'State of the Union' won't pre-empt LOST (whew!)

OK, Losties, we can all breathe a little easier now.

The White House has sent down official word that, whenever President Obama decides to give his requisite "State of the Union" speech, it won't be on Feb. 2 -- the evening that Lost's sixth and final season premieres on ABC.

See the EW.com newsflash for details.

So, as showrunner Damon Lindelof gleefully tweeted today: "OBAMA BACKED DOWN!!!! Groundhog Day is OURS!!!!!!! (God bless America.)"

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FLASH!! UPDATE with additional details from EOnline.com...

LOST in Stephen King's 'Under the Dome'

Ben Linus would never approve, of course, but he's out of the book club anyway.

I've spent the last day engrossed in Stephen King's new bestseller, Under the Dome (Scribner, $35). On page 285, Big Steve pays tribute to our favorite series, which also happens to be his favorite series:

What did that Scottish guy say on Lost? "Don't mistake coincidence for fate"? Maybe that had been it. Maybe it had. But Lost had been a long time ago. The Scottish guy could have said Don't mistake fate for coincidence.

Actually, according to http://lostpedia.wikia.com/, it was Mr. Eko who advised Locke: "Do not mistake coincidence for fate," in the Season 2 episode "What Kate Did," and Locke later repeats the phrase to Desmond in Season 3's "The Cost of Living."

What did the author mean by "Lost had been a long time ago"? Well, Under the Dome is set in the near future -- sometime after the 2012 election, in which President Obama [who plays an offstage role in the Dome drama] was re-elected.