FREE 4TF Stickers Still Available!!!

UPDATE!!! 11.26.08
I am now completely out of stickers, but do plan to have more made. As soon as I have them I will make a new post. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!

Hello my LOST friends!

While I finish the 5 different posts I am currently working on, I figured I'd get your attention for a moment with one of everyone's favorite things - FREE STUFF!

I'm offering to mail out my 3x3 FourToedFoot.com stickers first offered as an exclusive Comic Con '08 giveaway, then extended to my wonderful family of mySpace friends, to all of my new readers here at 4TF as a THANK YOU for your wonderful support!



UPDATE!!!

I still have a small amount left so if you wish for me to send you one, please email me your address and I will add you to Jacob's List. (annanaranja@fourtoedfoot.com)

NOTE: You need not fear I do anything with your personal information except send you my swag. I run a business so you can hold me to that. :)

I will continue with weekly mailings until they are gone, so first come, first served...


Footsies!
a.N

Love the 4TF, Stalk the 4TF

That's right, Four Toed Foot is now all a-Twitter!

Twitter is a great way of keeping up with friends, other bloggers, and websites via instant updates that can be made online or ANYWHERE from your cellphone. If you haven't already joined up, you should because it's a blast!

And if you are feeling extra stalk-tacular, feel free to Follow Four Toed Foot on Twitter!

follow fourtoedfoot at http://twitter.com

The Long (Comic) Con

Ok ok, this has nothing to do with conning people...I just liked the catchy title and LOST reference. :)

But it DOES have to do with people in another way...

I'd just like to highlight some of the great folks whom I befriended and made connections with during my journeys at Comic Con, and who were kind enough to share a photo, or their web address, and have been keeping in touch so that we can continue to grow this awesome community!

Of course there were the folks I had already been friends with on mySpace for a few years...the ODI, Princess Gwen, Wendy, Ron the Spoiler Hunter, and the Rebel. This was the core crew I hung with pretty much the whole time when I wasn't running around on the exhibit floor.



There's Paul Burrows from Room 23, a really cool guy, great blogger, and amazing Illustrator. (read more about our meeting in this post...) He later invited me to also become an author there, and so I am now also a poster on the Room 23 blog! Very flattering, I must say. Everyone there has been extremely kind and receptive, and it's a true pleasure to be joining them.



Sisters Nikkie and Farrah did Team ODI a huge favor by securing our place in line for the Heroes and LOST panels starting at 1am, straight off the train!



Then, as if they had not done enough, Farrah, who had won a wristband for an autograph signing later in the day, offered it to me after realizing she would have to leave before it started. That little wristband is what got me in to get autographs from and meet SID AND MARTY KROFFT, two heroes from my childhood...and the rest of the cast from the new "Land of the Lost" film, sans Will Ferrell, of course. It doesn't matter though, because this was a total bonus, and getting to meet the Krofft brothers touched me. I WAS Dyna Girl!



Also joining us for the LOST panel were Aaiysha, Sir Lance-A-Lot, Bo (who asked the first question at the panel since we were next to the mic!), and even more folks wearing Team shirts and others around us that I didn't even get a chance to be introduced to!





Oh, and the orange hair totally did its job in helping people to find me! Amazingly enough, mySpace friend Anitra found me in a sea of maniacs in the MIDDLE of the EXHIBIT FLOOR of all places!! I heard this sudden voice say, "Anna???", turned around and there she was! That was so cool...there must have been a few thousand people around us at least!!!



At one point in the lobby, we found the guys from FEARnet. We called to them and they came over and shot a little piece on our swag collections. It was fun but I don't think they used any of the footage (they interviewed Gwen and I) because we really didn't have the "horror look" going on, nor was there a single piece of related swag in all the pounds of STUFF I was lugging about. Probably for the best since I was a babbling idiot anyway. ;)



On my last day in San Diego, as I was sitting down for a bite before heading to the airport, Team ODI friends Rachel and Aaron also found me and introduced themselves, as we had not had a chance to meet prior, but I had noticed the shirt. They were really sweet and I hope to see them next year as well!



