Here is where I blab about my favorite albums by various artists. These albums are all EXTREMELY awesome, and had to be really cool to make this exclusive list. *l*


'The Great Escape' - BLUR - Great great great. This whole album is a great representation of Britpop at it's finest. My favorite Blur album.

'What's The Story Morning Glory?' - OASIS - Hmmm...the more I listen to this, the more it sounds like the Beatles. I don't know if that is a good thing or not. This album went straight up against Blur's 'The Great Escape' in the battle of Britpop. Both albums are completely different. This one relies on more classic sounding guitars and melodies, with great songwriting by Noel Gallagher.

'Be Here Now' - OASIS - Better than the last one, 'What's The Story Morning Glory?' This one is superb, basically because it came out on my birthday. *l* Just kidding...the songs are more in your face, unlike the laid back tunes from the previous two albums....

'Ultra' - DEPECHE MODE - You know, all their 80s material was awesome, but this album is what REALLY got me hooked to them. This album was fantastic, and I am glad they started on the modern electronic stuff. Dave's voice is at it's best on here....and it was interesting to hear Martin as well.

'Japanese Whispers' - THE CURE - Pretty wacky, and a perfect representation of 80s keyboard pop, but this album also has it's dark side. This was the first experimentation of pop for The Cure, so it is a little rough at times. Great start though out of the depressing stuff for previous albums.

'The Top' - THE CURE - An extremely strange venture. A great followup to the latter album, even better. This album is very bizarre, and the songs basically make no sense, the lyrics at least. I still love it though, although you must listen a couple times to get used to it's strangeness.
'Wild Mood Swings' - THE CURE - The newest album of new material and to me, their best material. All of their 80s stuff is CLASSIC, yet there is something about this album, maybe because it's the first Cure album I ever got. I started REALLY listening to them in 96, then went backwards through their material. I really like this record mainly because it is so diverse. Each song has a completely different feel, and the album really IS full of, Wild Mood Swings. This album was not accepted by many of The Cure's longtime fans, and I don't know why.....

'Staring At The Sea - The Singles' - THE CURE - This is the perfect record to buy for a beginning Cure listener. Full of all the singles released from 1979 to 1985, this is a great collection in chronological order of all Cure mastery.

'Galore' - THE CURE - The same as 'Staring At The Sea', but picks up where it left off at 1987 then goes into 1997. This album has 'Wrong Number', a track exclusive to this album only. This is what I love about singles compiltations such as these, you get to listen first hand on one album how much a band has evolved. It's quite interesting.

'Substance' - NEW ORDER - Just an awesome thing. New Order is classic on here. Carrie got me into this band, and ever since I got 'Best Of' they became automatically one of my favorites. The accompanying b-sides on Disc 2 aren't too bad either, but Disc 1 itself is most certainly worth the 20 dollars for this double album!

'Best Of' - NEW ORDER - I got this album before 'Substance', so I was not exposed to their more dark and not as popular songs on 'Substance'. 'Best Of' has all noteworthy songs, but in my opinion is more poppier and mainstream than 'Substance'. Essential 80s material.

'The Fat Of The Land' - PRODIGY - Prodigy is not one of my favorite bands, but this album is just extremely cool. If you like techno, you'll like this...it kinda blends techno and dance with hard rock, which makes it tres awesome. This caught me by suprise though, it's more catchier and addicting than I had imagined. It was well-worth the months overdue, delayed release date.

'Decade' - DURAN DURAN - A little annoying at times I know, but I can't help but love this group and this album. Full of all their hit singles that I am sure ANYONE can sing along with, this is like others I have mentioned, essential 80s. A poppy and fizzy masterpiece.

'Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness' - SMASHING PUMPKINS - Hmmm....this album really reminds me of Christmas 1995. Just because I can remember wanting it SO bad. The singles came out before Christmas, and I could not wait till my sister gave it to me then. *l* I love this and it truly is to me, the best album they have put out, and probably ever will. Each song is different, yet the album has one distinct mood. This is where the Pumpkins first began expreimenting with more techno-ish, keyboards and such. I am glad they got out of the more one sounding grunge guitars of 'Siamese Dream', but don't get me wrong, that album rocked too.

'Discography' - PET SHOP BOYS - A bit more obscure to me, and not really as catchy as the other 80s acts of this time. But that only makes them better, and although their songs are all basically on the same level, they can be dramatic yet care-free at the same time. Awesome collection of noteworthy singles.

'No Need To Argue' - THE CRANBERRIES - The Cranberries are what first got me interested in alternative rock, it was the song 'Zombie' to be precise. I remember listening to this and I just really liked it because it was the first "alternative" album I had ever owned. Dolores O'Riordian to me, has the best female vocal voice in history. Besides Ellen Bledsoe perhaps.......*l*

'Tiny Warnings' - RADIO IODINE - My favorite St. Louis band. Full of angst and swirling techno-ish rock, this album is extremely relatable on a more personal level, I think Ellen's lyrics are full of anxiety that so many people face.....and I commend her for being so brave to explore those dark emotions which she expresses through this record.

