Today's cuppa: Two cuppas of joe from the new Tassimo coffeemaker (following two, maybe three, during "Chuck" last night). Pretty wired!
Tomorrow night, ABC's "Lost" celebrates its 100th episode with some Sawyer-centric goodness. In honor of that, I talked to Sawyer himself, Josh Holloway, and producer Elizabeth Sarnoff for a syndicated feature story. Thanks to the Reading (Pa.) Eagle, you can click here for that.
As a bonus, here's my syndicated "Inside TV" column for that week, which features additional comments from Sarnoff, who wrote for one of my favorite shows, HBO's "Deadwood," plus pictures of the 100th episode cake, created by Baltimore's Charm City Cakes, featured on Food Network's "Ace of Cakes."
Enjoy.
'DEADWOOD,'
NOT DRIFTWOOD, ON 'LOST'...No TV show is created in a vacuum, and no TV show is
written in one. Those who create television have usually worked on other shows,
and often they bring lessons from one show to the next.
Before
she came to ABC's castaway drama "Lost" -- which celebrates its 100th episode
this Wednesday, April 29 -- co-executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff worked under
legendary writer/producer David Milch on the HBO drama "Deadwood."
You
might think there's very little in common between a show about plane-crash survivors coping with life,
death, time travel and the activities of the enigmatic Dharma Initiative on a
freaky Pacific island, and one about the denizens of a lawless town in Dakota's
Turns
out they have a lot in common, at least for a writer.
"What I
learned from working on 'Deadwood,'" Sarnoff says, "besides everything about
working on a show like that, was, in some ways, that when you have a huge 
cast
like that, you're able to go from story to story to story.
"There
were so many layers of storytelling on that show, and I think, on our show as
well. It just showed me how to use that kind of an enormous cast to your
advantage, rather than it being, 'My God, what am I going to do?'
"What
you learn is all the different options you have and all the ways you can
unravel storytelling. It can be complicated."
Sarnoff also learned that characters can change over time, and that the audience can also change what they think of characters over time.
In season three, "Lost"
introduced a character who was not one of the castaways. Elizabeth Mitchell
plays Juliet, a physician duped by the Dharma Initiative. She came between
castaways Jack (Matthew Fox) and Kate (Evangeline Lilly), and now, owing to
some time-travel machinations, is in a relationship with Kate's old squeeze,
reformed con man Sawyer (Josh Holloway).
"I
learned about what happens when you throw the two most unlikely people
together," Sarnoff says, "which in some ways, are Sawyer and Juliet. If you go
back to season three, there ain't no way those two are going to be shacking up,
but it seems the audience is rooting for them. It's awesome."
Juliet
has brought out the best in Sawyer, who has emerged as a leader. It's a
transformation Sarnoff has seen before.
"What a
show like 'Deadwood' can show you," she says, "is you can take a guy like
(saloon owner) Al Swearingen, who is, in the pilot of 'Deadwood,' unforgivingly
evil, unredemptive.
"By the
end of the series, you understand that he's basically bee protecting a
character like (the handicapped) Jewel her entire life. You can turn
characters.
"With no
one have we been more successful at that than with Sawyer, who, back in season
one, before I was even on the show, was a bit of a jerk -- lovable and so damn
handsome, but not a guy you thought was particularly nice.
"That's
what's fun. I think 'Deadwood's' the same, in that you often found yourself
rooting for people because we were able to take them on a journey. Deadwood was
a place that collected lost souls; I think the 'Lost' island is similar that
way."
And, as
a bonus for a female drama writer, "Lost" allows Sarnoff to have fun with the
women characters.
"You
want all your characters to be interesting on any show, but we have an
opportunity on this show, because we are outside of the boundaries of a real
society for the most part in our storytelling, to have them be a little bit
more radical in some ways.
"We've done a lot with Juliet this season. She's not in a lab looking at microscopes anymore; she's a gun-toting chick who's got Sawyer's back. I fell pretty secure when she has his back. That's awesome."
UPDATE: Just noticed this in my Food Network highlights for May, so tune in!
Ace of Cakes
"LOST in
The season finale of Ace of Cakes wraps up a special "Ace Goes Hollywood Week" featuring
Hollywood-themed encore episodes of Ace
of Cakes. When ABC's hiit series LOST needs a cake to celebrate its 100th episode, actor Jorge
Garcia (Hurley) calls the bakery to commission a unique cake creation. Duff and
his crew head out to visit the
Great article! Love all the stuff about Sawyer and Juliet (my favorite character!) and the evolution of the show and its characters.
