Lost, The Final Season, Episode 9, "The Package"

If I would have realized what this episode would be about by reading into the title more, I would have been more excited. There was a time when Jin and Sun were two of my favorite characters, but they've just been so wasted in recent seasons. Really, their story is all about reuniting each other which they have been trying to do forever. With only 8 episodes left, we are still waiting for that to happen and I just don't care anymore. It's too bad.

This was a Jin and Sun episode, though everything that happened on The Island didn't really concern them. They were really just vehicles to make these things happen. But we'll get to that in a minute. Let's start with their sideways story.

Off Island

We find Jin and Sun at the airport. Jin is being reprimanded by customs for not declaring the $25,000 in cash he had in his bag. The customs agents let him go, but confiscate the money. This whole process too so long that it caused Jin to miss his meeting with Sun's dad's people. Sun is sure they will understand and that he will just have to contact them in the morning.

They check into a hotel in separate rooms. In the Alternate Universe Timeline, Jin and Sun aren't married. And neither of them speak English. BUT, they are lovers. Secret ones. Sun followed Jin there by telling her dad she wanted to go on a shopping trip. After their hotel room tryst, she tells Jin she wants to run away together. She says she has a secret bank account that they can use. There's a knock on the door. Jin runs to hide and Sun answers it - but not before stopping to check herself in the mirror. All of our sideways stories have the leads pausing to reflect in a mirror. Interesting that in this story, Sun checks herself, Jin does not.

The person at the door is Keamy. That bastard. He wants his watch and money.

At this commercial break I had flipped channels and thought I had switched back, but I didn't. So I missed a little of the next part.

Keamy and his goons search the room for Jin, and find him. When they realize neither he or Sun speak English, they call for their language expert. It's Mikhail. Mikhail is the guy from The Island who wore the patch over one eye, lived in the farm house with all the surveillance, and threw the grenade at Charlie in the underwater hatch, thus causing his death. I don't like Mikhail.

Jin and Sun explain the airport issue and Sun says if she can just get to the bank, she can get them their money. Mikhail takes Sun to the bank and Keamy takes Jin to the restaurant, which must be Keamy's secret lair. Jin begs him not to tell Sun's dad that they are a couple. That's a weird request to ask of the bad guy.

When Sun gets to the bank, she finds out her account is closed. Her dad closed it and transferred the funds. Why did he do that? Well....

Keamy ties Jin up in the freezer. He tells him that the 25K was supposed to be a payoff for killing Jin. Sun's dad knew all along. "Some people aren't meant to be together", says Keamy. Screw you, Keamy.

We next get the good old Lost fall back, the repeated scene. We hear, from Jin's perspective, Sayid's take out of Keamy and his men. Sayid finds Jin in the freezer and gives him a knife to free himself, then leaves. Sun and Mikael get to the restaurant and find everyone dead. Jin sneaks up on him with a gun. They get into a fight, shots are fired. Jin kills Mikael with a bullet to the eye. I like that in each life, Mikael still loses an eye. But, then, we hear Sun crying. She's been shot in the stomach. She tells Jin she's pregnant. Jin picks her up and carries her out. The end.

The possible killing of Sun and the fetus is very interesting due to what Jin is told on The Island. So let's see what's happening there.

On Island

We open with someone spying on the UnLocke's camp. Sawyer is chatting with Kate. Claire is being her weird dead self and Jin and UnLocke are talking about the names in the cave. UnLocke tells Jin the name Kwon is there, but he doesn't know if that means Jin or Sun. He does know that he needs both of them together to get off The Island and he will find her for him.

UnLocke then swings by Sayid who has become zombie-fied. Sayid mentions to UnLocke that he no longer feels anything, any emotion. UnLocke says that will help him get through what's about to happen. Then UnLocke heads out to run an errand.

Jin starts packing up his stuff. He has a surprising lot of stuff for someone who's whole world, literally, disappeared. Sawyer tells him to stay, but Jin does not want to follow that monster around. But before he can leave, someone starts shooting everyone with tranquilizers. It's Tina Fey and her henchmen! They grab Jin and take him away.

Back on the beach, Miles and The Pilot are playing cards. Ben is questions NotFBIChick on why she thinks Hurley will be able to get Richard to return. Sun is just standing around, as usual. Then she gets all pissy and storms off.

Jack finds her gardening. He tries to tell her about the lighthouse with all of the names (Why hasn't he mentioned this already? Weren't they all having their little Truth or Dare session around the campfire the night before? Why did Jack feel the need to keep this info quiet? Stupid Jack.) Sun doesn't want to hear about how she is "chosen" and her "purpose". She just wants to be left alone, so Jack leaves.

UnLocke shows up. He tells Sun he can bring her to Jin. But she freaks out and runs. Away from the beach. Into the wilderness. What an idiot. UnLocke is chasing her. Why doesn't he just turn into Smokey? That's an amazing power that he just doesn't utilize enough. Sun runs into a tree. Smack. My eyes roll. When did she get so dumb. When she comes to, Ben is there. He tries to get her talk, but she can only speak Korean. Fantastic.

Ben brings her back to the beach. Everyone assumes Ben did this to her. Jack examines her and determines that the bump on her head has temporarily caused her to forget how to speak English, but she can still understand it. Oh. Dear. God. Richard and Hurley return. Richard is all fired up. He wants to get to the other Island so that they can destroy the plane so UnLocke can't leave. Sun starts yelling in Korean about how that plane is their only way home. Does everyone not realize that the plane was crashed? Everyone just stares at her and she runs off in frustration. You would think all those years alive that Richard could have picked up some other languages.

Later that night, Jack and Sun are sitting on the beach. He gives her a notepad. It turns out she can write English still. This is so stupid. What is the point of her not being able to speak English anymore? Is it going to be some sort of beautiful reversal when she sees Jin again and now he can speak English, but she can't? Jack convinces her to join them in their quest.

UnLocke returns to his camp and finds everyone passed out. He revives Sayid (because he can't be put down? because he's dead?), but Sayid doesn't know anything. UnLocke notices Jin is missing.

Once everyone is awake, Claire wanders over to UnLocke and wants to know if her name is on the cave wall. It's not. She's afraid UnLocke will leave her behind because of this, but he promises not to. He tells her Kate's name is not on the wall either, but he needs her to help to gather everyone else. He is short 3 people (Sun, Jack, Hurley?). UnLocke says he needs to get the boat to get over to the other Island to get Jin. He brings Sayid with him. At this point, I just want something to happen soon. So bored.

UnLocke get to the other Island but they've set up the pylon fences, so he can't get anywhere. People start shooting at him. He says to stop, he comes in peace. Then Widmore appears. They reintroduce each other to each other. Widmore says all he's heard of UnLocke are ghost stories. UnLocke says he just wants Jin back. Widmore refuses. UnLocke says, "A wise man once said war is coming to The Island. It just got here." Boo to the yah. He leaves. Widmore freaks out and says this is all happening to soon. They need more time. He demands the package from the sub be brought to the infirmary.

See, this is what I had forgotten about. The locked room in the sub that Sawyer saw. What is this package? Or who is this package? This is what this episode is really about.

UnLocke returns to his camp sans Sayid. He tells Sawyer he had to leave Sayid behind because he doesn't like secrets. So he's sicking Sayid on them.

Jin wakes strapped to a chair in Room 23. Room 23 is the room that Alex's boyfriend was in. It's the mind control room. Dharma would do subliminal message testing in there, according to Tina Fey, who just came in to ask Jin some questions. Back when Jin worked for Dharma, he had signed off on some electro magnetic charts. She needs to know more about them. Jin says he wants to talk to Widmore.

Tina brings Jin to Widmore. Widmore says he went digging through the wrecked plane and found Sun's camera. He shows it to Jin. On it are pictures of Jin's kid, whom he has never seen. It's all very moving. I love Jin. Widmore tells Jin that if UnLocke gets off The Island, everyone that Jin loves will cease to exist. What does that mean? Well, let's take a look.

