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Michelle
Aug 12, 04 - 6:18 PM |
JJ Abrams new show "Lost" on ABC coming this fall...
As you may or may not know, I am very into Felicity (I am totally looking forward to Season 3 on dvd even though they aired the entire series endlessly on Lifetime). And I enjoy Alias as well (but not as much as I love watching Felicity). So I am greatly anticipating JJ Abrams new show "Lost."
I know I will have to wait a couple of months to see it. But I keep hearing about it and it just gets my tv senses all a-tingling.
AICN describes Lost as: "ABC’s new scifi castaway adventure from “Alias” mastermind J.J. Abrams. As with “Alias,” Abrams himself wrote and directed the pilot."
Basically, a plane crashes on an island and 48 people survive. It's like if Gilligan's Island meets Alfred Hitchcock meets Twilight Zone (I think).
So this is what excites me (again my info is from AICN):
Some of the characters include:
1) "Charlie (former hobbit Dominic Monaghan) is as close as we get to a Ginger. He plays bass in a once-famous rock band called Driveshaft and, like many on the island, harbors a dark secret;
2) Claire (Emilie DeRaven, who was pregnant with Max Evans’ alien baby on “Roswell”) is a very pregnant girl concerned about the health of her unborn child;
and
3) Jin (the ubiquitous Daniel Dae Kim, a semi-regular since 2001 on everything from “Angel” to “24” to “Enterprise” to “Miss Match” to “ER”)." (He was good in Angel).
And aside from JJ Abrams, another key writer will be: "David Fury who has written more teleplays set in the Buffiverse than anyone else, including “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” mastermind Joss Whedon. Favorites include “Fear, Itself” and “Life Serial.”"
Please, I need something to fill the Buffy/Angel void!
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Michelle
Sep 22nd, 2004 - 10:35 PM |
Re: JJ Abrams new show "Lost" on ABC coming this fall...
I cannot believe this show is on at 8pm!!! It just seems like a 10pm show for sure. I would not let any kids watch it. It is not appropriate for many.
Really, I love the work of JJ Abrams - I just got Felicity Season 3 on dvd and can't wait to watch it again and revel in the extras. So I think if you're up for it, Lost is going to be a good show - but only for a mature audience.
I like how Dominic Monaghan and Emilie de Ravin are speaking in their natural voices (and accents - as they sound to us Americans). It reminded me of Steven Soderbergh's reasoning about why he wanted Catherine Zeta-Jones to speak in her natural voice in Traffic. He said actors and actresses already have so much they are focusing on, he just didn't want keeping an American accent to detract from any of it. I really would've liked Emilie de Ravin to have been allowed to speak in her natural voice on Roswell. It would've made it more interesting. Oh well.
So I was totally thinking about Jurassic Park while I was watching Lost. I wonder how it will unfold.
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Michelle
Oct 7th, 2004 - 6:52 PM |
Re: JJ Abrams new show "Lost" on ABC coming this fall...
You can read an interview with Damon Lindelof aka JJ Abrams writing partner on Lost at aintitcool.com
For the lazy, here it is (in a few parts, there's a character limit to these posts):
All rights reserved by aintitcool.com/Herc:
‘Herc Curse’ Broken!!
LOST 1.3!!
I am – Hercules!!
This is a good show!
"I made the drapes in my apartment."
"Dangerous. She's Dangerous."
"What did she do?"
"Oh, no way. Guys."
"It doesn't matter, Kate. Who we were. What we did before the crash."
She's so very very hot, and she keeps looking out for her captors. And she knows how to make drapes/
“Lost” is a gigantor hit, and a hit so gigantor that its third episode airs tonight, and ABC still hasn’t cancelled it!!
It’s especially good news for those of us who saw the first two hours way back at the beginning of the summer, and have been waiting ever since to find out why Kate was in the cuffs, what secret Terry O’Quinn’s character shared with young Walt, and what ate the Oceanic Airlines pilot.
The following comprises an email interview conducted with "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof, who wrote tonight's installment. Coaxial News originally posted it way back on Aug. 21.
AICN: The 83-minute pilot I saw will be divided?
DAMON LINDELOF: The pilot will be cut into two halves and aired separately. Part One will air Sep. 22 at 8PM, part two the following Wednesday (the 29th) at the same time. I won't give away where the first half ends... but suffice to say we think it's quite the nail-biter.
