LOST fans and stars shared their love of the show at this weekend's Hawaii premiere.  Fans waited for hours on the beach for the sneak peek.  When the time came for the red carpet arrivals, stars returned the favor.  They waved, smiled, signed autographs and posed for innumerable photos.  I was with the fans at the fence near where limos dropped off the stars -- not inside with press access but right amid the fans.  I've posted photos below that I took with a simple point and shoot camera, I'm sure everyone near me has similar souvenires.

Honestly, I am not a real fan of the show.  I have seen it, but right now I don't really follow any TV series very regularly, especially not one that requires me to keep up.  But I am a true fan of these stars.  They were so gracious, it is hard to imagine what more they could have done.  It was truly an evening of aloha!

LOST tee shirts and caffeine is the story of the morning for participants in the tour sponsored by Hawaii-Aloha Travel and the Transmission blog of Ryan and Jenn Ozawa.  Wendy, Makana (in front) and Julio Bachiller are locals but that means they drove in from Ewa early this Sunday morning to join the tour highlighting locations where LOST has filmed on Oahu.  Other tour participants only had to journey to the lobby of the Park Shore Waikiki but many of them, too, visited the coffee shop next door while waiting for the bus to depart.  They were tired from last night's excitement but determined not to miss anything!

Almost everyone has a favorite story about last evening's premiere showing of the first episode of LOST's final season.  Many share photos of themselves with LOST stars, either as they walked the red carpet or later as they gathered at an after party in Waikiki.

Tracy Steel and her husband Chad came from Tucson for the tour.  They've been to Hawaii several times, so the big attraction was the opportunity to meet and mingle with other LOST fans, as well as getting a sneak peak at the premiere.  Tracy is one of many taking back photographic evidence of her brush with the stars.

As the fans showed one another photos and shared stories, the common thread was how friendly and approachable the LOST stars are for fans.  If you add up the number of photos just taken by those in the lobby this morning, the LOST actors must have been pausing and smiling for amateur cameras every third step -- and that's not to count the photos in the morning paper and on television news.  It may be that they will miss Hawaii as much as the state will miss LOST when this season ends.

Today's tour includes many locations on the island of Oahu where LOST has filmed over the years.  Ryan and Jenn are acting as fan-guides.  They've had to divide their talents -- there are so many people interested in the tour that they filled two large tour buses and a lead van.  Ryan is in one bus and Jenn in the other, at lunch they'll switch.  When it came time to load up, Yaling Fisher checked names off the list and Bruce Fisher collected lunch money.  They're off!

 LOST fans gathered on Waikiki Beach were treated to an island-style red carpet arrival of cast members of the popular television program.  The final season begins with a televised two hour season opener on Tuesday but tonight those fans devoted enough to brave the crowds on the sand got a special preview of the first hour.  People began arriving with the sun this morning to stake out a place on the sand in front of the huge 30-foot screen.  At mid-afternoon, the beach was filled with chairs, blankets and beach mats and by the time the program began, people were sitting and standing body-to-body.  Passage ways narrowed to a trickle.

And yet, the crowd was happy, enthusiastic and, for the most part, friendly and congenial.  While the space out front filled up, some fans took their places along the fences at the street where limos deposited the series stars.  Although there were television crews covering the event, no special interview area was set aside.  The stars shook hands, signed autographs, and posed for photos with the fans along the fences.  Most took their time visiting fans on both sides.

There was no need to ask which designer they were wearing -- while a couple of the women arrived in chic short dresses, most of the actors wore jeans and casual shirts.  They seemed as relaxed as the wardrobe, enjoying the fans' enthusiasm for LOST as the show enters its final season.