Fox's new drama "Alcatraz" debuted Monday night with a two-hour episode (though, it was more like two episodes played back-to-back). I have had a "Lost"-sized hole in my heart since the night of May 23, 2010, and am hoping this will fill it.

"Alcatraz" has a lot of similarities to "Lost" -- an island, a mystery, some supernatural happenings, and Jorge Garcia playing a very Hurley-like character.

Other first impressions of the show:

• Interesting concept. Alcatraz closed in 1963, but this show supposes the prisoners weren't transferred elsewhere, and now they're showing up in present day, having not aged a bit.
• The lead lady is kind of annoying. Sorry, Sarah Jones, but I don't buy you as a cop/detective/FBI special agent. I wish dramas wouldn't cast for looks because it makes the leading ladies seem generally helpless instead of strong.
• How long can this go on? In the two hours so far, we've had two criminals appear and the lead characters have worked to track them down. The show will get boring if that's all that happens. 
• Can the mystery be revealed without the show jumping the shark? Maybe it's preemptive of me to say that. I'm just worried the build-up is going to be too much and the reveal too weird/incomprehensible/ridiculous. We probably won't find out until the end of the season, but it's going to have to be enough to keep viewers interested in watching a second season.

Are you watching "Alcatraz"?



-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

If you're still mourning the end of "Lost" and didn't make it to Comic-Con this year, you might want to check out the video below. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse showed the clip to prove they had all of "Lost" planned out all along.

Note: Major spoiler alert. Also: Bleeped language at the end of the clip.




-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Monday, May 23, marked the one-year anniversary of the series finale of the ABC TV show "Lost."

We wrapped up the saga of troubled soul Jack Sheppard, as well as Locke, Hurley, Kate, Sawyer, Jacob, the smoke monster and others with the final episode titled, "The End." When Jack closed his right eye there was a fade to black, which sort of signifies the current state of TV shows, in my opinion.

The characters and show are long gone, but I miss "Lost" tremendously, and no show on TV comes close to filling the void of the crew of Oceanic 815.

My wife and I are rewatching the series and she's having fun since she was an off-and-on viewer. For me, it's great re-living the memories but it's not the same.

"Lost" was the complete package. I wish I could go back.

- Mark Podolski

Two of my favorite things will be coming together in May: Josh Holloway and NBC's "Community".

Entertainment Weekly reported Monday that Holloway -- who played the dreamy rebel Sawyer on "Lost" -- is making a deal for a cameo in the season finale. What's more exciting for those of us "Lost" and "Community" lovers is that his cameo will be part of a paintball game. The previous paintball episode, "Modern Warfare," is probably my favorite in the series, and the participation of gun-toting badboy Sawyer this time around will surely make this a season finale to remember. Set aside space on your DVRs for this one.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

Just over a year ago, the final season of "Lost" started messing with our minds. If you're still confused about what actually happened in the six years we spent on the island, make your way over to L O S T Answers, where a blogger who identifies himself only as "A Scientist" resolves the lingering issues you have with the show.

The search box seems to be broken because looking for the terms "Walt," "Faraday" and "Jack" gave me no answers*. But if you're a diehard Lostie, you're probably going to want to read through the entire blog archives and subscribe to the RSS feed anyway.

When I get around to rewatching the series, I'm sure I'll be referencing this site and maybe even submitting my own questions (by clicking Ask Together, Answer Alone). This guy won't have all the answers, but, well, neither does "Lost."


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl


*If you want to find something specific and the search isn't working for you, go to Google, type the term you want to find, then site:http://lostanswers.tumblr.com/ (example: jack locke sawyer site:http://lostanswers.tumblr.com/). Doing this will force Google to search ONLY that website.

I just discovered this video of the "Lost" opening credits ... if it were set in the 1960s (the video includes shots of partial nudity, but nothing you wouldn't find on prime-time TV):



*Sigh*

I miss Jack and Sawyer and the Island and Hurley and even the Smoke Monster.


