Saints vs. Bucs

The Saints lost. It's the end of the world. This team is in ruins. What's wrong with the offense? Can the defense stop anyone on 3rd down? The Saints can't win a playoff game, etc. etc. etc.

Man, what a difference a week makes. A week ago, the Saints were the NFL media darlings. One loss and everyone's picking them apart. Nevermind that they've still got the top record in the NFC and the NFC playoff will most likely still have to go through New Orleans. No, ESPN and other media outlets have moved on, they like the Eagles or the Cowboys better now.

Well, good for them. The bandwagon was too full of the not real fans anyway. So the undefeated season is gone, so what? The big goals are still out there and that starts this week. With a win against the Bucs, the Saints will clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. You can't take that away from them. And fans will no longer have to wonder if Coach Payton would rest starters in the last game against Carolina. That game wouldn't matter.

I think the Saints will come out on fire this week. They smashed the Bucs last time they played and this time could be even worse. The Saints don't have to prove anything to anyone, but they will. They'll show that this is still the top offense in the league and that the Superdome is the toughest place in the NFL to play.

Prediction:
Saints 42
Bucs 10

Doctor Who: The End of Time

David Tennant's run as the Doctor is coming to an end:

I wish it was Christmas today

Can't beat the original though:

Saints vs. Cowboys

The Saints will play one of the most anticipated games of the season on Saturday when the Dallas Cowboys come to town. The 13-0 Saints will be looking to keep their perfect record going, while Dallas is playing for its playoff lives.

The Superdome will be rocking for the national television audience on the NFL Network, and Saints fans will be practicing for next month's playoff games. If the Saints get two more wins or Minnesota drops two games, the road to the Superbowl will pass through the Big Easy.

Prediction:
Saints 38
Cowboys 27

Lost Rewatch: Week 27

As the Lost Rewatch winds down to the end of season 5, the anticipation for season 6 continues to build. There are rumors of new promos coming to ABC (remember that the Lost producers aren't planning to show any season 6 footage, so these promos have to be creative, as Doc Jensen blogged about this week). And speaking of Doc Jensen, I'm not sure when this was posted, but it ties into the Lost Rewatch: Doc Jensen's season 5 report card.

Now onto this week in the Rewatch:

Dead is Dead (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on Ben just after he was healed by the Others in 1977, stealing Alex in 1989 and banishing Widmore from the island.
• Ben is surprised to see the 815ers in the DHARMA Initiative photo. How much of his memory was lost when Richard healed him? He doesn't remember any of them in DHARMA (or is he lying again), what else doesn't he remember?
• Christian told Sun that Locke would help her get to Jin. How is this going to happen. With Locke being the Man in Black, has Christian been working for him all this time? Is Christian Smokey or is Locke/Man in Black Smokey? Locke always seemed to be off somewhere else when Smokey was appearing.
• How does Ethan join the Others? When he goes with Ben to kill Rousseau, DHARMA is still active on the island. Also, Ben tells Rousseau to run the other way whenever she hears whispers, is this confirmation that the whispers are the Others?
  

Some Like It Hoth (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on Miles, first learning of his ability as a child, when his mom was ill, being recruited by Naomi, using his con-skills on a father and being recruited by Bram.
  
• Hurley and Miles can both talk to the dead, but in different ways. Miles is able to read their last thoughts, while Hurley interacts with them. All along, I thought Hurley's ability was just part of his mental state, but it may very well be an ability. So how are they both able to talk to the dead? How did Miles get this ability (being born on the island or an experiment by his father)?
• Shadow of the Statue group ... how do they know so much? Bram knew where Miles was headed, knew about Miles' father and his ability. He told him that he's playing for the wrong team. So are their three fractions battling over the island (Bram's group, Ben and Widmore)? This group has ties to Jacob, but how and why are yet unknown.
• How long was Daniel in Michigan and what has he been doing all that time?
  

The Variable (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on Faraday and his relationship with his mother. We also get to see Widmore pay him a visit and invite him to join the freighter group.
• Little Daniel is good at piano, could he have been the one who set the code in The Looking Glass station to the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations." Many fans speculate that it was Daniel, but when would he have done this?
  
• Remember a few episodes ago when Charlotte was testing Daniel's memory with playing cards? This is explained in this episode because Widmore told him that his memory would be fixed on the island.
  
• Did Daniel know that his mom would shoot him? He was defiant when he walked into the Others camp and didn't back down when confronting Richard. Perhaps he knew it had to play out this way, even though he does seem surprised when he puts the pieces together that his mom knew that she knew his entire life that she kills him in 1977.
• Why didn't Hawking try to change things? Why not push Daniel toward music instead of pushing him so hard toward his destiny in science and math? Was she ultimately protecting the island or does she still know something that we don't?
  
• We learn in a few episodes that Ellie was actually the leader of the Others and not Widmore. When did she leave the island and why? She tells Penny that for the first time in a while, she doesn't know what happens next. How did she know how everything would play out anyway?
  

The Big Four

Metallica has announced that the rumors are true and the "The Big Four" are indeed playing together.

