It was recently announced ...
Question: It was recently announced that a certain cast member of
Lost joined a pilot for CBS in the fall (as a guest star), and it caused massive speculation in the entertainment press. Lately I've gotten weary of these kinds of announcements — the same thing happened to characters on
24 and
The Sopranos. I know actors can sometimes star in two different shows at the same time, but given that
Drea de Matteo's character, for example, seemed in peril on the show, I couldn't help but figure that her character was a goner sooner or later anyway. With shows like
24 and
Lost, I know that anyone could die, but are you getting tired of the rush to scoop the next person, and is revealing vital information getting in the way of enjoying a good show?
Answer: As both a provider and consumer of entertainment news and commentary, I can only say that this subject is a minefield. For every person who (like you) seems to despise spoilers, there's someone else who lives for them. I fall in between. There's no way, for instance, we could avoid reporting on something as basic as Drea de Matteo joining the cast of
Joey, no matter what speculation that might raise about her role on
The Sopranos. But did that spoil it for me when Adriana met her maker? Not a bit. I didn't know when, how or even if it was coming (for all we knew at the time, she could have escaped into witness protection). News is news, and that includes entertainment news. Where I have a bigger problem is in knowing too many plot details on the shows I love. Working here, I can't tell you how many times I've plugged my ears during a story meeting so I could stay in the dark about an upcoming assignment. Case in point: We had a story ready to go on Gregory Itzin following the plot twist on
24. I knew something was happening, but I didn't know what. And I would have been furious to have known about it in advance. That's why we put spoiler alerts in front of items, as best we can, if we think it's going to ruin a twist. But I also have little sympathy for those who have yet to watch an episode that has aired and who then gripe after visiting a site like this that there wasn't a spoiler alert in any discussion of said episode. Once something has aired, it's fair game. Before that, I'm like you. I'd be cautious about what reporting and speculation I read. But it's getting harder and harder to stay completely in the dark, I'll give you that.