Can't wait for the 100th ep! This season's going by so fast :(
Can't stand Sawyer with Juliet and I'm wondering what show Sarnoff is talking about. Wake up, lady! Juliet was toting guns from the first time we met her. She was NEVER looking through microscopes except in flashbacks. What garbage this article is. Juliet has been boring and weak this season, just whining about losing Sawyer. And poor Sawyer has been completely watered down into an unsexy wuss. This writer doesn't understand what made these characters great and now she's patting herself on the back for ruining them. The only thing I'm rooting for is for someone to put these two ruined characters out of their misery.
I agree with Jessie's comment. These two characters have been gutted and they no longer resemble what the once were, as that was great characters. I'd rather have back to the "bit of a jerk" Sawyer was then whatever he is now. Just terrible. And Juliet, please, great character that is nothing but wallpaper for Sawyer's boring story.
Sarnoff has always been the worst writer on this show. This article shows she not only doesn't understand the characters it doesn't even seem like she is watching her own show. How can she take credit for doing a lot with Juliet when she doesn't even seem to know how cool she used to be? And please her descriptions of Sawyer are pathetic. It's like she hated the guy and she's glad that he's been neutered by this dreadful thing he's trapped in with Juliet.
Sawyer and Juliet? WHATTT?
We want Sawyer and Kate. How much longer is it going to take?
I'm so glad tptb are aware that the audience is rooting for Sawyer and Juliet. It gives me some hope for them.
Me too, Donna! I really hope they keep them together! They are the best team!
How is the audience rooting for Sawyer and Juliet? No one I know has even registered them as a couple, since they didn't even show them. Is this woman talking about the shippers on the internet? She needs to get out more. Most people with normal intelligence realize we've never even seen them together. We got one stupid episode where Sawyer looked like he got brain sucked, and since then they haven't even had a scene. what a farce. And for this they turned both characters into nothing. What a waste. Please make it stop. Juliet is a robot and Sawyer has lost his edge. It's actually sad.
Sarnoff? Isn't this the writer who wrote most of Lost's WORST episodes? Why is she giving interviews? She loves Juliet so much so much she doesn't remember she always carried guns and that she used to be cool, before this bad writer turned her into a stepford. And it makes me cry to see what a mess she made of Sawyer. She turned the lion into a *****cat. It's like a crime. And she's BRAGGING about it? Wow.
Nice interview!
Love the line "I fell pretty secure when she has his back".
Sawyer and Juliet are perfect together!
So
I adore Juliet and Sawyer together. As mentioned in the article, she really does bring out the best in him - and I couldn't STAND him in the first couple seasons. I could barely even look at the screen during his scenes because he disgusted me that much. Kudos to the writers for bringing about such an amazing turnaround, thanks not only to the Juliet/Sawyer pairing, but also the way Sawyer's had the backs of people like Jin and Hurley - not to mention how much dorky, gl***es-wearing Sawyer appeals to me!
I really wonder what people who LUUUURVE Sawyer and Juliet could possibly love about them. Do none of these people notice that we have had about two minutes of these two together? And I must LMAO at those who were disgusted at Sawyer but lurve him now that he's a good little boy behaving like a cub scout. Let me guess- Jaters? LOL!!!!
Um, no, Franny, I'm not a Jater. Kate bores the pants off me, but nice try. Thanks for respecting my fannish opinion, which is just as valid as anyone else's, including yours.
I love Juliet and James as well. I think they both bring out the best in each other, and have made season 5 one of the best seasons. I wasn't much of a Sawyer fan before he found Julilet:)
BTW If you like Sawyer, you wouldnt root for him to be with Kate ug.
Hey skaters, go watch baywatch. There is so much more to say about Juliet&Sawyer than just the cage stuff!
Amazing article and interview!
I love Juliet and Sawyer! Juliet has always been my fav character on Lost!
And I have never been such a big fan of Sawyer like this season.
SO... PERFECT COUPLE, PERFECT LOVE STORY, AMAZING CHARACTERS!
GO SULIET!
I was waiting for such an article about Juliet! Thank you for creating such a female character so strong, positive, lovely, supporting like her. She's my fav character and I hope she will be till the end of the show.
You made my day ^______^
Juliet turned a child into a great man!
Juliet & James rock!
I love this couple, I love Juliet!
She's the best female character on tv!
Great job, writers and Elizabeth Mitchell!!!! :)))
Juliet has done what Kate is unable to do: to love someone else more than herself. Sawyer has never been so happy and he doesn't want to lose what he has. They're perfect together! Juliet made him a man! For the first time a sane, sweet and mature relationship!
It sounds like you're creating problems yourself by trying to solve this issue instead of looking at why their is a problem in the first place.