The hatch is history.
   That was just one of the third-season secrets revealed by cast and crew of the TV drama "Lost," who gathered here Tuesday night to mark the release of the DVD set, "Lost - The Complete Second Season."
   "The hatch has definitely had its moment," confirmed executive producer Bryan Burk, referring to the mysterious underground bunker that was the set for much of the series' second-season drama. "Lets just say it was one big explosion."
   "Lost" cast members Evangeline Lilly, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Terry O'Quinn, Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjim Kim were among the attendees at the party at the Turtle Bay Resort, about a 20-minute drive from where much of "Lost" is filmed on the north shore of Oahu.... Read the full story here. (10:56 AM)

   Stars from the TV show "Lost" did not give away secrets Tuesday night about the upcoming third season, but they were enthusiastic about the new episodes.
   The producers "want the first six (episodes) to set up something really big to keep people hanging," says Terry O'Quinn, who plays John Locke on the hit ABC show.
   In a soggy, subdued red-carpet affair Tuesday night at Turtle Bay Resort, Buena Vista Home Entertainment officially announced the release of its second-season DVD and unofficially ushered in a media campaign for the show's third season. The DVD, with a suggested retail price of $59.99, goes on sale Sept. 5.
   Cast members O'Quinn, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim and Michael Emerson joined producer Carlton Cuse and others on last night's red carpet, fielding questions from reporters.
   "We have a very, very hungry fan base," Garcia said. "Expectations are high for the new season, especially with the six episodes up front and the 17 in a row at the end.... Read the full story here. (10:54 AM)

   This week seems to be the time for media reporters to begin cranking out pieces on how TV pilots can suddenly be found online, and available for illegal downloading.
   Of course, the stories might seem a bit laughable to anyone who has more than a casual knowledge of BitTorrent software and how long it's been in widespread use.
   Despite reporting to the contrary, this is at least the third year that TV pilots have been widely available online.
   While pilots and other TV screeners have been passed around online since the 1990's, it wasn't until 2004 when the practice really exploded. Thanks to BitTorrent, and an explosion of sites posting links to the files, nearly every fall TV pilot has been available for unauthorized downloading....
   ...One show that benefited greatly from a leaked pilot was ABC's "Lost." A near-complete version of the two-hour pilot found its way online in May of 2004, and it quickly developed a near-mythical reputation online. At least a half dozen fan sites devoted to the show sprang up over the summer, and by the time the show premiered in September, the buzz had migrated to traditional media sources, who reported extensively on the online discussions.
   While it's impossible to prove someone from the show helped the process along, it's probably no mistake that additional video and images continued to leak online in the days leading up the broadcast premiere.... Read the full story here. (10:51 AM)

   Lost's misfortunes at the Emmys continues. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards were announced last Saturday (a week ahead of the Primetime Emmys), and Lost, well, lost in every category it was nominated in, including the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series category where Henry Ian Cusick was nominated. This leaves the show with only two potential statues: Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series (Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, "The 23rd Psalm") and Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series (Jack Bender, "Live Together, Die Alone"). Those awards will be announced during the Emmys telecast on August 27. To view the winners of the Creative Arts Emmys, as well as find out the other nominees, visit the official site. (8:58 AM)

   Gameloft, a leading developer and publisher of games for mobile phones, has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with Touchstone Television to develop, publish and distribute mobile games based on ABC’s award-winning series Lost and Desperate Housewives.
   "Gameloft is proud to partner with ABC Entertainment and Touchstone Television to bring the popular Desperate Housewives and Lost series to mobile gamers," said Michel Guillemot, president, Gameloft. "We are excited to develop and deliver games based on these shows to over 1 billion mobile users worldwide."
   "Both Lost and Desperate Housewives have loyal and dedicated fans, and we are excited to be able to bring them more ways to interact and engage with their favorite shows and characters," said Bruce Gersh, senior vice president, business development, ABC Entertainment and Touchstone Television. "We look forward to working together with Gameloft to develop games that capture the defining essence of each show."
   The Lost and Desperate Housewives mobile games are scheduled for release in early 2007. Read the full press release here. (2:23 AM)

   No man is an island. Neither is a TV show. But the ripple effects emanating from the hit series Lost are almost as powerful as the strange, magnetic doomsday device (that works!) in the island's mysterious hatch.
   About to enter its third season, this take-prisoners drama has been more than a runaway hit, becoming a pop culture phenomenon – it is the Lost leader – inspiring many shows to resort to imitation as the sincerest form of flattery.
   There's plenty of good coming out of all this. One great example is that TV shows are becoming more multicultural, as is the credibility and care given to science-fiction programs. Mysteries and conspiracies are everywhere too. Happily, this year's crop of Lost-influenced shows are a bit more subtle than last year's failed insta-clones, like Surface, Invasion and Threshold.... Read the full story here. (7:36 AM)

