When the producers of Lost first conceived the character of Mr. Eko, he was simply a gentle, upstanding Nigerian priest. And after an onscreen career full of drugs and thugs, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje jumped at the chance to play such a role. ''When you're a large black man in Hollywood, the obvious stereotype is one of force and menace,'' says the 39-year-old actor, whose 6'2'' build and hulking shoulders are just as imposing in person. ''I thought I wouldn't mind showing a different facet to my character.'' The good news? Once the producers saw a tape of his breakthrough performance as prison bully Simon Adebisi on HBO's Oz, they knew he was the man for the job. But his sheer power in the role compelled them to give Mr. Eko a new complexity, to add a darker edge, to make him...a former drug thug.
It was as if Akinnuoye-Agbaje himself had been plopped down in the middle of an irony-filled Lost flashback. The switch, he says, came as ''a bit of a shock. I was devastated.'' But he ultimately embraced the backstory, in which Eko assumed the identity of his Catholic clergyman brother, Yemi, who'd been killed by government troops when he tried to stop a drug deal. ''This guy murdered and plundered to stay alive, but he traded his soul for his brother's,'' explains Akinnuoye-Agbaje, referencing Eko's childhood decision to kill a man so his brother wouldn't have to. ''He's running around in his priest outfit still killing people. If you're an actor, that's just delicious.''
As soon as Akinnuoye-Agbaje arrived in season 2 as part of the ''Tailie'' invasion, Eko's struggle to embrace his dual nature instantly helped make the character a looming presence on Lost — no easy task on a sprawling series that at the time featured 14 regular cast members, including some scene-stealing Emmy nominees. Eko made such an impression on castaways and fans alike that his Nov. 1 death — after the island's mystical smoke monster gave him a brutal bashing — was all the more unexpected.
Despite what ABC's promotional department would have us believe, it's unlikely that ugly is anywhere close to becoming the new beautiful. After all, Betty Suarez, titular heroine of the network's freshman sensation Ugly Betty, hardly embodies the U-word that precedes her name.
Okay, yeah, girlfriend is screaming for a VO5 Hot Oil treatment and a shopping spree at Express, but in real estate terms, she's a genuine fixer-upper, and darn it all, she's got lovely bones. True, her eyebrows pop out like two rogue bushes that defile the landscaping; her every outfit hangs like a garish set of outdated curtains; her outsize glasses and braces sit like scaffolding that obscures the building's exterior. But come now, it's America Ferrera under there: Not even the most superficial observer could be blind to that kind of interior (and exterior) beauty — except for maybe in certain Hollywood and fashion circles where a protruding clavicle is all the rage.
The Doc Is (Back) In
Jeff Jensen, EW's resident expert on all things ''Lost,'' has seen the season premiere! Here are his first impressions...
It's here.
Finally.
IN MY OFFICE.
The season premiere of Lost.
I have watched it. TWICE.
What can I tell you?
For starters, the first five minutes = pure Lost genius.
The rest of it is pretty damn good, too.
It's a typical Lost premiere. Think of it as an overture, filled with thematic motifs and melodies to be elaborated upon throughout the season.
It even begins with real musical overture, just like last season. Last year, it was Mama Cass singing ''Make Your Own Kind of Music.'' This year, it's Petula Clark singing ''Downtown.'' You know the tune: ''When you're alone and life is making you lonely you can always go... Downtown!''
Here are some of my in-the-moment reactions/thoughts/questions about the episode, titled ''A Tale of Two Cities.'' I tried to make these as cryptic as possible, but if you wish to preserve your own first-time experience of the season premiere, you better skip this part. In NO particular order:
Sitting on the stool of a Manhattan diner during the lunch rush, swinging her legs, her upper body collapsing into a heap on the counter when she has a laugh at herself, Kate Winslet fits right in with the regulars. She is, of course, a great beauty, but almost more so because she isn't a moving statue of poreless, curveless perfection. Her hair is falling haphazardly out of its ponytail and she's in Birkenstock sandals and a shapeless knee-length gypsy skirt ''that, frankly, my mother would have worn,'' she says with good-humored disinterest. And yet everyone in the restaurant, the hipsters and the suits, the cops and the construction workers, looks positively besotted.
The mystery thickens as Jack and his crew try to escape the clutches of The Others on the third season premiere of ABC's hit, Lost. PEOPLE takes a look at the return to castaway island, plus other events TV premieres to watch for in the coming week:
Discuss LOST here.
