Lost - Season Finale

Now that's what I'm talking about!

First of all, Anna was totally "on" last night - nailing the fact that it was John's body in the big cargo box right away.

Secondly, I just now saw the first scene. Wow!

Here's what struck me upon watching the opening scene again. Real simple: Jacob's shirt is white and the dude that eventually finds the "loophole" and kills Jacob is wearing a dark shirt.

Good and evil. The age-old drama.

And, in fact, the topic of their conversation is rather archaic and ongoing: whether to permit life, whether the "human experiment" is worth it.

As a ship appears on the sea, the two get into a debate about whether Jacob should let them come to the island ...

The man in the dark shirt: "You brought them here ... You're still trying to prove me wrong, aren't you?"
Jacob: "You are wrong."
The man in the dark shirt: "Am I? ... They come, fight. They destroy; they corrupt. It always ends the same."
Jacob: "It only ends once. Anything that happens before that ... is just progress.
[long pause]
Dark Shirt: "Do you have any idea how badly I want to kill you?"
Jacob: "Yes."
Dark Shirt: "One of these days, sooner or later, I am going to find a loophole my friend."
Jacob: "Well, when you do, I'll be right here."
Dark Shirt: "Always nice talking to you, Jacob."
Jacob: "Nice talking to you, too."

God and the devil deep in the battle ... is it worth creating human beings? Is it worth sustaining their life when they - over and over again - fight one another and destroy and fail to live in harmony.

So, how are they going to pull God out of the fire in the final season. Or, is God truly dead now - leaving the island solely in the hands of humanity ... or the devil? And what happens to the devil?

Wes

Debates

I'm listening to the debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden currently.  I have not yet decided if this is the epitome of comedy or just plain sad.  Sarah just gave an answer regarding sub-prime lending, but (here's what worries me) ... it's the answer I would have given.  

I'm thinking this has got to be very hard for Biden.  You know what it's like to try and play basketball with a third-grade kid while your friends are watching.  You know you've got to win, but you can't just pull out your "Peyton Manning" (what a great SNL sketch that was) and dominate like this.  

But, I digress. Here's the real debate ... which Vice Presidential Nominee has a greater opportunity to be parodied on Saturday Night Live?  Now, I know many think this is a no-brainer with Tina Fey already hitting a home run doing Palin.  What about, though, a brand new sketch involving the great "Sam the Eagle" playing Joe Biden?  Check this out.

You see.  There are some good opportunities here for voice-overs.  Come on -- now that's a good idea.  Even better:  for the next Vice Presidential debate ... let's have Tina Fey and Sam the Eagle do the debate as Palin and Biden.  

America.  Listen, to me.  It's high time we "do" entertainment and politics together.  It's the only thing we do well anymore.  We can't make anything.  We can't even keep our banks open.  But, listen to me, we can entertain the world and we can talk politics until the cows come back to roost.  Er, I mean, we can talk politics until we go red, white and blue in the face.  I mean ... do you feel me?  Let's hear you if you do.  Okay.  Alright.  Good.  Let's go.

Wes

Truth

PBS' Frontline airs the second of a two-part series tonight labelled "Bush's War."  Thankfully, you can watch it online as well as on television (click here).  If you've been looking for a matter of fact, coherent, informative and sound documentary on how we ended up where we are today, this is a great place to start.  

The website also has some incredibly rich resources to give the historical and political realities at play in the 80's and 90's that precluded our direction following September 11.

Of most interest to me is the way the series shows how certain personalities were able to bully-pulpit their agendas into the national conscience, effectively utilizing fear and uncertainty in the American people to eliminate due process and so many constitutional necessities and rights.  Not to mention international law.  

It seems to me that rather than asking "how are we going to get out of Iraq?" we need to first ask, "how did we get there?"  Why?  Who led us?  Asking the first question is easy; everyone is ready for an escape.  But, the second question demands accountability and truth-telling.  Those are the hard questions.  They are also the only questions that can produce renewal in relationships.  Before we can go forward as a nation, we have to face this wrong.  We have to admit that we screwed up.  If we do not, we continue the ugly trends of deceit and shady business.

Wes

Behind Every Great Team

Many people know that I loathe the New England Patriots. I have said as much as they have humiliated the Indianapolis Colts on several occasions in recent years. Anything that destroys hopes is vile. So you might very well imagine who I am rooting for this upcoming weekend in the Super Bowl: yes, the Giants. I hope that they shatter the last eight months of perfection with one evening of humiliation. At least that is what I tell people.

The truth is that my attitude towards New England is more like fear and a quiet sense of awe. The few games I have seen them play this season have made me realize that this is probably the greatest football team of all time. And, as a football fan, I have to appreciate that ... even if it their greatness comes at the expense of my hometown team.

I have also seen enough Patriots games in the Belicheck era to know that they have an aura of mystique about them: the improbable win against St. Louis to win the first Super Bowl, the way they play with New England ice coursing their veins, the unnatural way Tom Brady can kill you over and over again when it counts, the Cro-magnon fleet of linebackers who defy the laws of natural aging in arriving in the "a" gap on the goaline to crush your hopes of scoring a touchdown. They seem not capable of losing, which is why the last two years are such aberrations. Who knew Brady could throw an interception to end a season ... twice! Achilles does have a heel.

But not this year, and - for that matter - not 90% of the time. And, today, I discovered the secret to the Patriots' strength. Read this article; then you will know too. This is the sort of story that seems almost too incredible to be true. And, my favorite part: Ernie Adams' top five books of all time - including Robert K. Massie's Nicolas and Alexandra.