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

ABC
Josh Holloway as Sawyer on "Lost"

The Hollywood Reporter has reported that "Lost" bad boy Josh Holloway will be heading to the big screen "as a member of the Impossible Mission Force, the secret agent task force headed by Tom Cruise in Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible 4.' "

Holloway's portrayal of gun-wielding conman James "Sawyer" Ford in "Lost" was so convincing that becoming part of a secret agent task force seems like a natural step. Sports Editor Mark Podolski has long said that Holloway would make the perfect Harry Callahan in a remake of "Dirty Harry", and I don't think portraying a secret agent is much of a stretch from that.

I'm really looking forward to hearing more about Holloway's "MI" character, and to seeing what else he has coming up now that "Lost" is finished -- you know, because I just totally respect him as an actor and am interested in seeing what else he is pursuing professionally and not because watching him for six seasons of "Lost" has helped me to develop some sort of celebrity crush on him (though I do hope he will be cutting his hair now that he is no longer marooned in the middle of the Pacific Ocean).


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

ABC

John Locke and Ben Linus back together in a primetime show? Holy Smoke Monster!

New York Magazine is reporting that J.J. Abrams (who brought you "Lost") is working on developing a show that would put Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson together again "playing former black-ops agents." The description from New York Magazine says they will be playing suburban hit men, and us "Lost" fans know those are characters O'Quinn and Emerson can convincingly portray.

I'm already more excited about this show than my supposed "Lost" replacement "The Event," which I think just doesn't look that exciting (though the boyfriend is DVRing it tonight).

I don't know how O'Quinn and Emerson will fare together in a non-"Lost" environment, but I'm sure some of the chemistry they created as John Locke/Man in Black/Smoke Monster and Ben Linus will carry over into any other project they tackle. The two men who were both nominated for best supporting actor in a drama series for the 2010 Emmys surely have the talent to make "Odd Jobs" (the working title of this series in development) a success. What would hurt this show the most, though, is "Lost" fans who want to see the actors in their Island personas and being disappointed and disinterested after seeing that's not the case.


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

I'm not much of a TV person, on account of the fact that my nights have been occupied by work, school, homework or color guard practice for the better part of 12 years. I don't have a DVR and mostly just miss out on whatever cultural revolutions are occurring at prime time.

I'll sure miss seeing this guy's handsome
face every week on "LOST."

"But what about your obsession with 'LOST' and all those audiocasts you did during the final season?"

I got into "LOST" at the suggestion of a few co-workers at my last job and several friends who were obsessed with the series. A subscription to Netflix caught me up quickly enough that I watched the fifth season through VCR recordings, and the final season somewhat live with Entertainment Editor Mark Meszoros, who was kind enough to wait a day or two (and use his DVR) to watch it with me when I had time.

So now that that segment of my life is over (I'll never let go, Jack), I'm not sure what -- if anything -- can fill the TV void.

News-Herald TV critic David S. Glasier previewed the upcoming TV season in today's News-Herald, and he notes "The Event" will fit into the "LOST"-sized hole in all of our hearts (and DVRs [except mine, which doesn't exist (the DVR, not the heart)]). Meszoros and I have discussed giving it a try, and maybe if we can talk fellow "LOST" fanatic and Sports Editor Mark Podolski into it, we'll be doing another audiocast that follows this series. I really know nothing about it except that I'm supposed to like it. The previews kind of make it look like "Flash Forward" or "V" -- neither of which I've seen nor have any interest in -- so I don't know if I'll be giving up on "The Event" after its premiere next Monday.

A show I might actually like to give a chance to is "My Generation," which Glasier pooh poohed. Then again, I am a twentysomething who was in high school in the year 2000, and he was ... not. I'm interested because the cast is my generation and because I'm wondering what drama will be unfolding with or without Facebook, which most of my high school classmates seem to be members of. Facebook kind of replaces the need for face-to-face drama when you can just passive-aggressively judge your peers by their pictures and status updates (and the amount of time they spend on Farmville and Mafia Wars). I have a feeling I'll mostly be missing out on this one, however, because I can't imagine Meszoros finds the premise interesting, nor would he want to waste the DVR space on it.

If you're looking for a new TV show this fall, Associated Press writer Frazier Moore gave his thoughts on the 10 new shows to consider in last Sunday's News-Herald. Any suggestions for what I should tune in for? (Or, rather, make Meszoros set his DVR for?)


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

Even though "Lost" has been done for a week, I can't get over "The End." I might be in the minority as one of the fans of the series who was fine with the finale and isn't growing more angry about the unanswered questions.