AICN: Where the first half ends?? Is this a secret? Won’t it end the way the San Diego Comic Con version ends, with the hot brunette counting to five? Am I mistaken? Confused?
DL: You are not mistaken nor confused, but the first ep does NOT end in the same place as the Comicon cut. As "Episode 1" is still somewhat a work in progress, we'll just leave it at that for now.
AICN: Will cannibalism be contemplated? How many of the survivors do you think saw “Alive”?
DL: Cannibalism? Of COURSE it's contemplated... but summarily dismissed fairly early on. Most of them HAVE seen "Alive" (and "Gilligan's Island" AND "Jurassic Park"), but fortunately, they're not stranded on a snow-capped mountainous peak. They've got access to fish, wild game (hunting baby, YEAH!) and fruit. But don't be too disappointed -- just because they're not eating each other doesn't mean they can't be EATEN.
AICN: You’re on record as saying there are no dinosaurs on the island. Will we get a look at one of the giant tree-stomping creatures within the first 13 hours broadcast?
DL: The record speaketh true. NO dinosaurs. Will you get a look at the "thing in the trees" in the first 13? I'll only say this -- maybe you'll see it, maybe you won't... but you'll definitely know much more ABOUT it.
AICN: Will the survivors divide up into “good” and “evil” factions, as the survivors did in Stephen King’s “The Stand”?
DL: Love that you referenced "The Stand" -- whenever I mention Mother Abigail or Randy Flagg, Nebraska vs. Vegas and superflus, I have to explain myself. For the record, it's my favorite King book other than the Dark Tower series. In fact, you may have noticed the character of Charlie (Dom Monaghan, the rockstar one-hit wonder) is an homage to Larry Underwood.
So will they divide up? Absolutely. But not necessarily into teams of "good" and "evil."
I'll say this -- it takes a little while to figure out who falls into which of those categories... and once someone's defined as "good," it doesn't mean they'll STAY that way (see: Skywalker, Anakin).
AICN: I see lots of “The Stand” in “Lost.” There’s a fair amount of Stu and Frannie in Jack and Kate. Shannon could easily evolve into Nadine Cross. I get a real Flagg-y vibe from Terry O’Quinn’s character (hopefully this isn’t misdirection). Daniel Dae Kim’s character, with his communication difficulties, is kinda like Nick Andros. But Hurley is funnier than Tom Cullen.
DL: Glad to see you're as big a fan of "The Stand" as I am. We're not misdirecting you on Terry O' Quinn's Flagg-esque (Walter in some worlds) qualities... but hopefully he's got some big surprises in store for everyone.
AICN: What’s the story of your involvement on “Lost”? Was ABC developing a “Survivor”/”Castaway” drama before you got involved?
DL: I don't want to get too into the details of what ABC was up to regarding this concept before J.J. and I got involved out of respect for any other executives and/or writers who may have been involved in that process.
AICN: How did you come to team with J.J.? Why do you guys need each other?
DL: Suffice to say, it was Lloyd Braun (then head of ABC) who came to J.J. with the series concept of "Plane Crashes on Island" in late January of this year. J.J. was INSANE at the time so he said the only way he could even think about getting involved would be to bring in another writer to spitball
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Michelle
Oct 7th, 2004 - 6:54 PM |
Re: JJ Abrams new show "Lost" on ABC coming this fall...
Part II (for the lazy - please see previous post):
I'd been an ALIAS addict for almost three years at this point and had been pushing my agents (and anyone who'd listen) just to get a meeting with J.J.. Ultimately, it was Heather Kadin (an incredibly bright woman who defies the term "network executive) who pitched ME as the person to sit down with J.J. on this concept.
It's sort of a long story, but it's a short one, too -- We met the next day. Had an amazing three hour meeting. Saw the same show -- a character-based MYSTERY/ADVENTURE concept. Working closely together, we banged out a detailed outline over the next few days, turned it over to ABC and crossed our fingers. As this was the VERY end of "development season," there'd be no time to write a script before we started pre-production. That Saturday morning (four days after our first meeting), ABC greenlit "Lost."
Eleven weeks later, we delivered the cut and mastered pilot.
You'll have to ask J.J. why he needs me (hell -- I'm still asking MYSELF that), but as to why I need him? Come on.
Knock the Superman script all you want (and yes, I hated that he didn't blow up Krypton either -- but that's got nothing to do with how inspired a CHARACTER-BASED retelling of the myth is, not to mention the execution) but the guy's a frigging genius.
