Happy Anniversary, LOST: An Ode to 815

Five years ago today, when LOST debuted on ABC, I had no idea that a television series would so strongly affect and alter my life. The fact that you're here, that you take the time to visit Lost-specific sites, leads me to believe that you probably feel the same way. You, as they say, are my people. The dedication and fervor of Lost fans has grown tremendously over the last five years; I am inspired by and appreciate the online community every single day.

On the anniversary of the crash of fictional Flight 815, I find myself feeling rather sentimental. Last night I was in serious contemplation mode, and wound up writing this silly little ode to our favorite show.

Pilot Seth Norris is not scheduled to fly;
Frank J. Lapidus was supposed to be their guy.

September twenty-second, two thousand four.

A plane left from Sydney, and ended up on the shore.

Jack's on the airplane, 23A.

Drinking his vodka en route to LA.

Charlie's in the restroom, getting a drug fix.

They hit light turbulence, or so Jack predicts.

Kate's in handcuffs, drinking her OJ.

In custody of the Marshal, she didn't get away.

Below on an island, a man named Desmond Hume

Didn't enter numbers, thus 815 went...boom.

He unleashed a force quite electromagnetic.

An event accidental, or possibly prophetic.

Oceanic Airlines flight Eight Fifteen,

Breaks apart and disappears, never to be seen.

Tail section in the water, Bernard up in a tree,

Fuselage on the beach, red shirts yelling "help me!"

Jack's in the jungle, party of one.

Christian sends dog Vincent, "go see my son."

A bald man on the beach discovers he can walk;

Previously in a wheelchair, this comes as quite a shock.

Claire is eight months pregnant, sitting among the debris.

Hurley helps her; his first words are "oh, you got to be kidding me."

Pretty boy Boone tries to revive a Rose,

While his spoiled 'sister' Shannon is less than composed.

A monster of sorts is heard but not seen,

Could be animal, man or even machine.

Five years ago tonight, LOST changed TV.

They had us at "Walt!" and "guys, where are we?"

Upon Season Six, we're not sure what's next;

Except that it involves a little place called LAX...

I would love to hear your stories; where you were on 9/22/04 and your experiences watching Lost for the very first time. Share your thoughts in the Comments, and thank you for acknowledging and celebrating this day in Lost history with me!

-Jo

LOST Haiku! Entries & Contest Winners

Earlier this week I held a Lost haiku contest via my Facebook page. I was thrilled to see how many participated and just how clever some of our fellow Lost fans are!

The grand prize is an autographed Sterling "young Ben" Beaumon t-shirt, and three runners-up will receive Lost t-shirts. Due to shipping costs, the contest was only open to those in the U.S. However, I did receive a few haikus from international Losties, which are included below.

Here was my example:

I do not like Kate;
Juliet as mechanic,
I'd much rather date.

And here were the entries, by name:

ALIXE
Desmond, your constant?
you have some 'splainin to do!
darn it, Faraday!

BONNIE G
Egyptians were there
Richard Alpert is ageless
Is he the Sun God?

BRITTANY
Hurley sees dead peeps
Dude that is freaking crazy
or is he crazy?

BRYAN S
Eko was the best,
But now he is laid to rest.
Returns as a guest?

CAROLE T
Time travel is fun,
Many mysteries abound.
Where has Jacob gone?

CAT S
John Locke cannot die
Sorry Ben, you should not try
The Six had to lie

CHAD T
We have to go back
We were not supposed to leave
It's a leap of faith

DARRELL D
A Bloody Rock God
Woken by the loss of self
Sacrifice gives life

DOUG D
Trees move, the ground shakes
Hear the roar, A dinosaur?
Run! Your life's at stake!

HILLARY P
Bad ass with a knife
His faith stronger than combat
Don’t tell Locke he can’t

HOLLI
Walkabout was it
Life sucked up by epic show
Now what after end

JACOB L
I've been watching since
I was a thirteen year old.
Now, five years later...

JENN B (from Canada)
Ben is a menace
I want to be Freckles too
LOST is my lifeline

JENNIFER W
New Island Intrigue:
Who's behind the newcomers?
And what's in their box?

