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Show Monday. February DAILY HERALD 2007 B3 New 'Lost' season may explain the end game ........ t Verne Gay NEWSDAY In the opening seconds of this week's "Lost" (Wednesday on ABQ, there's a long resolve of a beach at sunset, with striated bands of orange and deep red on the horizon and phosphorescent waves crashing on a distant reef. It's alluring and unsettling, familiar yet strange. All in aS, a classic - Trj jy v?f l A rvih h "Lost" kind of visual. In the old days that'd be a season ago a scene opener like this might send fans, or at least the more compulsively odd ones, scrambling for Meaning: Why a "beach?" What do those colors signify? " ' S-- "' Do they correspond to the number? Does Alvar Hanso like beaches? And so on. One of the infuriating charms and undeniable pleasures of "Lost" was that a beach or just about anything else could signify something in the overall "Lost" mythology that word commonly used by "Losties" for the evocative and richly symbolic world that's all tied into the big mys- -tery. Fact is, many things often did. Then, the third season rolled around, and over the first six episodes at least, a cigar was usually just a cigar. A beach? Yeah, that's the thing with a lot of sand on it. (Or, in this instance, it sets up a flashback for Elizabeth Mitchell's character, Juliet.) adventure From the beginning, "Lost" has been an action-packe- d As if anyone needs to be told, "Lost" became a different show last fall, with clear with the exception of "Heroes," the show's meaning called plotlines, some thriller components, and a love story as well. worked, by the way.) "Getting Lost." "One, they've But for a brief, shining moKate (Evangeline Lilly) and got the mythology though if forof all that made ment "Lost" have viewers they (Josh away, explain Holloway) Sawyer then the show's not mystical clinched, so to speak. Jack get that they were just watchor ing a TV set because they were or magical anymore; second, (Matthew Fox) is jealous tjie overall conspiracy (and actively engaging it. perhaps about to be pumped d the fact that) everyone's lying no doubt, and primed for his own They believed to everyone else and that we that all the love affair (see Juliet). many still do need to find out the truth; and Ben is still Ben (Michael Emsymbols, numbers and visual clues weren't just clutter but finally, the intense character erson), though feeling much signposts to a deeper meaning relations," Card says. improved after the operation. "But every time (producers and mystery (ABC airs a "Lost Survivor and writers) give us a glimpse "What's in the hatch?" beGuide," Wednesday an hour of what's going on, that leads before the regular show, recap- came a cultural catchphrase, to a bigger mystery. You can closely followed by "Who the ping the story so far.) hell is this Desmond dude anyNow that we've caught up only do that for so long, and I think they're nearing the end the final 16 episodes begin way?' of their rope." Then enter (stage right): Wednesday fans, critics, if that's "Lost's" dilemma The backlash. Ratings started cultural observers and even the right word is actually an ABC could be forgiven for tak- to slip, viewers clamored for answers, and the nub of a interesting one, and begs some ing a wistful glance over their other questions, most notably: shoulders. Reason is, "Lost" question began to take shape, How long are TV series supfrom fandom to network-dom- . was the best show on television for most of its first two Where is all this leading posed to last anyway? Should and when will it all end? As seasons, and one of the more they have a beginning, middle influential in TV history. The and end? Episodic dramas the third season wraps four don't need to worry about this immediate impact of all this months from now, the show sort of stuff because they are influence is more or less munwill deliver some answers. Ink dane: setting ABC deed, it has been forced to. (after all) episodic. The producers "still have back on the road to full recovThey just keep on chugging like the "Law & Oralong ery, and spawning a subgenre three things going for them," of serials that also played with says Orson Scott Card, the der" train until they run out y of track (and viewers). But senarrative deprominent sci-f- i novelist vices such as character point rials are like novels, and novels ("Ender's Game") and editor or have an ending. (None, of a recent book of essays on r - Tr is" sad-sac- haute-literar- time-shiftin- Apple revs up Mac attacks in popular ads 7HF ASSOCIATED PRESS For nearly a year, television and Internet audiences have been seeing a familiar string of ads from Apple attacking rival Windows-baseers. With last week's release of Windows Vista, the newest jabs aren't any friendlier. In one ad, the comput- character per sonifying the PC " " " is dressed in hos- pital patient garb, talking about how he's set to undergo major surgery to upgrade to Vista. He then saunters off, telling the Mac character that if he doesn't come back, Mac can have his peripherals. In another ad, a man pretending to be the Mac character heaps praises for the PC until the real Mac character steps in, confounded, asking "What's going on?" The fake Mac replies, "Nothing," and then mutters "I'm a fan" as he walks away. On its own Web site, Apple Inc. tells visitors to get a Mac, .stating, "Why upgrade to Vista when you can upgrade past it?" Microsoft Corp. launched