Now, Metallica playing with Anthrax and/or Slayer, while still a big show, isn't that newsworthy, but Metallica sharing a stage with Dave Mustain's Megadeth is huge. Any Metallica fan knows that Dave was the original guitarist in Metallica and Lars and James kicked him out just before they recorded "Kill 'em All." Kirk Hammett was brought on board and the rest is metal history.

To say that Metallica and Mustain had a rocky relationship from there would be putting it lightly. So for them to be in concert together is historic and shows the materity that these guys have gone through over the years.

Now fans can only hope that "The Big Four" make it to the states.

Lost Season 5 DVD: DHARMA Initiative Orientation Kit

You may have seen last week's post about me winning the season 5 DHARMA Initiative Orientation Kit from LongLiveLocke ... so what exactly is this orientation kit?

I haven't received the DVDs yet, but many bloggers have gotten a chance to review the set. The above picture shows everything that's included in the kit and Zap2It's Lost blog has a good Q&A about the set, if you are considering buying them yourself. And as always, don't forget to check out Doc Jensen's latest at EW.com. He's posting weekly again through season 6!

Also, check out the extended "Amazing Grace" season 6 trailer:

13-0!!! Who Dat!?!?

It was closer than it should have been, but in the end, the Saints stay perfect!

Saints at Falcons

This week the Saints put their 12-0 record on the line could get the franchise record for wins in the regular season as they take on the Atlanta Falcons.

Last week New Orleans basically pulled off a miracle in coming away with a victory over the Redskins. They needed a little luck along the way, but ultimately in this league, you make your own luck and this team is very good, so the lucky breaks keep coming their way.

Speaking of lucky breaks, the Saints appear to be catching the Falcons at a good time. Both Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are questionable and will be game-time decisions. One or both may try to give it a go and play, since the Falcons are hanging by a thread in the NFC playoff race. At any rate, you have to really like the Saints chances to go 13-0.

I think the Saints would like to make a statement and show that their close call against the Redskins was more of a fluke. If they pick up a convincing victory on the road to their biggest rival, it should keep them going heading into a bigger contest next Saturday night on national television against the Cowboys.

The Saints secondary is still banged up, but if Chris Redman is behind center for the dirty birds, I don't see the Falcons being able to take advantage. If Michael Turner is able to go, he could cause headaches for the Saints' front seven, as he went over 100 yards the last time these teams played. Despite Turner's efforts though, the Saints were able to take the Falcons out 35-27. I don't see this week's game being as competitive.

The Saints offense is on fire right now and since the week 5 bye, their lowest scoring game has been 28 points against the Rams. Robert Meachem has been on a tear, and I see Jeremy Shockey getting more involved this week. The team should also try to get the running game back on track after stumbling in that area against Washington.

Prediction:
Saints 33
Falcons 13

Lost Rewatch: Week 26

I need to start off this week by giving a shout-out to e at LongLiveLocke. During the offseason, e's been having monthly contests over at her blog to kill time before season 6. Her most recent contest was for the deluxe edition of the season 5 DVDs, the limited edition DHARMA Initiative Orientation kit. Well, you'll never guess who won ... that's right, yours truly. So thank you to e for hosting the contest, but most importantly, for keeping an awesome Lost blog.

Also, if you haven't already seen it, check out the newest season 6 promo:



Now onto this week in the Rewatch:

Namaste (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Episode showed what happened to the passengers on Flight 316 (Jack, Kate and Hurley in 1977 and everyone else in the present).
• The biggest question remaining is why Jack, Kate and Hurley were transported to 1977, while everyone else crash-landed in the present?
• When Flight 316 is heading for the island, you can hear the recording of the numbers over the radio. How is that possible if Rousseau changed the message and then she turned it off?
  
• The DHARMA barracks sure did look a lot worse than they should have been, even if the Others had abandoned them for three years. Is this a clue that the Losties changed things in the past?
• Radzinsky is the architect behind the Swan Station, but why was his activities down there so secretive (blast door map, anyone?), if he was one of the main members of DHARMA? What happens to him once the Swan is built that leads him to be secluded down there and ultimately blowing off his own head?
• We are reintroduced to another character, Ethan. So why's his last name Rom?
  

He's Our You (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on Sayid, starting our showing him kill a chicken then what he did after working for Ben and ultimate how he ended up on Flight 316.
  
• Did Illana know that her ticket to the island was to take Flight 316 and that she had to bring Sayid with her? What about her back story about being a representative of the family of the man Sayid killed on the golf course, where did she find out about that? She's part of some group that is close to Jacob, so what's her role in everything?
• Why are lines altered from the marina scene? Is this a clue about a time warp or that the Losties were able to change things?
  

