Saturday, November 08, 2008

"It's Destiny."

Hello my dear friends -

I told you I had an extra-special post coming!

But to be honest, even I had no idea when I last wrote that it would be THIS extra-special.

So without further ado, here's a picture that's worth at least TEN thousand words (especially considering the average length of my episode write-ups...):


Now please pause and observe a moment of silence out of respect for the enormity of the moment captured above.

(Pause.)

I must admit that I seriously considered just posting this picture and then nothing else -- ever again -- on this site. I mean, how can I possibly top meeting my main man?

I can't.

But don't worry... though I did come close to hyperventilating and then dying of Extreme Elation after the fact sank in that I was hugged by my favorite actor -- the Emmy Award winner who breathes life into the character after which this site that I've toiled over for years is named -- I love Lost enough and am in way too deep to stop with my obsessive analysis of the show now. If anything, my passion for the series has been reignited after spending a day on the beautiful island of Oahu (where it's filmed).

Oh, and did I mention that I exchanged greetings with the one and only Michael Emerson (an Emmy Award winner himself) -- aka "Ben" -- too?!? Yep, October 29, 2008 was quite a day.

So... I bet you're wondering how I actually got to see Michael and meet Terry, right? The beauty of it all is that it only happened because a series of decisions and events led to me being in exactly the right place at the right time. Mr. Eko once told Locke to not mistake coincidence for fate, but I'd say that you can't mistake fate for coincidence, either!

I think it's only appropriate to tell the story Lost flashback style...


MID-APRIL 2008

Because of our drama-filled journey to Antarctica last fall and several shorter trips my husband and I had planned for 2008, a vacation to Hawaii was not even remotely on our radar earlier this year.

But then, a relative decided that he didn't want to take his annual pilgrimage to the Aloha State and emailed out an offer to use his timeshare on Maui during the last week of October. It was an offer that big travelers like us simply couldn't refuse.

Within seconds of receiving word that a week in Hawaii could be ours for a low, low price, we decided we had to go, so we emailed back and secured our spot.


TEN MINUTES LATER

It hit me that filming for Season Five of Lost might be taking place on Oahu at the same time we'd be close by in Maui.

But then I immediately pushed the thought out of my mind... Season Four still wasn't over at that point, Season Five wasn't going to be back on the air until early 2009, and so I figured that October 2008 would be way too early for new episodes to be in production.


JUNE 6 - 7, 2008

After the Season Four finale aired and I had posted my recap of "There's No Place Like Home, Parts Two & Three" on both this site and DarkUFO, I wrote the following to Andy Page, the man behind the curtain, if you will, at DarkUFO: "I'm going to Maui in October, but I don't think I'll be able to make it over to Oahu to check out any Lost filming locations (do you think they'd be filming in late October anyway? I think it's still too early)."

Andy responded that he did indeed think that Lost filming would be underway at that time, and offered to put me in touch with one of his contacts on Oahu, should I change my mind about island-hopping.

The (frozen donkey) wheels in my head started turning...


SEPTEMBER 3, 2008

Fellow blogger JOpinionated posted that some of her friends had randomly run into Terry O'Quinn while vacationing in Oahu. !?!?!?!?!? Talk about a kick in the pants! I started researching the best way to travel between islands...


SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

I had dinner with a good friend and reader of this blog (shout-out to MG!) and told her of my dilemma. My flight to Maui was almost exactly a month away, and I knew I had to decide sooner rather than later whether or not I would also take a side trip to Oahu. MG brought up a point that I hadn't even considered: "What if you run into Terry O'Quinn and the experience doesn't live up to your expectations?"

Her take was that when it came to meeting one of your heroes, maybe it was better to "keep the dream alive" than deal with the disappointment that might result from actually talking to that person.

While I had read way too much about Mr. O'Quinn to believe that he could be anything other than the nicest man alive, my friend's words weighed on my mind. I put off the decision once more...


SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 2, 2008

... But not for long. I emailed Andy at DarkUFO again and told him that I needed to get my act together and at least try to see if there was any way I could improve my odds of running into Lost filming or cast members, should I choose to fly over to Oahu. He immediately responded with the email address of Ryan Ozawa, who runs The Transmission podcast from Oahu. In addition, he suggested that I check out Kos Hummer Tours, as he had heard good things about them from other Lost fans who had trekked to "the Island."

Next, I emailed Ryan, who also highly recommended Kos Tours, as they have access to the private ranch on which many Lost scenes are shot. In fact, he mentioned that there had been activity at the ranch within the past few weeks. However, he also tried to set my expectations about being able to interact with any cast members. In his experience, direct contact with anyone on the show is extremely rare, even if you happen to run across a set. No one is allowed near the actors during a live shoot, which is of course understandable. He said to let him know if I ended up visiting Oahu.