JESSICA P
LaFleur has flowered
Sawyer's revenge now fulfilled
Freckles has returned

JOANNA H
"Dead is dead," Ben says
Is it really what he means?
Follow Locke; you'll learn.

JODI T
Libby who were you?
Widmore's daughter? Dharma?
I hope we find out

JOHN P
The Donkey wheel turns
We all skip to the beat of time
I need a constant

JON F
Dead is dead says Ben
But Locke is walking today
What is up with that?

JOSE
Sweaty dynamite
"Dude, you've got some Artz on you"
Hurley has best lines

JULIE J
I think he is Hot!
With his shiny flowing hair;
I adore Hurley!

KAREN M
Breathtaking beach
An endless sea
Time is LOST

KATHRYN L
Floating island,
hidden in the shadows,
judgment to follow.

KATIE H
Fate has brought you here.
Faith or science will you chose.
A war is coming.

KYLA
back from Ann Arbor
his old tie and a new smile
Faraday kicks ass

LISA G
LOSTies are the best
Friendships forged from TV show
I want a tee shirt!

LORI H
Stranded with Sawyer
On a deserted island
Is heaven on earth.

LORI S
Four eight fifteen and
sixteen twenty-three forty
two make 108

MARIA H
Jack, Kate, Miles, Locke, James
the daddy issues abound
why the daddy hate?

MELISSA G (from Canada)
Beneath the temple
Ben's judged by the Smoke Monster
Yikes it let him live!

MELISSA Q
Little Ben was sweet
But he had to help Sayid
So much for good deeds

MICHAEL R
Time turns round and round
The chosen moment has come
Locke will take his throne.

NELSON
Jumpsuits all around
Bad hairpiece makes me younger
I am Ben Linus

RYAN P
The Swan Hatch explodes
The Boxman watches Desmond
Quarantine Door falls.

SASHA
Eternal Island
Times Stands Still For Only You
Take them home again

SEAN R
Hurley-Jumbotron
Your lottery numbers haunt
Four Eight Fifteen Six...

SHANNON H
Desmond in t-shirt...
Over birthday suit sublime
Flash On...Flash...O' Mine!

SHANNON K
Oceanic falls
Survivors lost on a beach
Locke has the answers

SHAUNA R
"Pay attention! See
my dynamite handling skills."
Arzt explodes. Kaboom!

SHEIN
Is Locke the Hero?
Ben - the one the Island wants?
Desmond for the Win!

TOM S (from the UK)
Oh great big statue,
one toe short of a full foot,
Richard is that you?

TONY C
nosebleeds and flashes
Hippies, monsters, polar bears
oh, hootenanny!

VALERIE N
where time stops then spins
this island of mystery
ever out of reach

This was a very entertaining yet challenging one to judge! For what it's worth, I read each entry out loud, spoken-word style, to assist my final decision...

Grand Prize: Lori H
Because almost every female Lost fan would agree with and appreciate your sentiment. Perhaps my girl Juliet was thinking that very thing at the end of Season 4. :)

Runners-up:

• Bryan S
• Darrell D
• Hillary P
• John P

In the end, I decided to pick one more runner-up because it was so tough to choose! Lori, Bryan, Darrell, Hillary and John P - please email me your shipping address and I will send your t-shirts out next week.

Thank you to everyone who participated; I hope that it was as much fun for you to write the haikus as it was for me to read them all!

LOST Weekend 09, Day 2

Good morning! Before I head back home, I want to recap day 2 of Lost Weekend 09! Last night was an amazing event, a charity auction which raised several thousand dollars for the Children's Defense Fund. Lost fans, cast and crew alike mingled and bid on items for several hours, and the evening was a huge success!

The first Lost guest of honor to arrive was Sterling Beaumon (young Ben Linus, who gave future dead dad skeleton Roger a nice hug upon arrival), and it is safe to say that he was a huge hit with everyone! Literally bouncing around the room with tremendous energy and endlessly posing for photos, he loved talking with the fans, as he is an enthusiastic one himself.

Personally, the highlight of the night for me was sitting down to chat with Sterling about Lost theories! Even though he is on the show, he also tries to remain spoiler-free (to the extent that he won't read any other part of a script except his own). So in rapid fire format, we threw crazy predictions back and forth and laughed at the possibilities. Sterling speaks my language, and at the same speed (you may have needed subtitles to keep up with us)...so it was a real treat to have the opportunity to engage in such a conversation one-on-one with him.

I didn't realize it at first, but none other than Dharma Annie (Madeline Carroll) arrived with Sterling! Since they filmed that episode together a few years ago, they have remained good friends, as have their mothers.

From the photo above, you can see why it took a minute to register who she was! Many of us have been clamoring for a Ben & Annie reunion, and we certainly got a version of one last night. I didn't get a chance to talk with Madeline for very long, but she is very sweet and seemed to be having a great time at the event.

The auction featured so many fantastic Lost items that it was no surprise to see a friendly bidding war escalate toward close of auction.

Although I was coveting the Locke-worn green tee, it escalated out of my price range. But I did wind up with an autographed action figure instead; I had to acquire at least one Jeremy Bentham related item for my collection!

Other items up for grabs included cast & writing staff autographed scripts, hats and t-shirts, a giant quilt-sized Christian Shephard banner, cast Kubricks and a custom Lost character sketch of your choice (to be created by comic book artist/illustrator Grant Gould).

There were also some very cool non-Lost items, including Fringe & Star Trek hats and posters from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions, and an original uMaster prop from The Middleman (fans of Javier Grillo-Marxuach's show will know what I'm referring to)!

There was a camera crew there to record portions of the evening for the Season 5 DVD, and although I am slightly embarrassed to admit it...I was interviewed for it. So we shall see if I wind up like Kevin Costner in The Big Chill (on the cutting room floor)!

In addition to Sterling Beaumon, it was great to talk with Andrea Gabriel (Nadia) about her career and working with Naveen Andrews! It probably goes without saying, but she is stunningly beautiful in person. And could not have been more gracious and funny!

When Adetokumboh M'Cormack walked in, we all smiled and said the same thing (mostly in our inside, polite voices): Yemi! He was also so sweet, and enjoyed catching up with the fans.

Last but not least, and rushing over immediately following a performance in his local play The Bird and Mr. Banks, Sam Anderson (Bernard) joined us!

[Possible Minor Spoiler Alert]
Sterling had never meet Sam, because they never filmed an episode together, so it was fun to see them interact for the first time. I mentioned to Sam that many fans are upset at the lack of Rose and Bernard this season since the time shifts, which resulted in a wide smile from our favorite island dentist. And when I told him that the prevailing theory is that Rose and Bernard are the Adam and Eve skeletons from Season 1, he was both surprised and intrigued to hear that!

Although the evening provided a unique opportunity for Lost fans to interact with cast and crew, the purpose was clear and we were dedicated to the cause. Representatives from the CDF were very touched and appreciative when the Lost cast and crew handed them the check for $3,000.

As for me, I wound up with the following memorabilia (which I am still trying to configure into several bags for the flight home), in addition to the goodies I picked up the previous evening: the Terry O'Quinn autographed Locke figure, 2 t-shirts (one autographed by Jorge Garcia & the other by the entire writing staff!), the huge Christian Shephard banner, the custom Grant Gould sketch and Fringe and Star Trek posters. I feel like a kid who is leaving Disneyland for the first time with souvenirs to cherish for years to come. Of course I plan to give away one or more of these items very soon, so stay tuned for contest announcements!

I would definitely recommend Lost Weekend to any and all Lost fans in the future. Huge kudos to Caren, Bob, Hallie and everyone involved who created and hosted this memorable weekend and event!

I am running on fumes after only four hours of sleep, so if I am forgetting important details I will make sure to post them later this week (along with additional photos). Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and read about the events of Lost Weekend!

-Jo

LOST Weekend 09, Day 1

Greetings from Los Angeles, where I am attending Lost Weekend 2009 (a gathering of message board folks from The Fuselage and fellow Lost fans, as well as a charity auction event benefiting the Children's Defense Fund)! I am a newbie to this event, but everyone has been incredibly gracious and welcoming; I highly recommend it to everyone next year!

Dharma food drop of the evening

Last night they kicked off the weekend with a cocktail party here at the Universal City Hilton, accompanied by a raffle ticket auction for various Lost items. I won a Lost license plate frame and baseball cap, as well as an Eko action figure!

5 different tees, noted by red check marks
(Dr. Candle, Oceanic, Sawyer, Swan clock & Hanso)

I also picked up two bags full of Lost t-shirts, Dharma bags, soundtrack CDs, etc. for future blog contest giveaways, so stay tuned for your chance to win here and on DocArzt's site! Proceeds from the sale of the raffle tickets and these items all benefit the CDF, so we were more than happy to grab them up!

The ghost of honor was Roger Workman, Ben's dad Roger Linus in his future form as a Dharma skeleton.

Gregg takes aim at the janitor

We took turns channeling our inner Hostile, shooting arrows at him (although they were not flaming like the ones that took out poor Frogurt).

There was also a fierce and spirited tree frog jumping game, and we refrained from crushing them like Sawyer.

After the party, we ventured over to Jillian's at City Walk for some friendly bowling competition between Lost co-producer/writer Gregg Nations' and former Lost producer/writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach's teams! The bowling contest is an annual tradition for Lost Weekend, and there was a great deal of smack talk on The Fuselage message boards ahead of time. Javi's team prevailed, and I was fortunate to be among them, although truth be told...I am far better at Wii bowling than the actual sport. It was a very entertaining evening overall, and we all finally parted ways at about 1am.

Javi, Gregg, Bobby & Monte

Tonight is the main event - the auction! I will be repeating "stick to your budget" repeatedly to myself this evening, as it will be challenging not to bid on all of the fantastic Lost items up for grabs. There will be a few surprises in addition to the autographed scripts and tees, as well as potential guest appearances by some of the cast and crew...I will keep you posted via Twitter!

After I return home tomorrow night, I will post a full recap of Day 2 and the auction. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! It looks like I'll be checking in an additional bag for the flight...I'm off to find a duffel to hold all of my new swag...:)

- Jo

LOST Showdown: Best Moments From 4 Seasons

From now until mid-February on ABC.com, you can watch video clips of popular scenes from the last four seasons of LOST and then vote for your favorite moment (bracket tournament style).

Click here to sign up and play along!

Of the choices we have right now, my top 2 would be:







The Double Murder














The Sacrifice






...but something tells me that it will come down to:







The Cage Match












The Phone Call





So...are your favorite scenes included, and which did/would you vote for?

Thank You

This is just a brief post to thank you for visiting this blog. Considering that there are hundreds of Lost blogs to choose from, many with far greater detail and more frequent posts, I really appreciate that you stop by to read this particular one.

I am taking a step back to reflect on the year, and I can't believe that I only started this site in January of '08! I had been posting Lost theories on my pop culture blog for a while but created this one at the beginning of the year to focus solely on our favorite show. Time has flown by quickly, and YOU have made it a very rewarding journey.

Of course I have to give a shout-out to my online alter ego/summer project Jeremy Bentham, without whom I would still be but a tiny blip in the online Lost community. If I had not created his blog or Facebook page earlier this year, I'm pretty sure that many of you would never have heard of me. I was just a chick playing a dude disguised as another dude. ;)

Happy New Year, Lost friends. I look forward to analyzing and discussing Season 5 with you very soon. Feel free to email or contact me via Facebook any time...and stay tuned for additional interviews, as well as reports from Oahu in February and San Diego/Comic-Con in July!

The light in me honors the light in you. Namaste, indeed.

- Jo

LOST Be@rbrick & Kubrick Sets Available NOW! (Updated)

LOST fans, you might want to get yourselves to Los Angeles next week.

Medicom Toy Japan and Diamond Comic Distributors are uniting with Meltdown Comics in LA to host the world premiere and signing event of the BE@RBRICK and KUBRICK collections based on LOST.

On Wednesday, November 19, you can get in line beginning at 4pm to purchase a one-of-a-kind, exclusive and autographed BE@RBRICK. Only one LOST BE@RBRICK or set per person may be purchased and signed, and they are not allowing exceptions.

