. First things first, for your episode recap, hit TVBlend.

Now for the twists, general observations and questions:

* HRG talking on the cell phone to someone who is telling him to keep Sylar alive. So he's not in charge. Who is?

* Loved seeing the Haitian dude talking to Claire and telling her to keep a secret. Obviously he isn't going to erase her memory, and we find out he's been purging her mom's memory for years. What does he have in store that would have him disobey HRG and conspire with Claire?

* Who among us DIDN'T see it coming from a mile away that Eden was doomed? My question, though, is how was Sylar able to get to her, when he couldn't get to HRG? Interesting twist that she turns the gun on herself to prevent Sylar from getting her power after he tells her "you know that can't hurt me".

* I liked the scene where Audrey and Matt are interrogating Peter and they suddenly have interference with each other while reading thoughts.

* Cool scene where DL phases out just in time for the bullet to pass through his head and hit the tire. He still moves pretty well, considering he took a high-powered rifle bullet to the shoulder. Not sure where the storyline with Niki is going, now that she turned herself in to the cops.

* So Hiro fights a dinosaur? "I really need to find that sword"...

* What's up with Peter's sickness and his dreams? First we see him in his cell drive that Nathan visits him, only to morph into Sylar. Then at the end he sees the future and himself blowing up. One observation I had from that final vision is that he only saw him and the other "heroes"... yet we see Simone in it. Does she have powers we haven't seen yet? And why is Nathan the only person in his vision that doesn't look scared of Peter?

Now we are left in limbo until January 22nd to see what happens next. At least it returns sooner than LOST!

Heroes - Chapter 10 - Six Months Ago

2006-11-28T06:24:00.000-08:00

Episode preview:

As the clock turns back six months for all of the "Heroes," Mohinder's father Chandra Suresh arrives in New York to begin his quest to find individuals with extraordinary abilities, and meets someone all to eager to be special. Peter celebrates his graduation from nursing school, and learns that Nathan plans to prosecute a case that could mean trouble for the entire Petrelli family. A surprise visit from her father brings out the worst in Niki. Hiro attempts to be a hero and change the future for someone important. Claire joins the cheerleading squad and makes a curious discovery. H.R.G. and the Haitian meet someone special.

Episode recap/review from TV Blend.

I enjoyed this episode. It was obviously a build-up to the holiday break finale, so it had a lot of back story. But, it was enjoyable seeing the beginnings of each of the character's powers - Matt's, Eden's, Claire's, Nathan's, Peter's.... Sylar's.

Heroes - Chapter 9 - Homecoming

2006-11-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

Running a tad short on time this morning, so here's the TVBlend recap. And another one I just found via our good friend Google. It was a very good episode, definitely one of the darker ones this season. What did you think?

Heroes, Chapter 8 (1.08): “Seven Minutes To Midnight”

2006-11-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

What a great episode. I really enjoyed this one, since it was fast-moving and had lots of plot lines moving at once.

* First and foremost, the episode brought Horn-Rimmed Glasses dude into a new, not-so-evil light (one I speculated and posted about weeks ago I might add!) Apparently his group has been monitoring people with powers for quite some time. We also learned of Claire's origin -- and that her homecoming is the next night. Side note: would there ever be a paper mill in Odessa? I can't think of a place with LESS trees... ;-)

* Mohinder seeing past events in dreams brought on by a child (Sanjog Iyer), whose file he finds in his father's desk. One of the dreams shows his dad being killed -- we see a watch. We also learn he had a sister who was "special".

* Matt and Audrey the FBI chick talking with the radiation dude and figuring out the connection with the tattoo marks and the Haitian.

* The waitress (Charlie) with incredible learning powers, who is brutally killed after a fun scene with Hiro. We see a shadowy guy in the corner use powers to pull a coffee cup to him. We see the same watch Mohinder saw on his father's killer. Hiro then uses his power to go back in time, as evidenced by the birthday photo on the bulletin board. But he doesn't return immediately as promised. Sidenote: why would the waitress, with her incredible memory, need to write down Hiro's lunch order? ;-)

I'm still wondering if this is all on the same timeline. What if Matt is actually in the past? What if the girl he found under the stairs was Claire as a child? After all, HRG tells Isaac that Claire was saved from some incident gone bad. Just something to throw out there...

Lots of stuff in this episode. Can't wait for next week!

High School Football Player Hurdles Defender for a TD

2006-11-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

A friend emailed me this link, and I had to include it on my blog. WOW!

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11/10/2006 - Cy Fair vs Cy Creek (2006) - Sam McGuffie HURDLES a Defender in a HIGH SCHOOL football game. He literally takes a leaping jump, over a defender to get past him. A must see for all football lovers.

Lost, episode 3x06: I Do

2006-11-09T05:03:00.000-08:00

I like the episode, but it certainly wasn't "THE -- BEST -- EPISODE -- SO -- FAR -- THIS -- SEASON!" like they'd hyped it. In that regards I was a bit let down. As usual, no questions answered, and tons more questions raised.

That said, I did enjoy the episode and it did certainly have some suspense. Did anyone actually believe Danny would shoot Sawyer? I didn't think so. Now THAT would have made it a shocker, to lose Eko and Sawyer in consecutive weeks.

Here are a few random observations that caught my attention:

* Who is Jacob? As in, Danny Pickett says Ben put his life in the hands of Jack, "who wasn't even on Jacob's list". Is he a higher ranking other than Ben or something?

* Why does Danny hate Sawyer so much? Is he just focusing his pain for losing Colleen?

* Whose voice is it Jack hears on the intercom telling him to try the door? Alex's?

* Speaking of Alex, love her with the slingshot taking people out. So where's Karl? Is he really dead after helping Sawyer that first day in the cage?

* What is Ben's connection to Alex? Are they related? He asks if she asked about him right before surgery, and Juliette lies and says no, then tells him Alex was "sent home". Where's home?

* How does Kate know the marshall's first name (Edward), as evidenced during their phone call? Is there more to that story?

* Eko's prayer stick noting to "lift up your eyes and look north" (a quote from Genesis to Moses regarding the promised land), but it is right above a reference to John... making it look like a message directed to Locke.
http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage.php?album=1196&pos=515
Will they see the other island? The sub? Otherville?

What else?

Heroes, episode 1.07 - Nothing To Hide

2006-11-07T04:48:00.000-08:00

Fun episode --- except for the last minute or two that we missed due to our tivo only recording the hour time-slot! Grrr! What is up with all the extended shows on tv these days pushing extra minutes past the end of the hour???

Anyhow, I enjoyed this one. As expected, we got to see that Micah does indeed have powers. Should have seen that coming when Niki talked about him being an electronics wiz. This also answered our question of whether Niki was still alive. Same for her alter-ego Jessica.

We were introduced to another new "hero" alleged as the infamous Sylar, though I don't think that's the case. I do wonder, however, if that guy could be the source of the explosion Hiro saw in the future. Everyone notice the tattoos, how they go from two small lines when the person isn't using their power to the longer "S" pattern when they are using it?

I still don't know the FBI lady's role in all this. There's more to her we don't know yet. What is her obsession with Sylar? Why hasn't she told anyone about Matt's mind-reading power? It should be fun watching Matt take the FBI test as an interview, though.

What else?

Episode 1.08 - Seven Minutes To Midnight [Airing November 13]
Suresh questions his future when dreams of the past trouble him; Hiro and Ando meet someone interesting in a diner; Peter asks Nathan to help him find a key to the future.

Episode 1.09 - Homecoming [Airing November 20]

Episode 1.10 - Six Months Ago [Airing November 27]

Heroes, chapter 6: Better Halves

2006-11-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

I neglected to post my comments on this week's Heroes, due to Halloween, etc. Turns out to be a good move, because I have since stumbled across a great site for recaps, and it discusses much of what I'd bring up anyhow.
TV Blend recap.

I sure hadn't put 2-and-2 together that the poker guys were the same guys Niki's alter-ego slaughtered until I read the recap. Good stuff, and I can't wait until next week.

Lost, episode 3.05: The Cost of Living

2006-11-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm in mourning. Why, oh why, would they kill off my favorite character?!? Guess that'll teach the rest of the cast that they REALLY better not get wayside with the law, as evidenced by Ana Lucia, Libby and now Eko. Either that, or don't be an actor for the tail-section group from the plane! Does that mean Bernard is the last of them, other than the ones who were abducted? What a bummer, though, about Eko, because I really loved his character. The spoilers had said "a major character (as in a series regular) whose name is not Sawyer will join Boone, Shannon, Ana Lucia and Libby in the big island in the sky. And you're not going to believe who it is"... and boy were they right. I should have known when they conveniently started including Paulo and Nikki into the main group that one (or more) of the regulars really was doomed. Grrrr.

That aside, this was a really great episode for me. How many different story lines could they throw at us at once. You've got Eko wrestling with his past demons. You've got the return of the mist/island monster. You've got Juliette plotting with Jack to kill Ben in a surgical accident. You've got Ben telling Jack that they had indeed planning to break him and get him "invested" in their cause. You've got Locke & Co. tapping in to the signal for some new station we haven't seen, complete with a patch-eyed scary dude. And we end it with Eko's ominous "You are next".

Then next week (Episode 3.06 - "I Do" - Kate-centric) we see Alex making an appearance, we see Ben being prepped for surgery, some serious Sawyer butt-kicking, and Kate mugging down with someone. We know this'll be a good one, because it is the last episode before the winter break. They are hyping it as the best so far this season, and it better be a good cliff-hanger, because it has to tide us over until February 7th before we get Epsidoe 3.07 ("Not In Portland", Juliette-centric).

