Now that I've had the better part of a day to process all that went on in that mind-bending "Lost" finale Wednesday night, some thoughts:
   First of all, this season's final episode paid off much better than the conclusion of last season. Although a number of long-running questions (the monster, who's behind Hanso/Dharma, the mysterious visions) are still wide open and new ones (How 'bout that giant four-toed statue?) were raised, knowing that the hatch computer had a purpose and what (probably) caused Oceanic Flight 815 to crash provided some satisfaction that was lacking a year ago.
   But, since showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have a series to sustain, they couldn't very well explain everything (if they're even able to). Given what we've seen, though, there are a number of intriguing directions "Lost" can venture into starting next fall. Starting with.... Read the full story here. (2:44 AM)

   On Saturday, May 20, for the second year in a row, fans of ABC's castaway drama "Lost" gathered in the Los Angeles area to meet with producers and cast from the show and bid on "Lost"-related items to raise money for the Children's Defense Fund, a favorite charity of show co-creator J.J. Abrams.
   This year's event took place in the confines of historic Solar Studios, built in the 1930s, a loft-style building in Glendale, Calif. On the whole, the event was smaller than last year's party at the Century Plaza Hotel, with fewer fans and far fewer attendees from the show (the fact that the event came on the heels of the ABC's annual upfront presentation to advertisers in New York may have had an effect).
   Among the production staffers who did make the trek to Glendale were executive producers Carlton Cuse and Bryan Burk, editor Steve Semel and writer Adam Horowitz (who usually pens scripts with partner Edward Kitsis).... Read the full story here. (2:42 AM)

   ABC has released its fall schedule for the 2006-2007 season, and it seems that executives have listened to complaints from fans of the show. Lost will not be airing reruns for its third season. The show will air seven new episodes consecutively in the Fall (late September or early October) in its current time slot, then will be replaced by a new thriller starring Taye Diggs, Day Break. Lost will then return to its home in February, airing all new episodes until the season ends in May. For reports on ABC's fall schedule, check out The Futon Critic, Associated Press, and E! Online. (12:02 AM)

   Marc Anthony and Andy Garcia were honored with special tributes at Sunday's 2006 ALMA Awards, which celebrated achievements by Hispanic artists from the worlds of music, television and film.
   Anthony received the Celia Cruz Award for Excellence in Music while Garcia took home the Anthony Quinn Award for Excellence in Motion Pictures.
   Colombian songstress Shakira and reggaeton artist Daddy Yankee were named outstanding musical performers. Shakira also won the Best Spanish Album award.
   "Lost" stars Michelle Rodriguez and Jorge Garcia each were recognized for their supporting roles on the popular ABC television drama.... Read the full story here. (8:58 PM)

   Season 1 was about surviving for 40 days in the wilderness. Season 2 has been devoted to figuring out the meaning of Dharma.
   And it really all comes down to a bunch of sinners who need to be saved.
   Now what do you think "Lost" is about?
   "Certainly 'Lost' didn't become popular because it's a religious show or because it deals with spiritual themes. But that seems to be one element that hooks a particular part of the audience," says Lynette Porter, co-author of "Unlocking the Meaning of Lost" (Sourcebooks, $14.95). The new book analyzes the most talked-about series on TV, devoting two central chapters to the spirituality of "Lost" and its stories of redemption.
   The ABC drama about a group of people who have crashed on a mysterious island has achieved the dual feat of being a consistent Top 10 show as well as sustaining a fanatically geeked-out, Internet-churning cult following. While some just watch it for the unfolding story - as if it were a soap opera - others watch for clues to support their brain-frying theories of collective consciousness and electromagnetism. There is also, for those alert to it, a spiritual core summed up by the enigmatic character Mr. Eko.
   "People are saved in different ways," he said. And if you were to ask if he meant saved in an evangelical Christian sense, or in a rescued-from-the-island sense, surely Eko would just give one of his piercing but noncommittal looks and go back to building his little homemade church.... Read the full story here. Order Unlocking the Meaning of Lost from Amazon.com. (8:55 PM)

   Did you catch that ad for the Hanso Foundation near the end of Lost Wednesday night?
   "It was pretty legitimate looking," says Keith McDuffee, editor of tvsquad.com. Maybe, like McDuffee, you went to thehansofoundation.org website or called 877-HANSORG. People were doing that all day Thursday, trying to determine the significance of the group that claims to be "devoted to the advancement of the human race" and boasts of Joop, a 105-year-old orangutan, as part of its Life Extension Program.
   But the real value is in keeping Lost viewers hooked. Hanso is part of the "Lost Experience," a marketing scheme created by ABC, Channel 4 in the UK and Australia's Seven Network. Developed by the creative team behind Lost, the content is intended to provide more insight to the island's secrets.
   Clues appeared on broadcasts Tuesday in England, Wednesday in the USA and Thursday in Australia. They'll continue through summer and into Season 3.
   "What the Hanso Foundation did was just the beginning of this thing," says Mike Benson, ABC marketing chief, who adds that the response shut down call centers in the UK and USA. McDuffee says the key to Lost is to keep viewers guessing. "The show would probably fail if they didn't always have us wondering what's going on." Read the full story here. (8:52 PM)

