NEIL & BECKIE'S FAVORITE THINGS


Music | Television | Movies | Books | People | Places | Things


Music*

GuitarModern Folk Music

Ken Batts: Another talented artist to appear at the First Church Coffeehouse.

Ken Batts Home Page: Maintained by Ken and others at FolkZone.Com, a great source for folk music info. Be sure to check out his song "It's True".

John Gorka: Another of Beckie's faves.

JohnGorka.com: The official site.
The John Gorka Page: Fan page run by Anne Nugent. Features letters, concert reviews, songs, lyrics, discography.

Ratsy: The first folk singer to play at the First Church Coffeehouse after Neil's arrival in 1995. He was taken with her voice and her style right away and they have followed her career ever since.

Ratsy.comSongstress Girl / Superstar: Her official home page, chock full of everything you need to know in order to worship her. Includes photos, sound clips and cool stuff.

Cheryl Wheeler: Another fave.

The Unofficial Cheryl Wheeler Home Page: Fan site run by Bill Pringle at CherylWheeler.com

David Wilcox: One of Beckie's favorite folk artists.

David Wilcox: The Official David Wilcox Home Page, maintained by Emily Zolten. Personal biography, concert dates, discography, photos, sound clips, and reviews.
The World of David Wilcox: Raymond Garcia's introduction to David's music.

Contemporary Instrumental MusicSuzanne Ciani

Suzanne Ciani: Neil first heard Suzanne's music on "The Wave" while driving through Cleveland in 1988. When he moved to Boston, he brought along a copy of Suzanne's album, "Hotel Luna", which Beckie promptly fell in love with. Suzanne's music is gentle and flowing, very restful, but never schmaltzy.

Seventh Wave Productions: Record label begun by Suzanne and her husband, Joe. Check out her biography and listen to a few clips. There are also some RealMedia clips of her live performance with her new group, THE WAVE.

Chris Spheeris: Neil first heard about Chris on the fundraising album, "Polar Shift". Chris' use of Latin rhythms and acoustic guitar have made him one of Neil and Beckie's favorite night-time relaxations.

Essence Records: Fabulous New Age composer. Check out the Discography and be sure to play some of the clips on the links to his MP3.com pages. If you've never heard Chris' music before, you'll be hooked by the time the clips are done!

John Tesh: Yeah, he gets a lot of flak, but he's really a very talented composer and musician and we think that anyone who really sits down and listens to his music will think so too.

The John Tesh Web: The official web site. Features new album info, concert dates and merchandise.

Yanni: One of the foremost composer's of modern instrumental music. A favorite of Neil's since 1988 and a major influence on his musical endeavors. Yanni's "Tribute" concert is one of the most moving events ever made available on video.

The World of Yanni: The Official Web Site from Virgin Records
The UnOfficial Yanni Fans Web Page
Reflections: An UnOfficial Yanni Web Page
LOYOL: Listeners of Yanni On-Line

Specialty Music

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of "The War of the Worlds"

War of the WorldsSimply the foremost concept album of the last quarter century. Jeff Wayne creates a science-fiction musical that works. Featuring the late Sir Richard Burton as Wells' Journalist; with David Essex, Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues, Julie Covington, Phil Lynot, Jo Partridge and Chris Thompson. If you've never heard it before, you're missing out on one of the most stunning works of art ever created!

King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King": Neil has never been a big fan of Progressive Rock, but his friend Darrin introduced him to this album a few years ago when he started running a D&D campaign based on the lyrics. Neil finds it quite mesmerizing.

 


Music | Television | Movies | Books | People | Places | Things


Television*

DramaMichael T. Weiss as Jarod

The Pretender: A great show! Michael T. Weiss is exceptional in this role as a man on the run from The Centre. a mysterious agency that kidnaps children with unique talents and uses their abilities to affect the world at large. Sadly, the series was cancelled by NBC in May 2000.

The Pretender Centre: Lucky Reese's excellent site. Cast profiles, image files, fan fiction, link and more!
The Centre: Great FAQ! Designed as The Centre's own internal website. Images, fanfic and links.

The West Wing: Need we say more? Absolutely the best show on TV.

The West Wing: Warner Brothers' official site.

Comedy

South Park: Okay, it's raunchy, it's rude and, frankly, it's gross. But you just gotta love the social commentary!

All South Park: All South Park, All the Time: A real kick-ass site. Images, sounds, clips, games, links, even desktop themes!

South ParkSouth Park @ Comedy Central.com: From the Network that brought you South Park in the first place, here is their site dedicated to the show that made them famous. Links, downloads, games and more!

Science-Fiction & Fantasy

Babylon 5: What can we say? Quite simply the best show on TV during its 5-year run. Science-fiction at its best. Excellent writing, strong characters, fabulous effects and emotional drama. The dream of one man, built on the influences of his youth. "The Lord of the Rings", "I, Claudius", Asimov, Bradbury, Wells and Verne. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out on the most addictive show in years.