Lost, Episode 3.04: Every Man For Himself

2006-10-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

I'll be worthless for you guys this morning, since we didn't get to watch Lost last night. We had friends and family in town, so the episode is sitting on our Tivo taunting us until tonight. To make matters worse, I've already had a few co-workers come to my office this morning saying "Wasn't that a great episode last night?" and "that was one of my favorite episodes so far this season".

Sooooo... go ahead and post your comments for one another, but I'll have to avoid reading them until after tonight....

Heroes - Chapter 5 - Hiro's

2006-10-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Loved Heroes last night. The show is pretty darn intriguing, and unlike Lost, this show seems to actually be going somewhere. Where... we're not sure. Still love Lost, but it is starting to go X-File on us where you wonder if anything will ever be answered, and whether it will be too late by the time they do. Who knows.

As for my random thoughts from this week's Heroes:

Love future Hiro. The guy goes from dorky sci-fi nerd to cool dude, bad accent to no accent. Interesting comment to Peter about "you look different without the scar".

Not sure how Suresh is going to play into the big picture. Does he have a power, other than being the worst actor on the show?

Wild hospital scene with Claire's dad and the mind-eraser dude erasing Brody's memory. Those guys are really creepy, yet I really wonder whether they are playing it up just make you THINK they are bad. I'm really not sure. If he were the bad dude, wouldn't he have cut out Matt's brain when they captured him? What about that serial killer the cops were looking for?

Very cool watching Nathan fly away. Very funny scene with him and Hiro in the diner. Quite the politian for him to demand double the donation after discovering they'd blackmailed him. "$2M makes me a candidate, $4M gives you a congressman".

So where are they going with Niki's character? That's not much of a power if she can't control her alter-ego (or even know it exists).

Matt's scenes were interesting. I wondered when hearing voices would eventually overwhelm him. I have no idea where they are going with his character and how it'll tie in.

Peter and Isaac was wild. I think we saw a glimpse that Peter's power isn't flying (like his brother's), but really it's being able to tap into other people's powers, as evidenced by him taking on Isaac's glassed eyes and being able to complete the painting.

***** SPOILER ALERT - episode guide below, including previews of next two weeks *****

Episode # Air Date Title
1 1x01 25/Sep/2006 Genesis
2 1x02 02/Oct/2006 Don't Look Back
3 1x03 09/Oct/2006 One Giant Leap
4 1x04 16/Oct/2006 Collision
5 1x05 23/Oct/2006 Hiros

Chapter 6 (1.06): “Better Halves” (Original Airdate: October 30, 2006)

Hiro (Masi Oka) and his buddy embark on their heroic journey to New York, when they are stopped by a Vegas high-roller who offers them a deal they can’t refuse. As H.R.G (guest star Jack Coleman) sets up a meeting for his daughter Claire (Hayden Panettiere) with her biological parents, she hopes that questions about her newfound indestructibility can be answered. Meanwhile, Isaac (Santiago Cabrera) receives another confusing call from Hiro, but Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) is there this time to pick up the phone and relay a life-saving message. Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) bids farewell to Eden (guest star Nora Zehetner) as he heads back to India to bury his father. An unexpected visitor shows up at Niki’s (Ali Larter) home.

Chapter 7 (1.07): “Nothing to Hide” (Original Airdate: November 6, 2006)

Facing a crisis involving her son Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey), a distraught Niki (Ali Larter) reveals her recent personal struggles to a friend. Pushing aside his own issues at home, Matt (Greg Grunberg) assists Audrey’s (guest star Clea Duvall) investigation into another bizarre murder, but their pursuit of mysterious serial killer Sylar takes an unexpected turn. After failing to act like a “superhero” when faced with danger, Hiro (Masi Oka) questions his heroism. Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and his wife Heidi (guest star Rena Sofer) strategize on how to win the congressional election. Claire (Hayden Panettiere) is shocked to learn where her missing tape wound up. Meanwhile, her father H.R.G. (”Horn-Rimmed Glasses,” guest star Jack Coleman) is disturbed by news from one of his associates. Santiago Cabrera, Tawny Cypress, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Leonard Roberts and Milo Ventimiglia also star, and Randall Bentley (”Judging Amy”), Ashley Crow (”Champs”), Lisa Lackey (”NYPD Blue”) and Richard Roundtree (”Shaft”) guest star.

Episode # Air Date Title
8 1x08 13/Nov/2006 Homecoming
9 1x09 20/Nov/2006 Seven Minutes to Midnight
10 1x10 27/Nov/2006 Six Months Ago
11 1x11 04/Dec/2006 TBA
12 1x12 11/Dec/2006 TBA
13 1x13 18/Dec/2006 TBA

Lost - Episode 3.03: Further Instructions

2006-10-19T03:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm back in business. Barely. We may still have a zillion boxes to unpack, but at least I've got tivo and internet again!

Ok, so this was a really weird episode. I liked it, but didn't love it. It was one of those back-story, build-up type of episodes, that it much better when you view it from the big picture than by itself. I enjoyed seeing many of the characters we'd missed for the past several episodes, and also liked seeing several new/seldom seen characters among the group.

MSNBC has their recap up , and I'm sure Entertainment Weekly will have theirs shortly.

Random thoughts:

Boone returns! Polar bear returns! Desmond returns! Hurley returns! Eko returns! Charlie returns!

Very interesting twist that Locke couldn't speak for half the episode. Also cool seeing Eko's stick fall from the sky.

Loved seeing Boone in the sweatlodge. I'll bet that actor is still pissed he was killed off the show.

Also some interesting interactions between Charlie and Locke, especially the drug references. Quite true, considering Locke did hallucinate out on something, plus we see the flashbacks with him living on that commune where they had a huge weed operation. Loved Charlie's remark about "you'll have to punch yourself in the face".

Interesting flashback with Locke in that commune, and we see yet another case where he was conned. His back stories are so interesting in their contrast to his island persona, in that he is the weak, easily swindled person in the real world, yet the tough hunter sage on the island. We still don't know how he was paralyzed.

Desmond's return brings more questions than answers. How did he survive the implosion? Can he now see the future? Loved the deja vu stuff about Locke's speech.

Funny scene where Locke's knife impales Hurley's canteen. Dude!

Creepy scene in that cave with the polar bear. The Locke-Eko "conversation" (or was it?) was interesting. Can't wait for Eko to get better. He's still my favorite character.

Next week's episode looks really spooky. Here's the next few weeks:

Episode 3.04: Every Man For Himself (Sawyer-centric)
Airdate: October 25, 2006

Episode 3.05: The Cost of Living (Eko-centric)
Airdate: November 1, 2006

Episode 3.06: I Do (Kate-centric)
Airdate: November 8, 2006

Lost and Heroes

2006-10-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am going to be a bad blogger this week. We are moving houses and my pc will be boxed up. Feel free to post your thoughts here. I will say we watched Heroes this week and loved it. Week 2 was a bit slow, but this week was great.

And, we actually did get Lost and it was a great episode. There are boxes EVERYWHERE and we had to watch it on a small tv, and we had to watch it real-time (complete with commercials!) since the tivo was already packed up *gasp*!

Anyhow, this was quite the spooky episode. Here are some random thoughts:

* they know Sawyer as his real name, James

* they know Sun's full name. There's gotta be repurcusions for Sun shooting that girl, especially since we know she's got a boyfriend

* Alex makes an appearance and she wants to help. And she is looking for Carl.

* interesting back-story on Sun's father wanting Jin to kill that guy, and when he doesn't, the guy dies anyhow. Did he jump himself (we see the pearls), or did someone else finish the job?

* loved Sayid's plan to capture two of them and kill the rest. Why two? So he could get the other one to talk. I love episodes with Sayid.

I really wanted to see him and Jin kick some butt, but now they are boatless...

* cool seeing Sawyer set himself up in that fight to feel out each of the others. Then chilling to see Ben watching them discuss the plan.

* So Ben has allegedly lived on the island his whole life?

What else?

Lost, Episode 3.01: A Tale of Two Cities

2006-10-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

This series had slipped a bit for me last season and I really needed it to start strong to win me back, especially after getting hooked on new shows such as Heroes and Friday Night Lights. Well, mission accomplished with flying colors. Good grief! We were tense the entire episode and have no idea where the show is going. Consider that a good thing.

MSNBC's recap
Lots of pictures of the episode here.

Random thoughts:

The opening scene feels a lot like the past couple season premiers (focusing on eyes, etc.) We see Juliette trying to compose herself, fighting back tears, etc.

Wild stuff with the opening scenes in the Dharma village seeing the plane break up, and seeing all the old "Others" -- Ethan, Goodwin, etc.

The book club was reading Stephen King's Carrie. unHenry/Ben obviously has some tension with Juliette.

Very interesting that Jack, Kate and Sawyer were in vastly different holding areas.

I'll have to check again, but I seem to recall we see Jack and Kate both pulling off bandaids where they received some medicine, but I don't remember seeing Sawyer with one.

How did Juliette get between the Hydra station and the zoo area where she shot Sawyer? Same person? Time lapse? Twin? We do know her character is one tough cookie.

What happened to the dude from the other cage who tried to get Sawyer to escape?

What did unHenry (now we know as Ben) do to Kate? They made it a point to show her wrist marks. Has her "next two weeks will be very unpleasant" already started? Did they tell her what was going to happen? Obviously she didn't eat her food on the beach.

Love the line when Sawyer figures out how to get the food when the guy tells him "only took the bears 2 hours". Wonder if it's the polar bears...

