I've always liked Charlie, except of course when he hit rock bottom when he helped kidnap Sun. I never really understood why people didn't like him.

I feel that Desmond's pre-cog flash ability is no longer valid, since he didn't mention anything about Charlie dying by being shot by women. Unless he was lying.

My wife said she can't wait until next week's two hour finale; I responded by pointing out that she'll have to wait until next January for the inevitable cliff-hanger after the finale.

LOST has been really hitting on all cylinders over the last few weeks... and it's remarkable how moving an episode can be, given how invested we are even in the minor characters.

Re: Desmond's pre-cog ability: I think it's already been shown to be faulty, or at least not entirely accurate. Besides, it's quite possible that it's true... just that there's a few extra steps to Charlie's demise.

I wasn't surprised by the Idol vote because I've had the final 3 predicted in order since before the top 10. I predicted it will be Melinda 3rd, Blake 2nd, and Jordin 1st. Melinda is an excellent singer who sounds exactly like any number of excellent singers we've heard a million times. The contest isn't too see who the best singer is, it's to see who the most people want to to hear perform again.

So, here's a random question that may or may not prove to be relevant: is that submerged Dharma station technically on the Island? If not, the weirdities of the Island may not apply there.

2 - I always thought that Des' ability could be incomplete as opposed to inaccurate.

3 - Melinda's relative blandness was always a risk factor for her, but I can't understand how anyone could want to hear Blake perform ever, let alone again.

Did anyone else get a sort of "women's prison" vibe from the underwater station? Maybe Charlie is the first man they've seen in years ... it's Lost's take on a skinemax movie. No, I'm sure it's only me who gets that vibe.

2, 5 --- I think the pre-cog ability is broken now. Some decision was made that did it ... maybe Desmond trying to go in Charlie's place. Maybe it was Charlie actively embracing his death. Of course, I could easily be wrong.

Blake's a musical genius. His voice is mediocre at best, but he knows how to compensate for his limitations. I'm on the edge of my seat every performance wondering what he might do with a song. He's by far the best mover that's ever been on the show. Plus he made beatboxing cool, and if that's not a mark of genius I don't know what is.

7 You can be sarcastic. But you can't mix sincerity and insincerity like that. It's confusing. But I think you like Blake.

Melinda was the best singer. But she's already a professional singer. That's unfair. Plus she can't dance, and can barely walk.

But was it as good as when Merry tried to convince Treebeard to get involved in the war.

$100 says none of the finalists from American Idol will have any sort of success in the music business five years from now.

Beatboxing is neat and all, but there are others that do it much better and it's much more of a novelty than a commerically viable medium. Sparks and Doolittle are good singers and all, but neither seem to have any sort of charisma or looks to put them over the top.

10 I think Blake's musicality is his most underrated trait. If he was JUST the beatboxing guy it would be one thing, but his vocal percussion is just one element of his overall musical style which blends hip-hop, blue-eyed soul, and wishy-washy Britpop all into a moderately original individual vision. He understands his strengths and weaknesses better than anybody else in the field, and for that he has earned my respect. He is kind of short, though.

10 - I would be surprised if Blake didn't have a fairly sucessful career at this point. He is exactly the kind of artist who does well right now, and he is a good enough producer to actually put together a compelling hook. People act like all the big music stars are phenomenal singers, but for every Whitney or Mariah, there are five Britney, Justin, Gwen et al. Melina's utter lack of personality will not translate well to a star career, bet on it.

I don't get any sense that Blake understands his weaknesses. The beatboxing just seems juvenile to me, and all year long he has never seemed to know when he was doing too much of it. He is original but he's just so mediocre. I won't say he won't succeed - he's obviously somewhat popular - but I just think he's a mess, barely more than a gimmick.

Jordin has personality and still has room to grow - I'll take the bet on her.

I don't think Desmond's ability to see the future is broken at all. If you recall the only time we saw his vision, almost everything we see is in flashes and Desmond can only infer what they mean.

13 - I am surprised that you dislike him so much Jon. Beyond simply beatboxing, I felt his arrangements were the best all year long and he personally was responsible for them. All of these people are going to need a hit to stay in the public eye (see: Taylor Hicks) and I think Blake has the best shot at getting one because he seemingly can produce a hook himself.

Just look a craptacular band like Maroon 5 last night, they have no range and generally make trite, poppy music. They had a big hit a couple years ago and they just remake it four or five times on every album and they are rich beyond my wildest dreams. It doesn't take much.

15 - You said you're surprised I don't like him, but most of your ensuing comment was about popularity, which would have nothing to do with me not liking him. There are many popular singers I don't care for.

I don't care about his arrangements or that he can be as successful as Maroon 5 - his voice and approach just do nothing for me. The guy's got a voice like tissue paper, and he does nothing to make up for that that interests me.

