Lost

Ready to get both excited and depressed, Lost fans?

The countdown to the show's final season is on: ABC has announced that Lost will premiere on Tuesday, February 2.

The all-night event will kick off with a 60-minute recap at 8 p.m. This will be followed by the two-hour season six premiere; after that, Lost settles into its (new!) regular time slot: Tuesdays at 9 p.m.

Producers haven't revealed much, but visit our Lost spoilers section for some idea of what might go down in early 2010. We can't wait.

This could actually be good news for Ugly Betty fans, as the show has struggled on Friday nights and may now be the leading candidate to take over Eastwick's abandoned 10 p.m. slot on Wednesdays once that show goes off the air.

This is als a very good sign for V. ABC is yet to announce whether or not that show will return in 2010, following its initial four-episode run that wraps up next week. But it's very safe to assume that it will remain at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays; it's a perfect, Elizabeth Mitchell-led lead-in to Lost.

In a new interview with TV Guide Magazine, producer Damon Lindelof opens up about the final season of Lost.

Does he give away any spoilers? Of course not.

But until the most layered, mesmerizing show on television returns in January, this is the best we'll get. Here's what Lindelof had to say:

On season six: "All I can say is that we've spent the last five years answering the question 'Were you guys making it up as you go along? Do you know what you're doing?' It's a great comfort to know that in about six months people will stop asking us that question. They'll basically say 'You were making it up it as you went along;' Or they'll go 'Wow, you really had a plan.'"

On a definitive conclusion: "There will not be a cut to black. It is not all in the dog's brain. I think the one thing that we're saying is that we're not leaving things open for a Lost movie. We are conclusively ending the story that we started... The whole reason that we asked for an end date was so that we could end it. That's what we're going to do."

On returning cast members: "I've heard rumors that Ian Somerhalder is coming back even though he's working on The Vampire Diaries. I've heard Dominic Monaghan is coming back... I do think it's safe to say that that final season of the show in a lot of ways is a curtain call for all the actors who kind of made these iconic performances and we're hoping that a lot of them come back for one final appearance."

For its final season, Lost is bringing back a number of key characters.

But it's also introducing a handful of new ones. Who will William Atherton portray on the series, for example? We have no idea. But the actor will be featured on a number of episodes.

The same can now be said for Sheila Kelley, as Michael Ausiello confirms she's nabbed a recurring role on Lost.

The actress - who has appeared on episodes of ER and The Sopranos, but is best known for her three-year arc as Gwen Taylor on L.A. Law - will take on the character of Kendall.

Previous casting notices described her as an "intellectual beauty with a sharp edge to her wit who is caught committing corporate espionage and has to lie her way out."

Any thoughts on how she might play into the larger Lost picture? When we hear "corporate espionage," it's hard not to think of Charles Widmore.

Pencil in another returning character for season six of Lost.

Despite the apparent death of anthropologist Charlotte Lewis this spring, sources confirm that Rebecca Mader will reprise this role for at least one Lost episode in early 2010.

“I am beyond thrilled to be returning to Lost!” Mader wrote to TV Guide Magazine. “Being a part of this show has been one of the greatest moments in my career thus far. I’m excited to see everyone!”

Aside from Charlotte, Boone, Shannon, Charlie, Helen and Sarah will all show up on season six.

So, we're excited to report, will Juliet.

Starting tomorrow night, Elizabeth Mitchell will anchor V, a wildly-anticipated new drama on ABC.

But Lost fans that have been mournig the death of Mitchell's Juliet can take comfort: despite her starring role on another series, and despite the atomic bomb that exploded to conclude season five, Mitchell will return for a few Lost episodes in 2010.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actress spoke on her character's (quasi) death scene and on what Juliet might be up to when we see her next...

On season five's concluding scene: “At the time, I didn’t think I was ever coming back.  So for me it was just a really big goodbye and easily heartbreaking.... It was really primal... I love that we got to see all of her rage, because to me, that’s what’s driven her. To have the calm exterior, I always had to have that underneath. 

"That’s what made playing her kind of hard in my personal life because there was so much unexpressed.  So I’d be on the way home, Agggghhhhh!, crying or screaming.  That was the very first time that we got to see her naked - besides being in love. We actually got to see all of that pain and rage that had been built up for some time.

On Juliet's return: “It’s probably exactly what you expect, but because it’s [producer Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse], you know they’re just going to turn it on its ear.”

Cuse, meanwhile, has this tease for Lost fans: “There’s still something very significant that we have not yet learned about the character."

Man. Is it January yet?!?

There are no new scenes in the video below.

No Lost spoilers of any kind revealed.

Not even a premiere date announced.

Still, it's hard not to get excited about the first official promo for the final season of Lost. It debuts in early 2010 and ABC will begin to air the following trailer this week.

Continue Reading...

While numerous characters - such as Boone, Shannon and Helen - are returning to Lost for its final season, the show is also looking for new actors and actresses.

For example, Japanese star Hiroyuki Shimosawa will play a critical role on season six.

Most recently, producers sent out a casting call for a female actress in her mid-30s. She'll portray a character named Kendall, described by ABC as potentially "recurring" and:

An intellectual beauty with a sharp edge to her wit; caught committing corporate espionage; has to lie her way out.

Where might that character fit into the mythology of the show? We have no idea. Who should play Kendall? You tell us!

It's both sad and exciting: we're just a couple months away from the final season of Lost.

Who will live? Who will survive? Did May's atomic bomb explosion reset life for the castaways? Countless questions keep many viewers of the show up at night, but Damon Lindelof is here to answer a few.

The producer replied to a number of USA Today reader inquiries this week. While he didn't reveal any major spoilers, Lindelof shed some light on a few major topics. For instance...

The season six poster is chock full of meaning: "Everything in the design of that poster is intentional. We oversaw it - now we know the audience looks at that stuff so closely, so we don't want there to be anything that we don't approve, especially at this point in the game."

Yes, Walt is unique: "We said he has this special ability, and the Others obviously grabbed him and studied him for awhile, then they got freaked out by him and decided to let him go... hopefully, why Walt was special and the role he played on the show will have a new significance when all is said and done. I'm not sure we really need the character of Walt to explain the significance."

Continue Reading...

Typically, it's more difficult to get information out of Lost producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse than the Department of Defense.

But the duo has been a bit more open over the last few weeks, as the most fascinating show on television inches toward its final season. We have a pretty good idea, for example, which former stars will return next year.

Now, we can confirm that William Atherton will guest star on the show.

The actor has appeared on a number of shows, such as Life, Numb3rs and Desperate Housewives.

As for what character he'll play on Lost, come on. You didn't think Lindelof and Cuse would reveal that information, did you?

Soon after winning an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Benjamin Linus on Lost, Michael Emerson was asked by TV Guide whether or not fans will be satisfied with the show's finale next May.

"I don't know if they'll be fully satisfied or not," he replied. "I don't know if we want to be fully satisfied. I think it's always best to go away wanting a little more."

Speaking of a little more, Emerson's co-star Jorge Garcia has revealed a trio of spoilers regarding the final season of this ground-breaking series. They are:

• The bomb DID explode: "Basically a bomb went off at the end of the last one and all bets are off," Garcia said. He didn't elaborate as to the consequences of this major event.
• Juliet will return. An insider says Elizabeth Mitchell recently flew back from shooting scenes in Hawaii; she may return again this fall.
• Viewers have seen the last of Libby. "It looks like we're probably not going to see Libby," Garcia said. "They'll probably deal with the story, but [actress Cynthia Watros, who plays Libby] may not be joining us."