Angela Dawson:             Hi J.J.  I wanted to ask you two questions first of all the first two films were such huge block busters, and everything why mess with success in terms of adding this element of the romance, and the humor, and secondly I wanted to ask you if you think the film maybe hampered or perhaps even held by the publicity surrounding Tom’s life.

J.J. Abrams:                 Well, I am sure the way you approach something when you are working on something it is sort of you have the way you do it, and I did not think going into this that I wanted to copy the first movie or the second movie.  What I thought was my dream version of Mission Impossible still had not gotten made, which was a version that allowed us to see who these characters were as people not just as spies, and I loved the idea of exploring what it would look like when Ethan Hunt goes home, not just what his home looked like, but who is there, and if there is a woman in his life does she know what he does.  My guess is no, and if not how does he live with himself betraying this woman, and he must know these two roles are going to collide.  It is just going to happen.  So that became sort of one of the themes of the movie.  It was not a question of messing with success, I actually felt that the first two films for me would have been even better had they spent some time investing in the characters, and the people.  In a movie like jaws when Roy Schneider is sitting at the table, and his kid mimicking him, and his wife Lauren Grey is watching, and you know you could have lost that scene from that movie I suppose, and told the same story, but it would have allowed you to invest in the people as much as you do, and that is my favorite thing that through the great blockbuster type movies have done, which is yeah they have the thrills, and the action, but the critical thing is investment in character, and in terms of Tom’s publicity I am sure you can find evidence that any publicity is good publicity, and also find evidence equally valid that having him go on Oprah is not a good thing for him, it is like you can probably find anything to support a point of view, but my feeling is what I control, what I can do is try and make a movie that is entertaining, and hopefully one that you leave a theatre feeling better, and more empowered then you did when you got there, and so I am hoping that the audience… and I believe that the audiences who will see this film are smart enough to differentiate the two, the actor and the character, and I think that finally that the opening sequence of the movie is very purposefully shocking, and terrifying, and I wanted to see this character as vulnerable, and as frightened as he has ever been, and it was not because of any publicity stuff.  It was just simply having Tom Cruise in a movie.  He is such an icon that I wanted from the very beginning of the movie not to have him playing a cool guy, but rather having him play an absolutely vulnerable, relatable man who we relate too, and I got to tell you knowing Tom as well as I do I see everyday who this guy is as a real person, and he is funny, and he is self deprecating, and he is smart, and he is easy going, and he is kind.   Not just to me, but to everyone who worked on the crew.  He is a good person.  So I wanted to see a little bit less of an icon, and a little bit more of us, for the everyman in this character, and I think the audience will see that.

Celvin Chaves:              J.J. how you doing?  I have a question.  What was the most challenging thing for you to make this film?

J.J. Abrams:                 The most challenging thing was probably the logistics of filming in the United States, in Los Angeles, and Virginia, and shooting in Italy in two cities, and China in two cities, and Berlin, and having all the visual effects shots there.  There are many, many visual effects shots in this movie, and special effects, and stunts, and it was really just logistically preparing this, and a lot of that credit goes to the producers of the movie who helped schedule, and set up the production of the film, but you know we were incredibly responsible I think making this movie.  You know we finished ahead of schedule, and under budget.  For me it was totally a result of having a crew that was just hard working, and dedicated, and great at what they do, and my TV training as gotten me use to limited time, and budget, but the hardest thing truly was always just in every scene where people are talking making sure you believe that those people hate each other or that those two guys are great friends or that couple is in love, I mean it was always the stuff that was the most relatable stuff, the most mundane that ultimately I think people will just know rings true or not , and so the stunt work was always a cool, and exciting challenge, but it was the hardest stuff was always the most unexpected kind of small character work.

Celvin Chaves:              And with all these bi-films like Warren, and Bond, and Ethan Hunt who will win on the floor if you leave them along?

J.J. Abrams:                 Who would win?

Celvin Chaves:              Yes.

J.J. Abrams:                 I always think that what would probably happen is if they start to fight against each other the cool thing would be if suddenly they all realized there is another enemy, and they all have to work together to take them down.  That is sort of like the kind of story that I like.

Celvin Chaves:              Will there ever be a Lost movie?

J.J. Abrams:                 I think we make it every week.  I honestly do not know what else we would do, but there have been discussions of sort of all different types of things in Lost, but it feels like to me that the ambition at least in the production in that series is to try, and make a little movie every week.

Celvin Chaves:              Thank you very much.

Fred Topel:                    Hi J.J.  You got a bunch of TV finales coming up.  With Alias ending I think a little sooner than all of you might have hoped, has it been hard to tie up all of the threads you had going?

J.J. Abrams:                 Not really I mean I got to say on Alias, which is only show that really needs to tie up everything this is something we had been anticipating for awhile.  I think it is the right time to end the series.  It is definitely bitter sweet for a lot of obvious reasons.  It is an incredible cast, and crew.  We will miss them, but hope to work with all of them again, you know soon, but in terms of the end of the year, it is actually a really end of the series there is actually a really good finale.  I think it is incredibly satisfying.  It connects all these pieces that have been in the Alias universe from the beginning, and I am really proud of the work that Jeff Pinkner*, and Drew Godder*, and the other amazing writers in the show have done, not just this year, but building up to the finale, which I think is going to be a really, really powerful, and exciting ending.

Fred Topel:                    And with Lost do you have to come with a season cliffhanger that will top the hatch in the last season?

J.J. Abrams:                 I can tell you that Damon Lindenoff* has done just that.  The ending of this year of Lost blows the ending of last season out of the water.  It is an incredible finale.

Fred Topel:                    But there has not been like a single thing… like last year the hatch was sort of dominant mystery.  Now there is so many.  I mean what is the one thing that you can leave hanging?

J.J. Abrams:                 You will see what happens, but I can tell you that a lot of it has been there, and has been building from the beginning of this season.  It is not out of the blue, but what happens at the very end of this year is… for me it is like the greatest finale I have ever heard.

Fred Topel:                    Do you have to pay Harold Parranow* for all those episodes he has not been appearing in?

J.J. Abrams:                 We obviously have an agreement with Harold, but I am not sure that he would be thrilled that I am talking about his finances to anyone.

Fred Topel:                    Thoughts on an Alias movie?

J.J. Abrams:                 I think at the moment right now… we are… Alias is going to rest, and… in just the right way.  It is the right way for it to go out.

Fred Topel:                    Thank you very much.

J.J. Abrams:                 My pleasure.  Thank you guys so much.  Thanks everyone.