As I sat down again to order, these two ladies sitting a few tables away called to me, "excuse me...we overheard you're from Comic Con and wondered if you wanted to come sit and have dinner with us?" I was so overwhelmed and flattered, and figured what the heck, and joined them! They didn't want to see me dine alone on my last night there, and like I mentioned, at Comic Con you can always find something in common with the other folks who go.

Noelle and Theresa were all the way from Texas and we sat and shared our days and events at the convention, and even more. They were so sweet and fun to talk to and get to know. Somehow in the fun of it all I neglected to get their photo, but again plan to keep in touch!

Even on the 5 minute shuttle-bus ride from the hotel to the airport I made a new friend, Shawn, big Dr. Who and Dr. Horrible fan and computer whiz. We were both taking flights out about a half-an-hour apart, and though we got separated after going through security, he later found me once more. As fate would have it, our gates were also right next to each other! So after talking for awhile Shawn offered to pass along his copy of Dr. Horrible for me to enjoy on the plane ride home. He was literally finishing the transfer of the files to my mini-drive in a rush as my plane was being boarded. It was so classic computer-nerd scenario, we laughed at the irony ourselves!

Here's the best part - I am still making new friends!

Stuart from mySpace became a celebrity when he got up to ask a question at the LOST panel as the spittin' image if Jorge Garcia's Hurley! I for one could not stop laughing. After his question, Carlton awarded him with his own jar of Dharma Ranch dressing! Too hysterical! I asked him about it and he said it still has the Island sand stuck to the tape, and that he will probably encase the entire thing in glass. (I would do the same thing!)





Recently, I found myself using the Twitter service, where I found Jo, otherwise known as JOpinionated. I had noticed her on the ODI's video of waiting in line, but we were never introduced and I am not a very good schmoozer. So after checking out her blog and discovering she is a huge X-phile and Abrams-phile, I knew that I had to know her. We have very similar tastes and like to delve into the deeper theories of LOST. I even found out after reviewing my photos from the LOST panel that she was sitting only a few rows behind me. Too funny!

I plan on entering the logo contest she is running now, and hope that we can collaborate at some future point, especially with the new show FRINGE coming out!




Overall EVERYTHING about the experience at Comic Con was amazing. And meeting such great people makes me feel like I am able to extend the fun.

Thank you everyone for your love, laughter, and support!
Anna

Special thanks to Gwen for some of the group photos and Jo for her new stylin' promo pic!!!

Room 23 is Actually not Such a Bad Place After All

However, I am not referring to THE Room 23, that nightmarish, brainwashing disco-of-an-ode to Clockwork Orange's Ludovico technique in season 3 of LOST.

I am actually referring to Room 23 the Blog, moderated by Paul Burrows whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the E.W. Showrunners panel at Comic Con.



Right before the panel I had become separated from the rest of the crew, who ended up in the next section over, so I had to become one of those jerks who squeezed in as close as I could get where I could find a single seat.

If I were to take the Locke Approach, I would be inclined find this happening to be for a reason...that it was fate that I ended up sitting next to a very friendly gentleman I would quickly learn was a fellow LOST blogger and Artist. Specifically, Paul does these wonderful illustrations, and I am of course especially fond of his LOST characters.




He is also a fellow freelancer, and as luck would have it I am building an arsenal for my web business, Image ICU, of other creatives so that I can provide for my clients anything they need no matter what the media is. After keeping in touch and talking with Paul some more, I have found that he is someone whom I wish to add to my little "collective" and hope to be collaborating on a project in the very near future!

Last but not least, he invited me to become a part of Room 23!!! I am still very flattered and overwhelmed by the positive response I have received so far from all of the other posters. It's a pleasure to be able to share my ideas with even more fans, and even better to meet more new friends!

You can read about Paul's experience of the day here. He also was kind enough to make a feature post about 4TF!

So thank you to all of the folks at Room 23, and especially to Paul...I look forward to working and collaborating more with you all down the road!

a.N

New Dharma Video - First Thoughts

**SPOILERS**

NOTE: Due to the nature of the new video, along with other information revealed at Comic Con, the following does contain some mild-to-medium SPOILERS.

