Previously on LOST...

Woohoo! LOST is back tonight at 10pm. Thank god! I was able to last the 2+ month long hiatus and boy oh boy am I excited. Started preparing by watching the last 6 episodes over the past week (thank you Tivo). Here's some of the scoop:

• "Not in Portland" will be a Juliet-centric episode...first episode about an Other, no?
• Juliet arrived on the island on or close to September 11, 2001 (3 years, 2 months and 23 days ago) making the current island date December 4, 2004.
• Ok that's enough...

Also, EW.com has an interview with the producers of the show, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Lots of good info...but is any of it spoilerish? I guess so. So don't read if you don't like some spoilers.

• Michael and Walt will be back in the story, but "that's most likely a year 4 story."
• Juliet came off the island and was recruited by the Others...versus some Others being born on the island.
• The connection between the Others and Dharma gets revealed in episode 11.
• We'll be getting more of an understanding of the apparitions (Kate's horse, Jack's Dad, etc.) during the course of this season. (and Sayid's cat will be in season 11)
  
• There will be an anagram in tonight's episode that hints at a larger mythological mystery that will start to unfold later in the season.
• In the next six episodes, the show will answer the burning question/conspiracy theory: Is Claire Jack's half sister?
• "That's the one thing that when the show ends, you won't have a causal explanation for why did all these people interconnect."
• "Penelope's story continues in episode 8 [Feb. 14] in Desmond's flashbacks. We put that scene at the end of the season finale for a reason, and like the anagram, they're components to a larger revelation. You'll learn more about why we put that scene at the end of season 2 by the end of season 3."
• We will see the smoke monster again this season. Its origins, however... we'll have to wait.

JJ Abrams - LOST Opening "sound" (.mp3)