Whatever Happened, Happened (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on Kate and her going to see Cassidy (Sawyer's last request before jumping out the helicopter) and leaving Aaron with Claire's mom.
• Kate reveals that the reason she goes back to the island is to find Claire, but we haven't seen her do much looking. I guess it's kind of hard to do in 1977.
• Kate, Sawyer and Sayid turn out to be responsible for Ben ultimately turning into the leader of the Others by their actions in 1977. I still think the Lost writers took an easy way out in cleaning up the plot by having Ben not remember anything from this incident, but it works. What did Richard or the Temple do to heal Ben? What does Juliette know of these healing powers as its her suggestion to bring Ben to the Others?
  
• Richard comments that he doesn't answer to Charles. Was it part of Jacob's plan to have Ben healed? What is the relationship between the Others' leader, Richard and Jacob? Richard is an adviser, but looks like he has the real power.
• Does Ben remember anything about being shot? If not what did they tell him happened?
  

12-Eaux!

Sometime its better to be lucky than good! And remember, don't bet against the Saints.

Saints at Redskins

The 11-0 Saints are set up for another trap game this week, when they travel to Washington on a short week. The Saints defeated New England Monday night, and will now have to go on the road against a team that has nothing to lose.

With all that said, who doubts that Sean Payton and Drew Brees won't have the team focused and prepared to play?

There's already lots of talk among fans and media about the team going undefeated. But the team says that they are focused on winning one game at a time.

Normally, coaches may rest their players for the playoffs and not push for a perfect season, but the Saints are only one game ahead of the Vikings for the top seed in the NFC playoffs. So New Orleans will need to keep winning to maintain home field advantage. That should be focus enough for the team to take care of business this week in Washington.

Prediction:
Saints 31
Redskins 16

SEC Bowl Lineup Taking Shape, LSU Likely Headed to Capital One

Media outlets across the SEC are reporting that the SEC bowl lineup has been decided. Here's The Baton Rouge Advocate's report on where SEC teams are headed:

• BCS Title Game: SEC Championship Game Winner (Florida or Alabama) vs. BCS #2 (likely Texas)
• Sugar Bowl: SEC Championship Game Loser (Florida or Alabama) vs. BCS Selection (likely Cincinnati)
• Capital One Bowl: LSU vs. Iowa or Penn State
• Outback Bowl: Auburn vs. Wisconsin or Northwestern
• Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma State
• Chick-fil-A Bowl: Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech
• Liberty Bowl: Arkansas vs. Conference USA Champ (Houston or East Carolina)
• Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. ACC (likely North Carolina or Miami)
• Independence Bowl: Georgia vs. Iowa State or Texas A&M
  
• PapaJohn.com Bowl: South Carolina vs. UConn or South Florida
  

Best Lost Promo Ever?

Check out Doc Jensen's take on what some are calling the best Lost promo ever, or watch the video yourself:

Second Family Guy Star Wars Special

Lost Rewatch: Week 25 (and Doc Jensen)

Lost fans, the Lost Rewatch is back this week after taking a short break for Thanksgiving. Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. Before continuing with a look back at season 5, I have some good news for Lost fans ... Doc Jensen is back! Well, he technically never left, but he's once again posting weekly columns about Lost at EW.com. Check out his first post about the upcoming season, where he previews season 6 and talks about the move to Tuesday nights, or this week's article on the Groundhog Day Conspiracy. Now onto this week in the Rewatch:

316 (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Episode shows how the members of the Oceanic 6 returned to the island.
• We are introduced to the Lamp Post, off island DHARMA station, but all we know is that its the station that DHARMA used to locate the island and that it was created by someone clever. How did DHARMA originally learn about the island? Who is the clever person who created the Lamp Post (Faraday?)?
• To get back, the group had to recreate as much of the original flight as possible. Why was this a requirement?
• A few more questions: What else does the island need Desmond for? Who else knows about the Lamp Post? Why did Jack, Hurley and Kate appear in the 1970s?
  

The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• This episode shows what happened to Locke after he turned the donkey wheel and tried to persuade everyone to come back.
• It's safe to assume (or is it?) that this is the first time that we see "Man in Black" posing as Locke. (Unless he started posing as Locke sooner, as some fans have speculated).
  
• How long has Widmore been monitoring the exit point in Tunisia and why wasn't he monitoring it when Ben was dropped there? When did Locke tell Jack that Ben was off the island?
  
• Walt tells Locke about his dream, seeing Locke on the beach in a suit and people surrounding him who want to hurt him. Did Walt just describe episode 1 of next season?
  
• We still aren't sure who the good guys really are. Ben keeps telling everyone that they are the good guys, but everything Widmore says and does seems to also be for the good. Who can really be trusted?
  

LaFleur (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• This episode shows what happened once the island stopped jumping and the group adapting to living in 1970s DHARMA.
• Horace is now with Amy. When we originally met Horace it was implied that he and Olivia were together. So where is Olivia now?
• In the 1970s, DHARMA brought all the pregnant women off island to deliver, but Juliette is successful in delivering Amy's baby. Sawyer assumes that the child birth issue hasn't started yet, but why do they bring the women off island then? When does the child birth issue start?
• A few more questions: When was the statue constructed and who built it? How is Richard able to get by the sonic fence? Why does he need Amy's husband's body to prove the truce is still on? (Does it have something to do with dead bodies coming back to life on the island?)
  

