TVSquad

I wanted to wait a bit before I posted about the ABC showrunner panel, because a) I already posted about the "news" from Shonda Rhimes about Katherine Heigl's statements, and b) I wanted to think about why these panels seem to be so much more informative than the individual show panels?

We'll get to that more later. On the panel were Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice), Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives), Silvio Horta (Ugly Betty), Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (Lost), and Greg Berlanti (seemingly the rest of ABC's schedule). As you'd expect, Rhimes got the Heigl questions, Lindelof and Cuse got the most esoteric questions, and Chery made the most jokes. The funniest line, though, came from Horta.

You knew that Harold Perrineau's comments were going to cause a bit of controversy. You also knew that he would have to clarify some of the comments a few days later. Here is that clarification.

The Lost star admits to Entertainment Weekly that "I should probably think more before I say things," referring to comments he made that he was irritated with how producers deal with black characters on the hit ABC show and the fact that Michael couldn't be redeemed and have a happy ending with son Walt. He explains that he was just making an observation as a black man and that he wasn't angry at how the story played out, he was just disappointed. He loved working with the cast and crew and wouldn't be surprised if he came back to the show in the future. He also lists his three favorite and least favorite moments on the show.

My prediction? We haven't seen the last of Michael. He'll be back on the show some way, somehow.

You have to give Harold Perrineau points for being brutally honest.

The Lost star, who (spoiler!) blew up last night in the season finale of the show, can't believe that he came back to the show only to be killed off. In fact, his exact words about the decision to kill off Michael are "...what the hell? I came back for that?!"

Perrineau didn't know he was getting killed off until he got a phone call from the producers right before he received the script for the season finale. He's also unhappy that they didn't give Michael and Walt a happy ending. But perhaps the most interesting part of the interview with TV Guide's (but not for long) Michael Ausiello is where Perrineau says the show doesn't know how to treat black characters...

It's good to have a talk show host who is also a big TV fan. Most times, a celeb or producer or writer will come on the show and the only thing that the host can talk to them regarding their latest project is something in general terms, maybe an "I saw the movie and it's great" and not much more. Luckily, Jimmy Kimmel is as much a Lost fan as the rest of us.

He had producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse on the show last week and asked them many questions about the show (side note: did you know they both worked on Nash Bridges, which Cuse created?!). But the big question answered had nothing to do with the smoke monster or time travel or the flash forwards or numbers or hatches or Michael Emerson, who was supposed to be on the show for only two episodes at first, or why the smoke monster didn't kill the mercenaries (there's a reason!). Those aren't the important mysteries.

The big question is, what the hell is going on with Matthew Fox's chest hair? Video after the jump!

Since Lost premiered about 4 years ago, fans have been active in coming up with theories (include the now-famous time loop theory) to explain the mysteries of the show. From the start, producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have debunked a few of the most popular theories (e.g., they are in purgatory) and hinted that others may be legit.

To help fans discuss theories and propose their own, USA Today's website devotes a section to fans' Lost theories. With these theories in hand, USA Today turned to Darlton (that's the common nickname for Damon and Carlton) to see if any could be accurate.

Earlier today, Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse held a teleconference with reporters and bloggers in anticipation of the show's return. They revealed, or at least hinted at, what we can expect in the season's final five episodes, elements of the season finale, and what they hope accomplish in upcoming seasons. Here's a recap:

• The title of the season finale is "There's No Place Like Home."
• When Lost returns, the show will follow Grey's Anatomy. Lindelof and Cuse aren't sure that the two dramas share an audience, but they are happy to share Thursdays with another successful show.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, the return of Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty to the Thursday night lineup does make scheduling this additional hour a bit tricky. The original plan was for the two-part Lost finale to air over two nights, and have all three shows end on May 22. TV Guide's Michael Ausiello is reporting that the Lost finale has been rescheduled, making room for a two-hour Grey's Anatomy season finale.

There could be an upside to the Lost hiatus after all. On Wednesday afternoon, TV Guide's Michael Ausiello reported that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are in "advanced talks" with ABC about adding another hour-long chapter to Lost Season Four. The arrangement is by no means set in stone, but it is encouraging news.

