On newsstands nowish is the May 2009 issue of Wired, which was put together with the help of Guest Editor JJ Abrams. You won’t find any spoilers for Lost, but you will find plenty of teasers and cheeky references to all of Abrams’ works, including our favorite island-based show, Alias, Fringe, Cloverfield, and of course, Star Trek. The issue is chocked full of the kinds of stuff that Lost fans and Abrams fans go ga-ga over (there are even hidden easter eggs in the issue), and I highly recommend picking it up.

Probably the best part of the issue is the cover story (which the Wired folks have been kind enough to post online in its entirety), written entirely by Abrams himself, in which he talks about the power of mystery, and how the Internet Age has all but destroyed the wonder of discovery. From Abrams’ essay:

People often ask me how Lost is going to end… I always wonder, do they really want to know? And what if I did tell them? They might have an aha moment, but without context… The experience — the setup for a joke’s punch line, the buildup to a magic trick’s big flourish — is as much of a thrill as the result. There’s discovery to be made and wonder to be had on the journey that not only enrich the ending, but in many ways define it.

I also like this bit, regarding the evils of spoilers:

The real damage isn’t so much that the secret gets out. It’s that the experience is destroyed. The illusion is diminished. Which may not matter to some. But then what’s the point of actually seeing that movie or episode? How does knowing the twist before you walk into the theater — or what that island is really about before you watch the finale — make for a richer viewing experience? It’s telling that the very term itself — spoiler — has become synonymous with “cool info you can get before the other guy.” What no one remembers is that it literally means “to damage irreparably; to ruin.”

Hit the link for the full article, or pick up the issue to get all of the Abramsy goodness. But be warned: there’s some NSFW language in that article (and in fact, the whole issue). Here’s a video from Wired.com that features Abrams and a couple of the mag’s editors discussing the May issue.

Image: Copyright 2009 ©Conde Nast Publications.

J.J. Abrams recently chatted with the Suicide Girls about the success of Fringe and whether he’ll run things the same as Lost.

First off he clarifies that it is not just HE that did Lost. “It’s not me alone … In cases like Lost, it’s not me now at all. It’s Damon and Carlton [Cuse] running that show. In the case of something like Fringe, Alex and Bob and I sat in a room and came up with this together.”

Abrams continues, saying that a main difference between Lost and Fringe is the “complication” factor. He says that Lost has a reputation of being a complicated show - one that requires viewers to watch every episode. While Fringe has an overall arching story line, the shows don’t have to be in order. “You don’t have to watch episodes one, two and three to tune into episode four.”

“This show you have a different sort of paradigm,” Abrams continues. “Week to week there will be stories. You can tune in and just watch that, but there will be, over the course of a season, and then the series itself, bigger arcs of story. So I think we’re trying very diligently to be a show that doesn’t require the kind of insane absolute dedication to a series that if you miss an episode, you truly have no idea what’s going on.”

Abrams says that the Fringe five-year plan is mapped out. Seven years is just too much to wrap his head around! And will he demand an end date like Lost? Abrams says that he thinks once they see where the show is going there will be a place that they might ask for an end date so they can tell the story right. “Because I do worry on a show like Fringe that if we don’t have the opportunity to really know the pace at which we should be telling our story, it could become one of those things.”

Lance Reddick (who plays Matthew Abbadon in Lost) has recently signed on as a series regular for J.J. Abrams’ Fringe - so that’s a good indication that he’ll return to Lost! In fact, J.J. said it’s a safe bet he’ll reappear on the Island. “When we were casting him, we hesitated because of his Lost character,” J.J. admitted. “But then I realized if he goes and does another show, he’ll be less likely to do Lost, so let’s get him on this one, because I know the producer.”

There’s currently a ton of press and hype for the series premiere of Fringe, but J.J. hopes the critics will tone down their pressure. “Ultimately any pressure or expectation could ruin a show,” J.J. said. “I don’t think any one show can save the fall season…And if you are expecting it to change your life, it’s invariably disappointing.”

Source: E!Online

IGN recently chatted with J.J. Abrams about his upcoming new science fiction series, Fringe.

Abrams chatted about the inspiration for the show. “It was really just Alex Kurtzman, Bob Orci and myself just hanging out and talking about the kind of show we’d love to see on the air. For better or worse, like most of the things I do, it just comes from stuff that I’d love to watch. It’s sort of a boring answer, but that’s kind of what the truth is!” Read more

Check out the promotional trailer for the new JJ Abrams’ Fox series Fringe that is set to premiere this fall on Tuesday nights. What do you think?

T.J. Miller talks to David Letterman about the plot secrecy in Cloverfield, his role in the film, and life before acting!

There’s a new picture up at Cloverfield’s website - 1-18-08.com. I can’t wait to see this movie on Friday!

It looks like we’ll be having an update on Cloverfield/1-18-08 this month… What will we get?

FOX hopes it has found it’s next X-Files in the form of Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams’ Fringe.

Reuters is reporting that the script for the science fiction pilot has been at the center of an intense bidding war in Hollywood for the past few months, and FOX has emerged as the winner of the property. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions will produce the pilot at Warner Brothers with a budget of $10 million.

Fringe is the product of collaboration between Abrams and Transformers screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The script deals with the dark side of science. “Science is frightening and enlightening at the same time,” Orci said. “It can give you everything, and it can destroy you.”

Fringe revolves around, you guessed it, an FBI agent investigating an explosion of paranormal activity that has government officials baffled.

In what little info exists regarding the plot, we learn that the lead is a female agent who winds up working with an institutionalized scientist who was apparently locked away for his belief in the very same forces that seem to be threatening the world.

FOX is hoping Fringe, with it’s distinctive science fiction sensibilities and a solid character driven core will reawaken the rabidly loyal audiences that once flocked around The X-files.

Source: Buddy TV

A new picture is up on the 1-18-08 website. Here’s the screencap and the backside: