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

What did you think of 'Recon?"

Post your thoughts on 'Recon' in comments.

What did you think of Sideways Sawyer compared to Island Sawyer?

Tonight on LOST: 'Recon'

It's been a long, long three weeks since "the Substitute," the episode where we last saw Sawyer, but tonight the drought ends.

Previously on Lost, a bitter, angry, grieving James Ford was signing up with Smokey in the cave where all the candidates' names and numbers were scrawled. James himself, you'll remember, was No. 15. UnLocke asked him if he was ready to "get the hell off this Island," and James' response was: "Hell, yes." Thereby making himself Recruit No. 1 in the Man in Black's army.

The official ABC promo line for "Recon" is: "Locke tasks Sawyer with a mission." What kind of a mission? A reconnaissance mission to Camp Jacob, would be our guess.

But "recon" can have more than one meaning. And since we're talking about our favorite con man here, it's entirely possible that Sawyer will recognize just what kind of con man UnLocke is and what kind of evil he represents.

In that case, we're betting Sawyer will become a double agent, just the way his beloved Juliet did when she joined the Losties and pretended to be Ben's mole for the Others.

Meanwhile, we're also going to see what James' life is like in Sideways World. I'm going to go waaay out on a limb here and guess that we're going to see the biggest change yet. That in the parallel reality, maybe James Ford never became Sawyer the con man at all.

In "The Substitute," we found out that alt-Locke and his father, Anthony Cooper, were on good terms -- presumably meaning that alt-Cooper was not the conscienceless criminal who stole his son's kidney and then pushed Locke out an eighth-floor window, leaving him paralyzed. Locke was still in a wheelchair, yes, but apparently Cooper had no connection to whatever accident befell him.

So if Cooper's not the bad guy of that scenario...maybe he wasn't the man who ruined the Fords' lives, either. Maybe young James grew up without the horrible, psyche-scarring loss of his parents and the ambition to become a con man named Sawyer.

The James Ford we saw on Oceanic 815 in "LA X" seemed like a pretty relaxed guy, not like a murderer on the run. It'll be interesting to see what he's like tonight, for sure.

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

More questions answered -- sorta

I hesitate to put the spoiler tag up for this post, but if you click on this link to E!Online's Watch with Kristin, you'll see some about who is coming back, who they are trying to bring back and some questions that will be answered. Josh Hollway, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof talk a little about season 6 and the show in general.

There are no spoilers about the plot.

Here's an example from Cuse:

Obviously, you can't answer every single question, but some things like the numbers—
No, obviously, if we said nothing about the smoke monster, if we said nothing about the numbers, we would be killed, but we believe that we recognize what the major questions are, and we will be providing some answers to those questions.

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.

From Watch With Kristin's spoiler chat ...

Radina in Sofia, Bulgaria: I want to thank you for the awesome Lost-mas spoilers, and I really want to know if the kiss you mention between Sawyer and someone on Lost will be a flashback or a real-time kiss?
It's not a flashback.

Wallace in Rhode Island: Thanks for all the amazing Lost scoop in the 12 days of Lost-mas! It was like Christmas over and over again. Could you give any more little morsels or is that all? I think the new season sounds pretty good. Do you think so?
Yes. From what I know so far, I truly think you all will not be disappointed. How's this for a morsel for now: One Lostie we know and love will vow to kill another Lostie we know and love.

Rachel in Rio: I've always been your number one fan, but I'm just so sad with you right now. You put "Jate" in the title of your 11th day of Lost-mas article, and when I opened the link there's a lot of Skate and Suliet spoilers, but nothing Jate. It's OK if you don't wanna or don't have any Jate spoiler to give us, but it's just cruel to do a thing like that. Thank you so much.
I am so sorry. I received many upset emails like this one, and I want you to know this was not an intentional slight. I fully meant to include something on Jate when I set out to write the article, but unfortunately was not able to dig up anything on their interaction, and (mommy brain, sorry!) simply forgot to change the title. The one thing I can tell you is that there seems to be more happening between Sawyer and Kate than Jack and Kate in the beginning of the new season, but as we all know, everything can change in one single episode on Lost, so don't give up hope. I will keep my fingers crossed for you Jate fans that there is something worth squeeing about in season six! And again, my sincere apologies.

SPOILERS: The 12 Days of Lost-Mas

(This will be updated to add the new spoilers for each day)

At E!Online, Watch with Kristin is celebrating the 12 Days of Lost-Mas.

She gives the following teases about the upcoming season:


Day 11: Six of these things are true:

1. Juliet survives the bomb.
2. Juliet does not survive the bomb.
3. Kate and Sawyer flirt.
4. Kate and Sawyer kiss.
5. Juliet and Sawyer kiss.
6. Jack and Sayid touch lips.
7. There is a scene with Sawyer in the season premiere that will make you cry buckets—assuming you aren't a robot—and (possibly?) make you Skaters happy.