OCTOBER 9, 2008

My trip to Maui was now only 17 days away. In my head I was wrestling with the knowledge that I would always wonder "What if?" if I didn't go over to Oahu... but I still wasn't sure if that scenario would be worse than making the trip to "the Island" and inevitably being disappointed if I didn't run into any filming. However, when I went on my nerdy Lord of the Rings tours in New Zealand, I had an absolute blast seeing the spots where key scenes in the trilogy were filmed years earlier, so I knew that I would enjoy visiting past locations used in Lost as well, even if nothing else happened while I was on Oahu.

Those of you who read my other site, According to e, understsand that I absolutely HATE wondering "what if?" To avoid wondering "what if?" when I'm eighty years old is actually why I left Corporate America to try my hand at freelance writing. So I guess I should've known all along that I would end up finding my way to Oahu -- my final decision was based on the fact that I knew I would drive myself (and my husband) nuts wondering "what if I had gone to Oahu and ended up meeting someone in the Lost cast?" for the rest of my life. The show's only on for two more years and I am certainly not going to get back to Hawaii before the credits roll on the series' final episode, so I HAD to go! It was now or never!

Finally, I shifted into high gear and put in a call to Ed Kos at Kos Tours. I had a long talk with him and was pleased to find that he and his staff were also huge Lost fans. After much deliberation about the different tours Kos offered (and a panicked call to my brother for advice), I decided to go all-out and spend mucho dinero to not only fly my husband and I over to Oahu for a day (Wednesday, October 29 -- a decision that turned out to be critical (I had also considered the 28th)), but also to buy out all of the seats in one of Ed's Hummers so that we could have a private, customized TEN-HOUR tour. I was finally getting even with my husband for his purchase of crazy-expensive backstage passes to the Van Halen concert almost exactly a year ago (as a side note: if you never read that post, I highly encourage you to... it's one of my favorites).

Ed, like Ryan from The Transmission, tried to keep my expectations in check about actually coming across a set or meeting any cast members. He said that it was hard to know in advance when or where anything for the show would be filmed because they shoot scenes across the entire island in addition to filming in their studio -- which is closed to the public. But just as I was writing off the idea of being able to catch any live action, he mentioned that a writer from About.com, who took the five-hour Kos tour earlier this year, saw Josh Holloway (Sawyer) and Terry O'Quinn in between takes. AAHHHHHH!!!!!!


THE BIG DAY
OCTOBER 29, 2008


3:30 AM

It was Go Time! The airport was an hour away from where we were staying and our flight to Oahu was at 6 AM, so we had to wake up ridiculously early. Amazingly, I had slept well and felt refreshed when the alarm went off.

I had worn my "Team Locke" shirt to bed for good luck, but otherwise kept telling myself that I needed to just relax and enjoy the day and not have any expectations about running into live filming. It was hard to do that, though, because while no Lost activity had been seen in public areas on Oahu in the weeks leading up to my trip, on both October 27 and 28, the production crew was spotted in various locations around the island. In fact, Long Live Locke reader LF from Australia was on the Kos Tour two days before me, and she had narrowly missed seeing a few actors (their trailers were still up!). My hopes were inching higher...

6:50 AM

We landed in Oahu on time and waited outside to be picked up by Jeff, our driver from Kos Tours. A few moments passed and then we saw a yellow Hummer pass by us about six lanes from where we were standing and then exit to return to the highway. Normally, the tour does not pick up from the airport because of the intense traffic surrounding the area, but since my husband and I booked a private tour, they made an exception.

I called Ed and he explained that Jeff had made a wrong turn and was now circling back to the airport, but was caught in the standstill traffic on the expressway. We weren't in any hurry, so we stayed put and waited it out.

7:20 AM

Jeff successfully battled his way back to the airport and apologized profusely for being a half-hour late. We climbed in the Hummer and were on our way. Soon, we saw exactly what several of our friends meant when they forewarned us about the horrific gridlock in Honolulu.

But just as Jeff passed the main exit that led into the heart of the city (we had no plans to check out old filming locations downtown because of the time it would eat up), my husband's Blackberry started buzzing...

7:32 AM

Ryan from The Transmission, who I had informed of my plans to be in Oahu on the 29th, had emailed us with a tip that Lost scenes were going to be filmed at an intersection downtown and that there should be several opportunities to watch the production. I immediately wrote him back and asked when he thought the action would begin, and he responded, "Within the hour."

I know you're not surprised to hear that my heart started pounding so furiously that I feared I might spontaneously combust. I told Jeff what we had just learned, but he worried that it was bogus information and that we would waste at least an hour getting into and then out of the city again if the tip didn't pan out. I assured him that I wouldn't be mad if that ended up being the case, and that I absolutely could not pass up the opportunity to possibly see some filming. I mean, that's why I shelled out the big bucks to go on a private tour -- so that we could change the itinerary on a dime!

Jeff obliged with our request and started circling back toward downtown Honolulu.


