Re [rey] Watch [woch] -- LOST

Rewatch 
Verb  
1. To watch [LOST] again.

My Christmas preparation was ahead of schedule this year. Apart from baking cookies and cakes for family and friends, I have been quite stress-free. Since I was not overly excited about Christmas this year, I have been channeling my energy by clearing the backlog of my to-do list, that is, to rewatch Lost. This mission has been on my to-do list for a long time, probably since its series finale.

Calling myself a writer is like writing myself as a prophet. I haven't earned the title as a writer, but I am working on it. As someone who admire the craft of story-telling and everything else that comes with the package, I find television and books shows such as Lost, Supernatural and A Game of Thrones [A Song of Ice and Fire] really help me to identity and understand the craft of structures, characterization, plots and dialogues. This is more than watching something when I get home, this is more than picking up a book to read before bed, this is like going to writing school for me. 

For something so big such as Lost, Supernatural and A Game of Thrones, watching/ reading them once is not possible because there are a lot of details I may or may not notice the first time. Rewatch is imperative so that I can pay attention to the specifics, understand the mythology and absorb information better, put the pieces together and appreciate the mysteries and writings more. The rewatch is actually more enjoyable and meaningful than the first time.

As you know, Lost is one of my favorite television shows. The only sleeper season for me was season three. Perhaps it was due to the TV schedule or I was spending a ridiculous amount of time living in a suitcase, I lost the momentum a bit until the introduction of Team Faraday. By The Constant, I was fully on board as a fan once again. I love Daniel Faraday and Desmond Hume, I think they were a great addition to the show and I LOVE the flash sideway. Their roles were vital to the development of show. I really like the fact that Lost mixed fringe science, mythology and 'magic' together. It is one of those shows you can go crazy with theories and debate them for years. It's intense viewing, it makes you think, you do get lost amongst details but it's part of solving the mysteries. 

It is almost impossible for me not to revisit Lost from the beginning, because there are so much in it! Lost has such a big assemble cast, if I focus each rewatch based on a character or a timeline -- Dharma Initiative, Faraday, Desmond, Sawyer or Jacob, Dogen -- that's at least six times already. Every time I watch it I discover something new. Like Sawyer, he was never my favorite, but I always saw him as a reluctant hero. He was the cowboy, rules didn't apply to him. He didn't have to explain himself. 

I am half way through season two, Benjamin Linus just appeared as Henry Gale. I know things will get interesting! I love Ben! I love that he is not the classic villain and it took four seasons for me to like him because he is simply a WTF character. Ben never failed to surprise me and it gets funny when everyone punch him in the face. Ouch! I have very little memory of what happened in season three, Ben obviously played a huge part in driving the show from that point onwards. Not to mention the whole adversary thing between him and Widmore; the role of Richard, the Others and Dharma Initiative etc... I think season three was the start to something more epic. To me, the tail section arc was good, but I think season three was the turning point. Can't wait to rewatch it as I have missed out a lot of details.

Speaking of the Dharma Initiative, I always find it and their stations intriguing. I love the mysteries around them and when we got to know more about the Dharma Initiative in later seasons, I just couldn't get enough of them. I must be in the minority to like the Dharma Initiative storyarc. I even want to re-label all things in my house including a banana with the Dharma stickers. Revisit reminds me about what I love about the show. How something like the Dharma Initiative and Jacob are integrated and developed into the the show. 

Lost is one of a kind! Half the shows on televisions are the same. Some shows play safe because the networks know these shows cannot go wrong as long as they stick to the familiar formula, they are the 'ever-green' genre. These shows will always attract the tradition viewers and advertisers. It's the cash flow! Only a handful of shows may risk it or try hard to be different every now and then, but then when rating fails or storyline doesn't work, the show is gone before you have the chance to like it. And sometimes you wonder why crap like reality TV shows or Neighbors are still wasting air time (but hey, they are part of the economy!) Whether you like Lost or not, the show is indeed one of a kind, we haven't seen shows like Lost before and we never will again. I for one can watch it again and again and be reminded how great the story and characters were. Lost will continue to take me to writing school forever. 