I am not a big Charlie fan at all, and I have been looking foreward to his demise since the first time Desmond explained his abilities. However, last night's episode was a huge buzzkill. The flashbacks were pointless - they didn't explain anything about the character or the show (Charlie jumps in the pool!), they were improbable (that ring looks like a crackerjack ring, not a heirloom) and they finished predictably (meeting Claire had to be number one), and the reversals genuinely pissed me off (why didn't Charlie just explain to Desmond that he wanted to go? Instead he brains him and then leaves him in a boat, which sounds incredibly dangerous, instead of just talking it out). The ending was kind of cool, though it embraced anti-climax since he might not die after all.

Meanwhile, Jack as the actual leader is ten times more annoying than Jack as the de facto leader. Can we get back to the pit where Locke is already?

16 - I am surprised you don't like him so strongly. His voice is nothing special, but he doesn't seem all that annoying. I don't like Whitney or Mariah anyway (lets not even mention the hideousness of that Canadian lounge singer), so maybe I just don't really care if you can blow the roof off if you use that voice in service to terrible ballads and weepers. Melinda was a great singer, but she bored me.

17
You didn't even think that it was a bit remarkable that the woman Charlie rescued in the alley from the mugger was Sayid's girlfriend, Nadia?

So I believe Nadia has met both Locke (doing home inspection for her) and Charlie (in London.)

19 - I didn't even pick up on that until I read something about it at sepinwall.blogspot.com.

A Naomi backstory would be nice. She did uphold the Island tradition of being attractive while being stranded.

21 - I think it will come next season, but it will take a few episodes to get there. Traditionally they allow someone to really ingratiate themselves and give out a lot of information, only to do a backstory that completely contradicts everything and throws it all into a new light. I am guessing... she is an angel?

19. I knew she looked familiar. I'm so bad with remembering faces in real life, I actually kind of hate it when shows expect me to remember all of these character faces as well.

18 - Ultimately, it's to each his own. I'm not a big music buyer and no one from Idol is likely to change that. But in the pantheon of my likes - Springsteen, Sam Cooke, Dar Williams, etc. - the Blake-type singer has no place.

OT: So I guess it's official? The governor didn't call with a reprieve for Veronica Mars -- it's gone?

Rashida Jones' Fox comedy pilot, The Rules for Starting Over, got picked up - but for midseason.

I'd definitely bet on Jordin and Blake to have long careers. Melinda could make it if she sticks to the Tina Turner style. Chris Richardson is marketable in the boyband vein, but I wouldn't bet on 5 years.

Has Rashida Jones been seen near any marble staircases in New York City?

True Melinda doesn't have star power, but she has enough likeability to get her through. Anita Baker wasn't exactly charismatic, and that's the genre Melinda will work in, adult contemporary. She truly is a great vocalist. More than very good...but great. And if you listen to her talk, she's actually very cool, not just nicey-nice.

By no means does Blake beat box to an annoying degree. Unless you're old and it just sounds CRAZYYYYYY to you. When he does it, it's only for a few moments. He needs to be seen in a contemporary light, since this is now, and not 1966. It's a hip hop landscape and he does it well and convincingly. And he can sing a ballad ok too. I should hate him, and I don't.

After Jordin wins, the marketing guys will get her to lose that 50 pounds and she'll have a fighting chance. She has a dramatic way with a ballad.

29 - Oh, I'm definitely old. But he can't carry a ballad. His voice doesn't resonate.

30 You're right, he can't carry a real ballad, but he can do smooth songs surprisingly well.

25 - Well Rob Thomas, the creator and show runner, was trying to keep it together and he was maintaining that they had until Mid June to make a final decision. But Kristin Bell has signed on to be the unseen narator (what a waste!) of "Gossip Girl" and apparently all of the writers have left for greener pastures, so it is over. Supposedly he is going to be the show runner for something on CBS (ugh). RIP Veronica Mars, your Season One was a fragile and wonderful thing, good luck to everyone involved. Hopefully K.B. gets something where I can see because, yowza she is smoking hot.

Melinda deserved better.

Enjoyed Lost although I missed seeing Locke, hopefully he shows up next week, otherwise that would be a major disappointment. I thought Monaghan was great. Didn't catch that it was Nadia who Charlie saved (thanks Bob).

I would find it extremely difficult putting together a top 5 list of the "greatest hits" of my life in reverse order like Charlie did, especially considering how much time he reflected on each successive one. Definitely would have to just make a big list of things and then rank them. And I'd use a Sharpie for crosswords before I used one for a list like that. Very impressive.

29 50 pounds?!

17 - I kinda liked the Charlie flashbacks. The connection of water for #1-3 (and if you want to include being totally wasted/sloshed in #4 as a stretch...) says something, though I haven't really spent a lot of time thinking about it. If anything, it showed Charlie's fear or hesitation and the rewards to come if he just "dives in".

New post up top.

Was it just me or did it throw anyone else when Naomi asked "Are you havin' a laugh?" to Charlie? Is this a fairly common british phrase or is it some weird meta reference to Englands hit TV show "When the Whistle Blows"?