Lost panel interview (Friday)

Not the proper Lost panel - which is Saturday - but there has JUST been an hour long discussion at Comic Con with the writers. I was following live blog updates of the interview, and have not one, not two, but THREE different accounts of what was said! So thank you to DarkUFO's IOD, DocArzt's Tapdawg, and Ryan Ozawa. Be warned that any answer to a question posed by fans is potentially a SPOILER - and I warn you now there are questions and answers relating to what's to come! I will summarise after the links with some non-spoilery info, if you'd rather play it safe.

http://livelost.blogspot.com/2008/07/live-from-ew-visionaries-panel.html

http://www.docarzt.com/lost-news/live-coverage-ew-panel-with-da.php

http://twitter.com/hawaii

My quick summary - not a great reveal, I expect Saturday will be the big one. Little bit of info about what inspired Jeremy Bentham (prisons apparently?!). Also some talk about how for Lost, characters are the bread, mythology is the icing - so they're more interested in the people. They said some unanswered questions will stay unanswered (referencing those midicloreines from Star Wars - I'm gonna get heckled for my spelling by Jedis...). Also said about how Watchmen is such a great comic influence, yada yada. And that Hoodlum (who made Find 815) are also helping out development for this new ARG - so much for a fourth wall, one might argue! Lastly, just some general stuff about how the first three seasons were kinda more "on the spot" than "on the plan", but now an end is in sight - its "on plan" all the way!

Okay peeps, that's your lot - I've heard we may have a video to watch soon (you know the bluetooth RuckusGuy thing - well its a DHARMA hacked video apparently!). I will try and post this today if its available - but unfortunately I'm away from the Internet all weekend! The horror, I'll miss the Lost panel!!! Pity me!!! I will, however, try and get a substitute SysOp to post all the details. I really need some kind of hired help/PA... or at least a part-timer....

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Review: Special Lostpedia Debate Event with DocArzt

This week Lostpedia hosted a very special debate event featuring Jon "DocArzt" Lachonis from www.docarzt.com. The motion was "Spoilers do not diminish the LOST viewing experience." Arguing in favor of spoilers was team A consisting of danhm (super Op at the #lostpedia IRC channel) and IkklGenius (winner of event 1), and arguing against the motion was team B consisting of TheAma1 (super Op at the #lostpedia IRC channel) and manicmonoliths (winner of event 1.)

The transcript of the entire debate can be found here. For more details on previous events and for voting for your favorite team, click here.

In an effort to keep the debate structured and focussed on the key issues, a "compartmentalized" format was used for this week's debate. A total of 6 spoiler-related issues were put forth, and were titled such that they could be equally classified into "pro" and "anti"-spoilers.

The following six sub-topics were discussed:

1. Supply and Demand
The third most visited page (after the main and episodes pages) on Lostpedia is the spoiler page for Season 4 (over 1.1 million views.)

There is a demand for spoilers in the fan community, hence there is a supply.

2. Writers' Right
Releasing spoilers is distributing information about a story without the author's consent.

Both Damon and Carlton have openly voiced their frustrations regarding the leakage of season 3 finale spoilers.

3. Tidbits of information about upcoming episodes add to the excitement and anticipation.
There is a lot more to Lost than simple plot details -- character development, acting, cinematography, etc.


4. Spoilers hurt the online community.

Websites and forums go into lockdown mode, chat rooms prevent anonymous users from participating in LOST discussions. Many fans simply avoid the online community till the episode airs.

5. Release of spoilers cannot be avoided.
Hundreds upon hundreds of people are involved in the making of LOST. It is inevitable that spoilers will be leaked. Deal with it.

6. Once released on fan websites, spoilers are uncontrollable.
Though most spoiler sites are careful not to spoil unsuspecting viewers, the measure of control is limited, and trolls cannot be stopped from vandalizing other websites.

This was followed by a brief Q&A and closing statements by the team leaders. DocArzt's presence elevated the quality of the debate to a whole new level, and we hope to have him participate in more events in the future.

Lostpedia debates are held every alternate week in the #lostpedia IRC channel on the GameSurge server at 2 PM EST.

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Deleted scene video from The Economist

We told you back in February when DocArzt published a single screencap and text transcript of a deleted scene from 4x03 "The Economist". It's a scene with Miles, when he's walking with Kate and Sayid.

