NEW TOYS
I was beginning to feel the TV show “Lost” was some how getting lost in ABC’s primetime line-up. But it’s summer and the network is experimenting with some seasonal programs so all is not “lost” yet. According to network execs, new episodes of the show will begin airing in the fall. Until then fans of the hit show will have to make do with a new set of “Lost” action figures.
Four more character replicas recently joined the first group that came out last year. Just released to stores are Sawyer (played by Josh Holloway), Jin (Daniel Dae Kim), Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Mr. Eko (Adwale Akinnyoje-Adabaje).
The Sawyer figure comes with a makeshift raft (from the “Exodus” episodes that ended the first season). The Sun figure is decked out in a bikini and holds a beach blanket or towel that’s fluttering in the wind (from the first season’s “In Translation” episode). My favorite is the Jin figure (from the “Adrift” episode), which shows him running down the beach with his hands tied behind his back. And Mr. Eko is shown carrying his prayer stick while standing in a field.
Like the previously released action figures the new friends also come with sound clips.
The Sawyer figure says: “I’m a complex guy, sweetheart,” “There are nicer ways to wake a man up, Freckles,” “There’s a new sheriff in town, boys, y’all best get used to it,” and “Fun time is over, Bongo. Why don’t you go hit the buffet?”
The Sun figure says: “Have you never lied to a man you’ve loved?” “My wedding ring … it’s gone!” “I was going to leave you … I was going to get away,” and in Korean, “I’m not saying you should go alone. I’m coming with you.”
The Jin Figure says: “Others! Others! Others! Others!” “I love you,” “Everything is going to change,” and the next two in Korean: “Hurry!” and “I can’t talk to anyone. I can’t understand them. I need you, Sun.”
The Mr. Eko figures says: “Hello, I am Mr. Eko,” “And tell your friends I let you live. That Mr. Eko let you live,” and “I understand that you live in a world where righteousness and evil seem very far apart, but that is not the real world.”
The new action figures are in stores now and sell for about $20.
COOL NEW BABY NAMES
Have you ever wondered where celebrities come up with the bizarre (I mean unique) names they give their children? Believe me; Apple, Banjo, Cosima, and Daisy Boo aren’t family names.
Parents who want to compete with stars in finding the coolest name for their kid are getting help from professionals.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, parents who feel “unprecedented levels of angst” in the search for a one-of-a-kind name for their child are now hiring baby name consultants and advisors.
Various baby-book authors are charging clients $50 for a list of “special” names, while 30-minute phone consultations go for $95. Another “advisor” the newspaper interviewed said he charges $350 for three calls plus a comprehensive linguistic history of the selected name.
If you think that’s outrageous consider the California mother who reportedly paid $475 to a numerologist to “test” the name Leah Marie for “positive associations.” So what is fueling this high-priced naming picking? The Journal blames the problem on parents’ fear of dooming their child for life by “insufficiently distinguishing their kid from others.”
Would you pay hundreds of dollars to find a cool name for your child?
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