I can't think of a fitting Lost episode title to explain my long absence. I think "The Cost of Living" would probably sum it up fairly well. The summer was a busy one, and this school year has been, well, like every school year: insanity, but more so. And here we find ourselves in 2010, with just over 2 weeks to go before the Season 6 premiere!
My last post was about the beginning (and ending, as it turns out) of the Lost Rewatch. I've actually carried the rewatch a little further than when I last posted, but not much further. I'm still at the beginning of Season 1. Obviously, at this point, in order to finish I would need to take a few days off work, down some Vivarin (ahh, college...), and do a total, all-out marathon. Which I'm not against. But alas, I'm trying to live life more responsibly, so that just isn't happening.
So I will post about the ones I do get to watch. I may also jump around and only watch certain episodes. I've also been listening to some "rewatch" podcasts which have brought up some interesting observations on the early episodes. For now, though, as the final season approaches, I wanted to get back into the blog and simply share a few things with you all.
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First, I saw this video in a few places today. Hopefully you are familiar with The Onion and their "news" reports. (If not, here's a hint: they're made up.) I love that Damon and Carlton played along with this!
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Next, I had planned to let you know what was going on with the Lost University website, which was a lot of fun. I had my Student ID card and everything.
Until Season 5 was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
I'll put it simply: I pre-ordered Season 5 on DVD during the summer because they were releasing a special edition box set (more on that below), and since I wasn't sure how many they were releasing, I wanted to be sure I snagged one. Awesome! It arrived the week the DVDs, and the Blu-ray edition, appeared on store shelves, in early December. In the meantime, I had registered at the Lost University site, had done all of the "activities" there, and was ready to "take some classes" when the "semester" began in December. When that time came, I logged in, excitedly went to the Course Catalog, and when I went to enroll, nothing happened. I logged off and on again - still nothing. So I went to the help section, and it was there that I discovered that there was only one way to enroll in the classes: own the Blu-ray edition of Season 5.
Not awesome.
Yes, I know that the site is simply a promotional tool to sell Season 5, but why freeze out what I would assume is the majority of those fans who bought it and wanted to participate in the website? Oh, right, so they'll go out and shell out more cash for a more expensive version of something they already have. Nowhere on the site did it say that it would only be available to people who owned the Blu-ray version of the set. If it had, I would have definitely considered buying it because the special edition was also being sold on Blu-ray. Of course, I didn't have a Blu-ray player at the time, but I knew that I would get one eventually, and so it would have made sense for me to buy it instead of the DVD version.
Anyways, there are obviously more important things in life to be upset about, but as a fan, it irks me that there is something out there about the show that I would really get into, but I can't participate. No purchase necessary, this ain't. The point is, the Lost U site is up and running, so for those who do own Season 5 on Blu-ray and want to check it out, use the link above.
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Speaking of the box set, it really is impressive! Allow me to take you on a tour of the "Lost Season 5 Dharma Initiative Orientation Kit." Enjoy!
It came in this cardboard box that was made to look faded, waterstained, and otherwise beaten up.
Inside the box is the binder that holds the discs and all of the extras.
Here is one section of the set. The entire binder is made to look like what you might get if you had just arrived on the island as a new Dharma recruit. You can see the Dharma Cafeteria guide (red), the Auto Pool guide (blue), and a "Getting to Know Your Way Around" pamphlet, which opens into a map of Dharmaville. And you may also notice the video cassette in the top left corner - it is a copy of the Dharma orientation video! I haven't actually watched it yet (yes, I'm afraid of breaking it), but I'm sure I'll risk it one day.
Another section has several of the Dharma patches, complete with instructions about how and where to place it on your Dharma jumpsuit. I even got what the box packaging claimed "might" be included - the submarine patch.
And here is the main section of the set - the DVDs. They come in Tyvek slipcovers that look like floppy disc covers from the 1980's. A CD copy of Geronimo Jackson's "Dharma Lady" is also included in the bottom right corner.
