TV Write Now » LOST

Hi Again: A Very Random Pop Culture Update

JOpinionated — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:17:00 +0000

I owe you an apology, again. Every intention of updating this site on a much more frequent basis has fallen victim to time, travel and Lost over the last several weeks. But this site is my real baby; my original blog of almost 5 years, and what will continue to be home base once Lost ends forever in May.

Because I have been negligent for far too long, I thought I would briefly address what has been going on in my pop culture world and provide appropriate links if you’re interested in additional details.

I just returned from a weekend in Buenos Aires and week in Santiago, Chile (visiting family; see video at bottom of post). To escape thunderstorms one afternoon, we went to see An Education. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, particularly the performance of Carey Mulligan. While I believe that she completely deserves her Best Actress nod, I don’t think that she stands a chance against Meryl and Sandra this year. And to be honest, I do not agree with the film’s inclusion as a Best Picture nominee. But don’t get me started about the fact there are now 10 in that category…

At the end of January, I went to Oahu for the Lost Season 6 premiere on the beach, interviewing cast and crew while reporting for TVovermind.

While on the red carpet, I had the opportunity to interview Michael Emerson’s wife, actress Carrie Preston. Stay tuned for audio from that conversation, as we discuss her role as Arlene in the third season of True Blood!

I am currently hosting a Haiti relief fundraiser on my Lost site, giving away memorabilia to those who donate $10 or more to Partners in Health (in conjunction with Mo Ryan from the Chicago Tribune, who is also auctioning off various TV items for the cause via eBay).

In anticipation of new episodes of the stellar series Southland (beginning March 2 on its new network: TNT), here is a look behind the scenes of the show. I will be receiving a screener shortly and plan to preview it here for you before it airs.

To celebrate the new movie The Crazies, a reinvention of the George Romero horror classic starring Timothy Olyphant (opening on February 26 in theaters), I will be giving away a set of limited-edition The Crazies comic books very soon!

Thank you to those of you who entered the Secret Diary of a Call Girl DVD and book giveaway; I will ship out the prizes to the winners this week.

One of my favorite new shows of the last several years, Nurse Jackie, returns for a second season on March 22. Here is the trailer. Jump on board; I guarantee you won’t regret it. Twilight fans, you will love Peter Facinelli in this series – check out Dr. Coop’s Video Diary.

And here is your first look at the sophomore season of my other favorite new show in recent memory, United States of Tara. Joey Lauren Adams joins the cast, and the series also returns on March 22.

Thank you for your patience, whether you are fairly new to this site or have been visiting for several years. I look forward to hearing from YOU; feel free to leave comments and/or feedback below!

Comic-Con 09: Recap Video & LOST Panel

JOpinionated — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:15:00 +0000

Regular visitors to this site (hi Mom & Mel!) have probably noticed that I don’t post as often here anymore. That is because I am primarily covering television as a contributing writer on TVOvermind and participating in a lengthy Lost ReWatch project. While I have no plans to abandon this site, I will probably continue to only post here on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I encourage you to bookmark TVOvermind and follow me there, as I tend to discuss and analyze many of the same shows that I cover here.

Most of you know that I was at Comic-Con last week in San Diego. I wanted to share my very first vlog/video diary recap of the panels I attended, as well as a highlight of the fun pop culture treasures I picked up along the way!

In addition, I have posted a comprehensive recap and analysis of the very last LOST panel at Comic-Con over on my Lost site.

Thank you for your patience – and let me know if you have any questions or thoughts about shows I am or should be watching!

-Jo

Star Trek: The Trailer & Anticipation

JOpinionated — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:08:00 +0000

I love movie trailers, so I arrive far too early to every film. Lately, I am reduced to a teenage fangirl with wide eyes and goosebumps when I see the trailer for the new and revamped Star Trek. Bring on the summer blockbusters; I can’t wait to see this movie.

STAR TREK

The film comes out on May 8. The season finale of Lost is on May 13. Thanks to J.J. Abrams, I will be consumed and overwhelmed for one week in May.

