Stefan's Favorite Things

MUSIC
Male Singer	Chris De Burgh - While he is best known here for the song Lady in Red he also sang the theme to Arthur 2 and has numerous albums in Europe. I saw him on his only US tour in 1983.
Female Singer	Joan Jett - She is wild in concert. I've seen her many times, from North Carolina to Toad's Place in New Haven. I saw her at the Beau Rivage in April 1999 and got an autograph and the song list. (Concert reviews). She finally came back to Georgia when played after a Thashers game in 2003.
Folk Singer Female	Barbara Bailey Hutchison - She is wonderful! A delightful storyteller and lovely singing voice. Buy her CDs! She even has children's songs. The last time I saw her was in Nashville - October 1998. Her latest is a children's CD called "Cat in the Sink". Check out my fan page for more cool info.
Folk Singer Male	Don Henry - I first heard of Don when Barbara sang Harley. Since then I've seen him a dozen times and really come to appreciate is songwriting, his sense of humor, and yes, even his singing.
German Singers	I picked up an appreciation for German speaking singers during several trips to Germany. Although these singers aren't well known here is the USA, take my word, they're great! Even if you don't understand the words. Nena (Kerner) - Best known in the USA for her song 99 Luftballons, she also has several other great albums. It's a great 80's rock sound that is emotionally charged and easy to dance to. [Fansite] Marianne Rosenburg - Dark almost Gothic soft rock sound. Feuerrosen is my favorite. A friend just picked up her latest album, “Luna” for me. Juliane Werding - Mostly ballads, I find her music mysterious yet sensual, with plots very similar to some Heart songs. I have several CDs and continue to collect more. Nicole (Seibert) - Soft sensual ballads. I highly recommend it. I have “Mehr Als Zusammen Schlafen Gehn”, and “Wenn Schon ... Denn Schon”

MOVIES
Upcoming Movies I'm interested in seeing	Deadpool - Prabably silly but we'll see. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Should be fun Underworld 5 - I'm not sure why The Dragon Riders of Pern - If it ever gets made
Movie 2015	The Martian I loved the book. I was a little disappointed by some of the technical errors made by the director but still enjoyed the film. Matt Damon did a great job with the role.
Movie 2014	Edge of Tomorrow I though the story was excellent and action intense. It was very imaginative. I thought Cage's transformation from coward to hero was inspiring.
Movie 2013	The Hunger Games: Catching Fire I like the strong female lead and underdog overcoming incredible odds. Some of the acting performances were amazing even in a silly sci-fi flick.
Movie 2012	The Avengers It had everything: Action, plot, eye-candy and was just escapist fun.
Movie 2011	The Adjustment Bureau Romance with a dash of Sci-fi, this was a very heart warming movie about fate and star-crossed lovers.
Movie 2010	TRON: Legacy I really enjoyed everything about it: The visuals, the characters, the action and the music. I especially liked the Cyberbabes and light cycles. Second place goes to Tim Burton who did a great job with Alice in Wonderland. While not true to the books, he was very true to the characters, the intent and the joy of Lewis Carroll. The visuals were lovely and the math and puzzles were spot on.
Movie 2009	Moon was my best experience at the movies in 2009. It was thought provoking and suspensful. Watchmen and Whip It were a close second. The other movies were fluff without substance.
Movie 2008	Ironman and Hellboy II: The Golden Army stand out as good movies, but it really wasn't a good year. Most movies were just disappointing. Bond hasn't come out yet and could have potential.
Movie 2007	The Bourne Ultimatum - The action was so intense I thought my chest was going to explode. That is why I go to the movies
Movie 2006	Not a great year, but Cars and Deja Vu were pretty good.
Movie 2005	Serenity was awesome with action, twists and funny lines. Sin City - It was beautiful to watch, sick and twisted, but fun. Constantine and the Fantastic Four get honorable mentions too.
Movie 2004	The Bourne Supremacy was really exciting and I saw it twice. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 was close a second.
Movie 2003	Bend it Like Beckham A great coming of age movie with a Indian culture clash subplot. The sexual mix-ups are very Shakespearean and hilarious!
Movie 2002	Ice Age was fun for adults and kids. Amelie was a close second.
Movie 2001	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - They did this book-to-movie right! They kept true to the story while adding great visuals and effects. I didn't like to narrative opening though and I thought the hobbits look too human.
Movie 2000	The Patriot - It was based on real historical events and I think accurately portrays the reality of war. The scenery and effects were much better than any other war movie.
Movie 1999 (Oscar-best movie)	Shakespeare in Love - I've always been a Shakespeare fan and this movie has is all: laughs, tears, tragedy, a pirate, and a dog. Even though it's a tragedy, you leave feeling happy. The Ben Aflick joke is funny and Queen Elizabeth almost steals the movie.
Movie 1998	The Truman Show - I'm not a big Jim Carry fan, but this movie was great. I love a movie that makes you think. I hope you saw it!
Movie 1997	Grosse Pointe Blank - I've said it before, I'll say it again: I'm a hopeless romantic. Minni Driver was excellent and it had me laughing all the time. In & Out was a close second.
Movie 1996	The Truth About Cats and Dogs- It was so good I saw it twice, and I almost never see a movie twice.
All Time Favorite Movies	The Princess Bride - Who isn't in love with Princess Buttercup? Monty Python's Holy Grail - I've seen it over 50 times and it keeps getting better Sleepless in Seattle - Okay, so I'm a romantic!