The actual disc content is decent. Of course, the episodes are there, but there really aren't too many extras. There was one I wanted to mention, though, not only because it was interesting to watch, but because of my reaction to it. There is a feature called "An Epic Day with Richard Alpert" which follows Nestor Carbonell, who plays Richard, on the last day of shooting for the season. It shows him filming his last scene and then saying goodbye to everyone. As I watched, I found myself feeling very sad. I felt sad for the cast and crew who have been working on this show for almost 6 years because in just a few short months, they'll be saying goodbye to each other for the last time. Whenever I watch the behind-the-scenes features on the discs, I get the sense that they have an incredibly fun time making this show, and I thought about what it will be like for them to have to leave that experience. Then my thoughts turned inward, about being such a huge fan of Lost, and realizing that it's almost over for us fans, too. It was the first time that it actually hit me that this show is going to be over in 6 months, and that's it. We will all have to say goodbye to the experience as well.
~~~
Over the summer and up until a few weeks ago, there was a little online game, or ARG, going on that involved the comedian Paul Scheer. (If you watch "Human Giant" or you have seen any of the "I Love the 70's/80's/90's" on VH1, you'll know who I'm talking about.) It began with him creating the velvet painting entitled "Damon, Carlton, and a Polar Bear" and the subsequent trouble he had because of it. He claimed he was getting threatening letters from a gallery called Ronie Midfew Arts, and...well, it's all pretty boring, really. The reason I'm telling you about it is because it turned into something more interesting: clues were given at the Damon, Carlton, and a Polar Bear website about various events that were taking place at different sities internationally, which included a handful of skateboards that were given away which were emblazoned with a unique Dharma logo on them as well as a web address that came from a quote from the show, or a guitar used by Fall Out Boy that also had a Dharma logo and unique website painted on it. If you went to the site printed on the item, it brought you to a page that displayed a painting. Various artists were commissioned to create paintings based on Lost. Every week or so, one of 15 or 16 paintings was unveiled through the clues on the site and the events that were held, and a limited edition of 200 of each painting, signed and numbered by the artist, were made available to the public online for $50. Naturally, they all sold out in literally seconds. I'd love to tell you that I was one of the lucky few to get one, but alas, I cannot, and not for lack of trying. You can see all of them here. My favorite was this one, called "The Crash" (in case you find yourself on eBay with $700 to spend and an overwhelming feeling of generosity towards me...)
~~~
Finally, I wanted to end by wishing one of our fellow Losties a speedy recovery. Not only is Ellen a huge fan of Lost who reads and occasionally posts here and emails us with questions, comments, and the latest Doc Jensen article about Lost, she is also a coworker of mine, and I truly miss her in both places. I pray that her recovery continues as it has been, and that she returns to work and to our little community here as quickly as possible. I hope that you will take a moment to do the same.
So, until next time,Over the summer and up until a few weeks ago, there was a little online game, or ARG, going on that involved the comedian Paul Scheer. (If you watch "Human Giant" or you have seen any of the "I Love the 70's/80's/90's" on VH1, you'll know who I'm talking about.) It began with him creating the velvet painting entitled "Damon, Carlton, and a Polar Bear" and the subsequent trouble he had because of it. He claimed he was getting threatening letters from a gallery called Ronie Midfew Arts, and...well, it's all pretty boring, really. The reason I'm telling you about it is because it turned into something more interesting: clues were given at the Damon, Carlton, and a Polar Bear website about various events that were taking place at different sities internationally, which included a handful of skateboards that were given away which were emblazoned with a unique Dharma logo on them as well as a web address that came from a quote from the show, or a guitar used by Fall Out Boy that also had a Dharma logo and unique website painted on it. If you went to the site printed on the item, it brought you to a page that displayed a painting. Various artists were commissioned to create paintings based on Lost. Every week or so, one of 15 or 16 paintings was unveiled through the clues on the site and the events that were held, and a limited edition of 200 of each painting, signed and numbered by the artist, were made available to the public online for $50. Naturally, they all sold out in literally seconds. I'd love to tell you that I was one of the lucky few to get one, but alas, I cannot, and not for lack of trying. You can see all of them here. My favorite was this one, called "The Crash" (in case you find yourself on eBay with $700 to spend and an overwhelming feeling of generosity towards me...)
~~~
Finally, I wanted to end by wishing one of our fellow Losties a speedy recovery. Not only is Ellen a huge fan of Lost who reads and occasionally posts here and emails us with questions, comments, and the latest Doc Jensen article about Lost, she is also a coworker of mine, and I truly miss her in both places. I pray that her recovery continues as it has been, and that she returns to work and to our little community here as quickly as possible. I hope that you will take a moment to do the same.
Namaste, and Good Luck,
~ Matt
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