In the Alternate Universe, Sun gets shot, possibly killing her baby. I think that what Widmore says proves this theory: That the Sideways story is not what happened after jughead went off, but what happens if everyone agrees to go with UnLocke. UnLocke makes a ton of promises, but they are more "careful what you wish for" kind of promises. Sayid is with Nadiya, but not really. She's married to his brother. Kate is not in jail, but she's still on the run. Jin and Sun are together, but they can't be. Everything he loves is being taken away. His love and his baby. Now, what Widmore said sounds way more ominous. He makes it sound like the world will end. And maybe that's the case. We just haven't got there yet in the Sideways story. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Jin asks how do they stop UnLocke. No, Jin, wrong question. You are supposed to ask why. Why will everything cease to exist if UnLocke escapes???? These people ask the wrong questions. Widmore says they have a package on the sub that will help. Jin wants to know what it is. Oh, but it's not a what, Jin. It's a who. Yep, it's a person.

(Quick commercial note: I'm watching season 5 of Weeds right now and the Mexican mayor guy is totally the voice of the Nasonex bee.)

Back from commercial and Sayid is hiding in the water. Widmore's men pull the person, the package, out of the sub. Sayid slyly swims up for a closer look. It's....it's.......

Desmond!!!!

Hooray!!!!

Lost just made me so happy. I don't what his purpose is or how he is supposed to stop UnLocke, but I'm just glad he's back. Now I just hope Penny is okay.

Dream Log #4

Last night I had a dream about my grandmother. Except, it wasn't just about her. She just made an appearance. Most of the dream was about vampires. And Lost. Either way, it was one of those dreams where you really felt you were being visited by a lost one. That she had made an effort to come to me in a dream.

I was at the State Fair. I had blonde curly hair. I was waiting in line in the bathrooms. The bathrooms were disgusting. We're talking shit on the seat kind of disgusting. I stood on the toilet seat so I wouldn't have to sit. Then I heard a commotion. As I washed my hands, I overheard something about people being attacked. I attempted to go outside but a security guard stopped me and told me I shouldn't go outside. There are vampires. They are attacking only blondes. I ran anyway. I looked up. There were vampires. Three of them. Flying around like very large bats.

I made it to the restaurant area and inside was my maternal grandmother. Grandma Ann. She was with my cousins and uncles. I sat down next to her and she said something I can't quite remember. Although I do remember feeling incredibly guilty. Something about how I never cared or didn't visit her enough. She was very frail.

Then someone, I don't remember who, said we had to get to Annie. Annie is my niece who is going through some bad things right now. We found a car and headed out onto the road which ran along a beach. I looked up and the plane crash from Lost was happening. The tail end was splitting from the front and then it crashed on the beach next to us.

We kept driving.

We made it to Annie. It was me, my sister Missy, my sister Kathy, and my other niece Kimi.

We played cards.

Performance Art

Our performance on Saturday went beautifully. My friend handled most of the teaching instructions, thank goodness. I just sang it for them. What was the performance? Well...

Our performance was part of the Talking Image Reading Series. The idea is to connect writers with visual arts. The writers attend an exhibit and create a story, poem, whathaveyou inspired by that exhibit. Then everyone gets together at the exhibit and shares what they wrote.

This particular exhibit is called "The New Land of Milk and Honey". It is a satire on communal living and new age touchy feely-ness. It's splendid. It is at the Soap Factory. You should check it out before it goes away next week.

My friend Jen is a fantastic poet. She was inspired to create something with the audience. So we created a song. She wrote a poem and asked me to put it to music and to find a chorus within it that everyone could sing to. Then, at the show, we handed out the different lines to different people within the audience. They were asked to restructure the verses how they think they should be. Each person called out a line and we put it all down. Then, when complete, I sang it for them as a song while Jen and Sarah performed a dance they created. It was a great moment.

Though they were not my words, it was so amazingly beautiful hearing people sing along to something you had a hand in creating. I was a bit choked up when we sang the chorus for the 4th round at the end. I was just so happy that people participated.

Performance Anxiety

I'm doing a performance art thing tonight. I have to teach people the chorus to a song and then make up the verses with the lines that are given to me.

I think I'm more nervous about the teaching part than the singing of a song that I won't know until it is handed to me. I'm not a teacher. I fear that I will turn it into a kindergarten class and these are all adults.

So nervous.

Go Here...

...and listen to the awesomeness that is The National.

http://www.americanmary.com/

Their new single is available for download and it is beautiful. They just keep getting better and better.

I love them so much.

Lost, The Final Season, Episode 8, "Ab Aeterno"

There really is no other show on network television like Lost. What other primetime program would air a show where 95% of its dialogue requires subtitles? I can't think of one.

Last night we learned all about Richard Alpert. The once mysterious, eye-lined, never-aging dude that has been with us since season 3 (or maybe late season 2?). And that's all we did. And that is awesome.

Well, it's not all we did. We learned a lot about The Island and Jacob and Smokey, as well. And Sun had some more lines.

Here's what we learned about Richard....

Back in 1876, Richard Alpert was a simple farmer living somewhere in Spain. Yep, Spain, not Egypt as some people have thought. He was married to a woman with a striking resemblance to Salma Hayek (way to go, Richard). Her name was Isabella. Isabella was very sick. Richard raced via horseback to the doctor. The doctor was a real prick and would not give up the medicine Isabella needed for the amount of money Richard had. In desperation, Richard struggled with the doc to get the medicine. He accidentally pushed the doc who hit his head on the table and died. Richard fled. But when he returned home with the medicine, it was too late. Isabella was dead.

Richard was sent to jail for killing the doctor. He was sentenced to death. He is visited by a priest and we learn that Richard and his wife were learning English so they could travel to the new world. He begs the Father for forgiveness for his sin, but the priest refuses. Instead, the priest sells him to a slave ship owner, one Magnus Hanso. Owner of the Black Rock.

Richard is chained in the hull of the ship with the rest of the slaves. They encounter a severe storm at sea. As they are being tossed around in the waves, one of his slave friends sees land. An Island with a very large statue guarding it. He assumes it is a statue of the devil and that they are going to hell. This has been Richard's fear. He does not want to go to hell. He is terrified of it. But since he could not get forgiveness for killing the priest, he assumes that is where he will end up.

The ship crashes into the statue and lands inland. Most of the crew dies in the crash. Magnus Hanso makes his way down to the slaves and begins to stab them. He claims that if he lets them go, they will just kill him. As he makes his way down the line, he approaches Richard. As Richard begs for his life, they hear that familiar mechanical clicking followed by screams. It's Smokey. Smokey kills the crew and Mr. Hanso before he can kill Richard. Smokey then makes his way down to Richard. But he doesn't kill him. He just clicks and flashes at him - judges him. Then he leaves.

Richard is left at the bottom of the ship chained to the wall for days. He tries to get free, but eventually wears himself out. At one point, he sees his dead wife and then hears Smokey approach. He tells her to flee and save herself. But as she runs out of the ship, you hear her scream and assume Smokey gets her. As Richard lie there dying, a man approaches him and hands him water. Is it Jacob arriving at Richard's most darkest hour? Nope. It's the Man In Black - or Smokey. He convinces Richard that they are in hell and that the devil has taken his wife. He unshackles him and takes him back to his camp.

The Man In Black explains to Richard that if he ever wants to see his wife again, he will have to kill the devil with a knife. Stab him before he has a chance to speak. This confuses Richard. How can he stab black smoke? But the Man In Black is honest. He admits to being the smoke, but that he is not evil. He says the devil lives in a statue on the beach. The same statue that the Black Rock ship destroyed when it crashed. Richard agrees to do his bidding.

As he approaches what's left of the statue (just the foot), he is punched. He tries to stab the man, but he is knocked down again. The man is Jacob. He demands to know what Richard is doing. Richard tells him what the Man In Black said. He says he believes he is in hell and just wants to be with his wife. Jacob grabs Richard and drags him out to sea where he pretends to try to drown him until Richard begs for his life, proving he does not truly believe he is in hell.

