Lost Season 6 Coming Soon

Lots of Lost information going around the Internets leading up to the final season. USA Today's Popcandy wrapped up some of the links to articles and videos today, including this song that shows you there are still lots of questions to be answered on Lost:



and check out the pre-premier Lost video podcast:

Lost Rewatch: Finale

Guess what? Lost season 6 is just one week away! What a fitting time to wrap up the Lost Rewatch. I've been holding off on posting the finale episodes to just before season 6 (that plus the Saints Super Bowl run has pushed Lost aside just a bit). Lots of news coming up leading into the last season. There's still spoilers out and lots of previews available. As always, Doc Jensen is firing away with theories and new columns.

Without further ado, here's the end of the Lost Rewatch:

Follow the Leader (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• This episode sets everything up in the present and in 1977 for the events in "The Incident"
  
• Richard says that Widmore and Eloise's relationship is complicated. We learn that Eloise is the leader of the Others later and see them argue here, but what else makes their relationship complicated? Widmore's leaving the island and having other relationships perhaps?
• Why'd the Others put Jughead in the tunnels? Why not bury it like Faraday recommended? How'd they get it down there anyway? Where's the other entrance? The Temple maybe?
• How did Richard "watch them all die" referring to the Losties stuck in 1977? From what we see in The Incident, only Juliette is killed, but if Jack's plan works, then would they just disappear? Die on the spot? What did Richard see?
  

The Incident (Parts 1 & 2) (Zap2It Recap)

• GulfCoastOffense's original recap. LongLiveLocke's original recap.
• This is the big one, the episode that flashes to white and leaves us in anticipation of season 6. Lots of questions remain from this one and Lostpedia does a good job of outlining those. Here are the biggest for me:

1. Jack's Plan: Does it work and further what happens if it does? Will we see Flight 815 land safely at LAX? What if the plan didn't work, do they all die or live on in 1977? and what happened to Juliette after the bomb went off?
2. The man in black & Jacob: Who are they really? What's the manner of their relationship? How long have they been on the island? Why does he want to kill Jacob? What's the loophole? Is Locke really gone? Did Jacob know Ben was going to kill him?
   
3. The Flashbacks: Why did Jacob specifically visit those people at those points in their lives? Did he bring them to the island or save them from The Incident? Why'd he touch them? Are they the ones who are coming?
4. Richard Alpert: He's an adviser and has held that role for a long, long time. He said that he's the way he is because of Jacob. So did Jacob make him ageless? When did he come to the island (Black Rock?)? What's the nature of he and Jacob's relationship? Is he the only one who can talk to Jacob? Why was he chosen as the ageless one?
5. Taweret (four-toed statue): Who built it? How'd it get destroyed? Why does Jacob live there? Why didn't man-in-black know that's where he lived?
   

• A few smaller, lingering questions: What's up with Ilana and the "shadow of the statue group"? In her flashback visit from Jacob, she is all bandaged up. Why? How does she know so much about the island and Jacob? Who are the real good guys? What's in Hurley's guitar case? What is Frank a candidate for? What's up with the cabin, who's been using it and was Jacob ever really there? Was that Black Rock in the opening scene? If so, how does it end up in the middle of the island? How do the people in the brig die (the ones chained to the walls)?
  
• There are a ton more questions lingering about Lost (who are Adam & Eve, what happened to the real Henry Gale, etc.), but those are just a few to get you thinking about as we head into season 6. Enjoy the final season of one of the greatest television shows ever!

New Lost Promo

Black and Gold Super Bowl!

I never thought I'd see it. I mean, I always had hope, but this is the Saints we're talking about. The team that just finds ways to lose. Saints fans have seen it all, and the all has not been good. But there's something different about the Sean Payton/Drew Brees era Saints. These guys have brought a winning attitude and the city now believes that the Saints will win these tough games.

What a game last night against Brett Favre and the Vikings?!?!? I was lucky enough to be in that number with my dad, and it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life. Getting to watch the game with my dad was awesome and seeing the Saints finally make it to the Super Bowl was icing on the cake.

This was a great game and one that the Saints were outgained, but turnovers proved to be costly. It was so frustrating to watch with all the fumbles the Vikings were committing. The Saints should have had a 14 point lead, but they kept it exciting. Garrett Hartley proved to be the hero (only a week after Peter King said that he'd have the least confidence in Hartley out of all the four championship round kickers).

As Jim Henderson said on WWL radio, pigs have flown, hell has frozen over, the Saints are going to the Super Bowl!