Meltdown Comics
7522 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

The following people are scheduled to appear: co-creators/executive producers J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, executive producers Bryan Burk, Jack Bender, Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and Carlton Cuse, writers Elizabeth Sarnoff, Paul Zbyszewski, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Kyle Pennington, and Brian K. Vaughan. WOW.

I know what you're saying...WTF are these things?

Well, a KUBRICK resembles a customized Lego figure. And a BE@RBRICK is "an articulated 3D canvas" bear version of a KUBRICK that comes in 3 sizes. Still have no idea?

Here is what you can purchase: a small LOST Be@rbrick figure, a 2 Be@rbrick set, or an entire set of LOST Kubrick figures...




UPDATE: Right now, you can purchase these online BEFORE the event next week!! There are a limited number of each available now - go!

Bizarre? Yes. Would I fly down to LA if I were able? Absolutely. But at least I was able to buy a 2 Be@rbrick set online today!

Please let me know if you are able to attend and acquire! I am very jealous in advance.

Get LOST in Italy! The White Rabbit Interview

I was surprised and flattered to be contacted by fellow LOST blogger Elena, who was interested in interviewing me for her site.

Here is the post, in both English and Italian!

Don't forget to also visit her personal blog, and add her as a friend on both Facebook (as Elena David) and MySpace.

Thanks again for the opportunity, Elena!

Video: J.J. Abrams on Conan O'Brien

This video does not contain spoilers about Lost or Fringe; Conan simply has a little fun interviewing J.J.

JJ Abrams on Conan O’Brien
Uploaded by lyly_ford

[clip courtesy Lyly & DailyMotion.com]

Dharma Wants You: Custom Test - Name That Tune

For those of you who are playing along with the Octagon Global Recruiting/Dharma Wants You alternate reality game, I have created a custom quiz featuring lyrics from songs titled with Lost character names.

If you are registered and log in to take my test, I will receive 50 Dharma Points. Given that I have not been very successful with the first four official Dharma tests, I am not really concerned with earning points, as I am certainly not in contention to be 'recruited.' So just have fun with it!

And if you created a quiz as well, feel free to leave the link as a comment so that we can apply our random knowledge to YOUR test...

Locke Sighting!

This isn't considered a spoiler because obviously we are going to see Locke leading the island next season before leaving it and becoming Bentham...

My friend Kristen was in Oahu with her friend Karina last week when they came upon the filming of a scene for a Season 5 episode of Lost, on the northern side of the island. Terry O'Quinn was nice enough to chat with them and pose for a photo!

Previously on LOST, Live! The Concert & Review

Last night I attended a show by Previously on Lost, the fantastic band who literally write and record songs about every episode of Lost shortly after they air. Their lyrics are both hysterical and quite clever, and they are currently performing original tunes from Season 4.

In addition to inflatable palm trees and hula girls on mic stands, their stage includes a mini shrine to their muse, J. J. Abrams.

Adam and Jeff are such nice guys, and talked to fans both before and after the show. They have a brand new CD for sale (which you can also purchase it on iTunes), as well as a very cool new t-shirt.

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend that you catch their all-ages show at The Knitting Factory (only $10!) on Thursday, because the actor who played young Ben Linus (Sterling Beaumon) in "The Man Behind the Curtain" will be accompanying the band on stage! Apparently this talented 13 year old is a musician as well as an actor.

This wasn't from last night, but here is a video of "Be My Constant," which captures their flavor and enthusiasm. Even those who don't watch Lost will appreciate their music and live performances, so spread the word, buy their CD, go to a show and support the band!

Pass the Dharma Dressing: An Interview with Hurley's Not-So-Bad Twin

I have the distinct pleasure of offering fellow Lost fans an interview with Stu, the man who many of us know as Hurley's lookalike from Comic-Con!

He's a total Lostaholic, and his enthusiasm for the show is both obvious and infectious. Today is his birthday - and I appreciate that Stu took the time to answer a few questions!!

(photo courtesy of The Transmission)

Did you purposefully grow out your hair and sideburns as homage to Hurley?