Very interesting story line on Jack and Sarah and how he was contesting the divorce and suspecting his dad of having the affair with her. Also interesting Jack's rage draws his dad back into drinking, after being clean 50 days... which we know eventually leads to his demise.

Chilling about them knowing everything about Jack and that exchange between Ben and Juliette where we see they are breaking him.

Can't wait for next week. Guess I'll have to figure out a different show to drop off my list!

Heroes

2006-09-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've got a new show to compete with my love for Lost.... Heroes. We watched the premier this Monday on NBC and were pleasantly surprised. I'm hooked. We felt the same way about Heroes as she did when we first saw Lost, so that's a good sign. While i'm hopeful Lost redeems itself this season (season two was definitely a let-down compared to season one), if it doesn't, this might be my new favorite.

The show has lots of the Lost-type of character back-story tie-ins, the supernatural stuff, etc. Good story line thus far. It feels very Lost meets X Files meets X Men, yet surprisingly doesn't feel sci-fi. Week one is definitely a lead-in episode (actually titled "Genesis"). Can't wait to see where this show takes us.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for the Lost premier next Wednesday. This week is a two-season recap.

White & Nerdy

2006-09-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm embarrassed to say it, but this is pretty darn funny. It's a Weird Al Yankovic song, no less. It's "White & Nerdy", a parody of Chamillionaire's popular rap song "Ridin' Dirty". They were talking about it on the radio this morning, but seeing the video takes it to a whole different level. Good thing I can't relate to anything about the character in the video... uhh...

I also found the lyrics here.

Lucky to be alive!

2006-09-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

Who says you have to be in New York City to have crazy cab drivers?! Attached is the security video from a near miss with a taxi at my office on Tuesday at lunchtime. This will certainly make me think twice about walking to lunch again for a while!

In the video you'll see a guy standing outside waiting (there are actually two other guys with him offscreen). The first taxi pulls in and you'll then see me walk out the side door, followed by my coworkers (5 others were with me).

The 2nd taxi then pulls in too fast (he probably was mad the other cab got there first), so he clips the curb, overcorrects the steering, then he hits the gas instead of the brakes. He heads right at the group of people, I barely step back out of his way. It then hits the first cab and the back end whips out at hits the wall literally one foot away from where I was standing. I stand there visibly stunned, but barely grazed.

It was a real blessing noone was badly hurt or killed. My guardian angel worked overtime for me that day!

The funniest part (finding humor in a near-tragic situation), is watching the third cab pull up, the driver gets out and opens the sliding door and back hatch, then walks up to the stunned crowd to solicit their business. Must be a competitive business!!

Let the season begin!

2006-09-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

It's just TOO hot!

2006-07-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

How hot is it? Well... here's what my car registered on the drive home today...

And here's the "comfort" I found in the shade on my patio...

Bringing up boys

2006-07-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

This picture has been making it's way through the email rounds. All I can say is... holy cow. I'm scared to say I can totally envision my two boys doing that, and boy is that nerve racking! ;-)

It takes an Aggie

2006-06-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Who knows if this is real, but it is pretty funny...

Sporting Dead Period

2006-06-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

We have now entered what I consider the most boring sports period of the year. No more Mavs in the NBA Finals. The US team eliminated from World Cup. Stanley Cup has come and gone without the Stars even sniffing the later rounds of the playoffs. Now there's just... baseball. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, baseball is fun to attend a game, but it just doesn't do it for me watching it on tv game after game after game after game.

So... we can now officially begin the countdown to the REAL entertainment extravaganza... FOOTBALL! We're about 6 weeks away from the first NFL preseason game (Aug 6), about 10 weeks from the first regular season game (Sept 7). That means fantasy football drafts kick off somewhere in between for those of us who love geeking around with that.

Then there's my beloved Longhorns. We are 71 days from watching them open up their season (Sept 2) in their quest to defend the National Championship. I can't wait. In the mean time, let's take a peak back at their 2005 season! ;-)

"THE HORNS SOUND: 2005 Texas Longhorns Football Highlights"
Game-by-game highlights from the Texas Longhorns 2005 National Championship season with original audio and play calls.

The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments

2006-06-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is a crazy video Kim emailed me. Pretty wild stuff, considering it is just Diet Coke and Mentos. You can find the original here, if you need it for some reason.

-----
The Extreme Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments:

What happens when you combine 200 liters of Diet Coke and over 500 Mentos mints? It's amazing and completely insane.

The first part of this video demonstrates a simple geyser, and the second part shows just how extreme it can get. Over one hundred jets of soda fly into the air in less than three minutes.

It's a hysterical and spectacular mint-powered version of the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas, brought to you by the mad scientists at EepyBird.com.

----
Now... these guys take it to yet another level...

Sudoku Puzzles - My latest obsession

2006-05-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, these have been around forever, but I'm just now discovering them. For those that like brain teasers, these are great fun. Be warned, they are incredibly addicting once you "get" it!

Click this image for the Wikipedia overview of the game.

If you do a Google search on "sodoku" you'll end up with a zillion hits, but here are a couple sites to play them online:
USA Today
www.websudoku.com

Lost, Episode 2.23: Live Together, Die Alone

2006-05-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've got some serious tired head over this one. I do know it wasn't anywhere near as exciting, suspenseful and satisfying as the season one finale. It just seemed... weird. My head hurts.

What are the fates of Eko, Locke and Desmond. And Jack, Kate and Sawyer. And Michael and Walt (I half expected the boat to blow up). And Sayid, Jin and Sun?

So Henry is the top dog of that group of Others. He and Eko are by far the best characters of season 2.

What's up with the big statue with the foot with 4 toes? Was it another decoy, like the fake village, or is this the something like the lost city of Atlantis?

"We found it". So what was "it" that those arctic circle dudes, working for Widmore, found. The island, the magnetic source, Dharma?

What did Desmond do to end up in the military prison?

Love the Kelvin connection. I'm sure everyone remembers him from the Sayid flashbacks. So is he REALLY dead? I take nothing for granted.

So the button really did need to be pushed.

Did Libby end up in the psych ward before or after we saw her with Desmond?

Did Michael have big sores/lesions on his head and hand? I thought I saw something in that night scene where Jack came up and talked to him. Could it be the sickness?

Those were some weird special effects when that bird thing flew at the group and Michael discovered he had no bullets.

Very interesting seeing the pneumatic tubes went nowhere but the middle of a field.

Cool seeing the electromagnetic stuff might have been what brought down the plane. I thought we'd actually see flashbacks to the plane for that. We now know the shows calendar date, based on knowing the plane went down September 22, 2004.

What exactly was the white light during the electromagnetic blow up? Will it have any affects?

What about the Other that Sawyer shot? They sure didn't follow up on that at all.

What did one snowman say to the another? It smells like carrots.

Claire's got an eye for Charlie again.

But at least Taylor won. Oh, wait... I'm getting confused with the picture-in-picture show we were watching during Lost commercials! ;-)

And... ohhhhhh, no.... what just happened to the Mavs? Grabbing the lead with 4 seconds left only to lose it with 1/2 second left. Sheeeze...

Lost, Episode 2x22: Three Minutes

2006-05-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well, this wasn't an "oh, wow!" episode, but it definitely sets up for a wild finale next week. As usual, we watched it starting at 9:30pm, so it is way too late for me to browse the message boards too long (dang 5am alarm clock!), but here's some random thoughts. Be sure to check back and read the comments, because people like Jim and Kim post some really good stuff. And for the multitudes of others who read this stuff, stop lurking and post some comments!

Update 5/18 6am: the MSNBC recap is online now.
Update 5/18 11am: the Entertainment Weekly recap is now online, too.

* Good to see Charlie and Claire starting to make up. Interesting about the vaccines. Still have no idea what that really is, and why you need it every 9 days.

* Neat to see Charlie throw away all the statuettes. And what's up with Vincent always playing a big role when he's around? Hope they don't need any of that stuff for more pain killers later!

* Charlie is definitely annoyed at Eko's decision to abandon the church because "I am supposed to do something different now.". And how about Eko's chat with Michael about the boy confessing to killing the dog?

* How touching was it that Sawyer opened up to Jack and called him "the closest thing I have to a friend"? Funny stuff with the "we got caught in a net" references.

* How was Michael using his compass? I thought the magnetic interference made that not work? Or was it a clue to the reference in the Hanso commercial of the week, http://www.letyourcompassguideyou.com.

* So the flashback to when the Others captured Michael and Kate and got the guns from Locke, Jack and Michael shows that there really weren't a bunch of Others surrounding them and lighting those torches. Another deception.

* We again see Alex and see that she does care for the losties (asking about Claire and the baby), but still follows the Others' rules (knocks Michael out)

* So who is Ms. Klugh and where does she fall in the Other's hierarchy?

* Walt telling Michael "They're pretending". Is this another elaborate setup, much like the boat incident where Kate later found the costumes?

* What is "the Room" that Ms. Klugh threatens Walt with returning to? What tests have they had him taking? Interesting her asking Michael if Walt has appeared in places he shouldn't be. Could those have been tests when he appeared to Shannon those times?

* From what we see so far, Michael is telling the truth about what he's seen with the camp. He might have ulterior motives, but he really did only see two guys with guns.

* Why did Michael kill Ana Lucia? It is now evident he didn't have to.

* Why do the Others want only Jack Shephard, Kate Austen, James Ford and Hugo Reyes? And how do they know full names, as well as the fact James=Sawyer? And does Michael really know Hugo=Hurley? And if unHenry came for Locke, why isn't he listed?