NFL Championship Round Predictions

The NFL is down to four teams and pretty soon the Super Bowl match up will be set. So who will it be? Saints-Colts? Saints-Jets? Vikings-Colts? Vikings-Jets? Here are my predictions:

Colts vs. Jets
The Jets are the darling pick right now. They are the only team that wasn't a top seed entering the playoffs and have played spoiler on the road two weeks in a row. Now they go the Indianapolis to see if their defense, running game and rookie quarterback can get it done. Cinderella meet the best quarterback to ever play the game. Peyton Manning has been listening to the media all week praise the Jets and question if the Colts will be able to move the ball on their defense. I think they will and the Colts will return to Miami, the site of their Super Bowl victory over the Bears.
Prediction:
Colts 24
Jets 13

Saints vs. Vikings
The Saints are hosting their first ever NFC Championship. The Minnesota Brett Favres (wait that's not their name, but if you watched ESPN this week, you'd think Favre is the only one playing this game) are looking to make it back to the big game, where they are 0-4 in Super Bowls. The crowd noise will be deafening and that gives the Saints an edge. The Vikings bring in a potent offense and a scary front four, but the Saints have an improved defense of their own and the best offense in the league. This is the reason the Saints took a risk on Drew Brees four years ago and its going to pay off with the Saints making their first trip to the Super Bowl.
Prediction:
Saints 28
Vikings 21

Lost: Flight 815 in Real Time

Ever thought about everything that was going on when Flight 815 crashed on the island? No, well, that's OK because you don't have to. Someone has posted a YouTube video in the style of "24," showing the real-time events when Flight 815 came down. This video is awesome. Damon Lindelof even linked to it off his twitter page.

So check it out and get pumped about season 6, in less than two weeks:

Thank you Deuce

One of the most beloved players in Saints history has announced the end to his great career. Deuce McAllister, the Saints all-time leading rusher, confirmed yesterday that he is retiring from football.

The Saints signed Deuce on Friday as a good-will gesture so he could be a part of the team during this playoff run, but with an injury to Robert Meachem, the Saints needed a roster spot. Deuce decided to hang 'em up for good.

I've enjoyed watching every bit of Deuce McAllister's career. From the surprise moment he was drafted to his first touchdown run his rookie year to him taking over the running back duties and becoming the franchise back, it has been great to be a fan of his. His impact was even more special off the field, where he gave his all to New Orleans and Saints fans.

I just want to thank Deuce McAllister for everything he's done for the Saints, New Orleans and the Gulf South region.

Saints vs. Cardinals (pictures)

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I got to attend the Saints vs. Cardinals game and it was awesome to be there in person. Here are a few pictures from the game:

The Cardinals take the field:
Deuce leads the Saints onto the field:The coin toss:Checking on Kurt Warner after Bobby McCray leveled him:4th quarter action:
Scoreboard!:Game over:
The family enjoyed this one:

Who Dat!!! Saints Bring Da Wood

Well, it took four years, but Reggie Bush finally silenced his critics. Sure he was spectacular his rookie year, but the past three regular seasons have been a bit of a disappointment. Well, all is forgiven with Reggie's mind blowing day against the Cardinals to lead the Saints to the NFC Championship.

Sean Payton provided the players with baseball bats this week with the slogan, "Bring da wood" on them. Reggie enjoyed the symbol so much, he brought the bat on the field with him Saturday. Hopefully, he doesn't forget his bat this weekend.

I got to go to the game, and from Deuce leading the team on the field to Payton calling a flee flicker to Reggie's punt return TD, it was an awesome game. Now bring on the Vikings!

NFL Divisional Round Predictions

There are some big games this weekend as the NFL season is now down to eight teams. Who will advance to the conference championship games next Sunday? Here's my look at this weekend's games:

Ravens at Colts
I'm tempted to go with the Ravens. They gave the Colts all they could handle in the regular season and should have pulled out the game. The Ravens dominated New England last week (a team that also should have beat the Colts), but there are two factors in play here. Peyton Manning has heard everyone's opinion over the past couple of weeks about the Colts giving up the perfect season, and he knows that anything short of a Superbowl trip will be deemed as a failure. The other factor, Joe Flacco only threw four completions last week, and he could barely move in the pocket.
Prediction:
Colts 23
Ravens 15

Jets at Chargers
My how times change for the media. Almost every analyst picked San Diego as their AFC Superbowl representative before the playoffs, not these same analyst are all over the Jets. The same Jets team that they bashed for how they got in the playoffs. Sure the Jets looked great the past two weeks against the Bengals and I also agree that their defense is awesome, but the Chargers were the hottest team in the AFC down the stretch. Last time I checked, those same guys will be playing this weekend.
Prediction:
Chargers 21
Jets 13

Cowboys at Vikings
This may be the toughest game of the weekend to call. Just as the media have jumped on the Jets bandwagon, they are riding the Cowboys now. But what about the love for Brett Favre? Well, that faded down the stretch and now the media are enjoying piling it on the Vikings. I think the Dallas star is going to start losing its shine this weekend. Not only does Favre have something to prove, so does Adrien Peterson. Peterson has been labeled a fumbler of late and his status as the league's top running back has been claimed by Chris Johnson. Look for him to come up big and the Vikings defense will harass Tony Romo into a few mistakes.
Prediction:
Vikings 34
Cowboys 20

Cardinals at Saints
The Saints have also lost their luster and enter the playoffs on a three-game losing streak, but for the first time since early in the season, almost all of the opening day starters are back healthy. Save Charles Grant, the starting defense will be on the field for the first time since Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer's early injuries. And that will likely be the difference in the game. Since the Saints secondary was so banged up in the second half of the season, the defense suffered by not being able to blitz and force turnovers, and they also became a liability against the run. The offense will also come out with something to prove after only putting up 17 points in their previous contests (not counting the Carolina game, which equaled a preseason game for the Saints). With the Superdome rocking and now the news that Deuce McAllister is back on the roster, look for Saints fans to be a big factor in the game day atmosphere
Prediction:
Saints 38
Cardinals 21

Deuce is back?!?

