Popular tv shows, miniaturized

Lost, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and more as tiny dioramas by Steven Huybrechts. The video's NSFW on account of the Hung miniatures (and sound effects). Via these sites.

*Previously: Tennis ball island.

*Buy dollhouse miniatures at eBay.

Link roundup

1. If Jack Bauer had replaced Jacob as the protector of the island on Lost.

2. Scans from a journal kept by a 6-year-old girl on a three-year-long whaling voyage beginning in 1868. (She didn't draw any pictures?) Via these sites.

3. David Fincher's The Social Network is about the "rise of the terror nerd."

*Buy scrimshaw collections at Amazon.

Hurley, HAL 9000, and luchador paper toys

Hurley, HAL 9000, werewolf, robot and more paper toys. Some are available for download here. Via.

*Buy 2001 posters at Amazon.

Link roundup

1. George Lucas has apparently realized that telling great stories is hard, but creating 20 minute toy commercials is easy - - the live action dramatic Star Wars series is on hold. Via.

2. You can watch the full 12 minute Lost epilogue, but boy is it lousy. (Videogum, on the other hand, is consistently excellent.)

3. A man upset with service at Taco John's in North Dakota threw a snake into the drive-thru window.

*Buy Dharma Initiative collectibles at eBay.

Reenact your own Oceanic Flight 815 disaster every time it gets a little warm

Flight 815 zip-up hoody design by Kyle Maplesden for Threadless. Click on the voting widget if you'd like the chance to buy it:

Lost panhandler

Lost panhandler. Via.

*Buy Lost toys at eBay.

Link roundup

1. Matt Fraction in a long, very interesting interview:

But Casanova I know for a fact I've not made a penny on. It's all gone back to the twins, to try to pay back their page rate and get them to a point where they've not been working for free. But, I mean, Gabriel drew all of his volume without seeing a dime and Fabio did his. Now those checks drib and drab in, call them minor at best, it's no way to make a living. People do, people get lucky, but we're not those guys. We did not catch that lightning in a bottle.

Seriously, read the whole thing. The interviewer explains why Josh Hartnett was his worst ever interview. Via.

2. Very high-res poster featuring the various mysteries of Lost.

3. Vonda McIntyre talks about writing Star Trek novels:

The only potential glitch in the Star Trek books came about because I couldn't figure out how to write a love scene where the protagonists called each other by their surnames. So I gave Mr. Sulu a first name, "Hikaru," which is from The Tale of Genji. I was blissfully unaware of the glitch till long after the fact; someone at Paramount objected to the idea of the character's having a given name, for reasons unclear to me.

*Buy Casanova at Amazon (it's very good).

Skeletor vs. Sock Monkey (link roundup)

Skeletor vs. Sock Monkey by Nate Wragg for the upcoming "It's not a Doll, it's an Action Figure!" show at Bear and Bird Gallery.

And a few more links:

1. Long article by Peter King gives a good look at what training camp has been like for Tim Tebow and the rest of the Denver Broncos Quarterbacks competing for a job.

2. Map of the island from Lost. Via.

3. Cyborg ROUS.

*Previously: Skeletor Beer.

*Buy Masters of the Universe toys at eBay.

Video roundup

Tremendously boring video featuring Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear discussing The Mongoliad.



Cool commercial by Wieden + Kennedy for the Honda CR-Z.




Lebron James degrading a ballboy.



Scott Pilgrim videogame trailer.

Lost Wars: Because Adding Jedis Can Fix Anything -- powered by Cracked.com

Lost finale/Star Wars mashup.




Disturbing video shows how a starfish rights itself when turned upside down. Via these fine sites.

Finally, the real ending for Lost revealed (link roundup)

The intended ending for Lost, before the suits at ABC decided it was too provocative. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Good observations by Glenn Greenwald about politics.

2. Ilya Somin:

The conjunction of the Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals and the European Soccer Championship [this year, the World Cup] led me to reflect on two important advantage of US pro sports over international soccer: soccer often promotes nationalist and ethnic violence and provides propaganda fodder for repressive or corrupt governments, while US pro sports (with extremely rare exceptions) do not.

3. "In 17 months in office, President Obama has already outdone every previous president in pursuing leak prosecutions."

*Previously: Extended explanation of Lost.