I purposely keep it long so I can dress up as Hurley each year. In general I think I look better with longer hair, but in the back of my mind I know I avoid cutting it short just to not ruin the costume opportunity. I considered just getting a wig, but I thought that just wouldn't be the same; even if it looked ok, it wouldn't look right. It's hard to get it all big, curly, and Hurley looking.

The first year I did it, at Comic-Con in 2006, I went to get it cut evenly and the guy ended up making it way too short and gave me more of a Sawyer then a Hurley. It was just my luck that was the year Jorge was there.

After that, I decided I needed to keep it much longer then usual, at least through to the end of the show, then ceremoniously cut it all off. The sideburns were a similar case; I didn't have the patience to grow them out that first year, but I knew it was totally worth it. The next year I made the mistake of trimming them down to be even and accidentally trimmed them too far, so they were pretty unnoticeable. This year I stopped shaving in May!

At what point in time did you make that decision?

When I first decided to dress up for Comic-Con 06, I didn't consider what it would actually take to look more like Hurley, aside from having the exact same color shirt, similar looking shoes, and my wristband.

Even with the botched haircut, I got the attention of Jorge, so I knew I had to dedicate myself to it more, and I'm certainly going to do it through the end of the show.

Were you a Lost fan from Season 1 on?

I was a fan of LOST 6 episodes into the first season. A friend of mine came over and said, "You have to see this! And I can't explain what it is; you just have to see it!" I had no idea, and I'll admit I was still a little skeptical, but then when I saw Jorge (who I liked on Becker)...that's all it really took. I watched it and was completely blown away, it had me every second of the way.

The direction of the show and the high production value made it this cinematic experience unlike any other "show" I'd ever seen on television. I was hooked.

Do you have a favorite episode or season?

To me, every season of LOST gets progressively better as the mythology of the shows grows. Every season just keeps getting better and better, especially after the second season, when they knew they'd have an end date for the show. That's not to say that I didn't love the 2nd season; it just took this noticeable new direction after that and they've been following that path ever since.

I wouldn't know how to choose a favorite season or episode; I have so many fond memories and fascinations attached to so many different ones. Of course any episode that focuses on Hurley specifically has a special place in my heart; any episode that further progresses Hugo's storyline and character development, or gives a classic Hurley moment.

What is it about this show that makes us such fanatics? Which aspects are you most fond of?

I've always been a big fan of the whole stranded-on-an-island Robinson Caruso castaway fantasy situation, as well as everything science fiction, but what really got me about the show was Hurley. I identify with him so much; seeing him go through the experience of being on the island since day 1, I find myself reacting to situations similarly, and that's what makes it feel like I'm being brought along for the ride more then any other show/movie/or book ever has. There's never been a show like LOST, let alone one that has ever been different enough to make the big geeky shy type one of the main characters, or feature them so prominently.

I'm a huge geek, and over the years I have come to love so many different characters in movies, TV, comics, video games and whatnot. But there has never been a character like Hurley, and that's I guess what makes LOST so special to me at its core. LOST has become its own sort of genre and I've come to love it for the unique characters, their willingness to do their own thing and be different, and not adhere to conventional storytelling methods. I consider myself sort of a film geek, so the way the show is shot/filmed is of great interest to me. All of the music on the show, all of the beautiful moments that had intense impact all because of Michael Giacchino's brilliant scoring, or just the use of music in the show in general. I even made a Lostahloic soundtrack by putting together sound clips from the show as references right before the music tracks, as well as random sounds or lines that were particularly special to me. I gave them out as stocking stuffers to all my Lost associates. I've come to love almost every character (aside from Nikki and Paulo).

How and when did you meet Jorge Garcia? At that time, did he recognize the similarity?

I actually didn't know Jorge was going to be at Comic-Con 06 before I decided to dress up as Hurley. When I found out, I got super nervous and worried about how my hair didn't look right. But that year I had a chance to get up to the mic at the Lost panel, and I was probably more nervous then when I got up than this year!