Saints 11-0!

WHO DAT?!?!?!

Predictions: LSU and Saints

I'm off to vacation for Thanksgiving week, so I'm combining my Saints and LSU predictions this week. LSU has a tough matchup against long-time rival Ole Miss, while the Saints look to move to 10-0 at NFC South Division opponent Tampa Bay.

The Tigers need to finish the season strong against Ole Miss and Arkansas to secure a Capital One Bowl berth. Ole Miss has been playing better lately and they are eying a strong finish and good bowl bid as well. The Tigers defense has been solid, but the offense is just as much a question mark this week with Jordan Jefferson still recovering from his ankle injury. This is a big rivalry game and both teams would love nothing more than to give the other a late season loss.

Predictions:
LSU 23
Ole Miss 21

Many Saints fans have next week's Monday Night Football game against the Patriots circled. The media have penciled in the 10-0 Saints to take on New England, but New Orleans needs to take care of the pesky Bucs first. Tampa Bay has been playing better since going to Josh Freeman at QB. The Saints will also be without some of their starters again this week due to injury, including Reggie Bush, Sedrick Ellis and Tracy Porter.

The past few games have seen the Saints struggle with turnovers and things just aren't clicking like they were earlier this season. Look for them to play better this week and put together a solid, four quarter performance. While Tampa has shown improvement, they should be no match for the Saints.

Prediction:
Saints 38
Bucs 17

LSU Bowl Projections

With LSU sitting pretty at 8-2 and only two games remaining on the schedule, it's time to check out where the Tigers are projected to be playing in the bowl season.

If LSU wins out and finishes at 10-2, they'll most certainly land in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. This would be a nice spot and a good reward for a 10 win season with the Capital One being just a notch below a BCS berth. LSU last played in the Capital One Bowl in 2005, when they lost on a last second play to Iowa in Nick Saban's last game with the Tigers. Most projects have LSU playing here against Penn State, but a rematch with Iowa is also possible.

The other likely possibility for LSU (and it becomes more likely with a loss to Ole Miss or Arkansas) is the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Some projections have the Tigers playing there against either Nebraska or Oklahoma State. Both would be good games story-line wise as Nebraska is coached by former LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and of course, Les Miles left Oklahoma State to come to LSU. LSU's last trip to the Cotton Bowl was a 2003 loss to Texas.

Another bowl possibility experts project for LSU is a trip to Tampa for the Outback Bowl to face Wisconsin. LSU's last trip to a bowl game in Tampa was the 1989 Holiday Bowl (now the Outback Bowl). The Tigers lost that game to Syracuse. So basically, in the three projected spots for the Tigers, LSU lost in their last trip to those games.

Here's a look at who's projecting the Tigers to play in these bowls:

ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach:
Outback: LSU vs. Wisconsin

ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman:
Cotton: LSU vs. Nebraska

SI.com's Stewart Mandel:
Capital One: LSU vs. Penn State

CBS Sportsline:
Capital One: LSU vs. Penn State

Fox Sports:
Capital One: LSU vs. Penn State

College Football News:
Capital One: LSU vs. Penn State

Football-Bowl.com:
Capital One: LSU vs. Penn State

Rivals:
Cotton: LSU vs. Oklahoma State

The Rivalry Esq.:
Capital One: LSU vs. Penn State

NBC Sports:
Capital One: LSU vs. Penn State

Sporting News:
Outback: LSU vs. Wisconsin

Lost Rewatch: Week 24

The Lost Rewatch continues to move toward the final season of Lost this week. There's a break built into the Rewatch schedule next week for the Thanksgiving holiday (the schedule actually list this week as Thanksgiving, but we'll take the break next week), so if you're behind on episodes (like me) this could be an opportunity to do some catching up. Now onto this week's batch from season 5:

The Little Prince (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashforward focuses on the Oceanic 6, mostly Kate dealing with the lawyer (Ben's lawyer) who's out to prove that Aaron's not her son.
  
• Some questions: Who is after the Losties and keeps attacking them (mainly Sayid) and why did Sayid's attacker have Kate's address? Who sent Sun the box of chocolates and gun?
• Who were the Other Others, who fired at the group when they were in the canoes? Juliette appears to have hit one of them. Speculation was that they were Ilana's group, but we haven't had any conformation of that yet.
  
• Canton-Rainer carpet cleaning is an anagram for reincarnation.
  

This Place is Death (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashforward focuses on the Oceanic 6 and Ben trying to convince them to go back to the island. Sun, Jack and Ben go to Eloise Hawking's church and Desmond is there to talk to Faraday's mother (Hawking).
• Why did the Smoke Monster attack Danielle's team? What power does it have over people? Danielle called it the sickness.
  