8:00 AM

We eventually made it to the intersection that Ryan had mentioned in his email. And lo and behold, what did I spy, but this:


Before I go any further with this post, let me assure you that I am not going to mention or show pictures of anything that would spoil the Season Five scenes that I saw being filmed -- you all know how vehemently anti-spoiler I am. I will probably post a few of my pictures after those scenes air (right now I obviously have no idea what episode they'll be in), but the good news is that I couldn't figure out the significance of what I watched anyway. The Season Five promo is much more telling than anything I came across on the 29th, that's for sure!

Anyway, you might be thinking that once I saw Terry's chair, I leapt out of the moving Hummer and tried to hunt down Mr. O'Quinn. But believe it or not, I honestly didn't think that the presence of his chair meant anything. I figured that they probably carried around the chairs for ALL cast members wherever filming is set up. Plus, I thought that if a scene was being filmed downtown, the least likely person to be in it would be John Locke. Yes, my head just really wasn't on straight that day. More evidence of that comes shortly.

After we confirmed that Lost was obviously going to be filming in the area, Jeff drove us several blocks away and parked the Hummer. He said that since he was wearing a not-so-inconspicuous "Got Lost?" shirt, it was probably best if my husband and I headed back to the Intersection Of The Hour by foot on our own, and we agreed.

8:20 AM

We arrived back at the shoot and found a few other Lost fans standing on a corner taking pictures of some filming that was going on across the street. They worked downtown and had seen production before, so they actually left shortly after we arrived. I searched the area, but couldn't recognize any of the people who were in the scene. And then my eyes refocused and I saw Ben (Mr. Michael Emerson). I'm sure I didn't breathe for like twenty seconds as I realized that this was really happening! I was watching Lost in the making!

It was a completely surreal experience to observe a scene being filmed -- that's the only way I can describe it. Surreal, but thrilling at the same time. I was so caught up in the exhilaration of it all that before I could even fully mentally process what was happening, Mr. Emerson started walking directly toward me.


He crossed the intersection and was literally two feet away. He was passing right in front of me when I made eye contact with him.

"Hi..." I said nervously.

"Hi!" my husband shouted.

"HI!!!" Michael shot back loudly and confidently, and then flashed us a huge grin. I'm sure he got a kick out of whatever look I must have had on my face!

Time seemed to stand still as I watched him walk down the block and out of view. Finally, my husband broke the silence: "WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK HIM FOR A PICTURE?!?!!?"

I had been so shocked by the whole thing that I had just frozen in place. Maybe I was subconsciously worried that he would whip out his black ASP baton and whack me? I don't know what I was thinking. Later, my husband admitted that he, too, assumed that filming was still in process when "Ben" passed us. Of course I deeply regret not being able to think clearly enough to get a snapshot with the Best Villain of All Time, but I will always have the memory our quick exchange, right? Plus, I think my disappointment over missing the chance to get a picture with Mr. Emerson served to prepare me for what was about to happen...


8:45 AM

Before she headed back to work, a local Lost fan who had been standing near us learned that Terry O'Quinn was in fact going to be filming a scene in the area at some point (Terry and Michael were not in any scenes together that day, though, so don't get any ideas).

It seemed too good to be true. But I knew that filming was supposedly going to continue for three more hours, and grew nervous that the majority of the day would be eaten up before anything else happened downtown.

OF COURSE I was going to wait it out, though!

I had one false alarm when I spotted a bald-headed man under the "sound tent" and thought it was Terry. Thankfully, I realized it wasn't him before I made a fool of myself. I tried to calm down and just take it all in... I loved the fact that a lot of the security guards, craft tents and random carts wheeled around the street bore the Dharma logo. And it was so cool to see how the production team could transform a city street in downtown Honolulu into... well, whatever they wanted it to be.

About ten more minutes passed. I went up to one of the security guards (not the one pictured above) and told him that I was only on Oahu for the day and was already supposed to be heading out of Honolulu, but that I was a huge fan of Terry O'Quinn's, heard he was going to be shooting a scene soon, and didn't know what to do. The guard wouldn't look directly at me, but he smiled and responded, "Ma'am, I'm not allowed to tell you any details about the production... but if I were you, I'd stick around."

That was all I needed to hear! The guard was right, too. I didn't wait much longer...

8:55 AM

I was scanning the nearby blocks when all of a sudden, I SAW HIM. Terry O'Quinn was across the street and down the block from where I stood. He was completely alone and biting into what looked like an apple.

My dear friends, I would pay good money to see what I must have looked like when I realized that yes, it was ACTUALLY HIM. But I kept my emotions under control and silently caught my husband's attention (he was about fifteen feet away from me) and he followed my gaze. His eyes lit up when he caught on, and we hurried across the intersection as nonchalantly as we could (I wasn't sure if the guards were instructed to keep people away from the cast... that's why we were trying to be discreet). We still had a half-block to go when Terry crossed the street and disappeared from view.

My heart sank; I thought for sure that he had gone into his trailer or was going to be otherwise unapproachable. According to my husband, I stopped dead in my tracks at this point and looked totally defeated (I honestly don't even remember a lot of what happened during these few minutes -- it's all a blur). One thing I've learned from this whole experience is that I could absolutely never make it as a paparazzo. But anyway, my husband still had his wits about him and sped up, crossed the street and found Terry standing under the archway of a corner pub, still by himself.