Yes, Talkbalkers -- pour on the cries of sycophanty and the Grade-A snark that only you are capable of... but it's true. He's the real deal. An outside-the-box thinker who's really trying to innovate... and succeeding.
AICN: What do you suppose inspired Heather Kadin to champion you? Perhaps some hot spec script with your name on the title page?
DL: I suspect Heather suggested me because I'd been hounding her to put me in a room with J.J. for two years and she wanted me to shut the hell up. Aside from whatever rep I gleaned from my five years on TV staffs prior to this, my "calling card" writing sample has always been a little one-act play I wrote entitled "Ollie Klublershturf vs. The Nazis" -- a time-travel comedy that people seemed to dig.
AICN: I believe I’d like to read that play, just based on the title and the neato new show you’re making. Are you a Steve Martin fan maybe?
DL: Huge Steve Martin fan ... but more JERK/MAN WITH TWO BRAINS era. All this BRINGIN' DOWN THE HOUSE crap sucks.
AICN: Will the survivors name their island? In which episode? Will it be something as entertaining as “Moga Moga”?
DL: They will NOT name their island... but that's not to say they won't discover it already HAS a name. And it can't possibly be as entertaining as "Moga Moga."
AICN: I’m guessing the crash, and the location of the crash, was dictated by something more than happenstance. Moreover, I theorize the plan is to make another airliner crash into the island before season four. Am I nuts?
DL: Neither the crash, nor anything else, is dictated by happenstance. As to ANOTHER major crash before season four? Hmmmm. Well, probably not another AIRLINER... but certainly something...
AICN: Why is Emilie de Ravin billed differently than the other cast members? Is it because she’s a filthy foreigner?
DL: Emilie's "Guest Star" billing was just for the temp pilot. She is indeed a regular.
AICN: Did the fact that de Ravin carried Max Evans’ alien spawn on “Roswell” play any role in casting her as a pregnant blonde?
DL: I am ashamed to say I stopped watching Roswell prior to Emilie's appearance, thus any creative collusion is almost certainly coincidental. Did she give birth to a V-baby or something? I know Max wasn't a lizard, but weird **** happens when aliens knock up humans. Hmmm... "When Aliens Knock Up Humans." I should sell that to Fox.
AICN: Leaving aside shows created by you and/or anyone who has ever employed you, what are the finest TV series ever forged?
DL: Finest TV series ever forged: Twilight Zone, Incredible Hulk, Six Million Dollar Man, Hill Street Blues, Police Squad (six glorious episodes!), Twin Peaks, Misfits of Science, X-Files, Profit, Quantum Leap, Buffy, South Park, The Tick (cartoon version), Mr. Show, Dexter's Lab, and the greatest show ever -- The Simpsons (how ******* typical is THAT pick?).
AICN: Will more than 10 percent of the 48 “Lost” survivors perish before the series’ 13th hour? Is the high fatality rate the reason you didn’t name the series “The 48”? On the same topic, was there much freaking out when it was learned NBC aired a reality series titled “Lost” only three years earlier?
DL: More than 10% before the 13th hour? In other words, will FIVE people perish over the first half of the season? Not gonna answer that one. I will say this -- the herd will be thinned, but that doesn't mean people have to die.
We knew about NBC's show from the get-go (hell, I was the only one watching the thing back in 2001)... our concern was always more about WB's "Lost In Space," which could have caused some confusion had it been picked up.
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Michelle
Oct 7th, 2004 - 6:55 PM |
Re: JJ Abrams new show "Lost" on ABC coming this fall...
Part III (see previous posts):
AICN: Was the plane bound from Sydney to Los Angeles? Is Oceanic Airlines preparing the biggest lawsuit in the history of litigation?
DL: Yup. Plane is bound from Sydney to L.A.. Fortunately, Oceanic Airlines doesn't exist... but I'm finding out MANY movies have used it when bad **** happens on a plane ("Executive Decision" being the one pointed out to me). And we thought we were so original. Sigh.
AICN: How old is Hurley?
DL: Hmmmm. Fascinating that you'd ask this. I would say he TELLS people he's 26.
AICN: I think my favorite thing about this concept may be the sheer quantity of survivors. Was 48 your idea or a network mandate?
DL: J.J. and I decided to have 48 people survive because we wanted to stock the show with as many possible story avenues as possible. As I recall, the network tried to talk us out of it.