* Love the Sayid twist and what that might bring.

* Locke can walk again. The island's healing at work again? Remember that after his injury he was on the beach talking to Rose and told her it would probably take him about 4 weeks to heal, to which she replied "We both know it won't take that long."

* What's the sailboat?

Next week's 2-hr finale:
Episode 2x23: "Live Together, Die Alone"
After discovering something odd just offshore, Jack and Sayid come up with a plan to confront "The Others" and hopefully get Walt back. Meanwhile, Eko and Locke come to blows as Locke makes a potentially cataclysmic decision regarding the "button" and the hatch, on the season finale of "Lost".

Lost, episode 2x21: ?

2006-05-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, we just got done watching the episode on tape delay (no, still no Tivo in this house!) What a great episode. Lots of good flashbacks, past interactions amongst characters, suspense, new discoveries. And it was an Eko episode, who is my favorite character! It's late and I'm tired, but here are some random observations to get us started until the recaps come out tomorrow morning!

* nice beginning with Ana Lucia showing up in Eko's dream
* Adios Ana and Libby. I was really hoping Libby wouldn't be killed off.
* love the flashbacks with Eko's brother overlapping into both Eko and John's dream. How chilling was it when his brother told Eko to "bring the axe".
* So Eko is a troubled priest. Seeking fake IDs, etc.
* discovery of the Pearl station. How funny was it seeing Locke get all giddy about opening it? Anyhow, the thing has video cameras into the Swan (and possibly others). And a camera inside it, too (so who is watching THEM?) The hatch might be a psychologic experiment, but that sure doesn't explain the dreams, Locke walking, Rose's cancer disappearing, etc.
* The drowned girl's father was Claire's psychic, though he tells Eko he makes everything up. So what does that mean about Claire? Was that his first REAL vision, and therefore why we was so obsessed with her?
* Libby makes a flashback appearance at the airport as Eko is talking to the not-so-drowned girl. The girl talks about how she saw Eko's brother when she was "in between places".
* What was on the table in the Pearl hatch? Looked like cigarette butts and drugs. Hmmm.. heroine?
* Why did Locke put the map up the vacuum tube?
* I continue to love the Eko-Locke dynamics. Cool seeing Eko open up to Locke about his past and the miracles he's experienced thus far. You keep wishing Locke would do the same. The closest he's come is with Rose. He hinted at it with Eko by telling him Boone was a "sacrifice the island demanded".
* Once again, Locke's faith is rocked, this time after watching the Orientation film which shows his button-pushing to be an experiment.
* Libby managing to say "Michael", but Jack and Hurley don't realize what she meant.
* catch the Hanso foundation commercial? http://www.sublymonal.com/. It's owned by Sprite. Lymon...
* Sawyer hiding his stash right under his bed. Classic.
* Nice to see Sawyer comforting Kate
* Poor Hurley

Update: the MSNBC recap is now online.
So is Entertainment Weekly's recap.
And this one...
-----
Next week: episode 2x22: "Three Minutes"

Michael persuades Jack and several survivors to help him try to rescue Walt from the Others. And Charlie struggles with Mr. Eko's decision to stop work on the church. Mr. Friendly: M.C. Gainey. Alex: Tania Raymonde. Ms. Klugh: April Grace. Pickett: Michael Bowen.

U.S. preview

Canadian preview for episode 2x22 "Three Minutes"

American Idol... Chris?!?! Are you kidding me?

2006-05-10T18:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, obviously everyone thought he was too safe. Our household included. I really don't care who wins now. I have no doubt Chris will be the most successful of this group, regardless if he scored the AI title and the $1M contract out of it.

I guess I'm pulling for Taylor since he's the anti-Idol and the best performer of the group. Katharine has her moments, but she still very raw and seems to be searching for her identity. She's no Kelly Clarkson at this point. Elliott is a guy going into the top-10 I thought would have no shot at being in the final 3, but he certainly has his moments -- like Monday night when he was definitely the best singer of the bunch. We shall see...

Evolution of Dance

2006-05-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

I've gotta admit this is really funny. Make sure your sound is on, and be prepared to be amused as this guy takes a 6-minute run through many of the dance trends of the past several decades. Funny stuff. Thanks to Kim for sending me the link to this.

Lost, episode 2x20: Two for the Road

2006-05-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

Holy... crap....

Wow, that was a great episode. I don't even know where to begin. It definitely made our heads spin with a ton of jaw-dropping "Wow" moments. Love it! The producers surely didn't lie... they said the final episodes would be a fast-paced race to the season finale! The last 5 minutes of the show definitely fell into the "Nuh-uh! No way!!" category.

I'm going ahead and posting this just as a placeholder so we can get the comments going. If you are one of the many lurkers to this site (I know you are there -- many of you told me!), please post comments, as this episode definitely is discussion-worthy! I'll be updating this thread as I gather up my thoughts and read up more and see what all I missed. In the mean time, here are my random thoughts and observations:

edit 5/4 5:20am: the MSNBC recap is out there.
edit 5/4 7:30am: the Entertainment Weekly recap is now online.

Ana-Lucia and Libby -- didn't see that coming, though it has been speculated the actresses' little DUI adventure in Hawaii had them on the outs. And the actress who plays Libby was already signed for another series next season. That scene definitely caught me by surprise, though... especially Libby. I liked her. Poor Hurley. Then again, I'm not convinced Libby is dead. After all, she had that blanket (and who knows what else -- wine, etc.?) held in front of her. Who knows.

Ana-Lucia and Sawyer -- that's one way to get a gun from Sawyer. Too bad we won't get to see that relationship develop further -- it was kinda neat to see the two outcasts of the island get together.

Ana-Lucia and Jack's dad -- now we know how and why she was in Australia. Nice run-in with Sawyer as he was getting out of the car.

Jack's dad and the woman at the house -- wild speculation here. Was she Jack's ex? Was she Claire's mom? Regardless, we know Jack has a half-sister.

Sayid -- nice hole he was digging. What was it? Sad when he told Hurley about the private beach.

Hurley -- hilarious in his ineptness. Love Jin giving him the thumbs-up.

Ana-Lucia and Henry -- lots there. Him catching her off-guard and almost choking her to death. Later saying Goodwin though she was misunderstood and could change her. Her planned to kill him but couldn't do it.

Henry and Locke -- Henry telling Locke his failed mission was to come get Locke because he's one of the good ones.

Michael -- holy cow. I knew he was up to something, but I just figured he'd steal away Henry and lock Ana Lucia up. Not shoot her. And Libby. And himself. So is he brainwashed? Or being forced to release Henry and lead our Losties into a trap as a bargain to get back Walt?

Next week's preview... good grief, please don't kill off Eko.

Confessions of a TV junkie

2006-04-27T03:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, I must admit it. I'm a TV junkie. I don't know how it happened, but somehow we've gotten ourselves hooked on too many shows. Let's recap...

Sunday nights the tv is locked on ABC from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition straight through Grey's Anatomy. Love Grey's Anatomy. For Monday nights, we really like the new show "What About Brian?", and I enjoy 2 1/2 Men every now and then. Tuesday nights... American Idol and Law & Order SVU. Wednesday nights is obviously dedicated to watching my fave Lost (and the AI vote-off show).

Then we finally hit the Thursday through Saturday stretch where we don't have any "must see" shows (and I'm hoping it stays that way because I can't handle another favorite!) Of course, that doesn't mean the tv isn't on! On Thursdays I might stop down for "The Office" and Fridays I do like NUMB3RS, but for the most part I'll channel surf and end up stopping on something with "Law & Order" or "CSI" in its name. Or something on HGTV, Discover Channel or The History Channel. HGTV deserves its own blog, because I can watch that for hours. Especially shows like Landscaper's Challenge and Designed to Sell.

Back to American Idol, I was pleased that Kellie Pickler was finally eliminated. Long overdue. She's sweet and sings well, but she's been out of her league for weeks now and coasting by on personality rather than talent. I enjoyed Katharine and Chris' performances the most, and the voting justified that feeling since they were top 2. I think they'll be top two in the end as well. Chris is our household favorite, and I thought Katharine finally had the kind of performance we knew she could, and the kind that makes you think of Kelly Clarkson in season one (though not as good). My guess is the next off will be Paris, then Elliott, then Taylor. We shall see.

I loved the guest celebrities Andrea Bocelli and David Foster. Foster was great because he was no-nonsense and didn't kiss up to the contestants. And Bocelli... wow. That guy can sing. Didn't realize he was blind, either. I've been a Josh Groban fan since he hit the scene way back when, but I'll add Bocelli to the list. There's a reason he's a megastar -- his performance on Wednesday made the contestants look like the amateurs they are.

Here's the recap for this week:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12504371/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11813015/

Upcoming episodes of Lost

2006-04-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

Going through withdrawal? Me, too. We've got one more week until Lost starts with new episodes again. This week is a recap/catch-up episode. So, at least it's not a regular repeat! After that, it is a 4-week run of new episodes, ending with a 2-hour finale. Read below at your own risk for the listing of episode titles along with which character is focused upon. The finale sounds especially exciting!