I hope in coming weeks or months, I will write more about Lost. I simply haven't blogged about this show enough when it was on air! Supernatural rewatch is a regular thing for me, so I really don't have to set aside a separate for it. But I really need to rewatch Revolution and A Game of Thrones before March. Now that I have Glee and Once Upon A Time as Christmas presents, I need to rewatch them too.

At least I know I won't be bored during any up-coming hiatus! 

Well.. that's all folks...for now! 

The Apocalypse Is Upon Us - So I've Heard

December 21 is the end of the Mayan Calender. If we are sitting in the writer's room of Supernatural, The X Files, The Walking Dead, Revolution, Falling Skies, Lost...you name it -- there is a LOT of things we can flash out that will look awesome on television. We are obsessed with the end of world scenarios in popular culture -- demons walk the earth, angels get involved, zombies eat brains, militia takes over, aliens colonize earth, cataclysmic events. Very cliche but we love the angst, the darkness and special effects that blow our minds. Our heroes will come to the rescue! Dean and Sam Winchester can pretty much handle all kinds of monsters, demons and zombies. We'll leave the aliens to Mulder and Scully, and Tom Mason. We'll leave the militia to Miles and Charlie. For everything else, there is Mastercard. 

While I am not too excited about this year's Christmas for some reasons, I am sure December 22 will see the dawn. My family has already wrapped all my Christmas presents and organised the Christmas menus. Those things cannot go to waste. Some of my friends start spamming my inbox with articles about the trending topic -- The Apocalypse. Unless it's a Supernatural or Revolution spoiler, I don't want to know! But they are interesting read! Here is one.

Business Insider has identified 14 places to hide out during the apocalypse. Great! It seems to me that some places are only for the rich and famous. But wait, the only Australia city that was mentioned was Perth. Oh Perth, you put the Dullsville in Dullsville, Dullsville! Two other locations caught my eyes. The first one is the concrete apartment buildings in Warsaw, which are like the ultimate safe houses. The second one is Mount Weather, Virginia, it is home to FEMA's National Emergency Coordinating Center. This is where they moved Dick Cheney to after 9/11. Wait.. they didn't use the Stargate? 

We are fascinated with the Apocalypse, for some of us it is our obsession with vampires and zombies. Principal Figgins thinks vampires are real. Our PM, Julia Gillard warned us about zombies. In an recent CNN article, it mentioned the work of a researcher, Jerry Piven. He said "an apocalypse almost embeds a tale of fantasy into reality and provides safe theater for exploring death." Robb Willer, an associate professor of sociology at University of California, Berkeley said "...the apocalypse can be a spectator sport and a reality show for some people." Perhaps, we hate our lives so much that we sit on our asses all day and secretly hope the world will end soon, so we don't have to go to work, pay our bills or tell our partners we want a break up because they like Michael Bublé.

But the reality is, the end of the humanity is not fictional. Global warming; an all out nuclear war between nations; the break out of an incurable disease; the low supply of resources and food; the universe can just switch itself off; and according to this website, "...a plague that wipes out 70% of humanity might actually ensure the survival of our species in the longer-term." The 'Doomsday Seed Vault' is a real place in the mountains of Svalbard and selling bunkers for people to survive the Apocalypse is not unheard of. There are things we can do individually to help prolong the life of Earth. And seriously, if our planet is suddenly hit by another planet, there is nothing we can do about it. It's not like we can evacuate everyone via space ships or a Stargate.

Natural disasters, however, happen all the time and they are happening more frequently than I've ever noticed. My household has one philosophy -- our pantry is always full, as in 'enough-for-zombie-attack-full'. And my brother actually has a bug out bag. Shit happens. Look at SuperSandy! Aussie summer can be dangerous with all the bush fire and stuff. So, it's not a bad idea to be prepared! 

