It was a late night for “LOST” at Sacred Heart Academy in Kaimuki. “LOST” spotter Joel posted a couple of photos and sent Hawaii Blog this report from the scene:
“They had a massive set of lights set up and Ben, Desmond and a woman were in the scene (I think it may have been Sun as she had long, straight, dark hair). I did get a chance to stand around and watch them film the scene. The woman and Ben were talking when Desmond came from the right of the scene. In a loud voice, he said, ‘What are you doing here?!’”
The woman does indeed look like Sun, and the scene does seem to fit in with the overall “rounding up the Oceanic 6″ theme of the past several location shoots. But it’s interesting that they’re connecting with Desmond, who we last saw (filming wise) in the Philippines.
Sacred Hearts and its Romanesque architecture could be standing in for any number of far-flung locations, but I’d guess not Southeast Asia.
SPOILER ALERT! The Waikiki Yacht Club was transformed into the “Long Beach Harbor Club” for evening shoots last night and tonight. Cranes and production trucks were parked nearby, as well as three notable vehicles: the blue Canton-Rainier Carpet Cleaning van, Kate’s silver Volvo, and a silver Jaguar S-Class. My friend Doug, who knows cars better than I do, says it looks like the 2008 model.
A yacht club member — who was fortunately an avid fan — said last night’s shoot involved Evangeline Lilly, Yunjin Kim, and a young boy playing Aaron. She said she was back tonight because the roster would be even larger. In addition to Kate and Sun, Sayid (Naveen Andrews), Ben (Michael Emerson) and Jack (Matthew Fox) were due on set. It looks like this scene follows the one filmed yesterday in Kalihi.
I think it’s a safe bet the shiny new Jaguar is Sun’s ride.
When I’m not blogging, I’m browsing. Here are sites and pages that I bookmarked on October 3rd:
Airport ‘X-ray art’ courts TSA trouble: Take a metal plate, stencil and cut out a message — words or an image — place the plate at the bottom of your carry-on bag, and watch what happens as the TSA employee operating the airport X-ray machine notices … or doesn't notice.
Twitter Tweeters // Current: In today's over-blogged, hyper-texted, socially networked world, Twitter has once again revolutionized the way young people define their community. In this video, we meet a superuser who tweets incessantly to hundreds of loyal followers, a father of 2 who tweets as a buxom blonde…
50 Reasons to Date a Geek: Geeks make excellent boyfriends, girlfriends, and spouses. Although many of these are generalizations, we’ve found 50 reasons why geeks have a lot to offer the dating world.
“LOST” rolled up to Hawaii Medical Center East, a.k.a. St. Francis, in Kalihi (just up the street from Hoffs Drawler and Simon’s Butcher Shop) today. Parked in front, Jack’s Ford Bronco, a blue cargo van with “Canton-Rainier Carpet Cleaning” emblazoned on the side, and a Los Angeles Paramedics ambulance.
Matthew Fox, Naveen Andrews, and Michael Emerson are on the scene. Jack is on the phone as action is called. He learns that someone, or something, is somewhere else, and they need to get there “right now.” Jack jumps into his truck, but Sayid and Ben hang back a moment to have an intense conversation.
At one point, to adjust for a dip in the grass, Naveen Andrews stands on some sandbags to meet Michael Emerson eye to eye.
Eventually, Sayid takes the wheel of the blue van, and Ben climbs into the passenger seat. They drive off.
Hawaii’s third Apple Store opened this morning in Waikiki, overlooking Kalakaua Avenue from the Royal Hawaiian Center. I was, in fact, second on the scene at 3 a.m., showing up an hour after web cartoonist Sophie Lynette. (I wasn’t planning on being there so early, but was already up after watching “LOST” film past midnight in Kaneohe). The contractors that build the store were still putting the finishing touches on the store’s immense facade, featuring Apple’s typical glass and metal accents on a massive wall of cut lava rock.
We talked to Chuck, one of the metal specialists, who said they had been working for the last 24 hours straight. His company actually does nothing but build Apple Stores around the country, and he said he only had a day in Hawaii before heading off to either Southern California or Georgia for the next build.
Soon all the pieces were in place, and the sidewalk was cleared, and the line formed in earnest. Third in line was Mark, a Punahou grad and civil engineer. It would be 5 a.m. before the fourth person arrived. And even at 7 a.m., there were at best twenty people on hand. It was a sparse turnout overall, perhaps because of Waikiki’s limited parking, perhaps because of “Apple Store opening fatigue,” or perhaps because of the sagging economy. At its longest, I’d say there were at most 400 people in line.
With 1,000 collectors T-shirts (emblazoned with the Apple logo and “Royal Hawaiian”), nobody went home empty handed. Mark managed to go through the line four times for four shirts, and basically stopped because he was running out of room in his backpack. Sophie and I followed him on one of his circuits to get a second shirt ourselves. Hey, we were there at 3 a.m.!
