Game 4 of the World Series averaged 14.0/22 for FOX at 8 p.m. ABC was a solid second with "Lost," 10.0/15. CBS' "60 Minutes" took third, while "LAX," 4.6/7, didn't make much noise in its new timeslot for NBC. "America's Next Top Model," 3.4/5, was fifth for UPN, beating The WB's "Smallville" (although the latter had a small edge in total viewers). (11:54 AM)

   This is just a reminder that tonight, episode six of Lost airs. "House of the Rising Sun" is a 61-minute episode, which means you should expect the episode to run from 8pm until 9:01pm. Feel free to chat and/or post on our message board before, during, and/or after the show. (11:24 AM)

   Lost has picked up two nominations for the People's Choice Awards! Matthew Fox is nominated for Favorite Male TV Star, and is up against Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Zach Braff (Scrubs), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), and James Spader (Boston Legal). Meanwhile, the show itself is nominated for Favorite New Drama. It's up against Boston Legal, CSI: NY, Desperate Housewives, and Jack & Bobby. You can vote for Matthew Fox here and for Lost here. You have until January 9 to do so. Thanks to Rene for breaking the news to us. (7:47 PM)

   We apologize for the temporary downtime we experienced. We used up our monthly bandwidth allocation, thus shutting down our site. However, thanks to Snewser, Lost-TV is back online on a limited basis. However, some sections and features are currently offline. Hopefully, come November, the site will be back in full force once again. (11:55 AM)

   Don't miss that last minute of the show! ABC has announced that starting Wednesday, Lost will officially air 8:00 - 9:01, a total of 61 minutes per episode. (5:05 AM)

   This week's episode of Lost is the one they were shooting while I was visiting the set in Hawaii. It's the first episode they're shooting on the indoor set (the one with the creepy history I told you about last week), but I'm guessing you won't be able to tell the difference between indoors and out--the set is amazing. And the caves on set sound like a new home, for half of 'em anyway.
   "Jack found this place in the previous episode," Matthew Fox (Jack) explains. "And water has become a really major issue; people are starting to get cranky. So, we start to see the beginning of two camps. And this is one of them."... (Warning: The rest of the story may be considered SPOILERISH.) Read the full story here. (4:46 AM)

   I've added 17 new promo pictures for "Solitary" here. Once again, thanks to Lisa at Sparklies.org. (11:01 PM)

   468 screencaps from last Wednesday's episode, "White Rabbit," are now up here. Thanks to Bobbi of starDom. (5:46 AM)

   Numbers for last Wednesday's episode are trickling in, with reports of ratings as low as 10.2/15 and as high as 11.9/17. Total viewership is pegged at 16.29 million for the night. Read the full story at Mediaweek. Read the full story at Reuters.
   Meanwhile, more news and quotes from Lost's full season pick-up (an additional nine episodes, filling out a 22-episode season) are coming in. "Desperate Housewives and Lost each bring something unique to the table, and we're thrilled that audiences responded from day one," Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Primetime Entertainment, said in a release. "Creatively, these two shows only continue to get better." Also, "We are over the moon about [the pick-up]," Lost star Maggie Grace tells E! Online. "We had unofficial word but we were crossing our fingers, knocking on wood...We'd love to hang out together for many episodes to come." Read the full story at Variety. Read the full story at E! Online. (7:32 PM)

   The Boston Red Sox' unprecedented comeback to win the American League title Wednesday night translated to huge ratings for FOX.
   For the night, FOX averaged a 17.6 rating/26 share, better than the combined totals of second-place ABC (7.7/11) and third-place NBC (7.0/10). CBS was fourth at 6.5/10, followed by UPN, 3.2/5, and The WB, 2.4/4. (FOX's numbers are for time period only and will change some in final nationals.)
FOX also dominated among adults 18-49 with a 10.5 rating. ABC took second with a 4.6, while NBC was third at 3.5. CBS averaged 3.2, UPN 2.1 and The WB 1.8.
   Game 7 of the American League Championship Series between Boston and the New York Yankees began the night with a 17.3/26 for FOX. ABC's "Lost" held up well against the game, posting a 10.2/16. The Wednesday "60 Minutes" was third for CBS with a 5.5/9. NBC was fourth with a rerun of last year's "West Wing" finale. "America's Next Top Model" averaged 3.5/6 for UPN, beating The WB's "Smallville" by a few tenths.... Read the full story here. (11:44 AM)