   Bad Twin has only been available for three days, but the book has already nabbed endorsements from two high-profile names: Sawyer and Hurley.
   Hyperion Books released the mystery novel Tuesday, marking one small step for Lost promotional tie-ins and one giant leap from fiction to reality.
   The book, written by fictitious Oceanic Flight 815 passenger Gary Troup--for those without their decoder rings, his name is an anagram of "purgatory"--is being billed as the last manuscript from the author, who supposedly dropped the book off at his publisher just days before perishing on the made-for-TV flight.... Read the full story here. Order Bad Twin from Amazon.com. (8:47 PM)

   The events from last Wednesday's episode are still fresh in everyone's minds, and here are two more articles about that. Keep in mind that if you haven't seen the episode yet, these are SPOILERS! Richmond Times-Dispatch. Miami Herald. (8:42 PM)

   The important numbers on "Lost" may be 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42, but 44 was the key on Wednesday's episode: That was how many commercials aired before the Clue finally came in the form of an ad for the show's dubious Hanso Foundation:
   "Since the dawn of time, man has been curious, imagining all that is possible," intoned a smooth male voice. "The Hanso Foundation, reaching out to a better tomorrow. Discover the experience for yourself. Call 877-HANSORG."
   And thus the launch of the new "Lost Experience," an alternative-reality game based on the show that provides fans with a network of leads and clues to further explore the mysteries of the "Lost" island. But just try reaching that Hanso man.
   If you weren't already confounded by Jack and the gang, and that vexing island, trying to get through on the phone certainly could send you over the edge. ABC and 19 other networks across five continents launched the "Experience" Wednesday (it will run through early fall), but it hit Europe first, and when the web postings went up, desperate Americans started dialing international phone numbers in a race to be the first to discover the game's first location. Some got through; others were saddled with disappointing busy-busy-busy signals.... Read the full story here. (1:31 PM)

   As J.J. Abrams says hello to a movie career, he's saying goodbye to the spy series "Alias" and one more perplexing season of "Lost."
   In an interview to promote his film "Mission: Impossible III," the writer-director-producer weighs in on the finales for two shows he created that have won rabid fans since their premiere episodes. In the case of "Alias," Abrams is sorry but prepared to see the series end....
   ...Now in the case of "Lost," closure isn't expected at all. Instead, this cryptic, circuitous show promises to have one doozy of a cliffhanger finale for the season.
   "I can tell you that Damon Lindelof has done just that," says Abrams. "The ending of this year in 'Lost' blows the ending of last season out of the water. It's an incredible finale."
   Well, action-wise anything will be more exciting than the castaways looking down The Hatch, which is how the first season concluded.... Read the full story here. (WARNING! LINK CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR LAST WEDNESDAY'S EPISODE.) (1:28 PM)

   On tonight's Lost, the castaways stumble upon a Wilson volleyball that talks back.
   Special guest voice: Lee Majors!
   OK, so maybe we haven't achieved critical mass yet, but with the spellbinding ABC castaway saga (at 7 p.m. on CTV, 10 p.m. on ABC) kicking off a final run of fresh freaky episodes heading to May 24's two-hour sophomore season finale, this faithful viewer admits the last several instalments have left him wondering if all the head-scratching coincidences and one-step-forward-two-steps-back plotting is ever going to amount to more than just a big bundle of bananas.
   After all, we've already seen the survivors of doomed Oceanic flight 815 contend with smoke creatures, steel hatches, blacklight maps, crazed mental patients posing as shrinks, visions of horses and deceased loved ones, the plane wreckage of long-dead Nigerian drug smugglers, flaky French women, a Bizarro tribe of fake-beard-wearing child-kidnappers who call themselves the "Others" and a basement that looks suspiciously like FemBot headquarters from the Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman crossover of '76.
   Oh, and there's the matter of the button you have to push every 108 minutes to keep the world from imploding.
   True, all of these divergent pieces could still logically lock together. And, if not for the sluggish storytelling that has bogged down the midsection of Year Two -- the first half of the season was exquisitely spooky entertainment -- maybe we wouldn't be quite as concerned. But we are. And we're not alone.... Read the full story here. (1:26 PM)

   For the benefit of those who haven't seen last Wednesday's episode, "Two for the Road," I'm not posting the first few paragraphs of the articles that discuss the events that transpired in that episode. If you want to read on, just hit the links, but beware the spoilers. TVGuide.com. Monsters and Critics. The National Ledger. (1:20 PM)