Lost

Just when I was thinking television had lost its ability to entertain, along came “Lost.” The surprise hit, Emmy Award-winning drama Wednesday nights on ABC follows a group of plane crash survivors who wind up on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. With its ensemble cast, brilliant writing, quirky characters, and clever plot, the show instantly pulls you in to its strange world. Each episode, these total strangers learn to live with each other and face their own personal demons. Enriching these episodes are the characters’ back stories, pre-crash flashbacks. Meanwhile, the island reveals some curious secrets — a polar bear, a mysterious hatch, a French woman, and “the others” who kidnap one of the survivors. The first season of “Lost” just recently came out on DVD, and the second season is now underway.

Cigar Store Indians

If you haven’t seen this Crabapple, Ga.-based alt-country/rockabilly/swing band or sampled any of the tunes on its four albums, get your booty to a music store pronto. When these guys play, you can’t help but dance, toe-tap and shake what your mama gave you. They’ve been playing clubs, festivals and bars since the early ‘90s and have toured with The Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jason and the Scorchers, and Billy Joe Shaver. Their latest release is Built of Stone, which follows Guest List, a “best of” live album (my personal favorite). And if their music doesn’t put you in a great mood with songs like “Pin-Striped Suit,” “Jailbait” and “Dirty Belly Button,” stick around after a show, and you’ll find them personable, friendly and humble with fans as no other band I know. For the traditional first dance at my wedding in May, my wife and I boogied down to CSI’s version of “Ring of Fire.” Four months later, Ben Friedman, the band’s lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, found this out and proceeded to dedicate that very song for us at a recent show at the Orange Peel.

The Writer’s Almanac

Some people like passing the days with calendars that proclaim arcane trivia, goofy sayings or astrological profundities. I prefer the daily inspiration from Garrison Keillor of Lake Wobegon fame. Each morning on public radio and on the Web site www.writersalmanac.publicradio.org, you’ll find a listing of famous writers and historical events that happened on the given day along with a poem. No agenda or snooty remarks. Just a simple poem and some things to think about as you start your day. In a world that advertises indulgence over substance, it’s refreshing to know there are programs out there like “The Writer’s Almanac” that leave you with the peace of mind by saying, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

— Michael Beadle