The Judges' Day Auf
On ''Project Runway,'' rather than narrowing the contestants down to three for the Fashion Week finale episodes, the panelists give Michael another chance
This week's interesting, awkward, complicated semi-climax of Project Runway ended with a surprise — instead of a final elimination, all four remaining designers learned they'd be presenting collections for Fashion Week and competing for the money, the car, the magazine spread, and, most important, the chance to sew some elastic into their 15 minutes of fame. Massive cop-out? Not really. The twist made sense for a couple of reasons. First, it acknowledged that we still don't know enough about Jeffrey, Laura, Michael, and Uli to know which of the four, if any, will be able to turn from competitor into creative genius. And second — let's face it — the decision saved Michael from going home.
Talk about it in our Forums.
Down by Laws
On ''Dancing With the Stars,'' the judges penalize Mario, Joey, and Emmitt after their routines break the strict ballroom rules
Hey, everyone! Great week. I'm so happy they fixed the music!
Ha! You wish. There was no time to focus on song selections this week because we had a controversy! It seems that in ballroom dancing, there are rules. These rules must be followed. Some of them are a given. Avoid eye contact with your partner, dress partially to completely in feathers, and if you're Vivica A. Fox, do a cartwheel. Others are more technical: According to judge Len Goodman, the dancers must not execute lifts or release their holds in the middle of certain routines. Disgusting stunts like these should only occur at the very beginning or very end of the dance, if they must.
Discuss "Dancing With the Stars" in our forums.
Breast in Show
On ''Nip/Tuck,'' guest star Melissa Gilbert plays a truly perverted patient with a missing nipple; meanwhile, Julia needs help with nursing -
Well, I think I can say that Nip/Tuck truly showed us something new last night. And that's quite an achievement for the shocking series. After all, we've had a transsexual in love with her own son. A serial killer lacking any kind of genitalia. But nothing we've seen so far can top last night's case of the military wife who spends her lonely nights seducing her dog. Oh, and did I forget to mention that said military wife was played by Little House on the Prairie's Melissa Gilbert? Yep, feel free to scream.
Last night's episode was so full of twists and turns that I can barely stand up this morning. I'm dizzy. Even more disturbing than Gilbert's icky bond with her pooch was what happened to poor Liz, the lesbian nurse who never has a story line. Finally she was given some fun scenes, being coached by Christian on how to pick up women. Alas, the woman Liz ended up with was a crook who drugged the good nurse and stole her kidney! Organ thieves in Miami, ladies and gentleman! You might want to rethink those Florida retirement plans. Apparently, it's not so friendly down there.
We also got more info on the luminescent Jacqueline Bisset. (How old is this woman? Who knows, because she is pulling it together!) Michelle (Sanaa Lathan) revealed to Christian that she used to be an escort and that James (Bissett) was actually her madam. And James is not a nice little madam. No no no. She will knock you straight in the face with a paperweight if need be, as we learned last night. James paid for Michelle's med-school tuition, and in return Michelle promised James four years of work. Of course, Michelle peaced out early on James to become Larry Hagman's child bride, and that's why the old lady has come calling.
Back at the McNamara ranch, Julia was having trouble nursing her newborn, Conor, and was even contemplating going on antidepressants. (I know Brooke Shields is a guest star on the show this season, but is she also consulting? It's a wee bit of a coincidence that Shields is appearing, Matt has taken to Scientology, and Julia may have postpartum depression.) Fortunately, Julia got some help from the family's new nanny, played by Peter Dinklage, who once again stole all the scenes he was in. I especially loved it when he went to Sean's office and told him off. Dinklage should get an Emmy nomination for this role. Still, I hated that damn mural he painted in Conor's bedroom. I'm not sure a newborn really wants to wake up to a half-naked painting of Adam and Eve sharing a bite of forbidden fruit.
Click Here to discuss Nip/Tuck in our Forums.
It's Always Personnel
Oh no! Jack White is sick, and the White Stripes have to bail out of appearing on NBS' Studio 60! Also, there are boycott threats by religious conservatives over the ''Crazy Christians'' sketch, grumblings among the writers and performers who fear being fired by the new regime, and a personal crisis for Matt when Harriet finds out he slept with fellow cast member Jeanie! On top of all that, Matt's got writer's block! Okay, none of this sounds as momentous as the crises faced by the White House staffers on Aaron Sorkin's last show, but give him a break: It's just his second week on the job, and Matt and Danny's first. You can't blame everyone for panicking a little.
Click Here to Discuss Studio 60 in our Forums.
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