yep, so i promised to come back and chatter about Heroes… i DID watch the episode today, but i got sidetracked with a bundle of other things, so the entry “Back or BLECH?” will have to wait… i will say that i’m staying with the show for a few more episodes if that tips my hand at all…

I’ll also say that Sawyer jumping into the well was one of the best LOST moments of all five seasons so far and, even though i said i wouldn’t get into theories, and even though i can see a lot of arguments against what i’m about to say, i think we just witnessed the birth of Jacob… i’ll talk more about that later…

Also coming soon, another book review (the one about the lions), a shout out to Burn Notice as it leaves the air for a while, a glance at a handful of mid-season shows coming into view this month or next (or last), and some other nifty things… for now though, check out the front page to see a fairly new (about a week old) In RE:TRuSPECT and two-parts of a four-part series that discusses the Dove nominees… i’m sure that more will be coming there soon too, but i’m somewhat preoccupied…

’til later… goodbye to you and good riddance to T.O….

peace… love… bdg…

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well, i had a decent enough excuse for my absence the past few days, but i’m glad to be back at it and hopefully we’ll really get back into the swing of things… since it’s Wednesday and Lost is going to be on tonight, i’m going to take this time to talk a little bit about the show… i finished up season four last night on the DVDs and i’m totally back up to speed coming into tonight’s episode…

now playing: Lost – Coldplay

Before i get too far, though, am i the only one who has problems with the menus on the season four DVDs? the stinking things load up and then there’s no indication of what i’m selecting half the time… on a rare occasion, i’ll see a dot, but most of the time, nothing… it’s really annoying since i never know exactly what i’m picking to watch… anybody else have this problem? anybody?

FROM THE GROUND UP

just to lay some groundwork here… i’m probably not going to dive too deeply into theories and whatnot when it comes to Lost… there are tons and tons of words written each week from theorizers who spend way more time than i do thinking about the show and frankly, it’s somewhat intimidating… i may delve into some theories or thoughts about how i think things will turn out or how i think they should go, but for the most part, i’ll leave that to the Losties who have more time on their hands…

what i will do is offer comments or things to think about that stuck out to me as i watched the episodes or think about the series as a whole… and today, if time allows, i’ll propose two such questions (i have a third, but i think it’ll take more space than today should allow)… hopefully, this will be different enough from all the whispers that haunt the web already and you’ll find something unique and charming enough to make you come back here to read what i say next… okay, let’s begin…

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?

as i was watching through the past seasons to get caught up for this season, one of the questions that popped into my head was whether or not the characters themselves were reliving the flashbacks in their heads as the events of the current day play out… the events of the flashbacks often correlate with the current events and that offers a reason to believe that the memories are triggered by similar situations, but you could also argue that it’s simply a method of getting to know the characters and how they got to where they are…

I’m not certain how much it matters where the flashbacks exist – in the character’s psyche or simply on screen – but if they are reliving their past, it could be hinting at the fact that they’re close to death or under such great strain that similar results (life passing before my eyes) is occuring on the island… of course, the flash forwards and now the random time shifting renders the question all but irrelevant, but i thought it was worth asking…

what do you think? Do the characters see their own flashbacks? does it matter either way?

WHO’S LOST IN THIS ANYWAY?

now playing: Lost – needtobreathe

i think the general assumption as far as the premise goes is that the survivors of flight 815 are the ones who are lost… they are the focus of the story… they are stranded on this island… they have no real hope of getting back to their lives off the island… they are the victims of a cruel twist of fate… lost to the world and lost to their ideal life… i kind of assumed that for a long time as well, but recently that all changed…

Call it the deconstructionalist in me, but the other day i asked myself, “what if lost refers to the people who can’t get to the island and those who don’t know that it even exists?”

thinking about how the Oceanic 6 have adjusted (or refused to adjust) to their “restored” lives off of the island, something just doesn’t seem right… adding in the lives of Christian Shepherd (who became a raging alcoholic who made frequent trips to Austrailia off the island, but seems to be connected to Jacob), Charles Widmore (who was on the island, off the island, and then devoted his entire life and all his resources to trying to find and get back on the island), Ben (who once claimed to be able to leave and return to the island at will and now will do anything to get back on) and, well, life doesn’t seem so bad on the island… what if the island represents the narrow gate, the path that many seek but few follow?… what then?… is that why it had to be flight 316 that got them back on the island? the crash puts them in the Promised Land, sin takes them away (6 is the number of the beast, Oceanic 6, etc), and 316 – a reference to John 3:16 – restores their standing with God? (so maybe a little theorizing)…