No word yet on how this extra hour might be added to the season's remaining five episodes. We could get another episode, or the finale could be an additional hour. Would a three-hour season finale be too much, even for Lost viewers? How will this affect the scheduling of the two-hour season finale? Currently, the season's last episode is split into two installments that will air one week apart. Will there be room for this bonus episode now that Lost is sharing Thursday nights with Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty?

ABC posted another Lost audio podcast for the most recent episode, "Meet Kevin Johnson." Damon Lindelof rehashed last week's episode, confirmed the identities of the Oceanic Six, and discussed the remainder of Lost's fourth season. Here's a recap:

• The title of the season's ninth episode is "The Shape of Things to Come."
• We will learn more about the Black Rock and the four-toed statue, but not necessarily in a flashback.
• The name Lapidus has appeared twice on Lost. Rick Lapidus' name was on the script in "Exposé," and Frank Lapidus is the name of the helicopter pilot this season. Writer Eddie Kitsis (who wrote "Exposé") loves the name, and wanted to use it on the show.

Earlier this week, ABC posted a surprise Lost audio podcast. There wasn't another podcast scheduled until after the airing of "Ji Yeon," but Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse decided to do one anyway. As usual, Lost's executive producers rehashed "The Other Woman," responded to fans' questions, and previewed "Ji Yeon." Spoiler Warning: The ending of the Lost: Via Domus video game is discussed, so stop reading if you want to be surprised. Here's a brief recap of the podcast:

• Two of the final five episodes' scripts are finished, and the writers are currently working on the third.
• The season finale will be two hours long, and the episode will be split up over two weeks.

No one, not even the most hardcore Lost fan, can have more questions about the show's characters than the actors who portray them. Recently, Several Lost cast members got a chance to ask these questions in a TV Guide interview with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, the show's executive producers. This was a great idea on TV Guide's part, and the answers didn't disappoint. What could be more fun than letting actors like Evangeline Lilly, Naveen Andrews, and Josh Holloway grill their bosses about issues that have been on fans' minds for months?

Cuse and Lindelof's answers contain a lot of spoilers about what we will learn during Season Four (and when), so stop reading if you want to be surprised. The juiciest responses and some speculation about what these new details could mean are included after the jump. My remarks also take rumors into account, so consider yourself warned.

ABC recently posted another Lost audio podcast for this week's episode, "The Constant." Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse reviewed the newest Lost episode as well as last week's "Eggtown," answered fan questions, and previewed "The Other Woman." Since they skipped a podcast last week, Lindelof and Cuse revealed much more information and dealt with more questions than an average podcast. Here's a recap:

• Due to the writers' strike, Lost's sixteen-episode season was cut to thirteen episodes. The storylines for the eight episodes intended for the second half of the season will be "compressed" into five episodes. The remaining three episodes will be added to the final two seasons of the show.

Lost executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse recently sat down with EW's Jeff Jensen to answer questions, address rumors, and provide some mild spoilers about the show. The interview shed light on some of the questions that viewers had after watching last week's episode, "The Economist." Lindelof and Cuse also hinted at which questions will be explored and answered during Season Four.

They also discuss some spoilers concerning this season, so if you aren't caught up with the show or don't want to be spoiled, stop reading. Here are the highlights of Jensen's interview:

After a long absence, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof are back with their first Lost podcast of Season Four. The show's executive producers rehashed "The Economist," answered fan questions, and previewed "Eggtown." Cuse and Lindelof will try to do a regular weekly podcast, but said that there may be fewer podcasts once production on the final five episodes gets busier. Here's a recap:

• Although there is a theory going around that Kate is living under an assumed name and isn't one of the Oceanic Six, Lindelof and Cuse confirmed that she is, in fact, one of the Six.
• We will learn the identity of the other two members of the Oceanic Six relatively soon, well before the season finale.

As first reported in May 2006, Lost is getting the video game treatment. The game, titled "Lost: Via Domus" and produced by Montreal-based Ubisoft, will not be a reproduction of the survivors' adventures. Instead, the game will add a new chapter to the series.

Nicolas Eypert, who was part of the creation team of the game, revealed in interview with a French-Canadian newspaper that the game will be a complementary experience that adds to the episodes, blogs, forums, and magazines about the series. The storyline crosses paths with the action that occurred during the first two seasons of the series.