Greatest thing about the "other" castaways is that they can come forward for an episode, then melt back into the chorus. The popular thinking that their function is purely to be Red Shirts is grossly mistaken. In FACT...
We've always loved the idea that one of our series regs goes traipsing off into the jungle with one of the castaways we've never seen before. The audience is thinking the poor yahoo with one line is gonna die a gruesome and horrible death, but then it's the REGULAR who gets wiped out. It will be done. Watch and see.
AICN: When the creepy Terry O’Quinn character asks young Walt if he wants to “know a secret”? Is he about to impart some really good backgammon strategy?
DL: Yes. Terry's secret is "Don't be afraid to leave blots."
AICN: Beyond the plane’s pilot, and discounting flashbacks, will we meet during the first 13 hours any human beings beyond the 48?
DL: I will not comment on whether or not we'll be meeting any other human beings on the island who were NOT on the plane. But I will posit this -- Who's to say we haven't already?
AICN: Since you've been rabidly scouring Ain’t It Cool News every morning for years, how badly does it burn your ass that we’ve devoted more than 90 posts to “Alias” over the past three years but only one to “Crossing Jordan”?
DL: My ass is not burned by the site's complete and utter dismissal of "Crossing Jordan" -- quite frankly, it's not a genre show. Not to mention, the talkbalk can be brutal, so I'd rather stay below the radar. Guess those days are over, huh?
AICN: Who’s the showrunner on this baby? J.J. is prepping his feature directorial debut with “Mission: Impossible 3,” he says he’s going to restore “Alias” to its former glory, and he’s working on ABC’s bounty-hunter series “The Catch,” which stars Greg Grunberg, his best friend since childhood. Will J.J. be scripting any of the first 11 episodes beyond the pilot? Will he ever return to Hawaii? Ever?
DL: J.J. and I are both running the show. He doesn't start prep on Mission 3 for quite some time, so he's splitting his attention between LOST and ALIAS right now. As for THE CATCH, you'll have to talk to him about it. In all likelihood, J.J. won't actually be WRITING any of the first eleven beyond the pilot, but he's actively involved in the breaking of every story and the supervision of all the scripts. And in his SPARE time, he enjoys windsurfing, cajun cooking and watching makeover shows.
AICN: Are you more gratified or horrified an Internet site is already organizing a “Save ‘Lost’” campaign?
DL: Hey -- does anyone ever start websites to KILL shows? Shouldn't there be a "Cancel Seventh Heaven" website or something? Now THAT I would be into.
8 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.
http://aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=18582
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Michelle
Nov 13th, 2004 - 11:09 AM |
NYT article about LOST 11/10/04
Here's an interesting article for us fans of "LOST:"
PART I:
November 10, 2004
How 'Lost' Careered Into Being a Hit Show
By JOE RHODES
OS ANGELES, Nov. 9 - The speed with which ABC's Wednesday night breakout hit drama "Lost" went from a network executive's half-baked suggestion to one of the most elaborate and expensive pilots ever filmed was brain blurring.
Determined to see his idea into the fall lineup, Lloyd Braun, then head of ABC Entertainment, brought together J. J. Abrams, the producer of the funhouse-mirror spy drama "Alias,'' and Damon Lindelof, a writer for "Crossing Jordan,'' to kick around his idea about plane crash survivors stranded on an island, a notion that he freely admitted was inspired by the reality show "Survivor.'' The result has been a show among the top 10 this season.
"I met Damon for the first time on a Monday," Mr. Abrams remembered. "By that Friday we had written a 20-page outline. And they green-lit the pilot on Saturday. At that point, we didn't even have a script, but in less than 12 weeks we had to start shooting."
That wasn't the hard part. And transporting the wreckage of an L-1011 jetliner to the show's location on Oahu may have been daunting, but doable. But of all the logistical nightmares that deadline represented none were more daunting than finding actors for the unusually large and internationally diverse ensemble cast - as the parts were still being written.
"It was insanity," said the casting director, April Webster, who had worked with Mr. Abrams on "Alias." "The characters kept changing. Every few days they'd call up and say, 'It looks like there's another one.' "
Because there were so many parts to cast - 14 major characters and dozens of background actors whose primary job is to walk around dazed on the beach until their story line comes to the fore - and only a three-week window to cast them, Ms. Webster put out the equivalent of an all-points bulletin. Calls were made to agencies in London, Sydney, New York, Toronto and points between.