April 26, 2006 -- Lost: Reckoning

The survivors of Oceanic flight 815 have been locked in a test of faith ever since they crashed on the island. Discover how this faith has been tested for both the fuselage survivors and tailies. Are you a person of faith or science? This is the dilemma that plagues the island survivors and also defines their character. Discover how faith in the hatch led Locke on a mission to find a way inside, and how his discovery of Desmond led to his belief that punching in the numbers every 108 minutes would ensure everyone's survival. In addition, Michael's dogged mission in finding Walt, the tailies fight for survival during their first 48 days through their collision with the fuselage survivors, the uncertainty of prisoner Henry Gale's allegiances, and tensions between the survivors and "The Others" have left everyone questioning what they believe in. Additionally, the healing powers of love are explored through a timid Hurley's struggle with asking Libby out on a date, through the strong bond between Sun and Jin, and through Jack and Sawyer's mutual - yet unrequited - attractions to Kate.

May 3, 2006 - Episode 2.20: Two for the Road (Ana-Lucia-centric)

Jack and Kate return to camp with an exhausted Michael and news about the Others; Ana Lucia interrogates the prisoner (Michael Emerson) again; and Hurley plans a surprise for Libby.

US Preview:

May 10, 2006 - Episode 2.21: ? (Eko-centric)

May 17, 2006 - Episode 2.22: Three Minutes (Michael-centric)

May 24, 2006 - Episode 2.23-24: Live Together, Die Alone (2-hour season finale) (Desmond-centric)

Lost, episode 2x19: S.O.S.

2006-04-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, good episode. It is late and I don't have time to browse the boards, but I will say for now that I did enjoy the episode. Here are some random thoughts (I'll add more later)...

* I loved the back story on Bernard and Rose, especially how we find out she had cancer and the island has cured her... and she knows about Locke's big wheelchair secret.

* This episode reminded me a lot of some of the Locke episodes (like Greater Good), where someone is doing something that others don't like or even know about, but the underlying reason they are doing it is with good intentions. Bernard runs people off with his dictatorial mission to build the sign, but he does it for Rose. Rose undermines Bernard, but it is because the island heals her and Locke. Everyone has their reasons, but everyone keeps secrets. Typical Lost.

* Interesting stuff about the faith healer in Australia and the magnetic energy source references.

* Locke has been frustrated by the island (trying to remember the map, questioning the buttons, etc.) and seems to give up, but after talking to Rose on the beach he returns to the hatch and starts smiling and drawing the map. To me it was obvious he'd made his peace with the Island and was once again listening to it and following its lead rather than trying to do it himself. Insert your favorite religious comparisons here.

* Kate finally tells Jack about finding that medical hatch and the costumes (fake beard, etc.) And we learn she has been holding out until Jack lets her back in the club.

* Michael is back! Or is it really Michael? Or is he "infected"? This could get interesting.

* Eko and Charlie are indeed building a church. I love Bernard's line to him about "I liked you better when you just walked around and hit people with your big stick".

* Sawyer asks where Jack got the gun. Some day everyone is going to connect Charlie to Sawyer's big con where they kidnapped Sun and got the guns, etc. And it is not going to be pretty.

* Nice shot by Jack to release them from the snare net. Of course, wouldn't it be easier to shoot the lines right above them?

* Henry is still very creepy. That smile he got when Locke was yelling at him about the buttons... eek. And the preview for upcoming episodes with him grabbing Ana Lucia and saying "You're the murderer" looks good. Who is he referring to? Goodwin? Shannon? The felon who shot her when she was a cop? All of the above?

* What about when Henry says "They'll never give up Walt"?

* Hey look... Vincent is back, too! Good doggie...

* Sawyerism of the night: "Here comes Dr. Giggles. Oh Happy Day."

More later... post away with your comments and observations!

Counting down secrets of the ‘Lost’ hatch

2006-04-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

Stumbled across this interesting article on MSNBC.
Counting down secrets of the 'Lost' hatch...

Lost, Episode 2x18: Dave

2006-04-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

Wow... that was a weird episode. I'm not quite sure what to think of it yet, and since I'm too tired to stay up browsing the boards, here are a few random thoughts. I'll add more tomorrow.

* so, Hurley feels responsible for the deaths of a couple people when he was #23 on a crowded deck built to support only 8 (like those numbers?)

* Hurley has an imaginary friend named Dave. I saw this one coming real early in the episode.

* Funny scene with Hurley beating up on Sawyer, all the while repeating the nicknames he's called him through the episodes.

* Sawyerism of the night: "I got enough food to open up a mini-mart. You think Sayid needs a job?"

* Sayid is losing it. What good will it do to kill Henry?

* I'm betting Eko is building a church. Everyone catch him doing the sign of the cross from the water?

* Locke sure panicked at the suggestion of the wheelchair, didn't he? That character has been built up and beaten down in succession more than any of the others.

* Nothing like a leaf-full of peanut butter to make you feel better.

* Listening to Hurley and Dave talk on the island about how the whole island thing being Hurley's imagination sounded like the writers toying with the raving theorists of this show.

* Same thing with "Henry" saying ...."noone can see them, not even God" in response to Locke saying "God only knows how long you people have been here". That's blantantly toying with the theorists about it being Purgatory (or Hell).

* Ditto for Henry telling with Locke about the hatch and entering the numbers, how he didn't do anything and it made a loud noise "like a magnet". That plays to the electromagnetic theorists.

* Then we have Dave jumping off the cliff right after saying "See you in another life, eh?"

* Nice twist at the end with Libby being a patient. I did NOT see that one. I thought they were going to show her as a Doctor in the hospital. Pretty chilling, too, seeing her distant glazed expression after kissing Hurley. There's more to this.

* End result of the night... you have no idea which way is up. Is it all in Hurley's head? Is it all in Libby's head? Are they on the island or not? Fun stuff...

Streaker interrupts news

2006-04-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

For those who haven't seen this, this was caught on live tv last night here in Dallas on Channel 8's 10pm news. Funny stuff. Amazing that the reporter doesn't miss a beat or even break a smile.

Lost, Episode 2x18: Dave (Hurley-centric)

2006-03-31T06:28:00.000-08:00

2x18: "Dave"
Libby lends Hurley support when he begins to think the island is having a strange effect on him, and Locke's sense of purpose is shaken when the prisoner provides new information about the hatch

Episode Trailers

US Promo:

Canadian promo:

Lost, Episode 2.17: Lockdown

2006-03-29T04:01:00.000-08:00

* UPDATE Fri 3/31 8am **: wow, interesting episode. I was cringing the whole episode, especially when the two bad guys were in Locke's house, thinking that would be how he was paralyzed. And the blast door impaling his leg. What about the supply drop parachute? And how about that twist at the end with the grave of Henry Gale?

Be sure to check out for various episode recaps:
Entertainment Weekly
MSNBC
Lost Episode Recaps

Also, read the comments on this blog. Some good comments there from JimC and Kim...

Here's the map on the black light door map (click for larger image):

Here's an article on Entertainment Weekly about it. It's worth a look!

Ouch!

Sayid's Nadia?

Who wasn't nervous during this scene?

Cereal from the sky...

The "real" Henry Gale?

**NOTE - Thurs 3/30 7:30am **: nope, I didn't get to watch it yet. We're getting wood floors in our house and the workers didn't leave until after 9pm. With our house in shambles and everyone confined to the master bedroom, it didn't work out as planned. We'll watch it on tape tonight, though. I've already had several coworkers come up to me and say "Well, what did you think? Wasn't it a great episode?!"

Feel free to post your comments and discuss amongst yourselves and I'll read and post my feedback once I've actually seen the episode!

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Episode 2.17: Lockdown (Locke-Centric)
Airdate: March 29, 2006

Per SpoilerFix.com, here is the preview for tonight's episode:

When the hatch suddenly takes on a life of its own, Locke is forced to enlist the help of an unlikely ally. Meanwhile, Ana Lucia, Sayid and Charlie go off into the jungle to find out the truth about Henry.
Guest starring are Kevin Tighe as Cooper, Katey Sagal as Helen, Michael Emerson as Henry Gale, Andrea Gabriel as Nadia, Geoffrey Rivas as Father Chuck and Theo Coumbis as Jimmy Bane. Source: ABC

Other interesting tidbits are:
During Locke's next flashback episode — slated to air in March or April — we're going to discover that he has a surprising connection to Sawyer. Source: Ask Ausiello @ TV Guide

[This episode] will feature a kindly latino priest named Father Chuck. Source: SecretAgentMan at TWoP

Welcome to the Elite 8, Horns!

2006-03-24T03:45:00.000-08:00

What a finish last night! West Virginia ties it up on a long 3 with 5 seconds left, then UT's AJ Abrams drives the length of the court and dishes it out to Kenton Paulino for a buzzer-beating game winning 3! It doesn't get more exciting (or stressful) than that. Here's the link for the ESPN recap and box score.

For those that didn't stay up, here's a short video clip someone posted online of the final seconds. If you want the homer call, here is an mp3 of Craig Way's Longhorn Radio call of the final seconds.

2006-03-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

Lost, episode 2x16: The Whole Truth
"Sun wrestles with the thought of telling Jin a newfound secret that threatens to upset the entire balance of the survivors' community."

Excellent episode, with a great cliff hanger and promo for next week. Sure, it was a build-up episode, but I still liked it. I was worried I was losing interest after so many weeks of repeats, but they definitely hooked me back in. We watched it late on tape (nope, we don't have TIVO... but then again we didn't have to worry about not catching the last few minutes like some of our friends!), so I don't have time/energy to check out the fan boards too much tonight. I can't wait to read the recaps tomorrow!

Here are the links for the MSNBC and Entertainment Weekly recaps.

A couple random observations:
* love the relationship of Sun and Jin. They did a great job of making you feel the tension (him uprooting her garden, flipping out in the Dr's office) as well as the love. So did she have an affair, or is her pregnancy really another miracle of the island, much like Locke walking again?

