My friend Craig Miller and I just got back from a trip to the TV Academy where they had one of their semi-regular "Evening With..." discussions. These usually consist of the creators and cast of a specific TV show as well as a moderator who asks them questions about it. In the past I've seen evenings with "The Shield," "The West Wing," "Alias," "Desperate Housewives," and dozens of other shows. Tonight was "An Evening With Lost." The moderator for this evening was Jimmy Kimmel.

Despite my expectations, Kimmel was actually a great moderator. This was one of the funnier evenings ranking closely behind "An Evening With South Park" where Trey Parker and Matt Stone were interviewed by Eric Idle. That one was classic! This was lots of fun. Kimmel was also a huge fan of the series, and he kept trying to get someone - from J.J. Abrams to any member of the cast, to spill the beans about anything. But they wouldn't. They did tell funny stories about the Polar Bear in the first episode, about actors auditioning for different parts, and they also did their best to deflect any questions about the secret of the island. When Kimmel asked - repeatedly - if they actually had a plan or were making it up as they went along, the creators of the series explained that they knew up front what the island is, why these characters were chosen to crash there, who "The Others" is and many, many other vital parts, but they don't always know exactly how they'd get to those places.

I know exactly what they mean because when I wrote Tomb of Dracula or even The new Titans, I worked out my major story threads in advance, sometimes up to two years in advance, but I rarely knew the specifics of how I'd reach those moments. Fact is, you don't want to know everything or the job becomes boring because all you're doing is putting into words what you already did in outline. What you want is the points and explanations for everything you're going to do, so you know your direction, but you want to be free to move in and around the story, to keep surprising yourself, and therefore surprising your readers or watchers. The one thing they did say is that the secret isn't just one thing. It's a series of things. They felt that no matter what anyone does expectations are always higher than what can be delivered, so the secrets of the island are many and varied so don't keep trying to figure out one specific answer. There isn't any.

The cast is huge so not all of them had a chance to really talk. As if taking the lead from their characters, "Jack," "Kate" and "Sawyer" spoke the most. "Hurley" was next. And even that wasn't all that much. Mostly, it was the creators and producers talking and explaining how they put the show together. As good a job as he did, I do wish Kimmel had specifically asked each one of the actors to have spoken or explained how they saw their characters. I always love to hear from the creators - they are usually the most responsible for any show - but I would've liked to have heard a little more on how the actors perceive their roles. But that nitpicking aside, it was a great evening, and better yet, there was a party afterward.

I'm not positive, but I know the evening was also shown on both abc.com as well as emmys.tv and if that's the case you may be able to find it there so you could enjoy it as well.

Labels: My Lost Weekend