If you're still scratching your head about the show (or want to know just what in the heck happened without wasting six TV seasons of your life), check out the Idiot's Guide to Lost from E! Online.

And if you want a reason to hate the show and everything you missed out from it, check out College Humor's video of "Unanswered Lost Questions":

--Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

A pretty thorough explanation of "The End," written by someone from Bad Robot, was posted on the Lostpedia forum. As much as I would like to be able to take credit for summarizing the show in a succinct way, our audiocast and Mark Podolski's blog are more fodder for discussion than defining the purpose of the show.

Anyone still scratching their heads from Sunday night's finale, or who wants to know what happened without watching all six seasons, or who just can't get enough of the show, should check out all five of the links above.

-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

I never actually compiled my thoughts about the series end, and I'm still baffled as to what I think will happen and what I want to see happen. Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse said it best in an interview running in Sunday's News-Herald:

“But for the ‘Lost’ finale, people don’t really know going into it WHAT would satisfy them,” Lindelof declared. “If you say to somebody, ‘What thing would need to happen in the story for you to feel satisfied?’, they’d say something like, ‘Well, I want all my questions to be answered.’ But they can’t tell you what they want to happen to the characters.”
“They don’t even know what the questions are they would want to have answered,” Cuse added.

If you didn't catch Mark Podolski's three LOST Big Board predictions that he uploaded earlier this week, you should watch this:


As for my own predictions ... I'm not sure. It's hard to say what exactly will happen to each character. Jack is obviously seeking redemption for all the lives lost on his watch. We just saw Sawyer realize he might be the reason for the several deaths a few episodes ago, so chances are, he is going to fight Jack for who gets to be the hero to save the world because they couldn't save their friends. Kate is going to have to choose between them -- bring back the love triangle, if you hadn't felt the tension with that already. I think our castaways will defeat the Smoke Monster, and they'll have to sink the Island to do it. I'm sure the L.A. timeline will intersect with the Island timeline, but I have no idea how it's going to happen. You'd better believe that Desmond is going to play a key role in it, though.

I caught some of Saturday night's airing of the enhanced pilot episode, and realized that when the show is all over (and I dig up some free time), I'm going to need to sit down and rewatch the entire series -- maybe several times.

Podolski, Mark Meszoros and I will be back Monday with our weekly audiocast to talk about the show's ending. We usually talk for a half hour, but I'm sure we'll need much more time to dissect the 2 1/2-hour ending.

--Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

Miss the last few seasons of "Lost" and want to watch the finale this weekend? I would recommend against that (you've missed WAY TOO MUCH), but here's a helpful video if that is your game plan. Also, it features cats.




--Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

The New York Post reports that more than 1,000 items from "Lost" will be auctioned sometime this summer. One item they mention that will be included is Charlie's Drive Shaft ring (although they refer to him as Charlie Price ... the article CLEARLY was not written by a "Lost" fanatic).

I hope the auction will be online so I can check out the merchandise. Pretty neat to think that I could be able to own a piece of something from what has turned out to be one of my favorite shows of all time.

Anyone who thinks this is neat should check out our weekly audiocast before tonight's episode.

-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

Not much going on right now with most TV shows gearing up for next fall and a pretty weak slate of summer movies. Nonetheless, in terms of the pop-culture scene, here are a few options for everyone the next few months:

-Check out "Night at the Museum 2" - My wife and I stumbled upon this flick simply because our other options didn't fit into our busy schedule. (That's what happens with a 7-month-old son at home). Simply put, it's a lot of fun. You won't be dissapointed.

-Watch "Rescue Me" - The best show on TV right now and it's not because it's one of the few to air in the summer. Dennis Leary hasn't missed a beat this season as a troubled New York firefighter. If you missed Michal J. Fox's appearances in earlier episodes, be sure to check out the reruns on FX.

-Create a Facebook account - I've reconnected with a lot of people I haven't scene or heard from in a long, long time. Just be sure not to spend TOO much time on the social networking site.

-Listen to a podcast - It's a much better option then live radio and why wouldn't it be when you can listen to your selected program anytime you want? Some of my favorites podcasts are Adam Carolla, ESPN's Bill Simmons' BS Report, the Lost Podcasting Network and Stuck in the 80s, which (you guessed it) tributes everything from the 1980s.