'Gravity Kills' - GRAVITY KILLS - Awesome debut from another awesome St. Louis band with basically the same sound as Radio Iodine, they also the best live stage presence of any other band I have seen live, with a possible exception of The Cure. They put on a great live show.

'Earthling' - DAVID BOWIE - Whoa...this album will just blow you away. Great new material.....wild and rushing.....I prefer Bowie's new material GREATLY over his older stuff, the 70s/80s stuff scares me with the exception of 'China Girl' and 'Let's Dance'. Awesome awesome awesome is all I can say!

LASTLY, any Carrie Tape is awesome. Carrie is responsible for CORRUPTING me to 80s music. Damn her. So all my friends, hit her for doing it, she is full of CORRUPTION. 80s music is so CORRUPTED.


Honorable Mentions, that ALMOST made THE list *l* :
'Garbage' - GARBAGE
'Receiving the Gift Of Flavor' - THE URGE
'MTV Unplugged' - 10,000 MANIACS
'Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me' - THE CURE
'Pornography' - THE CURE
'Disintegration' - THE CURE
'To The Faithful Departed' - THE CRANBERRIES
Great Expectations - The Album
'Pinkerton' - WEEZER
'Medazzaland' - DURAN DURAN
'Republic' - NEW ORDER
'The Singles' - THE SMITHS
'Definitly Maybe' - OASIS


Onward.........on this exiting trip....*lol*

Allright, now that I have bored you to tears, I am going to continue. Here lies some of my favorite movies I would recommend, so go out and see/rent them before I have to kill you with some otherwise non-pleasurable tactics.


'LA CONFIDENTIAL' - I know, I have not yet seen Titanic, but I feel justified enough to say that 'LA Confidential' should have won Best Picture at the Oscars. The film is just way more complex and alluring than 'Titanic'. With a great great great storyline and plot overrun with a dark theme portrayed by 1950's life in Hollywood, this movie is very suprising in the way of conspiracy and the constant "You don't know who's REALLY behind this" theme running in your mind. Supported by an otherwise unknown cast with the exceptions of Kim Basinger, Danny Devito, Kevin Spacey, and James Cromwell, this is a cimena masterpiece.

'STAR TREK : GENERATIONS' - When this movie first came out, I had expected more of it than it gave me. But as I watched it more, I realized how important it is to the Next Generation cast. It ushered out the geezers of the Original Series into history, and brought the TNG cast more into focus. (Was I the only one who was getting sick of the Original Series folks budging in on TNG????????) I was not happy with the way they handled Data's emotions, it is the aspect and complexity of his character, that longing to be human, so let's not give him EMOTIONS! And what was with killing the Duras Sisters? They rocked!

'STAR TREK : FIRST CONTACT' - Full of action, suspense, and monster special effects, this is probably the best Trek movie, in my opinion, that will ever be released. Great job coming up with a solution to the Data emotion topic, I was happy with the outcome. One thing I was majorly disappointed with in this movie was the lack of involvement of a great character that was seemingly overlooked majorly, Dr. Crusher. I mean come on, there is more to the TNG cast than Data/Picard. That is the kind of movie they made it into, the Picard/Data show. The greatest thing this movie did was that it opened up the idea that the TNG cast can uphold a strong franchise, and be even more successful than the Original Series cast. And of course, if the Borg is involved, as past TNG episodes have proven, the venture is bound to be both exiting and profitable for the company and it's Trekkers.

'LABYRINTH' - *lol* I know this movie is extemely dumb and childlike at some times, but you cannot help but loving it. I liked this movie as a younger child, and I remember being terrified of David Bowie and his huge hair and glitter-eye-shadowed eyes. The main reasons why I still love this movie, is it's innocentness. This movie is harmless! Bowie's exclusive songs to this movie and Jim Henson's muppets made this movie even better.

'STAR WARS : A NEW HOPE, STAR WARS : THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, STAR WARS : RETURN OF THE JEDI, SPECIAL EDITIONS' - When the Special Editions FIRST came out, I despised Star Wars with a passion, basically because I am such an avid Star Trek fan. I was opposed to Star Wars, because the two are such rivals. But my friend Teresa was who first got me started on Star Wars. I have her to thank. *bows to the jetgrrl* Star Wars, all three of them, are some of the most wonderful, magestical, suspenseful films of history. The story and plot are easy to understand, yet at the same time are extremely complex and has many facets. The characters are legendary, and this movie will forever have a huge franchise and a HUGE place in film history. On another note, 'Empire Strikes Back' is the best chapter of the three. So take that dumb girl in the glasses that I used to argue with EVERY advisement class freshman year. *lol* Remember her Teresa? *s*

'THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW' - I just have to say that everyone should see this movie. You just have to, whether you like it or not! I thought it was hilarious, but a little too wierd at times. I loved it's openess, and it's wackiness and humor were appreciated. The songs are the best part about the movie! It's cult status is quite suprising, and it was very interesting to see Susan Sarandon and Tim Curry before they became known. *lol* They were both SO wierd, (especially Curry *l*) in this movie, and I bet they look back and say, "What was I thinking?"

