The odds on who is the next candidate ...

What are the odds on who will replace Jacob?

Doc Jensen at Entertainment Weekly made this lists of odds before the tragic deaths of Jin and Sun and the heroic death of Sayid. But it's still interesting to see what he thought about their possibilities as The Candidate, as well as our remaining Losties.

The entire article has more info. But here are the odds, as Doc Jensen sees them:

JACK
You got the sense from “Lighthouse” that Jacob really, really needs Jack to get over his bad self and dial into his Island destiny. The safe money is that said destiny is to spend eternity eating fish, spying on damned souls with magic mirrors, and plotting intricate redemption narratives for Island visitors.
ODDS: 3-1

BEN
It’s a fake-out! Jacob’s master plan all along has been to groom Ben as The Island’s new supreme being—but first, he’s had to break Ben of his pride and purge him of his sin, not to mention protect him from the Man In Black’s assassination plot. Bringing the castaways to The Island accomplishes both tasks. The most flattering theory of bad guy Ben is that knowingly or unknowingly he’s been producing challenges of character designed to prepare the castaways for their final conflict with Smokey. Actually, the total opposite is true. Jacob brought the castaways to The Island to test Ben’s character, intended to shape him into the kind of man worthy of Jacob’s loom-of-fate stool. Also, by deceiving Smokey into thinking Jack et. al. were his candidates, Jacob has been shielding Ben from Smokey — and co-opting Smokey into his plan to refine Ben’s soul.
ODDS: 5-1

SAWYER
Next to Ben, he’s the best yarn-spinner on The Island. He’s a precise judge of character. He’s also extremely well-read; judging from his library, he has a great grasp on universal themes like redemption and damnation, faith and reason. He also has great motivation to stay on The Island, as he killed a guy in Australia and should surely go to jail if he ever got back the civilization. Then again, maybe that sin makes him unqualified for Island divinity.
ODDS: 7-1

SUN
It’s about time The Island was ruled by a woman, don’t you think? She’s got a great name for a god. Also, Sun’s got the will and stamina for long-term redemption projects, as demonstrated by her unflagging search for Jin, who per my guestimations will be allowed to remain on The Island as her consort. They’ll get to bring Ji-Yeon over to The Island, too. I also think they can make the most of Island life. He fishes! She gardens! They know how to keep warm during cold evenings on the beach! Happily ever after on The Island will be like one long honeymoon for them.
ODDS: 9-1

HURLEY
Maybe the guy least interested in the job — which makes him the most dramatically interesting candidate for the job and therefore makes him an irresistible choice. Even though my Sun theory allows for Jin to stay, I suspect that the Jacob job is probably a solo act, and I think being alone would crush Hurley’s soul. The again, he’s got plenty of dead people for company. And really, who wouldn’t want to spend the rest of time hanging out with Ghost Michael?
ODDS: 12-1

SAYID
Zombie.
ODDS: 23-1

Tonight on LOST: 'Everybody Loves Hugo'

Tonight's episode of Lost, "Everybody Loves Hugo," is obviously going to be Hurley-centric. There is a lot of fan speculation that we'll see Hugo's long-lost Island love, Libby (played by Cynthia Watros), returned to life and meeting up with alt-Hugo in Sideways World.

This episode promises to be reminiscent of the Season 2 ep, "Everybody Hates Hugo." In the flashbacks, Hurley uses The Numbers and wins the lottery, quits his job at Mr. Cluck's, and soon becomes convinced he is cursed because with his new money, everything in his life changes for the worse. On the Island, Hugo is given the job of supervising the food and supplies from the Hatch, and he worries that everyone will resent him for the decisions he has to make. In that same episode, we also are introduced to Libby, one of the Tailies who captured Sawyer, Jin and Michael after they lost Walt to the Others and were shipwrecked from the raft at the end of Season 1.

In Sideways World, we have seen alt-Hugo describing himself as the the luckiest guy in the world. In other glimpses we have seen him as a conscientious and kindly boss, though one with a more corporate persona than Original Recipe Hugo.

While things would seem better overall for alt-Hugo, it's likely that not everything will be perfect, just as nothing is perfect for any of our LA-X Losties. It will be interesting to see if he has any flashes of his Island life, and if he interacts in Sideways World with any more of his fellow 815ers.