I think whatever happens under whatever the circumstance, it reveals who we really are. We live in a very paranoid world, when shit happens, will we become heroes or will we become weak and selfish than we already are? Who are you likely to become if you are a character on Lost or Revolution?
 
And if the world does end on the December 21, what will happen to all of us? If you think demons will walk the earth, zombies will eat brains, militia will take over and aliens will colonize Earth, you can channel your inner Kripke and post your thoughts on Fanfiction.

Revolution - Mythology, questions and answers

I love Lost as you know, but there are unanswered questions. It is fun to let viewers' imaginations run wild and interpret anything they like based on what they know and see on the show. But it also gets frustrating for some viewers! But you can't deny the fact that Lost is one of the most talked about shows in recent years. It gets you talking about it!

When it comes to watching JJ Abrams's shows such as Lost, as a viewer I kind of half expect what Ron Weasley would call it "you're going to suffer but you're going to be happy about it."

To me, Revolution is about Eric Kripke. If you're too familiar with Abrams' works and you're kind of thinking 'oh jeez, it's Lost all over again.' Try look at it as a Kripke baby, and it is! Let's be honest, Master Kripke is driving the show's mythology, answers and questions. What I love about Kripke's style of story telling is that yes he throws a lot of questions to the audience but he always gives you answers, as he did in Supernatural. As a viewer, you think about the questions for awhile, it drives you nuts for awhile, but at the right moment before you go completely insane, he gives you answers. And then you worship him! Apart from Kripke's story telling style, if you are unfamiliar with his style, he is a big fan of epic storyline, everything plays a part in a grand scheme of things. Expect the 'family is everything, without family people can't survive" theme. Expect a lot of character driven stuff. For some reasons, I don't think his signature use of 'sense of humor', 'one liners' and 'pop culture reference' will be as prominently featured on Revolution as Supernatural, but we'll see.

And for Revolution, he has already said that he has lined-up all the questions and answers, which is AWESOME! I really cannot wait to watch the show. While I know very little about the cast, I do know Elizabeth Mitchell has joined the show. I like Juliet on Lost, which I thought was surprising considering her introduction wasn't that riveting, but once they'd gone back in time to Dharma time, her character grew on me. And, I kind like her performance in V. Anyway, I know the kind of performance Elizabeth Mitchell can deliver, so at least there is no powerhouse acting I can expect from the show.

When talking about Supernatural at Comic Con, Eric Kripke referred it as his 'child growing up and going to college" and he is so proud of it. Supernatural is in good hands and it is not broken, he trusts Jeremy Carver who he calls him as one of the best writers on Supernatural. The two has chemistry in the writing room and you can tell how impressed Kripke was during the In The Beginning commentary on the season five DVD. If you haven't watched the episode with their commentary, I highlight recommend it.

So, anyway, that's all I have for Revolution -- premieres on Monday, September 17th (10pm) on NBC.

Peace out!

My Constant

Dang that headache! It could be a once a month thing or perhaps migraine just happens! But I've recently come to realise that perhaps my headache is caused by something else.

In recent months, I have been a frequent traveler from reality to Twitterverse. Due to high exposure to madness, obsession, endless discussion of Supernatural, Lost, Smallville and 24, my consciousness moves back and forth between reality and Twitterverse, like Eloise the mouse, I think my brain is short-circuited.

May be I can't tell the difference between reality and Twitterverse, it's like I have nothing to attach myself to. I do not have a constant and I need one, something that is present in both times and that I sincerely cares about and can recognise. And I need to put my constant on a bungee.

Constant, I have none. But I have a theory about my headache though. It should heal by itself by May 2011.

Seriously.

One of the best things about television is that it never stops creating or re-inventing itself. Some of us are more than just viewers, we are passionate crazies who love our shows. Sometimes we get very critical, simple because we care. But most of the time, I'd like to think we simple just want to enjoy the ride and want our favorite shows to take us away from reality for 40 minutes every week. If a show can do more than than, I think it's a bonus. I have great admiration for people who can do things I am not able to do.