* Sawyer reading Judy Bloom "Are you there God, it's me, Margaret". Funny.

* Interesting alliance between Ana Lucia and Sayid. Good to see Ana show remorse and apologize to Sayid. That said, Sayid is one scary man on a mission.

* What are Sayid and Charlie building when Ana Lucia first approaches them?

* the ending with Henry playing one serious mind game on Jack and Locke is excellent!

Post your comments. I'll add more later!

----------
upcoming episodes:

Episode 2.17: Lockdown (Locke-Centric)
"When the hatch suddenly takes on a life of its own, Locke is forced to enlist the help of an unlikely ally. Meanwhile, Ana Lucia, Sayid and Charlie go off into the jungle to find out the truth about Henry. Katey Sagal guest stars. "

In the preview we see what looks like a balloon up in the trees, the speakers in the hatch blaring static/alarms, the blast doors coming down locking Locke in, Jack and Kate walking with torches and finding something, Sayid pointing a gun, Henry looking in the ventilation shaft, etc.
Canadian promo for next week

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"Dave" --Episode 2.18 (Hurley-Centric)
Libby lends Hurley support when he begins to think the island is having a strange effect on him, and Locke's sense of purpose is shaken when the prisoner provides new information about the hatch.

Fun math trick

2006-03-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

Got an email with this today. It actually is pretty cool...

1. Grab a calculator. (you won't be able to do this one in your head)

2. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the area code)
3. Multiply by 80
4. Add 1
5. Multiply by 250
6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number
7. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again.
8. Subtract 250
9. Divide number by 2

Do you recognize the answer?

Austistic teen's hoop heroics hook Hollywood

2006-03-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

This is a great feel-good story. Be sure to watch the video.
Austistic teen's hoop heroics hook Hollywood

A score of six...

2006-03-06T05:45:00.000-08:00

A score of six...
Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle

Lost Episode 2.15: Maternity Leave

2006-03-02T03:35:00.000-08:00

Pretty good episode. Definitely suspenseful. Here are my random notes of the plotline for discussion. I'll add more later as we comb the boards...

Here are is a nice collection of screen shots
MSNBC has posted their recap.

----
Aaron is one sick baby. Fever, rash, etc. Locke covering up the kidnapping of Henry when Claire wants to go get Jack.

Libby on the beach with Hurley. Hehe. Libby hypnotizing Claire.

The return of Ethan in the flashbacks. Injecting a spaced out Claire with the Dharma drugs. Wow. First episode with all-island flashbacks, too. Lying about where Charlie went.

The Book given by Locke to Gale is The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky

Kate taking charge. Sawyer's nickname of the day: Thelma

Nursery in that hatch. Airplane mobile. Including Oceanic jet. Aimed down. Playing the melody of "Catch a Falling Star".

Zeke, without the beard. Zeke mad at Ethan, talking about "the list" and what are you going to tell "him"?

The girl in the flashbacks saying "you've got to get out of here"... Rousseau's daughter Alex?

Eko blackmailing Jack into allowing him to talk to Henry.

Kate pulling the gun on Danielle.

Ethan saying he'll miss Claire, and asking her if she's sure she wants to give them the baby.

What's in the water jug Ethan gives Claire? "eww, it's sour"... she drinks it, he just smells it. Is that how they've drugged her?

Ethan: "We're Good People Claire. We're a Good Family...."

Claire finding the entrance to the medical hatch (Dharma symbol on this one was Medical twisting serpent and staff).

Finding flashlights. Kate looking in locker and finding grungy clothes and theatrical glue and fake beard??? Hello, Zeke costume!

Nursery room now empty but has faded in imprints on the walls of the prior decorations? Must have been there a while.

Claire finds booty she'd knitted.

Spooky scene with "Alex" saving Claire where we see all the doctors in the OR.

Totally empty hatch, medicine gone, etc.

Claire remembering Danielle actually saved her from the Others.

Claire telling Danielle about "Alex". Danielle leaving, telling Claire she hopes the baby is ok, but also that if she isn't she knows what she needs to do.

Eko's seriously spooky conversation with Henry, repenting, etc. And did the rest of you jump up and scream "NO!" when Eko held the knife to his own throat? INTENSE! I'm guessing the two beard strands represent the guys he killed?

Henry manipulating Locke into getting him mad about Jack. Divide and conquer?

Nice preview for the next episode. Sun pregnant (or infected?) The return of Ana Lucia as Locke undermines Jack and goes to hunt for the balloon. Sayid expecting the worst... Too bad there is yet another repeat next week in between...

awesome UT Championship season highlight video

2006-02-27T19:22:00.000-08:00

Found this link for a video with great highlights of UT's championship season. Click the image to view the video.

Big Brother is watching you...

2006-02-23T05:57:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has released a beta version of their answer to Google Maps, in the form of Windows Live Local. Considering that Google Maps is one of my favorite practical websites, it's quite a compliment to say that Live Local gives it a serious run for the money. The live scrolling of the maps and the aerial shots are equivalent, but Live Local adds one really cool feature -- the "Bird's Eye" view, which is a low-angle high-resolution satellite image. For example, check out the Google vs. Live Local shots of the Statue of Liberty:

Google Maps version:

Windows Live Local version:

The Bird's Eye images aren't available for everything (neither are the "normal" satellite images for that matter), but it's a cool feature that is sure to keep growing. Even for those images that are available, don't expect up-to-date stuff. My neighborhood, for example, shows up with images that are a couple years old, judging by the lack of certain landscaping features. Google's are even older, and definitely fuzzier and more distant. Still... it's cool stuff. Perhaps a bit scary... but cool!

Lost, Episode 2.14: One Of Them

2006-02-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

Great episode, though one of those ones that makes you cringe... much like the episode where Sayid tortured Sawyer. I love these kind of episodes way more than ones like last week. Last week was sloooooow, but had a nice finish. This one had a nice pace throughout, and a couple different story lines at once. Sayid continues to be one of the most consistently believable characters -- he's likeable, yet does stuff like this every now and then to remind you he has a very dark side as well. Who else was creeped out seeing Sayid empty that toolbox to interrogate the Iraqi officer? Or putting the pliers on Henry's finger.

The obvious "wow" moments for me while I was watching the episode were:
* the clock hitting zero and all those red pictures flashing while we hear load mechanical noises (blast doors lowering? engine starting?) The general consensus on the boards (see comments) is that they are Egyptian hieroglyphics meaning something to the effect of "die" or "small death". What does that imply? The Swan Station is self destructing? The "sickness" Danielle talked about last season?
* the end where we see that picture and put two-and-two together that the army dude was Kate's stepdad. You'll recall that Sayid showed on the TV in the episode where Kate visited her dad in the recruiter office.

Lingering questions/comments:
What is significance of the frog? First thing I thought of was it is poisonous, especially with Sawyer squishing it and handing it to Hurley -- who had large amounts of food out (7-yr ranch dressing... barf). But, maybe it was just another way to make Sawyer look like a jerk.
Is Henry Gale an Other or not?
Will his alleged balloon be found? Even if it is found, is it really his or just something on the island?
Will there be more stuff with Danielle? After that long a hiatus that surely can't be all we get from her?
Will we see the bearded CIA dude again (prison guard from Shawshank Redemption)? To me he looks like someone you'd see on the island with "Zeke".

Nice preview for the next episode -- Libby giving Claire some hypnotherapy to help her regain her , then obviously them searching for where the attack happened and where they took her... and finding a 3rd hatch. Weren't there 6 or 7 total stations according to that Dharma video?

Here are a few key moments pictures (most taken from here). Click for larger versions:

Video Sayid is Shown. Numbers 23108-42

The Frog

The hieroglyphs when the clock hit 0

Here's what someone posted as translation:

"The Look" Henry Gale gives Sayid.

Kate's Dad (step-dad?)

Young Kate Pic

More later...

Lost, Episode 2.13: The Long Con

2006-02-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

Well... this was an... ok episode. Some neat twists, but really I found myself almost bored with it at times. We see that Sawyer is really smart and really bad. He makes a very skilled con man. I think this was mainly a build-up episode, since it set up so many different levels of tension -- Jack and Locke, Kate and Ana Lucia, everyone and Sawyer (especially future conflicts between Jin and Sawyer and Charlie). Also, this episode seemed to succeed in again flip-flopping our perception of people. For example, Locke is now good again, and Sawyer is again bad.

Anyhow, here are some random notes I took during the episode. I'll add more when I've had a chance to browse the fan boards some more.

Combo to the safe room: right 7, left 11, 33?

Sawyerism: "that's like getting Ghandi to beat his kids" - referencing Locke hitting Charlie

When Hurley is talking to Sayid the first time, he makes mention of the song "Lime in the Coconut" by Harry Nilsson. We also learn from Hurley that Bernard is a dentist.

Jack won't tell Ana Lucia the combo to the gun room.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I had a feeling from the start that Sun's abduction was an inside job since Vincent didn't bark. I wasn't expecting it to be Charlie, though. Evidentally you can see Charlie's watch when he grabs her, though.

During the jewelry con, one of the guys at the gas station is apparently the guy Ana Lucia shoots. Can't wait to see some screen shots of that to verify.

Jin is quite pissed off and demands Jack get "gun... gun". He's not going to be a happy camper when he finds out Sawyer is behind all this. Nice payback for Jin carrying him across the island, isn't it?

What was Locke looking for in those books when he was "starting the damn dewey decimal system"? Perhaps searching for more film clips, like Eko found in that Bible? Lock was holding the book "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge".

