Getting ‘Lost’

At Sunset on the Beach, isle fans will be the first to see the season premiere

ONCE upon a time, the media stood next to the red carpet at Queen's Beach and asked all of the "Lost" actors to spell their names and the names of the characters they played, because nobody was sure who they were. The crowd was manageable; security was an afterthought.

'Lost,' Season 3 » Season premiere: Saturday at Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki. Stars walk the red carpet at 5:30; show starts at 7 p.m. A screening of the new ABC series "The Nine" will follow. » On TV: The season begins Oct. 4 on KITV/ABC. Joining the cast » Elizabeth Mitchell will play Juliet, a possible new love interest for Jack, though the Sawyer/Kate/ Jack triangle is still unresolved and continues to generate plenty of opinions from fans. Mitchell has appeared in "E.R.," and in the "Santa Claus" movies opposite Tim Allen. But her most impressive work might have been as Angelina Jolie's lover in the movie "Gia." » Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro ("Love Actually") could be around for a while, as reports indicate the 30-year-old enjoys surfing and might not mind relocating to Hawaii. EW.com declared him "so five minutes from now." Little is known about his character, though it appears he's been on the island all along.

Fast-forward to Season 3 of the ABC television hit, with the first episode to premiere Saturday at Sunset on the Beach. The actors are now stars who need no introductions. Thousands are expected to seize the opportunity for an early look at the first episode, ahead of a rabid worldwide fan base that stays connected through myriad Web sites and Internet chat rooms that analyze every nuance of the plot and set.

Streets near the event are likely to be shut down, and security will be pervasive.

Two years ago "it was pretty casual," said Honolulu Film Commissioner Walea Constantinau. "But this is a full-on red-carpet, world-press-in-attendance kind of event. It's day and night."

Approximately 10,000 people showed up for the Season 2 premiere last year, which received attention around the world.

"It dumped rain, and nobody ran for cover and nobody left, and we all got sopping wet, because it was riveting," said Hawaii Film Commissioner Donne Dawson. "With this one, I suspect it's going to be even more of a phenomenon.

"Despite the universal success of this show, I think it's particularly heartening that they care enough about their Hawaii audience to want to give them that sneak peak first. It illustrates how strongly they feel about the community. They feel like family to us."

Added Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association, "A lot of people may not have even realized that it was being filmed in Hawaii, and when you associate 'Lost' with Waikiki, it's a mutually symbiotic relationship."

Constantinau agreed. "'Lost' has a mystery and allure to it, and we as a location are inextricably tied to that."

During the few moments that "Lost" was still a relative unknown, it didn't take much to uncover upcoming plot twists or even see a script that had been inadvertently circulated. Now security around the show is so tight that nobody will even discuss the measures they take to protect their secrets, and anyone who talks without permission risks his very promising job.

Instead, obtaining snippets of information is left to renegade photographers and chat room contributors.

An interesting new addition to the mix is the "Lost" Virtual Tour Hawaii Web site (www.lostvirtualtour.com). The proprietors eschew gossip and spoilers (and trespassing!) in favor of links to show locations by episode or geography. Click on "Murphy's Bar & Grill," for instance, and see a screen shot of the episode filmed there. Several photos include explanations about how the location was altered to fit the needs of the show. In "What Kate Did," she talks to her mother, a waitress, in Liliha Bakery. And Jack operated on his future wife at St. Francis Medical Center.

Fans who choose to navigate by geography have plenty of places to choose from: North Shore, Leeward, Windward, West Honolulu, Downtown, Chinatown, Central Honolulu, Waikiki, and East Honolulu. So far, the Web site has scouted 170 unique locations and posted 1,500 original photos.

The proprietors, who wish to remain anonymous, view the site as a hobby that tests their knowledge of Oahu. They say they are so committed not to reveal any information before a show airs that they will not post locations for the first episode until the national audience has a chance to watch on Oct. 4.

At a red-carpet event last month to celebrate the release of the Season 2 DVD set, actors and producers hinted at conversions for the coming season.

Michael Emerson (Henry Gale) said fans would "warm up to Henry this year," which would require a rather bold evolution for the character who is one of the Others. Writer and executive producer Carlton Cuse indicated that Season 3 will be "more fun, lighter," with an emphasis on romance, action-adventure and the Others, who might turn out to be good guys after all.

From Oct. 4, six new episodes will air in a row. The show will then take a break and resume for 17 new episodes in February. Internet buzz tells fans to count on a cliffhanger after the first six.

During the hiatus, fans will be able to access 13 "mobisodes," in which Hurley documents castaways for posterity with a newly discovered video camera, according to Wizard magazine. The two-minute clips will be available for downloading to mobile phones, and later for viewing on the Internet.

In the meantime, production remains shrouded to avoid ruining the excitement associated with surrendering to the unknown every Wednesday night after dinner.

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Last season, on 'Lost' ...

In case you've forgotten, here's a summary of the Season 2 finale, "Live Together, Die Alone," which took place after 65 days on the island:

» Desmond reappears, drifting back to the island on the sailboat that Libby had given him in a flashback. "Why'd you come back?" Jack asks. "Do you think I did it on purpose?" Desmond replies.

» Desmond declares, "We're stuck in a bloody snow globe. There's no escape!"

» Locke and Eko argue about the validity of the hatch and its omnipresent button. "You're a slave to that, just like I was," Locke says. "It's not real; we're only puppets."

» Kate thinks the Others are disguising themselves to make the castaways "think they're hillbillies," when they might be far more sophisticated.

» Michael admits he is leading Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and Jack into a trap so the Others will return Walt.

» Sayid, Jin and Sun sail to the other side of the island and discover a statue with only four toes.

» Shot with paralyzing darts, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley and Jack are captured.

» Desmond believes that he and the electromagnetic field of the hatch crashed Oceanic Flight 815.

» With Desmond's help, Locke blocks Eko from the hatch and lets the clock count down to prove that it was all a nightmarish psychological experiment. Eko gets dynamite from Charlie and tries to blow open the doors, without success. The hatch explodes like a mild atomic bomb, turning the sky a deep violet.

» Henry Gale appears to be a leader of the Others. When Michael asks, "Who are you people?" Henry claims, "We're the good guys."

» Henry releases Hurley and tells him, "Your job is to tell the rest of your people that they can never come here." Then he instructs one of his assistants to put hoods over the heads of Jack, Kate and Sawyer.

» Charlie and Claire kiss and make up after a season of bad behavior from Charlie.