For four weeks in a row (all four of its telecasts), Lost has been the No. 1 program in its hour among viewers and young adults. On its most recent telecast (10/13/04), Lost ranked as the No. 1 TV program of the night in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In addition, on the ame night the new drama drew its largest overall audience since its debut episode (9/22/04) and hit series highs in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34, Teens 12-17 and Kids 2-11. Compared to the first four weeks of last season, Lost has improved the hour for ABC by 6.1 million viewers (17.6 million vs. 11.5 million) and by 40% in Adults 18-49 (6.6/18 vs. 4.7/13). (from comingsoon.net)

William Mapother told SCI FI Wire that he will appear in upcoming episodes of the ABC SF series Lost, playing a mysterious character named Ethan, but he added that he can't reveal many details. "I've thought about this, and frankly, I can't think of anything to say that wouldn't inadvertently reveal something important," Mapother said in an interview. "I can only imagine the horrors they'd subject my character to if I squawked." He added, "Worse than killing me, they'll write me off if I spill anything." (from SciFi Wire)
(10:56 AM)

   An episode description as well as promo pictures for episode 9, "Solitary," are now up. You can read the episode description here, while you can check out the promo pictures here. (Many thanks to Lisa of Sparklies.org.) Be warned, these may be considered SPOILERS. (6:19 AM)

   Promo pictures for episode 8, "Confidence Man," are finally up here. Sawyer fans, prepare to swoon. Thanks to Lisa at Sparklies.org! (7:57 PM)

LOST was picked up for a full season!
*high five's JJ, Damon, the cast and crew.*
Can more seasons be far behind? We will stay tuned!!!!
(5:54 PM)

   Episode 5, "White Rabbit," airs tonight on ABC at 8/7c. Don't forget to visit the message board to disucss the episode as soon as it airs. (11:23 AM)

   Yep, there's another mini-feature on Lost on tonight's Entertainment Tonight. Check your local listings so you don't miss it! (10:52 AM)

   Today's comic on Penny Arcade contains a reference to Lost. Anyone familiar with all the speculation behind the show will get a chuckle out of this one... (9:30 AM)

   The episode description for the 8th episode is now up at the episodes section. Be warned that this information may be SPOILERISH. (6:08 AM)

   Two episodes of Lost will rerun on Saturday, October 23 at 8/7c. Episode 4, "Walkabout," will play at 8/7c, while this Wednesday's episode, "White Rabbit," will rerun at 9/8c. Thanks to Rachel for emailing the info! (9:34 PM)

   The final ratings numbers for "Walkabout" are in. The fourth episode delivered Lost's highest ratings since the premiere, with 11.0/17, good enough for 10th for the week. Lost also placed 6th in total viewers, with 18,157,000 watching the show last Wednesday, up from the 16+ million who watched last week. (You can track Lost's weekly ratings at the episodes section.) Read the full story on Zap2It. Read the full story on AP. (7:31 PM)

   Project Monaghan, a site which supports and raises funds for Dominic Monaghan's pet charity, is currently holding an eBay auction for an autographed Lost poster. The poster was signed by Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Dominic Monaghan, David Fury, Damon Lindelof, and Paul Dini. All proceeds from the auction will go to their chosen charity, TreePeople. The current high bid is $157.50, and the auction will expire on October 21. You can bid for the item (or at least check it out) on eBay. (9:07 AM)

   They're finally here! 480 screencaps from "Walkabout", thanks to Bobbi of starDom. (6:59 AM)

