The Glatfelters' podcast logo on their home computer screen. (AP Photo/Karen Tam)
A clip from "The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack."

In just the last few episodes of ABC's "Lost," Ana Lucia and Libby have been shot and killed, Michael has apparently gone bad and the "Other" our heroes had tied up managed to escape.

On top of that, things may be starting to heat up again between Kate and Jack (or is it Kate and Sawyer?), Sun is pregnant (but is Jin the father?) and Locke and Eko found a new hatch that revealed secrets about the island (or did it?).

That's a lot to talk about -- and "Lost" fans love to talk. A growing number of the show's viewers are creating and downloading podcasts to share their theories and thoughts.

There is, of course, "The Official Lost Podcast," which features two of the show's executive producers and interviews with members of the cast and crew. Since the ABC podcast was launched in November, the episodes have been downloaded a total of 2 million times, ABC said. It's part a larger multimedia marketing plan that also includes multiple Web sites, an interactive online game and the recently released novel "Bad Twin," billed as the final novel written by character Gary Troup before disappearing Oceanic Flight 815.

But while ABC's podcast seems to focus on drawing new viewers and hyping upcoming episodes, the grassroots podcasts are geared toward longtime fans looking for answers to the show's many questions. And more than a dozen have popped up online.

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SUPER-FANS TURN PODCASTERS

Jay Glatfelter, co-host of "The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack" in Raleigh, N.C., said podcasts provide an ideal forum for "Lost" and the debates that stem from the show's mysteries and plot twists.

"Podcasting offers something that radio could never offer, or unlikely could offer," Glatfelter, 21, said. "You can't just turn on your radio and tune in a show about 'Lost.' It's a niche community out there. And Lost is so popular and it offers so many angles to talk about."

"Lost" podcasts may be a niche community, but it's a growing one. Glatfelter said he and co-host Jack Glatfelter, 43, started their show in October, after Jay went searching for a "Lost" podcast to listen to and couldn't find anything. (That's far from the case now.)

Jay and Jack -- who are related, but prefer to keep the nature of the relationship a mystery -- have seen interest in their show grow. A flood of calls and e-mails prompted the pair to split their show into two weekly podcasts, one ready for downloading early Thursday morning and the other posted on Mondays.

About 13,000 people in 50 countries now subscribe to their podcast through iTunes, and their first "vidcast" (a video version of their show) has been downloaded more than 16,000 times since its debut April 20.

The show has received two calls from actor Jorge Garcia, who plays the character "Hurley" on "Lost" and said he listens to a number of fan podcasts on the way to work.

"They kind of encapsulate in a nutshell what everyone is talking about, as far as the hard-core fans go," Garcia said. "It's also just kind of fun to see where they think the show is going, especially since I know what's going on further ahead, and I know when they're wrong."

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GETTING FAMOUS WITHOUT LEAVING HOME

Cliff Ravenscraft, who hosts the "Generally Speaking-Weekly Lost Podcast" with his wife, Stephanie, from their home near Cincinnati, said his podcast originally dealt with other topics and not just "Lost." But after receiving feedback from listeners, they decided to dedicate the podcast to the show. Their show now has 7,000 listeners in 34 countries.

Ravenscraft said one of the things he enjoys most is the sense of community among his "Lost" podcast listeners.

"What makes 'Lost' such a great thing to podcast about is regardless of political views, and somewhat regardless of your moral views, as a culture it's the one thing everyone watches," Ravenscraft said.

"As long as you stay on the topic of 'Lost' you can bring in a worldwide audience."

Jay and Jack produce podcasts while holding down real jobs, and Jay also attends college. Jay, the more computer savvy half of the duo, estimates he spends about six to seven hours putting together each podcast.

"It has become a second job, but we do it, because we like to do it," Jay said. "I think the appeal of podcasting is it's done by average Joes and it's not done for profit. It's grassroots. It's not over commercialized."

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FINDING 'LOST'

Here are a few of the more popular "Lost"-themed podcasts. All the podcasts can be downloaded from iTunes.

--"The Lost Podcast With Jay and Jack"

This duo from Raleigh, N.C. is the only "Lost" podcasting team that regularly records and releases their podcast in the wee hours of the morning after each new episode airs and posts a second show on Mondays. Their podcasts have made the iTunes top 100 list, and their banter includes "Lost" theories, songs by Jay, and Jack's "Crackpot Theory of the Week."

--"Generally Speaking-Weekly Lost Podcast"

Hosted by Cliff Ravenscraft, a minister in northern Kentucky, and his wife Stephanie, Generally Speaking has more of a family-friendly feeling than other "Lost" podcasts. The laid-back shows are sometime punctuated by fits of giggles or the cries of one of their children. Cliff's background in theology also brings an interesting perspective to their discussions about "Lost," which sometimes delves into Christian themes.

-- "LOSTCasts"

If Jay and Jack and Generally Speaking are the undergraduate schools of "Lost" theories and thought, then LOSTCast takes it to the graduate school level, dissecting the show in a way few podcasts even attempt to do. If you want a no frills, hour-long discussion picking apart the meaning of the glow-in-the-dark map in the hatch, this podcast is for you.

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asap contributor Bree Fowler is an AP business writer and confessed "Lost" junkie.

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