   Remember those episodes of "Gilligan's Island" when Gilligan would run into some stranger while looking for coconuts and it was never really explained how they ended up on the island? Well, ABC's "Lost" is adding three new characters for the show's third season and, just like that other classic show, no one is saying how they got there.
   Over the last week it was announced that actors Rodrigo Santoro, Kiele Sanchez and Elizabeth Mitchell would be the show's latest castaways. While "Losties" all over the Internet will be speculating whether these characters are crash survivors, Others or from some unseen part of the island, most people will be wondering just who the heck are these actors? I mean they're not household names... yet! But maybe after their tour of the island, they will be.... Read the full story here. (7:34 AM)

   Lost may have been snubbed at the Emmys, but the Internet Entertainment Writers Association have nominated the show for two Internet Television Awards. The show itself was nominated for Favorite Primetime Drama Series, while Matthew Fox took a nod for Favorite Actor in a Primetime Drama Series. Voting is open to the public and lasts until August 25th. (4:56 AM)

   After two seasons of sexual tension, the Lost island looks like it's becoming a lovefest.
   ABC's Lost is adding another new member to the castaway cast--Kiele Sanchez, of the WB series Related, will join the show in season three. Sanchez will more than likely play the love interest of recent cast addition Rodrigo Santoro, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
   Sanchez has had roles in two axed sitcoms from last season, NBC's Four Kings and The WB's Modern Men. She also had a role in the 2003 telemovie, Young MacGyver.... Read the full story here. (4:47 AM)

   Kiele Sanchez is set to join the cast of ABC's "Lost" next season.
   She is said to be playing a new castaway and a potential love interest for another recent addition to the show's cast, Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro.
   Sanchez most recently starred on the WB Network series "Related." Her series credits also include ABC's "Married to the Kellys" and "That Was Then."
   Also joining the cast of "Lost" next season is Elizabeth Mitchell. Read the full story here. (4:46 AM)

   "Lost," awarded the 2005 Emmy and 2006 Golden Globe for best drama series, has begun production in Hawaii on third season episodes of action-packed mystery and adventure -- that will continue to bring out the very best and the very worst in the people who are lost. The series will have its season premiere Wednesday, October 4 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC.
   After Oceanic Air flight 815 tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island, its survivors were forced to find inner strength they never knew they had in order to survive. But they discovered that the island holds many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, a strange French woman and another group of island residents known as The Others. The survivors have also found signs of those who came to the island before them, including a 19th century sailing ship called The Black Rock, the remains of an ancient statue and bunkers belonging to the Dharma Initiative, a group of scientific researchers.
   Jack, Kate and Sawyer open the season in captivity as prisoners of The Others. Just who these Others are and what they want are primary questions Season Three will explore. Michael Emerson joins the regular cast in his ongoing role as Henry Gale, leader of The Others. Romance looms on the horizon as Jacks interests veer towards a mysterious new woman, whose motives may be questionable. Sun and Jin will continue to celebrate their pregnancy but is the child really Jin's? Locke and Sayid will band together with some of the other survivors and journey across the island in an attempt to free Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Charlie will attempt to return into the good graces of Claire and her baby, Aaron, but can he be trusted to stay clean and sober? The fates of Locke, Desmond and Mr. Eko in the aftermath of the implosion of the hatch are answered. Will Penny Widmore find the island and her long, lost love, Desmond, and can the survivors find a way to interact with the outside world?
   The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must continue to work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain if they want to stay alive. But as they have discovered during their 60-plus days on the island, danger and mystery loom behind every corner, and those they thought could be trusted may turn against them. Even heroes have secrets. Read the full story here. (4:44 AM)

   ABC's troubled summer saga added a concluding chapter today as the Alphabet has pulled the plug on its docu-soap "One Ocean View" after two weeks on the air....
   ...Also announced today: repeats of "Boston Legal" are being shelved for the rest of the summer in favor of a third edition of "Primetime" while "Lost" repeats are being bumped through the end of August for repeats of "The George Lopez Show."
   The latter series has been filling in for "Lost" on Wednesdays at 9:00/8:00c since July 26 while "Primetime: The Outsiders" will take over the Tuesday, 10:00/9:00c hour for five weeks beginning August 15. "Legal" then will return on September 19 when its third season launches. Read the full story here. (4:42 AM)

   ABC certainly doesn't seem to be making the same mistakes as it did early this century when it relied on only one show (Who Wants to be a Millionaire) to carry its entire programming schedule. In other words, it's not counting on the successes of Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy to carry the the whole network. So, only does it have a full slate of new series to try out on the public, but it is also experimenting with a few concepts that haven't been seen in awhile.
   One of these is a new anthology series named Masters of Science Fiction. Created by IDT Entertainment, the same people who gave us Showtime's Masters of Horror, the six episode series will feature adaptations of stories from acclaimed science fiction writers such as Harlan Ellison, Robert Heinlein and Robert Sheckley. Each episode will be introduced by physicist, author, and recurring actor on The Simpsons Stephen Hawking.
   A number of actors from current and new ABC series will be cast in this anthology. This includes Anne Heche from the upcoming series Men in Trees, Terry O'Quinn from Lost, and Desperate Housewives' James Denton. Also appearing will be Sam Waterson (Law & Order), Elisabeth Rohm (Angel), Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), and Macolm McDowell. Read the full story here. (4:40 AM)