• Why does Charlotte say that "this place is death?" She had spent her entire life trying to get back to the island, what makes her say this (besides, you know, her being about to die and all). How does she knows so much about the island just before she dies?
• Since Charlotte remembers Daniel from her past, does that mean that all those encountered during the jumps would remember the Losties? (Like Ethan having met Locke or Danielle with Jin?)
• How exactly does a frozen donkey wheel get knocked off its barrings? Did this happen because Ben turned it and not Locke, as originally instructed? Christian Sheppard shows up in the donkey wheel cave to give Locke further instructions. So is/has Christian always been Jacob's enemy (aka the man in black)? Why couldn't he help Locke up? Is he not allowed to touch the living?
  

Doctor Who: The End of Time

Here's the trailer for David Tennant's last episode as the Doctor:

Saints at Rams

The 8-0 Saints travel to St. Louis this weekend to take on the 1-7 Rams. On paper, this game should be ugly and one sided, but in the NFL, anything can happen.

The Saints are riding high, but the past few weeks, they've flirted with disaster. They've gotten behind in games early and turnovers have started to pile up. A game against a team like the Rams could be just what the doctor ordered to get back on track, but the Saints shouldn't take them lightly.

Steven Jackson is one of the top running backs in the league, and teams have shown that this Saints defense can be run on. The Saints coaches will make it an emphasis to stop the run and Jackson will be a good test. The Saints should be able to move the ball on St. Louis, just as they have against everyone they've faced this year.

Many fans and national media are already penciling in the 10-0 Saints to take on New England on Monday night in a couple of weeks. The team better not be drinking that Kool-Aid and should be ready to play no matter the opponent's record. A loss against either the Rams or the Bucs next week would be extra costly, since it would be against a NFC foe.

There's one man that will make sure this team isn't in for a let down and that's Drew Brees. Brees is a man on a mission and that mission is the Super Bowl. He won't let his teammates get complacent and will have them ready to go.

Prediction:
Saints 42
Rams 13

LSU vs. Louisiana Tech

vs.

After a tough loss on the road last week at Alabama, LSU is back in Tiger Stadium for a Homecoming match up with Louisiana Tech. This should be a tune-up game for the Tigers heading into their last two SEC match ups of the season, but Tech has shown to be a pesky team that gave Boise State everything it could handle in their last game.

LSU will be without a few key players, most notably RB Charles Scott, who's out for the season, and quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Jarrett Lee will get the start at QB and will be looking to show the hometown fans that he's a much better QB than he showed last year.

Last week's game is still on the minds of fans around Tigertown, but hopefully the team has moved on and is prepared to finished out the regular season on a high note. That will start with a good showing against the Bulldogs.

Prediction:
LSU 38
LA Tech 13

Byron Scott out as Hornets Coach

Byron Scott has been relieved of his coaching duties of the New Orleans Hornets after a 3-6 start to the season. He'll be replaced by GM Jeff Bower and assistant coach Tim Floyd.

I'm not sure what this means, but if your GM is taking over as head coach, it usually means your team is in trouble. Many fans are yelling the name Avery Johnson for next head coach and that may very well be the case ... but most likely next year.

With the mess that the Hornets are currently faced with -- bad start to the season, over the salary cap, no bench or starting quality shooting guards -- you have to wonder how long Chris Paul will give the Hornets before demanding to be traded to a contender. Paul is a team first type of guy, but if the team's a mess, how long will he wait?

Lost Rewatch: Week 24

We've reached season 5 in the Lost Rewatch. These episodes should still be fresh in your mind, so I'm just going to link to the recaps and post the most relevant questions remaining heading into season 6. This season gave us more insight into the island's history, DHARMA and Rousseau's early days on the island. Enjoy, and we're inching closer and closer to season 6. Unfortunately, don't look for any season 6 insight in previews. Elizabeth Mitchell (aka Juliette) said in a recent interview that the show's going into a blackout and won't show anything from season 6.

Because You Left (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashforward shows what the Oceanic 6 (and Desmond/Penny and Ben) are doing off island. Jack and Ben start working together, Kate is confronted by lawyers over Aaron, Sayid busts Hurley out of the mental institution and Desmond and Penny are on a sail boat.
  
• Did Dr. Chang know about the frozen donkey wheel before seeing the x-ray of the wall below the Orchid? How much does he really know about the properties of that station? What is the history of the frozen donkey wheel?
• A few more questions: How does Daniel know so much about the island and how it's skipping through time? Since Ethan met Locke when the island was skipping, did he remember him when 815 crashed? Why don't the rules apply to Desmond and what does that mean? Can Desmond alter the past?
  
• The scene where Richard tells Locke what he must do (give him back the compass and to get everyone to come back, he has to die) is still a killer scene, especially knowing what we know happened just before the conversation.
  

The Lie (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback shows the Oceanic 6 discussing the details of lying about where they've been. "The Lie" originally aired just after "Because You Left" as a two-hour season premiere.
  
• Ben has a bag hidden in the hotel vent. Fans have wondered about it since this episode aired. Will we find out what was in the bag and why he hid it?
  
• Why does Locke's body need to be kept safe? Does Ben know more than he's leading on about the man in black's plan? There are apparently Others working for Ben off island. Who are these people and how many Others are off island?
  
