I saw that Michelle Rodriguez was back playing Ana Lucia and my first thought was "What the hell? Have they finally made good on all that zombie talk?" Alas, it doesn't appear so. According to the Access Hollywood piece, she is appearing in a flashback. The article is spoiler free, for those of you that dodge the dirty details. The only thing it gives away is her wardrobe.

How her return is received will, of course, depend on the story they are telling, but I am surprised that they are bringing her back at all. I was under the impression that most people were ok with being done with Ana Lucia. Are there Lost fans with burning Ana Lucia questions that have to be cleared up?

No word on whether or not the producers popped for a full time driver this time, but one can hope. Lost is scheduled to return from its mid-season break on February 7, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of that getting bumped up. Week after week of fourth place finishes has a way of shuffling schedules and changing plans.

[via tvtattle ]

*UPDATE* Reader A points to the news on the Official Michelle Rodriguez site that says the Acess Hollywood pics are not of her, and she is not currently in Hawaii.

Okay, maybe not with kung-fu grip. "Faces in perpetual states of shock, horror, and/or 'WTF'-ness" are more likely. Anyway, McFarlane Toys are coming out with a new line of Lost action figures of season one's "fan-favorites", Jack, Kate, Locke, Hurley, Charlie, and Shannon. They've just released a picture of the Charlie figure. He's sitting down, writing on his fingers. Hmm... Doesn't look very action-y. McFarlane Toys is also releasing boxsets, little dioramas that recreate key moments of the show. So, if you don't like the season finale, you can always film your own.

Maybe it's just me, but the choice of Shannon to be a part of the first set of "fan-favorite" toys comes as a bit of a surprise. If I had to go for one of the deadsies for this first set, I would have picked a Boone figure over a Shannon one. The fact that I found Boone attractive has nothing little to do with it. The toys are expected Fall of this year.

Whoa, I'm not sure about you, but after last week's episode I felt physically exhausted. That's the kind of Lost I'm talking about. The rumors are we're actually going to be getting some answers tonight as it's a Michael-centric episode and his flashback will deal with his time with The Others. Make sure you you join me here tonight so that you can voice your own opinion. As with all of our chats, you need to have AIM or a compatible client (Trillian, GAIM, etc). Once you have that, make sure you meet right back here to this very post at 8pm ET, and that's when I'll unveil the location for the chat room. You can chat along with me (TVSRyan) and the rest of the Lost fanatics live! I'll see you there.

UPDATE:
Come one, come all; here is the secret location for our Lost Chat! See you inside.

Disclaimer: All or parts of the discussion in this chatroom may be posted in a later column on this site.

In case you've missed it -- perhaps you were one of the thousands giving your opinion on Stephen Colbert -- here are some highlights from the last week at TV Squad:



American Idol coverage

• Fantasia gets the Lifetime treatment.
• A night of malfunctioning microphones.
• Silly stuff happened on Tuesday's show.
• Seacrest comes to senses, dumps Hatcher.
  

Breaking News

• Christa Miller of Scrubs is preggers again.
• Tichina Arnold says Everybody Hates Chris will be on the CW next year.
• New MTV program pries into people's computers.
• Sci-Fi Channel announces broadband channel.
• Pet owner sues Dog Whisperer.
• Conan O'Brien tells Trib reporter that he loves Chi-town.
• 24 movie will be filmed in London.
• NBC to show West Wing pilot instead of retrospective.
• King of the Hill gets to episode 200.
• Prison Break and Invasion coming to DVD in August.
• NBC picks up Studio 60... big surprise, right?
• Gandolfini gets hit by a cab while riding his Vespa.
• Lost producers say DUI not related to big plot twist.
• Angered playwright gets call from Leno.
• Elma Farnsworth, wife of TV pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth, dies.
• CBS launches broadband channel, "innertube".
• Oprah to appear on The View.
• Fans want to see Scrubs back, says USA Today poll.
• Boston Legal renewed.
• Commander-in-Chief could be done.
• Louis Rukeyser passes away.
• Supreme Court rules for Anna Nicole Smith.
• Top producer of Desperate Housewives walks out.
  

Discussions

• How many remotes do you have?
• How many TVs?
• Meet the TV Squad Bloggers!
• Bob talks with Bradley Whitford about The West Wing and Studio 60.
• Listen to the latest Lost podcast.
• Why is L&O: SVU on the Sci-Fi Channel?
• Bob gives a quick overview of Desperate Networks.
• Keith calls 877-HANSORG and gives us the results.
• Here's the schedule of season finales.
• How long until Rosie and Star fight to the death?
• What is your favorite network?

The Five

• Wacky animated Mexican characters.
  

Opinions

• Adam crushes on a member of the Jeopardy! Clue Crew.
• I think Carson Daly's show is completely insignificant.
• Adam talks about The Charmings.
• Why did Sara Rue feel the need to get skinny?
  