Back on the beach, Jacob tells Richard that the Man In Black is a bad man. He explains that he brought the Black Rock ship to The Island. He brings a lot of people to The Island. His goal is to prove to Smokey that people are good. Smokey believes everyone has hatred and the urge to sin in them. Jacob just wants to prove him wrong. Unfortunately, people don't cooperate and they just end up dying. He tells Richard that he can't tell them what to do. They have to find the goodness themselves. He also tells Richard that The Island is the only thing that can contain Smokey, and Jacob is the lock. He uses a bottle of wine as a metaphor. The bottle is The Island, the wine is Smokey. The wine is free to move around within the bottle. But if left uncorked, it can escape. If Jacob were to die, Smokey could leave The Island and grow larger and more evil. He says he needs to find candidates that can take his place were anything to happen to him. Though Richard is not a candidate, he thinks he can help him out. He asks Richard to be his voice in helping people find the goodness in themselves. Richard can ask for anything in return. First, he wants his wife back. Jacob can't do that. Second, he wants forgiveness for his sins. Jacob can't do that either. Third, he says he never wants to die so he doesn't have to go to hell. Jacob can do that.

Richard makes his way back to the Man In Black. He tells him he is siding with Jacob and hands him a gift from Jacob. It is a white rock. Smokey tells Richard if he ever changes his mind, to come find him. Then he disappears.

Later we see the Man In Black hanging out an a bluff. Jacob joins him. Jacob gives him a hard time for trying to kill him. Smokey says he just wants to leave The Island. Jacob says he can't let him do that. Smokey says that's why he has to kill him and that someday he will. Jacob says he will have a replacement. Smokey says he will kill that person, too. Jacob hands him a bottle of wine and leaves. Smokey smashes the wine.

And that is the story of how Richard came to be on The Island.

On Island - Present Day

There were a few other things that happened this episode.

Back on the beach our gang is hanging out discussing all they know. It is a strange group. Jack, Sun, Ben, Hurley, The Pilot, NotFBIChick, Miles, and Richard. Everyone seems as stunned as I am about how little Jack knows. Actually, I'm not stunned. Jack just doesn't pay attention. The all start to harass Richard about what Jacob says he knows. But Richard swears he has no idea what to do next and runs off. Do we believe him?

Jack sees Hurley talking to someone/no one. He believes he's talking to Jacob, but Hurley says it's not of his business and walks away.

At the end of the episode, Richard is hanging out at Smokey's old camp. He has changed his mind and wants to join his side. Hurley approaches him. He says he's been talking to Isabella. Richard doesn't believe him. But then in Spanish, he starts to tell him everything she is saying. He says she is standing right next to him. It's one of those super heartbreaking scenes right out of Ghost. Isabella, through Hurley, says Richard must stay with Jacob or else everyone will go to hell. The camera then pans up to UnLocke/Smokey watching it all.

The End.

This was a much bigger episode than it appears. We learned so much. Let's take a look at all the solved mysteries that happened tonight.

1. Richard's agelessness. He was given this gift by Jacob in return for being his right hand man.
2. Richard's origin. He came from Spain in 1876 aboard the Black Rock.
3. How the Black Rock got to The Island. It was tossed by waves.
4. How the statue was broken. The Black Rock crashed into it.
5. Jacob's purpose. To keep Smokey contained to The Island and to find candidates to replace himself if he were to die.

We also learned a little more about the Jacob/Smokey relationship. There was one line that I found especially intriguing. First of all, they both have a deal with honesty, but they go about it very differently. Smokey is never anything but straightforward. Yes, he said Jacob is the devil, but in his eyes, he probably is. He freely admitted to Richard that he was the Black Smoke. Jacob, on the other hand, wants everyone to be honest, but he is very cryptic in how he speaks. He seems to genuinely be the good guy, but there is always something about him I find a little wary.

The part I found intriguing was when Smokey said something about Jacob taking his body when he was a boy. Did Jacob really inhabit the real/original Smokey's body at some point? How did that happen? What's that all about? I don't believe that this Man In Black is the original face of our Smoke Monster. I'm sure it's just some other John Locke time who's spirit he has taken over. So what about Jacob? Is that really what Jacob looks like? Is Jacob maybe not a human either? Hmmmm....

It looks like they can both only be killed one way. Being stabbed by an outside party and before either of them speak. EXCEPT, Jacob was killed by Ben and Jacob had been talking the whole time. So what gives? Is it just that they are both very persuasive, as both Smokey said about Jacob and Dokken said about Smokey, and that given the chance they can usually convince their predators to leave them alone?

We did learn that The Island is the only vessel that can contain Smokey. We've heard Smokey say that The Island is nothing. It's just an island. But it can't be denied it does have some magic to it. The healing qualities. The fact that it has something like Smokey living on it. How it disappears and flips through time by turning a frozen donkey wheel. I would be willing to believe The Island is just one of those strange places in the world where weird things happen...like the Bermuda Triangle. But then they had to throw time travel in last year and now I want to know what causes that.

Then there's also the general question of Why? Why/What is Smokey? Why is he on The Island? Where did he come from? What is Jacob? Why is he designated guardian? Why? Why? Why?

Why?

Way To Go, Joe!

Joe Mauer will remain a Twin through 2018. This is fantastic news. I'm suddenly very excited about the upcoming season. New ballpark, Mauer signed to 8 years, Jim Thome, Orlando Hudson....it could all make for a very exciting season.

Bummer about Joe Nathan, but I think we'll still be okay.

The Hour I First Believed

I just finished The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb and, well, what the hell was that all about? Way to tackle every topic known to man, Wally.

Let me preface this review by saying that the first Wally Lamb book I read was I Know This Much Is True. I loved it. I thought it was amazing. I loved how massive the story was. How it spanned decades.

His other book, She's Come Undone, has been forced on me by several people as one of the Best Books Ever. I've heard over and over again how great a character the lead is and how she's so relatable. I hated it. Yes, the lead is a character. But that's it. I did not find her relatable. I hated her and never once felt bad for her. Maybe that was how I was supposed to feel. I don't know and I don't care. Terrible book.

I read She's Come Undone after I Know This Much Is True and I was so disappointed because I loved the latter so much. I had been waiting patiently to read The Hour I First Believed since it came out in the hopes that I would love it as much as the other.

I didn't.

The Hour I First Believed is the story of Caelum Quirk and all the shitty shitty things that happen to him. He's twice divorced and is currently married to a woman who cheated on him. His dad was an alcoholic and his mom died when he was young. He grew up being cared for by his Aunt and Grandparents on the family farm that also shares land with the State Women's Prison, once run by his ancestors.

Caelum and his wife move to Littleton, Colorado and start teaching at Columbine, and well, you can guess what happens there. The Columbine tragedy leaves his wife with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and things just get worse from there. Seriously. Nothing gets better for this guy. This guy has not had one happy thing happen to him ever. His wife is crazy, his family is full of liars, he's being sued. That's it. That's what happens.

I don't require a happy ending, but holy hell this book really piles it on thick. Columbine, 9/11, war, kidnapping, alcoholism, drugs, death, lawsuits, prison, abortion, mummified babies, car accidents, child abandonment, adultery...it could go on and on.

I thought the theme of this book was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and I guess in a way, it was. It dealt with the PTSD you can get from every bad thing that happens in your life - in macro and micro versions. But, I didn't expect Mr. Lamb to throw in every possible tragedy to happen to one guy. Not everyone is Jack Bauer.

Oh, Those Summer Nights

I'm aching for summer. I need it to arrive soon. I'm sick of the dreary greyness of winter. But it is only March and we have so much further to go.

We've had a couple of nice days - amazing days this week. 60 and full sunshine. It's been beautiful. We've opened the windows and let the fresh air back into the house. Just beautiful.

But, with summer comes a lot of things that I was just reminded of last night that I have a really difficult time tolerating.

Like kids. Kids are everywhere in the summer. And by kids, I mean 10-18 year olds. They stay out late every night. The scream and yell in the yards and roads all day long. There is never peace. It is always noisey. I am unable to enjoy my beautiful backyard because of the constant screams of the neighborhood children.

