Music. My children. Science Fiction. Humor.
Paul McCartney. Burt Bacharach. Alan Menken. Simon Rattle. Esa Pekka Salonen. John Adams (well, I've already met him, but I'd like to have an extended conversation with him.) Joan Tower. Lisa Loeb. Hillary Hahn. Phillip Glass. Ralph Sauer. Adolf Horseth. Yo Yo Ma. Michael Tilson Thomas. Placido Domingo. Danny Elfman. Jim Svejda. Dawn Upshaw.
Contemporary Concert Music and so called "Classical" Music. Rock & Roll. Progressive Rock & Roll. The Beatles (the most progressive of all!) I love to read and write music.
"The Lord of the Rings" series are, I believe, the best movies ever made. After that, I like anything with a great storyline and great special effects. I will not, under any circumstances, pay good money to see a Tom Cruise film, but I will wait in line to see Tom Hanks. I don't believe Anthony Hopkins has ever given a bad performance, even though he's been in a few bad films. "It's a Wonderful Life" is my favorite Christmas Film. I saw "Star Wars. Episode IV 'A New Hope'" during it's opening run at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood back in 1976, so I'm greatly disapointed by "Star Wars I, II and III." I think casting Toby Maguire as Peter Parker in the "Spiderman" films is spot on. I adore Kiera Knightly, Renee Zellwegger and Jodi Foster. Although I think he's a terrible actor, I wish Arnold Schwarzenegger would've stayed in Hollywood, because I think he's an even worse polititcian.
I don't watch television. It's the greatest broken promise of the modern technological era. To me it's only good as a source of news, cultural events (if they bother to televise them!) and weather reports.
"The Lord of the Rings" "Treasure Island" Asimov's "Foundation Series" Kim Stanley Robinson's "Martian Series" (Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars.) Arthur C. Clarke's "Rama Series" (with Gentry Lee.) Anything -- ANYTHING -- by Robert A. Heinlein! The historically informed biographies of the great American Patriots by Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough. "Lies, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" by Al Franken. Cervantes' "Don Quixote." London's "Call of the Wild." Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath."
John Lennon and Paul McCartney. George Harrison. Gustav Mahler. Jean Sibelius. Ludwig van Beethoven. Leonard Bernstein. John Adams. John Williams. Igor Stravinsky. Bela Bartok. Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe. Phil Collins. Carlo Maria Giulini. Sir Georg Solti. Tamsen Beseke. Tom Mazur. Norman Pearson.