Coming August 29th…but it’s not being called “Season 1” because it’s missing one episode. It remains unexplained at present which episode is being pulled out of the set and why, but it was apparently a last-second decision, as there have been some press releases which reference this being a full-season set.
Oh, well. Maybe we’ll get a single-episode disc released at some point in the future, entitled “The Episode They Didn’t Want You To See!”
…consider picking up one of the new action figures from McFarlane Toys based on the show. According to the company’s site, the first series of figures “captures six fan-favorite characters from the series’ first season: Jack, Kate, Locke, Hurley, Charlie and Shannon. Each 6-inch ‘Lost’ figure will have a detailed base and photographic backdrop, capturing an episode-specific moment in the character’s story.”
I think everyone’s going to want their very own Hurley…but, thus far, the only figure available for viewing is Charlie. Looks pretty damned good, I have to say…
Check it out here.
Last night the final two contestants on season 5 of “American Idol” performed for the final time before America lit up the phone lines to determine the winner. It was the “McPheever” of Katharine McPhee versus the “Soul Patrol” (sorry kittens) of Taylor Hicks.
And while you would figure both of them would leave it all out there on the Kodak Theater stage, there were moments when you weren’t sure if either one really wanted to win this thing. Here’s the Vandalay recap:
KATHARINE McPHEE
Katharine started off with KT Tunstall’s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” a song that she sang about a month ago which validated her status as a contender. Randy said it was fun and Simon said it was “Good with a small ‘g'”…..in other words, she didn’t dazzle like she should have on the final night of performances. Her second song was “Over the Rainbow,” a tune that earned her a spot in the finals last week, and it was once again very very good. Simon said it was even better than last week….but I don’t think it was. She finished with an original song, and her first single that will be released some time in the next few months, depending on if Katharine finishes first or second. The song, “My Destiny,” was absolutely awful. Randy Jackson even said he didn’t like the song, but that Katharine sang it okay. Simon said she went from brilliant to “quite good” in one song, and that’s being generous. I think the song sucked, and she butchered it, plain and simple. That said, Katharine has one thing going for her that’s going to earn her votes….she is undeniably hot.
TAYLOR HICKS
Taylor started off with Stevie Wonder’s “Living For the City,” and he absolutely nailed it, something that Randy Jackson said he was nervous about when he heard the song choice, based on the fact that Stevie is Stevie. Simon said it was a smart choice and great start for Taylor. Paula said something in her drunken stupor, and I think she dug it. Taylor’s second choice was Elton John’s “Levon,” and it was a bit boring and uninspired for some reason. Simon correctly said that Round 2 went to Katharine. Then Taylor sang his single, “Do I Make You Proud,” a better song than Katharine’s but still quite lame. However, the difference is that Taylor left it all out there like he really wanted to win. Simon declared that Taylor probably won based on that performance, and I’m going along with that since I’ve been touting Taylor as the favorite for the last month or so.
A side note on songwriting……look, I know that songwriting is kind of a lost art now that radio congolmerates have done their best to homogenize stations, songs, and advertising. But please…..those two songs that were performed by Katharine and Taylor were horrible. Both songs are likely the result of industry powerhouse songwriters sitting around in a room, putting formulas of hit songs into a computer, and spitting out a new song that sounds like, well, regurgitated crap. The songs had no feeling or emotion, so how then were Katharine or Taylor supposed to convey those things? Well, Taylor for the most part did, and that’s probably why he’s going to win.
But back to songwriting….you want a great song? Daniel Powter performed to close out the show…..his hit song, “Bad Day,” has been the anthem for contestants of “American Idol” getting voted off each week. Granted, the show has helped Powter become an overnight success, but here is a great song with a great melody with a hook and with feeling….and when he performed it, it made those other two songs look like the crap that they are.
Okay, so I had to get that rant out of the way. Now it’s on to business…..and likely crowing Taylor Hicks, the gray haired wonder from Birmingham, the next American Idol. See you tomorrow for the recap of tonight’s 2-hour finale.
Vandalay, OUT.
They never stick the landing.
Oh, sure, they come up with some great last minute hook to lure you in to next season – killing Teri Bauer, poisoning David Palmer, faking Jack’s death – but the events leading up to that moment leave little to the imagination. Of course Jack’s going to stop the virus from spreading (though chopping off Chase’s arm was pretty cool). Of course CTU is going to stop the missile headed for L.A. And, this year, of course Jack is going to find a way to bug President I.M. Weasel and get that confession.
And yet, while it was imperative that Logan be taken down, I can’t help but think that they ignored nearly every other detail in the last two hours in the process. How did no one else from Logan’s security detail find Old Yeller and the First Lady of Crazy? Were we really supposed to believe Robocop wouldn’t have been able to tell that the pistol Jack gave him was empty? Heck, they taught us that in “In the Line of Fire” 13 years ago. Lastly, can you really break someone’s neck with your calves? Holy Xenia Onatopp.
The best line in the show came from a guest star who damn well better be a regular next year, Chloe’s ex-husband Morris. Chloe taps him to do some hi-tech gadgetry for Jack, and Chloe, in her typical personality disorder-driven style, says, “Can you do this without talking?” “I could do that, but it would be a terrible waste of my charm,” he counters. Oh, man, are they going to be fun to watch next year.
And speaking of next year: I am dying to know how the Chinese were able to abduct Jack right out from under the noses of government forces and have him on a Chinese tanker, seemingly miles offshore, in a matter of 10 minutes. Unless they moved like Hammy the squirrel at the end of “Over the Hedge,” that’s just not physically possible. Also, will the Overseers be returning? If not, they were an incredible waste of time. But most importantly, we never found out who it was that leaked Jack’s status and fingered the people responsible for it. Who knows, maybe that was the Overseers’ work, and maybe they were the ones that tipped off the Chinese on Bauer’s whereabouts. They damn well better be, since they dangled that ‘who sold us out’ subplot in front of us for half the day, and then swept it under the rug when it was no longer necessary. But I still want to know the answer to the question, dammit! (Take a drink)
I’d still like to see one of these seasons end with the bad guy winning. Maybe Logan has Big Dick Heller implicated for everything while Martha suffers an “accident” on her way to the funny farm. That would be a lot more interesting than an angry Russian President, discarded, followed by an angry English spy, discarded, then the former President’s brother, discarded. Worst of all was Kim Bauer, needlessly brought in, and just as quickly, discarded. I’m sure it’s incredibly difficult to graph these story lines out, and for the most part, they do an incredible job. But they have to start spending more time on resolving these temporary plot threads, rather than leaving them dangling like that. One of these days, the whole thing will just fall apart.
I’m sure I am forgetting something else. But after watching this and the series finale of “Alias” back to back, I’m all spyed out. Plus, I’ll have my hands full tonight trying to keep Buffybot from drowning those kittens during the “American Idol” finale. See you in January.
Dr. Robert Rey, better known to reality TV fans as the uber-vain “Dr. 90210,” helped to restrain an elderly man who got out of his seat and shoved a flight attendant just prior to landing.
Dr. Robert Rey, a plastic surgeon who practices martial arts, told The Associated Press he got out of his seat and intervened when he heard the man make a “big noise” as he pushed a female flight attendant toward the cockpit.
“When you get a black belt, at that stage your brain just clicks into action,” the doctor said. “I restrained this gentleman in a very aggressive way without hurting him.”
I was wondering how long it would take for him to mention his black belt.
© 2026 Premium Hollywood
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