Or nighttime noise. I am a very light sleeper. I wake up to my dog yawning. In the winter, the windows are closed, the storm windows down, the furnace blowing it's white noise all night long. It's quiet. I sleep. In the summer, the windows are open, the furnace is off and I hear everything. Those kids playing until midnight because they have nothing to do the next day. The traffic noise from the nearby highway. The traffic noise from the neighborhood. I don't sleep in the summer.

Clothing. Clothing is another issue. I never have anything to wear in the summer. I don't do shorts. I don't like to do tank tops. I prefer to show as little skin as possible. I'm not a prude, I just feel it's best for everyone this way.

Oh, the humidity. I can't deal with humidity. That sticky, sweating feeling. It's the worst.

But, even with all of that, I still want it to get here. Today it will barely crack 35 degrees. It is cloudy. It is grey. It is depressing. Winter has lasted too long now. And it's only the middle of March.

Old Men's Club

I played at Ginkgo's Coffee House again last night. Once again, there were 15 performers signed up. And even though I got there right at 6:30 (when sign up is supposed to begin), I was the last one they let sign in. It's crazy how busy it is there.

What bothers me about this particular open mic night is that it really seems like an Old Men's Club. The hosts are old men. All of their old men friends come down to watch and play. The one host seemed super annoyed that all these people were there wanting to play. I have no problem watching old men sing old folk songs. In fact, I like it. But, at the same time, watching 5 or 6 of them in a row can make you a little sleepy. It's always so refreshing when someone from my generation steps up and brings some life back to the place.

I was called first last night. The nice part about that was that I didn't have time for my neck to break out in hives beforehand, but it did while I was singing. I have got to remedy that situation. The host had said that, once again, time was tight due to the amount of performers, so keep that in mind. I really wanted to get in 3 songs, so I played them all super fast, only to watch everyone who followed me slowly go through their set.

But I have to remember that each time I step on stage, it is a learning experience and will only prove to make me more comfortable and confident the next time.

Last night I played: "Good", "Thursday", and "Old Fashioned Hat" (Anais Mitchell cover).

I really want to get my own show. How does one do that? Maybe I should ask the internet.

Lost, The Final Season, Episode 7, "Recon"

What happened last night? Really. What happened? I don't think anything happened. Kate wasn't killed, I know that much didn't happen. Everyone just kind of sat around. These are the final episodes, Lost Creators!!! There are only 9 of them left!!! Let's keep this thing moving!!!

This is how little of anything happened:

Off Island

Sawyer is a cop in the Alternate Universe. He mostly does undercover work where he gets to pretend to be a con man who sleeps with a lot of ladies. Miles is his partner. As I've said before, Miles is awesome. (Miles and Sawyer in a buddy cop spinoff might just work.) Miles notices Sawyer is lonely and sets him up with a woman who works with his dad. So we learned that in the Alternate Universe, Dr. Chang is still alive and he and Miles are on good terms. So hooray for all of that. The woman he sets up Sawyer with is Charlotte. Remember Charlotte? The nose-bleeding redhead from the Freighter? She and Sawyer go on a date. They hit it off. They get it on. She asks to borrow a t-shirt. He tells her to look in the top drawer. She finds a book filled with clippings about the death of Sawyer's parents. They still died the same way. His dad shot his mom and then killed himself. Sawyer throws her out for snooping.

The next day at the office, Miles gets on Sawyer's case for lying about going to Australia. He demands to know what he was doing there. I really don't understand why Miles cares so much. I know, as a cop, you are supposed to be super close to your partner so you can trust them with your life, but really? The dude went on a trip and he didn't give you the full details. Does that really give you the right to run a trace on his credit cards? Miles has some issues.

Sawyer comes clean to Miles and tells him all about his dead parents and that a guy named Anthony Cooper (Locke's dad? Maybe not.) is responsible and that when he finds him, he's going to kill him. Miles suddenly looks like he didn't want all that information.

Let's take a minute here to think about this Anthony Cooper business. In the main timeline, Anthony Cooper was a conman who went by the name of Sawyer. He conned our Sawyer's mom into giving them all their money and then Sawyer's dad freaked out and I think he killed himself and his mom just like in this timeline.

Anthony Cooper is also John Locke's dad who also played a con on him. He conned John into thinking he cared about him so he could get one of his kidneys and then he cut all ties with him. This pretty much ruined Locke's life. He went to confront his dad who then pushed Locke out of a window, leaving him paralyzed.

Ben Linus then brought Anthony Cooper to The Island so Locke could kill him. But Locke couldn't kill him. So, after finding out what Mr. Cooper did to Sawyer, he brought Sawyer to him and Sawyer killed him.

In this Alternate timeline, we have been led to believe that Locke is on good terms with his father. Therefore, his father couldn't have possibly been the one to have pushed him out of the window, causing his paralysis. He also couldn't have conned him into giving him a kidney. Is his father still Anthony Cooper, Con Man? Does Locke just not know his dad is an asshole? Or does Sawyer have the wrong guy this time?

Back to our story and it's the best part. Probably the greatest thing that has ever happened on Lost. Sawyer is feeling bummed and he heads home to some frozen dinner and cheap beer. He turns on the television and starts watching....Little House on the Prairie!!!! I grew up on Little House. I love Little House. And I loved how it was used in Lost. Pa Ingalls is giving Laura a speech on death. It's very touching as all of Pa's life lessons are. Sawyer is watching it and I just loved his reaction. I have that same look on my face whenever I watch Little House. That, holy shit everything I need to know I can learn from Little House face. That Pa is so fucking right on face.

Of course, Sawyer is now filled with a new sense of purpose. He marches over to Charlotte's with a sunflower and a six pack of beer to apologize. But she's not having it. She tells him he blew it and shuts the door in his face.

And that was that. I'm pretty sure that's all that happened in Sawyer's Alternate Universe.

On Island

Not much happened here, either. Maybe I missed a bunch of little clues or something. But it really seemed like another set up episode. There have been way too many of these lately.

Sawyer is at Claire's camp tending to Jin. Jin freaks out and wants to leave, but Sawyer tells him he is with Locke and Claire because Locke is going to get him off of The Island. Jin says he's not leaving without Sun. Sawyer says he'll make sure Sun comes along.

UnLocke and his army of crazy head into the camp. Sawyer and Kate exchange their usual glances. Then nothing happens for a while.

Later, UnLocke asks Sawyer to head over to the smaller island to see who's all over there so they can steal the plane and leave. Sawyer heads on over.

Meanwhile, Kate is hanging around chatting with Creepy Sayid when Claire grabs her from behind and tries to stab her in the throat. But then UnLocke comes up and pulls Claire off of her. Dammit, UnLocke! He calms her down by smacking her across the face (!) and Claire stalks off.

He then finds Kate crying in the woods. He apologizes for Claire's outburst and explains to her that he told Claire The Others had her baby so that she would have something to fight for. Now that she knows the truth, she's very angry. But she'll get over it. He then tells Kate that he used to be a person with a mother who is crazy and that it really screwed things up for him. He says he's telling Kate all of this because now Aaron has a crazy mother. In my opinion, he could be referring to Claire or Kate. Okay, I know he's talking about Claire.

What kind of person was UnLocke before he was Smokey? Was he real flesh and blood? Was he born off Island somewhere and somehow ended up there where a spell was put on him that turned him into Smokey? That seems so hocus pocus, even for this show. Or, has he always been smoke? If that's the case, where do baby smoke monsters come from?

Sawyer makes his way to the smaller island. He finds a pile of bodies, the remaining passengers from the Ajira plane. He sees someone running across the beach. He catches her. It's Tina Fey! Okay, not really. But she looks a lot like her and wouldn't it be cool if it was? Tina tells a story about how she was out looking for firewood. She heard screaming and by the time she got back to the beach, they were all dead. She doesn't know how it happened. Sawyer says he'll take her back to his crew and asks her a bunch of questions which set off signals in him that lead him to believe she's lying. And she is. A bunch of men with guns start spilling out of the weeds. Great. More new characters.