• Ms. Hawking tells Ben that if he can't get the Oceanic 6 back to the island in 70 hours, then God help us all. What would happen if they didn't go back?
  

Jughead (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback/flashforward focuses on Desmond. The flashback is to the birth of his and Penny's son, Charlie. The flashforward shows him looking for Faraday's mom.
• Since the U.S. Army visited the island in the 1950s, are they still looking for it today? How did they find it and what did they learn about its history?
• The receptionist at Oxford is the same woman that worked the Oceanic Flight 815 gate, who let Hurley board the plane. They are played by the same actress, but are they the same person on Lost? The show hasn't addressed it, but a newspaper article said that they aren't the same person.
  
• A few more questions: Why do the Others all know Latin and how did they all learn it so well? How long had Widmore been on the island and how was he recruited? Why does Richard always look the same, except for the first time he met Ben when he was wearing ragged clothes and had shaggy hair? What is the Others leadership selection process that Richard references? How'd did Widmore know Ms. Hawking's address in Los Angeles? It seemed they hadn't talked in years.
  

8-0!

Saints vs. Panthers

7-0! The Saints have now tied their best start in franchise history and fans (and some players, i.e. Reggie Bush) have brought up the word undefeated.

I think its ridiculous to even talk about or worry about the Saints going undefeated. We're not even at the halfway point of the season and for a team with two playoff victories in the franchise's history, winning in the postseason is the only accomplishment that fans need to worry about. This is the best Saints team ever, but say they go 13-3, 14-2, 15-1 or even 16-0 and then lose in the playoffs, it's all for not. Just ask the Patriots. But with the Saints history, losing in the Superbowl will still be a victory, but that's way too far down the line to even worry about now.

This week the team takes on another division rival in the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have had a rough season, but they seem to have pulled themselves out of the ashes and are now a game below .500.

This will be a tough game for the Saints. The Panthers and Saints always play tough, close games and this one will likely be no difference. John Fox won't put the game in Jake Delhomme's hands and will likely run the ball down the Saints throats. The way that Michael Turner was able to gash the Saints defense has to have DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart eager to get their shot.

New Orleans will have to prove they can stop the run to beat Carolina. If they do that, they can force Delhomme into making mistakes, something the Saints have made every opposing quarterback do this year with fumbles and interceptions. I don't worry about the Saints offense. They should be able to move the ball, but the offensive line will be tested against Julius Peppers and company. Drew Brees has been feeling more pressure in the past few games and the o-line will have their hands full once again. Look for short, quick passes and delayed runs to throw off the Panthers pass rush.

Sean Payton is a bright coach and he'll put his team in the best spots to succeed. Plus, this game is once again in the Superdome and the "Who Dat Nation" will be out in full force to support their team.

Prediction:
Saints 30
Panthers 25

LSU at Alabama

vs.

Saban Bowl. The most anticipated SEC West game of the year is upon us when LSU travels to take on Alabama this Saturday on national television. An SEC title game appearance and perhaps a path to the BCS championship from there are likely on the line.

LSU has shown improvement the past few weeks, while Alabama has turned into a struggling team on offense. Alabama still has one of the top defensive units in the nation, but LSU counters with a stout defense of their own, one that has allowed 13, 13, 10 and 0 points in their last four games.

LSU's offense has shown life as well with Charles Scott getting going and Jordan Jefferson showing more poise in the pocket, but will it be enough to compete with Alabama in the unfriendly confinds of Brian Dennehy, I mean Bryant-Denny Stadium?

Prediction:
LSU 16
Alabama 13

Lost Rewatch: Week 23

Season 4 comes to an end this week in the Lost Rewatch with some awesome episodes. These three episodes set up the frantic season 5. What's not to love about frozen donkey wheels, crazy cabins, Richard Alpert's test, a new DHARMA station and the reveal of the person in the coffin. Enjoy the end of season 4.

Cabin Fever (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on Locke growing up from his birth up through his rehabilitation after becoming paralyzed.
  
• We now know why Richard was at the hospital after Locke was born, Locke himself told him to go there. But with the test he gave Locke as a youth, it seems Richard was testing Locke to see if he truly was special. Locke fails here by picking the knife. Do all the future Others get tested by Richard or just Locke since he was so "special"?
  
• Locke has a vision of Horace Goodspeed and learns that Horace built Jacob's cabin. Nose bleeds are introduced here as well. Ben tells Locke that he used to have dreams. I wonder what those were like. Locke has had some crazy dreams/visions, but I'd bet Ben's would be even better.
  
• Matthew Abaddon tells Locke that when they meet again, he'll owe him one. I don't recall Locke paying up when they met again in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham."
• Ben says that he wasn't the one who ordered the purge. He says that he wasn't always the guy in charge, so does that mean that Widmore ordered the purge? Was Widmore taking orders from Jacob when the purge occurred?
• Once again, what's the deal with the cabin? They had trouble locating it, then once they find it, Christian and Claire are inside. Christian says that he can speak for Jacob (is he the man in black?) and tells Locke how to save the island -- move it. This is definitely all part of the man in black's plan as moving the island starts the spiral that culminates in the season 5 finale, "The Incident." Christian also says that Aaron's where he's supposed to be. So is that with Sawyer and eventually Kate?
  