'LOST HIGHWAY' - This movie is just incredible! It is so so so so so so fucking bizarre. It is unbelievably bizarre. It's mood, theme, plot, and characters, well why don't I just say EVERYTHING about the film is incredibly complex. The whole movie is full of secrets, hidden messages, and double identities of sorts. Created, written, and directed by David Lynch, whom I consider a creative genius, yet at the same time, extremely deranged. His style of directing along with the mood and setting he creates in this movie are spectacular. With a great cast including Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, and a creepy Robert Blake, this is one of the best movies I have ever seen, yet also the most strange. After you watch it several times, like I have, the wierdness becomes routine and you think nothing of it. And with a cameo by Marylin Manson as a porn star, just ask Guille, is reason enough to see it! *lol* Just kidding....

'THE WEDDING SINGER' - Just a great comedy. It was fun seeing the 80s revisited, seeing as how I did not really "experience" the 80s. I wish I could have. *sigh* Adam Sandler was good, as was Drew Barrymore, but I think they proved a little too predictable. And my favorite character? George! His 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me' take was hysterical, and he was a scene stealer in every scene he was in. It was funny seeing the hoosiers in the Sulllivan theatres, their reactions to him. *lol*

'KIDS IN THE HALL : BRAIN CANDY' - *lmao* This movie is just really cool. And when you think about it, incredibly and unbelievably crazy. The humor in this movie is extremely witty and clever, and proves that Scott Thompson, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney, and Kevin McDonald are all all extremely talented actors and writers. (Am I correct Carrie? Foley did not help write the movie did he?) One of the best things I love about both the movie and the show is how the female characters are played! By the guys! It's hilarious! I have also found out that this movie is incredibly addicting. *g*

'GREAT EXPECTATIONS' - One of the best drama films I have seen. The script, directing, and just the look of this film were all brilliantly executed, especially as most readaptations of classic novels turn out pretty crappy. The concept that probably has me most drawn to this movie is how it dwells on how we humans react, adapt, interact and deal with one another. The main character Finn, has an undying love since his childhood for a snobby girl named Estella. The whole movie is based around that attraction, and how Finn can never have Estella, because of what the mysterious (and my favorite character) Mrs. Dinsmoor has instilled in her. It deals with success, envy, and in a way revenge on the part of Finn. The setting is amazing, and the mansion, Paridiso Perduto is mysterious as the movie is. With a great cast containing Ethan Hawke, Gwenyth Paltrow, Anne Bancroft, and Robert DeNiro, and a very suprising and sad ending, this movie is a must see.

'FARGO' - I have come to realize that the thing that makes me really enjoy a movie the most is it's general look, or directing style the director creates. This masterpiece of comic genius and clever plot, has that look. Wide camera shots and just the style of directing I like best. This movie won the Oscar for Best Screenplay, which is awesome, and Frances McDormand won Best Actress for her role. Other great cast members include Steve Buscemi and William Macy. The only thing that puzzles me about this movie is that in some parts, where something quite horrible might be happening, you are not sure whether to laugh or grimace. The Coen Brothers, who wrote, directed, and I THINK produced 'Fargo', are great at disguising that concept.

'THE CRAFT' - Great creepy, suspenseful flick. I loved the premise they used of "play with fire and you will get burned", referring to the invocation of the spirit. The occult was also a nice main theme for this movie, and supported by a great cast this film was a hit. There is something about Fairiza Balk, that makes me think she's the best looking one of the group. I think she casts a spell...but you have to admit, she was the most interesting of the four.


'TOMMY BOY' & 'BLACK SHEEP' - These movies will forever be two of my favorite comedies. 'Tommy Boy' and 'Black Sheep' are both full of meaningless and otherwise stupid stunts that Farley has mastered, such as running into things and falling on top of stuff, but you have to remember that this is what Farley loved to do best. He had a heart, and I think he loved to see people happy. So he dwelled on that, and at the same time became quite successful. With David Spade as his annoying sidekick, Chris played second in the witty department. Although Chris may have not had many facets to his acting ability, he attracted a large audience, and did all of these whilst becoming successful, just to make people laugh.


