Wow!

How’s that for a review of the LOST fourth season premiere?

Like last season’s awesome finale, this year’s premiere rocked. You gotta appreciate how LOST keeps evolving.  It truly is one of the most exciting, challenging and unique shows that has ever been on network television. Period.

Maybe I’m alone on this, but I’m relieved LOST only has 48 episodes left (over three short seasons) I’m relieved because now this show really seems like it is on a mission…there’s no doubt the writers know where they are going with the story. And we get to have fun going along for the terrific ride.

I loved that this was a “flash-forward” story for Hurley. I loved that we got to see Charlie and Hugo have a scene again. I love all the rich details, like the cop mentioning that he knew Ana Lucia (from the second season) and Hugo mysteriously denying he knew her. I liked the spooky scene/glimpse of “Jacob.” Who was that that peaked out that window?   

For three years, we saw flashbacks to set up who these characters are and why they do what they do. Now we get to see where they go. The premiere was emotionally satisfying. Talk about great storytelling.

How about “The Oceanic Six?” We now know Jack, Kate and Hurley get off the island. Did only three more leave the island with them? Who is still back there? And who died in the season finale that Jack visited in the funeral home? So many questions. And many more are coming. And we only have 47 hours left to get all the answers.

Something else I like about LOST… the producers have fun. They listen to the internet buzz. One of the few complaints about last year’s season finale was the beard the producers put on Matthew Fox’s Jack Shepherd flash-forward scenes. In the season premiere, they acknowledged the fans when Jack, playing a pickup game with Hurley, tells Hurley he was thinking about growing a beard. Hurley responds, “You look weird with a beard, dude.”

Great show. Great premiere. Is there a better show on TV right now?

*****

I’m glad my young sons are not into Hanna Montana.

If you have a young daughter you already know that Miley RAY Cyrus/Hanna Montana Best of Both Worlds Concert film opens in theatres today. And its in 3D! And just like the concerts that have been selling out (and seeing wacky parents paying sometimes THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for tickets) this concert film is also generating talk of sell out crowds. Yikes!    

Beginning today, the February Sweeps are officially here! This is one of the three months of the year when the networks and local TV stations roll out their best programming to get the best ratings.

Unfortunately this February sweeps is a little different. The writers strike is still going on and most of the best shows on TV are now in repeats since all production has shut down. But there is optimism that the writers and the producers are getting closer to a deal. Let’s hope. 

*****

A reminder, LOST is back beginning tonight! There is a one hour recap show beginning at 8pm. Then the season premiere at 9pm (followed by ELI STONE at 10pm. See my review in yesterday’s post.)

Did you watch last night’s season finale encore from last season? It was an enhanced version featuring “pop up video” blurbs filling in backstory and revealing production secrets. Very entertaining. Very fun. And if you haven’t seen LOST in high definition, you’re missing something. In HD, this show looks absolutely amazing.

I’ll be back tomorrow with my thoughts about the season premiere.  

I just previewed the pilot episode of a new ABC drama called ELI STONE. A pilot, if you are not familiar with the TV term, is the first episode of a television series. It introduces the cast of characters, and establishes the premise, direction and the tone of the future episodes. I enjoyed ELI STONE’s pilot episode. It does a nice job of introducing the cast of characters, establishing the premise, the direction and the tone of the series. 

In a nutshell, Eli Stone is a driven corporate attorney who seemingly has is all; a great practice defending big corporations, a trophy fiancee, and all the money he needs. But everything starts to change when he meets a youngster with autism and the boy’s mother who asks Eli to take on a case against a giant drug company. Eli starts to have visions that include George Michael (remember WHAM? Remember all the arrests?) The pop star seems to be singing to Eli that ”You gotta have Faith.” Music plays a big part in this show. Future episodes will feature cast members singing! But don’t worry, this isn’t VIVA LAUGHLIN. This show does it right.   

The cast is led by Jonny Lee Miller as Eli Stone. He’s likeable, relatable, and has a nice, gentle comic touch. The cast also includes the winning Loretta Devine (you’ll recognize her as the Chief’s ex-wife on GREY’S ANATOMY) and the great Victor Garber (ALIAS) as the head of the law firm Eli works for.

If there is anything positive to say about the current writers strike, it’s that the work stoppage has created a vaccum of new scripted programming…and that can help a brand new show like ELI STONE. It will probably have a much better chance to find an audience since the regular competition is in repeats. Plus, coming out of the season premiere of LOST, I gotta think this show will at least get plenty of sampling. Sample it yourself. Give it a try on Thursday night at 10. It’s funny, sweet, and has a pleasant spirtual vibe. Coming out of the intensity of LOST it may just be what you need so you’ll have pleasant dreams.             