There's No Place Like Home (Part 1) (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashforward focuses on the Oceanic 6 making it back to civilization and what happens to them just after they get back.
  
• How did Daniel know so much about the island? He knew about the secondary protocol and the Orchid, but who provided him with this info? His mother? Widmore?
  
• After the show hadn't focused on the numbers for a couple of seasons, the full set of numbers make their return on the odometer of Hurley's Camaro. Will we finally get an explanation for the numbers in season 6? Damon Lindelof has hinted at yes.
• Who hid the case that Ben finds on the way to the Orchid? Was it this part of the protocol the Others had if someone ever had to go to the Orchid to move the island? Ben says the crackers are 15 years old; did they have to move the island or go to the Orchid 15 years ago? Who does he signal to? Is there an Other stationed in that location at all times?
• Claire's mom attends Christian's "funeral" and tells Jack that Claire was his sister. Last time we saw Ms. Littleton, she was still in a coma. How and when did she recover? Could the island/Jacob be a part of her recovery?
  

There's No Place Like Home (Parts 2 & 3) (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashforwards focus on the Oceanic 6 and their lives off the island. We get to see Jack and Kate conversation continue at the airport from "Through the Looking Glass," season 3's finale as well.
  
• After everything Jack sees happen on the island, why did he have such a hard time believing? Even after he saw the island moved, he still refused to believe it.
  
• Walt tells Hurley that the only one that came to visit him was "Jeremy Bentham." Why didn't any of the other survivors check in on him?
• Was Kate's dream about Claire an island manifestation? After Claire's appearance in "Cabin Fever," things don't look good for her still being among the living.
  
• The Frozen Donkey Wheel. OK, was this built by the island's original inhabitants? Did Jacob build it? Who told Ben about it? How much did Ben really know about what would happen once it was turned? What do the hieroglyphs mean in the donkey wheel room? Why is it cold in there?
• A few more questions: How does Miles know that Charlotte was on the island before? Why does the Orchid orientation video rewind itself? Why is it Christian Sheppard who appears to Michael just before he dies to tell him that he can go now?
  
• Jack says that Jeremy Bentham told him Ben was off the island, but in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" Locke doesn't mention Ben at all in their conversation. Locke never told Jack about the bad things that happened on the island either. Did the two of them have another conversation or is Jack just too stoned to remember correctly?
  

MNF: Saints vs. Falcons

Four seasons ago, the Saints returned to the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina on Monday Night Football. The Saints took down the Falcons in what was the most memorable Monday night game in Saints history. Flashforward to tonight and those same Falcons come to town for the biggest game of this early season for the Saints (seems like we've said that about a few games this year like the Jets and Giants games, but when you're undefeated, the next game is always the biggest).

The Saints currently have a two game lead over the Falcons in the division, but the Saints have yet to play a divisional opponent until tonight. These two rivals always play each other tough and this Falcons team isn't one to take lightly. While they lost last week to the Cowboys, they will be jacked up for their game against the Saints.

New Orleans got their first scare of the season last week against the Dolphins, but pulled through with a great second half. This team is winning on both sides of the ball and a win tonight will tie the best start in franchise history at 7-0.

The Superdome is already a tough place to play, add to that an undefeated season on the line, a division oppenent and playing on Monday Night Football, and this game will be electric. Saints fans are showing the team lots of love and support this year and look for the home field advantage to only grow stronger throughout the season.

Prediction:
Saints 40
Falcons 23

LSU vs. Tulane

vs.

LSU takes on long-time rival Tulane on Halloween night, the 50th anniversary of Billy Cannon's famous run against Ole Miss, in what appears the be the last match-up for a while between the Tigers and Green Wave. The two schools ended their 10-year home and home contract this year, after LSU only played in the Superdome once since the agreement was signed.

Tulane officials are none too happy with LSU not wanting to play in New Orleans, but there's really no incentive for LSU to give up a home game each year to play in a smaller stadium in New Orleans. So look for more games against other in state or Sun Belt teams in the near future (McNeese has been scheduled for the first time).

This week's game appears to be a tune up for the Tigers as many fans are looking ahead to their trip to Alabama next week for a game that will likely decided the SEC West champion. The team shouldn't overlook Tulane, with this being a rivalry game, but this one shouldn't be close.

LSU should be able to run a similar gameplan that they did last week against Auburn and continue to show improvement on offense. Tulane is really struggling this year and this one should be over fairly quickly.

Prediction:
LSU 45
Tulane 10

20th Anniversary of "Bleach"

Nirvana's debut album "Bleach" is turning 20, so there's lots of cool, new information out there on about it. Check out the Seattle Weekly blog for lots of articles and interviews about "Bleach," head over to Sub Pop for a track list and info on the new delux edition being release on Nov. 3 (including a never before released live show from 1990) and PopCandy asks, "Where did you first hear it?"