They take Sawyer to their leader who resides in the cartoon submarine (really, they should just paint it yellow and be done with it already). And, oh, yeah! Widmore! I forgot about him.

Sawyer heads down into the sub and, on his way to meet Charles Widmore, he notices a door that is heavily locked. He asks Tina Fey what's in it, but she won't tell him. She takes him to Widmore who introduces himself. Sawyer says he remembers him as the guy who sent a freighter full of people to kill them all. Widmore says that's not true. Sawyer says, well, you killed all those people outside. Widmore says that's not true, either. They decide to work together (or do they?). Sawyer says he will bring UnLocke to Widmore by telling UnLocke the coast is clear on this island. Then Widmore can kill him and that all he wants in return is for him and the people he chooses to get off The Island. Widmore agrees, They shake on it.

Sawyer heads back to the big Island where UnLocke is waiting. But he doesn't lie to him, he tells him Widmore is over there with an army full of people erecting sonic fences that keep Smoke Monsters away. What is exactly is Sawyer up to? We later find out when he tells Kate he is trying to distract everyone so he and Kate can steal the sub and get out of there.

The End.

Such a dull episode. And I was starting to like Sawyer. Bummer.

Next week looks to be much better, I hope, with the back story of the mysterious Richard Alpert. Will they actually tell us everything about him like they say they will, or is it all just a bunch of lies like when they said that Ben will die? All I know is that Richard has been around for a long time and that we can probably expect a lot of cameos from all the run-ins he's encountered on The Island. Should be good stuff.

Oh, I guess this is important. In the Alternate Universe, when Sawyer is filling Miles in on his shitty childhood, a car hits them and someone gets out and runs. They chase the person down and it's Fugitive Kate. Sawyer looks like he remembers her from the airport. So, yeah, that also happened.

Have I Mentioned I Love Doing This?

I got to perform live again last night at O'Donovan's open mic night. I really can't get enough. It's just about the most fun thing to do ever.

I had my first on stage technical difficulty. I plugged in my guitar and nothing came out. There was no connection to the amp. With no amp, I can't play. Luckily, there was an awesome guy - Dane - in the bar that let me use his guitar. It was a little awkward playing someone else's guitar, but I got through it.

There was a good crowd there last night, too. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (yeah, I don't know who they are either) were playing across the street at First Avenue so there was a lot of pre-show people hanging around.

I played: "Good", "Minnesota", and "Old Fashioned Hat" (an Anais Mitchell cover) for my first time up. Second time through I played: "Cast a Spell", "In the Company of Elvis", and "Lord, I Have Made You a Place in My Heart" ( a Greg Brown cover).

This Wednesday I will be at Ginkgo's Coffee House for their open mic night.

Skirting The Issue

Why is it impossible to find a black skirt these days? I spent 3 hours at the mall today and could not find one. Sure, there are a ton of black business skirts. Pencil skirts meant to be worn with power blazers and pumps. But what about a classic, black, flowly skirt? Impossible to find. I searched through every store and could not find one.

I started with a very specific skirt. I wanted a new black knit skirt

that could be worn with leggings. I wanted no embellishments. Once that proved impossible, I decided I just wanted a black skirt. You would think something as basic as this would be easy to find. But I could not find one anywhere.

The real problem, I discovered, is that if you're not 19 or a career woman, there are no clothes for you. My style is not slacks and blouses. But, I feel silly in the trendy section filled with 18 year olds in layered t-shirts, skinny jeans, and over-sized high-tops. That's not my style, either.

I just like casual comfort. Not khaki. Not low-riding skinny jeans. Why is it so difficult for a 30 year old woman to find clothing?

America's Idols

Last night was the American Idol results show that gives us our Top 12. The Top 12 move on to the big stage. One of these Top 12 will be the next American Idol. And, unless something major happens, that person will be Crystal Bowersox because I just don't see one other iota of talent amongst the remaining 11.

Shall we take a look? I will rank them in the order I believe is best to worst.

1. Crystal Bowersox. The girl has got talent. That can not be denied. Though her voice sometimes goes into that Shaun Colvin uber-bland territory at times, most of the time it is right on and full of feeling. She has stage presence. She has the "IT" factor. But, can she survive the myriad of crazy themes that are headed her way? What will she do if Broadway Week happens? And, will she ever put the guitar down? Not that I mind, but when people start to nitpick, this will be the first thing they latch on to.

2. Siobhan Magnus. I got to give it up to the weird girl with the even stranger name. She's awkward. She's a terrible interview. Yet, because she is so awkward, her interviews end up being entertaining. She doesn't "get" things most of the time. But she can sing and she makes interesting song choices.

3. Didi Benami. She's one of those girls with that affected jazzy way of singing that is totally unnatural. But, she does it well and her tone is nice. She has a pleasant singer/songwriter vibe to her. But that's all I can really say. And for someone in my top 3, that's just sad.

4. Michael Lynche. Ugh. I don't even want to go here. I don't like the guy. His ego is twice the size he is, and that's big. But, he he is the only guy left that can actually sing in tune. And, like Crystal, so far he's picked songs that he can relate to, therefore he sings them with feeling, therefore, it's all the more enjoyable for the listener.

It's gets really hard from here on out.

5. Casey James. Only because I feel bad for the guy. He's being sexually harassed by the entire American Idol staff and it's kind of gross. If he was a woman, people would be outraged. His voice is dull, he's dull. But he's still better than the rest.

6. Lee Dewyze. I don't get it. I guess they need a "rocker" this season. He's just a bit too gruff and he has horrible song choices and zero stage presence.

7. Andrew Garcia. I will not mention the Paula Abdul song (but I guess I just did). But he needs to find another niche quick. He has a nice voice. But he can't rely on the: Turn the female sung pop song into acoustic folk jam. It's already old and he's only done it 3 times.

8. Lacey Brown. See Didi Benami. Except leave out nice tone and pleasant. And I truly, 100% believe she lip synched her performance this week. How she got away with it, I don't know.

9. Paige Miles. Who?

10. Tim Urban. The one who shouldn't be. He was invited back as an alternate and look how far he's come. He can't sing a note, but the tweens love his muscles and Leif Garrett hair.

11. Katie Stevens. Nice voice. Needs experience. Lots of experience.

12. Aaron Kelly. This kid freaks me out. It looks like he started to grow up, and this his parents put a stop to it and made him get the haircut of an 11 year old. And wise is his nose like that? And will the American Idol make over team fix his eyebrows? He is everything that is wrong with David Archuletta without anything that is right. This is why people under the age of 18 are not allowed to vote for the President.

Seriously, Worst. American Idol Top 12. Ever.

Lost, The Final Season, Episode 6 "Dr. Linus"

As I still try to shake the Lost Boys' theme song out of my head after the news of Corey Haim's death this morning, I will try to recap last night's lackluster episode of Lost. I will try, because as soon as it started last night, my dog decided he needed all the attention placed on him. He whined, he licked, he panted, he paced. I don't know how to explain to him that this is the one hour a week where I need silence.

And, yes, it was a lackluster episode. And for a Ben episode, this makes me sad. I'm sure it will be his last featured episode ever and it's too bad it was so dull. I'm sure there was a ton of insight to be found in Dr. Linus's opening monologue to his European History class about Napoleon and Ben Linus himself. But, like I said, my dog was making a ton of noise at this time and, either way, that subject is too large for me to tackle on a blog like this.

This episode really didn't offer anything new. We all know Ben is a great character, but a shitty human. I hope this isn't how his arc is closed on the show. He deserves more. Before Locke's being was taken over by the black smoke, Ben was The Island's evil. He was the Bad Guy. And with an Island as messed up as this one, that was a pretty big role. He was given way too much emphasis to just give him a one episode redemption story and then bundled up and put away. It's like with Desmond. Now that he and Penny are together, that's it. Desmond and Penny were the love story of The Island (sorry Kate, Jack, and Sawyer), only to be neatly wrapped up and put away.