Way back in my very first article for "The Constant", I entertained the idea of some existing history between Daniel Faraday and the Dharma Initiative / Hanso Foundation. I figured if anyone would be interested in his groundbreaking research, the Dharma Initiative would be. Also, if you remember he lived with a caretaker, but we never learned exactly why. Some people guessed it had to do with his memory issues and that perhaps his mind had been completely fried from the experiments he was doing with conscious time-travel. But then there was that odd incident where he cried during footage of the "crashed" flight 815 on the ocean floor, and something told me he wasn't being cared for as much as he was being watched over.

Next, a great clue was given to us in the finale "There's No Place Like Home" revolving around Charlotte Lewis. We already knew of her familiarity with the Dharma Initiative through her encounter with the polar bear skeleton in Tunisia. But her story seems to only get deeper.

When she first landed from the helicopter, she hung upside-down over a small lake. After cutting herself free she plunged into the water and emerged with a giddiness that I instantly assumed was familiarity with her surroundings. Some people have told me I am reading too much into this, and that she was just happy to finally be loose from the tree. But I believe there is another layer to be uncovered here. In fact, the entire scene can be interpreted as a rebirth of sorts. I went into this in more detail in my article "Shine on You Crazy Island."

Later in the finale, Miles Straume cleverly hints to Charlotte that it might not be her first visit there. When she then asks Daniel, “Would it make any sense if I told you I was still looking for where I was born?”, it would seem only too obvious now that she does indeed have origins on the Island.

So at this point it would be natural to assume that both Daniel Faraday and Charlotte Staples Lewis both have some connection to the Island that we have yet to see completely revealed.

But now, what about Miles?

I've been wondering a lot of things about our "ghost-whisperer", especially after the brief exchange he had with Michael before boarding the Kahana in "Meet Kevin Johnson". It was hinted at that Miles can not only somehow commune with the dead, or send his consciousness through time, or hear events on the Island "played back" like a recording, but that he is also flat-out psychic. He even seemed to know something about Charlotte that she did not seem to know (or remember) herself. The first thing that came to mind once again was the Dharma Initiative and their research into paranormal and telepathic abilities. I speculated on a few forums that Mr. Straume was perhaps a product of Dharma...perhaps even one of the young minds that they shaped at some point or in some incarnation off the Island.

I also wondered why he was so perfectly calm and content with staying on the Island even after Dan's repeated warnings. It seemed to me it was as if he knew it was his place to go wherever the Island goes; as if he had Work to Do.

Enter the new Dharma video..."secretly" obtained from the Octagon Global Recruiting Booth at Comic Con.

Our favorite lab-coated scientist with various names from the various Orientation films finally reveals his real name, Pierre Cheng, and mentions that we should be seeing this message roughly 30 years in the future!

Here's the transcript of the video from Lostpedia:

Dr. Cheng: Hello. My name is Dr. Marvin Candle and I....you know what? Forget it. No point in games anymore, right? If you’re watching this now, you already know that my name is, my real name is Pierre Chang and I...

(baby cries off screen and Cheng looks over. He gets up from the couch)

Dr. Cheng: Jennifer! Just take him outside, please! I’ve got one chance at this.

(Chang sits back down.) [static]

Dr. Cheng: ...professor of theoretical astro-physics from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I was brought to this... [static] godforsaken island years ago to conduct experiments to study the Kerr metric solution to the Einstein field equation and... [static] If I can hold this pinhole open long enough, you should be receiving my message roughly thirty years [static] If you’re... [static] The American president is a man named George W. Bush and you share digital information instantaneously on something called "Internet". And, unfortunately, my colleagues and I are all dead and if [static], of a violent purge, one that we are apparently powerless to escape.

(Chang looks down sadly at his left arm, which looks normal, and grasps it with his right hand.)

Dr. Cheng: [static] This information comes to me from a source that has proven himself to be credible.

Other man 1: None of that matters. It doesn’t matter. Just get to it, please! [static]

Dr. Cheng: Because, if this transmission is successful, it’s proof the work I’ve been doing here is valid. This place, it has extraordinary properties. I’m begging you, no matter what’s happened, it’s imperative that the DHARMA Initiative be reconstituted. You have to continue to research [static] and you have to do it now. Time is not just of the essence, it is the essence. Perhaps you’ll be able to find a way to save us, to change the past and to [static] (something) You can’t let it....

