What did you think of 'Lighthouse?'

Post your thoughts in comments!

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Catching up with theories and goings on

Doc Jensen:Lost and music from the 80s ...

Photo gallery: The 10 who could be the new Jacob

Tiny Spoiler (Highlight the blank spot after this. The type is in white): Shannon will be back.

Brian's new theory of LOST

Over on the LOST...and Gone Forever blog, Brian has an interesting new theory of the Island, inspired by what he saw last week in "The Substitute." It involves what he's guessing to be the long and tangled history of Jacob and the Man in Black, aka Anti-Jacob.

"The best part of it all?" Brian writes. "I’m sure this entire theory will be thrown out the window by the end of next week’s episode."

True, but this is still a fun read. No spoilers, just theories -- and lots of 'em.

Recapping 6.04: 'The Substitute'

Watch with Kristin's "Lost Redux: Ummm...Did We Just Find Out What This Whole Show Is About?!"

And, if you like spoilers, she has an interesting tidbit here.

And what day after Lost, would be complete without Doc Jensen's insight?

Here's The Washington Post's dueling analysis. They have a 2 p.m. Wednesday chat (Central time). After that, there will be a transcript.

Also, there's already a clip from the next episode, The Lighthouse:

What did you think of The Substitute?

Have thoughts, questions about the episode?

Post them in comments.

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.

Michael Ausiello dishes Lost Spoilers

In this week's Ask Ausiello on EW.com, he dishes a few Lost spoilers. The responses are in white type, so you have to highlight the text to see them.

Question: You’re blaming the late arrival of Ask Ausiello on the blizzard? Lame. But I’ll forgive you if you give me a really juicy Lost spoiler. —Jesse
Ausiello: Would you believe me if I told you my laptop got stuck in a 5-foot snowdrift? No? Okay, I’ll think of something else. In the meantime, here’s your juicy Lost spoiler: Someone has a kid in their flash-sideways. Guesses? Head to the comments!

Question: What can you tell me about Libby’s Lost return? —Joe
Ausiello: I can’t tell you very much. Cynthia Watros, however, describes her onscreen reunion with Jorge Garcia as “so sweet and honest. And I think, hopefully, when people see our scenes that they’ll get that feeling, too. [Libby and Hurley] are so incredibly real with each other. I was really grateful that I got to play those scenes and Libby got to sort of express herself in ways that she hasn’t been able to.”

SPOILER: Promo for 6.04 -- The Substitute

Wrapping up commentary on "What Kate Does"

Entertainment Weekly:
Doc Jensen's insights to "What Kate Does."
Ken Tucker's mythology free review.
Video: Reincarnation clues.
Doc Jensen talks about what he missed the first time around in the season premier.

E!Online:
Watch with Kristin: Lost Redux: Emilie De Ravin Dishes on "Feral Claire," and Insiders Reveal What's Next!

The Washington Post:
Dueling analysis
Chat

Discussion of 6.03:What Kate Does ...

Discuss in comments.

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Lost yumminess

Check out these Lost-themed cupcakes.

A great idea for a Lost-watching party.

Hint. Hint.

'Lost': 'Kate' Expectations

Doc Jensen offers 10 thinking points for tonight's ''What Kate Does'' -- a companion to season 2's ''What Kate Did''? Plus: Meet ''Auntie Narrative,'' and a new installment of ''Totally Lost.''

And, what does the title mean? What does Kate do? She runs, Jensen says.

Also, keep in mind that the episode where we found out why Kate was on the run was called "What Kate Did."

Doc Jensen's 'Lost: 10 Burning Questions'

Over on EW.com, Doc Jensen's got his list of 10 questions that must be answered in this final season of Lost, with some revealing commentary from show runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.

One biggie: "Who are Jacob and the Man in Black?" Well, that is "kind of the driving question of the whole season," says Carlton. He adds that it comes down not only to the conflict between the two adversaries, but to a huge metaphysical issue about "what is the fundamental nature of man. Is man good or is man evil?"

Lost 6.03: A sneak peak

The Losties finally start demanding answers.