We were shown many previews leading up to tonight all insinuating that Ben was not long for this world (Which world? The Island world. I guess I have to be specific with all of these interchanging timelines). All of which did have me concerned for his fate all episode. All of which led to nothing. Let's take a look at the episode.

Off Island

Ben is a European History teacher at some crappy high school in LA. He's bitter because he has a Doctorate in European History, but he's stuck teaching at some crappy high school in LA. He becomes even more bitter after the Principal forces him to be detention monitor. This overlaps with his after school advanced study group he mentors. This is the one thing he enjoys about teaching. His power usurped, he has to monitor detention.

During lunch in the teacher's lounge, he chats with "The Substitute" John Locke and Science teacher Leslie Arntz. Yes, the same Arntz that blew up from the Black Rock dynamite. Ben confides his anger in the both of them over this detention business. Locke suggests he try to get the Principal's job. You can see that even off Island, Ben is still hungry for power.

We then see Ben at home. His elderly, ailing father lives with him. It turns out that Ben and his father did go to The Island at one time. Even in this Alternate Universe. But they left. Roger Workman states his regret over all that Ben could have been had they just stayed with Dharma Initiative on that Island. Well, it looks like they could have been swimming at the bottom of the ocean if they stayed. Obviously they are unaware of its sinking and they must have left while Ben was still really young. It is also worth noting that Ben's dad is much more encouraging than he was in the original story. Ben even "wants to keep him healthy", you know, instead of spraying toxic gas in his face.

While eating dinner, there's a knock on the door. It's Alex! Ben's NotDaughter! She is one of Ben's students in his study group and was really bummed that it was cancelled as she has a big test in a couple of days. I'm left to wonder what Alex is doing in LA. Shouldn't she be in France with her French mother? We later find out her mom works two jobs just to support her. Did Danielle Rousseau ever make it to The Island? Was Alex born on The Island? Or did the French boat never even crash? What brought Danielle to LA? I suppose none of this matters now.

Ben agrees to tutor her early the next morning before class. She tells him she needs a recommendation letter from the Principal but doesn't want to ask "that pervert" for one. Ben inquires why she called him that. She tells a story about how she fell asleep in the nurse's office with an upset stomach and woke up to the nurse and the Principal going at in the next bed. You can just see Evil Ben's gears starting to turn.

Ben enlists the help of Arntz to hack into the nurse's email where he finds incriminating messages between the nurse and the principal. He heads to the principal's office to blackmail him out of his job. Except, the principal throws something else into the mix. He says he will ruin Alex's future if Ben goes public with this info. So Ben can make a choice: He can have all the power he wants (in this case, the power of a principal) and throw Alex under the bus (just like he did on The Island!) or he can do good and help Alex. Of course, in this life, he chooses Alex (and he managed to get out of detention duty, too).

On Island

Ben is running from the Temple and catches up with NotFBIChick, Sun, The Pilot, and Miles. NFC(NotFBIChick) is suspicious of Ben's part in Jacob's death. She asks Miles to listen to Jacob's ashes to see who really killed him. She says that Jacob was the closest thing she's ever had to a father. What does that mean? Miles listens and says the truth. Ben killed him. Ben denies it and suggests they all go to the beach where at least they know the area and there might be food. They all head that way.

They get there and it's all very bittersweet. Remember when all of our Losties would just hang out there all day long? Now here come all these random people, and Sun, and it's all kind of sad.

Ben goes snooping around, stumbles across some old porn (yeah, I didn't know what to make of that either, but they sure focused on it for a long time, but I didn't catch anything meaningful) and NFC points a gun at him and demands he follow her. She leads him to the Losties burial grounds, ties his leg to a tree and tells him to start digging his own grave. He is going to pay for killing Jacob and I get mad. Ben is way too important to go out like this. Being killed by some random new character that no one gives a shit about? It just can't happen this way. And it doesn't.

We're going to take a break from your Ben Linus recap section and skip over to the other happening on The Island.

Jack and Hurley are resting in a field and Hurley mentions something about food. You know. Because he's fat. Let's not forget that, people. Jack wants to head back to the Temple, but Hurley is trying to stall him due to what Jacob said about how bad things are happening there. Except he doesn't tell Jack this, which is odd for Hurley because he's incredibly open about everything. I guess he's concerned about Jack's little Jacob tantrum and doesn't want to piss him off anymore.

As Hurley tries to walk them in circles, Richard appears looking super thin and super depressed. He tells them to follow him to the Temple, much to Hurley's dismay. But, he doesn't bring them to the Temple, he brings them to the Black Rock! Yay! It's back! And just like everyone has deciphered since his first appearance on this show, Richard arrived to The Island on the Black Rock. Answer? Check. Jack gets pissed because they aren't at The Temple. Richard tells him everyone is dead, but he thinks Kate and Sayid got away. Jack asks Hurley if he knew about this and Hurley tells him Jacob kind of told him. Then suddenly Jack wants to know everything about Jacob and I'm like, dude, get with the program. People have been talking about Jacob for, like 3 season now. Everyone wanted to know what his deal was, except for you. In fact, I'm pretty sure you would put a stop to anyone even trying to find out Jacob answers. Stupid Jack.

Richard gets all jealous that Hurley still talks to Jacob and he enters the Black Rock. He finds some dynamite and Hurley begins to have ExplodingArntz flashbacks. Richard then tells some of his story. That Jacob said Richard would be his right hand man. That Jacob made it so Richard couldn't age. That he has devoted his entire life to Jacob in the hopes that, as Jacob said, when the right time comes, his purpose will be given. But now Jacob is dead, and Richard is pissed he devoted lifetimes for nothing. He wants to die. But he can't. He can't kill himself.

There is a weird thing with the deaths of the chosen on this show. Jacob can't kill Smokey. Smokey can't kill Jacob. Michael couldn't die until Jacob said it was okay. Richard can't kill himself. Yet lots of people have died on The Island. Why is that? I assume the ones who died were not "candidates". But why can't the candidates die? And does this mean that Jin is the Kwon referred to by NFC when she tells Sun that either Sun or Jin are candidates? Jin was on the freighter when it exploded. Yet, he managed to magically jump off and into The Island's radius.

Anyway, Richard asks Jack to kill him by lighting the dynamite for him. Jack obliges. He lights the dynamite, but then, he sits down next to Richard. Jack wants answers! Finally. He tells Richard that he doesn't think the dynamite will go off because he was also chosen by Jacob and he's pretty sure Jacob has bigger plans for him than to die right there. And sure enough, he's right. No boom. And that's that.

We now return to our regularly scheduled Ben Linus storyline.

Ben's digging his hole and Miles wanders up. Ben offers him that 3.2 million dollars Miles wanted if he unties him. He says that he can get off The Island and has money everywhere. Miles laughs and tells him he doesn't need the money because Nikki and Paulo were buried alive with 8 million dollars in diamonds! Yes! I knew Miles would discover this someday. Miles leaves and Ben keeps digging. Then that familiar sound of clicking and UnLocke stands before him and I have another question. Remember when NFC said that Smokey is becoming stuck in Locke's body? And remember how UnLocke ran after that strange boy in the woods? I assumed it was because he couldn't become Smokey anymore. But, that's been proven wrong. Look at the Temple. What gives?

UnLocke frees Ben and tells him he stashed a rifle in the woods. He wants Ben to join his smoke army and leave The Island. Ben runs and NFC chases him. He finds the gun just in time and begs to be heard. NFC listens (she has a gun pointed at her after all). Ben tells his sob story of choosing The Island and power over his daughter and how he will never forgive himself for that. He says he killed Jacob in anger. He tells her he just wants to leave. She asks where he will go. He says he will go with UnLocke because he is they only one that will have him. She says she will take him and turns and walks away. Ben is stunned and slowly stumbles after her.

