Notes on Pop Culture: Depressing 'FNL,' Meanest Anti-'Lost' Finale Tweets, 'Eat Pray Love' & 'The Philadelphia Story'

*Warning, spoilers ahead from the recent episode of Friday Night Lights.*

FNL’s Depressing Episode

Fifteen-year-old Becky Sproles’ abortion on Friday Night Lights’ – a choice fully supported and, in fact, insisted upon by her mother Cheryl – continues to haunt Tami Taylor, even though Tami neither advised Becky to terminate her pregnancy nor did she advocate that Becky do anything other than talk with her mother.

Somehow, the baby daddy’s mother, Margaret Cafferty, got it into her head that the abortion was all Tami’s idea and that since Margaret didn’t get to speak with Becky while Becky was still pregnant, Tami is the one who has to pay. In the latest episode, “Laboring,” Margaret had taken the false story to the newspaper, resulting in Tami getting attacked in an article with her photo next to it, accusing her of pushing Becky into having an abortion. After the article's publication, Tami received phone calls at home calling her a “baby killer” and telling her she’s going to rot in hell (even though she pointedly told Becky, who’d asked Tami if she’d go to hell for having an abortion, that she didn’t think Becky would burn in hell). Tami got picketed at school with signs, while the school board pressured her to publicly apologize of her “inappropriate behavior,” even though she didn’t do anything inappropriate.

Sure, there's a big football game coming up between the two rival Dillon teams and Eric is all worked up about it – fielding his own hate-filled, taunting phone calls, hearing the mean-spirited trash talk and seeing his car covered with graffiti -- but between Tami’s situation and poor Vince’s, where he bravely stood up to a gang member who wanted him to help him kill a rival who gunned down one of their friends . . . never mind that Billy Riggins became a daddy at roughly the same time he and his younger brother Tim were hauled to jail for running a chop shop, and the East versus West game seemed like a minor concern by comparison, except for that heartbreaking scene where the spoiled heathens from West Dillon ransacked the East Dillon field, knowing full well that East Dillon doesn’t have the money to repair it. That was truly sad, particularly because it seems like the odious brats will get away with it.



Meanest Anti-Lost Finale Tweets Sent to Lindelof

During a the TV Critics Association Awards over the weekend, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof accepted an award for best drama series by sharing a handful of the nastier tweets he received after the show’s controversial finale (I still cannot discuss the finale rationally), New York Magazine reported. Among them:

“Hey, douche! Instead of backpacking in Europe or whatever the f_*& you’re doing, how about you give me six years of my life back?”

AND

“Has anyone accused you of being an emotional terrorist yet? And research these words: closure and actual explanations.”

Eat Pray Love: The Eating Portion

Having just dispensed with The Help last week (I couldn’t stop thinking about Betty Draper’s housekeeper/nanny Carla, who we saw for the first time last night), I’m now onto Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I completed the Italy section over the weekend and, I must say, I developed an immense desire to consume copious amounts of fresh, authentic Italian fare and wash it down with a fabulous glass of red wine while reading it.

And while I dabble in yoga – try to take classes intermittently – I can’t envision that reading about the India portion of Gilbert’s trip is going to compel me to pull out my yoga mat and meditate every morning. (It’d be kind of impossible, the notion of meditating, what with the three kids who live here in the house, including the one who likes to wake up at the crack of dawn and follow people around.)

The Philadelphia Story

My 9-year-old son had a friend sleep over our house the other night and for entertainment, the two of them chose to watch the Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martin for the umpteenth time because they so adore watching Martin mispronounce “hamburger” while affecting a French accent.

Since I didn’t think I could sit through it again (actually, I think I’ve only watched portions of it), I, opted to retreat to my room to watch The Philadelphia Story for the umpteenth time without having to listen anyone whine, “Mooom, this is so borrrr-ing!).” Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant, they never get old. Plus having Stewart portray a not-well-paid writer, well, that hits a note with me.

Did Lindelof Tweet a Response to 'Lost' Finale Criticism?

One of the many folks I follow on Twitter is Damon Lindelof, one of the two creators/showrunners/master gurus behind Lost.

As many of you know, the series finale which aired last month was controversial. There were those fans who adored its heavenly conclusion, while others (including yours truly) observed that while it may have been emotionally satisifying, intellectually, it felt like a cop-out because it failed to address some of the series' major questions.

In the weeks leading up to the finale, Lindelof and Carlton Cuse said they'd go "radio silent" after the finale was aired.

Then I saw this Tweet today from Lindelof, ostensibly referencing the longest ever Wimbledon match (11+ hours) between Nicolas Manhut and John Isner which finally ended today with Isner prevailing:

"I found the ending of Isner/Mahut satisfying, but wish they had answered more questions."

A response to the criticism of the Lost finale? Hmm, sounds like it to me.

Lindelof's irony aside, I thought his Tweet about the tennis match was almost as good as Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers who Tweeted, "Mahut just didn't want it enough."

'Lost' Showrunners List Top 10 'Spoilers' for Series Finale on Letterman

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman last night (looking a tad awkward) and read a Top Ten list of Lost “spoilers” for Sunday night’s big series finale.

