During the latter half of the program, writer-producer-director Marc Zicree joined George Noory to discuss the strange realm of the entertainment industry, the sometimes heroic effort it takes to break in to the field, and his current projects. Zicree suggested sci-fi entertainment can transport viewers/readers into the future, open them up to new possibilities, and cover heated issues of the day in a way that is fresh and non-adversarial. He spoke about how digital video, computer effects, and new distribution platforms have changed the industry, eliminating many of the barriers to entry faced by masters such as Twilight Zone's Rod Serling. Zicree called Serling the first showrunner and one-of-a-kind producer who wrote 92 of the 152 Twilight Zone episodes.
"I much prefer the way TV is done now to the way it was done back then," he continued. Zicree, who now runs his own studio, is producing a sci-fi series called Space Command. The first two-hour story has been shot as well as part of the second episode, and the show is currently being pitched to networks, he reported. Zicree explained the work that goes into the thousands of hours of visual effects in his new show, and how the production may have to change should it be acquired by Amazon, Netflix, or another network. "When I showed the opening five minutes... the network executives and friends who run network shows are amazed," he said. They are also interested in the project because it was crowd-funded and comes with an automatic fan base, Zicree confessed.
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In the first hour, columnist Dr. John Curtis provided his analysis of the Trump Inauguration. "It's a proud moment to see the country led by somebody who truly wants to do something different," he said. Curtis called Trump an American icon and lauded him for leaving his successful real estate development business to take on the sacrifices of the presidency. A peaceful exchange of power occurred despite the protests and riots, he reported, calling out the rioters as paid anarchists. Curtis identified some challenges Trump will face as president, including dislike by the left and his own party, as well as the Cold War hysteria on Capitol Hill. Trump will be a positive voice for practical change in the United States, he suggested.
Second hour guest, futurist Paul Guercio of the Merlin Project, updated the presidential 'timetraks' produced by his software-based forecasting technology. "We said, and we were the only people who said this... the two people that had the best timetraks were Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump," he explained, adding his belief it would have been Sanders against Trump had the DNC not manipulated the primaries. According to Guercio, Trump's timetrak shows a steep drop off in activity around the end of his first year. This change, along with a ramp up in Pence's chart for 2018 and 2019, may indicate something very dramatic alters the circumstances of Trump's presidency, Guercio revealed.
News segment guests: Chris Berry / Howard Bloom / Peter Davenport