"We were looking at tapes from all over,'' she said, and complicating the matter was the need to put together a cast at a time when most network pilots were already shooting. And whoever signed on for "Lost'' had to commit to working and living on Oahu for the duration of the series.
Working off their original 20-page outline, Mr. Abrams and Mr. Lindelof had ideas about the show's vibe - "Gilligan" meets "X Files," strangers on a plane, mysterious island - and who the characters would be: the hero with a secret, the plucky-but-haunted heroine, the stuck-up girl, the affable dude, the menacing rogue. But everything else was still up in the air, even as actors were auditioning.
"We were writing audition scenes because we hadn't had time to finish the actual script," Mr. Abrams said.
But as actors came in to audition, something fascinating happened, he recalled. "They would inspire us to take characters in a direction that we wouldn't have come up with on our own," he said.
The result was a radical reimagining of some of the original characters. Charlie, the burned-out English rocker played by Dominic Monaghan, was originally envisioned as a middle-aged businessman with a drug problem. Sawyer, the troublesome American played by Josh Holloway, was going to be a New Zealander. And Jack, the heroic (so far) spinal surgeon played by Matthew Fox, was going to be much older. And since he was also meant to die in the first episode, a one-shot appearance, high-priced movie stars like Michael Keaton and Aaron Eckhardt were being considered for the part.
Some well-known actors not usually associated with prime-time television, Ms. Webster said, were attracted by Mr. Abrams's reputation and intrigued by the nontraditional premise, which is how they managed to get Mr. Monaghan, a hot property after playing Merry Brandybuck in the "Lord of the Rings" films; Naveen Andrews, best known for his performance as Lt. Kip Singh in "The English Patient"; and Harold Perrineau, coming off his appearance as Link in "The Matrix" trilogy and critical raves for his stage performance in "Top Dog/Underdog."
The cast also includes Terry O'Quinn, a frequent "Alias" guest star, as the philosopher-hunter Locke, and Jorge Garcia, whom Mr. Abrams and Ms. Webster happened to see on an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" the night before his audition, as the imperturbably mellow Hurley.
continued in next entry...
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Michelle
Nov 13th, 2004 - 11:10 AM |
Part II of NYT article about LOST 11/10/04
Part II:
For the executives of the show, the most intriguing breakout star may turn out to be Yunjin Kim, who grew up on Staten Island and attended the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan but then returned to her South Korean homeland to become a major Asian cinema star.
Ms. Kim originally auditioned for the part of Kate, the female lead, but Mr. Abrams decided immediately he wanted to write another part just for her. "We had thought about having a couple that didn't speak English before she came in," Mr. Abrams said, "but when she came in, we knew we had to have her on the show. And we started coming up with a story for this woman and then her husband."
"I walked in and, obviously, I speak Korean, and the next day they said they were going to write a role for me," said Ms. Kim, who plays Sun, a seemingly timid woman who planned to leave her husband on the day they boarded the ill-fated plane. "I was, like, 'Hey, I don't even need to read a script.' The fact that they would be so open and excited about me, that was a huge compliment."
The most difficult role to cast, in fact, turned out to be Kate. "We had master lists on the Kate character that were 12 to 13 pages long," Ms. Webster said, "which translates to more than 200 actresses who we least checked on their availability."
"We had seen some incredible actresses," said Bryan Burk, who shares the executive producer credit with Mr. Abrams and Mr. Lindelof. "'But J. J. kept saying, 'You're gonna know when she comes in, you're gonna know.' Which I thought was just his craziness. But then she came in. And we knew."
"She" was Evangeline Lilly, a virtually unknown Canadian actress who got the part, on a last-minute audition tape, almost out of nowhere.
Mr. Abrams seemed particularly pleased that the cast is not all perfect cheekbones and "Baywatch" bodies, although there are certainly plenty of those. "The show is about an international flight that crashes somewhere in the Pacific," he said, "so the cast is going to look more like the world looks and less like 'Beverly Hills 90210.' "
Not that they're done with the casting, even now. There are flashback episodes that have to be populated, and most of the 46 characters who survived the crash haven't been seen. The longer "Lost" stays on the air - and with an average of 18 million viewers per episode so far, it will undoubtedly be around for a while - the more likely it is that new faces will appear.
In other words, Mr. Abrams said, there's plenty of room to develop more characters without a need for outrageous plot turns. There's no need, for instance, to have another plane crash.
"No," he said, laughing. "Although I wouldn't rule that out."
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company
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