'Lost' with the Others! Plus, a Sneak Peek at Next Week's New 'Veronica' Episode!

Do you ever wonder if the characters on Lost have the same questions that we do, but are too afraid to ask them? I ask this because Jack, Sawyer and Locke finally had a chance to sit down with the apparent leader of the mysterious Others, and not one of them asked a vital question such as, who are you, why are you here, how long have you been here, why do you take children and terrorize the rest of us, or even what is this place! I know, I know, what fun would it be if all of our questions were answered, and the Others probably wouldn't have answered any of these questions anyway, but it never hurts to ask. When you think about it, the three (four with stowaway Kate) walked away with no new knowledge and about five fewer guns. We did learn that the Others are extremely territorial, and even went so far as to literally draw the line in the sand concerning where the survivors can and can't go on the island. Of course the big question is, where is Michael? It sounded like the Others captured him. It seems more plausible now that they were behind the whole mysterious IM from "Walt." Whatever the rest of the message said last week must have been a trap for Michael. I think it led him somewhere and the Others easily captured him. In Jack's flashback story, there was a telling clue according to TVGuide.com's Watercooler writer Angel Cohn, who paused the frame that contained the patient's X-ray. On the X-ray was the date November 16, 2005, as in the November 16th that we just passed! Couple this with the producers hint that they have never released any information that would indicate the current year for the survivors on the island, and you have to start wondering if this show tales place some time in the future. Hmmmm. One of the most interesting developments came at the end of the episode when Jack decided to talk to Ana-Lucia about training an army. It sounds like that whole Lord of the Flies allusion is coming into play. I can't imagine things going well for Jack and crew because "The Others" have such an advantage with their knowledge of the island and their numbers. I'm excited to see how it plays out, though.

I know you're missing our girl V as much as I am, but never fear, new episodes of Veronica Mars begin next week! In the meantime, I have some advanced pictures from next week's episode "Donut Run" featuring Lucy Lawless as an FBI Agent. In the episode, one of the characters commits a kidnapping and goes on the run. The FBI is called in to track said character down and locate the kidnapped child. Lawless' character is described as a "tough, seasoned agent." The episode was written and directed by series creator and executive producer Rob Thomas. Also, expect Kendall Casablancas (Charisma Carpenter) and Celeste Kane (Lisa Thornhill) to make appearances. I can' wait to check this one out!

Lawless' character is described as a "tough,
seasoned agent," and she looks it here! (Photo
courtesy UPN/Warner Bros. Not for use on
other sites/blogs)

Is Veronica sitting in an interrogation room? Lamb
doesn't look too pleased, that's for sure! (Photo courtesy
UPN/Warner Bros. Not for use on other sites/blogs)

About Last Night... Fox easily captured the first hour of the night with American Idol, followed by a tie between NBC's E-Ring and CBS comedies Still Standing and Yes, Dear. At 9, ABC took over with Lost, but it barely beat Fox's Skating with Celebrities that opened big thanks to Idol. CBS's Criminal Minds landed in third. The final hour of the night went to CBS's CSI: NY, followed by NBC's Law & Order and ABC's Invasion. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Chris learns the value of a dollar when he goes to work with his father on the return of UPN's Everybody Hates Chris. Over on ABC, the remaining eight teams compete in the jive and tango on Dancing with the Stars.

@9 p.m. - The team investigates the case of a man found dead in his girlfriend's garage after a wild party on CBS's CSI. Over on NBC, Giovanni Ribisi guest stars as Earl's friend who helped him steal a hot dog stand years before, and now the two work to cross it off the list. Fox's The O.C. welcomes back Marissa's younger sister Kaitlin (now played by Willa Holland) from boarding school just in time to wreak some havoc.

@10 p.m. - The FBI missing persons team searches for a therapist who was abducted from her office building's parking garage.


QUICK CUTS

*Chris Rock will get a little more hands on for an upcoming episode of UPN's Everybody Hates Chris, which is based on the actor's life growing up. The actor/comedian will direct an episode of the hit comedy. In the episode, Chris decides to take manners in his own hands when his parents refuse to let him switch to the neighborhood school. Actor Will Smith will also step behind the camera for an upcoming episode of UPN's All of Us, which is based on Smith's domestic life with actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Look for both episodes to air later this season on UPN.

*Staying with UPN, singer/actress Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child) will guest star in a three-episode arc of that network's Half & Half. She'll play an HIV positive record executive. The storyline supports the KNOW HIV/AIDS Initiative, which is a joint venture between CBS and Viacom, in partnership with the Kaiser Family Foundation. Williams' first episode airs Monday, February 13th on UPN.

*CBS is bringing back its reality competition Rock Star this summer. The network has not chosen which band will replace last summer's INXS in the search for a new singer. The show had a strong following last summer with its competition segments airing on CBS and the more Real World-type ones airing on sister station VH1. No return date has been set for the series.

*UPN's hit reality competition America's Next Top Model will premiere its new season March 8th. Thirteen new women will compete for a modeling contract. Prior to the sixth cycle's launch, UPN will air a special on where some of the past contestants and winners are now. The special, America's Next Top Model: Where the Girls Are airs Wednesday, March 1st, followed by the premiere of the sixth cycle on Wednesday, March 8th on UPN.

*And finally, it's Nielsen (Thursday)! Due to the three-day weekend, the weekly ratings were delayed, so Nielsen Wednesday is Nielsen Thursday this week. Anyway, CBS regained its dominance this week in total viewers. The eye network was led by AFC Divisional Playoffs (#1), CSI: Miami (#4), CSI (r #6), Two and a Half Men (tie #8), and NCIS (tie #8). Desperate Housewives (#2), Lost(#3), Grey's Anatomy (#5), Dancing with the Stars (#7), and 24 Special Preview(#10) rounded out the top 10. To see the entire top 20 shows, click on over to USA Today.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for CSI (a night of wild partying - isn't that every night in Vegas?) and Without a Trace (this has all the markings of an intense episode). Plus, all the latest television news!


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