The store is definitely the largest in Honolulu, though not as large as I’d expected. Bigger than the Kahala location by maybe 30 or 40 percent, but only one floor (despite the height of the external facade). And with the Ala Moana store within walking distance, ifoAppleStore says Honolulu is now in second place when it comes to “most stores per square mile.”
It was fun to celebrate the store’s opening and see many familiar faces… both on staff, and in the crowd. Enjoy the video, and check out my photos of the grand opening festivities on Flickr.
SPOILER ALERT! When the sun goes down on Friday, most people rejoice at the end of the work week. Today, however, sunset meant things were just getting started for the “LOST” production crew. They commandeered the swimming pool at Kaneohe District Park, converting it into a film-studio-grade water tank. The floor of the pool was blacked out, black canvas was hung around the perimiter, and they also put up giant fans, crane-mounted lights, and huge rain rigs and pumps. (More setup photos here.) Filming continued all through the night.
At least two scenes were filmed, both in stormy seas. The first involved a canoe, and it was an all-star crew: Josh Holloway, Elizabeth Mitchell, Ken Leung, Rebecca Mader, and Jeremy Davies. And at the helm? I’m pretty sure it was Terry O’Quinn. They were rocked by waves, drenched by rain, blasted by wind, and blinded by lightning. Sawyer calls for them to go back. But then they see or hear something, and begin paddling toward it.
The second scene involved a large red and black rescue raft. Similar to, but larger than, the raft that carried the Oceanic 6. And unlike with the canoe, none of the raft’s handful of passengers were recognizable. The rain and waves are cued again. Over the din of the equipment, the men and women argue… in French. Suddenly, one of them spots something in the distance. One man pulls out a flashlight, and two other men pull out paddles and start heading toward it.
Two floating, soaking wet groups of people, both buffeted by stormy seas, and both suddenly compelled to seek something in the water. Each other? Or something else?
There is, in fact, one last object floating in the sea (or pool, as it were). A large, thick, wooden door, splintered at the top, a long handle jutting out of the water. And on it, a man lay motionless.
Special thanks to Anthony and Kevin for their reports and to P. for the video.
When I’m not blogging, I’m browsing. Here are sites and pages that I bookmarked on September 23rd:
The Animated Life: New York Times opinion blog… via animation. Jeff Scher is a painter who makes experimental films and an experimental filmmaker who paints.
2008 Republican Platform: We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself.
Metallica album sounds better on Guitar Hero videogame: While any album can just have its volume turned up on your stereo, records like Death Magnetic have their audio compressed, making them inherently louder at the expense of dynamic range and sound quality.
Google Audio Indexing: Google Audio Indexing is a new technology from Google that allows users to better search and watch videos from various YouTube channels. It uses speech technology to find spoken words inside videos and lets the user jump to the right portion of the video where these words are spoken.
SPOILER ALERT! It’s been a busy few days for the “LOST” crew. This morning, they turned up in the heart of downtown Honolulu, taking over Alakea Street near South King St. — an immensely busy intersection. On the scene were Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly, and their respective cars (the classic Ford Bronco and the stylish silver Volvo).
Jack gets out of his truck and crosses the street to Kate, sitting in her car. He kneels at her window, and they have a long conversation. Suddenly, Jack rises to his feet, and after a few more words, darts around the front of her car and jumps in the passenger seat. The pair then speed away.
Later in the day they moved everything up the street, and up 16 floors, inside 1100 Alakea Plaza. No clue what was filmed behind closed doors, but at least one tenant thinks they saw Michael Emerson.
More photos from this shoot here, and a video here. Special thanks to Brian, Kelly, and Howard for their tips!
Yesterday, “LOST” was running two units at disparate location shoots.
First, they took over the Pacific Marina Inn off Lagoon Drive, right in the flight path of Honolulu International Airport.
It was a rainy morning, but they brought their rain trucks anyway, allowing them to conjure a downpour on cue. It was another Jack and Kate scene, but mum’s the word on what happens at this motel… or where the motel’s located.
Meanwhile, on Queen Street, they filmed at the Honolulu Brewing and Malting Company building.
This distinctive, historic red brick building previously hosted “LOST” as the loft Charlie shared with his brother Liam, but I’m pretty sure the structure was playing another time and place. A green screen was set up on the sidewalk fronting the building, which means the scene could’ve been anywhere. My guess? London.
There’s only one thing better than getting into several island museums for the price of one: when the price of admission is free. This Saturday, Sept. 27 brings “Museum Day,” sponsored by Smithsonian magazine. That means free admission at ten participating museums in Hawaii (and dozens of museums across the country).
Another day, another “Twitter exclusive.” Local comedian and talk show host Andy Bumatai has announced that his show, “NightTime with Andy Bumatai,” will be put on hiatus until next year, and will be filmed in yet another new location and have a different format.
“I’ve decided to put my show, NightTime, on hold until January,” Bumatai announced on Twitter. “‘Access Hollywood’ will take my slot until I come back.” Rather than the wide-open studio setup reminiscent of “The Tonight Show,” he also said that he will “change the format to more of a Larry King Live type thing.”