Reports are starting to come out that the Saints have resigned Deuce McAllister. This is crazy and awesome at the same time. Imagine the Deuce plunging into the endzone against the Cardinals. The Superdome would go crazy. So is this simply to get the fans more pumped about the playoff games? or are there injury concerns at running back that the team isn't letting on? or is this simply a goodwill last hurrah to one of the Saints all-time greats? We shall see this weekend. Geaux Saints!

Update: Deuce is going to serve as team captain and will be inactive.

Lost: 5 Seasons Untangled

The past season or so ABC's Lost Web site would untangle the previous week's episode. If you read Doc Jensen's column, he'd often include these there. They use action figures, comic strips and inside jokes to untangle the usually confusing episodes of Lost. Anyway, they've released an untangled video for the first 5 seasons.

Need a Lost refresher, check out:

2010 NFL Draft Order

With the regular season coming to an end, the top of the NFL Draft order is set (playoff teams' draft slot will be determined once they are eliminated from the playoffs). Here's a look at the 2010 NFL Draft:

1. St. Louis (1-15)
2. Detroit (2-14)
3. Tampa Bay (3-13)
4. Washington (4-12)
5. Kansas City (4-12)
6. Seattle (5-11)
7. Cleveland (5-11)
8. Oakland (5-11)
9. Buffalo (6-10)
10. Jacksonville (7-9) ~ coin flip
    
11. Denver (from Chicago) (7-9) ~ coin flip
12. Miami (7-9)
13. San Francisco (8-8)
14. Seattle (from Denver) (8-8)
15. New York Giants (8-8)
16. Tennessee (8-8) ~ coin flip
17. San Francisco (from Carolina) (8-8) ~ coin flip
18. Pittsburgh (9-7)
19. Atlanta (9-7) ~ coin flip
20. Houston (9-7) ~ coin flip
21. New York Jets* (9-7)
22. Baltimore* (9-7)
23. Arizona* (10-6)
24. Green Bay* (11-5)
25. Cincinnati* (10-6)
26. New England* (10-6)
27. Philadelphia* (11-5)
28. Dallas* (11-5)
29. Minnesota* (12-4)
30. San Diego* (13-3)
31. New Orleans* (13-3)
32. Indianapolis* (14-2)

The "Sliding Doors" Lost Theory

I was reading a Q&A with the Lost producers, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, and a new Lost theory popped into my head. Cuse mentions in the interview that season 6 uses a different narrative device than what we've previously seen (flashforwards and flashbacks). So keep in mind that the biggest question going into season 6 is if the Jughead plan worked? ... what if the new narrative device will be showing us both time lines at the same time?

Now, I know that this could get confusing, but it worked in the movie "Sliding Doors," hence this is my "Sliding Doors" Lost Theory. With this type of storytelling, you could satisfy both audience segments, those for a time line reboot and those against it. You could tell what happened if the Jughead plan didn't work and show Jack and company either dying during the incident (as Richard Alpert said he saw them all die) or living on in 1977, and at the same time, you'd have the time line of 815 never crashing and seeing what happened to everyone once the plane landed in L.A.

I'm not sure how'd the entire season would play out like this, but it would be an interesting way to see both sides of the story.

Lost in 8:15

Need a refresher on Lost, but don't have time to watch 5 seasons of episodes? Here ya go:

NFL Postseason Awards

The AP has started handing out their postseason awards, with Houston LB Brian Cushing receiving the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. He would have been my choice as well. Here's a look at how I would have voted for the different awards:

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Percy Harvin, WR/KR, Minnesota - he was dynamic as a receiver and a return man
Offensive Player of the Year: Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee - 2,000 yards rushing, new record for total yards from scrimmage
Defensive Player of the Year: Charles Woodson, DB, Green Bay - it's hard not to go with Darren Sharper, but Sharper did his damage early, Woodson was a monster late in the year, so he's fresh in voter's eyes
MVP: Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis/Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans (Co-MVPs) - the two best QBs on the two best teams, lead their clubs to 14-0 and 13-0 starts
Coach of the Year: Sean Payton, New Orleans - despite a late season losing streak, Payton coached the league's most dominant team for most of the season. The Saints early season games weren't just dominate performances, they weren't even close
Comeback Player of the Year: Tom Brady, QB, New England - an up and down season for New England, but Brady has them back in the playoffs after missing last season with a knee injury. Brady may get all 50 votes here

New Lost Promotional Picture

ABC hasn't released any new footage from season 6, but their promotion machine isn't taking a break either. Here's their latest efforts, two versions of Lost's Last Supper:

You can check out some analysis of the photo in this week's Doc Jensen column.

Meet Matt Smith, new Doctor Who

David Tennant's run as the Doctor has come to an end, with the emotional "End of Time" special. Now, it's time to meet the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith: