Happy Friday everyone! As we deal with the sad fact that our beloved show is nearing what promises to be a memorable end, distract yourself for a few minutes with our LOSTBlog Interview: The 16 Questions We Ask Everybody. Today we're putting them to Orien, AKA 'The Big-O' of the CrankyFanatic podcast and designer of LOST themed iPhone apps LOST Answers and LOST Quotes. Read on to find out why he couldn't care less who Kate is sleeping with, how LOST helped him a job and why Jorge Garcia was sending his photos of newspapers...
Q: How long have you been watching Lost?
A: I started watching just before Season 2 started. I saw the pilot, was instantly hooked, and did a turbo watch of Season 1 before the second season started.
Q: How did Lost get its polar bear claws into you? What about it got you hooked?
Ultimately it was the story telling. They way they are so willing to have you asking more and more and more questions and NOT tell you the answers. As frustrating as that is in the short term, it has a way of not insulting my intelligence like other shows that spoon-feed you everything and have it all tightly wrapped up in less than 40 minutes.
Q: Favorite character?
A: Hurley, without a doubt. And that’s not just because I’ve interviewed Jorge Garcia.
Q: Least favorite character?
A: I love all the characters, even the minor ones, but I do get fed up with specific plot lines. For example, I couldn’t care less about who Kate is sleeping with. I have a tendency to throw things at my television when that comes up again. I tend to hate Kate-centric episodes, but it’s not because I don’t like Kate, it’s because I’m extremely done with love triangles and make-out sessions in cages full of polar bear scat.
Q: Favorite episode or season?
A: Favorite single episode is Lockdown. That blast door map just blew my mind.
Q: Least favorite episode or season?
A: Stranger in a Strange Land. Tattoos? Really? At that point we had no idea what the smoke monster is and we spend an entire episode in Phuket. Ridiculous.
Q: If you had to be one of the following, which would it be and why: an 815 survivor, an Other or a member of the Dharma Initiative?
A: Well saying “an Other” isn’t nearly specific enough, but I’d have to go with the Dharma Initiative. They had the most consistent supply of running water and toilet paper.
Q: Which character’s demise were you most upset to see happening?
A: Probably Libby. Not because I liked her, but because I wanted to see Hurley happy.
Q: Tell us a bit about your site/blog/podcast.
A: My podcast is at http://crankyfanatic.com and we do a live call-in show directly after every new episode of Lost for the east-coast US. There are a number of shows doing that now, but I was the first! Everyone is welcome. You can find the call-in instructions by clicking on the “join us live” link. I also do iPhone development, and I have two Lost related apps live in the store so far. My company site for my apps is at http://stickybuzz.com and you can check out my Lost Trivia app at http://bit.ly/lostanswers and my Lost Quotes app at http://bit.ly/lostquotes.
Q: What are you favorite online Lost communities, blogs, podcasts, etc.?
A: Lostpedia is a constant source of information for me. I’m on there all the time. Other podcasts besides my own that I consider “must listen” are Lost Flashbacks, Lost Revelations, The Blackrock, and Geronimo Jacks Beard.
Q: Tell us something interesting/scary/amusing/downright weird about how your time in the Lost fan-verse has changed your life.
A: The biggest moment for me was when I got to interview Jorge Garcia for the show. We talked via MySpace, and he agreed to do it. I was afraid of being punked, so I asked him “how do I know it’s really you?” and he sent me a picture of himself holding up a copy of that day’s Honolulu newspaper. We chatted for nearly an hour and it was an amazing experience. He’s super nice.
Q: You’re in an elevator with someone who has never seen as much as a second of Lost. You got on in the lobby and you’re both headed to the fifteeth floor. How do you convince them to buy and watch all the DVDs before the elevator gets there?
A: I’d ask them what their favorite TV show is and then tell them how Lost is like that. Also tossing in a bit about how watching them all on DVD will avoid all the frustration that people got from having to wait so long for answers.
Q: Has watching Lost sparked any creative inspiration in your life, i.e. writing, media, art, etc.?
A: Absolutely! Podcasting was new to me, and so was audio production, when all this started, but thanks to my podcast, I now have a mini-recording studio in my house. I’ve made several Lost-related skits and songs which I’ve played on my show over the years, and I also do a variety of professional audio work including voice-overs, radio ads, and podcast editing. I’m convinced that my new media experience is what landed me my current job.
Q: What are your hopes for Season 6 and based on what you’ve seen so far, how likely do you think it is they’ll be met?
A: I gave up hope a long time ago that they would answer ALL the questions that are still out there, so at this point, I’m just hoping for two things: 1) that the ending doesn’t suck, and 2) that the flash-sideways are explained and have an important purpose.
Q: How do you plan on combatting PLDS (Post Lost Distress Syndrome) or do you think we’re all destined to end up continuously re-watching our Lost: The Complete Series Ultimate Box Set for the rest of our lives?
A: I’m going to keep making Lost related iPhone apps, as well as converting my other ones into iPad format. I’ve got several more planned besides the ones I already have and I’m excited to keep Lost alive, even if just a little bit. I’ll later be taking the code I’ve written for the Lost apps and releasing them for other shows that I love too.
Q: What do you think will be Lost’s legacy?
A: There will be a number of shows that try (and fail) to imitate what they’ve done. Heroes and Flashforward are both examples of this. There will be more. But a more positive thing to see over time will be the careers of the actors from Lost. Many of them were lesser known before this show and there’s many years yet to come of great entertainment as we follow what they do.
Thanks so much from everyone at the LOSTBlog.com!
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Site/podcast: http://crankyfanatic.com and http://stickybuzz.com
Follow Orien on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bigo
Friend Orien on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/orien.colmer