Television enters a new era every few years. There was a time when we loved a good paranormal drama, The X Files (1993), which set a high standard for other dramas in this genre. Then came the supernatural themed dramas, Buffy (1997), Charm (1998) and Angel (1999). When medical dramas were in their golden age, viewers loved some good quality medical dramas like ER (1994) and Chicago Hope (1994). Of course the industry saw sci-fi genre took off noticeably with Stargate SG1 (1997), Firefly (2002), BSG (2004) and Dr Who (2005). We have an unprecedented obsession with procedural cop shows, even when they aren't that good and they NEVER end, and I mean NEVER! There isn't a moment I switch on my TV without seeing NCIS. Now, the vampires are back sucking our blood with The Vampire Diaries, True Blood and the short-lived Moonlight.

I am a lucky viewer who live in an era of great television (reality TV not included and I don't like them, except Jamie Oliver). But I am afraid the end of an era, based purely on my personal television viewing preference, will come to a halt soon. A emotional farewell of Lost hit me in the head! Smallville season ten is likely to be the last. And who knows if Supernatural will go beyond season 6?

So, what am I going to do when all my favorite TV shows are over? I suppose apart from rewatching the shows, I can try new ones. The only new shows that I watch include Glee and The Big Bang Theory and Chuck. If I start watching The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives or any procedural cop shows, please shoot me immediately.

One chapter closes, and hopefully I have the will to open another.

Send your CV with a photo and register your details if you want a date with me. I will be available from May 2011.

Mark Pellegrino New Interview

The guy who plays the Devil and Jesus. Here is the new Mark Pellegrino's interview with Artist Direct:

Some Love for Smallville: Absolute Justice, Lost & 24

I finally got around to watch Smallville: Absolute Justice and the new episodes of Lost and 24. Australia is always behind, but a big shout out to 7Two for showing Lost the final season and 24 so quickly! Unlike Channel Ten, 7Two is doing a great job! Channel Ten sucks for taking all our favorite shows off air!

SMALLVILLE: ABSOLUTE JUSTICE

Let's look at Smallville first. The Tiny household watched Smallville: Absolute Justice last night. On a personal level, I don't know too much about the Justice League of America and I am not a comic book fan. But I was really looking forward to this 2 hour event and I was looking forward to see Dr Jackson aka Michael Shanks aka Carter Hall aka The Hawkman. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But I really enjoyed it.

The first thing I noticed is that the writing was really good. It was a very very good story. I think Geoff Johns brought something really powerful to the show. I am not a Superman or comic book fan, but I felt the story and the characters. I can't put my finger on it, but I think at one stage, I almost cried. Must be when they were talking about loyalty, friendship and the history. Can't remember! I assume the Justice League of America is old, and it has so much history behind it.

My favorite scene was when Clark was in the JSA Headquarter looking at the memorabilias. There was no dialogue in this scene, but it was a very powerful scene in my opinion. I like how the story of each JSA member was told through the editing (flashback) and the props (their weapons and their costumes). That scene was really well written. I really love how Clark was looking at the JSA painting. I think this episode presented a lot of elements that the writers could use in future episodes and hopefully season 10.

This is probably one of the best and most stand out episodes of Smallville in my book. The members of JSA were very well cast. As a fan of SG1, watching Michael Shanks on screen again was really something. The SFX and the soundtrack were really awesome! And yes, I am one of those people who will need to watch this episode again while searching for information on Wikipedia. Because I dont' know anything about JSA and Checkmate. And may I add, it was really satisfying to listen to SHoE after the viewing of this episode, I didn't have to wait for it to be available on iTune. I love Steve's version of It's Too Late for Chocolate Pie. SHoE is now my second favorite podcast. The first is of course the Crossroads! Crossroads Never Ends!

The more I see the DC superhero stuff on the show, the more I wish the show would take on that direction more. I think because the comic book superhero stuff is really rare on TV these days, and if there is someone out there who could do it, it is Smallville.

LOST

Like my poster? Kate (3rd from the left) looks like Jason Mamoa!