Other man 2: This is useless! Alright? It’s just useless. They’ll never gonna see this. How do I turn this off?

Dr. Cheng: No, no! W-w-what are you doing?

Other man 2: How do you turn it off?

Dr. Cheng: No! What are you doing? [static]

Now, if you watch the version now offered on ABC.com, you might be able to recognize the two voices, "Other man 1" and "Other man 2", in the background of the video arguing with Dr. Cheng. Maybe I am just hearing things, but it sure sounds like the two men are Daniel Faraday and Miles Straume!

Here comes the crazy (a warning just in case some of you didn't already know I like to go a little "out there" with my ideas...)...

The Island was moved, and I think it's going to pop back up about 30 years ago to the time when the Dharma Initiative was active there, or even right around the time it was first discovered.

I know, I know, there are paradoxes to consider, and the producers have already vehemently stated that they are "anti-paradox". For instance, what would happen to the people who are on the Island in both times, such as Richard Alpert and the Others? To be honest I haven't quite figured that out yet, but I'm working on it.

However, there are definite reasons why I have come to this conclusion, besides the video from Dr. Cheng and the voices that sound like Miles and Daniel in the background.

1) Damon and Carlton said (I need to check the source but I think it was a podcast...) that season 5 will feature a lot more of the Dharma Initiative and their story.

2) At Comic Con we were told they don’t like to use the term "flashback" anymore...that they won’t be using that same device, but instead have a new way of telling the tale.

3) We were also told we would learn more about Richard Alpert in the "very near future" and Damon added "and that’s pun intended...the very near future..."

4) We were also told we will still get to see Danielle Rousseau's story...and that we will see her again in season 5.

5) I noticed Damon and Carlton were very specific not to say Rousseau's "backstory". So my question is this: How else are they going to tell this history of the Island without "flashbacks" without bringing the entire Island itself back in time?

6) Dr. Cheng says, "This information comes to me from a source that has proven himself to be credible", right after looking down at his left arm as if he is not looking forward to losing it. I am really starting to believe that Cheng learns of the Purge from whoever on the Island traveled back with it when Ben last turned the Frozen Donkey Wheel.

You know, people like Charlotte, Dan, and Miles. I think we are going to eventually see that video being made from the makers’ point of view, possibly even in this next season.


And one last dribble of crazy: I do think the baby crying in the background, the one Dr.Cheng asks to be taken outside, is also Miles Straume.

Is it possible that, if the Island did indeed travel back to the time he was still a baby, that this might also have something to do with his abilities to commune with the Island, and why he might also be perceived as being psychic?

I cannot wait to find out!!

a.N


*I write about LOST because I love the challenge of deciphering the clues and adding the pieces together. My thoughts are based solely on the show, the LOST Experience, and random research, as I try to avoid spoilers, promos, and even future episode titles. I love to guess what is going on, but I also like to do so in a way that leaves some of the conclusions still up to you. I do not know the answers and am often wrong. Whatever the truth turns out to be, it has been the journey that has meant the most to me.*

FRINGE Panel - Comic Con '08

Here's is the long-awaited video from the FRINGE panel with cast and crew. I was blessed with 3rd row seats, but had to shoot around the big fuzzy head in front of me. And then I ran out of batteries. This is the raw, unedited footage, with about 5 minutes or so missing from the end of the panel.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7

Comic Con '08 - Heroes Panel Photos

Hey All!

Here are some photos from the EXCELLENT Heroes panel, where the ENTIRE CAST showed up and they premiered the first episode of the new season!

4TF on the Floor - Comic Con '08

The Exhibit Hall Floor at Comic Con is a true zoo not for the faint at heart. Some of the info and experiences I've shared have already turned away some would-be conventioners. Also keep in mind that I typically try to avoid large crowds, and get a bit claustrophobic if stuck in them for too long. I've always been more into the small clubs over the stadium shows. And Comic Con is like the Mother of all stadium shows.