*Buy Chuck Norris toys at eBay.

Cloud Umbrella and... (link roundup)

Cloud Umbrella, Cloud Stool, and Pillow Blanket by Joon&Jung. Via.

And a few more links:

1. James Bond fan art by Matthew Allison.

2. New Innocent Girls illustrations by Mall.

3. The Lost DVD bonus footage will supposedly show Hurley in charge of the island and will also reveal what happened to Walt.

*Previously: Bat-Umbrella.

*Buy James Bond posters at eBay.

If Lost was a 1987 point-and-click computer game…

Robert Penney posted a whole bunch of new screens imagining Lost as a 1987 point-and-click computer game.

Relatedly, here's what the Lost: The Complete Collection looks like:




You can read the details here.

*Previously: Props for a Lost-themed party.

*Buy Dharma Initiative collectibles at eBay.

Now this is how you throw a Lost-themed party

Oceanic Airlines food tray (for serving Mr. Cluck's Chicken, or course) - - one of several excellent props from a Lost series finale party.

*Previously: An acceptable explanation of Lost.

*Buy Dharma Initiative collectibles at eBay.

Superior (link roundup)

Superior lettering via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. Comment and win a Last Exit to Nowhere t-shirt.

2. Download a new mp3 by Trent Reznor - - it plays over the ending credits of director Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Bullet Man. Via.

3. Hurley and Dharma Van paper toys.

*Previously: Desktop wallpaper featuring the original (and dramatically superior) designs for Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

*Buy NIN concert posters at eBay.

Extended explanation of Lost (Spoilers)

Apparently, what follows below is an extended explanation of Lost by someone from Bad Robot. In a nutshell, the Dharma Initiative were people brought to the island to help Jacob devise a way to kill the Man in Black. But the Man in Black used Ben to destroy them. The sideways world was the bardo/limbo, where souls bound to one another meet before passing on to their next life. The group that meets and leaves in the church is a group of bound souls (Ben for example, must be waiting for other people bound to him, like Alex, to die before he can go on). If you like the concept, then you should try Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt - - it's all about a group of bound souls being reincarnated together over and over again through an alternate version of our history where most Europeans were killed by the Black Plague.

Anyway, here you go:

Good stuff on here! I can finally throw in my two cents! I've had to bite my tongue for far too long. Also, hopefully I can answer some of John's questions about Dharma and the "pointless breadcrumbs" that really, weren't so pointless ...

First ...
The Island:

It was real. Everything that happened on the island that we saw throughout the 6 seasons was real. Forget the final image of the plane crash, it was put in purposely to f*&k with people's heads and show how far the show had come. They really crashed. They really survived. They really discovered Dharma and the Others. The Island keeps the balance of good and evil in the world. It always has and always will perform that role. And the Island will always need a "Protector". Jacob wasn't the first, Hurley won't be the last. However, Jacob had to deal with a malevolent force (MIB) that his mother, nor Hurley had to deal with. He created the devil and had to find a way to kill him -- even though the rules prevented him from actually doing so.

Thus began Jacob's plan to bring candidates to the Island to do the one thing he couldn't do. Kill the MIB. He had a huge list of candidates that spanned generations. Yet everytime he brought people there, the MIB corrupted them and caused them to kill one another. That was until Richard came along and helped Jacob understand that if he didn't take a more active role, then his plan would never work.

Enter Dharma -- which I'm not sure why John is having such a hard time grasping. Dharma, like the countless scores of people that were brought to the island before, were brought there by Jacob as part of his plan to kill the MIB. However, the MIB was aware of this plan and interferred by "corrupting" Ben. Making Ben believe he was doing the work of Jacob when in reality he was doing the work of the MIB. This carried over into all of Ben's "off-island" activities. He was the leader. He spoke for Jacob as far as they were concerned. So the "Others" killed Dharma and later were actively trying to kill Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and all the candidates because that's what the MIB wanted. And what he couldn't do for himself.

Dharma was originally brought in to be good. But was turned bad by MIB's corruption and eventually destroyed by his pawn Ben. Now, was Dharma only brought there to help Jack and the other Canditates on their overall quest to kill Smokey? Or did Jacob have another list of Canidates from the Dharma group that we were never aware of? That's a question that is purposley not answered because whatever answer the writers came up with would be worse than the one you come up with for yourself. Still ... Dharma's purpose is not "pointless" or even vague. Hell, it's pretty blantent.