Have I mentioned I really like season 4 & 5 of Lost? I had a big Lost marathon during Xmas and it was awesome!!!!! The reason I love about season 4 & 5 is because I felt that I was getting some answers. It still has crap load of questions to answer before the series ends but at least the show was going somewhere in season 4 & 5. I really like the addition of Desmond Hume and Daniel Faraday, The Constant and The Variables are two of my favorite episodes together with every episode that heavily involves Daniel/ Desmond and the time traveling stuff.

Another character that is growing on me is Jacob. Bloody hell!!! Finally we get to know a lot more about Jacob and actually get to see the man. I kinda feel that the Jacob appearance in The Incident was long overdue.

Coming back from the hellatus was great. Season 6 has a great start! I really like the Japanese guy and the introduction of the temple. I am not really a fan of the flash back stuff, it is interesting to watch the 'what if they did land in LA' scenario. But what's the purpose of it? I am always a big fan of the island stuff including the Dharma stuff.

I have a confession! Sometimes I'd fast forward the 'off the island' scenes. SORRY! I just love the island stuff so much better. I hate to admit that I fast forward most of the Sun and Jin in Korea scenes. But I love them when they are back on the island. I also fast forward all the Michael and Walt episodes. Whoops... Of course unless it's Desmond or Daniel related, I won't fast forward. I think Daniel and Desmond are the catalysts, whatever they do, it's important to the mytho of the show.

For more comprehensive analysis on Lost, check out Flyboy's blog here and Fanboy's blog here.

24

Like my 24 poster?

[Beware of spoilers if you haven't watched 24 before]

I have been watching 24 since its season 4. I love it so much, I wasted no time and got season 1-3 on DVD and had a massive three 24-hour marathon. I have been watching 24 ever since. 24 is highly addictive. You have to watch it 24 hour non-stop! It's crazy, it's soooo good!

I love 24 for some many reasons. I like the non-stop action; the baddies always get busted and got killed; Jack saves the day; you can pretty much assumed everyone will die except Jack and Chloe; when CTU is in action, it really kicks asses; Jack is always right, he hasn't been wrong; Chloe said the funniest thing sometimes; I really like Tony, Michelle and Curtis, but why do they have to kill the good guys too?; 24 has the best President ever, David Palmer I love you; 24 has some of the best dialogues on TV.

I really like the NY CTU in action in season 8, everything is so high-tech, it's scary! But I think it's part of the plot that although the technology is so good, but you still need Jack and Chloe, at the end of the day, it's their experience that saves the day, not your high-tech stuff. I think the first few hours of season 8 have established that. Let's looking at Director Hasting, he relies on the technology to tell him who is the bad guy is and he doesn't question it because that's what the system tells him. That clearly tells me he has no experience in handling this!

What I don't like about 24 sometimes, is that I don't like the side stories. If they are relevant to the main plot, then yeah ok.. But if it's not or if it's not that important, then I'd fast forward it. I hope the Dana Walsh versus her ex-boyfriend arc gets resolved soon. I find that really annoying. Dana honey, just kick his ass. It'd better be important and relate to the main plot, otherwise it's a waste of time. Like back in season 3 (I think), how many minutes were wasted on Chase and his baby; and I find that anything that has to do with Sherry Palmer was boring, her story wasn't really well plotted, they were just annoying, like her character! Her character sometimes served a purpose, but the main story can do without her.

I really hate it when people don't trust Jack and they think they know better and waste everyone's time. CTU directors like Driscoll, Chappelle, Hasting and McGill really annoyed me. And Larry too annoyed me at the beginning of last season! But all in a good way! And here comes the good part, Jack is always right, he hasn't been wrong. He always lets his action to do the talking! If I was Jack, I'd say EAT IT TWILIGHT!

Season 6 was crap. It was the only season I don't like and won't watch it again. I was expected a very exciting season when I found out season 6 was going to be about the Bauers, but it was a really flat season. I don't like the guy who played Jack's father. I don't think he nailed the role, it was like he tried to do too much by doing so little, if that makes sense? I was like "What are you trying to do?" the whole time! And was it the season they killed Curtis?! That's when they introduced Mike Doyle who was another douche! I mostly don't like the way he talked to Nadia!

