PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC The cast of "Lost," above, has gathered such a die-hard following that fans have waited for hours to get photographs and autographs or even just to catch a glimpse of the hit show's stars.

'Lost' Love

Isle fans have embraced the locally shot, Emmy-winning drama which adds a dash of surrealism to fast action and flashbacks

"How the heck do you explain a shark with a tattoo on it? You can't drug a shark and put a tattoo on it -- they have to keep moving, they're sharks! So, what does that leave? Is it a dolphin? Is it mechanical? Is it all a dream? Discuss."

Beginning today through year's end, the Star-Bulletin will recognize 10 who changed Hawaii this year. Some were controversial, others shunned the spotlight. But all made a difference.

The subject was a split-second moment on ABC's made-in-Hawaii drama "Lost," showing a shark fin bearing a mark that has deep meaning within the plot line. The exact significance is too convoluted to get into here, and most of the viewing world missed the moment altogether, but the extreme attention it attracted proves the impact this twisty-turny series has had on the television landscape.

For those who haven't gotten lost yet, this is what's happening: A plane crashes on an island -- not specifically Hawaii -- and the survivors quickly realize it is a weird place. It has polar bears, for one thing, and a violent band of roving humans, a buried survival pod, a vintage computer that must be fed a set series of numbers every 108 minutes, and on and on. Mysteries pile onto more mysteries, and the survivors' complicated pre-crash histories pile on top of everything else.

It's addicting television and has drawn a community of avid fans who live off its inscrutability. In its second season, the show has lost none of its early appeal. A public appearance by any cast member will draw hundreds of fans hoping for an autograph, a photo opportunity or just a smile.

Beyond that pop-culture merit, "Lost" employs at least 140 locals and spends $20 million to $30 million in the local economy, by Hawaii film commission estimates.

It is a consistent ratings winner for the network and in September made the Big Score -- it won the Emmy for best dramatic series.

No show filmed in the islands has ever taken television's top honor. In fact, the last time a Hawaii show came anywhere close was in 1986, when Jonathan Hillerman won a supporting-actor Emmy for "Magnum, P.I."

The show enters the 2006 awards season with three Golden Globe nominations -- for best dramatic series and for actors Naveen Andrews and Matthew Fox -- and an American Film Institute nomination for TV Program of the Year.

Back on tvsquad.com, a follow-up posting on the matter of the tattooed shark puts things in perspective: "I think the best thing about 'Lost' is that it inspires so much discussion. Hats off to that."