As the victorious Taylor Hicks warbled his new single on the American Idol finale last night, Fells Point resident Jamie Sienko and her girlfriends were watching in style. The 27-year- old teacher had persuaded her boyfriend to let them use his home movie theater with the stadium-style seats; they had an enviable view of the surprise Prince appearance, Kellie Pickler eating escargot in an ill-advised comedy bit and runner-up Katharine McPhee bravely smiling.
But two lucky invitees to the party sent their regrets, and not because they were too busy for television.
"They said, `Oh, no, we're watching Lost,'" Sienko said.
She even offered to TiVo the finale of the mystery-drama, whose time slot overlapped with the reality hit's results show. "There was just no persuading them," she said.
Last night, lines were drawn in the sand - or, more likely, the shag carpets - of living rooms across the country, as fans sided with one two-hour finale over the other. Those obsessed with Lost struggled for the remote with their Idolizing roommates and spouses, who outnumber them by the millions.
It was the climax in the clash of two intensely loyal, and very different, viewing cultures that has been building all year: the hollow-eyed, conspiracy-minded Lost devotees versus the top-40-friendly fans of Idol.
It's safe to say that Lost lost. Though the official Nielsen ratings won't be available until later today, ABC's cliffhanger - which debuted in 2004 - has been getting clobbered all season by the fifth incarnation of Fox's singing spectacular.
American Idol's weekly Wednesday night audience of 29.3 million viewers is more than double that of Lost (14.6 million).
Yet both shows have won over the 18-to-49 group, the age bracket that inspires advertisers to pay top dollar. Lost is a huge hit by any standard - except Idol's.
"Idol is very top of mind - you almost can't avoid it," said Jillian Mastromatteo, broadcast media buyer for Eisner Communications, one of the largest independent buyers of television time on the East Coast.
"Kids watch it, and they can watch it with their parents and grandparents, whereas you are not getting that with Lost."
Both shows allow the audience to participate - a key for young viewers - but in different ways, Mastromatteo said.
"On Idol, you can watch and vote, and you feel like you're part of the show and you're making a contribution to what happens to the contestants," she said. "But in Lost, it's a mental thing. You're involved with the characters; you're trying to figure out what's happening next."