   How good is Lost?
   So good I still can't shut up about it.
   And neither can anyone else I know. So, now that you've all seen enough episodes to be fully, completely and obscenely obsessed (you are, aren't you?), allow me to share with you the secrets you don't know, which come straight from the cast and creator.
   I shared some of 'em in a segment which ran on Wednesday's E! News Live, which you can see here. But I have more. Shhh...
   Because what you don't know can't impress that schmucky know-it-all at the watercooler, right?
   1. The Lost Set Was a Crime Scene: While visiting Honolulu for the series premiere a few weeks back, locals told us that some crewmembers decided not to work on Lost because of the location of the new set--inside a former Xerox warehouse that is the site of the worst mass murder in the history of the state of Hawaii. The building had been left vacant since Nov. 2, 1999, when a Xerox employee shot and killed six of his coworkers.
   Spooky-minded locals were whispering of "unusual accidents" taking place on the set, because the building had not been blessed after the tragedy (mandatory according to local belief). Those who actually work on set say that's just not so. The building was blessed before their first day of work there, everyone's safe and sound, and the only danger I witnessed was Matthew Fox's faint-inducing scrumptiousness.... Read the full story here. (12:38 PM)

   (NOTE: I'm including this article just so we can keep tabs on LOST's competition.)
   NBC is saying "aloha" to "Hawaii" for the November sweeps and putting "LAX" in a new Wednesday terminal.
   As part of a pre-sweeps rejiggering, Peacock plans to air Heather Locklear starrer "LAX" Wednesdays at 8 p.m. during November, replacing the low-rated "Hawaii." Latter sudser will remain in production at least until its 13-episode order is complete; no word yet on a back nine, though that seems a longshot given the skein's ratings.
   After a fast start, "LAX" has also slipped in the ratings, losing a big chunk of its "Las Vegas" lead-in. NBC brass hope the skein might be able to find its aud in the 8 p.m. Wednesday slot, where expectations are a bit lower.
   Replacing "LAX" Mondays at 10 p.m. will be "The $25 Million Hoax," a new reality skein in which a fake lotto winner has to convince her friends and family that she's won a huge cash prize. Read the full story here. (11:04 PM)

   On a night that included popular draws like postseason baseball and the final presidential debate, ABC's "Lost" impressively matched or established several ratings highs Wednesday with its fourth episode.
   The survival drama surged week-to-week and must now be considered a bona fide smash for the Alphabet after nearly a month on the air.
   Numbers for the debate remained strong and Fox's baseball was solid but, not surprisingly, down vs. last year's scorching scores.
   According to Nielsen Media Research estimates, "Lost" (6.8 rating/18 share in adults 18-49, 18.16 million viewers overall) matched its Sept. 22 premiere score in the 18-49 demo while establishing series bests in adults 18-34 (5.8/17), men 18-34 (5.1/16), teens (3.9/13) and kids (3.1/12) -- especially impressive since it faced baseball in all time zones.
   No 8 o'clock drama has consistently put up 18-49 ratings like "Lost" since Fox's "Melrose Place" in the mid to late '90s -- and it's hard to remember one that dominated in such fashion.
   Elsewhere, Fox's split national coverage of the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees and Houston Astros-St. Louis Cardinals series generated a 5.6 rating/14 share in adults 18-49, and 15.23 million viewers overall.
   That's down from last year's numbers, when the big-draw Chicago Cubs were playing (6.8/19 in 18-49, 18.4 million), but up nicely from two years ago (4.2/12, 12 million).
   The third and final Bush-Kerry debate (9-10:30 ET) attracted a combined 51.2 million viewers on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, according to Nielsen estimates. That's more than the 46.7 who tuned in last Friday, but less than the 62.5 million who watched the first debate Sept. 30.
   There was a surge of interest in the debates this year, as their average aud of 53.5 million viewers was up sharply from the 40.7 million who watched the three Bush-Al Gore (news - web sites) debates in 2000.... Read the full story here. Read more ratings news here. (10:49 PM)

Well, not ours personally, but Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly and Dominic Monaghan will be on the cover of TV Guide next week. We take our hat off to Rene for passing this on to Lost-tv via the charming and eloquent Bobbi at starDOM.
(3:41 PM)