*****

Speaking of ELI STONE, it is drawing some controversy from pediatricians about the show’s story line suggesting a link between autism and vaccines. ABC has released the following statement:  

“Eli Stone is a fictional television show.  The characters, products, companies and events depicted in the episode are all fictional.  The storyline plays on topical issues for dramatic effect, but its purpose is to entertain.” ABC will also provide an informational card at the conclusion of the program that contains the following information:  The preceding story was fictional and did not portray any actual persons, companies, products or events.  For information on autism, please visit www.CDC.gov/autism or call 1-800-CDC-INFO 

I returned to my alma mater, Ball State University on Monday evening. I was invited by Dr. Joe Misiewicz, Chairman of the Department of Telecommunications to meet with a classroom of T-Comm graduate students. It was a really fun, interesting evening of questions, ideas and conversation about the future of TV, uses of the internet, the writers strike and its implications, and most importantly, getting a job after leaving school.  

I graduated from Ball State way back in 1983. It’s amazing to think its been twenty five years ago that I was a student on the campus. Alot has changed at BSU and I’m happy to say its all positive. When I went to BSU, the university was just starting to consider expanding the Radio and TV department. Ball State’s then newly renamed Telecommunications department was just an off shoot of the English building. Now, Telecommunications is part of a multimillion complex of buildings in the heart of the campus. The centerpiece, the Letterman Building named after Ball State’s most famous alum, is a beautiful building filled with state of the art equipment and studios. It’s a great facility and fitting that it is named after David Letterman.

BSU’s reputation as a Telecommunications school back in 1983 was respectable. Today, the department is recognized as one of the best in the country. It’s easy to see why.  Great facility and on Monday night, great students.  Thanks Dr. Joe!

*****

Did you see that the FCC wants to fine ABC and about 50 affiliates for showing a woman’s bare bottom? (Bottom? Can you tell I have young kids?) It aired in an episode of “NYPD BLUE”  five years ago!

First of all, isn’t there a statue of limitations on things that aired FIVE YEARS AGO?! Second, it aired in NYPD BLUE…a show that famously showed off Dennis Franz’s bare posterior several years earlier! (If they are going to propose a fine for something, that revealing bum was a much bigger deal–and I mean that literally!)

The one million dollar plus fine is being leveled at affiliates in the central and mountain time zones that would have shown NYPD BLUE in the 9:00pm hour. Here in Indy it aired after 10pm…that is the ”safe haven” for bare bums. ABC says they will fight the fine.    

Happy Monday!

This weekend, after several weeks, I finally finished watching the DVD collection of season three of “LOST.” I wanted to finish it up since the fourth season kicks off this Thursday night, January 31 on ABC and RTV6. It starts at 8pm with a recap/clip episode to bring viewers up to date where we left the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 after last May’s startling and satisfying season finale. Then, it’s the season premiere at 9pm in what would typically be the “Grey’s Anatomy” timeslot (but since the writers strike is going on, there are currently no more new “Grey’s” to air at this time.)

On Wednesday night, on the eve of the season premiere, ABC will have a unique “enhanced” encore presentation of the two hour finale from last May. If you’ve already seen it, you know how good it is. But watch it again. It’s even better the second time around.

Rewatching the third season of the ABC hit on DVD was a revelation. I’ve always thought LOST was one of the best shows on TV. Watching the episodes back to back to back makes my appreciation of the show grow even stronger. Sure, I agree the first few episodes of season three were a little frustrating because the show veered the focus off the castaways and concentrated too much time on “the Others.” Even the writers and producers think so. In the DVD commentary, with some of the cast they admit in retrospect they screwed up. Gotta love their honesty.

LOST has is all. I love the action. I love the mystery. But mostly, I really enjoy the characters. Jack, Locke, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Sun and Jin, Sayid, and Desmond (who after a couple of really touching flashback episodes this past season, has become my favorite, brother.) Ya even gotta like Ben and Juliet…are they as they say, the “good guys” or are they the bad guys? On this drama, who can tell? Everyone has issues. (particularly daddy issues) The writers are not afraid to show the good, the bad and often times, very ugly sides of all these characters. 

There are several nice features included with the third season DVD. My favorite is a doc on all the literary references in the show. The writers love books (and Stephen King is a particular inspiration.) LOST feels like a really good book. And now that ABC has announced a definite end date for the show (this season and two more 16 episode seasons) I’m really anxious to see how this story ends. And like a good book, I’m going to savor every episode of it.

I’ll let you know what I think of the season premiere in Friday’s post.

Remember to get LOST this week!