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« Roush Dispatch
Lost Going Cellular
Josh Holloway in Lost by Mario Perez/ABC
I had the good fortune of spending an hour of quality time on stage Wednesday morning with those charming Lost boys, exec producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, moderating a session at the big Promax conference of TV marketers and promoters. (We were on the Grand Ballroom stage of the New York Hilton immediately before the rousing keynote speech delivered by Bill Clinton, but I’d like to think all of those seats — several thousand, it looked to me — were filled for us.)
The producers remain tight-lipped about last month’s mind-blowing flash-forwarding finale and its implications for the next three seasons, and will remain so until they meet the fans and spill a few of the beans at Comic-Con in late July (maintaining a David Chase-like “radio silence” in the interim to let us debate it among ourselves). But they did assure the audience that, unlike the hotly debated Sopranos finale (which they loved), when the time comes in May 2010 for Lost to take its final bow, it won’t all end in a sudden ambiguous blackout.
Whew.
Much of the discussion, given the audience on hand, focused on how being a show-runner these days has evolved from merely writing a great TV show to becoming a “brand manager,” overseeing all manner of outside-the-box marketing projects to keep the buzz going. It's an especially critical task now that Lost will be on such long breaks between seasons.
This fall, the new twist for Lost will be a series of “mobisodes,” mini-episodes available exclusively from Verizon, intended to drive traffic to the December release of the Season 3 DVD and keep interest in the show alive until the mother ship returns in February. Deals have been struck with the major cast members to appear in these mini-episodes, an important breakthrough since the producers know what a tease it would be if these video teasers were only focused on minor characters, or anonymous beach dwellers. (Cuse called those extras “socks,” as in sock puppets, a phrase I wasn’t acquainted with but which I found pretty funny.) They seem to have learned their lesson from the Nikki-Paulo debacle.
Cuse says the mini-mobisodes will be structured around a mystery theme, but more casual viewers (who’ve heretofore resisted the lure of the online “Lost Experience”) won’t have to worry that they’ll be left in the dark if they don’t indulge.
Even so, it’s going to be an excruciatingly long time to be left on hold between seasons.
Regarding the finale, about the only concession I got from the guys is that, like in my own mailbag, the most frequently asked question is why Jack referred several times in the flash-forward to his dad being alive. The simple answer (and the possible answer, I couldn’t quite tell from the way they were talking about it), of course, is that Jack was disoriented from all the pills and booze and just made a mistake. Or perhaps there’s more to it. (Isn't there always?) Just one more provocative mystery among the myriad others that will keep haunting us until February at least.
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Jun 13, 2007 2:13 PM
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I think that by leaving the island Jack altered the past and his dad was alive. This is why Jack insists on going back so he can change things again.
WHO KNOWS? But I can't wait!
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Jun 13, 2007 2:20 PM
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well i will actually believe this when i see it, lost producers promised mobisodes at last years comicon and nothing came out of it
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Jun 13, 2007 3:14 PM
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One of the possible the ending for lost may be that it was the dream of one of the passenger on the plane the passenger woke up and the series is over.
This is probably the easy way out without the need to explain everything.
I hope it is not going to be the case.
Who knows!!
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Jun 13, 2007 3:45 PM
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About sockpuppet: it's an internet term for referring to fake identities people use to win debates or just generally be not nice people. Like, "X isn't a real person, he's Y's sockpuppet!" Just thought I'd shed some light on the issue 
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Jun 13, 2007 11:35 PM
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oh my gosh, Oskar, that just confused me more.
and Matt, are you saying they did give a definitive answer about Jack's dad or is that now more confusing too?
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Jun 14, 2007 4:10 AM
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Actually, I think the mobisodes should be used to give exposure to minor characters and/or introduce new ones gradually. Had Paolo/Nikki been introduced through this method, perhaps they wouldn't have been so hated.
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Jun 14, 2007 4:20 AM
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Whew...thanks Matt for posting SOMETHING "Lost" related! It's been 3 weeks and it seems like an eternity since the show went into hiatus!
Anyway, if anyone else is going through withdraw like me, you can always check out my LOST Blog and read back on 2 seasons worth of Blogs! (okay, I'm sure no one is that bored!) But the thing caught fire in the final month or so leading up to the finale and there was some very good discussion there. Check it out! and Bookmark for February! Thanks!
http://lostaddicts208.blogspot.com
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Jun 14, 2007 9:21 AM
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these mobisodes sound like a good idea. i will get them as long as they aren't too expensive..
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Jun 14, 2007 9:29 AM
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So, these mobisodes - are they only available to Verizon wireless customers or will they be available online?
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Jun 14, 2007 10:17 AM
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Thank goodness for something Lost related that isn't just ridiculous rumor and speculation or gossip about the cast. Could you be a little more specific about how we will know when these mobisodes are available and how we can access them or where the information will be placed so that fans can find it? I don't blame them for being tight-lipped after the leak at the end of the season. Too much information spoils the show. Thanks for an interesting column that provided something intelligent to think about without giving it all away.
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Jun 14, 2007 10:33 AM
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These mobisodes are very got idea. I am a definate lost addict and it is pretty hard to go every week without watching it. The only problem is i dont know if i can watch it after Charlie's death. When Boon died i couldnt watch it for almost two months... thank god my mom recorded them all for me
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Jun 14, 2007 11:38 AM
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i love "lost" and i am along for the ride no matter what. and i have patience. so, no worries here.
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Jun 14, 2007 12:28 PM
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Matt, Thanks for the heads-up. However, I do have a question about these mobisodes. They will be available to Verizon customers but what about the other diehard fans who aren't Verizon customers? I read somewhere that they will eventually be shown on ABC.com. But will it be like the other "special" ones they ran a couple of years ago that were only for American Express customers? We want to see them and we're waiting for February too. They need to consider ALL the fans.
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Jun 14, 2007 1:44 PM
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I really want to see more of the background characters. I'd hate it if Nikki and Paolo's unpopularity led to the other 30 or so survivors just being furniture for the rest of the show. I mean, it seems like such a waste to have 30 or so characters just standing in the background doing nothing.
I'm not saying to give them a major part, but just give them a line or something every once and a while. It just seems kind of odd having 30 people there who never interact with the main characters.
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Jun 14, 2007 5:58 PM
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