He joins her back at camp and tries to help out. He is redeemed. He and Sun begin to build a shelter. Pretty Lost music plays. And then, from around the corner comes Jack and Hurley and Richard. And it's one of those lovely Lost moments where the music swells and everyone is smiling and hugging and there is a sense of relief for everyone. Jack and Ben just kind of look at each other. There is no acknowledgement between Richard and Ben - at least not on screen. NFC is there to not fit in. It's just a really nice moment.

Then, from the sea, movement. Is it the Dharma shark? Nope. It's a submarine. Another one of those cartoon looking submarines that Lost really needs to increase its budget for. We follow the periscope down to the interior of the sub. A young man is watching. He says, "There are people on the beach. Should we stop?" We pan down to see who he is talking to. It's Charles Widmore! He's found The Island! He tells the young man, "No. We must stick to the plan."

The End.

If anyone (besides Smokey/John Locke) is qualified to kill Ben Linus, it's Widmore. But will Ben even die by the end of the series? "They" made it seem like he would die this episode, but he didn't. And will Widmore maybe possibly have Desmond following behind him? One can only hope.

And, did anyone else think it weird to have Ben and Arntz interact so much? Ben wasn't even around yet when Arntz exploded. I just love that Arntz is back and has been so heavily involved in everyone's Alternate Lives. And do you think, while having lunch, Arntz told Substitute Locke about his recent trip to Australia and that maybe they discovered they were on the same flight?

Yes, I Think You've Seen Him Before

Corey Haim died last night of an apparent drug overdose. He was 38 years old.

This is very sad to me. Corey Haim was a big part of my life as pre-teen. He was in The Lost Boys, for crying out loud! One of my most favorite movies ever. I think fondly now of him in that pastel trench coat walking through the Frog Brothers comic book store. Or screaming in fear as Jason Patric floats outside his window. And I still question why a teenage boy had a sexy picture of Rob Lowe in his bedroom. Was Corey Haim ahead of his time in wanting to play Sam as a gay teen?

Then there's License to Drive. The story of a 16 year old who just wants his license so he can ask the hot girl out on a date. And when he doesn't get it and steals his parent's car to take her out anway, well, let's just say that hilarity ensues.

And then there's Lucas. This was one of his first movies and people actually thought he'd be a serious actor. You wonder where the divide happened.

So, thanks, Corey, for The Lost Boys. I can't imagine anyone else in that role. And now I have the theme song stuck in my head. "Say you love a pretty night! (lost boys!) Lost in the shadows".

The Oscars

I saw quite a few movies last year. And good ones. Oscar contenders even. So I was quite surprised to see that in all the major catergories, I had only seen one winner. Christoph Walz took the Best Supporting Actor award for Inglorius Basterds. Deservedly so. I'm pretty sure that as soon as people saw that movie, there was no doubt he would win.

The other big winners of the night were The Hurt Locker (Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay), Precious (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress), The Blind Side (Best Actress), and Crazy Heart (Best Actor).

I had wanted to see The Hurt Locker, but changed my mind after a scathing review from a co-worker. I've been meaning to see Precious, but that's a hard movie to go see. I'd have to want to be depressed and not care that I would be depressed for days after seeing it. So I haven't made it to that one yet.

I have no desire to see The Blind Side, even after I've been surprised by so many people who say it is actually a really good movie. It just seems like this is Sandra Bullock's Erin Brokovich. It just looks so very formulaic.

As for Crazy Heart, if Maggie Gyllenhaal wasn't in this movie, I would have seen it by now. I can't stand her. She just seems so stuck up. She is all the parts of New York that I don't like. She is cigarettes and french pronunciations. She is modern art and complicated scarves. She is only listening to vinyl and not owning a TV.

But I digress.

Having not seen the movie, I can't speak to Jeff Bridges' performance, though I'm sure it was fantastic. He's a great actor and should have been given the Oscar for The Big Lebowski, which makes this win seem like one of those "you're due" awards.

As for Sandra Bullock, this is a hard one to grasp. Yes, I haven't seen this movie either so maybe she was great. But like I said, it looks like she's playing Julia Roberts playing Erin Brokovich. I like Sandra Bullock. How can you not? She's very likeable. But I don't get the win. Of course, it was a pretty lame duck Best Actress category this year and they couldn't very well give it to Meryl Streep again.

One last thing: A shout-out to the Academy voters for keeping Avatar wins where they belong. In the special effects area. Hallelujah for not winning Best Picture. There's still hope yet for Hollywood.

Folking It Up

I played at another open mic night last night. This one had a real folky vibe to it. It was so much fun. I had my first few real on stage moments. During my song "Cast a Spell", I looked up at the crowd (and, yes, it was a crowd! There were at least 40 people there! The most people I've ever played for.) and I saw this woman smiling at the line I'd just sung. Then during my second song, "Minnesota", someone actually yelled out "yeah!" after one of my lines. Needless to say, I was thrilled.

I was super nervous. More so than the first time. Maybe it was due to the large crowd or the mall lighting or the strange microphone get up, but I still had so much fun.

The best part? I walked out of there with 2 possible gigs this summer!!! I met someone who has a gig at this same coffee house in June. He said he'd let me sing some songs before his set if I wanted. Then the person who books the shows for this place pulled me aside and said that they are booked through June, but to definitely email her for future gigs because she really liked my stuff!

I tell ya, I'm just kicking myself for not starting this earlier. I've loved it. I just want to do it all the time. Yes, it's terrifying, but so what? That's part of the awesomeness. Each time I've completed a set, I just have this rush of "OMG I can't believe I just did that!!!!"

I'm meeting a lot of really interesting people. I'm doing something I've always dreamed of doing. I'm being creative. I'm putting myself out there. It's a wonderful thing.

To everyone out there who is hesitating on their dreams, is too scared of rejection....just do it!!! Don't wait! It's so worth it! I am the shyest person I know and I've broken out in hives each time before I've gone on stage, but who cares? I'm doing it and I'm loving it!

Lost, The Final Season, Episode 5, "Sundown"

Let the ass-kicking begin.

Seriously, did that all just happen? I don't think I breathed for the last 10 minutes of the show. Sayid episodes are always full of ass kicking - because, really, that's kind of all he's about - but Holy Smoke Monster! That was some crazy shit!

But before we get to that, let's take a look at what was happening off The Island. Don't worry. There was some serious ass kicking going on there, too.

Off Island

Sayid has just returned from his now non-doomed flight back from Australia. He rings the doorbell of a nice, suburban home and it's Nadiya! And she's wearing a wedding ring! But Sayid isn't. But they embrace and it's very sweet and now look! Kids! But, wait. They call him "Uncle Sayid". WTF? Looks like Nadiya is now married to Sayid's brother, Omar. Yep. There he is. Bummer, Sayid.

They all sit down for dinner and we learn that in this Alternate Universe life, Sayid travels the world as an Oil Contract Translator. It's all very boring. Really, it is. Sayid even says so himself. His brother owns a dry cleaning business that has just opened up a new store. How very exciting! During dinner, his brother gets a very important dry cleaning business phone call that he takes in the other room. While he's gone, Sayid and Nadiya bat eyelashes at each other. Sayid tells the kids to go get their presents from his luggage. The kids find a picture of Nadiya in there and come running out to tell their mom. She blushes and it looks like brother Omar overhears this. Stupid kids.

That night, Omar wakes Sayid up and tells him that the phone call was from some dudes he borrowed money from to open up the new dry cleaning store. He says he's paid them all back, but they want more. He wants Sayid to go "take care of them." In this life, Sayid still worked in the war as an Interrogator. A very thorough Interrogator. But, as usual, Sayid says no and that he is "not that man anymore." Sure, Sayid. You say that all the time, but you always end up killing people. Wait. Did I just stumble onto the whole point of this episode?

The next morning, Omar turns up stabbed in front of his store do to a "mugging." Sayid and Nadiya go to the hospital where they pass by Jack very briefly in the hallway. Sayid wants to go find the real stabbers, but Nadiya begs him not to and asks him to go home and watch the kids instead. That night when Nadiya returns from the hospital, she asks Sayid why he pushed her towards Omar. He tells her that he doesn't deserve her because of all the bad things he has done. God, Sayid. I wish my lawn was as emo as you so it would cut itself. So, do you think in this Alternate Universe, that Sayid also tortured Nadiya?

