SOTU, Villain Groceries, Stolen Valor, Depression, Foley

Guest: James Curry, Professor of Political Science, University of Utah Those who follow President Trump on Twitter may have been surprised by his praise for bipartisanship and compromise. What does the speech tell us about what we can expect from the President in the coming year?

Guest: Tamara Masters, Professor of Marketing, Marriott School of Business, Brigham Young University BYU marketing professor Tamara Masters has discovered that putting a heroic character like Luke Skywalker on a junk food label made people more willing to buy it. The hero’s benevolent qualities make the ice cream or chips seem less bad for you. And we fall for this.

Guest: Don Shipley, Retired Navy SEAL, Military Service Record Investigator It’s a federal crime to lie about having received US military honors or medals in order to get some benefit.  But that doesn’t stop people from trying. And if they do it in a public form –like on TV or a viral video –they’ll probably get called out by Don Shipley. He’s a retired Navy SEAL who’s developed a specialty exposing fakers. He’s the guy who discovered the Native American protester in that viral video from a few weeks ago didn’t actually serve in Vietnam. Most of the time, Shipley’s investigations are lower-profile. He says he gets dozens of requests a day from people wanting to verify that someone’s claim of being a veteran is legit.

Guest: Sam Payne Sam shares a fragment of a story called "Piano Story" by Michael Reno Harrell. It's a comical disaster story of the damage inflicted to Michael's childhood home trying to get a piano into the living room so Michael's brother could take lessons.

Guest: Jane Clayson Johnson, Author of “Silent Souls Weeping: Sharing Stories, Finding Hope” Most people around the world who experience depression do not seek treatment. They may not have access to help. Or they’re ashamed. Or maybe they don’t realize they’re experiencing depression. In the depths of her first major depressive episode, journalist Jane Clayson Johnson blamed herself for being weak, ungrateful, unfaithful –how could she be so depressed when she was so blessed?

Guest: Marko Costanzo, Emmy Award-Ainning Foley Artist When the Incredible Hulk got his own superhero movie awhile back, the invisible details of one particular scene were really important to director Ang Lee. It’s when Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk for the first time. Lee needed the stretching and snapping sounds of Hulk busting out of his human-sized shoes and clothes to be just right. In Hollywood, the job of making sound effects is called “Foley Artist” and Marko Costanzo is one of the best. He did the effects for Hulk and Life of Pi and Ice Age and True Grit and Silence of the Lambs and hundreds of other shows.