   With live baseball coverage on FOX and the final presidential debate on the Big Three networks, a true picture of Wednesday night's ratings won't emerge until final nationals are released. The early data show, however, that ABC may take the night.
   Fueled by "Lost," ABC led in the fast nationals with an 8.9 rating/13 share. FOX came in second with an 8.4/13, followed by NBC at 7.2/11. CBS was fourth at 6.2/9. UPN, 3.0/4, edged The WB, 2.8/4, in the race for fifth.
   ABC also led among adults 18-49 with a 5.0 rating. FOX was right behind at 4.9. NBC averaged 3.8, CBS 2.7, UPN 2.0 and The WB 1.8.
   "Lost," 10.6/16, easily won the 8 p.m. hour for ABC. FOX's coverage of baseball's league championship series posted an 8.1/12 for the hour. CBS got a 6.1/9 from "60 Minutes," beating out a "Law & Order" rerun on NBC. "Smallville," 3.5/5, finished fifth for The WB, narrowly beating "America's Next Top Model" on UPN.
   In a tightly bunched field at 9 p.m., ABC held a slight lead with the 8.6/12 it drew for its debate coverage. FOX was second with baseball, 8.5/12. The debate averaged 8.2/11 for NBC and 6.6/10 for CBS. UPN aired a repeat of "Kevin Hill" as some affiliates pre-empted it for the debate, but it was still good enough to beat "The Mountain" on The WB.
   FOX took the lead at 10 p.m., with its baseball broadcasts scoring an 8.6/14. NBC's debate wrapup came in at 7.8/12, beating ABC's 7.6/12 and CBS' 6.0/9. Read the full story here. (11:48 AM)

   ...Still, she says, she wasn't sure she had made the right decision until she met her co-star, Matthew Fox. She immediately took to him ("He's such a warm person"), and she quickly figured out that he could do the heavy lifting.
   "I am not qualified to carry a show," says the actress, who is single. "This guy has carried two series (Party of Five and Haunted). I can ride on his back a little and let him carry the show, and that was a great relief."
   Plus, while she may be an acting novice, she does have one bit of experience Fox can't top.
   She once lived in a grass hut in the Philippines while doing missionary work, which helped prepare her, she says, for the physical nature of the shoot on Lost's Hawaii set.
   Proud of the show and thrilled to be part of it, Lilly says her biggest surprise was finding that so many of the show-business horror stories she'd heard were untrue, at least for her.
   "I was so unprepared. I've been shocked by the warmth and the generosity and the kindness and the giving of all the people. ... I'm still in that enamored stage where I'm in love with the industry."... Read the full story here. (7:59 AM)

   ...As for her reluctance about the entertainment industry, she still has it — and is content to keep it out of sight, if not out of mind, thanks to the Hawaiian location.
   "I've had very, very good luck. Everyone here, they're all incredible people with beautiful lives and families. I've lucked into this group."
   And while random strangers now recognize her, she says having a former hobbit as one of her castmates has helped.
   "Dominic can't go anywhere without being recognized. I've experienced that a bit and seen his reaction. He is very encouraged by it. He sees it as these people are his supporters and he's so glad to have that support. So he's very cordial and I've got to see someone be very positive about it, because not everyone is like that."
   She's currently reading film scripts, looking for a movie to shoot during her summer break next year. "My agent and I are aware of striking while it's hot and I'm very excited at the prospect of doing a film on my hiatus."... Read the full story here. (7:53 AM)

   ...We'll find out in flashback what led Locke to board that plane in Sydney. Meanwhile, on the island, Locke leads Kate and Michael (Harold Perrineau) on a hunt for food. Last week, Michael's young son, Walt (Malcolm David Kelly), said Locke told him a miracle had occurred.
   "What that miracle was is going to be revealed in this episode," says O'Quinn teasingly, chatting by phone from Hawaii early one morning last week.
   "My sense of Locke is that he's fatalistic," adds O'Quinn. "He feels that he has a destiny, that there's a mission that we're sent here to fulfill. And his mission is being revealed. That may make him powerful; it may make him dangerous; it may make him wonderful."... Read the full story here. (1:37 PM)