The best entry was number five, read by a gloriously sinister-sounding Ben Linus (played by the wonderful Michael Emerson), saying, “I have to go to Target to get socks.” Seriously, you've gotta see it.

Second best “spoiler” was number seven: “Due to pressure from the internet, we’ve been forced to include Betty White.”

I say Betty White hooks up with the Smoke Monster in the final scene. Whaddya think?

EW Gives 'Lost' One Last Cover

Entertainment Weekly has given the conclusion of the Lost saga one last cover treatment. Apparently there are 11 different versions of the EW "The End of Lost" cover, each featuring a single character, except for one which features several characters in a Brady Bunch-like series of boxes. (I hope the one that arrives in my mailbox is a Jack one. There. I’ve outed myself as a Jack fan.) The EW cover package also offers something the writers are calling, “Lost: The Complete Viewer’s Guide.”

In other Lost news, there’s a viral video going around featuring Lost’s co-creators, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof and some "Muppets" who burst into the Lost writers' room. Enjoy.



Image credit: Entertainment Weekly.

Notes on Pop Culture: Dave Barry in NYT, 'Lost' Interview Has Me Worried

Dave Barry Featured in Sunday's New York Times

One of my favorite writers is a humorist. His name is Dave Barry. When I was teaching journalism classes at the University of Massachusetts, I frequently distributed Barry's columns to my students and, in at least one class, assigned a collection of his columns as required reading. His writing is funny, keenly observant and down-to-earth, as well as very, very clever. Ever tried to write funny? It's hard. Believe me.

This weekend the Pulitzer Prize winning Barry, who has a new book coming out next week, I'll Mature When I'm Dead (*clearing throat and hoping anyone who's looking to get me a Mother's Day gift takes advantage of the link*), is featured in the New York Times Sunday Magazine.

Since he's in the spotlight of the "Domains" column, there are photos of Barry's house and various stuff in his home, including a photo of a toilet. (It's unclear if that's actually Dave Barry's toilet or not.) If you're a longtime fan of Barry's columns -- or one of my former students -- you might be familar with his campaign to improve the flushing power of toilets. On his toilet crusade, Barry said:

"Years ago we moved to a house that had toilets that did not work well. The plumber told me Congress had mandated that all new toilets use less water. I spent more time on the low-flow toilet than any columnist in America. . . We have some low-flow toilets and one standard one. I tell guests, 'If you really need a toilet that can do the job, go to that one.'"

God do I miss his weekly columns.

Lost Interview Has Me Worried

The Hollywood Reporter has published an interview with one of the brains behind Lost, Damon Lindelof. Why does it worry me? First of all, there's the lead of the story:

"Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof tells THR the crew built new sets for the final moments of the ABC hit drama and that fans should expect to ask themselves, 'What did they mean by this?' after the show ends."

Then there was this:

"As for the nagging question of whether fans be satisfied by the ending, Lindelof said the finale will not employ a Sopranos-style fake-out, but he emphasized that viewers will definitely be left with questions."

So when this ends, I won't have a satisfied smile on my face? I'll be asking, "What the hell just happened?" and know that there'll be no more, no answers? Say it isn't so.

Image credit: Colby Katz/New York Times.

'Wired's' Got Lots of Intriguing 'Lost' Coverage

Wired Magazine has a large package of stories/interviews about Lost, including an interview with the show's mastermind showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, a short article on the show's continuity expert and a piece on various Easter eggs that either wound up having significance or were red herrings (that drawing by the young John Locke, of what looks like a Smoke Monster -- see below -- freaked me out).

Below are a few quotes of relevance from the Lindelof/Cuse interview in Wired:

Question about the sideways flashes: "You now have two timelines: life after the hydrogen bomb is detonated and life as if the plane had never crashed. Will season six end up making sense of how these two timelines fit together."

Lindelof responded:

"In previous seasons it was very clear that this happened before, and this happened after. Now you watch and you go, 'I don't know when this happened, because things are different.' It's not just what would have happened if the plane landed; now Jack has a son and there are these changes.

 The audience is saying, 'I hope they explain the relationship between these two stories,' and that, to us, is the only answer we owe. Because at this point, the characters are not aware that there's any timeline other than the one they are in. But if they were to become aware of the parallel worlds, what might they do about it? That becomes a fundamental question."

When asked whether the show will ultimately be shown to be a "man of faith versus man of science" story, Lindelof and Cuse have a variety of answers.

Lindelof said:

 "That’s right. It’s order versus chaos, which is what it always was. But first it had to start as science versus faith, because Jack is a doctor and Locke is a guy who got up from his wheelchair and walked. Now the question has been boiled down to its essential root—is there a God or is there nothingness?"

Another question was if there are "questions for which any possible answer is not as interesting as the question would be before you knew the answer." To this, Cuse said:

"These heady questions are ultimately unanswerable, and we know the audience is hoping that those things are going to be answered. The great mysteries of life fundamentally can’t be addressed. We just have to tell a good story and let the chips fall where they may. We don’t know whether the resolution between the two timelines is going to make people say, 'Oh, that’s cool' or 'Oh, f--- those guys, they belly-flopped at the end.' But the fact that we’re nervous about it and that we’re actually attempting it—that is what we had to do. We had to try to make the dive."

