carlton cuse

In 2000, I decided to go back to school and finish my degree. In case you're wondering, I took classics and women's studies, and I'm sure you can tell it served me well. That summer I arrived on campus about three weeks before school started, and one Sunday I headed to the campus pub hoping to make some new friends.

It was August 23, 2000, just a little after 8 pm.

I made no friends that night. Instead I practically had to jump up and down in front of the bartender to get her attention away from the television. The bar was packed and utterly silent. Everyone was watching what I now know was the second-highest rated finale of the decade, that the people in bar were only a handful of approximately 51.7 million viewers watching the 'Survivor' season finale. And I knew I was completely and hopelessly out of it.

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This week we have spoilers for: Lost's final season. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)

Right before the Conan "piss off, NBC" letter exploded all over the place, ABC had started their day at the TCAs with the critics' full attention. Why? Because the first panel of the day was the last time that the producers and crew of Lost would be in front of the critics answering questions about their confoundingly complicated show.

It almost felt like a collective valedictory speech, as the cast was given a chance to talk about their biggest memories from six years of shooting the show in Hawaii, and EPs Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof waxed poetic over what they think the legacy of the show is going to be.

But the big takeaways? The final season is not going to answer every question surrounding the show. The story arc this year will be told in a way that might not actually confuse anyone who's decided to finally jump on board and watch. And Lindelof's reaction to the possibility that the premiere might be pre-empted by the State of the Union address was priceless.

During the fun session for Lost this morning, executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse announced that two favorite cast members will be seen on the show's last season. And since they announced this in front of a room full of 200 reporters, it's safe to talk about it here:

Cynthia Watros, who played Libby, and Harold Perrineau, who played Michael, will both be appearing on the show this season. How and why they will appear, of course, is a secret. Cuse and Lindelof even joked about it, with Cuse going "All your Libby questions will be answered," and Lindelof countering, "No, they won't."

More on the lively panel later.

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have said that when Lost ends, there won't be a spinoff, a sequel, or even a feature film based on the show. When it's done, it's done.

ABC never got that memo.

The network says that they want to keep the show going in some way, and besides special DVDs and movies, there might also be a spinoff TV show that features new characters and a new plot. [Insert heavy sigh here.] Haven't they ever seen AfterMASH or The Golden Palace?

While it's true that a spinoff can be good and successful (we talked about that yesterday), most are ill-conceived and just a way for a network to keep a franchise going for ratings and $$$$$$. These seems like one of those situations.

Charlotte lives!

Or does she?

'Lost' executive producer Carlton Cuse confirmed in a tweet yesterday that Rebecca Mader - whose character, anthropologist Charlotte Lewis, died onscreen last season - has returned to the cast for the sixth and final season. On his Twitter feed, he wrote, "We are very happy to welcome Rebecca Mader back to LOST. Just saw some dailies of her new work. Awesome."

Since the creators of Lost, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, are always being accused of making the show up as they go along, they decided it was time to prove they had the last page of the show written.

So at this year's Lost Comic-Con panel, which will be the show's last, Damon and Carlton pulled out the final scene to get that chip off of their shoulders: Two pieces of paper they taunted the audience to steal. Although it won't be easy for anyone to get their hands on those pages.

You'll have to watch the panel video to see why, after the jump.

(Post originally published by sister site ComicsAlliance)

Lost begins its sixth and final season early next year (filming starts the end of August), and producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof revealed at a BAFTA event that the show will have a definite ending with all of the questions answered, but it won't necessarily be a happy ending. While the ending will be "fair," they say it will also be "bittersweet." We'll have to wait until the new season to see exactly what they mean, but how do you want the show to end?

This week, Lost's Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (as well as several writers) came to the Top Chef table to be served food by the contestants and judge them.They're big fans of the show (even joking that the quality of Lost has gone downhill since they've been discussing the shows on Thursday mornings), and this episode had a Lost-themed challenge. They could only use certain Dharma foods and stuff that you could find on the island.

I've gotten used to the "four chefs compete" format, though that means we're not going to see some really talented, interesting chefs in the coming weeks.

This should be fun. Damon Lindelof and Carton Cuse are big fans of Bravo's Top Chef, and this week they're actually going to make an appearance on the Top Chef Masters. The contestants (some have seen Lost and some haven't) have to make a meal for them. Here's a sneak peek.

[via Pop Candy]

(S05E16/S05E17) "See you in Los Angeles." - Jack

I'm not really sure where to begin, but I think this is a pretty good starting point: holy crap. Just like every season finale before this one, Lost has once again left us all with our jaws on the floor and our brains on overdrive. This changes everything. The big question? How does it change everything? Is it January yet?

(S05E15) "I have a purpose now." - Locke

I can't believe how fast this season of Lost has gone by. There's probably a time-travel joke buried in that realization somewhere, but my head is still spinning from "Follow the Leader," so I'm not really in clever witticism mode. Honestly, I'm speechless. For the most part, this wasn't one of my favorite episodes of the season. But for me to be at a loss for words at one of Lost's sub-par installments - well that says something about the quality of this show. "Follow the Leader" was a lot of set up for next week's two hour finale and the events that have been set in motion (even though it seems they always happened) are mind-numbing.

If you watched last night's episode of Lost, you probably have a headache trying to figure everything out. ABC should send bottles of Advil (or better yet, DHARMA ibuprofen) to all of their fans. I actually believe that the show does have a plan and does know where it's going and how the show will end (though I doubt they did at the start of the series - things changed), but here's some more ammo for fans who think they're making it up as they go along, from Jimmy Kimmel Live.

(S05E14) "Well, I got some bad news for you Jack. You don't belong here at all. She was wrong." - Faraday

After listening to Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof ranting in last week's Lost audio podcast, I didn't expect "The Variable" to be this much of a game changer. Everything we thought we knew about the island, time travel, and course correcting - it all got turned upside down. I think it's safe to say that the 100th episode of Lost is going to be remembered for more than just its milestone significance.

(S05E13) "That douche is my dad." - Miles

I've been waiting for an episode like this. We've gotten close to nothing when it comes to backstory on the freighter folk and had it not been for the writer's strike, I'm guessing that "Some Like it Hoth" (or at least something Miles related) would have aired during season four. Last time we got any substantial info on Miles' orgins was "Confirmed Dead" and all that filled us in on was ghost whisperin' powers and his conscience - ripping people off doesn't come easy for him. We got a helluva lot more info this time around.