Come back after the show ends and discuss "Everybody Loves Hugo" in the comments!

What did you think of 'Lighthouse?'

Post your thoughts in comments!

Go!

Prepping for tonight's episode

What do you need to know before you watch the fourth episode?

Here's help from Doc Jensen for tonight's Locke-centric episode.

I can't help but wonder if Locke's backstory will remain the same. Will he be born premature to a teenage mother? Will his father throw him out a window? Will he be the man of faith off the island?

If the bomb going off can make Sayid Iranian (if he really is) instead of Iraqi ... Shannon not get on the plane ... Jin and Sun not married ... and get rid of Hurley's bad luck ... What will it change for Locke?

The article is spoiler free.

But here's a peak at tonight's episode. It's less than a minute.

iTunes Releases "Lost Tracks" Based On Characters

I'll just post what TV Guide says. What do you think about their selection for each character? Do you have a better suggestion?

Lost fans, need another way to express your devotion to the show? Buy their music!

Check out our Lost Episode Recap of the final season's premiere: "LA X (Parts I and II)"

iTunes has launched six exclusive seven-track collections inspired by characters from the ABC drama (called "Lost Tracks"). Songs range from Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine" from Kate Austen's collection to Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get a Witness" from John Locke's selections. A playlist of "Dharma's Tracks" features head-trippers like Tina Turner's "Acid Queen" from The Who's Tommy, Three Dog Night's "Shambala" and "Dharma Lady" by Geronimo Jackson, a fictional musician in the show's mythology.

Check out all the playlists below:

Kate's Tracks:
"Cherry Bomb"— The Runaways
"Crazy" — Patsy Cline
"Jack of All Parades" — Elvis Costello
"(I Know) I'm Losing You" — Rod Stewart
"Another Nail in My Heart" — Squeeze
"Bad Medicine" — Bon Jovi (Watch the video)
"Somebody I Used to Know" — Squeeze

Sawyer's Tracks:
"Hair of the Dog" — Nazareth
"Bad Moon Rising" — John Fogerty
"You Got That Right" — Lynyrd Skynyrd (Watch the video)
"Farther Along" — Flying Burrito Brothers
"Walk Away" — The James Gang
"Strutter" — KISS
"Love Ain't for Keeping" — The Who

Locke's Tracks:
"Can I Get a Witness" — Marvin Gaye
"Listen to Me" — Buddy Holly
"Memphis, Tennessee" — Chuck Berry
"Lost Highway" — Hank Williams
"Mannish Boy" — Muddy Waters
"I'd Rather Go Blind" — Etta James
"I Put a Spell on You" — Nina Simone (Watch the video)

Hurley's Tracks:
"The Seed (2.0) " — The Roots
"C'mon and Love Me" — KISS
"Jesus" — Velvet Underground
"Call Me Names" — The Specials
"Goodbye Girl" — Squeeze
"Shangri-Las" — The Kinks
"Fresh Feeling" — Eels (Watch the video)

Charlie's Tracks:
"Gasoline Alley" — Rod Stewart
"Less Than Zero" — Elvis Costello
"I'm One" — The Who
"Going Underground" — The Jam
"Dirty Boots" — Sonic Youth (Watch the video)
"Lady Godiva's Operation" — Velvet Underground
"Empty Pages" — Traffic

Dharma's Tracks:
"Dharma Lady" — Geronimo Jackson
"Shambala" — Three Dog Night
"Hot Burrito #2" — Flying Burrito Brothers
"The Acid Queen" — The Who (Watch the video)
"The Pusher" — Steppenwolf
"Heaven Is in Your Mind" — Traffic
"Bell Bottom Blues" — Derek & the Dominos

The 12th Day of Lost-Mas

Here's the 12th day of scoop from Watch With Kristin at E!Online:

Helena: [Re: Locke Serves Up a Jaw-Dropper] I'm so glad to hear there's something good in store for Terry O'Quinn. Will he be a big player this season?
Locke/Terry is more important than ever in season six (and, yes, will serve up a jaw-dropper) and as boss Carlton Cuse told the Hollywood Reporter: "Jack and Locke have always been at the center of the show, that dilemma of faith vs. reason, and the conflict between those two characters has been there since the beginning. It's very exciting to bring that relationship to its conclusion." Terry has never been more commanding (nor terrifyingly awesome) than this season. I smell Emmy!