Episode Reviews

• Wonder Showzen: "Cooperation"
• MythBusters: "Mind Control"
• The Office: "Conflict Resolution"
• Smallville: "Oracle"
• Survivor: Exile Island: "Bamboozled"
• Lost: "Two for the Road"
• Veronica Mars: "Happy Go Lucky"
• 24: "2:00 am - 3:00 am"
• The Sopranos: "Johnny Cakes"

Well, Ana Lucia is definitely dead. Libby? Maybe not. Yet.

In an interview with TV Guide's Aussiello, Lost producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse explain why they killed off Ana Lucia, played by Michelle Rodriguez. A few highlights:

• Calling herself a 'nomad', Rodriguez insisted that she only be on the show for one season;
• When Rodriguez got her DUI, the producers considered changing her storyline because they were worried it would look like they were punishing her by killing off her character;
• Same for Watros. Libby wasn't shot because Watros got a DUI;
• Michelle Rodriguez plays well with others.

I'm back joining C.K. this week for our running commentary and thoughts on last night's episode of Lost: Two for the road. Boy, was there some big stuff that went down in last night's episode too. As you'll be able to hear, this is one of my favorite episodes in a long, long time. This episode changes all kinds of stuff and really sets up this last run of episodes for some great times. C.K. and I both had some interesting theories on what has happened so far and things that may be coming up. So listen in and let us know what you think.

You'll find the podcast enclosed in the feed of this post, you can subscribe via our podcast feed (link), and here's a direct link to the 20MB file running 43:04 in length. You can also subscribe to our podcast via the iTunes Music Store (link).

(S02E20) Is it just me, or is it really funny (in a meta-sort of way) that tonight's Ana Lucia-centric episode of Lost is called Two for the Road? I mean, considering that Rodriguez was recently busted for drunk driving, the producers have to be busting her chops with that setup. Maybe it was a clue of things to come in the episode...

If you missed the episode, remember, ABC now offers the show for free online viewing (albeit ad-supported viewing). Watch it before you read too much further in this post, or you're sure to encounter a  spoiler or two.

As you might remember from the last new episode we had, oh so many weeks ago, we left with Jack and Kate seemingly about to kiss when Michael burst forth from the jungle and passed out. This episode begins at the same point, and the Michael story line is balanced nicely against Ana Lucia's flashbacks and dealings with her anger at Henry Gale, who at the beginning of the episode attempts to strangle her to death.

For more details, continue reading after the jump...

In my recent post about Eva Longoria's decision to not renew her Desperate Housewives contract, many commenters angrily explained they had lost interest ever since the show fell into the empty abyss known as re-run hell. This is interesting because this show-killing method has been attacking a lot more programs lately ... Apparently, many people have kicked their favorite shows to the curb because of the annoying "one new episode, three/four weeks of re-runs" pattern. Instead of leaving audiences itching with anticipation, these shows are causing agitation and losing viewers (for example, Lost has experienced a significant drop in numbers due to this problem).

I know a lot of you have been disappointed by Lost this season, but they've been hyping tonight's episode up to hopefully quell a lot of your concerns. It looks like we're going to get action and answeres out the wazoo. What's the wazoo you say? Well, I'm not sure, but come join me tonight, right back here to this very post at 8pm EST and that's when I'll unveil the super secret location for the chat room and we can discuss it together. Will Sayid, Charlie and Ana Lucia find some answers about Henry Gale, or perhaps find an ambush? Is Locke going to get locked in with Henry in the hatch? What's with all the drama? See you tonight!

UPDATE:
Come one, come all; here is the secret location for our Lost Chat! See you inside.

Disclaimer: All or parts of the discussion in this chatroom may be posted in a later column on this site.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this editorial in the Toronto Star. The writer calls for Ana Lucia's character to be killed off on Lost. He'd like to see her get scurvy, mauled by a polar bear, "vanish into a black cloud", or get shot in a special guest appearance by Dick Cheney. He says that, despite her tragic back-story, Ana Lucia is not a captivating character. He thinks she lacks depth and doesn't like her attitude. He also calls for the "killing-off" of Izzie on Grey's Anatomy, so he may just be completely out of his mind.

Here are five reasons to keep Ana Lucia alive:

5. We love to hate her.  Why does everybody have to get along? So she's abrasive and lacks common sense or civility. She has a management style thats, um, different. That makes for a great, strong character. Even if we do hate her.

Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Ana Lucia on Lost, entered a 'not guilty' plea to DUI in court yesterday. Actually, her lawyer entered the plea for her as she did not make a personal appearance. That means, in true Ana Lucia style, she'll be going on trial on March 30th in Hawaii to fight charges that she was driving drunk on November 24th. As we've been reporting, Rodriguez has a long list of speeding charges in Hawaii and she is currently on probation in California for drunk driving and hit-and-run. If a judge decides that Rodriguez was in violation of her probation by driving while drunk in Hawaii, she could go to prison in California for up to 18 months. If not, she could at least spend 14 days in a Hawaiian jail, a $1,500 fine, and loss of her license for a year (shouldn't that happen anyway?).

As for Cynthia Watros, who plays Libby on Lost (and the one who looked the most tanked), her lawyer asked for a new arraignment date for Jan. 12 so she can change her plea to guilty. Her lawyer said, "Cynthia realizes she made a mistake."