On July 7, 2005, Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse arrived at ABC to present their second-season vision for the network's rookie sensation. They should have been brimming with confidence: In a few short months, Lost had become the biggest cult breakout since The X-Files. Instead, the producers were twitching with anxiety. For the first time, they would be sharing with ABC the answer to Lost's most tantalizing riddle — the contents of a glowing air lock, inexplicably buried on an island teeming with inexplicable things. Since May's cliff-hanger finale, which ended with plane-crash survivors Jack (Matthew Fox) and Locke (Terry O'Quinn) peering into this Pandora's box, Lost's brain trust had been constructing a backstory for the Hatch that was so complex and dense, it would require a three-minute orientation film to explain it to viewers. There was no plan B. If ABC didn't like it, says Lindelof, ''we would have been completely [screwed].'' The meeting, according to producers, went something like this... Read the full story here. (8:33 AM)

   The cast of "Lost," ABC's hit drama of air crash survivors marooned on a mysterious island, have won one battle -- they beat a 40-year-old virgin and King Kong's girlfriend for the title of 'Entertainer of the Year."
   Entertainment Weekly named what it called a group of "treasured islanders," the cast of "Lost," as its Entertainer of the Year, calling the show one of the "biggest cult breakouts since The X-Files."
   In second place was Steve Carell, the star of the hit film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and the magazine cited him for his ability to play an implausible boob.... Read the full story here. (8:07 AM)

   Congratulations to Lost for being nominated for three Golden Globe Awards by the Hollywood Foreign Press. The series is nominated for Best Television Series - Drama against Commander in Chief, Grey's Anatomy, Prison Break, and Rome. Two of the show's actors were also nominated: Matthew Fox (Jack) for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama, and Naveen Andrews (Sayid) for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television. (6:03 PM)

   2. "Lost": You know what I love about "Lost"? That they have so many multiple storylines brewing that they can put something on the backburner to simmer, like say the need to push that button every 108 minutes, while they deal with Jack's past love life or Locke's heartless father. We clamored to know what was in that blasted hatch and they told us (Desmond, I hope we see you in another episode, brother). A show so complex and layered that we almost might forget we need to know what Kate did until they tell us. In its superb second season, "Lost" continues to surprise us in small ways (Kate and Jack kiss), average ways (Bernard is alive. He's alive.) and big ways (um, did Walt just IM his dad?) while dropping little Easter eggs for eagle-eyed viewers along the way (hey, is that Sayid on the TV is Kate's flashback?) and pulling bait and switches (Dr. Arzt explosive demise). As I stated in last week's column, every week I declare a new character to be my favorite (except of course for the mandatory deduction for Ana Lucia) which is a testament to the show's superb acting.... Read the full story here. (7:19 AM)

AFI named Lost as one of its Top Ten TV Programs of the Year, alongside 24, Battlestar Galactica, Deadwood, Grey's Anatomy, House, Rescue Me, Sleeper Cell, Sometimes in April, and Veronica Mars. (12:36 AM)

   It's not every bride who meets the cast of a top American TV show on her honeymoon. But that's what happened to Hayley Fowler when she met the actors from the hit Channel 4 series, Lost, in Hawaii.
   Hayley, 21, of Cleator Moor, had travelled to the islands for her wedding to Barrie, 23, along with 11 family members, including her parents, Linda and Tony Rushforth, who were celebrating their silver wedding.
   "I had wanted a more intimate wedding," Hayley said, "and when my mum and dad said they were going on the holiday of a lifetime to Hawaii, Barrie and I decided that would be the ideal place to get married.... Read the full story here. (8:25 AM)

   Check out this comic dated December 5 from Extralife for a little Lost-related comic. (8:22 AM)

   Sometimes great writing fuses with a brilliant performance to form a perfect television character. The character pops off the screen and commands our attention. And perhaps you've noticed I can't stop prattling on about them
   You know the rules by now. All characters on my list are from a network television shows in at least their second season. This season has offered up some terrific characters (I'm convinced that Barney on "How I Met Your Mother" is going to be, wait for it ... legendary.), but great characters evolve over time. We'll see you next year Randy Hickey. I also stuck to the rule of only one character per show (if I didn't, the castaways on "Lost" would make up half the list)....
   ...Here, in no particular order, are my Top 10 characters for 2005...
   ...Jin on "Lost": Trying to pick my favorite "Lost" character is a little bit of an exercise in futility. It changes from week to week. But Daniel Dae Kim has done something never before done is a network TV series -- he's gone a season and a half speaking very little English. He conveys in facial expressions what many actors cannot with pages of dialogue. On an island full intriguing characters, Jin remains the most fascinating.... Read the full story here. (8:55 AM)

   In the push for diversity in television — the campaign to add people of color to key positions on both sides of the camera — it's not the beauty of the rainbow that ultimately brings the big networks around.
   It's the promise of a pot of gold.
   There are many explanations why ABC, for example, has Hispanics in so many prominent roles in so many of its series of late, from Eva Longoria's Gabrielle on "Desperate Housewives" and Jorge Garcia's Hurley on "Lost" to Freddie Prinze Jr.'s title character on "Freddie."
   Not the least of those reasons, however, is that dinero talks.
   Last week, two media watchdog groups that promote diversity placed ABC at the head of the class for increasing Latino presence both on-screen and behind the camera.... Read the full story here. (8:53 AM)

   One of the two actresses from the ABC series "Lost" arrested for drunken driving in Kailua early Thursday could face jail time in California because of other traffic arrests in 2003.
   Thursday's incident is the second drunken-driving arrest for Michelle Mayte Rodriguez, who is on probation after pleading no contest to DUI, driving with a suspended license and a hit-and-run charge during two separate incidents in Los Angeles. Officials for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office said they are investigating whether Rodriguez is in violation of her probation.
   "Potentially, she could face six months in jail for each misdemeanor charge," said Frank Mateljan, Los Angeles City Attorney's Office spokesman. "Right now, we're in the process of contacting authorities in Hawaii to get a copy of the police report, in order to make a determination if a probation violation hearing is warranted.... Read the full story here. (8:46 AM)

   Lost earned two nominations for this year's Golden Satellite Awards, handed out by the International Press Academy. The show is nominated for Best Television Series, Drama (against Rome, House, M.D., Rescue Me, Grey's Anatomy, and Nip/Tuck) and Best DVD Release of a Television Show for the Season One box set. (Last year, the show was nominated for three awards and took home one: Best Actor in a Series, Drama for Matthew Fox, who's not nominated this year.) You can check out a list of the nominees in the other categories at the International Press Academy website. (12:08 AM)

   Lost was once again the highest-rated show on TV last night, with its last new episode until January, "What Kate Did." Zap2It reports overnight ratings of 12.2/18, while Mediaweek reports total viewership of approximately 21.30 million viewers. (5:04 PM)

   The Seventh Annual Family Television Awards was held on November 30 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills and recognized honorees in nine categories for their contributions to outstanding family entertainment. The show will be televised on The WB Network on Sunday, December 11 from 8 p.m to 9 p.m....
   ...2005 Family Television Award honorees include "Lost" (ABC; Drama)...
   ...Stars appearing on the Awards program on December 11th include... Emilie de Ravin, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Evangeline Lilly, Dominic Monaghan, Harold Perrineau (Lost)... Read the full press release here. (6:50 AM)

   ABC's "Lost" and CBS's "King of Queens" took top family-friendly honors Wednesday at the seventh annual Family Television Awards.
   "Lost" was named best drama and "King of Queens" won for best comedy.
   CBS's "Amazing Race" won for best reality program and UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris" won for best new series.... Read the full story here. (6:48 AM)

   It's not unusual to hear a friend or co-worker talk about polar bears or the Dharma Project these days. It's all because of the television show "Lost," which has become a hit in part because of its symbolism and hidden meanings.
   "Lost" fans spend hours online with friends and family and at work talking about the show. Hundreds of Web sites are devoted to analyzing the cryptic details of the program.
   In short, the Wednesday night ABC show is about a plane crash on what seems to be a deserted island. The survivors of the crash band together, but then strange things start happening.
   At Browning Co. Graphic Design in Portsmouth, not much work gets done on Thursday mornings. Terri Nulph is one of several employees who don't just watch "Lost," but analyze it.
   "It's fun to try to find stuff that these guys can't and come in and make myself look smarter than the rest of them, which is truly the best part of it," Nulph said.... Read the full story here. (6:45 AM)

   ABC tied for first as the most-watched television network among younger viewers during the November ratings period, as shows including "Lost" pushed the broadcaster to the No. 1 spot for the first time in more than five years.
   ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co., tied with CBS in viewers aged 18-49 for the November "sweeps" period, used to set advertising prices at local TV stations. A year ago, Burbank, California-based Disney's broadcast network tied for second.... Read the full story here. (6:39 AM)