Somebody kidnap this guy before Sunday. That would be the greatest sports conspiracy of all time!

Wes

48 Questions

The following are 48 questions that are yet to be answered on "Lost". These questions came from an LA Times article published today:

48. Will the WGA strike permanently disrupt the original plan to end the series with three seasons of 16 episodes apiece?

47. What is Charles Widmore's association with the Dharma Initiative?

46. Who were those guys in the icebound monitoring station at the end of Season 2?

45. What is the significance of Claire's baby?

44. Will Rose's cancer return?

43. Will Sun survive her pregnancy?

42. What's the meaning behind that crazy mural painted inside the Swan Station?

41. Where exactly is the island located?

40. What gets worshipped at the temple Ben mentions near the end of the third season?

39. Who are the people on the rescue ship?

38. If Penny Widmore didn't send the ship, then where is her rescue crew?

37. Can Juliet really be trusted?

36. How did the Black Rock get on the island?

35. How many more Dharma stations are left to be found?

34. Will we learn more about Libby's connection to Hurley?

33. Are Nikki and Paulo gone for good?

32. What did Jack mean in the flash-forward when he made a reference to his supposedly dead father being upstairs?

31. Will the rest of the survivors learn about Hurley's fortune?

30. Will Jin learn about Sun's affair?

29. How did Locke's father get on the island?

28. Why do all pregnancies result in death on the island?

27. Is Alvar Hanso still involved with the island?

26. What is the sickness Rousseau talked about her crew getting in the first season?

25. How was Walt able to appear to Locke and Shannon?

24. What do the numbers -- 4 8 15 16 23 42 -- mean?

23. Why does the doctor in the Dharma Initiative-orientation films have different names in different films?

22. Who are the bodies dubbed Adam and Eve that were found in the caves?

21. What do the hieroglyphics on the machine inside Swan Station mean?

20. How did the Others get all the names of the survivors?

19. What are the whispers people hear in the jungle?

18. Will we see more of the Other known as Isabel (Diana Scarwid)?

17. Where have the children that the Others took been hiding?

16. Why do so many episodes start with the close-up of an eye?

15. Were the Others really having Sawyer and Kate help to build a runway?

14. What did the psychic that read Claire's future see?

13. Did Jack's dad really come back to life or is that an illusion?

12. Will Desmond retain his ability to see the future?

11. Who besides Kate and Jack got off the island?

10. Who is Kate's unseen mate in the post-island flash-forward?

9. What's the deal with that four-toed statue from the Season 2 finale?

8. In Jack's post-island flash-forward, who was in the coffin?

7. What happened to Michael and Walt after they left the island?

6. What is Walt's power?

5. How did Mikhail (the eye-patch guy) appear to come back from the dead?

4. Why doesn't Richard Alpert age?

3. What is Jacob?

2. What is the smoke monster?

1. What is that island?

Project Runway

[disclaimer: spoilers regarding Project Runway: Season 1 follow]

Oh my gosh. A and I just finished Project Runway: Season 1, and we are so charged up to be creative. Unfortunately, I am also way too tired right now, so creativity will have to wait at least one more night.

But, I did just want to say the following:

1. Wendy Pepper - wherever you are ... you are definitely a crazy bird ... my arm-chair psychologist in me definitely thinks you have HUGE insecurity issues and - therefore - have to bring every one else into a crap hole so you don't feel entirely inadequate. And Kara Saun fitted you better than a model ... don't give away your soul, you may need it someday ... just ask Bart Simpson.
2. Jay McCarroll won in what I believe is the best way - by immersing yourself into the regions that formed you and then screaming out at the top of your lungs in your own distinct voice. His stuff was not only cool; it's cool to know it emerged from a country setting where fashion is the farthest thing from most peoples' minds. Check out his website and the line of clothes he released by clicking here.
3. As much as a I hate to say it, I think Kara Saun was hurt by going back to LA to finish up her designs and clothes. When she was in NY, she was able to shine by letting her artistic vision rise above the rest of the contestants. In LA, I think she relied much too much on the designs coming out of Hollywood (not to mention the disappointing turn of events when she employed her friends to complete her design ... totally out of character).

Wes

Amusing Ourselves to Death - Take 2

“There are two ways by which the spirit of a culture may be shriveled. In the first – the Orwellian – culture becomes a prison. In the second – the Huxleyan – culture becomes a burlesque …

“In America, Orwell’s prophecies are of small relevance, but Huxley’s are well under way toward being realized …

[He goes on to reinforce his earlier argument that television - as a medium - is inherently a means of entertainment. Therefore, as public discourse involving commerce, religion, politics and education have become ever more reliant upon television (and the internet), our society has been reduced to a vast amusement park. Believing this, he continues ...]

“What I suggest here as a solution is what Aldous Huxley suggested, as well. And I can do no better than he. He believed with H. G. Wells that we are in a race between education and disaster, and he wrote continuously about the necessity of our understanding the politics and epistemology of media. For in the end, he was trying to tell us that what afflicted the people in Brave New World was not that they were laughing instead of thinking, but that they did not know what they were laughing about and why they had stopped thinking.”

-Neil Postman,
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Amusing Ourselves to Death

On lunch break this afternoon, I finished Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. Written in 1985 in response to George Orwell's 1984, Postman's book is an analysis of what television has done to our culture - specifically how it has watered down (if not eliminated) true public discourse in religion, politics, education and beyond.

If you watch any television, I think you should read this book.

Wes