Don't know if this bodes well or ill for the prospects of some of my most pressing Lost-related questions will be answered by the time Lost airs its last scene.

Image credit: Wired Magazine and ABC (for the Locke drawing).

What Does This Final Season of 'Lost' Seem Like to a Newbie?

Why anyone would attempt to start watching Lost -- a TV drama renowned for its complexity, its onion-like layers, its sometimes (oftentimes) confusing means of storytelling (flashbacks, flashforwards, sideways flashes) -- during its last season is a mystery to me.

A friend of mine, to whom I've lent the set of first season DVDs, e-mailed me shortly before the final season began and asked me whether I thought he should tune in to the new episodes. Absolutely not, I said, he wouldn't understand what was happening and he'd likely get frustrated ( . . . not that that experience would be signficantly different than the confusion I often experience each week while watching the show even though I've seen every episode).

Then I learned about this blog, called, cleverly enough, "The Final Season of LOST as Seen by Someone Who Has Never Seen." (Damon Lindelof, a Lost executive producer, Tweeted about it. Called it "awesome.") So, naturally, I had to take a peek for myself.

The blogger, "John," said he plans to write recaps of what he THINKS happened on each episode. He has no plans to research anything. He'll just revel in his Lost ignorance, including whether he gets names, places and details correct. The only thing he asks is that readers not be "haters."

Below is a sample from his review of the most recent episode, "The Substitute," (*Warning: Spoilers, y'all*) about the scene in the cave with post-Jughead/post-crash/dead Locke/Man in Black -- who he calls "Sad Day Monster" -- and Sawyer:

"There’s auditions to take over the island. Everyone has a number. Dead people are crossed off. I got excited when I saw '8 – Reyes' because I thought that meant Jose Reyes was on the island somewhere. But alas, Jose is #7. Clearly Jack is #23 because he is the Michael Jordan of being handsome. The Sad Day Monster gives Sawyer 3 choices. 1) Do nothing (sounds great to me. I’m gonna go back to getting drunk and listening to rock music on a tropical island.) 2) Protect the island from nothing. (sounds like option 1, I’m in.) 3) We just go. Thelma and Louise style.

Drunk Sawyer votes that they hit the bricks. Not what I would have chosen."

Throughout the review of the season premiere, he called Jack by the name Jake, and for the Kate-centric episode, called Kate "a bad person who robs a cab with a pregger lady in it."

Image credit: Mario Perez/ABC.

'Lost' Creators Give Fans Some Love at Weekend's Comic Con

"Lost exists because of you and for you." -- Damon Lindelof, Lost creator/writer/producer.

I'd never imagine that I'd ever be interested in anything that happens at the Comic Con. Sure, I've liked sci-fi in the past. As a kid I loved all things Star Wars. I've previously written about my shameless fandom for the action/sci-fi-ish J.J. Abrams show Alias, completely getting into the whole Rambaldi <0> thing.

However when Lost first came along, I initially said I didn't want to watch some TV show that I thought was just about a plane crash and polar bears in the jungle. It didn't sound appealing. Then a friend who has exquisite pop culture taste -- we'd bonded over epic discussions about Alias and 24 -- told me to watch Lost. I would love it, she promised. After hearing me ponder my friend Stacey's recommendations, The Spouse eventually bought me the first season DVD collection. Then, as they say, I was hooked.

While I wouldn't put myself in the obsessed fan category -- defined as someone who spends hours upon hours pouring over the minutia of everything in the show, knowing every episodes' details by heart . . . which means some die-hards would say I'm not really a fan . . . whatever -- I'm more into the meta-stories, the character development and the intriguing religious and political theory threads running through the episodes. I find all these things fascinating and would gamefully discuss them at length over a beer. That being said, it would've been interesting to have attended the Lost panel at Comic Con in San Diego over the weekend where the show's creators paid tribute to Lost fans and dropped a few pseudo-spoilerish tidbits, or red herrings as the case may be.

This is the first part of the Lost session, via YouTube:



Here's Part 2, which DOESN'T contain images painted on black velvet but does contain info about Daniel Faraday, who'll be in the sixth season. In this panel segment, Lost creator/writer/producer Carlton Cuse likened each TV season to a book, similar to a Harry Potter-esque installment in a series. I really liked the fact that in this segment, Jorge Garcia was, once again, the voice of the audience, asking, in a terribly tongue-in-cheek fashion, whether all the questions raised in the show will be answered:



Part 3 of the panel featured Cuse promising we'll get the backstory for Richard Alpert in the final season, confirming that Juliet will appear again (though he didn't say in what form), and adding that we won't be seeing a whole lot more about the Dharma Initiative.



Part 4:



During the panel, they also ran two faux ads, teasing the viewers about whether the bomb blast REALLY re-set things on the island, thus preventing Oceanic 815 from ever crashing. Who knows what it really means and whether it's just trying to deceive us.




What did you think Lost fans? Are they raising the expectations too high for the final season, or does this just make you yearn for "early 2010?"