Vista on Tuesday, its first ma- jor overhaul to the Windows operating system in five years. It features sleek new graphics, better search capabilities, improved security measures end multimedia tools, as wen as more advanced parental controls and gaming support. Yet Microsoft detractors, Mac users, and even magazine editors are pointing to how some of those features already exist on Macs. set to release its And Apple own upgrade to its Mac OS X operating system, code-name- d has "Leopard," this spring already promised more innovations, such as automatic backups of files and advanced animation features. comThe Cupertino-base- d pany has repeatedly ribbed Microsoft to "start its photocopiers." i Representa tives of the Redmond, Wash-base- d rival declined to comment Wednesday, following its typical stance of not respond- ing to Apple's marketing ploys. The series of "I'm a Mac I'm a PC advertisements debuted last spring and are an extension of Apple's broader campaign to attract Windows users to the Mac platform. Windows remains the predominant platform for personal computers, though Apple's share of the PC market in the United States grew to 4.7 percent in the October December quarter, up from 3.6 percent a year ago, according to technology research group IDC It's unclear if the ads have had a direct effect on Mac sales, but analysts say they have played a role in raising the public's awareness of Apple, alongside the immense popularity of the iPod player, Apple's growing number of retail stores and its new line of computers using Intel Corp, chips. The ads have been criticized by some as too derisive, but many pundits, including bloggers who say they are Windows users, admit that the commercials are entertaining. The video commercials star actor .fast in Long personifying Macintosh, and author and cocrwdian John Hodgman personifying a PC i iMm&x V 1 Is??' -- - Jf' . 1;-- " .. 1 i-- . A W W;.v", !V - ABC that has brought out the very best and the very worst in the people who are lost. The end game for "Lost" the things we're in discussions with the network about right now," Carlton Cuse, the show's producer, told a roomful of TV critics at the press tour last month in Pasadena, Calif. "It's time for us now to find an end point for this show. It's always been discussed that the show would have a beginning, middle and end ... (and) once we (figure that out) a lot of the anxiety and a lot of these questions like 'we're not getting will go away." answers' Those questions, he added, "represent, I think, an underlying anxiety that this is not going to end well or that we don't know what we're doing." Not to worry, Carlton. We know you know what you're is "one of doing. The problem is, no one else seems to. In the candid exchange with critics, Cuse and his production and writing partner, Damon Lindelof , described a creative process that sounds a little more like a balance-beaexercise than a TV production. "We want the characters to focus primarily on their relationships with each other" this season, Cuse said. "We always viewed the show as a character show with a mythology frosting over the top (but) all the questions we get asked are about the mythology." Fans and even ABC have been frustrated with the pace of the "reveals," or as Lindelof put it, "the only pressure that we've ever received from (ABQ is 'answer some ... questions.' ... We have gotten that note, on occasion, (that reads) 'now it's time for a nice, rich " mythological download.' But the problem with nice, rich downloads is obvious: "Once the mythology is made explicit, I think the mystery goes out of the show," says Cuse, who along with Lindelof is grappling with a few other creative catch-22'- Because there was so much convoluted mythology in the first two seasons, ABC research found that some viewers OK, maybe millions couldn't or wouldn't jump in and out of the show; it required concentration and commitment, which are not always surefire ingredients for success on commercial TV. So the writers went to Plan this season: more character development and interaction, and more "exposition" (letting people know just what .the heck is going on). Here's what's wrong with this approach. Most viewers who were drawn to "Lost" for the mystery could probably not care less about whether Kate and Sawyer become a pair, or whether Jack will become part of the oldest trick on TV a love triangle (which has already proliferated on other ABC dramas, by the way). And the more time "Lost" spends in character development, that's less time spent in solving mysteries. But Cuse and Lindelof have made their choice: "I think there's a much larger audience that's much more interested in who is Kate going to choose than the details about who Alvar Hanso is," Cuse says. B Maybe. Maybe not. Cuse and Lindelof are smart guys. They'll probably figure it out. In the meantime, love is in the air at "Lost." Mythology is on forced sabbatical. We'll get our answers one of these days. We hope. Clocks take on all kinds of shapes Jan Uebelherr MILWAUKEE JOURNAL May Wong ; SENTINEL In the kitchen of the 1950s, the kitchen clock offered the chance to add flamboyance, flash and fun. "The kitchens were so simple. The clock was a design treat," says Joan Kohn, author of "Joan Kohn's It's Your Kitchen: Over 100 Inspirational Kitchens." Fast forward to today's kitchens, where accessories are considered as carefully as pricey ranges and sleek count ert ops, and the kitchen