And if the island is perhaps the Promised Land for these characters… what of the lies that they’ve mustered up to protect themselves from looking foolish… sure they said it was to protect those left on the island, but really, as Hurley pointed out, they just didn’t want people to think that they were crazy… What does that say about Christians as they interact with those around them… Christians who refuse to share their beliefs, to live their calling, to embrace the Kingdom of Heaven… what lies of omission do we live by… what are we afraid of… is that accurate?

AND WITH THAT

i’ll leave you with that for now… it got a little longer than i expected… looking forward to tonight’s episode… tomorrow, i’ll be watching this week’s installment of Heroes and i’ll offer some thoughts on that series as well… ’til then…

peace… love… bdg…

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and so here’s the last part of the final thirty-six… is it just me or is two hours a really long time?… oh, it appears to be yellow night on this, American Idol… (queue the theme music)… off we go…

American Idol’s Final 36 (part 3)…

now playing: Doin’ – John Reuben

Von Smith he’s a little bit of a drama queen isn’t he?… singing Marvin Gaye… hmm, i didn’t know that Marvin Gaye wrote a Broadway play… completely devoid of the soul that should be there… he’s on pitch and all, but he’s a bit screechy and it’s kind of annoying… i don’t know why he’s here… it’s not working for me… Randy says it’s the perfect way to kick off the show… Kara says he’s coming into his own… Paula says that it was a memorable first spot… what on earth did i miss?… Simon says he’s reminded of Clay Aiken…

Taylor Vaifanua i want to see that Witch Mountain movie… what kind of a last name is this?… hard to spell if nothing else… she kind of looks like that girl from The Office from the other office… she’s got a pretty good voice… though i’m not sure that these low, hushed tones really show that off… at least the song will open up a little bit… woah, my TV just went crazy… like it was trying to transform… okay and now she’s on the open road and she’s doing pretty well with the bigger notes… it’s a nice controlled performance… Kara says she wants to go shopping with her, apparently to buy a coat, because she’s a bit cold… Paula wishes she brought something new to the stage… Simon says he doesn’t want to go shopping with her because she probably buys generics… Randy gets cut off, but still says that she was kind of boring…

John Reuben Alex Wagner-Trugman what is he dippity doin’?… okay, i’ve isolated my audience now… singing Elton John… and he’s wearing that birds shirt… wow, he’s really going for broke… i think he’s serious, but he’s really hamming it up and it’s not so much a question of his vocals, ’cause they’re (intentionally?) laughable… the grunting and growling (like a cocker spaniel?)… it’s a little crazy… Paula says that he’s entertaining… Simon said he had fun watching, but not listening to him… a hamster trying to be a tiger… Randy says that he half agrees with Simon… that it was crazy and full of bad vocals… Kara says that at least he’s Alex…

Arianna Afsar a.k.a. “the button”… singing the first Abba song live on Idol… really?… okay… of all the Abba songs in the world… why would she pick this one?… she’s struggling with it, too… this is pretty rough… is this from Mama Mia?… well she hit that big note, but the crackling earlier and the few pitchy spots throughout and on that last note, ouch… Simon says that it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad song… Randy says she’s too young to sing so old… Kara says was a beam of sunshine, but tonight it was dark… Paula says that she had some bright moments to the song, but the song was too old fashioned for her…

now playing: Drama Queen – Family Force 5

Ju’not Joyner he’s actually singing a song from the last ten years… i’m not terribly familiar with the song, but i know of it, i just don’t listen to the Plain White Ts all that much (or at all)… okay, so, he’s got a nice tone to his vocal and he’s got handcuffs hanging from his belt loop?… the big note fell a bit flat, and overall the performance was pretty blah, but it was alright… Randy says it was smart… Kara liked his spin and that it was smooth… Paula wants to see the little boy and she’s got a ridiculously iced-out watch on her wrist… she liked it… Simon says it was better than he thought it would be, but it was safe…