   This episode - already given a rare 10/10 score from TV Guide - appears to be one of the best and most anticipated, and critics from USA Today and Zap2It agree.
   From Zap2It: Did you know that former "Buffy" scribe David Fury is one of "Lost's" co-executive producers? Well, I suppose you do, if you watch the credits closely. But still -- how nice! The more "Buffy" writers get work, the more TV I'll watch. It's just that simple. In tonight's Fury-penned episode, the survivors are rudely awakened when a pack of the island's wild animals invade their encampment. Later, Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and Michael (Harold Perrineau) join the mysterious Locke (Terry O'Quinn) on a search for food. Later, some folks are horrified with Jack's (Matthew Fox) plan for the plane wreckage's dead bodies, and Jack later sees someone in the jungle who might not have been on their plane.
   From USA Today: "Who is this guy?"
   That's the question posed in a terrific episode of Lost (ABC, Wednesday, 8 ET/PT) that also answers a far more pressing viewer question: Can this promising new series produce a regular episode that's as gripping and entertaining as the pilot? And the answer, I'm thrilled to say, is "yes."
   Written by Angel's David Fury, tonight's cleverly structured hour focuses on the mysterious Locke, played with his signature blend of charm and menace by Terry O'Quinn. While Locke takes charge of a boar hunt, flashbacks unveil a string of increasingly surprising secrets. The final twist is a shock, but it's not a cheat. The clues are all there, if you look for them. This is simply a great hour of TV, and one that gives you every reason to expect more great hours ahead. (1:31 PM)

   Just a reminder: The fourth episode of Lost, "Walkabout," airs tonight at 8/7c on ABC. Also, there's a presidential debate scheduled for tonight, so please check your local listings if there have been any changes; adjust your TiVO accordingly. Feel free to chat with us through the chat room and the message board. (12:24 PM)

Jimmy Kimmel's featured guests this week on Friday, October 15 are Billy Bob Thornton and----Dominic Monaghan! Lost-TV's roving reporters will be there in the audience!
(3:23 AM)

   Last Wednesday's episode of Lost, Tabula Rasa, finished 12th for the week in terms of ratings (10.4/17) and 9th in terms of total viewers (16,539,000). All in all, it's an impressive performance for this new show. For full reports, check out Zap2It, E!, Variety, and target=_blank>AP. (11:22 PM)

   Maggie Grace (Shannon) will appear on a new episode on tonight's Law and Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC. The show is on at 10/9c. The official synopsis is as follows: Well-known actress Jesse (guest star Maggie Grace) who is the star of a controversial teen show, is raped in her trailer on the set. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Fin (Ice-T) investigate, and find the actress is hated by many community members, such as Carolyn Spencer (guest star Dana Delany, "China Beach") because they feel she's a bad influence on young girls. Carolyn's public statements of hatred and disapproval of the actress make her a prime suspect. The investigation unravels further clues, which point to Carolyn's son Danny (guest star Ricky Ullman), who is arrested after being placed at the scene of the crime. Although it appears that he was acting out his mother's wishes, the boy also was influenced by the directions of a radio shock jock (guest star Lewis Black, "The Daily Show With John Stewart"). Diane Neal also stars and Judith Light guest stars. TV-14 (12:23 PM)

   Many apologies for not reporting the fact that Evangeline Lilly was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel last night. In any case, clips from her appearance are now up at Lost Multimedia. Check those out! (12:02 PM)

   First of all, I've updated the episodes section. These are a bit delayed, but Tigress35's "Pilot (Pt. 2 of 2)" episode review and Honohino's "Tabula Rasa" episode review are finally up.
   Next, I've added four new affiliates: Missy-Peregrym.net, Cory's So Weird Webpage, The Lost Fan Fiction Archive, and Lost-Media.com.
   Finally, I've updated the spoilers, links, and pictures, including some new promo pictures. Check them out! (10:15 AM)

   I've revamped the pictures section, using a new photo album program to store the pictures. I'm still migrating some of the older pictures, but you can catch them here for the moment. (11:39 PM)

   One thing that definitely had an impact on the group was the white-knuckle crash sequence that will be revisited from different characters' points of view throughout the first season of the show.
   Jorge Garcia, who plays the burly but squeamish Hurley, said he wasn't nervous flying back from the show's location in Hawaii after shooting the pilot episode.
   "Now on plane flights, it goes into my head for a second because there's a lot of visuals of like the tail breaking off and the guy flying out," he said. "That crosses my mind. Every time I sit down on the plane, I think about it for a second, but I've always been a little morbid on planes."
   "After seeing when it drops, you can't really get that image out of your mind, but, you know, at least it's quick, isn't it? Hopefully," said Naveen Andrews, who draws suspicion as an Iraqi who formerly served in the Republican Guard.
   "I'm actually a pilot; I fly sailplanes and gliders, so I'm comfortable in the air, but after doing that crash sequence, to be honest with you, yeah, it made me think about it a little bit more," said Fox. "The weird thing is now all my castmates and I are going to fly back to Hawaii tomorrow morning on the same flight," he added with half-joking unease.... Read the full story here. (11:21 AM)