Another Sawyer nickname: "Tokyo Rose", in reference to Sun

Locke was very humanized in this episode. He looked almost scared when Sawyer was telling him that Jack & Co were coming for the guns. Instead of fanatical, like he's been the past few episodes, Locke again seemed good. Ex:
1. He gave control of the guns (and his trust) to Jack.
2. Gave a good reason why kept the statues whcih was in everyones best interest.
3. Took responsibily for Micheal
4. Felt bad about Micheal
5. His moving the guns was for the good of the group.
6. Waited for Jack like a man after he moved the guns

During the meeting with his con partner (Gordy?), we again hear Sawyer referred to as "James".

The waitress at the coffee shop is Kate's mom. At least that's what the boards are saying. Yet another thing I'm waiting to see the pictures for verification.

Sawyer: "There's a new sheriff in town". I certainly wasn't expecting to see him

Sawyer said "the devil's in the details" -- twice. What details are we missing? He made mention of the color and weave of the hood. That's pretty detailed.

Cass was the long con. Question: where is Gordy when Sawyer takes the money? Where was the other bag that Sawyer ended up swapping with the "real" bag of cash? What did Sawyer do with the $600k between those flashbacks and the plane crash?

Sawyer to Kate: "You run... I con. A tiger don't change his stripes."

Hurley finds a manuscript in a suitcase called "Bad Twin".

Hurley and Sayind tune in the song "Moonlight Serenade" by the Glenn Miller Band (1940's). Hurley asks if the broadcast is close and Sayid talks about bouncing off the ionospace and "It could have come from anywhere.", Hurley added, "Or any time."

Charlie is the one who attacked Sun, and he did it to make Locke look bad.

Sawyer offers Charlie a statue and he refuses, saying he didn't do it for that, that he did it to make Locke look bad. Those two have another showdown coming.

Charlie asks Sawyer what kind of person thinks up that sort of plan, and Sawyer replies "I'm not a good person, Charlie... never did a good thing in my life."

That's it for now. Next week looks good. We shall see. Can't wait to read the boards some more tomorrow and see you what you guys come up with. Comment away!!

new Lost coming next week...

2006-02-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

Episode 2.13: The Long Con
Sawyer-centric episode
Airdate: February 8, 2006

TVGuide.com synopsis:
Sun is injured during a kidnapping attempt, and the survivors fear that the Others have returned. Meanwhile, tension between Jack, Locke, Kate and Ana Lucia mounts, and Sawyer is an amused---an very interested---bystander.

-----
Episode 2.14: One Of Them
Sayid-centric episode
Airdate: February 15, 2006

TVGuide.com synopsis:
Rousseau leads Sayid to a mysterious captive in the jungle. Is he one of the Others? Meanwhile, Sawyer discovers that Hurley has done something potentially devastating, and uses the information to blackmail Hurley into helping him track an elusive island creature.

-----
Episode 2.15: Maternity Leave
Claire-centric episode
Airdate: February 22, 2006

hold that thought...

2006-01-26T04:59:00.000-08:00

UPDATE 1/28 9:35pm: well, good news... Seth was discharged from the hospital this morning. His 3-day stint is over, and we have him back at home along with his umpteen prescriptions and a home nebulizer.

UPDATE 1/26 11:55pm: well, that sick kiddo I mentioned... well, what we thought would be a routine trip to the pediatrician this morning ended up with the 9-mo-old being admitted to the hospital. It appears to be a severe case of bronchiolitis along with bad infections in both ears and dehydration. He's currently got an oxygen tube to his nose, an IV in one foot, an oxygen monitor on the other foot, and has been receiving breathing treatments and nasal suctions every three hours, which will continue through the night. No idea yet how long he'll stay there. We'll know more tomorrow morning when the pediatrician checks in with us.

Long story short... watching Lost got lost in the chaos of today. As soon as I'm able to post a real blog on the episode, it will be great news on so many fronts! In the mean time, check out another weekly recap here. I can't wait to read all this stuff myself!

-----

Man, I feel out of the loop today! Due to a sick kiddo we didn't watch Lost last night. We did record it and plan to watch it tonight. In the mean time, feel free to post your comments for the other junkies to read and discuss (and you lurkers out there, start posting!) I'll plan on updating this message with my observations after we watch it. Until then, you can get your fix from the episode recap at Entertainment Weekly.

cool pics

2006-01-24T03:43:00.000-08:00

Theories about the black mist/fog/monster

2006-01-23T03:46:00.000-08:00

Stumbled across this article. Good stuff on Lost theories on Entertainment Weekly.

As always, they always have good weekly recaps of the episodes on their site. I set up a permanent link on my favorites list on the right. Same with this site.

Lost, episode 2.11: The Hunting Party

2006-01-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Good episode, though I didn't like it as much as last week's Eko episode (probably because he's my new favorite character). Jack's character, while central to everything, is growing to be amongst my least favorite. I like Jack backstories, and trying to figure out why he is so stubborn and bossy. And I LOVE the suspense/scary type of episodes like this one was. Stuff that deals with the island's mysteries and "the Others". It took a while to develop, but it was worth it.

Random thoughts from tonight's episode:

Jack's dad being one-upped by Jack when foreigners Gabriel and her dad tells them they didn't come all this way for him (Jack's dad), but for Jack. No doubt this fed Jack's ego and thinking he can do anything.

The date on the foreign guy's XRays: November 16, 2005, just a few months ago. That punches a big hole in the timeline many try to keep (as in Jack still has to get divorced, rat out his dad, go to Australia, spend 50 days on the island, etc). Is that a case of people like us overanalyzing a simple oversight on the producers' part, or does it mean the island portion of the show is actually is taking place in the future, not present day like most assume?

Michael going crazy, knocking out Locke and forcing Jack into the gun closet. How's this for wild:
Jack: You gonna shoot me?
Mike: No, but I'll shoot the computer!

Pretty wild considering Michael was using the computer to "talk" to "Walt".

Say hello again to "the numbers". Locke set the combo on the gun closet to include 25, 29, 40.

Jack and his wife Sarah obviously not having a great relationship. Jack working all the time. Sarah telling him she was late, but the test showed negative. Jack wanting to talk about it, her not.

So the south end of the island is where the main camp is, North is a new area of the island, and East is where the tailees were.

Sawyer nickname of the week: Mr. Clean, in reference to Locke. "All you need is an earring and a mop". Also referred to Jack as "Daniel Boone" while he was obsessedly pressing on through the jungle.

Locke asking Sawyer why he "chose" that name (Sawyer). He goes on to confront him about the flight manifest and how it had him listed as JAMES FORD. Interesting that he chose NOW to confront him, seeing how he's obviously known that info for a long time.

Seven shots fired, but only 3 of Michael's shells found? Jack running wildly TOWARD the shots. For such an analytical guy, he sure has a death wish.

Interesting that Jack's dad (Christian) told him to be careful, obviously in reference to Gabriel temptation. Then Jack basically saying he's one to talk and then Christian replying that "it's okay for some people, but not for you".

Jack failing to save the foreign guy. Really beats himself up over it.

Gabriel and Jack kissing. Saw that coming. Actually, I thought they'd have a full-out affair (actually, maybe they did, we don't know for sure). Jack telling Sarah that Gabriel kissed him, and then trying to smooth over the relationship, promising a new start, working less, etc. Sarah then announcing she's leaving him, that her mom had come over to help her pack. Then the bombshell that she'd been having an affair. Wonder if we ever see WHO that is, and if there's an island connection?

The "Bearded Man". Same guy from the finale last season that took Walt. Wow, he creeps me out. Looks like a bad Burt Reynolds to me. Anyhow, he knows way too much, starting with everyone's names. That Walt is ok, "He's a veeerrry special boy." That Michael won't find us. Talks about people going through doors they shouldn't, etc. “This is Our island your only here because we’ve allowed you to live here." Jack calls a bluff on him, talking about the spy Ethan. Then we see Bearded man get tough and tons of torches light up all around them (I count at least 14). There's lots of "them". Sawyer getting shot. Again.

Funny Hurley/Charlie dialogue about women while looking through albums (we see "Geronimo Jackson"?) in the hatch. We confirm that Hurley does in fact have the hots for Libby. I still find that amusing/intriguing since he was in a mental institution and she is a clinical psychologist. Charlie wondering if Claire misses him yet ("dude, it's been like one day"). Sayid coming in and talking about the music being depressing. Wonder if he's going in the jungle after everyone, too?

We know at least one of the Other's names... Alex. The Bearded Man said "Bring her here, Alex" when telling them to bring out Kate. Could this be Danielle's (French woman) child Alex? That's a WW2-era looking pistol the Bearded Man holds to Kate's head, too.

Speaking of Kate, nice tension between her and Jack. Jack bossing her around telling her not to follow. Kate disobeying and then getting caught and jeopardizing everyone. Jack throwing the zinger at Sawyer about "I know, you love her". Kate running to Sawyer, not Jack. Jack giving her the cold shoulder, her being upset by it.

The Others just gained a nice little arsenal for their collection.

Why did Sawyer call the "bearded man" leader of the Others "Zeke"? As in "You and me, we're not through, Zeke". Was it yet another Sawyer nickname (perhaps for a hillbilly type of name?), or did he actually know him?

Sun telling Jin not to go after Michael, and Jin obeyed. Nice conversation between them later, too, on not liking being told what to do. Sun saying she's done felt that way the past four years. Plug that into the timeline.

Charlie again showing jealousy over Locke's friendship with Claire.