Still, despite his grand plan, Jacob wanted to give his "candidates" (our Lostaways) the one thing he, nor his brother, were ever afforded: free will. Hence him bringing a host of "candidates" through the decades and letting them "choose" which one would actually do the job in the end. Maybe he knew Jack would be the one to kill Flocke and that Hurley would be the protector in the end. Maybe he didn't. But that was always the key question of the show: Fate vs Free-will. Science vs Faith. Personally I think Jacob knew from the beginning what was going to happen and that everyone played a part over 6 seasons in helping Jack get to the point where he needed to be to kill Smokey and make Hurley the protector -- I know that's how a lot of the writers viewed it. But again, they won't answer that (nor should they) because that ruins the fun.

In the end, Jack got to do what he always wanted to do from the very first episode of the show: Save his fellow Lostaways. He got Kate and Sawyer off the island and he gave Hurley the purpose in life he'd always been missing. And, in Sideways world (which we'll get to next) he in fact saved everyone by helping them all move on ...

Now...

Sideways World:

Sideways world is where it gets really cool in terms of theology and metaphysical discussion (for me at least -- because I love history/religion theories and loved all the talks in the writer's room about it). Basically what the show is proposing is that we're all linked to certain people during our lives. Call them soulmates (though it's not exactly the best word). But these people we're linked to are with us duing "the most important moments of our lives" as Christian said. These are the people we move through the universe with from lifetime to lifetime. It's loosely based in Hinduisim with large doses of western religion thrown into the mix.

The conceit that the writers created, basing it off these religious philosophies, was that as a group, the Lostaways subconsciously created this "sideways" world where they exist in purgatory until they are "awakened" and find one another. Once they all find one another, they can then move on and move forward. In essence, this is the show's concept of the afterlife. According to the show, everyone creates their own "Sideways" purgatory with their "soulmates" throughout their lives and exist there until they all move on together. That's a beautiful notion. Even if you aren't religious or even spirtual, the idea that we live AND die together is deeply profound and moving.

It's a really cool and spirtual concept that fits the whole tone and subtext the show has had from the beginning. These people were SUPPOSED to be together on that plane. They were supposed to live through these events -- not JUST because of Jacob. But because that's what the universe or God (depending on how religious you wish to get) wanted to happen. The show was always about science vs faith -- and it ultimately came down on the side of faith. It answered THE core question of the series. The one question that has been at the root of every island mystery, every character backstory, every plot twist. That, by itself, is quite an accomplishment.

How much you want to extrapolate from that is up to you as the viewer. Think about season 1 when we first found the Hatch. Everyone thought that's THE answer! Whatever is down there is the answer! Then, as we discovered it was just one station of many. One link in a very long chain that kept revealing more, and more of a larger mosiac.

But the writer's took it even further this season by contrasting this Sideways "purgatory" with the Island itself. Remember when Michael appeared to Hurley, he said he was not allowed to leave the Island. Just like the MIB. He wasn't allowed into this sideways world and thus, was not afforded the opportunity to move on. Why? Because he had proven himself to be unworthy with his actions on the Island. He failed the test. The others, passed. They made it into Sideways world when they died -- some before Jack, some years later. In Hurley's case, maybe centuries later. They exist in this sideways world until they are "awakened" and they can only move on TOGETHER because they are linked. They are destined to be together for eternity. That was their destiny.

They were NOT linked to Anna Lucia, Daniel, Roussou, Alex, Miles, Lupidis, (and all the rest who weren't in the chuch -- basically everyone who wasn't in season 1). Yet those people exist in Sideways world. Why? Well again, here's where they leave it up to you to decide. The way I like to think about it, is that those people who were left behind in Sideways world have to find their own soulmates before they can wake up. It's possible that those links aren't people from the island but from their other life (Anna's parnter, the guy she shot --- Roussou's husband, etc etc).