Josh in Michigan: Any chance Maggie Grace's character, Shannon, will be back on Lost for the final season?
According to my sources (including Maggie's rep), Maggie still has not shot anything new yet for Lost, and is not expected at the season premiere party in Hawaii later this month. As you've probably heard by now, we will see Ian Somerhalder (Boone) again on the new season, and as I mentioned in the first day of Lost-mas, Maggie's absence will be explained by a change to Shannon's backstory. It's pretty surprising!

Lee: When you refer to a Lostie, do you also use that term for what we know to be Others?
In one instance during Lost-mas, I used the word Lostie for someone who was not on Oceanic Flight 815.

Francesca: Are most of your spoilers in Lost-mas about the beginning of the season or the season as a whole?
The beginning. This may or may not explain some of the confusion about seemingly conflicting scoop on other sites that some of you have asked about. I have been asked not to give scoop too far out so that hopefully you fans can still let the series unfold in a way that will surprise you. As many of you know, I try to tease without giving too much away, because I know many of you don't want to be truly spoiled. (On that note I apologize for the Lost-mas Sayid headline that concerned many of you, but I believe you'll understand when you see the episode.)

Alex: [Re: Where?s Desmond?] OMG! I hope they don't kill Desmond off. He's one of the consistently good characters on the show, plus his performances are very good.
Des rocks! So far I see no need to worry, but it's wise to pray for all the characters you love this season. It's the end, so anyone can go.

Kat: [Re: This Scoop Is a Matter of Life and Death] I bet Hurley tries to kill himself. We already know he has some depressive tendencies.
That's not who I'm talking about.

jk fan: [Re: Who Is the New Big Bad?] It's Shannon's brother (Ian Somerhalder).
Yes, and we'll find out he killed someone's wife. Oh wait, sorry...Wrong show!

Heidi: [Re: Arresting Development] I'm guessing Charlie for drugs, Sayid for murder/espionage, and maybe Sawyer for being a con artist.
One of your guesses is right.

Recapping 'Whatever Happened, Happened'

Check out what Doc Jensen at Entertainment Weekly had to say about Wednesday's episode.

... the castaways are being made to understand that their participation in past events is shaping the future that they have already experienced. They have themselves to blame for the thing that is Benjamin Linus. We are the causes of our own suffering. Think about your life. At the same time, I didn't quite know how to interpret this idea that Ben would be getting a memory wipe as part of his healing treatment. Did Richard mean that Ben would only be made to forget how Sawyer and Kate helped save his life? I hope so, because if Ben's whole childhood is about to get erased, it really makes me look stupid for insisting to the whole world that Adult Ben remembers growing up with the castaways in Dharmaville.

And, Watch With Kristin.

And, The Washington Post.

Preview: Ben's shot and only Jack can save him?

Here's a sneak peak of Wednesday's episode, Whatever Happened, Happened.

Check out the three videos to see what happens after Sayid shot Ben.

Juliet says Ben "needs a real surgeon."

Will Jack save the day? Does he want to?

And, count on Hurley for the hilarious Back the Future reference that we've all been making for weeks.

TV Guide: Getting Lost

Check out this TV Guide video that quickly recaps "He's Our You" but also boasts short interviews with Little Ben, Juliet and Horace ... or at least the actors who play them.

Also more speculation on why Sun crashed instead of flashing with Jack, Kate, Sayid and Hurley.

14 Enduring Mysteries of Lost

Here are 14 enduring mysteries of Lost, as detertermined by Jeff Jensen at Entertainment Weekly.

He poses 14 mysteries and ponders whether we will learn the answers to any during the fifth season.

From the smoke monster to that four-toed statue to why do pregnant women die to what's the deal with Aaron, Jensen reminds us of what's out there and what we know.

And, what do those damn numbers mean anyway?

What mystery are you most curious about? How will it be resolved? How should it be resolved? Will it be resolved?

What did Jensen leave out that you're dying to know?

POLL RESULTS: If you were a writer on Lost, which of the Oceanic Six would you kill off?

Some of you just aren't as mean spirited as I thought.

No one wanted to kill off Hurley, Jack or Sayid.