Anyway, 24 is really looking good now. I really like how the writers turn Renee into Jackie Bauer! I think President Logan is returning later on. OH HURRY UP AND DIE ALREADY! His character is just so annoying! He is like a cockroach you can't kill! You can't squash it, you can't kill it with Baygon. It just keeps crawling around!

My favorite seasons of 24 are definitely season 3, 4 and 5. I really like Tony, Michelle, Curtis, Palmer and Bill (And Karen). Oh hell, I'll admit I also like Mike Novick and Arron Pearce! As far as the golden age of a TV series is concerned, I think season 3, 4 and 5 were the best! In fact, I think I am going to rewatch season 5 tonight, where the cockroach got busted! I hate him! Coz he killed David Palmer!!!!

I think at the end of the day, most characters are annoying, but in a good way. You need them there so that when Jack kick their asses or whatever, you'll be doing happy dance and high five!

Oh.. and I really want to see Jack or Chloe using the iPad in season 8. BRING IT!

Mark Pellegrino on Lost, Supernatural and Teaching

Mark Pellegrino is growing on me. Seriously! I didn't really feel Jacob (Lost) mainly because I didn't know anything about him. Jacob's appearance on Lost is way long overdue. I gave up on the character long ago, I just felt that we'd never meet him or they'd never explain Jacob. They don't really tell you much. It's all a mystery. But after The Incident and LA X, I am really digging his character. Is he going to set things right for everyone?

Mark also plays the Devil on Supernatural, as if you don't know that already! He is awesome!!! Sam might say yes, and we have seen Lucifer wearing Sam in The End. But I think Mark Pellegrino IS Lucifer, just like Misha Collins IS Castiel.

Mark talked about Lost, Supernatural and teaching acting with Melissa Parker from Our Prattville. And he loves us more! When I said us, I mean Supernatural.

Melissa Parker (Our Prattville): Now you get to play the devil on Supernatural and you’re freshly released from hell (laughs).

Mark Pellegrino: (laughs) Freshly raised from hell and raised to wreak havoc on this planet.

Melissa: How do you get into a mindset to play Lucifer?

Mark: Well, I think the thing is … Lucifer’s problem is very human. So, I don’t have to think about anything immortal or celestial. I just think about the issues in terms of human issues and the issue to me is that Lucifer was betrayed by his father and his brother whom he admired for something less than him. He was thrown over … sacrificed, and he wants revenge. So I think that’s a pretty down to earth issue that almost anybody can relate to.

Melissa: Lucifer will have it out with the Winchester boys soon.

Mark: He’s going to use them to get what he wants. He’s going to use them to exact his revenge on his dad and brother. I think there’s a fight brewing between the brothers, that’s for sure.

Melissa: Which character, Jacob or Lucifer, have you had the most fun with?

Mark: (laughs) Gosh, they are so different. I have a lot of fun with Lucifer because there’s a lot of latitude that I’m given. You know, I can play, and I like the fact that they write him as honest, kind of a down to earth character. That gives me a lot of leverage.

Melissa: So you enjoy Lucifer a bit more?

Mark: (laughs) I hate to say I enjoy Lucifer a lot! But, Jacob is still more of a mystery to me … the myth is a mystery to me. Whereas, Lucifer’s myth is pretty well known and pretty saturated in our culture you know. So, I’m not sure yet. I’m flying more blind with Jacob.

Read the full interview at Our Prattville.

Hello Hot Stuff: Supernatural Hot Stuff

Super SUPER hot photos from the Supernatural 100th Episode Party from Hollywood Reporter.

Is that McG? I wonder how much he is involved with the show creatively. I would actually love to see McG to direct an episode. One of those Terminator post-apocalyse episodes would be nice. He should've casted Jensen Ackles to play John Connor instead of Christian Bale!! Also, I think if there is someone who could help Kripke to influence the WB to back a Supernatural movie, it's McG! I really want to see a Supernatural movie!

