A Pod of Casts

If you don't follow any podcasts (and I admit to being new to the podcast game, spurred on by discovering both the Ricky Gervais and Kevin Smith podcasts just a few months ago), I want to heartily recommend a few to all Lost fans.

• Mo Ryan and Ryan McGee, of the Chicago Tribune and Zap2It, respectively, do the most enjoyable, least cynical and snarky Lost podcast around each and every week.  They talk about each episode the day after it airs while watching it on Hulu, but what they do is really more of an informal Lost discussion than a actual scene specific commentary, so you do not need to watch along with them.  I download it to my S9 every week (as I do with all of these podcasts) and listen while running errands.  These guys have a love of this show that comes through even when they point out the occasional bits of cheese that pop up (which they never excessively dwell upon), and they have always been enjoyable to listen to even when I totally disagree with them on something, such as the episode Ab Aeterno, or on parts of The Package.  And this podcast also wins the Norm Crosby Malapropism Award for the time Mo Ryan accidentally said, "In a buttshell..." while summing up her opinion about something as Ben found the bottom oriented porn mag in Sawyer's secret stash.
• Jorge Garcia, the man Hugo "Hurley" Reyes himself, does a great podcast each and every week, too. Jorge and his girlfriend, Beth, who was a passenger on the Ajira flight, record a podcast after getting and reading each new script, which they then bank and put up the day after the episode airs.  They also record a bit of wrap up after having watched the episode, comparing what was filmed and aired to what was in the original script.  They are spoiler free, but they often give out great bits of insight here and there, including interesting script notes and descriptions.  Occasionally they have guests with them, such as Michael Emerson for Dr. Linus and Nestor Carbonell for Ab Aeterno.  Oh, and these guys also always bring the funny along with the fun.  And, c'mon, how can you resist listening to Ben Linus doing a podcast?
• Then there are the official Lost podcasts, done by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, who apparently prefer DamCar to Darlton (or at least Damon does, because he feels short changed in the letter department by Darlton).  They often clear up misunderstandings (Claire's sonogram date was an accident by the prop department), occasionally comment on mythology, and then answer fan questions.  These are short podcasts, with very little in the way of Answers, as you might expect, but these guys could be a stand up comedy team.  They are highly entertaining and self deprecating.  It's well worth the 20 or so minutes each week.
• Alan Sepinwall (NJ.com) and Dan Fienberg (HitFix.com) also do a weekly podcast that usually touches on a variety of topics, but which always includes a segment on Lost each week.  These guys are interesting, but they are also occasionally very cynical about the show, and about television in general.  You can tell they like the show, but they often spend a lot of time on what they don't like   so much so sometimes that you might not be sure they actually do like the show.  But they are smart guys, and they bring something different to the table than does everyone else.  I rarely agree with them, and they rarely bring the funny, but they always have a different take on things, and so I listen every week.

With Lost being lost to us in just six more weeks, all the above are a nice bonus for me as I anticipate the withdrawal that is soon to come. I think you will find them to be so, too.  Check them out and thank me later.

By the way, everything in the Lost podcasts is safe for work and grandma, but the Kevin Smith Smodcasts linked here and above are extremely R-rated, and the Ricky Gervais podcasts are occasionally R-rated.  They are both also some of the funniest stuff you will ever listen to.  But fair warning for the faint of heart.

Long live Karl Pilkington!