"My wife is a huge fan, do you mind if she gets a picture with you?" my husband supposedly asked (I seriously don't remember this part). The next thing I knew, I was shaking Terry O'Quinn's hand and posing for this picture:


Finally I came to my senses and hopefully appeared to be semi-normal as I stood face-to-face with Terry and had a quick chat with him. I did get to mention that I ran Long Live Locke and that I wasn't going to change the site's name no matter what happened on the show. He laughed and replied, "That's good!" Since he is originally from Michigan and so am I, we talked a little bit about that, and I mentioned that I had a cousin at his alma mater, Central Michigan University (shout-out to EJ!). I then said that I felt like I needed to get a picture of us doing "something funny," which probably scared him (my plan was to get a shot of me bowing down before him), but before I could mention any of my ideas, he said "Well, how about this?" and gave me a big hug.


Yes, I look like I'm about to implode. No, my smile couldn't have stretched any wider. And yes, meeting Terry O'Quinn was absolutely everything I could've hoped it would be. Believe the hype, my dear friends, he's the real deal! And lest you think I'm (obviously) biased, my husband was also pleasantly surprised at how gracious, personable and truly nice this beloved actor was. And let's face it, my husband has good reason to be really jealous of this man! But Terry won him over, too.

We could see another fan approaching, so my husband and I each shook Terry's hand again, thanked him for his time and set off on our way.

The words of Will Ferrell's "Ricky Bobby" in Talladega Nights whirled through my mind:
That. Just. Happened!


9:05 AM

Once we were at the end of the block, the physical ramifications of the whole ordeal hit me. I realized that my mouth and throat had gone completely dry, my skin felt feverish and I was breaking out in a profuse sweat. But I was indescribably happy.

After I could swallow and had regained my voice, I called my brother, but don't even remember anything about our conversation except him yelling, "CALM DOWN!!!! CALM DOWN!!!!!"
Hee, hee.

On our way back to meet Jeff and continue on our tour in the Hummer, my husband lamented that we should've mentioned something about Terry's performance in Old School, one of our favorite movies. Then I wished that I'd brought up all of the other things he's been in that I've enjoyed, like The X-Files, Primal Fear and Masters of Science Fiction. But even though I didn't get to express the full extent of my fandom verbally, I'm quite positive that Terry understood that I was a big admirer of his. After all, when we first approached him, he looked pretty darn amused (in a kind way) as he took in the state of my starstruck-ness.

If you are shocked that I didn't hang around to actually see the scene that "Locke" was in, then let me repeat what I've said several times before on this site... I HATE BEING SPOILED! Even watching the filming of Ben's short scene took a little bit of magic out of the show for me, so there was no way I was going to expose myself to a Locke scene. I'd met my hero, that's all I wanted. There is no way I could've been happier.


9:31 AM

We successfully reunited with Jeff. As we made our way out of the city, I emailed Ryan and told him about our experience. He ended up checking things out for himself later, and saw two more actors and a pretty cool scene going down. I will let you know what it was after it airs. On that note, did you hear that the Season Five premiere is set for January 21? And that it consists of two new episodes back-to-back? And that January 21 just so happens to be my birthday?

The Lost Gods are with me, I tell you!

Here's the new, very short trailer that's up on ABC.com:




THE AFTERMATH

As if seeing Michael Emerson and meeting Terry O'Quinn weren't enough, I spent the next eight hours visiting tons of other Lost filming locations from the past four seasons (and a few from Season Five - but once again, mum's the word!). Jeff couldn't help but point out that in a Lost-like twist of fate, if he hadn't missed the turn at the airport and subsequently picked us up a half-hour late, we would've been too far away to turn back and head downtown and I definitely wouldn't have run into my main man. Freaky!

I will be writing up everything (well, almost everything) I saw on the Kos Hummer Tour over the next few weeks, so stay tuned. But for now I will tell you that I was pretty much in a daze for the duration of October 29, 2008. I literally couldn't believe that I had actually met Terry O'Quinn. I kept checking my digital camera like a maniac every five seconds, thinking that the pictures with Terry were going to make like Jacob's Cabin and disappear or something.

On that momentous day I also thought about all of you, my readers -- especially those of you who have followed my posts since the beginning, when they were just email messages that kept getting forwarded on, and forwarded on, and forwarded on. I knew that you all would be very, very excited for me, and I couldn't wait to write about my experience.

Even though I've now been home for a week, that day still seems like a dream. I mean, seriously, what are the odds that in the mere TEN HOURS I was on Oahu, I would not only run into an active Lost set, but would also get to chat with -- of all cast members -- TERRY O'QUINN?!? I know how lucky I am, believe you me.

But obviously I would've never achieved my dream of meeting "Locke" if it weren't for Andy from DarkUFO and Ryan from The Transmission. If I ever meet either of YOU in person, be prepared for me to tackle you and smother you with hugs and kisses! A huge "CHEERS!" to Andy and "MAHALO!" to Ryan.

Looking back on the series of events that ended with me meeting my favorite actor, I now believe more strongly than ever that, as Locke said best in the Season Two promo below, "Everything happens for a reason."



Although I wouldn't trade my time spent talking to Terry for anything, I must admit that I'm a little bit worried about my safety from here on out. After all, as fellow Lost fans on Facebook brought to my attention, what is going to become of me now that I've LEFT THE ISLAND?!?!

You know what this means ... I HAVE TO GO BACK!!!

- e

(Pictures from the rest of my Lost tour of Oahu have now been posted here, and a few shots of the movie locations we saw are here.)

81 comments:

Alyssa said...

e that is so amazing! I've always enjoyed reading your blogs and am so happy you got to meet your hero! what a fabulous vacation! next time you see terry give him a hug from me!
-harveygirl

Unknown said...

Great visit! It is definitely destiny. Long Live Locke!

Anonymous said...

That is so excellent!! So happy for you!

Anonymous said...

This is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! I havent even read it yet - What a great PIC!!!

DarkUFO said...

What a great write up E!

Thanks for the shout outs and glad you had a great time :)

Anonymous said...

The perfect vacation! I shed tears of joy for you.

Jill said...

Awesome post--as I read it, I was smiling the the entire time! I'm so excited for you that you got to meet Locke and that he was so nice and gracious. The Lost gods were definitely smiling on you and your dedication to this blog : )

Tori said...

FINALLY I get the details! What a great story. I am tewtally jealous but happy for you, too. You've inspired me to blog about when I met one of my heroes, several years ago. I didn't keep my cool as much as you did, LOL. My birthday is Jan 19th, so I guess my present from fate will be a couple days late this year...

lyly ford said...

you're so damn lucky, terry is one of my fav with josh, evi and lizzie ^^ i'm so glad for you and that you dream came true :)
kiss
lyly

Wanders said...

Fate can be a marvelous thing, e! As one whose been reading your blog since the email days, you are right: I'm so happy to see these pictures and read your write up.

Anonymous said...

Are you *sure* you don't want to change the name of the blog, E? Maybe "Long LOVE Locke" might be more appropriate now :) Congratulations, and thanks for letting us share this with you!

ash said...

Really happy for you E!

Thanks for the play by play write up too. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh my God!!! I'm quiet sure I would have fainted if I actually met Terry O'Quinn in person. And I would jump on Josh Holloway and have to be dragged off by security, so it's probably for the best that I stay away from Hawaii. As a crazy-obsessed Lost fan, I am so happy for you. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with the rest of us. Namaste!

Jenni said...

That is SO EXCITING! I was so psyched for you when I saw the pic on Facebook today! Can't wait to read more about your trip.

Anonymous said...

So excited for you e! After all the hard work you do w/ this blog you so deserved meeting the MAN himself! I loved reading about this most awesome day! :)

SKID said...

e,

You didn't happen to see a thin black tie lying on the ground or hanging on a wardrobe rack did you?

Just curious.

**SKID**

audgepodge said...

Erika - I am still in shock. I am so thrilled that you got to meet your idol and more importantly, that he did not disappoint.

Obama wins the presidency and you got to meet Locke. Proof that dreams come true, people! ;)

lisa said...

Wow- that is so cool! I am so glad that you got to meet him- and get a HUG from him!!!

emmasholi said...

Hehe this is the first of your blogs I've read (I got the link from DarkUFO);) But I have to tell you, I was so excited for you!!! :D LOL I throughly enjoyed reading this, its actually made my day, I was sat here with a big cheesy grin on my face as I read it! :P

Thanks so much for sharing your experience, heres hoping I'll get to have one as equally awesome for myself one day! :D

Kristyn said...

so jealous! i got to meet the actor sterling beaumon (he plays young ben!) a few months ago! he is *adorable*! :) annnnd when i asked him if he was going to be in season 5, his face got super red like he was hiding something and he said "i'm not allowed to say anything"... i'll take that as a yes!!! yay!

*kristYN from cali*

Craig said...

Wow, I don't know how to respond other than to say congratulations...well, that and that I'm jealous.

Unknown said...

heya!

My wife and I just honeymooned on the Big Island, and on wednesday, we took a day in Oahu to hunt down Lost stuff before heading back to new york.

We went up and found the fuselage, beechcraft, piles of luggage and cool stuff with oceanic logos on it...

Then we went and found some beaches, hung out and went to the airport to start out long drive home...

We were checking through security and some guy bumps in to me...oomph...

"Excuse me" he says...and I look up and it's fucking Josh Holloway...

Stopped and talked to him after security and got to shake his hand and what not...

Too bad the bags had been checked with the fucking cameras! Gah!

MamaJolley said...

How exciting!!! Reading about how you felt reminded me of the time that I was inches from Willie Nelson, of whom (at the time) I was highly enamored! Not being able to talk or breathe - and not remembering exactly what happened. Yeah...
It sounds awful - but it's really AWE-FULL!! Congrats on meeting your "idol" - and on his being as cool as expected!!