   Promo pictures from the upcoming episode The Moth (airing 3 November 2004) are now up here. Be warned that these are SPOILERS!, so proceed with caution. (11:45 PM)

   Screencaps from Tabula Rasa (last Wednesday's episode) have been added here. Please note that I'm currently working out a new photo album program, so hopefully the pictures will be moved from the old album to the new one (and hopefully I'll be able to customize it properly). (7:53 AM)

   There's going to be a feature on Lost on tonight's episode of Entertainment Tonight. Check your local listings for what time it's on. (2:15 PM)

   ..."Lost," 10.3/17, easily won the 8 p.m. hour for ABC over "60 Minutes," 6.4/10, on CBS. "Hawaii" finished third for NBC. "That '70s Show" and "Quintuplets" put FOX in fourth, averaging 3.9/6. "America's Next Top Model," 3.6/6, showed improvement over last week and gave UPN fifth place, beating The WB's "Smallville" by a few tenths.... Read the full story.
   (FYI, this week's overnight ratings are slightly higher than last week's, which indicates an increase in viewers.) (11:28 AM)

   So, just what was the song that played over the happy montage near the end of the last episode? The song is entitled Wash Away, by Joe Purdy. You can even download the song at JoePurdy.com. (1:59 AM)

   Just as a reminder: The third episode of Lost (and the first filmed after the series was picked up), "Tabula Rasa," airs TONIGHT on ABC. Watch it! Then rush to the message board to talk about the episode, and check out the chat room (also at the message board) to discuss the episode live. (10:02 AM)

   Lost retained its 9th place position last week, although it has the presidential debates to thank as certain shows from last Thursday were pre-empted. Ratings for the second half of the Pilot are pegged at 10.5/17 for a total of 17,004,000 viewers. More info on ratings at AP, Reuters, and Zap2It. (10:45 PM)

   It's finally up! Lost-TV's video interview with Dominic Monaghan, Harold Perrineau, Matthew Fox, and Evangeline Lilly is finally up! Many, many thanks to Sharon Williams at ABC for handing out press passes, John McClintock for being nice to the Lost-TV crew, Rene, the camera man, and of course the cast for their time. Many thanks, of course, to Kit for the actual interview, and to Bobbi (starDom) and Lisa (sparklies.org) for hosting the videos Please right-click-and-save these .ZIP files! Dominic and Harold Matthew and Evangeline (10:52 AM)