After I did my little Lostaholic bit at the mic, I just kinda went into 'OMG Jorge I Love you Sooo Much!!!' mode, and that made the whole room go "Aww." Daniel Dae Kim was just like, "Breathe brother, breathe!" It was intense and awesome. After he said that, Jorge looked at me and noticed I was wearing my Hurley style wristband, and said "The wristband is a nice touch." That just instantly made me realize that he knew I was dressed up as Hurley, and I then couldn't help but tell him I was also dressing up as him later at the Masquerade Ball. That made the whole room go "Aww" again.

Later, after the panel, they were having a signing with Jorge, Daniel, Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, which I wasn't able to get a ticket for. So instead, I started lurking around the booth just trying to get a picture of Jorge. I think he saw me desperately trying to get a picture, and realized I didn't have a ticket. As I wedged my way up as close to the table, I was in view of Jorge and he put up his index finger as if to signal "just a sec."

After he finished signing something for someone, he came up to me and said, "Dude, I gotta get a picture with you." That was literally one of thee most 'Holy Sh*t' moments of my entire life. He asked someone in the crowd to get a picture of us together (on his camera no less!). After a few seconds of futzing with the camera and not getting a good shot, I asked this girl (who ironically was also dressed up...as Kate) to "please, for the love of God, don't mess this picture up." She obviously knew how important it was to me. Jorge came back to try it again with my camera. In the first photo, I look like an absolute nervous wreck with sweat pouring down my face, but luckily she got a good photo for the second shot. You can still see the Grim Adventure of Billy and Mandy stencil I got on my arm at the cartoon network booth the day before, but aside from that, I got my Absolute Perfect Picture opportunity.

Later that summer, I contacted Jorge via MySpace to tell him just how much that meant to me. I got his address and sent him a heartfelt fan letter to let him know just how much I love and appreciate his work (along with a copy of our picture and an 8x10 of it for him to sign). Shortly after, I got it back, and he wrote "To Stuart, Dude You Rock, you will always be my biggest fan! Jorge Garcia."

I was just beyond flabbergasted. It has of course become my most prized picture, sitting in a nice frame on my wall. Jorge has since gotten rid of his MySpace, so these I don't have contact with him aside from reading his blog, where he's always posting awesome pictures and random fun.

I also sent him a copy of my Lostaholic soundtrack, and he sent me back another signed picture saying he liked it! Not only listened to it, but liked it! So now my hope is that someone tells him about what happened at this year's Comic-Con.

What was it like to receive that kind of attention at and following the Lost panel at Comic-Con a few weeks ago?

All the attention was overwhelming, but in a good way. I've never had that much attention in all my life, let alone for such a simple thing as dressing up. Of course I was hoping to have some people recognize me; it is just the biggest payoff to be walking around Comic-con and have someone go, "Hey look, it's Hurley."

The seat I grabbed was within range of getting up to the mic, but there were 6,500 dedicated LOST fans in one room. Hall H had the camera set up to show people at the mic, so I couldn't resist. I thought my costume looked better this year, and I suppose I wanted to whole room to see it and get what I was going for. They did, and it was one of the most awesome things ever.

I know it really is this simple thing, but at Comic-Con, with such a heightened state of reality and fantastic environment that it creates...I know the feeling I get when I'm just walking around and recognize someone's costume. Not only getting the reference, but the execution that person achieved, and that compulsion to get a picture of or with them to document that awesomeness.

So as a Lost fan, to know that I was that for a bunch of people, to see that excitement on their faces to take a picture with me...made it just the greatest day ever. The panel was one thing. But afterward, the warm reception I got from the Dharamalars during their Comic-Con podcast they let me sit in on was really sweet.

I was just out of mind excited, sitting there with my newest, most prized possession (2nd only to my signed pic w/Jorge)...my tub of Dharma Ranch Composite with actual island sand stuck around the tape and label! How cool is that! Then at the Jay and Jack Lost podcast networking panel, there are several different great crowd pleaser moments where they mention me and the whole room goes wild. I mean, I couldn't ask for more.

Then, when I thought it was all over, it turned out I had gotten mentioned in 5 different blog/website Comic-Con recaps. Ever since, I've been making all these new friends through the Lost fandom network, and I guess that's what's making this whole experience honestly life-changing; all from this shared/recognized love and passion for LOST. It's just beautiful.

