LOST SPECIAL - Another annoying Clip Show

Last night Lost returned with a shocking, thrilling and provocative all new special entitled "The Story of the Oceanic 6." Okay, you caught me. It's a clip show. But the trailer featured explosions, gunfire and people jumping off of cliffs, not to mention very dramatic music. Those hardworking trailer editors and marketing people do what they can, of course, to get fans revved up for a big old bowl of reheated island goulash that's likely to be hot on the surface but ice cold and hard as a rock once you get into it. That doesn't sound so special to me. It sounds like Wednesday night on a budget.

As you can see from the photo on the left Juliet isn't amused either.

The Lost clip show has become a regular part of each season, with past years offering up 'special' treats like "Lost: Past, Present and Future," Lost: A Tale of Survival," "The Lost Survival Guide" and "Destinatnion Lost." Expect a very long episode recap, the same kind you see at the beginning of every episode only much, much longer.

The special essentially comes in place of an off week, allowing the network to put something Lost-oriented on the air to soak up some residual ratings from fans who really will watch anything with Josh Holloway and Evangeline Lilly in it. The special also slows the loss of momentum that can be expected during an off week, reminding fans with wandering attention spans that Lost always airs Wednesday nights at the same time.

Calling the episode "all new" is a bit disingenuous, though. Even if the producers snuck in, say, a new extended trailer for the rest of the season as a thank you to the fans loyal enough to watch the dreaded clip show the episode would still only be about 2-3% new.

According to the official press release, "ABC once again invites new and avid 'Lost' viewers to take another look at one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed shows. 'Lost: The Story of the Oceanic 6' will explore the series in a way that will bring new viewers up to date -- but which current viewers will also find illuminating - in discovering what happened to the Oceanic 6 and the remaining island survivors during the three years after Ben moved the island."
Lost returns a week from tonight with a tale that really is all new, celebrating their 100th new episode with "The Variable." Well, it's all new if you don't count the "previously on Lost" clips. Really, I suppose it's only about 98% new.

Shocking SUICIDE on TV's HOUSE has KUTNER Written off show

Fox’s HOUSE delivered a shocking death tonight, the suicide of Lawrence Kutner played by Kal Penn. Kutner’s suicide on FOX’s HOUSE has put the net into a tailspin as fans react to tonight’s broadcast shocker.

Fans just comprehending the death are universally saying they are upset that Kutner was killed off as a character and that Penn as an actor has his storyline ended.

The rumors of the tragic Kal Penn death have been greatly exaggerated. There was no Kal Penn death. The character he plays on the T.V. show House, Dr. Lawrence Kutner, died, but the actor is fine. It’s called a TV show.

In Monday night’s episode of House, Kal Penn’s character Dr. Kutner didn’t show up for work and he was found in his apt. in a pool of blood from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gun shot wound. There was speculation as to whether he killed himself or was murdered, but most of the episode centered around suicide and Dr. House figuring out why Dr. Kutner would kill himself.

The real interesting aspect is how so many people read the news online and thought that Kal Penn, the actor most famous for portraying Kumar, had died. Some misinformation hit the Internet (coupled with people not being able to comprehend what they read) and all of a sudden the top 10 Google trends were dominated by people asking “Did Kal Penn die?” It was so prevalent that the number one Google trend this morning is Kal Penn death

To clear up any confusion, Kal Penn- alive. Kal Penn’s character Dr. Lawrence Kutner- dead.

BIG LOVE Stirs up the MORMON POT with show about ENDOWMENT CEREMONY

BIG LOVE MORMON ENDOWMENT CEREMONY
HBO is set to air a Mormon Endowment Ceremony in its upcoming episode of Big Love. The church of Latter-day Saints has reacted in a statement and HBO has said that airing the endowment ceremony is vital part of the show and apologized if it has offended anyone.

Before publishing LDS's statement here is HBO's explaination and apology on airing the MORMON ENDOWMENT CEREMONY.