WonderCon 09: Watchmen & Star Trek Panels (Photos & Video) + Giveaways!

JOpinionated — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:09:00 +0000

On Saturday we spent the day in San Francisco at WonderCon with our good friend Brian, who shares my sci-fi and pop culture enthusiasm and then some. He is a great graphic artist (who created the logos for both of my blogs), and he took the excellent photos and video below. If you are an athlete, you must check out his blog, Pavement Runner.

We attended the Watchmen and Star Trek panels together, but Brian braved the entire weekend to also enjoy the Chuck, Pixar, Sarah Connor Chronicles and Terminator Salvation panels as well! He was kind enough to share pictures from all of them, and I will post those photos later this week.

WATCHMEN
Guests: Director Zack Snyder, graphic novel illustrator Dave Gibbons, actors Malin Akerman (Laurie Jupiter/Silk Spectre II), Billy Crudup (Dr. Manhattan/Jon Osterman), Jackie Earle Hailey (Walter Kovacs/Rorschach), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Edward Blake/The Comedian) and Patrick Wilson (Dan Dreiberg/Nite Owl II).

They showed us just over 15 minutes from the film, which opens this Friday. Without giving much away, I will say that the opening title sequence is one of the most phenomenal and creative that I’ve ever seen. This is going to be an outstanding visual ride, and one that will successfully mirror the brilliance of the original graphic novel.

STAR TREK
Guests: Director J.J. Abrams, executive producer Bryan Burk, screenwriter Roberto Orci, stars Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock) & Zoe Saldana (Uhura)

Video of J.J. Abrams at Star Trek panel [note to Lost fans, it is 1:08 long]

I am not a Trekkie by any means, and The Wrath of Khan is my favorite among the many previous Star Trek films. Abrams treated us to a longer, unreleased trailer…and I watched it with wide eyes and goosebumps. He has more than reinvigorated the franchise. I look forward to this film more than just about any other this year.

I have a few small but very cool collectible items from both Watchmen and Star Trek that I’d love to give away to my readers. Interested? Simply leave a comment below, telling me why you’re a huge fan of either and what your expectations are for the films. I will put all of your names in a hat and pull random winners by March 15. Make sure to fill in your name and email so that I can contact you.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Geek Girl transformation continues: LOST tour, sci-fi podcast & WonderCon

JOpinionated — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:39:00 +0000

When I’m not busy neglecting this blog, I am either working or transforming into a larger geek than I ever thought possible. If you would have asked me or anyone in my family even ten years ago whether or not I would love and embrace new technology, sci-fi, graphic novels, etc. – we would have all laughed out loud at the very thought.

Here are a few examples of what I’ve been up to and am about embark upon.

1. Less than two weeks ago, we went on an all-day LOST tour on Oahu. Incredible is only one way to describe the overall experience. See for yourself here and here on my Lost blog.

2. Last weekend I had the opportunity to call in to the Sci-Fi Party Line podcast to discuss Lost and the tour with my new friend Cat (@FancyFembot on Twitter), as well as other TV shows like Bones, Dollhouse and True Blood. Click here to listen to the chat, or find it on iTunes!

3. Tomorrow we are heading into San Francisco for our very first WonderCon, which is a smaller version of San Diego’s Comic-Con (and yes, I’m going back there this year as well). If we get there early enough, we’re hoping to attend the Watchmen panel first, then brave the lines for the new Star Trek in the afternoon.

Besides that, I’ve been attempting to catch up on 3 weeks of shows…but have been disappointed in many. Right now I am only really enjoying Bones, Friday Night Lights, Fringe, House and Lost. And I need to finish Season 1 of Breaking Bad because the second season begins on March 8!

Phew.

What’s new with YOU?

Have a great weekend!

Hola & Aloha! Hawaii Here We Come

JOpinionated — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 19:17:00 +0000

I have been absent and a shell of a blogger. Apologies.

Tomorrow we leave for Hawaii, and I have plans to post a few entries…when I’m not on the beach, at the pool, on the zip line or enjoying ridiculously fruity/girly cocktails.

