Visiting with friends; hitting theme parks; walking on the beach at Wildwood, NJ; arguing with the characters in my head who won't shut up until they've told me their stories; imagining myself in the roles of classic movie stars at certain points in my life to cope with triumph and/or disappointment; various other delusional behaviors that writers exhibit.
Well, if I weren't shy, there are several people in my business (comics) I wouldn't mind talking to, among them Kurt Busiek, Phil Noto, J. Michael Straczynski, Darwyn Cooke, and several others whose work and careers I respect.
(I do, however, harass Comics' Own Real Man, Beau Smith, by email frequently. I should get some bravery points for that!)
Soundtracks, especially those by:
David Arnold
John Williams
Jerry Goldsmith
Dance music on XM Radio's BPM and U-Pop (invaluable for slogging through revisions)
'64 Beatles
Meat Loaf
Crowded House
Smithereens
The Killers
Electric Light Orchestra
An occasional opera (Tosca, Pagliacci, Mefistofele)
North by Northwest
The Incredibles
Casino Royale (2006)
Goldfinger
The Stunt Man
His Girl Friday
Citizen Kane
Lawrence of Arabia
The Empire Strikes Back
Warner Bros. cartoons
Many more I can't begin to list
In no particular order:
Dexter
30 Rock
Doctor Who (newer editions)
How I Met Your Mother
Frasier
The West Wing
Sports Night
Remington Steele
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Penn & Teller: B.S.
The Twilight Zone (both Serling's and Straczynski's)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Star Trek (old school)
Babylon 5
Firefly
The Flintstones
The Jetsons
Astro City
Fables TPs
Rex Libris
Dr. Blink, Superhero Shrink
Fear Agent
The Spirit
Fantastic Four TPs
Action Philosophers
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay
The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril
Around the World in 80 Days
Anyone who keeps their word
Cary Grant
Alfred Hitchcock
Adam West
My writing influences: Neil Simon, William Goldman, James L. Brooks, Ernest Lehman, Rod Serling