'WILD THINGS' - Hmm. What can I say? This movie rocked. Besides attracting the audience through it's sexual look, I think the movie without the sexual theme still would have been as good. Of course, the GREAT looking cast which consisted of Denise Richards and Neve Campbell, plus Kevin Bacon and Matt Dillon for the ladies, also contributed to the allurement. Once again, the look of this film is what was really interesting. The directing style and mood of a Florida swamp was wonderfully done by director John McNoughton. The main stars of the show were Neve Campbell and Denise Richards, not just because they were extemely good looking, but they played their characters so well and convincingly. The plot was the most impressive with all it's twists and turns, yet at the same time, it is an easily predicted movie. Towards the end, it was right on the edge of becoming too ridiculous, but it ended before it self-destructed. Great show, and very interesting to see how far people will go with greed for money.

'AS GOOD AS IT GETS' - First runner up in my opinion behind 'LA Confidential' for the Best Picture Oscar. Simply put, this movie was just brilliant. The cast was probably was what made it as good as it was, with the legendary Jack Nicholson that seemed to me to be playing himself. Greg Kinnear who in my opinion also should have won Best Supporting Actor, and Helen Hunt also did exceptional jobs. This whole movie was basically about relationships, and breaking stereotypes and truly caring about others. I think that the movie could have been cut down a bit, cause towards the end, I was ready for it to be over and resolved. Great ending, but a little sappy. I was satified though. And hey? What the hell was up with James Brooks not getting nominated for Best Director? C'mon. He's awesome! He DID create the Simpsons! *g*


'THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE' - WOW. This movie was all like a big blur to me. It was extremely creepy, and very confusing. It was creepy, not in David Lynch style, but just plain creepy. The directing and style the movie was portrayed and shot in was magnificent. Although I have to say that Keanu Reeves is still a terrible actor, and Al Pacino is a great one. It also introduced a neat new theory, that the devil is sneaky and sleek rather than beatly and monstrous.

'HACKERS' - I just likes this movie because of it's look, and the new wave of technology it introduced. The otherwise unknown cast was extremely good too.


Hope you enjoyed that people, if it made sense. *l*

Yes I do read. I try to do something educational and that enhances the mind......*l*....not that movies and music don't do that.....here lies a list of the few of my favorite reads...


'Ordinary People' - JUDITH GUEST - Although I was reading this book for English class, I actually enjoyed reading it. It was incredibly real, and hits home in alot of ways, yet it kind of depresses you a bit. Pretty moving at some parts. Fairly good read.

ANYTHING BY EDGAR ALLAN POE - Poe's work amazes me and shocks me at the same time. I am a huge fan of his suspense and horror short stories and poems, but not too fond of his humor takes. The thing that most fascinates me about him is, if Poe would not have been so drugged out on opium all the time, then would he have been as successful? I am sure that contributed to his talent, yet also made his work more bizarre and complicated. The same goes for the artist Vincent van Gogh. To me, his an extremely legendary literary genius.

'Great Expectations' - DEBORAH CHIEL - Great novelization to an obviously great movie. The book had just as much appeal and feel to it as the movie did. It perfectly represented the characters with as much personality as they had in the movie. The only thing that I hated was that the author cut out one of the most important scenes, the second fountain encounter. The adding of scenes was allright, but changing the main character's name from Finn to Jimmy was a little bit too far. Good job though, just as addicting as the movie is!

'Star Trek : Deep Space Nine' - 'The Laertian Gamble' - ROBERT SCHECKLEY - I know you are all probably laughing, except you Kristina, *s*, but the Star Trek books are really good. Some of them can really really really suck, yet some can be excellent. I won't describe them too much in detail, cause all the ones listed are awesome. This one was a great Bashir story.

'Star Trek : Deep Space Nine ' - 'The Big Game' - SANDY SCHOFIELD - Similar to 'The Laertian Gamble' plotwise, but not as good. This storyline was brilliant though, and was based around DS9 holding a gambling tournament, hosted by Quark of course.

'Star Trek : Deep Space Nine' - 'Trials and Tribbleations' - DIANE CAREY - Awesome episode, and great great book. Diane Carey is probably my favorite Star Trek author, she retells and relives the episodes fantastically.

'Star Trek : The Next Generation' - 'Descent' - DIANE CAREY - This I can honestly say, I enjoyed more than the episode. I had read the book first, so I was a bit let down by the time I saw the episode, the book was that good. I could not put it down. Probably the only TNG book I have really enjoyed.....

'The Hottest State' - ETHAN HAWKE - I was very suprised that this novel was as good as it was. I was addicted to it, and it is incredibly real, although I have not really experienced the things that take place in the main character, William's, life. He has two main issues he has to deal with, both which both cause alot of strife. Well written by someone you would not expect it to come from!