TELEVISION
2015 TV Show	Nothing stands out - Still watching The Walking Dead, Marvel: Agents of Shield, Once Upon a Time and Big Bang Theory regularly
2014 TV Show	Marvel: Agents of Shield - It's just cool
2013 TV Show	The Walking Dead - I'm not a big fan of zobbies but I really like seeing the social, moral/ethical, and technical dilemmas and how the characters answer them. There's a lot to learn here if one pays attention.
2012 TV Show	Lost Girl - I really liked the sexy goth girls and mythical monsters in the first season. But it lost me with the intrigue and soap opera in later seasons.
2011 TV Show	Once Upon a Time - I like shows that can mix real and myth: This show has potential. Going through the Disney catalog, there are several characters that can be brought in to add exciting twists and turn. I'm looking forward to characters from Alice in Wonderland, the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Little Mermaid to appear.
2010 TV Show	I continued to watch NCIS, Big Bang Theory and Grey's Anatomy but nothing new stood out.
2009 TV Show	Defying Gravity - Not many people caught this summer filler series but I thought it was great. If you can find all 15 episodes on the web it's worth watching. You could also buy or rent the DVDs.
2008 TV Show	NCIS and Big Bang Theory kept me glued to the TV this year. Eliza Dushku in the Dollhouse was interesting but not consistant.
2007 TV Show	Pushing Daisies I really enjoyed this show. It was light and funny and most importantly - different.
2005/2006 TV Show	Grey's Anatomy I like the witty banter. And since we're all damaged and scary, I can relate.
2004 TV Show	Shows this season just sucked! But I still made it a point to see Gilmore Girls, Everwood, and Stargate although I'd often miss them and didn't mind too much. I'm glad Enterprise was cancelled - All the continuity problems with the first three series were too painful to watch.
2003 TV Show	Everwood can be over the top in its preaching and moral high ground dialog but mostly I enjoy the complex characters.
2002 TV Show	Hidden Hills - Of course I'll always love Paula Marshall and the show was funny and fresh. But it was cancelled quickly - The best moment in the series was when they dumped the kids for a night and went to a rock concert - They got drunk and Paula flashed the band, which made the local news in the show.
Fall 2001 TV Show	Enterprise - It's not as good as the original Star Trek. Again, the writing is formulaic and characters have no personality. Continuity with the other shows could also use some work.
Spring 2000 TV Show	Grapevine - Following on the success of HBO's Sex in the City CBS gave it another chance. It lasted five weeks. Read the hype on my Grapevine page. (see Spring 1992)
Fall 1999 TV Show	Sports Night - This show wasn't about sports, it was about people and life's troubles. It was smart, sharp, funny, and cancelled.
Spring 1999 TV Show	Buffy: The Vampire Slayer - I'm not sure why. Maybe it's my lust for goth-chicks or maybe just because it's fun. Either way, I'm usually home Tuesday nights now. Also Charmed with Shannon Doherty and Lisa Marie Combs is pretty cool.
Fall 1998 TV Show	Cupid - I could really fall in love with Paula Marshall. She was great on a season of Spin City. The networks tried for a third time to give this actress her own series: but it didn't work. The premise was pretty weak, the constant Moonlighting like bickering was annoying, and what was it doing on Saturday night? The show was a perfect lead in to either Spin City or Dharma & Greg.
Spring 1998 TV Shows	Spin City/Dharma & Greg - ABC had comedy Wednesday night nailed ! Why did they ruin it?
Spring 1997 TV Show	JAG - CBS resurrected this show after NBC unexpectedly canceled it in 1996. It is intelligent, well written, and exciting. CBS isn't spending as much as NBC did, and the plots are weaker, but I still enjoyed it.
Fall 1996 TV Show	Profiler - It's a shame NBC wouldn't allow a women to be great at her job unless she was endowed with "Super Powers." Still, the writing was excellent, the pace was exciting, and the acting was better than average. I got really tired of Jack, but when he was defeated Ally Walker left and the show declined.
Fall 1992 TV Show	Picket Fences - For a while this show had it all. Great acting, interesting stories, and it kept you guessing. But it had too much controversy for the main stream audiences and was moved around too much.
Spring 1992 TV Show	Grapevine - It only lasted six episodes on CBS but I loved it. Every show was about sex! But there was no nudity or smut: it was all left to your imagination. Like the original Twilight Zone, several up and coming actors got their big break there, including Dean Cain, Courtney Thorne-Smith, and Terry Farrell. I loved it so much I made a webpage: visit it here. (see Spring 2000)

COMEDY
Comedian	Janeane Garofalo - She was just too funny for SNL. I think she was best in The Truth About Cats and Dogs and she stole the show in Reality Bites. She also saved Mystery Men from being a total farce. [Schedule]
Comic Strip	I enjoy reading Dilbert and Sinfest everyday. My all time favorite has to be Calvin & Hobbs, I really miss those guys...

OTHER COOL THINGS
Sport	Skiing - I Love to ski. The outdoors, thrill, and camaraderie is awesome. It's been a while since the 95-96 season when I had 19 ski days including 7 days in Park City, Utah. But I keep hoping. My last trip was to Snowbird with the Fisher family April 5 - Awesome!
Ice Cream	Ben & Jerry's I'm a big fan. I've been to the factory in Vermont, I got the T-shirt and the birthday card too. Every year on my birthday they give me a free cone, what could be better?
Hot Sauce	911 available through mail order from Mo Hotta Mo Betta. They also have such other fine products as “Hot Buns on the Beach,” “Scorned Women,” and “Pure Hell.”
Snack Food	Buffalo wings - of course the best ones are the ones I make: You just can't find great ones in the stores or restaurants. Did you know that hot wings were invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY? I went there once, they were pretty good.
Free WebSpace	There can be only one - Tripod.com. Which I say because Geocities ended in 2009 after hosting my first webpage since the beginning

Created Oct. 10, 1995 Last updated 19 Nov 2015 ©2015 Stefan Oestreicher

spunbystefan@yahoo.com