Thinking Wife said...

YAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!! I am SO happy for you! What an amazing story and an amazing pic! It is destiny!

Maram said...

OMG , this is just amaaaaazing, I really enjoyed reading every little detail about your trip, I don't how would I react if I was in your place seeing my fav. actors of lost, I am really soooooo happy for you, its a dream come true :D , one of my dreams to meet terry, michael emerson and josh :D , it's definetly destiney and a trip that you'll never ever forget :)

Kat said...

That's an absolutely fantastic story! I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Terry in February. He is a true gentleman's gentleman.

Lula! said...

Erika, the elation I feel for you now is akin to the euphoria I felt the two times I've given birth.

I'm. Not. Kidding.

When I opened your e-mail I literally screamed, "ERIKA MET TERRY O'QUINN!!!!!"

I was fully expecting the heavens to open, while rays of light beamed down on my presence. It may have happened, but I'm not sure because I was too busy reading your post. Then planning my stalking of Josh Holloway. I'm just sayin'.

So happy for you. Really, this made my day...week...month.

Anonymous said...

Wow congratulations e!

That really must have been fate. I'm really happy for you that meeting the man was everything you had hoped it would be.

When I saw your post that you were going to Hawaii I though it must be to see some Lost locations. I guess the right decision was made in the end.

Are you going to post your thoughts on the season 5 promo? I hope so but I guess more important things first.

I saw this season 5 poster over at slash film http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/lostseason5poster.jpg

It's being said that it could be a fake because of some of the characters included like Claire, but I don't know check it out anyway.

Nick said...

For the third time... CALM DOWN! : ) Just kidding. I'm glad it all worked out. You deserve it!!

Anonymous said...

e,

WOW !!! If ever a picture was worth a 1,000 words. Incredible.

Can't add much more than that.

Cheers,

The Other E

Linda van Leuken said...

Hi e,

That is so cool!
I'm going to be in Honolulu on 12. and 13. of December and am thinking of taking a Hummer tour. Do you by any chance know if they're still filming then?

Many greetings from the Netherlands,
Linda

Anonymous said...

I have no words to describe my Jealousy! Did you take a white t-shirt or anything for him to sign?

Ana Maria said...

...OMG, what a great, great , great picture!!! and of course, I'm so jealous! Locke is my favorite character on Lost, and I now can imagine what it would be like meeting Terry O'Quinn...although I think if it had been me meeting him, after he left I would have gone down on my knees and died from happiness...I hope you bought a beautiful picture frame for it...

drew said...

e - THATS AWESOME. Congrats. that pic should be your desktop wallpaper for a LONG time. it would be great to send a copy to him to get him to sign it for you.

Jan 21st cant come soon enough.

Anonymous said...

amazing, v jealous!!

Becky said...

A LOST tour, meeting a member of the cast, AND a nerdy Lord of the Rings tour? I would LOVE that. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Anonymous said...

Holy Locke, Batman!
I was thrilled for you just reading this! We are making a trip to Hawaii next year (March?)and don't know where to start. I think Oahu is definitely on the list now! I have a cousin who lives in Molokai. Would love any recommendations! I'm so happy for you!

Mellis said...

I am so, so happy for you! You have been such a dedicated fan for so long, you deserved that great day. What a dream come true!

Anonymous said...

What an awesome story! SO happy for you! :)

Alex King said...

Uff da, you are one lucky girl! I can only imagine how elated you were to meet your heeeerrrooooo.

Anonymous said...

e,

I had to add one more thing.

I'm so happy that you didn't get any photos WITH michael emerson ... I'm sorry ... that would have been just creepy.

Still envious of you though ...

The Other E

Jo said...

GREAT story & pics, my friend! Thanks for the mention and link as well. I look forward to more adventures of E!

;)
Jo

Burgertime said...

Congrats! Although I must say, "nerrrrdddd allleeeeerrtttt!"...haha

Anonymous said...

Awesome story and great site. Just stumbled upon it from a LinkedIn email, of all things!

Jim (back from your US Web days......)

Ernie said...

Man e,

I got goose bumps reading the part about seeing "Ben" and finally meeting up with Terry O'Quinn. Awesome!

Anonymous said...

Well,

I haven't had the time to read the full blog yet, but the picture was a shocker to see. But a good shocker, for sure!

I've been reading your blog since season 2 when I missed an episode and wanted to catch up on what I missed. I doubt that I would be as big of a Lost fan if it wasn't for your blog. Sometimes, I think I look forward to your weekly recap of the show more than the show itself. I've been hooked on your blog (and the show too) ever since.

Given your blog's namesake and purpose, that first photo had a huge WOW factor.

Without knowing you personally, but appreciating your dedication to this blog, I was very excited for you when I saw tht picture.

WOW !!!

Big Ben

Lani said...