clock is just as vital, for a number of reasons. "There's such a heightened consciousness of design these days," Kohn says. That design awareness extends to everything from teapots to garbage cans and, yes, kitchen clocks, she says. If your kitchen theme is roosters, pigs, birds or kitty cats, you will be able to find a clock to match. A clock that looks like a half open can of sardines is a top seller at CooiaockShop.com, (www.coolclock-shop.com- ), according to Alison Nieman, a design consultant with the Ohio firm. If you prefer an arty statement or a slick contemporary feel, there's a kitchen clock for that, too. For the young apartment dweller, a fun kitchen clock can be an economical way to give personality to an otherwise boring kitchea "And that clock, you'll take with you," Kohn says. Designers and retailers say the big trends now are in stainless steel, and bold colors such as red and black. The stainless steel is an echo of the metal that turns up in many kitchens today. "The hot trend right now in kitchen clocks is color sleek, modern, bold colors," says Target spokeswoman Lena Michaud. "There are more kitchen accessories and appliances being offered in a rainbow of colors. I think people are more comfortable incorporating bolder colors." Stainless steel or chrome are big, too, but clocks that mirror popular interests, love of wine, such as the also are big, says Ken Werner, president of FirsTime Manufactory, a division of Mkkllcton DoO in Hart land. Win. FirsTime designs all of the clocks for Kohl's Department Stores as well as clocks for Bed, Both and Beyond and ShopKo. To give an kJea Just how much thought FirsTime puts into this particular kitchen accessory, Werner says, "We really look at it as compelling waQ decor, and we put -- Placement and decorating It may seem basic, but some people forget to choose a spot that is in plain view, designers say. Eye level is best, Kohn says. Most kitchens have a workstation of some kind, with a calendar, bulletin board, telephone and address book. This is a great place for the clock, says Hemauer. The bigger the wall, the bigger the clock. "The big clocks think are really fun for a big, empty wall," Hemauer says. Watch out for steam. Even though you may have wisely chosen a clock with a glass lens, it makes sense to keep it out of the direct line of steam from appliances, says Nieman, of CoolClockShop.com. "Just like in a bathroom, clocks placed in kitchen are susceptible to water damage if they are placed in the direct path of steam," she says. "Also, you don't want your clock to steam up when you're trying to read it." some numbers and some hands on it," he says. He notes that several of the firm's designers are graduates of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. d clocks are hot sellers, he says, as are clocks with coffee themes. "We probably have 30 different clocks that bear the theme of coffee. That's been hot," Werner says. And at Target, clocks with a diner theme one advertises "Homemade pies, cakes 25 cents"; another features a are big as well, steaming cup of coffee Michaud says. "I think the entire marketplace has really boomed in the last five years, where there is great style at every price point," says Kelly Hemauer, an independent interior designer in Wauwatosa. Kohn's best tip for dealing with all those cool clocks: "You have to know yourself pretty wed Decide whether you want it to disappear or attract the eye. That's the first decision you have to make," she says. "If you're conscious about that, it'll be much easier for you. You won't be swayed. If the kitchen is fully decorated and has a focal point, you wont be swayed If you dont need another focal point and just want a functional clock, you wont be tempted." Something else to consider "I think too often, especially in such a rich marketplace, we are swept away by an infatuation with something," she says. Here are some tips for choosing a kitchen clock, which can start at $20 (easily found at Target) and go to $50 and beyond: Wine-theme- Look for a clock with a glass face covering (known as the lens), Werner says. Plastic can fade, cloud or scratch. Glass is also easier to clean, he says. Look for a face that's not made of paper, he adds. Paper fades, too. "Often moisture will cause bubbling," Werner says, which is a particular concern in a kitchen, with moisture from cooking. Pay special attention to the hands of the clock, Werner says. They should not be plastic, since this can eventually curl from heat. "You should look for metal hands," he says. The hands also should be a different color from the face of the clock, so they can be easily seen. "Look for hands that dont lose themselves into the face of the clock, he says. "It sounds silly, but many manufacturers do this silver on a silver dial" Quartz movements are fairly standard Werner says. It's virtually impossible to tell the quality of the quartz movement from packaging, he says, but a good rule of thumb is that pricier clocks will have higher quality movements. Check out the prof ile which is t ring that often surrounds the face of the dial Often this is wood ceramic or metal Check for cracks in wood or chipping in materials other than metal, which is the most durable, Werner says. Look for big numbers considering the size of the kitchen and the wall space where it will go. "I like to have a big clock in a kitchen, where everyone can see and get out the door on time,'' Hemauer says. . . t |