Day 10: Three Losties will be apprehended by the authorities. Separately.

Day 9: These words will be uttered in the first six hours of the show:

1. "Am I alive?"
2. "It turned out she did not want out."
3. "I wanted you to be able to go home."
4. "I was killed by an *** ******."
5. "I was supposed to die."

(The first one is not a female, and is the same person as #5.)

Day 8: Miles, who hears dead people, will carry a message from a dead character. Who could it be?
Day 7: One of the following things is true regarding Ilana and her Ajira posse:

1. They were sent by Charles Widmore to kill Ben.
2. They were sent by the Man in Black (Jacob's nemesis) to find the island's time travel mechanism and destroy it.
3. They were sent to protect Jacob.
4. They were sent to revive John Locke.
5. Ilana is future Sayid in drag.

Day 6: The following statements are both true:

1. One Lostie we've known for a long time (a dark, handsome someone) will die within the first four hours in the first shocking death of the year.
2. Another Lostie we've known and loved since day one of season one will come thisclose to dying—at his own hands—but the good doctor will save him.

Who will die? Who will nearly take his own life?

Day 5: If season six is about Oceanic 815, will we see Desmond again since he wasn't on the plane?

1. According to sources, we will see Desmond again...
2. ...fairly early on in the season.
3. His first appearance will be with one of the Losties, and the scene/encounter is very surprising.
4. You guys are going to love it! (Honestly)

Day 4: Who is the new Big Bad?
He:

• Killed **h*.
• Killed ***o*.
• Is *** **o** *****e*.
• Wants to "g* ****."

Day 3: One of the following is true:

• Sayid dies.
• Sayid kills Jack.

Remember, when we last saw these Losties they were in 1977. Sayid had been shot and Jack was near the site of the bomb that supposedly went kablooey and reset time.

Day 2: One of these is true, the other is false:

• We find out John Locke is related to C*****s *id**re and J*** ***ph*** in a way you would never ever expect—yes, "related" as in by blood!

• Terry O'Quinn does something bat-poop insane involving a character we have known since the very first episode of Lost's first season, then says: "I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Day One: Which of the following is true?

• Shannon's absence from the beginning of the new season will be explained by a significant change to Shannon and Boone's backstory.

• Sawyer will smooch someone who is either Kate or Juliet and it will happen within the first four hours of the new season.

And oh, what the hey, here's a bonus for today's Lost-mas offering only. I will go ahead and tell you that:

Both of the above are actually true. Merry Lost-Mas, everyone!

Doc Jensen chats with Josh Holloway

Check out this interview of Josh Holloway about being Sawyer.

What was it like to play a different Sawyer this year?

What does he think about Sawyer and Juliet?

What does he think of Sawyer and Jack finally beating the crap out of each other in the season finale?

This and more in a three-part video interview.

Tonight on Lost ... 'Follow the Leader'

Check out these video sneak peaks of tonight's episode, courtesy of Watch With Kristin.

And a little preshow reading from Doc Jensen. If you missed it, here's his recap of last week's show.

More season finale tidbits

Courtesy of Michael Ausellio at Entertainment Weekly, we get a little info about the season finale.

Not major spoilers. But something interesting.

Question: Do you have any snippet to share with us about Lost's season finale? --Megan
Ausiello: We will come to learn that the dude who may or may not be playing Jacob bore witness to pivotal events in the pre-island lives of Locke, Sayid, and Sawyer. Speaking of Lost, I wanna say a few words about Evangeline Lilly's performance in tonight's episode: Wow. (Okay, one word.)

Question: Will we ever find out what happened to Rose and Bernard on Lost? --Lucas
Ausiello: I'm hearing we will.

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.

Reviewing 'Whatever Happened, Happened

So, do Kate and Sawyer's actions turn Ben into the man he is today? Did they do they right thing?

What do you think Richard Alpert can do to Ben to heal him, take away his memory and steal his innocence? What does it mean that Ben belongs to them now?

And why didn't Kate and Sawyer change their minds?

Do you think the Losties can change the future or the past, for that matter? Or did Whatever Happened, Happened?

More theories from Doc Jensen

As we wait for tonight's episode, here's a little reading from Doc Jensen at Entertainment Weekly to hold us over.

(This post is spoiler free. But if you like to avoid spoilers, wait to click on the article until after tonight's episode. The spoilers aren't answers. Just what questions will be answered in tonight's episode)

Writes Doc Jensen:

''Whatever Happened, Happened'' is the phrase that Daniel Faraday used back in ''LaFleur'' to summarize his belief that the castaways aren't creating a new version of the past, but rather merely creating the past that has always existed. And yet, one episode later in ''Namaste,'' Sawyer says that Faraday ''has some interesting theories on what we can and can't do here.'' I didn't take that to mean that Faraday has reversed his position, but rather that his position has become more nuanced. Might there be permissible exceptions to the ''whatever happened, happened'' principle?

