A powerful pocket of energy attracted thousands of visitors to Oahu last weekend.

In essence, the large tribe of fans dubbed Losties came home to the place their favorite TV drama is filmed, and to celebrate the cast and crew at an event so large that even those honored were taken aback by the attention.

While obsessive fans were able to get an advance peek of the first half of tonight's two-hour premiere on ABC (see review, Page 32) Saturday night at Waikiki Beach, a special group of Losties was able to extend their visit with an aloha dinner Friday night and an extended tour of Oahu show locations Sunday.

All of this was spearheaded by Ryan and Jen Ozawa, ueber-fans who host a popular podcast called “;The Transmission”; which attracts listeners from all over the world, some of whom flew in for the advance screening that kicked off the show's last season.

At Friday's dinner, Ryan and Jen received enthusiastic applause for their efforts. About a hundred gathered poolside at the Park Shore Waikiki across the street from the Sunset on the Beach viewing. Coordinator Sakara Blackwell had arranged a Hawaiian dinner buffet and entertainment by dancers from Ia Ora o Tahiti Nui.

Jimmy Goose and his wife traveled from Long Island, N.Y., to attend.

“;When I saw the tour package being offered online, I knew it would be the last opportunity to experience 'Lost' on the big screen. I've followed the show religiously for five years,”; Jimmy said. “;I've already watched all five seasons on DVD three times over. I figured if there was anything I'd put my money down on, it would be this show.”;

Other fans flew in from Germany, Norway, Turkey and New Zealand.

Then there were locals like Jean Simon of Palolo and Pat Bentley of Kapolei, who have appeared as extras on every season of “;Lost.”; “;What I love about the show is that, one, it's well organized, two, it's shot like a movie, and three, there's great attention to detail,”; said Simon.

“;Over the years, I've worked on a lot of shows that have filmed here, and 'Lost' is a cut above. Even though my face may either end up on the cutting room floor or I won't be visible in the background, it was still worth it,”; Simon said.

The day after the screening, Bentley talked about the days' events over lunch at Kualoa Ranch during the tour.

“;It's been fun to able to connect with all of the fans on the tour, but I must admit, I was a bit bewildered by what I saw on screen last night, what with all these people dying and coming back to life.

“;It was fun to watch how other people reacted to seeing (the stars) in person.

“;But I think the show has gone on maybe one season too long. It could've been shorter to make the intricate story a little more palatable. I admit I lost interest in the show by season four; I couldn't follow the story at all. But now I'm very, very curious to see how everything will pan out,”; Bentley said.

THE INTERNET, combined with a multinational cast, helped increase interest in “;Lost”; worldwide.

Rina Kapuya of Istanbul, Turkey, left snowstorms behind to enjoy her sunny “;Lost”; vacation. Since the show's second season, she's followed fans on Facebook and Twitter, and listened to the Ozawas' podcast.

“;I'm kind of a TV geek, and this time around, I knew it could be possible to fly out here and experience my favorite show. Even though I've felt part of the whole 'Lost' experience, I knew I would connect more with the show and the fans once I was here.

“;Like several other fans in the tour group, I have no expectations on how the show will end. I don't like to theorize. I just want to enjoy the ride. I think (co-creators and writers) Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are geniuses, and I'll be happy with whatever they come up.”;

Mary Jane Carpenter, from Wisconsin, multitasked at Saturday's event, positioning herself near the limousine drop-off point at the red-carpet entrance, holding a camera and iPhone, to broadcast live video via Ustream.

“;I admit the video wasn't all that great because I was squeezing my iPhone so hard that I could feel my blood pulsing in my fingers. But it was an extraordinary feeling to see the cast so close up, and they were all so nice to the fans at the railing.”;

South Florida blogger Karen Mauro received the tour as a Christmas gift from her husband and was gushing about the experience to the very end of her stay.

“;The intrigue just gets deeper with each episode; I feel I'm a detective. I've been flummoxed at times, but I enjoy the mythology of the show because there's so many layers to it.

“;It's been great to be part of what 'Lost' is all about and to experience the magic of this island we traveled to, to know it's not just fantasy, but the entirety and essence of the show,”; Mauro said.