Joy Turner Kristen McNamara so this is one of two drama queens that are gonna go back-to-back… singing a Tracy Chapman song… okay, so she’s a karaoke host… and she’s going on a show that pretty much hates karaoke singers… well… she’s got a lot of oomph to her vocals… it’s not my cup of tea… but i can see that there’s a lot of voice there… Kara says that she like the hair and she has a good voice… Paula says that she has range… Simon says who the heck are you?… Randy says that he agrees and that she tried to do too much with that song…

Nathaniel Marshall and here’s part two… except this guy can’t sing at all… he’s just a freak show… ugh… Meatloaf… i HATE Meatloaf… (inside joke)… actually that’s perfect for him… a trainwreck in the making… and he’s dolling it up as best as he can… you know, i really do feel for him… clearly he’s an emotional basketcase… i mean, is there any other way he can try to injure himself? we got piercings and tatoos and the stretch earings and now he’s going for public humiliation… Simon says it was excruciating… Randy wonders why on earth he chose that song… Kara says that he’s not being taken seriously… Paula is interrupted by Nathaniel’s grandma, but still says how much she loves him, but that she thinks he reminds her of Boy George… ouch… and the show is derailed…

Felicia Barton what? she got cut and called back?… how does that work?… anyway… she’s starting off really solid… i really dig the vocal on the verse here, and as the chorus kicks in, well, i guess it unravels a bit as she’s trying too hard, but there’s definitely a good quality to her voice here… i think she’s a really viable option here, but she did do a little too much with it… Paula says that the universe is funny… Simon says she proved a point, but he’s not as enthusiastic as “Paular” is… Randy says it was good… Kara says she stepped in it… into it…

now playing: I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By – Mary J. Blige & Method Man

Scott MacIntyre a.k.a. “mind the gap”… i didn’t hear much of that intro as i’ve got some Leapster Batman noise going on in my ear right now… but he’s got a pretty decent voice and this song probably fits him pretty well… he seems to have a mellow, older-school vibe to him… it suits him… but oh, that last note hurt… Randy says that this wasn’t the perfect vocal, but it’s passionate… Kara says that he moves mountains on the stage… Paula says that she’s happy and proud that he made it this far… Simon says that he wasn’t crazy about the song, but Scott’s growing on him…

Kendall Beard “stop calling me Hulk”… ha ha… okay, that’s her schtick? she has a crazy dad?… my kids are gonna be FAMOUS!… oh, hey, she sings country and she’s got a really good voice… well, she’s sharp on the chorus, but she was good on the verse… too bad people remember the chorus more than the verse… that’s too bad… she just can’t find the right notes… Kara says that she’s got a great personality… Paula loves her outfit and then avoids any discussion about the actual performance… Simon says that she did the right thing, but he was ready for it to be over by the time she was halfway through… Randy says that the song choice was great, the outfit is great, but she just didn’t sing it well…

Jorge Nunez this show must be running long… another Elton John song… you know, he’s got a decent vocal going… um, did he just switch to Spanish?… and back again… well, he actually has a pretty solid voice, doesn’t he?… i mean, i’m not a fan of that song… the judges shuffle the cards to decide who gets to go first… Paula says she’s proud of how hard he worked… Simon says that he’s actually a very good singer… Randy says it’s the vocals that matter and it was really, really good… Kara says he was born to sing… and Paula probably wants to squish him into a little mold and hang him from her rearview mirror…

Lil Rounds she better do a gangsta rap track to live up to this silly name of hers… anyway, this is clearly going to be harder to choose one gal than it will be to choose one guy… oh, she’s singing Mary J… that’s gangsta R&B… she’s got a good vocal and this is a really smart song choice… she can pull it off and she’s probably the only one of the 36 who can… nice little… er, lil riff on the end there too… that’s a HOT ONE right there!… Simon says brilliant… Randy says that she’s one of the best they’ve found this season… yeeah, WHAT?… Kara says she can’t wait to see what she’ll do next time… Paula says she thinks that she’ll be around for many more “Lil Rounds”…

And now, my picks… and now, i’m reversing my thoughts… the top gal is much easier…

-top guy: Ju’not Joyner

-top gal: Lil Rounds

-extra: Felicia Barton

peace… love… bdg…

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