It's a very short clip. Nothing is really spoiled except for the fact that you see Sayid and Jack saying they want answers.

Carlton Cuse: Epsiode 14 is written

CarltonCuse tweets:

Writing with DL and Liz Sarnoff for the last four days until the midnight hour and beyond but ep 14 is now done. 3 more eps to go. Crazy.

Lost explained by people who don't watch Lost

Fox's performance as Jack: 'Like Job with vodka'

Here's one last review of the season premier from Ken Tucker at Entertainment Weekly. Unlike Doc Jensen, he doesn't delve into the mythology.

He's looking at the acting, especially Matthew Fox as Jack and Terry O'Quinn and Locke (err...and as Fake Locke.)

Do you agree or disagree with his observations?

Homework to prepare for the next episode

Yep, that did say homework. But it's totally fun.

Doc Jensen at Entertainment Weekly is suggesting we rewatch two episodes to prepare ourselves for the next episode.

He says we should watch Tabula Rasa" from season 1, "What Kate Did" from season 2.

Will we see Sawyer's beloved Juliet again?

SPOILER IF YOU CLICK THE LINK

Find out what Elizabeth Mitchell has to say about whether Juliet will return, what she thinks Juliet's dying words about a coffee date and what it was like to work with Josh Holloway.

Will Sawyer and Juliet be together again? In the sideways world or on the island? Or both.

Post your thoughts in comments.

(Speaking of Sawyer, did he really keep his shirt on for the whole season premier?)

Lost producers announce season finale date

The series finale will air Sunday, May, 23.

Yep, we'll all be there.

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

''Nothing's irreversible''

At least that's what Jack tells Locke in the sideways world.

Check out these breakdowns of the first two episodes:

• As always, Doc Jensen has riveting insight into how literature (Salmon Rushdie) and even Michael Jackson (sorta) influenced what we saw last night. Also, Cuse and Lindelof explain a few things about the premier.
  
• Here's Watch with Kristin's Lost Redux. Spoiler free until you get to the part entitled "What's to Come." No major reveals if you're OK with spoiler tidbits.
• And The Washington Post's dueling analysis. If you can make it, they host a live chat today at 3 p.m. Central Time. If you can't chat live, you can read the transcript later from the same link.
  

And so it begins ...

Discuss the season premier in comments.

Go!

More tidbits. They're everywhere

New York magazine interviews Doc Jensen, the ultimate Lost fan.

The Royal Shakespeare Company reenacts Lost in 10 minutes:

Round up of tidbits ...

Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lily say they're done with TV after Lost.

Doc Jensen: Let's talk about 6.

Doc Jensen: How it ends (maybe).

Doc Jensen: A shot at recovery.

SPOILER ALERT: Terry O'Quinn spills something he's not supposed to tell.

LOST: It only ends once...

...Anything that happens before that is just progress. (Or so sayeth Jacob.)

And so it's finally Groundhog Day, aka "The Beginning of the End." Tonight at 7 Central, ABC will air "The Final Chapter," a recap hour -- followed at 8 by "LA X," the two-hour premiere of Lost's sixth and final season.

Check in here and join in our discussion after the show, and follow LostiesIsland on Twitter for more tidbits.

While you're waiting for tonight's magic hours to begin, read how the Washington Post's Jen Chaney and Liz Kelly contemplate the end of Lost days over on their "Lost Central" blog.

Think, too, about what "LA X" might mean. Sure, it's air-traffic code meaning Los Angeles International Airport, the destination of Oceanic 815.

But what of that space between the A and the X? It's no accident, that space.

If you asked Daniel Faraday what X means, he would say it represents an unknown variable. Perhaps that's what the X in this "LA X" stands for: the unknown. The X factor. The mystery.

For five years, Lost has been our favorite pop-culture conundrum. We've all loved being trapped on Mystery Island, even when it felt as if our heads might explode.

For five years, we've had questions. This year, it is promised, we'll get answers.

But we still have 18 hours of storytelling to go. And until those 18 hours are over, we're on board with what Jen and Liz say: It's about relishing the journey, instead of the destination.