And 42 percent of you wouldn't kill anyone.

That leaves 14 percent who wanted Baby Aaron to bite the dust. Another 14 percent of you voted for Sun's death.

Kate got the most votes with 28 percent of the vote.

Use the comments section to explain your choice, even if you didn't cast a vote.

POLL: If you were a writer on Lost, which of the Oceanic Six would you kill off?

You know you'd want to.

Who would it be?

Aaron, Hurley, Kate, Jack, Sayid, Sun?

Answer to the right in our newest poll. Then tell us how you'd do it and why in the comments section.

Jorge Garcia on what's going on with Hurley

Watch with Kristin at E!Online talked with Jorge Garcia about what he thinks is going on with Hurley.

It's more about his impression that actual spoilers.

Who is Hurley hanging with these days?

"It's safe to say I'm working with people who are off the Island—I can even say I'm working with Michael Emerson, Ben. He does most of the talking—and he didn't thank me once for that candy bar."

What about Ben's mission to get the gang back to the Island?

"I think Hurley is leaning toward regret of having gone off the Island, but I don't think he's at the point where he wants to go back, just yet. But it does seem that the Island is pulling us back, some way or another."

What about Hurley and the glorious dead—are they still chatting?

Said Jorge, "Yep, and it seems like it doesn't even faze Hurley any more."

Last but not least, will the Oceanic Six ever become friends again?

"Don't know. Don't know at all."

What happened to Jin, tidbits on a Hurley scene

Michael Ausellio at Entertainment Weekly tells us a bit about Jin's fate and an upcoming Hurley scene.

Question: I don't know if I can wait until January or February for Lost. Got any scoop on it? --Nick

Ausiello: Sawyer, Juliet, Daniel, Miles, Charlotte, and ***** will learn Jin's fate at the precise moment we do: in episode 4. In other news, ask yourself this question: Why was Jorge Garcia shooting a scene in jail last week?

(For those you don't read Michael Ausellio regularly, each * stands for a letter.)

SPOILER: Learn Why the Oceanic Six Must Reunite

UPDATE: Watch with Kristin issued a correction: "A very good source tells me that the information I received about off-Island Dharma stations is not quite right: There is one and only one off-Island Dharma stations—the show hasn't filmed any of those scenes yet—and that station may or may not be the key to returning to the Island. Argh! My sincere apologies. Reuniting the O6 with the Left Behinders is going to be harder than I thought."

From Watch With Kristin at E! Online:

"In particular, I can now tell you why it is that the Oceanic Six must all reunite in order to get back to the Island.

Want to know why Kate (with baby Aaron), Jack, Sayid, Hurley and Sun are going to have to put their differences aside and go "all for one, and one for all" this year?

Well, remember what Michael Emerson recently said about Ben's statement that if any of them are to return to the Island, everyone who escaped has to go back too? He said, "I think [that dictate is] a scientific condition of the mechanism by which the Island operates. I don't think it's an esoteric or spiritual issue, I think it's science."

He wasn't just talking pretty. What I'm hearing is that the reason Jack, Kate, Sayid, Sun and Hurley need to reunite is because the Oceanic Six need to fan out to a group of Dharma stations.
Even more intriguing? According to my source, these stations are not on the Island, but in other locations, and these off-Island stations are believed to be the ticket to getting back to the Island.
(Remember, the Island moved in the finale. The Island may have gone to another place...or it may have hopped into another time.)

So how does this all work? And where in the world are these stations? We'll have to tune into what is looking like an exciting fifth season in order to see."

Thoughts?

Our First Poll Results

Losties Island asked: Who will Jack first convince to go back to the island?

With eight votes cast, we ended up with a tie. Both Sayid and Hurley got three votes.

Two people voted for Sun and no one voted for Kate and Aaron.

Use the comments section to tell Losties Island how you came to vote for Sun, Sayid or Hurley.

Our next poll will be coming soon.

Episode 5.01: Because You Left

MINOR SPOILERY TIDBITS BELOW

The first episode of the new season will be called Because You Left.

It looks like it will be either Hurley or Sayid based. Sayid will be "introducing" Hurley to his new career. So says Lost podcast The Transmission.

Does this mean Hurley will be doing Ben's bidding, as well?