I've been a "lurker" on your site for a couple years - I never have anything witty or wonderful to add so I've never commented. I LOVE your posts (and Lost of course), and between reading this blog and According to E, I feel like I know you.

All of this to say...I'm so happy for you - I can't think of anyone out there who deserves it more than you and it's exciting to read about your dream come true. Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

OH. MY. F'ING. GOD, E!!! That seriously gave me GOOSEBUMPS! I can't believe you met him - and what a great story!

Got to go read it again... WISH I WAS THERE!!! :)

Anonymous said...

e,

Best post ever! Soooooooooooooo happy for you!

Mair said...

girl - GOOD FOR YOU!!!! Great writing and am SO glad you met your man...what a great bridge to the new season!

L-O-N-G L-I-V-E L-O-C-K-E

Unknown said...

Hi! Great retelling of the events. I think your blog has inspired me to make a LOST blog of my own.

I have my own stories to tell too.

Robert Klotz said...

Hey Erika, did you realize that you also got a ride in Hurley's big yellow Hummer? Compared to seeing Michael and getting a big, warm hug and many smiles from Terry, that's not much.

But that Hummer did play an important role in your excellent tale.

Are you still on Cloud Sixteen?

Anonymous said...

Halfway through your post I realized I was grinning from ear to ear. Awesome story!!

Anonymous said...

e,

first, sorry for my english, I'm doing the best I can. I love the pictures of you with Terry O'Quinn-John Locke: you are grinning from ear to ear just like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. Cute ! And you are so pretty !

Locke is MY man too, but I'm not jealous, just happy for you. I think you deserve this after all the time you spend in here. I'm sure you'll never forget this moment in time. Must be nice to meet one of your dreams !

But I agree with your husband about not asking Michaël Emerson also for a picture. He is, from what I have read, a lovely man in real life, not at all like Ben ( between us, I'm starting to like Ben sometimes ), and would have accepted with a big smile. But I guess you were still floating on a cloud...

PenguinJosh said...

Ahh E!! It's been so long!

I must admit, what with Lost being hiatus, I forgot to check up on your site :(

But I have now and I'm amazed- you are so lucky!!

Bring on Season 5- I can't wait to read your reviews!

Anonymous said...

soooo... what do you think about the new promos for season 5 with the fray song?!

i am in love. <3

enough said.

*kristYn from CALI*

Anonymous said...

e, you're killing me! Not only am I loving the site, but I became completely addicted to it. Too bad for the Man, as my productivity may have come to a crawl while I catch up on all the old posts. Its awesome to read theories and ideas from the first few seasons after knowing how we go to where we are today.

But with all the work you've put into this, I'm going to have to start watching each episode several times just to feel like I don't miss anything.

Jim

ps, I didn't see it mentioned, but did you notice that for the last season, the reflection in the water had slowly been changing to the cityscape instead of the reflection of the island? Now with the new season, we've gone into full out city mode. What does that mean?!?!?!

Anonymous said...

I am sure you have seen the first promo, but I just saw this 2nd one posted today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qThIrIe9e5I

Such a great story about meeting Locke too!! SO jealous!

Erika (aka "e") said...

Hi everyone -

Thanks for all of your comments - I still can't believe it happened.

I've been pretty swamped but hope to write about the rest of my day in Oahu soon... followed by a S5 promo analysis.

seg - I did see it, posted it to Facebook last night!

- e

Mair said...

ya know, I keep checking back here to see what you've posted but what could you possibly post that would top your visit to 'the Island'!?!?! I look forward to your recaps when LOST starts up again.

Anonymous said...

From a first time visitor, wow and congratulations. I actually got a little nervous reading the post, like I was about to meet the man myself.

Christy G said...

e- that is so awesome! i'm very jealous, but also very happy for you! and i just wanted to say that i am eagerly awaiting your s5 promo analysis post!! i just saw a new one last night and i can't wait!!

Anonymous said...

So funny, and rather ironic. My wife and I finally went on our "real" honeymoon two years after the fact. We took a Hawaiian cruise that took us through the islands, making stops at four different ports. While Maui was our favorite, Oahu will always remain one of the best islands on the trip, simply because of LOST. Went to Honolulu two days early, so we could rent a car and get around to all the Lostie sights. Hit the North side of the island and, literally, did all the things you did including the Hatch and valley at Kualoa, the airfield, the Others camp and the beach all up there in the "boonies" of the North Shore. My favorite pic of our trip occured near the docks on the western side of Honolulu. We found the website that mapped out all the lostie spots and we walked through the boats and got to the end corner of the pier and, lo and behold, if you hold the camera out in the water and take a shot looking back towards land, it is the very background of Dez and Penny's famous picture. Finally, someone as geeky as us about Lost and who would appreciate such a find! And as you said, my wife and I continue to tell each other, "WE HAVE TO GO BACK!"

Anonymous said...

e - I can't wait for the episode(s) when we see Locke and Ben wearing the outfits in the pictures you've taken. It'll finally give me an idea of the time difference between when an episode is filmed and when it airs. I wish it were a bit closer to the infamous 30-ish minutes!