We will be in Maui until next Sunday, and then in Oahu for a few days. We are primarily going to Oahu to take the all-day LOST tour. Seriously, and of course.

I have not had enough time to catch up on all of my TiVO’d shows, but here is a very quick report card:

30 Rock: A-
Bones: B-
Damages: B+
Friday Night Lights: A-
Grey’s: B+ (HUGE improvement)
Heroes: A- (HUGE improvement)
House: B
Flight of the Conchords: B
Lost: A
Nip/Tuck: C
The Office: B-
Private Practice: B
The United States of Tara: A-

Thank you for your patience and for checking in on occasion. You still complete me.

p.s. If you’re at all interested in our (mis)adventures in the 808, feel free to follow me on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/jopinionated.

Excuses, Excuses: My TV & Travel Schedule

JOpinionated — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:40:00 +0000

See, I warned you about my lack of posts here once Lost started up again. I’m certainly not complaining, but watching every new episode 2- 3 times and then writing several entries about each per week is quite time-consuming (and is more than likely the culprit for this lingering headache I’m nursing).

In addition to Lost, I am also watching the following shows every week:

30 Rock
Bones
Brothers & Sisters
Damages
Flight of the Conchords
Friday Night Lights
Fringe
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Life on Mars
Nip/Tuck
The Office
Private Practice
Scrubs
Top Chef
The United States of Tara

…on top of catching up with Season 1 of How I Met Your Mother on DVD and Season 1 of Breaking Bad on my iPod, and attempting to finish last season’s Survivor online.

I’ve given up on The L Word and Ugly Betty. But in the next few weeks I will be adding these to my collection: The Amazing Race, Dollhouse, Heroes, Life, Medium and Samantha Who.

Why do I list these out and why should you care? Because I’m an over-sharer and like to keep you in the loop. I would also like to know which shows you’d like me to write about; I’m much more likely to discuss YOUR favorite series…if only I knew what they were. Do tell.

In the interest of over-disclosure/overexposure, I also wanted to let you know that I will be out of town next week on business and then in Hawaii for 10 days on vacation. Don’t hate me. So you may not hear as much from me in February, except for occasional pop culture related reports (i.e. after our 8 hour private Lost tour on Oahu)!

Keep watching, keep reading and keep in touch.

Love you, mean it.

- Jo

When Am I? Initial Thoughts About LOST, Episodes 5.01 & 5.02

JOpinionated — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:37:00 +0000

For those of you who watch the show and are interested, I just finished posted some questions and theories over on my Lost blog about the first two new episodes of Season 5. And now I will rest my exhausted eyes and mind for a few hours. Of course the episodes require a second viewing and further analysis, which I plan to address before this weekend.

Good night!

Preview/Review of Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” & Other Blog News

JOpinionated — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:45:00 +0000

I was recently given the opportunity to view and review the first episode of the new series Dollhouse for TVOvermind, a fantastic new entertainment hub for television fans! It is my initial post for the site, and hopefully the beginning of a new extension for this blog. As many of you know, I contribute occasional Lost articles and theory analysis on DocArzt and Friends’ Lost Blog as well.

Click here if you’re interested to hear my initial thoughts about Joss Whedon’s new show. If you are a fan of Whedon’s previous efforts (Buffy, Firefly, Serenity) or enjoy any combination of Alias, Fringe, Heroes, Lost and The X-Files, I highly recommend that you tune in when Dollhouse debuts on FOX on Friday, February 13!

I’m Cheating on You…for 17 Weeks

JOpinionated — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 02:36:00 +0000

Apologies in advance to those of you who do not watch Lost…I will be immersed in that world from now through May. Though my primary attention will be focused on the Lost blog, I have grand plans to keep posting current entertainment news and commentary on this site as well, with the same frequency.

But stay tuned because I will also be reviewing and discussing new and existing shows for another site (links and details to follow shortly)!

Thank you again for your readership, patience and support. Without you, well…I would be talking to myself on paper. Not as much fun.

- Jo