   Dominic Monaghan is calling from paradise. Currently residing on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, The Lord of the Rings star is shopping for a birthday present for his mother. An avid surfer, he is enjoying his time on the tropical isle, but this is hardly a vacation. Instead he is starring as Charlie, a washed-up musician who survives a plane crash and must start a new life on a deserted island on ABC's Lost, one of the fall's most anticipated television shows. The brainchild of Alias creator J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof (formerly a writer/producer on Crossing Jordan), Lost features a large ensemble cast and some ongoing mysteries that are sure to keep viewers guessing. Little is initially revealed about Charlie--the bass player in a one-hit-wonder band whose members, he insists, are still together and due for a comeback--and early hints indicate he's hiding a pretty big secret.
   Occasionally during our interview he stops to chat with a passerby who recognizes him from his role as the mischievous Hobbit, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck, from the Rings trilogy, and the actor is always gracious and friendly. He relished his time on the epic and remains close with his co-stars; three of the four hobbits will be reuniting in Hawaii for New Year's Eve. But he is clearly excited about his new project. Monaghan won the role of Charlie, even though the role was originally conceived for an older actor. "He was supposed to be a has-been rocker whose band had fallen off the map, like, 15 years earlier, but Dominic is 25 years old," Lindelof told Back Stage West. "So, he came in and read and just brought this great sense of humor to everything, [so] that we just rethought the character and said, 'Well, what if he wasn't an ex-rocker, but he was a one-hit wonder, and he just didn't realize it yet.'"
   Having starred in one of the most successful franchises of all time, playing an artist who peaked too soon might seem like tempting fate to some actors, but Monaghan dismisses such a notion. "You know what, I didn't think about that until probably about halfway through," he admits. "This could have very easily been me; it could still be me. I could go from working on one of the most successful films of all time, and then my career could disappear. I did have a year after making The Lord of the Rings when I wasn't working, and I was kind of dealing with these same emotions of what to do next." During that year, the German-born and British-raised actor had moved to Los Angeles and was just like any other struggling actor--albeit one with a series of hit movies on the horizon. "I had a year of being kind of down and depressed and pissed off, and I did a bit of soul-searching," he recalls. "It was probably one of the most gratifying years of my life, looking back now, because I grew so much. I came out the other side a lot stronger and ready to get on with life."
   While most people first took notice of him in Rings, the actor has been hard at work in the business for almost a decade. He was 17 when he landed a regular role on the British series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, which ran for four seasons. So he was hardly an overnight success at the time he was cast as Merry by director Peter Jackson. "I'm not really comfortable with the idea that people think, 'Oh, these lucky guys just came out of nowhere and got this gig on the greatest film of all time,'" he says. "I had to support years and years of working for something; I had to pay dividends. I worked for nine years so that I could get the opportunity to actually audition for Lord of the Rings." Many of those early jobs remain some of the actor's fondest. "Some of the work that I did, that I'm really proud of, has probably never been seen by anyone, because it's a small film or a tiny role in a play in Manchester somewhere," he says. "One of the big things as an actor, that you're explicitly aware of, is that you're only as big as the last great thing that you did."
   For that reason, he has been picky about the roles he's taken post-Rings and wasn't actively looking to do a TV series. "I was in the middle of reading a lot of film scripts, and I actually said to my agent that I didn't think I wanted to do television until something really special came along," he says. That something special turned out to be Lost, which he says he was "blown away" by. Although he had never seen Alias, he rented the DVDs and met with Abrams, which sold him on the project. He has high hopes for the series, which was dubbed the "best new drama" by Entertainment Weekly, but he also knows nothing is a surefire hit. "Some of the greatest shows only last one season while Beverly Hills, 90210 ran, what, 12 seasons?" he says, with a laugh. "You never can tell."
   Asked what his favorite part about doing the series is, Monaghan says he believes the best is yet to come. "I think once the show has been on the air awhile, the thing I'm going to enjoy more than anything is talking to people on the streets and finding out what they like about the show on a week-to-week basis," he enthuses. "Feedback is so accessible when you're on a weekly show. I think that's going to be amazing." Considering that the actor has been besieged by fans for the past four years, it's refreshing to hear that he has yet to tire of it. "I've had enough interactions with people along the way that if I was going to get pissed off at it, I would have been pissed off by now," he says. "I really don't mind; it's nice to have people come over and know what you do and be nice. It's always a really positive thing, it never becomes intrusive--unless you're in the middle of eating or someone starts to put their hands on you and won't let you leave."
   Should his series get lost in the shuffle this fall, he has several film projects to look forward to. He'll play a "complete loser" in the crime comedy Spivs and a rock 'n' roller in the dark drama Shooting Livien, and then he'll appear in a kung fu movie called The Purifiers, based on the 1979 cult classic The Warriors. He is also co-writing a screenplay with his Rings co-star Billy Boyd about the discovery of America, in which they will star. "Billy and I spent a long amount of time together, and the producer of Lord of the Rings approached us a few times and said, 'You guys should really write something, because the way you guys speak is really inspiring, the kind of banter you have with each other,'" he says. "Billy and I both really enjoy writing together. We don't have a lot of time, but we're going to get together in the new year."
   An advocate of creating his own work, Monaghan says, "I'm acutely aware that, as an artist, you need to try to immerse yourself in art to stay artistic. I try to get involved with any type of art and throw myself in with both feet. They say if you're working, you'll continue to work. If you keep being artistic, art will keep throwing itself towards you." And during those dry spells, the actor recommends remembering that you are not alone. "I think it's important for everyone to know that it's not just you that is going through this feeling of 'Should I give up?' or 'This industry is pointless and soul destroying.' It is. It is tough and a hard industry to be in, but everybody's experienced that, and if you persevere and you keep your head down and your eye on the prize, life has a funny way of working out," he says. "Also, time is a very interesting phenomenon. Just at the right time, at that perfect moment, it's all just going to make sense. So just stay positive; [that's] a really important thing." With that, the actor makes an impulse buy of a pair of gecko earrings and is back to the beach.
   SOURCE: Back Stage West (9:12 AM)