A lot of people have been talking about Ben and why he didn't go into the Church. And if you think of Sideways world in this way, then it gives you the answer to that very question. Ben can't move on yet because he hasn't connected with the people he needs to. It's going to be his job to awaken Roussou, Alex, Anna Lucia (maybe), Ethan, Goodspeed, his father and the rest. He has to attone for his sins more than he did by being Hurley's number two. He has to do what Hurley and Desmond did for our Lostaways with his own people. He has to help them connect. And he can only move on when all the links in his chain are ready to. Same can be said for Faraday, Charlotte, Whidmore, Hawkins etc. It's really a neat, and cool concept. At least to me.

But, from a more "behind the scenes" note: the reason Ben's not in the church, and the reason no one is in the church but for Season 1 people is because they wrote the ending to the show after writing the pilot. And never changed it. The writers always said (and many didn't believe them) that they knew their ending from the very first episode. I applaud them for that. It's pretty fantastic. Originally Ben was supposed to have a 3 episode arc and be done. But he became a big part of the show. They could have easily changed their ending and put him in the church -- but instead they problem solved it. Gave him a BRILLIANT moment with Locke outside the church ... and then that was it. I loved that. For those that wonder -- the original ending started the moment Jack walked into the church and touches the casket to Jack closing his eyes as the other plane flies away. That was always JJ's ending. And they kept it.

For me the ending of this show means a lot. Not only because I worked on it, but because as a writer it inspired me in a way the medium had never done before. I've been inspired to write by great films. Maybe too many to count. And there have been amazing TV shows that I've loved (X-Files, 24, Sopranos, countless 1/2 hour shows). But none did what LOST did for me. None showed me that you could take huge risks (writing a show about faith for network TV) and stick to your creative guns and STILL please the audience. I learned a lot from the show as a writer. I learned even more from being around the incredible writers, producers, PAs, interns and everyone else who slaved on the show for 6 years.

In the end, for me, LOST was a touchstone show that dealt with faith, the afterlife, and all these big, spirtual questions that most shows don't touch. And to me, they never once waivered from their core story -- even with all the sci-fi elements they mixed in. To walk that long and daunting of a creative tightrope and survive is simply astounding.

Via these fine sites.

*Buy Dharma Initiative collectibles at eBay.

Junk and proud of it (link roundup)

Sign for Junk. You can see lots of photos of what's inside here.

And a few more links:

1. 15% off everything not new/preorder at the BBTS.

2. Myke Amend is currently accepting commissions.

3. Jess Neil apparently took down, but then reposted the Dharma Initiative birthday cake illustration I previously linked to, so here you go.

*Previously: How to make working paper gears out of junk mail.

*Buy neon signs at eBay.

Lost (spoilers)

Considering it turned out that Lost was nothing more than a mashup of Gilligan's Island and Myst where crazy stuff happened to beautiful emo people, and nothing said or done made any coherent, logical sense, I liked the last episode. (Because I'm a sucker for happy endings with people in love, even if the couples make little sense. Sayid's true love is Shannon? Okay, if you say so. Locke's true love is his legs? Okay.)

But the Jimmy Kimmel wrap-up show really left a terrible taste in my mouth. First of all, he was a bore and didn't say anything remotely funny. I can't imagine he made a single new fan last night. Second, I sure got the impression from the ads that the wrap up show would feature genuine alternate endings from Lost (which I took to mean serious, extended endings such as "here's what happened to Smokey and Jacob"). I hadn't expected that I'd sit through 30 minutes of local "news" and an hour of Kimmel's pathetic banter to see Lindelof and Cuse feature themselves in lame, predictable, egotistical joke endings.

But I do like the Lost-themed smoke detector ad for Target I'd never seen before last night:

How to create an Oceanic Airlines boarding pass

Here's how to create an Oceanic Airlines boarding pass for a Lost-themed party. Via.

Relatedly, Lost-themed cakes.

*Previously: Chibi Hurley and the Smoke Monster.

*Buy Dharma Initiative collectibles at eBay.

Constructionbot (link roundup)

Excavator robot by Andree Wallin.

And a few more links:

1. Batgirl commission by Eric Canete.

2. Dharma Initiative birthday card.

3. Good hypothesis for how Lost will end.

*Previously: Invitation to a Lost-themed party.

*Buy Dharma Initiative collectibles at eBay.

Lost poster by Olly Moss

(Already sold out) Lost poster by Olly Moss.

*Previously: Lost/Lucky Charms mashup.

*Buy Dharma Initiative collectibles at eBay.