Rebecca

Anonymous said...

He lives about a mile down the street from me north of Baltimore. My friend saw him as the grocery store a few times and he typically walks a few miles to the coffee store across the street from me.

Anonymous said...

Everytime I look at the picture of you and the amazing John Locke I just smile. The happiness on your face is infectious!

-Michelle

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link, what a great story!!!! it is funny because I am taking a vacation from March 15th to the 21st and thought about staying in Oahu and wondered if they still might be filming. I am a grown 44 year old man and if I met Terry I think I might not function very well. How horrible an impression, me acting like a school girl. I am very happy for you, what a great memory!! Hattori Hanzo

Anonymous said...

Am terrifically envious! I would have been just as thrilled - good for you!

mrslocke said...

HOLA QUE TAL SOY DE MEXICO LO SIENTO PERO NO SE MUCHO INGLES,LO UNICO QUE PUEDO DECIR ES QUE QUE GRAN EMOCION CONOCER A TERRY O'QUINN LO ADMIRO DE SOBREMANERA,SOY UNA DE SUS GRANDES FANS LASTIMA QUE NO HA VENIDO POR ACA,OJALA ALGUN DIA LO PUEDA CONOCER,QUE GRAN EXPERIENCIA PORQUE NO TENGO EL GUSTO DE CONOCERLO PERO SE VE TAN AGRADABLE EN LAS FOTOS,ES TAN LINDO..ESTOY ENAMORADA DEEL Y DE LOCKE MI PERSONAJE FAVORITO.¡ FELICIDADES POR TU BLOG ES MUY BUENO...Y GRACIAS POR PONER LAS FOTOS ESTAN GRANDIOSAS...¡¡"I LOVE TERRY O'QUINN IS SO BEAUTIFUL"

Beth L. said...

My husband & I took the KOS tour July 08. Our driver was Scott. AMAZING!! If you are a true LOSTie
you have to take this tour if you go to Oahu. I am so jealous you got to actually meet/see some of the actors. In July they were not filming yet. We are going back July 09, maybe we will get lucky!

Henn0r said...

Hallo e!
Wonderfull post, i'm really happy for you! must have been an amazing thing to meet the bald guy :)
we've just had our last week at shool and everyone was dressed in a crazy way. you inspired me to this great picture: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=119525977&albumID=2438819&imageID=38038887
thanks for the idea :)
best wishes henn0r

Halliwax316 said...

Fantastic you met Terry. My girlfriend Maggie lived in Oahu from 04-05 and worked at the local Starbucks at the Kaneohe Bay location. Terry would come in all the time to get his morning coffee that my girlfriend would make for him to start his morning routine! He would always say "Hey Maggie" when he came in the shop.
He was formerly introduced to Maggie by a friend that happened to be his next door neighbor. They both were invited a few times back to his home to hang out by his pool and talk about the show.
The funny thing is my girlfriend was not even a lost fan at all and I was like are you kidding me?? No pictures or autographs the whole time she knew him! Hey Terry if you read this Maggie from Starbucks says hi.

brant said...

Totally awesome trip! Great storytelling, too!

later
-brant

Anonymous said...

Gee...you lucky, lucky girl. You actually got to hug Locke when all I get to do is WRITE about OTHER girls hugging him (it's okay...my creations are my children!). You have a great blog! And you BOTH have great smiles!
Delia Lavender

Crushproof said...

Erika,
Great to meet you last night! We were on O'ahu the following week after you were there and we are going back in late January!!! Thanks so much for the beer can holders. Now, we are a fan of you!!! All the best,
Thom (Unlocke) and Karen

helas said...

That was AWESOME!!! I just stumbled on to this site for the first time whilst randomly searching LOST and your account was so vivid and well-written that I was beaming the whole time for you. And what a great picture! Thanks for sharing your joy of meeting THE MAN himself...it was so wonderful to read.

Anonymous said...

haha aw u guys look adorable

Anonymous said...

He is the nicest man...my husband and I were extras on the set yesterday. He is so gracious and likes to hang with the extras during filming. One of the extras ate some of his nuts while he was doing a scene with Matthew Fox and when the extra fessed up, Terry said it was okay and offered him more. One of the crew members told us (after Terry left) that he was lucky it was Terry. He said one or two of the cast members would have had a hissy fit. (He assured us it wasn't Daniel Dae Kim or Jorge Garcia). Anway, he rides on the van with crew and extras instead of taking the limo transport. We rode back with him after we finished filming and a crew member had to call him away from fans who had wandered on the set and were taking pics with him. It was a great experience!

Erin said...

*Awesome* story. And Best. Picture. Ever. I'm so jealous! ;) Really, an exceptionally cool experience. Glad it worked out so awesome for you!

Anonymous said...

I may be nearly two years late. But congrats on this.

Julie G said...

Is it super lame that I just got TEARS in my eyes reading that?! Just the look on your face as he's hugging you... it made me a little verklempt!!!