Now the entire video of the deleted scene has now been posted by the good doctor, so go take a look here.

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Lost Ate My Life

Jon Lachonis and Amy Johnston (aka DocArzt formerly of TheTailSection, and Hijinx from the Fuselage) have published their book on Lost fandom: 'Lost Ate My Life' The book is not a rehash of content from their respective websites, but is a varied new collection of unique content, including past and new interviews with Carlton Cuse, Damon Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Gregg Nations, Javier Grillo-Marxuach (who also wrote the forward), as well as a personal report from the set. Lachonis mentions there are more surprises in store as well. The promotional material explains the title: "'Lost Ate my Life!' is not the authors' self-referential statement. Instead, it is the collective cry of the hardened fan base for ABC's pop-culture phenomenon. The book has two central ideas: first, that the creators of Lost created a shift in the thinking of online communities, effectively removing the barrier between the artists and the patrons... (and) Lost bloggers became important celebrities amongst the fan bases, some fans found themselves drawn into the inner circle..."

Read more here

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Additional Post-Economist Content

4x03 "The Economist" was yet another fabulous episode, and now just for you, we've found more fabulous extra content directly related to this episode.

The first is from DocArzt, who had obtained a pre-release version of this episode. Being a trusted and upright member in good standing of the fan community, he didn't spoil or leak any details beforehand, but now that the episode has broadcast, he noted a few differences in the earlier version and the final cut. One of these differences was a deleted scene as Miles, Kate, and Sayid come upon the Sonar Fence on their way to the Barracks. What happens there is surprising, to say the least. Read all the details at DocArzt's personal blog here.

The second is the third Official Lost Podcast for this season from ABC. It features Naveen and Michael E. talking about The Economist. Listen to it at ABC's Lost podcast page here, or use the direct m4v link for iTunes here.

Enjoy!

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Rebecca Mader Interview

Just as the strike was winding down, Jon Lachonis of UGO interviewed new Lost actress Rebecca Mader (who plays Charlotte the freighter's archaeologist).

Lachonis also reveals he made a visit to the secret set of Lost during his visit to Hawaii last October: "In one day, I'd be on the set of Lost learning the nature of these new characters... At the last moment, ABC decided whatever they were filming that day was too secret for me to see, and my itinerary shifted a few days."

I'm dying to hear more about that set visit! However for now, we'll have to settle for this interview with a new cast member who is still a relative unknown among the fan community.

Here's an excerpt:

UGO: That's the first question I suppose. I'd read you were really enthusiastic for this part, how was it personally to have this strike come up and cut it short?

REBECCA: Oh, I was gutted. I was having such a good time. I had been out there for a few months so I had gotten to spend some time out there and have a great time. I was really, really disappointed. I never really thought it would last this long I was really optimistic, I really thought it would be three weeks or something I didn't think it was going to be three months y'know.

UGO: Do you follow the fan scene at all? The new characters are well received.

REBECCA: Oh yeah? I didn't know that...

Read more here.

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Doc Arzt leaves Thetailsection.com

It was with a sad heart that I recently received an IM from Doc Arzt stating that he was leaving his role as administrator of the Lost fan site TheTailSection (TTS), which is a property that he had previously sold to the Buddy TV company. This evening he publicly broke this news in what is presumably his last post as administrator of TTS.

The TTS blog was a wonderful balance of original yet meaningful musing on the news and theories that go along with ''Lost''-- his familiar tone led his readers to feel as if they had a personal friend with the pulse of ''Lost''. Doc Arzt's mature and professional postings seemed to strike that perfect and good natured balance, with well-thought yet entertaining writing that avoided empty sensationalism, and thoroughly distinguished himself from the lowest common denominator of common blog drivel that we have all seen in the fan ecosystem inspired by this television show.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought this because he seemed often to have some really unique scoops, and his occasional reference to "being allowed" to break news implied to me that he had managed to cultivate some sources at least fairly close to ''Lost'', a feat pretty much unattained by any other site admin in the teeming fan universe of ''Lost''. It is no exaggeration to say it would not surprise me if Damon himself noticed and corresponded with the Doc.

I take my hat off to him, and wish him the best in his post-''Lost'' endeavors, and simultaneously mourn the loss of one of the premier ''Lost'' fansites, because even if TTS continues, it is now without the Doc, and therefore it is no longer the TTS.

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