-This last one is for myself - Go see "The Hangover." I've heard nothing but great things about the surprise hit of the summer.

-Mark Podolski

I'm going to agree and disagree with Mark Podolski and his previous posting about the season finale of "Lost." Then again, he and I have been disagreeing about it for a few weeks (he had some crazy theories about alternate universes and the creation of more alternate universes that I don't even think he understood himself). Again, don't read this if you haven't yet watched the final episode of the fifth season. And if you haven't, what are you waiting for? How can you just let that sit on your DVR?

- I can go along with Mark's idea that Jacob and his nameless nemesis have had an ongoing battle that our plane crash victims got caught up in. I'm also kind of annoyed that it took five seasons to get to that point. I really hope the sixth season wraps it up nicely and ties everything together from the first few seasons -- including characters like Mr. Eko and his brother, Libby, Anna Lucia and Boone. There have been a lot of characters that have just been brushed aside since they started focusing on the Oceanic 6, and it's not that I am heavily invested in the fact that we haven't heard about them, but I'm hoping the series doesn't end with everyone scratching their heads as to why we had so much screentime for these people who didn't matter. A lot of time was wasted on that in the first three seasons, so it would be nice to feel some vindication for that next year. I was originally hoping that Jacob would be a character we had already met because I was worried if they would get the casting right (which I believe they did a good job with) and worried that it would be too difficult to tie in a new character's story to everyone else (which I'm still worried about). So I'm super invested in watching the rest of the series, but also anxious that I'm going to be disappointed. I don't know if I've ever actually been disappointed in what the show has done, but after so much build up, the last season had better be darn good.

- Mark says Locke is dead (which I can agree with) and that Jacob's nameless nemesis is occupying his body (which I can agree with, except that I'm not sure if it's actually Locke's body, seeing as how we saw Locke's body). Did the nemesis also occupy Christian's body?

- Mark also says Jacob's dying utterance, "They're coming," refers to the plane-crash-turned-Dharmavillians coming back into present time. I agree with this, but I have no idea how it's going to happen. Is it going to be like the previous flashes where they just appear in another time period? Did the explosion do anything? Is the hatch going to to still be built? Is everything going to happen the same way it already did?

- I don't know if Juliet is dead, so I'm going to disagree with Mark here. I'm kind of a Juliet-hater, but I was in tears when she fell down into the hole. Maybe it was a hydrogen bomb explosion, but maybe it was a time-traveling flash. It reminded me a lot of the end of season two, when Desmond turned the key, causing the Swan to explode. But he didn't die. Maybe Juliet will just have a Desmond-like time-traveling experience, so she'll have to find her constant so she doesn't die. But who would it be? Sawyer? Jack? Ben? Her sister? Jacob?

- While Mark mentions Hurley was touched AFTER he left the island, he doesn't mention that Sayid ALSO was touched after he left the island. Another co-worker suggested that maybe Jacob sought them out to touch them because they had no intentions of returning to the island.

- And I disagree with Mark's "safe bet" that the smoke monster is the nemesis occupying Locke's body. I like the idea of it, but I think a lot of people are forgetting that Locke was with Ben when he took him to be judged by the smoke monster about Alex's death. How could the smoke monster have been with Ben when Locke was there too? Lostpedia.com mentions that Locke knew where to find the smoke monster, that the smoke monster took the form of Alex, and that Alex instructed Ben to listen to everything Locke had to say. Are the smoke monster and the nemesis related? Yes. Are they the same entity? I'm not so sure about that. Although, it seems the smoke monster can take the form of something else ... maybe only a dead body?

- I'm kind of sad that Locke is actually dead. His character was kind of starting to annoy me, but I liked the old optimistic Locke much better than his repossessed form.

- Are we going to see Walt again? I had a theory a while ago that Walt would be the next Locke -- the next "leader" of the island. Locke had told him he was special, and he seemed to have a sixth sense. But it seems like the writers have just dropped him after Locke visited him early in the fifth season. Again, Walt is another character I don't want to just disappear without any explanation of what his purpose was.

Any other musings from fellow "Lost" addicts?

-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com