""We know that the writers/producers of the series have gone to great lengths to be respectful and accurate in portraying the MORMON ENDOWMENT CEREMONY. That ceremony is very much an important part of this year's story line. Obviously, it was not our intention to do anything disrespectful to the church but to those who may be offended, we offer our sincere apology. It should also be noted that throughout the series' three-year run, the writer/producers have made abundantly clear the distinction between the LDS Church and those extreme fringe groups who practice polygamy."

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LDS Statement on HBO's Airing of MORMON ENDOWMENT CEREMONY in BIG LOVE.

Like other large faith groups, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sometimes finds itself on the receiving end of attention from Hollywood or Broadway, television series or books, and the news media. Sometimes depictions of the Church and its people are quite accurate. Sometimes the images are false or play to stereotypes. Occasionally, they are in appallingly bad taste.

As Catholics, Jews and Muslims have known for centuries, such attention is inevitable once an institution or faith group reaches a size or prominence sufficient to attract notice. Yet Latter-day Saints – sometimes known as Mormons - still wonder whether and how they should respond when news or entertainment media insensitively trivialize or misrepresent sacred beliefs or practices.

Church members are about to face that question again. Before the first season of the HBO series Big Love aired more than two years ago, the show’s creators and HBO executives assured the Church that the series wouldn’t be about Mormons. However, Internet references to Big Love indicate that more and more Mormon themes are now being woven into the show and that the characters are often unsympathetic figures who come across as narrow and self-righteous. And according to TV Guide, it now seems the show’s writers are to depict what they understand to be sacred temple ceremonies.

Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding. Last week some Church members began e-mail chains calling for cancellations of subscriptions to AOL, which, like HBO, is owned by Time Warner. Certainly such a boycott by hundreds of thousands of computer-savvy Latter-day Saints could have an economic impact on the company. Individual Latter-day Saints have the right to take such actions if they choose.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series. As Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Robert D. Hales of the Council of the Twelve Apostles have both said recently, when expressing themselves in the public arena, Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness.

Not only is this the model that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated in his own life, but it also reflects the reality of the strength and maturity of Church members today. As someone recently said, “This isn’t 1830, and there aren’t just six of us anymore.” In other words, with a global membership of thirteen and a half million there is no need to feel defensive when the Church is moving forward so rapidly. The Church’s strength is in its faithful members in 170-plus countries, and there is no evidence that extreme misrepresentations in the media that appeal only to a narrow audience have any long-term negative effect on the Church.

Examples:

* During the Mitt Romney election campaign for the presidency of the United States, commentator Lawrence O’Donnell hurled abuse at the Church in a television moment that became known among many Church members as “the O’Donnell rant.” Today, his statements are remembered only as a testament to intolerance and ignorance. They had no effect on the Church that can be measured.
* When the comedy writers for South Park produced a gross portrayal of Church history, individual Church members no doubt felt uncomfortable. But once again it inflicted no perceptible or lasting damage to a church that is growing by at least a quarter of a million new members every year.
* When an independent film company produced a grossly distorted version of the Mountain Meadows Massacre two years ago, the Church ignored it. Perhaps partly as a result of that refusal to engender the controversy that the producers hoped for, the movie flopped at the box office and lost millions.
* In recent months, some gay activists have barraged the media with accusations about “hateful” attitudes of Latter-day Saints in supporting Proposition 8 in California, which maintained the traditional definition of marriage. They even organized a protest march around the Salt Lake Temple. Again, the Church has refused to be goaded into a Mormons versus gays battle and has simply stated its position in tones that are reasonable and respectful. Meanwhile, missionary work and Church members in California remain as robust and vibrant as ever, and support for the Church has come from many unexpected quarters — including some former critics and other churches.

Now comes another series of Big Love, and despite earlier assurances from HBO it once again blurs the distinctions between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the show’s fictional non-Mormon characters and their practices. Such things say much more about the insensitivities of writers, producers and TV executives than they say about Latter-day Saints.

If the Church allowed critics and opponents to choose the ground on which its battles are fought, it would risk being distracted from the focus and mission it has pursued successfully for nearly 180 years. Instead, the Church itself will determine its own course as it continues to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

Related links

So what is the MORMON ENDOWMENT CEREMONY and Why is the LDS so Pissed