   A plane crashes on a mysterious island, and the survivors find themselves battling one another, their secrets, and a man-eating creature. While Lost doesn't sound like the typical show to kick off a Wednesday night primetime programming block, Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ABC took a gamble, and it is paying off.
   Ratings for the first two parts of the show's two-hour pilot were strong, especially in the highly coveted 18- to 49-year-old target demographics group. Yet Disney isn't stopping there given the early buzz on two more dramas -- Boston Legal and Desperate Housewives -- that debuted on the struggling network last night.
   It's hard to imagine when a new fall season has meant so much to a broadcaster. When CEO Michael Eisner announced that he would be stepping down at the end of his current contract, the media's eyes were once again glued to Disney. Once the board announced that it would like a new leader named by June and that the only internal candidate the company would consider was president and COO Bob Iger, those eyes bounced right back to ABC's ratings.
   Watching over a sluggish ABC as Eisner tapped him as his choice as successor wasn't Iger's finest resume highlight. Falling behind Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) CBS, General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC, and sometimes even Fox (NYSE: FOX), it was easy to discredit Iger's chances of taking over the company come 2006.
   Yet with the company scoring well with Lost and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to go along with its proven Monday Night Football and The Bachelor shows, is ABC's revival at hand? Will one or two more winners from last night truly turn the tide and bring Iger that much closer to the throne?
   The fact that the network's winners are hourly dramas is significant because it allows for twice as many ads to be served as your typical half-hour situational comedy. ABC tried to load up its calendar with sitcoms once Who Wants to Be a Millionaire overstayed its trendy welcome and came up mostly empty. A strong start is important because Fox has yet to break out its big guns for the fall season and ABC has typically eased up in the ratings once its Monday gridiron contests call it a football season.
   It's got a fighting chance now -- and to think it all started with a bumpy flight.
   SOURCE: Fool.com (11:22 AM)

   Added a bunch of new affiliates: Matthew Fox Web, Lost and Blown Away, Alias - Unveiled, Evangeline Lilly Fan, Southern Charm, Seannaholic Haven, Todo Por Tu Amor: A Carlos Ponce Fanlisting, and The Brain Drain. Check them out! (4:51 AM)

   More and more, the networks are using Saturday nights as a dumping ground to reair shows from the previous week. ABC used this to its advantage on Saturday (Oct. 2) night, showing the pilot of "Lost" as a two-hour movie and taking households with a 5.3 rating/10 share for the night. CBS was second with a 4.6/8, followed by NBC, 4.4/8, and FOX, 4.0/7.
   Among 18 to 49-year-olds, ABC also led the way with a 2.8. FOX was second with a 2.2, followed by NBC's 2.1 and CBS' 2.0.
   Things got started for ABC at 8 p.m. with the first hour of "Lost" taking a 5.4/11 for the hour. FOX was a distant second with back-to-back episodes of "Cops" averaging a 3.9/8. NBC came in third with a repeat of the special "Life's Funniest Moments," 3.7/7, while CBS' brought up the rear with "Surivor: Vanuatu," 2.9/6.
   "Lost" also won the nine o'clock hour for ABC, while CBS jumped up to second with "CSI: Miami," 5.6/10. FOX was third with "America's Most Wanted," 4.3/8, and NBC remained in fourth place with "The Apprentice." 3.2/6.
   The peacock network had a comeback at 10 p.m., with "Law & Order: SVU" scoring a 6.2/12 for NBC. CBS was second with "48 Hours Mystery," 5.3/10. ABC slumped to last place with "Wife Swap," 4.7/9.
   SOURCE: Zap2It (9:59 PM)

   440 screencaps from Pilot (Part 2 of 2) have been uploaded to the pictures section. Also added are various promo pictures for upcoming episodes. Check them out! (9:15 PM)

   I've finally updated the episodes section with information on upcoming episodes, as well as links to promo pictures and screencaps for past episodes. Also, let's welcome Lost-TV's three regular episode reviewers: Hilary, Honohino, and Tigress35! (11:05 AM)