And you thought the National Basketball Association's off-season was short.
   ABC's "Lost," which finished filming its first season in April, is scheduled to start up production again on July 28. The season-one finale aired May 25.
   Cast and crew will enjoy the luxury of two soundstages this season: the existing "cave" set in the old Xerox building on Nimitz Highway, and a very-soon-to-be-built new set at the state's Diamond Head Studio. No word yet on what that set will be exactly.... Read the full story here. (12:54 AM)

   Looks like Jack, Sayid, Kate, et al. are getting some more company on mystery island.
   ABC confirmed Monday that Michelle Rodriguez will join Lost's cast of castaways full-time next season. The news was first reported by E! Online TV columnist Kristin Veitch. (This story contains possible spoilers, so consider yourself alerted.)
   In part one of last season's finale, Rodriguez's character, Ana-Lucia Cortez, was briefly shown in a flashback scene flirting with Matthew Fox's Jack in a Sydney airport bar before the ill-fated Oceanic flight 815 boarded. She and Jack compared seat assignments (Jack was in the middle of the plane, she was in the tail section) before she got a cellphone call and left him hanging.... Read the full story here. (9:56 AM)

   Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) has sold the hit ABC series Lost into more than 180 territories worldwide, it was announced at the studio's International Upfront, making it BVITV's fastest selling show ever.
   Tom Toumazis, the executive VP and managing director of BVITV EMEA, noted, "Lost's international appeal lies with its tightly-woven storylines that keep viewers on the edge of their seats, its spectacular production - on a par with that of a feature film - plus an internationally recognized cast. We look forward to working with our broadcasters in growing its success across the globe, as there are many more international launches to come for this show.... Read the full story here. (9:52 AM)

   20th Century Fox and Marvel Entertainment set Brett Ratner on Friday night to replace Matthew Vaughn as the director of X-Men 3, reports Variety. Shooting will start in August for a Memorial Day weekend 2006 opening date.
   A comic book enthusiast, Ratner was among the helmers considered to direct the first X-Men. The job went to Bryan Singer instead. Ratner then spent a full year developing Superman Returns, the film that ultimately prompted Singer to drop out of directing "X3."
   The trade adds that the "X3" budget is locked, and Fox and Marvel brass consider the script by Zak Penn and Simon Kinberg to be at least as strong as that of the first two installments. The original returning stars have been signed, and the cast is bolstered by Kelsey Grammer as Beast, Vinnie Jones as Juggernaut and Lost star Maggie Grace as Kitty Pryde (aka Shadowcat).... Read the full story here. (12:37 AM)

   The views of TV critics and those of the viewing public don't always jibe, or otherwise "Arrested Development" would have a bigger audience than it does. The two groups have found some agreement, however, on two of this past season's biggest new hits.
   ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," both of which finished the year ranked among the top 15 shows on television, were also among the leading nominees for the 2005 Television Critics Association Awards. "Housewives" received the most nominations with five, while "Lost" tied with Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" for second with four nods apiece.
   The two freshman hits helped ABC capture the most nominations of any network with 11 ("Nightline" earned the other two). FOX, led by "Arrested Development" and "House," was next with eight nods, followed by HBO with seven, PBS with five and CBS with four....
   "Lost" was nominated for Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Drama, New Program of the Year, and Individual Achievement in Drama (Matthew Fox). Read the full story here. (9:35 PM)

   Calling in from the set of his new movie, "Whisper," in Vancouver, B.C., Josh Holloway has a few thoughts on the finale of ABC's "Lost."
   "I was a little disappointed in the finale," says Holloway, who plays con man Sawyer on the hit series. "I liked it, but I didn't love it. The script was one thing, but they tried to do so much, I feel like that some things lost the power they had. But that's okay; it was still good."
   After a season full of dangling plot threads and tantalizing clues, fans were hoping for some solid revelations at the end. What they got in the May 25 finale were some hints and a few surprises, but in the end, more questions than answers. And that goes for the actors as well.... Read the full story here. (9:31 PM)

   Final ratings for the two-hour season finale of Lost are in. The show got ratings of 12.0/18, good for 4th place for the week, and total viewership of 20,713,000, which also puts it at 4th place. Read the full story here. (9:26 PM)

   While us grownups have been furrowing our brows over the perceived decline of "The O.C." in its second season, the teenagers of America still heart the show something fierce.
   That would explain, then, the seven nominations the show and its stars received for the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, more than anything else in the TV categories for the awards. Other usual suspects -- "One Tree Hill," Ashton Kutcher, "American Idol," "Family Guy" -- also got multiple nominations, as did out-of-the-box hits "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost"....
   "Lost" is nominated for Choice Show: Drama, Choice Actor: Drama (Matthew Fox), Choice Actress: Drama (Evangeline Lilly), and Choice Sidekick (Jorge Garcia). Read the full story here. (9:21 PM)

   If American Idol were a song, it'd be "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)." It plain refuses to die.
   For the second straight season, the Tuesday edition of Idol reigned as TV's most watched show, according to Nielsen Media Research....
   ...ABC's Lost (15.9 million, 14th place), which crashed and burned only in the script.... Read the full story here. (1:24 PM)