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Subject: Marc Scott Zicree

     The following interview was obtained at World Fantasy Con (Oct 28-31, '04). In it Marc discusses Ghostlands, and certain events which led to the inspiration for the entire Magic Time series. He also previews an upcoming television project, After Dark, and even mentions his infomercial, (That's Infomercial, not Nymphomercial!)

Listen to the WFC interview with Marc Scott Zicree: ( 3.4M mp3) ( 1.7M mp3) (1024K mp3)

     If you'd like to hear more about the Magic Time series and After Dark, Marc will once again be visiting with George Noory on the syndicated radio program "Coast to Coast AM" on the evening of Dec. 2nd, around 10 pm EST. Also, included below is a link to his website.

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Television: Dead Like Me

Airing: Sunday Nights at 10 pm (seasonal)

Where: Showtime

     DLM is a quirky, dark dramedy (yes, dramedy) which has just concluded its second season on Showtime. Like Jeremiah, The Sopranos, and other notables, it is a seasonal show, with an average of fourteen episodes per year. DLM features an ensemble cast, with veteran performers such as Jasmine Guy and Mandy Patinkin, and newcomers like Ellen Muth and Callum Blue. The main character, George (short for Georgia) Lass, is a smart, no nonsense eighteen year old who, just as she is about to begin her life, suffers the indignity of being struck down by a meteoric toilet seat (a last remnant from the space station, Mir). But rather than simply passing over, George finds that she has been tapped to be a Grim Reaper. Reapers are responsible for taking souls just before they suffer a violent death, there by saving the deceased from the trauma associated with such a painful and unexpected demise.

     In the first season, George is forced to come to terms with her passing, even as she learns how to survive in the 9 to 5 world. Although this may at first seem to be a contradiction, it isn't; even though George is dead, she's still around. She still needs a place to sleep, clothes to wear, and an occasional meal. So her average day revolves around the demands of her part time job at the aptly named Happy Time Employment Agency, and her darker responsibilities as a reaper. While Happy Time often seems anything but, George does eventually learn to get by there; it is her other new job that often proves to be the more challenging. Since reapers only have a yellow post-it with the victim's first initial, last name, location, and estimated time of death, the viewers often find themselves engaging in the same gruesomely amusing game as the reapers: Who is going to get it, and how? Once these questions are resolved, and the deed is done, the deceased must pass over, and it is these transitional scenes which are often the most touching and poignant in the show. In stark contrast are the scenes which feature George's former family, and the adjustments that they are forced to make as they gradually come to terms with her loss.

     During the second season, the main focus shifts from the victims to the show's main characters, George's fellow reapers. Now the newly deceased are merely vehicles used to move the episodes forward, and there are no longer any of the transitional scenes which gave the first season so much of its emotional impact. In fact, by midseason, except for the occasional soul taking, the shows have a very mainstream look. In the last few episodes of the second season DLM once more returns to its roots. The season finale is very well done, and is certainly one of the best in the entire series.

     While the concept behind DLM is the main draw for the first time viewer, it is the characters, and the constantly evolving storyline, which give the show its real strength. And although DLM is definitely oriented towards that much vaunted demographic, it also has enough depth to appeal to a more mature audience, as well. Give this one a chance, if you haven't already; you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.