Homecoming of Lucian Wren

Today the Machines deliver the new Benjamin. But for Lucian Wren, a beleaguered scriptwriter in a world ruled by cradle-to-grave teleprompters, that's no cause for celebration. For the two-year-old they've cast for the "e;reality"e; show featuring himself and his overstuffed Central Casting wife is a giant pumpkin-headed monster a couple of hatchets past Lizzie Borden. And in this Brave New World where everyone lives by the script and citizens gleefully endure public humiliation on shows like Sticking It To The Joneses and What's Left? to grab their three minutes of fame, Lucian badly needs to boost his ratings — or become a contestant on his biggest rival's smash hit, Shark Tank. Where the blood in the water is real.