   Fear not, "Lost" fans, Terry O'Quinn's obsessed numbers-cruncher will return to ABC's ratings-busting drama next season, executive producer Carlton Cuse told the Track yesterday.
   Locke, who in a season-ending cliffhanger was last seen blowing up along with fellow castaways Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) and Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), will live to see season three.
   "He's not dead. (Producer) Damon Lindelof and I would be pretty stupid if we killed off John Locke," Cuse told the Track on his way to last night's Red Sox-Indians game at Fenway. "He is definitely one of the most popular characters.... Read the full story here. (4:37 AM)

   ABC said it plans to stream more of its prime-time series this fall on a soon-to-be-relaunched ABC.com, following a successful trial run last spring when it offered free, ad-supported episodes of four of its top shows on the Web.
   Back in May and June, ABC.com streamed 5.7 million individual episodes of its shows Lost, Desperate Housewives, Alias and Commander in Chief in what the network is touting as a successful experiment in broadband video. According to comScore Media Metrix, roughly 872,000 unique viewers logged on to try out the site's video offerings. "The launch of ABC.com's broadband player was a huge step forward for us as we strategically reposition our Web sites from marketing tools to rich entertainment platforms," said Anne Sweeney, president, Disney-ABC Television Group.... Read the full story here. (4:36 AM)

   ABC's primetime television shows will be permanently available as ad-supported Webcasts this fall, The Walt Disney Co. said Friday.
   Disney will announce later which particular shows will be available for free on abc.com. A re-tooled version of the free broadband player will be launched this fall. Episodes will likely be available for a limited time and shows may rotate on the site, Disney executive vice president for digital media Albert Cheng told Reuters.
   The decision comes after a two-month test featuring series "Desperate Housewives," "Commander and Chief," "Lost," and "Alias," drew a younger, more educated audience, according to Disney. The shows were viewed 16 million times during the trial and 87 percent of viewers remembered the advertiser who sponsored the episode they watched. That compares with typical ad recall of 40 percent for commercials viewed on television.... Read the full story here. (4:33 AM)

   After taking some time off to direct "Mission: Impossible III," J.J. Abrams is back to work on the third season of ABC's hit series "Lost."
   "J.J.'s been pretty involved coming out of the gate," Damon Lindelof, executive producer told SciFi Wire in an interview at Comic-Con International in San Diego last week. "Obviously he was still doing publicity for 'Mission' as we started on breaking out the sort of season-long arcs, but he and I are writing the season premiere together, and he has plans to direct the seventh episode of the show, which would be the sort of season premiere for the second block of episodes."
   The third season of "Lost" will air in two uninterrupted blocks of episodes. The first block of six episodes will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning Oct. 4. The balance of the season will start in the winter.
   Lindelof and Abrams have been sending scenes back and forth as they write the premiere for the new season. "The rule of thumb that you'll start to see establish itself is that the show is still about our people," said Lindelof. "It's still about our guys, and we don't want to start handing off the show to strangers until the show is ready for that.... Read the full story here. (9:52 PM)

   Chalk up another addition to the "Lost" cast for next season: actress Elizabeth Mitchell.
   Mitchell will be playing a character named Juliet on the ABC series. There's precious little else to know about the character at the moment, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, she may be a new love interest for Matthew Fox's Jack.
   Of course, last season ended with Jack being held captive by the Others, which, one could theorize, might mean that Mitchell will be playing one of the folks from the other side of the island. Or, given the show's frequent plot swerves, not.
   Mitchell is the second new addition to the cast this week. ABC previously announced that Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro will also be a regular next season.... Read the full story here. (9:50 PM)

   There should be no love lost over Lost's new love.
   Except maybe between Jack and Kate.
   Elizabeth Mitchell, best known for playing Kerry Weaver's ill-fated girlfriend on ER, has signed on as a series regular for the upcoming third season of Lost....
   ...With the castings of Rodrigo and Mitchell, it's two down, one to go. Earlier this week, Cuse said that three new faces would be joining the show next season--two females and one male.
   Of course, landing the gig is no guarantee of small-screen longevity. Of the three full-time cast members added at the start of the show's second season, only one made it through the year alive.
   The J.J. Abrams-penned third-season premiere, "A Tale of Two Cities," airs Oct. 4. Read the full story here. (9:47 PM)

   Elizabeth Mitchell has joined the cast of ABC's hit drama "Lost" as a possible new love interest for Matthew Fox's character, sources said.
   Earlier this week, Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro signed on to co-star on the show, which begins its third season in the fall.
   Mitchell next will be seen opposite Tim Allen in the feature "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," which opens November 3. Her other credits include HBO's "Gia," in which she played Angelina Jolie's lover, and a recurring role on "ER." Read the full story here. (9:44 PM)