1992 prison training video... starring Michael Emerson!

Right about the same time that Benjamin Linus was helping the Island's indigenous natives by betraying his fellow DHARMA Initiative members in the Purge, the man who would one day portray him on Lost was getting some acting work under his belt. Like this strange training video intended for correctional facilities.

Here is Michael Emerson as prison counselor "Mr. Andrews". And I think you'll agree: even at this early stage in his career, we can see Ben Linus peeking out from behind those eyes of Emerson...

I'm sure that with some clever editing Mr. Higgins could be replaced with Michael screaming and ranting "WAAAAAAALT!!!" :-P

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Michael Emerson wins Emmy for LOST!

I do not watch much television, truth be known. A show has to be mighty impressive for me to invest the time to keep up with it on a regular basis. But I can't recall any show that has so captivated my imagination as has ABC's Lost. And of all the remarkable characters from the magnificent Lost ensemble, few have been more intriguing than Benjamin Linus (shown here from last season's episode "316" as he shares the story of Thomas the Apostle), played as no one else could by Michael Emerson. Is Benjamin a bad guy? A good guy? Someone with an agenda we can't even begin to imagine? Even now going into the show's final season, Ben Linus is a complete mystery.

Last night at the Emmy Awards, Emerson finally got his long-deserved recognition: he won the Best Supporting Actor for a dramatic series. Considering that there is no single "primary" character in Lost, that is certainly something to be proud of.

Congrats to Michael Emerson, and everyone who won something last night :-)

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Here it is: Ben moving the Island from the LOST Season 4 finale!

You know what haunts me most about this scene? It's that Ben is crying. This is the last thing that he's about to do for the Island, the final gesture of his duties as the previous chosen one. And for the first time, we are seeing fear in the face of this master manipulator.

Just before the white light cascades over everything, I can't help thinking that what's going through Ben's mind is, "I'm going to die. Please forgive me." He knows he's going to be banished from the Island... and he doesn't know where he'll be sent to. He could wind up anywhere in the world, or anywhere above it or inside it. The next moment could find him on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, for all the good that it would do him. I like to believe that this was a "leap of faith" moment for Ben, and that when we see him materialize in the Tunisian desert that it was Jacob's doing.

Everything is orchestrated flawlessly in this scene, from Michael Emerson's performance, to the sets, to how we see the affect that Ben's action has throughout the area of the Island. And Michael Giacchino's music here: I will buy the Lost Season 4 soundtrack just for this, if/when it comes out.

In the two and a half seasons that he's been a character on Lost, this was the definitive moment for Benjamin Linus. And it's being widely agreed that this was the most amazing single scene of this television season.

So here it is courtesy of YouTube: Benjamin Linus working the frozen donkey wheel, and using it to move the Island...

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