I do have to wonder if history can be changed. Remember, Faraday knocked on the hatch and met Desmond during the flashes. And then, in current time, Desmond awoke and remembered that meeting.

Since he didn't always know about their meeting, you could argue that it didn't always happen.

Can the Losties change the past? Or the future? Post your insight, speculation, questions here.

'He's Our You' sneak peaks

The title for Wednesday's could mean so many things. "He's Our You."

But this is a reference to the Dharma guy who does for them what Sayid did for the Losties. Namely, torture.

In one of three sneak peaks, we see Sayid being taken to the other him.

In the second we see, Sawyer telling Sayid he can "confess" and live among the Dharma folks or be alone. What do you think he chooses?

In the third, we see young Ben before he was crazy and evil. Or was it before he was crazy and evil?

Tell me, what do you think will happen to Sayid?

Lost casting scoopage

Entertainment Weekly's Ausellio had this news about a Lost casting call:

Lost has put out a casting call for the role of Captain Bird, a charismatic and intelligent ex-military man in his 40s or 50s who is concerned about the safety of his crew. He'll appear in this season's 15th episode as well as the finale. Also being sought are actors to play Young Jeff, a 10-year-old with a Southern accent and a deep anger that hides great pain, and Doug a strong and authoritative Southern gent in his 40s who is forced to deliver bad news to his buddy. Paging Doc Jensen for instanalysis...

Could Young Jeff actually be a Young Sawyer?

Recaps of "La Fleur"

Here's what Doc Jensen at Entertainment Weekly had to say about this week's character driven episode after week's of theme-based episodes and wacky time travel:

If Jack is the Man of Science, and if John Locke is
the Man of Faith, then I nominate Sawyer as Man of Heart. To hell with it: Can
we just say he's the
effin' man?!' Because in last night's Lost, he certainly
was all that, plus a bag of Dharma chips. The kind of dude all the boys want to
be; the kind of hunk that all the girls wanna get with —provided they're cool
with his new slightly shorn and less stubbled look. Stepping up as leader,
savior, and super-cool boyfriend — and succeeding wildly at all three — Sawyer
found himself born again in the Dharma Initiative past. He seemed perfectly at home, perfectly at ease, perfectly self-realized within the confines of the trippy-hippy Utopian commune. Making the ex-con the head of Dharma security? Genius. Coupling him with fertility doc-turned-motor pool mechanic Juliet? Totally worked for me. Kudos to Josh Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell for selling us on the best romance Lost has ever given us. Consider my membership in the Skater/SawKate/Kateyer 'shipper club resigned, chopper kiss be damned. But bliss is fleeting on Lost, and so, after Sawyer told Dharma's troubled uber-nerd Horace Goodspeed that he could barely remember the face of the girl that got away, we got the moment the entire season had been setting us up for. As Sawyer locked eyes with his former (?) fugitive dreamgirl, newly returned to the
Island, I heard Sawyer's internal monologue say ''Oh, yeah. I, like, totally love you. Er, I mean, loved you. I mean: Crap!'' If they gave Emmy nominations for meaningful gazes, Holloway should start ironing his tuxedo T-shirt and best ripped jeans, because he'd be going to the ceremony.

And Watch With Kristin from E!Online.

Here's The Washington Post's recap and chat.

LaFleur: What did you think?

So, Sawyer and Juliet?

And, couldn't you just tell that Sawyer's heart beat a little faster when he saw Kate?

Three years is nothing but it's everything.

Thought, analysis, questions?

This episode marks the halfway point of the season.

Sneak peaks for episode 5.08: "LaFleur"

Check out these sneak peaks for Wednesday's episodes.

It looks like our Losties islanders are now stuck in time. Perhaps, the 70s?

This epsiode picks up with Sawyer and the others (but not THE Others) when the flashes stop.

Goodbye nosebleeds. Hello, new problems

Lost Redux 5.3

E!Online's Watch With Kristin may have said it best in summing up last night's Lost: "What the hell?" "Who the hell?" "When the hell?!"

She wraps up what we learned and what could lie ahead.

If you don't want even mild spoilers, stop reading after the picture of Juliet and Sawyer after you click the link above. Sawyer is holding a gun.

And here's Entertainment Weekly's recap of the episode.

Why do the Others speak Latin, you ask? ... "One idea — suggested to me by Joley Wood of powells.com — is that it's a link to the novel Utopia, which was written in Latin. The best bit: The leaders of the Island utopia in the novel were called... Bencheaters. (Ben-cheaters.)" Huh. Me, I just assumed it was because (A) Latin is very old and the island is very old; and (B) pretty much no one else on Earth outside the Vatican is going to understand it. Latin also has an extracurricular resonance for this episode that I'll touch on in a bit.

UPDATE: And here's another EW review by Doc Jensen.