I knew from doing some research and talking to veterans that if i wanted to see the exhibit floor in all its glory, the earlier the better. As soon as the doors open thousands file in and begin the mad dash for swag. Swag or schwag = free stuff, usually in the form of postcards, magnets, buttons, posters, and other random doo-dads of a promotional nature handed out by the various companies and studios all competing for your already scrambled attention-span.

So I decided I would make an attempt at getting some of the goods and figuring on lines, arrived at around 8am, an hour and a half prior to the time that doors open. One of the funniest things I learned about Comic Con is the way that people are moved and lines are formed defies all logic.


Friday morning exhibit hall line

For example, to get in line for the exhibit hall that morning, I had to go IN through the building, go UP the escalator, walk 3/4 of the way AROUND the hall, and then back OUTSIDE onto a huge balcony. I often found the line for whatever room I wished to be in was started about 5 miles away from said room. Ok, ok, I exaggerate, but if you've experienced this madness you understand where I'm coming from.


Saturday afternoon line for Hall H

However, for the most part, everyone was incredibly friendly. In fact I need to do a separate post just highlighting some of the great people I met. No matter what line you were in, there was always something you could find in common with the person behind you. I mean come on, it's a big nerd convention! Comic book fans. Gamers. Sci-fi computer geeks. As Patton Oswalt addressed us at the Sarah Silverman panel, "Look at all the pasty shut-ins!"

Ah...my people!

This is why I did not mind the crowds, the bottlenecks of bodies packed into certain high-traffic spots, nor the occasionally rude person or staff. Maybe I'm twisted, but it was really fun.


Exhibit floor in the morning, when there is still space between people!

So what did I get? Well, my prize was 3 of the 4 Star Trek posters Paramount had unveiled. When you put them all together it forms the complete poster and insignia. I am a big-time Trekkie (yay Dad!) and even met George Takei at a convention a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. There was a notable absence of Trek at Comic Con, and only a slight mention of it to J.J. Abrams at the FRINGE panel. I thought this was a bit odd, since all over town the lamp posts had huge Comic Con / Star Trek signs on them.


New Star Trek poster when completed with all 4 panels

Soooo...does anyone have a copy of the Nero panel? Upper left...grey colored...
I tried very hard to get one, so if anyone has a tip on how I can still find a copy, please contact me!!!

Of course, the costumes and exhibit displays are also a huge part of the experience. As a graphic designer, I am always in awe of large-scale presentations, as I have only had minimal time working on trade shows. Here are a few photos of my favorites...enjoy!

Indy toys


Indy?


Sideshow Collectibles had a brilliant display


Sideshow's display booth


Not much can outdo this Ironman replica!


...except maybe CASTLE GREYSKULL!!!


I am digging He-Man's new viking look


Some blurry, yet X-cellent X-Men


The Clone Wars was a big deal this year


...but I'd rather take a Sand-Person any day (they are like the rednecks of Star Wars)...


...or a Super Trooper...


...or even a finely-dressed Jedi mannequin


Terminator gets my best-costume vote!


(By the way, they finally caught that Cloverfield monster...)

True Fans - Waiting in Line for the Heroes and LOST Panels

I just wanted to show all of you what some people were willing to do in order to get the best seats for their favorite shows' panels.

This is a panorama stitched together of the line for Hall H, with the first panel being for Heroes and the second for LOST. Some people had begun lining up around 1-2AM (thanks NIKKIE!!) and were still sleeping in their various blankets and chairs at 5:30am when I arrived to meet the crew.



Again, this was at 5:30AM and the line had already doubled back like a snake. It would only continue to grow, and then we were shifted across the field and were blessed with a nice spot under the canopy.



Like I said, all of the socializing and schmoozing made the time fly. It was more like a VERY early morning LOST party!

Once inside the Hall, it became a total ocean of fans, rushing to get a good seat amongst calls of "no running" that gave me sudden flashbacks of grade school. 6500 Heroes and LOST maniacs jammed themselves together, cameras flashing, phones texting, laptops engaged, email addresses and cards being traded...again it became more of a party atmosphere than any concert or event I've ever been to.





Here's our little crew with a nice spot on the left next to the Q&A microphone. LOVE all the Team ODI shirts!!!





Oh and look! There's The ODI filming it all. In fact, he made a great little video of the experience so if you haven't checked it out yet, definitely do!