Interesting to see Vincent (dog) with Ana-Lucia. Talk about irony, since she killed Shannon.

Jack has a ton of pent up aggression.... asking Ana-Lucia how long it will take to train an army? Planning on taking on the Others, I take it?

-----
Synopsis of the preview for next week (episode 2x12: Fire + Water):
-Hurley asking Libby if he's knows her from somewhere. (did she work at the institution Hurley was in?)
-Charlie busting open a statue and putting a finger in the heroin
-Locke asking Charlie if he's using again.
-Charlie standing on the beach with Aaron in his arms, Hurley asking him why, Charlie doesn't know, Claire slaps Charlie.
-We see somebody lift Aaron out of the basket.
-Aaron in the basket is floating away in the ocean, Charlie disrobes and jumps in to get him

TVGuide.com summary:
Locke suspects that Charlie's back on drugs when Charlie's surreal dreams lead him to believe Claire's baby, Aaron, is in danger. Meanwhile, Hurley's attracted to Libby, and Sawyer encourages him to act on it.

confronting the Lost monster

2006-01-12T03:59:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me these pictures, and Eko's encounter with the Lost monster just took on a much bigger meaning. I knew I saw SOMETHING in that misty fog, but until you see frame-by-frame screen shots, you don't realize WHAT. Click each image to see a larger size.

*UPDATE* you can also see different version of the pictures (and there are a couple new ones) here.

Looks like the chapel in Nigeria:

Looks like his brother's face as a boy on the left:

Looks like a knife to the right of Mr.Eko's face, and a man's profile on the left:

Something in this one, but not sure what it is...

To the left of Eko's face it looks perhaps like his brother's face?

Something to the right of Eko's face. Looks like the gun from the flash back?

Another one I'm unsure what is in this image?

I think there's something to the right of Eko's head in this one?

Virgin Mary statue?

Gold toothed guy(Eko's partner), can barely see him to the left

Eko holding his brother after getting shot?

Not sure about this one, something orangish to the left of Mr.Eko, almost looks like the cross with Jesus on it from his brothers chapel?

Lost, Episode 2.10: The 23rd Psalm

2006-01-12T03:43:00.000-08:00

Welcome back, Lost! Although not a "holy cow!", end with a shocker kinda episode, this one was enjoyable.

As always, Entertainment Weekly has a good recap, but here are a few of my random observations/discussion points:

* Mr. Eko's back story was very interesting. Now we know why he's such a tough cookie. Very interesting to see how he sacrificed his future to save his brother as a child, and Charlie's comments how it was his brother's fault he got hooked on drugs
* we see Eko's staff up close and see it's covered in scripture; I love Charlie's comment about "what, you gonna beat me with your Bible stick?"
* Eko's fearless encounter with the monster; you can't help but compare this to Locke's first encounter in season one where he stared it down. Difference was Locke was in awe , whereas I didn't see that in Eko.

* wild stuff about the plane containing his brother and fellow drug-runner. Many had speculated Eko would be connected to that plane, but it was cool to see it tie together. I'm still not clear on the timeline on how old Eko was when the plane left vs. how long its been on the island.
* Charlie and Eko both reciting the 23rd Psalm together; both were altar boys if you'll recall
* Eko referring to the first body as "the man that saved my life"; in the flashback we see it more as a double-cross with the guy pushing him out of the plane.
* Kate giving Sawyer a haircut
* Locke teaching Michael to shoot a rifle
* Jin and Sun welcoming Ana-Lucia
* Michael continuing his online chats with Walt (or someone they want us to think is him); the screen blanking out when Jack entered the room
* Claire cutting ties with Charlie; we then see Charlie run off to a big stash of statues at the end

The preview for next week looks good, too, with Michael knocking out Locke and holding a gun on Jack as he prepares to make a break to go find Walt. Then the scene with Jack & Co. going to find Michael and hitting a clearing at night when suddenly all sorts of torches light up around them and you hear a voice saying "this is our island".

Here's the official summary per TVGuide.com:
Episode 2.11: The Hunting Party
Jack, Locke and Sawyer pursue Michael into the jungle as he searches for Walt. Will he find the Others instead? Meanwhile, Sun reacts surprisingly to Jin's desire to join the search party; Hurley and Charlie commiserate about "what women want"; and the backstory involves Jack.

Comment away!

What a great day to be a Longhorn!

2006-01-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

powerful pictures

2005-12-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

Some really powerful pictures to see in MSNBC's 2005 Year in Pictures

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

what a day... can you smell the roses?

2005-12-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

Talk about a wild 24 hours!

My brother Ken calls me up late yesterday afternoon to tell me he's gotten his hands on two tickets to the Big 12 Championship through some connections at work (can you say free?), and wants to know if I'm interested. Hmmm... this is tricky. I'm really busy at work, possibly needing to work some on Saturday, and Kristen and I already have plans that night to attend our Sunday School class Christmas party. But... this is the Big 12 Championship and I have a free ticket. Hmmm. Kristen INSISTS I go. Now... whether she really meant it or was just being a saint, who knows... but from there, the logistics planning went into overdrive!

I work late to get my tasks done then rather than having to work Saturday. My dad graciously offers to fly up in his home-built kit airplane (an impressive story deserving of its own blog some day), and he picks me up in north Dallas at 9am on Saturday morning (I think he just wants an excuse to go flying!) It's a bit bumpy in patches due to some strong winds, but nothing a retired airline pilot can't handle, so we make it to the West Houston Airport, where Ken picks me up. Dad flies back to Conroe. Ken drives us to Reliant Stadium and we sit down in our seats with about 10 minutes to spare before kickoff. We're in the sunny side of the stadium, but our seats are perfectly located just under the overhang for the next level up. Shade! The game quickly spins out of control (for Colorado). Early in the 3rd they've already pulled Vince Young and most of the starters (by then UT's in the 50s!) Ken and I decide to head out early. Looks like I'll be able to make our church Christmas party after all! We meet dad halfway to Conroe. I jump into his car and he drives us back to his airport and then we fly back to Dallas where he drops me off and heads back home. Meanwhile, I drive home, pick up Kristen and we head to our party... and arrive right on time. Fun stuff! And what a great story it makes. Thanks Ken and dad (and Kristen)!!!

One month until the Rose Bowl!

insane Christmas light display

2005-12-02T20:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a video clip on Google video of Christmas lights that is making the internet email rounds. It is well worth a peek. Seeing this makes me so NOT motivated to put up our rather basic lighting!!!

Episode 2.09: What Kate Did

2005-11-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a good episode. They really needed a great cliff-hanger, seeing how it'll be 6 WEEKS until the next episode!!! I do believe they succeeded! Can't wait to read the recaps and such on this one. I tried hitting my favorite message board (lost-forum.com, see link on the right panel), but it is down... which tells me it is flooded with traffic right now!

FYI, the next episode is titled "The 23rd Psalm" with a January 18th airdate. It will be Eko-centric. Per TV Guide, it "will shed more light on why the character took a 40-day vow of silence on the island. And producers promise more info on that stick. 'It has its own flashback,' [Damon] Lindelof quips." Based on the preview, looks like a lot will happen when the show finally returns in mid-January... but we'll save that for another blog.

As for this episode, here are some quick observations for further discussion. I'll try to hit the boards again later, but definitely post you own comments and cut-and-paste anything you guys come across....

Kate blowing up her step-dad's house (and him)... who we later find out was her dad

Kate's mom turning her in

Kate and the black horse -- in the jungle (twice), and in the marshall's car

Sawyer telling Jack he loves Kate

Sawyer seemingly getting possessed by Kate's dead father (Wayne) and attacking her, asking why she killed him

Kate kissing Jack

Michael discovering the blast doors in the ceiling of the hatch

Eko and Locke with the missing piece of the film (and I really liked Eko's explanation of where the film came from); as for the film itself, "do not try to use the computer for communication or it could cause another incident"?

Jack talking to Ana Lucia

Michael talking on the computer to Walt?? (how's that for a cliff-hanger?!)

Not what I was expecting... but I'll take it!

2005-11-25T18:52:00.000-08:00

Lost, Episode 9.08: Collision (a.k.a.Old Habits)

2005-11-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

This post is a placeholder for discussion after this week's episode. I'll be out of town for Thanksgiving, so who knows what my blogging availability will be. In the mean time, here's the TV Guide description again, along with links to rewatch both the US and Canadian previews for the episode (and yes, they are different).

Episode 33 (2.08): Collision (a.k.a.Old Habits)
Airdate: November 23, 2005
Ana-Lucia-centric. Violece erupts when Ana Lucia and her group stumble upon the other castaways.

You can download previews from these links:
American preview (2.52 MB)
Canadian preview (2.53 MB)
* note:
1) Click on the link
2) Click "FREE" near "Select your download"
3) In the next page scroll down, see the countdown "Download-Ticket reserved. Please wait # seconds."
4) Wait till it finishes and then click on the file name!

Noteworthy from the previews...
* Eko asking for the doctor.
* Sayid tied up and Ana swinging a knife at him (my guess to cut him loose)
* Ana Lucia saying "I killed someone he loves"... "He's gonna come after me"
* Ana and Sayid circling and Ana shoots (another gun?)
* Locke, Jack, and Eko in the hatch.
* Eko and Jack talking about Shannon being dead and Eko saying "Ana Lucia maade a mistake", to which Jack says "What did you say?"... my guess, he is remembering her name from the airport...
* Micheal comes to Sun in the garden.
* Kate holding Sawyer in her arms saying "Sawyer, you're gunna be o.k"