The next day, he's off to pick the kids up from school when he gets stopped by some goons. The same goons that messed his brother up. Sayid gets in their car and they take him to some restaurant kitchen. There's a guy making eggs. It's that awful dude from the freighter! Keamie! Meanie Keamie! I HATE this guy! He's walking around all douche like trying to get Sayid to eat his eggs but you know Sayid isn't falling for it. He's Sayid! Sayid confirms that these guys stabbed his brother and then he starts kicking ass! He's such a bad ass! First he grabs the guy standing next to him and uses him as a shield and one of the other goons shoots him. Then he takes the dead guy's gun and shoots the other guy. Then, after Keamie begs for his life, he shoots him! Ha! Stupid Keamie.

He then hears a noise coming from the freezer. He opens the door and tied to a chair is...Jin! What the hell?

On Island

Sayid is stalking around looking for answers. Because this is also what Sayid is all about: Finding answers. It's just that most of the time, he kills everyone before he gets the answer he needs. He was actually probably a real shitty Interrogator.

He finds Dokken sitting by himself. He demands his answers. Dokken tells him that every person has a scale that shows how much good and evil are in them. When they hooked Sayid up to that machine, it showed that Sayid has way more evil in him than good. Sayid goes on about how he is a good man. But then Dokken tries to kill him and then Sayid blocks and now everyone is kung-fu fighting! Okay, that was bad. I know. Okay, this fight goes on for a really long time. Really long. Dokken almost kills Sayid, but then his precious baseball falls on the floor and he stops himself. So, I guess the baseball isn't just a baseball after all. He tells Sayid to leave and never come back.

Outside the Temple, Claire and Unlocke are hanging out and being creepy. UnLocke wants Kate to do him a favor and if she does it, he will get her baaaaayyyyybeeeee back.

Claire enters The Temple and is immediately surrounded by people with guns. Sayid and Miles just stand and watch, oddly. You'd think this would be a prime time for Sayid to kick some ass to protect his friend, but he doesn't. Very strange. Claire approaches Dokken and tells him that "He" wants to talk to him outside. Of course Dokken doesn't go. He's beginning to look very frustrated. (Actually, his mystique is totally wearing away and he's starting to remind me of Dark Helmut from Spaceballs. I just expect him to start throwing a tantrum any moment). They drag Claire away and Dokken asks Sayid to go talk to "Him". He gives Sayid a knife and says this person will show up as someone you know who is dead (like Mr.. Eko's brother!). Sayid will have to stab him before he speaks, otherwise he won't die. Sayid wants to know why he should do something for him after Dokken just banished him. Dokken says it's to prove there is still some good left in him. So, Sayid has to kill someone/thing to prove he is good. That's basically the story of his life.

Sayid heads out of the Temple and runs into Kate. A part of me was really hoping he though Kate was just the Smoke Monster and that he would stab her before she spoke. But he didn't. Dammit. Kate wants to know what's up. He tells her to talk to Miles. She goes inside and finds Miles and she seems so very happy lately. It's weird. After Miles makes fun of her for chasing after Sawyer (he knew exactly what Sawyer would do. Remember, he really lived with Sawyer for 3 years on The Island), he tells her Claire is back (and still hot - his words, not mine). This makes Kate even more happy.

Back outside the Temple, the wind picks up and Sayid looks panicked. Out from the brush steps UnLocke. UnLocke says "Hello, Sayid" and then Sayid stabs him! But, it's too late because he already spoke! UnLocke pulls the unbloody knife from his chest and tells Sayid he's stupid for listening to Dokken and wants Sayid to deliver a message. If he does, he will give him anything he wants. Sayid wants one thing that he can't have: his dead Nadiya back. But UnLocke says he can make it happen.

Sayid goes back to the Temple and delivers the message. The message? That Jacob is dead and that means they don't have to stay there anymore. If they want to leave, meet outside the Temple at sundown. Cindy, the flight attendant, asks what happens if they don't. Sayid: "You will die". Dun dun dunnnnnnnn.

Kate finds where Claire is being kept. It's inside the Temple at the bottom of a hole. She tells Claire that she has Aaron and that she has been raising him, she looks so proud of herself. This make for a very angry Claire. Kate says she's come to rescue Claire and bring her back to Aaron. Claire says she's not the one who needs rescuing and then the guards pull Kate away. Dammit. Will someone please unleash Claire onto Kate?

Sayid wanders into that Temple pool and sees Dokken sitting there playing with that darn baseball. Sayid wants to know what is going on. Dokken tells Sayid the reason he is there. Before Dokken came to The Island, he worked for a bank. He got promoted and his co-workers took him out for happy hour. Afterwards, Dokken had to pick his kid up from school. He got into a drunk driving accident. Jacob appeared at the hospital and said he will let his son live if Dokken agrees to come to The Island and never see his son again. So he did. So, I guess the baseball is his kid's? Sayid looks all sympathetic for a second and then? He tosses Dokken into the pool and drowns him! WTF, Sayid? You are a very bad man! Then that Lennon guy comes running in. He freaks out and says with Dokken dead, Smokey can just waltz right in. Sayid says he knows and cuts Lennon's throat!!!! Oh, no, Sayid!!!!!

And then it's sundown. Some of The Other's have decided to stay with The Temple. That familiar Smokey noise begins and then here he is!!! It's Smokey in all his Smokey glory and he is PISSED! He starts tearing through the temple and killing everyone! Just like Jacob and Ben and Richard and Dokken all said he wanted to do. So does this confirm that Smokey is indeed evil? I think so.

Miles and Kate start running together until she wants to run off and find Claire. (I've got to say, I think Miles is a great addition to the cast. He makes Kate tolerable. He's not really involved in anyone's ordeal, so he just works on a real normal guy level. A normal guy that can talk to dead people).

Miles finds a room to hide in and then in walks Ben! and Sun! and the Pilot! and NotFBIChick! I forgot about these guys! Ben wants to know where everyone is (or, at least, all the special ones - he doesn't care where Kate is). He says Sayid is out by the pool and Ben goes to find him. Sayid is just sitting there with the bloody knife in his hand. He looks up at Ben and Ben does the totally awesome "back away slowly" move. Sun, Miles, and the Pilot, follow NotFBIChick into a secret door in the wall. They manage to escape Smokey, for now. It seems that Sun and everyone have all been filled in on what is happening on The Island. I wish they'd share that info with me.

Kate, who still doesn't see the creepiness that is now Claire, tries to get her to leave. But Claire refuses. Smokey enters the room and Kate jumps into the hole with Claire. But Claire doesn't kill her. Come on, Claire!

Once things have quieted down, Kate walks out of the Temple with Claire and Sayid. She looks very confused. Claire and Sayid look totally at peace. There are dead bodies everywhere. Outside the Temple stands UnLocke and his army of Others who decided to leave the Temple at sundown.

They all turn and walk into the jungle.

The end

Let's take a moment to assess where everyone is:

-Kate is now stuck with the badies. These people include UnLocke and creepy Claire. Now with bonus creepy Sayid action!

-Miles, Sun, the Pilot, and NotFBIChick are hiding in the Temple. Ben is also in the Temple, but I'm not sure if he got back in time to hide with them.

-Sawyer is wasted away again in Dharmaville. Presumably looking for his lost shaker of salt.

-Hurley, Jack, and all of Jack's baggage are back at the Lighthouse with ghost Jacob. Jacob is going to bring them somewhere safe, I think.

-Jin is sitting in Claire's Creepy Camp with a bloody broken ankle. I hope someone finds him. Preferably Jack and Hurley. Or even Sawyer.

-Richard was on his way back to the Temple what seems like days ago. I wonder if he made it?

-And Rose and Bernard and Vincent are still hanging out somewhere eating pineapples and drinking coconut juice. At least, I hope.