More photos can be found on Hollywood Reporter. Knock yourself out!

I love how Jared is like "Hellz Yeah! 100th Episode bizzatches!"

Thanks to bjthirtythree for uploading the video!

Question: How would you react when you see God in person? OMFG!

SpoilerTV reports a casting call for 5.19 OMFG. That's right folks. OMGF! As in O-M-F-G! Details here. I wonder who an Indian woman, what is the significance of that? I mean, why not Korean (which Yunjin Kim would be perfect for it). Will wait and see.

Good read of the week: 'Lost' and 'Supernatural': Have they become the same show? by Maureen Ryan

Interesting list of similarities by Maureen. Very interesting!

What I like about Supernatural is that it answers questions! Lost DOESN'T. Didn't the Lost creators said not ALL questions will be answered by the end of the series? This is the only thing I complain about Lost, otherwise, Daniel Frekking Farady for the WIN! I think Eric Kripke is a better showrunner and he has a better vision on the story arc from the get go.

Read the full article here.

I am shattered! He is not Michael or God! (Spoiler! Spoiler!)

Newarama had an interview with Michael Shanks who will be on Smallville and Supernatural. I know I was living in hope that he will be Archangel Michael or God.. I know! I know! I am shattered! But still good to see the Shanks on Supernatural! His next project for The CW could be Gossip Girl.. (#fakerumordonotbelieveit).

Did you know Michael's wife Lexa Doig was Risa on Supernatural: The End? She was also on SG1 as Dr Lam. That's how they met.. you know!

Nrama: So what do you have coming up next?

Shanks: I literally just yesterday finished a guest spot on Supernatural. I had a relatively minor role in it, working with Jared (Padalecki) and Jensen (Ackles), and a few other actors, fighting some demons and throwing down with the boys. I think that will be out in a couple months. The episode is called, I think, '99 Problems'. I'm not featured quite prominently in it, but it was a lot of fun to play in that universe. It fit into my schedule quite handily. That's why I did it.

Nrama: Is there anything about the character you can tell us?

Shanks: Yeah. The character's name is Rob, and he's a member of the Sacrament Lutheran Church, and basically it's a township that has pretty much organized to fight the demon apocalypse that's coming. They're not running and screaming. They're hunkering down. They've figured out a way to fight and whatnot. They boys come across them and are quite enamored by they way they've organized themselves. They have a sort of militia...when a tragedy occurs in Rob's family he sort of takes a bit of a hardline approach when it comes to his beliefs. I'll leave it at that because it starts getting into spoiler territory beyond that.

News Digest from Yours Tiny

A few blog worthy articles surfaced this week..

'Sam! Interrupted' official description

SAM AND DEAN CHECK INTO A MENTAL HOSPITAL: A former hunter named Martin (guest star), who is currently institutionalized, calls Sam and Dean for help investigating a case in the mental hospital. The brothers get themselves admitted as patients to check out the mysterious monster that is attacking the patients, but their incarceration pushes both to the breaking point as they unleash their inner demons against each other.

Source SpoilerTV. Supernatural returns to the CW on 21st January 2010.

Look Mum, I am not the only who wants to see The Simpsons / Supernatural crossover.

"The Simpsons has a very special “Treehouse of Horrors” planned for this year. It will feature the voices of Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki and the guys from Ghost Hunters." Full article here.

TV.com's Top 100 Everything of 2009 (10 - 1)

Supernatural's Changing Channels opening credit came number 5 and Daniel Frickin' Faraday from Lost came number 4. Jane Lynch from Glee came number 3. That's 10 kinds of awesome! Full listing here.

I have been surviving the hot summer Xmas with Lost (season 4 & 5), and 24 (season 4 and 7), plus a few Supernatural and Smallville episodes here and there. It's always great to do a Lost marathon, otherwise I'll get so lost. And yeah, Daniel Frickin' Faraday is awesome! I love mad scientist.