One extra special moment that was so memorable and worth mentioning was while waiting in line to get into Hall H. There was a little boy and his dad who were racing to the back of the line to get in. As they were jetting past me, I saw the kid stop in his tracks and start yelling at the top of his lungs, "OMG Daddy, it's' Hurley from LOST!!!!" He just went crazy, jumping up and down super ecstatic, and kept trying to run up and see me. His dad just ran up behind him and said, "It's NOT HURLEY, let's go!!!"

I was blushing, it was really one of the more special moments of the whole day, just knowing that to that kid, for that one moment, his suspension of disbelief made him really think I was Hurley. That he's going to probably remember that as part of his Comic-Con is nice; knowing I was a memorable part of so many people's LOST/Comic-Con experience brings me the biggest fandom euphoria ever.

Have you ever considered acting or pursued work as Jorge's stunt double/stand-in?

I've actually always wanted to pursue an acting career. I put my passion on the back burner for a really long time, but Jorge has been the biggest inspiration to not squander my dream. He's helping prove to me that there is a place for the big shy geeky guy type in Hollywood.

WOW, being Jorge's stand in/stunt double - let me make this clear...I would do anything in the world to get to do that. I would drop everything I was doing and be on a plane to Hawaii ASAP. I wouldn't even know where to begin to make something like that happen. I mean secretly, I dream that Damon, Carlton or Bryan Burk would just ask me if I wanted to at Comic-Con, based on them liking my costume so much..but I know that's a really far-fetched fantasy.

If i did ever the chance to in any way shape or form to be able to be Jorge's stand in/stunt double, I would do absolutely anything to make that happen. Not to sound too obsessed, but if anyone has any advice on how to make that happen, email me. LOL.

Have you actually Google'd yourself since the Lost panel at CC? I found a large number of photos/mentions of you online. What do you make of this entire experience?

Actually, before Saturday (the day of the panel) was even over, after I told one of my close friends (Nic, who's a very savvy Googler) about all the day's excitement. He looked me up and sure enough, there were a few different Comic-Con wrap-up articles that had already mentioned me. Then the panel video hit the internet, and I found a couple of different videos of me at the panel. Someone specially put a clip of me on YouTube, and my friend Karen was kind enough to cut my segment of the panel into one clip. A few days later I got mentioned in an article on USA Today's website, TV Guide and several different LOST blogs.

Since the whole thing has happened I've just been coming across random snippets about me. I haven't Google searched myself too much, just based on the overall satisfaction I'm already getting from all this attention. And now this, everything culminating into getting an interview with the ever-so-gracious JOpinionated. It's all just such an honor to be recognized as this dedicated fan.

Now that I think of it, this sort of thing has always in the back of my mind as something I always hoped would happen, but never dreamed would. I don't mind being recognized as an obsessed fan of the show, kind of like "TheTronguy" or any one of those people who gets recognized by their own community as a fan that takes it to that extra level (hopefully not in a creepy way).

I know I'm a fanatic, I just want to express that passion for this show and for that character in a positive way. And with Comic-Con and becoming a bigger part of the LOST fandom community, doing things like this are just what its all about.

Do you have plans to return to Comic-Con next year?

I do have plans to return to Comic-con and dress up as Hurley for at least the next two years, before the show is over. Once it's over and there isn't the yearly LOST panel, I wont have as much ambition to go.

It's not like Lost is the only thing I go to Comic-Con for. But this year (more then any of the years I've been)...it got bigger and bigger, and not in a good way, actually. They sold 100,000 more tickets this year then last year, and it just made it harder and harder to get around the exhibit hall and be able to get to the kinds of panels that you want to go to. With the extra people, it made it a lot harder to organize the event, so if that continues I won't want to go as much. But I will definitely go as long as LOST has a place there.

Out of curiosity, what do you do for a living?

I am about halfway done getting my Communication Arts Degree from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC, and luckily for me, the school has a really good theater department. So I plan on taking advantage of that opportunity.

Again, thank you Stu, for being such a good sport...from posing for photos with fans at Comic-Con to answering silly questions from Lost bloggers like me.

Happy birthday!