I'm not sure I first remember hearing it. I was and still am a huge Nirvana fan so I've been listening to "Bleach" for years. I know after Unplugged, everyone wanted to hear the original version of "About a Girl," and that song soon became one of the only complete songs that 7ate9 (my band from high school) could play completely.

I'm definitely going to check out the delux edition and if you are a Nirvana fan and have never given "Bleach" its due, you should check it out as well. The songs are different that what you hear on "Nevermind" and "In Utero," but in a good way. This was before Dave Grohl joined Nirvana so there's a different vibe to the drumming and the guitars are more raw, but songs like "School," "Negative Creep" and "About a Girl" will show you where Nirvana was headed before Nevermind, while other songs like "Floyd the Barber," "Sifting," "Paper Cuts" and "Mr. Moustache" show you a more heavier, metal/punk, experimental early style.

Saints Make the Cover of SI

Did Sports Illustrated just jinx the Saints season? Before there was the Madden Curse, there was the SI cover jinx.

Athletes are very superstitious, and SI just went and did the equivalent of talking to a pitcher in the dugout during a no hitter. The Saints are in the midst of their best season ever and are 6-0 heading into their Monday contest with rival Atlanta. Now SI goes and puts us on the cover. The Saints are the same team that once has a voodoo ceremony done in the Superdome to cleanse that building of its own curses.

Thanks a lot national media for joining the bandwagon; you better not have jinxed our season.

Lost Rewatch: Week 22

This week in the Rewatch, we reach the season 4 writer's strike. The show had finished up to "Meet Kevin Johnson" before the strike, so there was a five-week layoff before "The Shape of Things to Come" aired. This forced season 4 to be shorter than expected and the back portion of the season became faster paced. Here's this week's batch:

Meet Kevin Johnson (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashback focuses on what happened to Michael since he left the island and how he became Ben's man on the freighter.
• How does the island's control work? It won't let Michael die because he still has work to do. Was working for Ben to stop the freighter really the work Michael had to do? Couldn't anyone have posed as Kevin Johnson? And since Michael is consumed by the guilt of killing Ana Lucia and Libby, how would killing a whole freighter of people removed that guilt? Michael's whole line of thinking is off in this one.
  
• As I said in my original recap, I still don't buy the reasoning for Michael wanting to kill himself. When he was on the island, everything he did was to make sure he and Walt left safely. Now that he and Walt are off the island, he destroyed his relationship with Walt and his own mom, but still, to now want to kill yourself ... I don't know. Way to really be there for your son.
• Miles knows more than he's leading on. He knows Michael is posing as Kevin but says 80 percent of the people on the freighter are lying. We've come to see many of those lies, but is there more to this?
• I hope we get some resolution to Ben always referring to the Others as the good guys.

The Shape of Things to Come (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Flashforward focuses on Ben after he turned the frozen donkey wheel to move the island (though fans didn't know about the wheel yet). Ben "recruits" Sayid and confronts Widmore and promises to kill Penny, something he attempted but was unable to follow through on in season 5.
• How many times had Ben been to Tunisia before and what for? He gives the name Dean Moriarty and says he's a preferred guest. Did he know that's where he'd end up after turning the wheel? How does he know about the wheel anyway? Is there an Other Leader 101 course he had to take that goes over everything?
• Claire's house blows up and she is uninjured ... or was she? With Claire's future behavior and her leaving Aaron to go with her ghost father to the cabin, many fans still wonder is Claire didn't really die in the explosion. Later, she says that she's OK and will live and Miles replies, I wouldn't be too sure about that. This along with Desmond's vision of her and Aaron boarding a helicopter or the two biggest holes left in Claire's story.
• While playing Risk, Hurley says Australia is the key to the whole game. Is this loaded dialogue or was he simply talking about Risk. As always with Lost, there's always an underlying reason something like this is said on the show.
  
• Once Keamy kills Alex, Ben says that he changed the rules. What rules did Widmore change and who laid down those rules?
  
• What control does Ben have over the monster? His house was connected to the hieroglyphic door where he summoned it. Does the Other's leader have a special connection with the monster? Did DHARMA discover it when they built the barracks and leave that door as part of the house?
  
• The last scene with Ben and Widmore packs a punch. Lingering questions, what kind of nightmare is Widmore having? Why can't they kill each other? "What" is Ben as Widmore claims to know what he is? There's also another mention of the rules.

Something Nice Back Home (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• Why did Jack get appendicitis on the island? How do the healing powers on the island work and why are some healed and some get sick?
• Claire leaves Aaron behind in this episode to go with Christian, but we aren't sure why. It's strange that she'd leave her baby behind to go with the dad that she never really knew.
  
• Charlie gave Jack the message, "you're not supposed to raise him, Jack." We assumed him meant Aaron, but it be someone who was raised up? Like Christian or Locke?
• Jack sees his dead father off the island, showing us that these island vision/manifestations occur off the island too. But what causes them? The smoke alarm was malfunctioning, giving a hint that it might be the smoke monster.