The Official Babylon 5 Web Site: Warner Brothers' official site.
The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5: Probably the definitive fan site. New fans will find synopses of all the stories here and an outline of the general story to help you catch up with what's currently airing on the Sci-Fi Channel.
Babylon 5 @ SCIFI.COM: SciFi Channel's area dedicated to the series.

Blake's 7Blake's 7: Another classic show from the BBC. In this one, Earth's future Federation is corrupt, evil, manipulative and controlling its population with drugs and intimidation. Planets are not asked to join, they are forced at gunpoint. Enter Roj Blake, a former freedom fighter captured by the government and brainwashed into renouncing his ideals. Now he has regained his memories and, together with a band of prisoners and a highly-advanced alien spaceship, he plans to bring the Federation to its knees.

www.blakes7.com: A Haven for Thieves, Killers, Mercenaries and Psychopaths.
Blake's 7: Judith Proctor's B7 page.
Horizon: Website of the Blake's 7 Appreciation Society.

Doctor Who: Okay, pretty much everyone knows that Neil loves this show to death. Why, Beckie cannot understand, but she humors him anyway. That and his medication make him pretty stable. :)

Doctor Who -  The Eight Doctors

Doctor Who is too complicated to explain here, but the links Neil has provided lead to pages that will help explain the show to people who are unfamiliar with it. Below are just a few links to some of the best sites. The show ran on the BBC for 26 years and has captured the imaginations of millions around the world through the series, novels and spin-off audiodramas. Now you too can find out what is so captivating about it!

Console Room: The BBC's official Doctor Who site.
BBV On-line: Originally a fan-based operation, Bill Baggs Video is now producing audio and video dramas based on monsters and villains from the TV series.
Big Finish Productions: The audio/video production company in the UK which is currently producing new authorised DW audiodramas featuring actors from the TV series.
Doctor Who Alliance of North America: An organized effort of fans across the US and Canada dedicated to keep the legacy of our favorite program alive on the North American continent. A weekly e-mail newsletter is available from them.
Doctor Who Cuttings Archive: Chronicles press and media coverage of the programme and contains an archive of Doctor Who-related articles from newspapers, general magazines and listings magazines. Of particular note is a substantial archive of listings, covers  and articles from the BBC's own listings magazine the 'Radio Times'.
Doctor Who Image Archive: Steven Hill's extensive collection of image files from the series.
NirtoNine: The Doctor Who Home Page. One of the earliest and most respected DW sites on the Net. Maintained by Siobhan Morgan.
Outpost Gallifrey: The Internet's Doctor Who News & Information Magazine and the Home of the Doctor Who News Page.
Web Guide to Doctor Who: The most detailed and up-to-date listing of DW-related websites on the Net.
WhoFind: A DW-specific search engine.
Who's Doctor Who?: A good introduction to the series, with lots of information about each incarnation of the Doctor and the series in general.

The War of the Worlds: A great series that extended from one of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time. The concept of the show follows the revival of Martians 35 years after their failed attempt to conquer the Earth in 1953.  This time they have infiltrated society and are attempting to destroy it from within.

The Complete War of the Worlds: This site treats the whole concept of the Martian invasion as if it had really occurred and accepts the various forms of the story as part of the long and tragic history of the Earth. Lots of cool links and stuff.

 


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Movies*

Science-Fiction & Fantasy

Star Wars: You know, there really are people who think "Star Wars" is drivel ... but Neil and Beckie are not among them! They both went to see The Phantom Menace and the Special Edition releases on the first day. No, they're not sad fans, but the "Star Wars" movies defined an age for both of them. And, with the remaining prequel releases yet to come, the anxiety level is revving up around their house!

Star Wars - The Official Site: George Lucas' authorized site. Lots of info, images and details, including updates on the current film in progress.
TheForce.net: Your daily dose of the Dark Side. A fan-run site with even more info than the official site!

Godzilla!Godzilla: Neil's favorite movie monster of all time. Yeah, okay, the costumes are hokey and the stories can be a little silly, but there's something to be said for all that raw, destructive power. Especially enjoyed are the more thoughtful stories in which Godzilla is protrayed as the tragic figure, rather than the sillier, campy movies of the 60's. But even those are fun to watch.

Barry's Temple of Godzilla: Quite simply the best Godzilla fan site on the Net. Lots of sounds, images, links, and even some exceptional fan fiction. Check out this PDF of Barry's story, "Godzilla Attacks", where Boston gets smashed up by the Big G on the 4th of July. Cool.
Crow's Godzilla Emporium: My IRC friend, CrowTRobt thoroughly *hated* the American Godzilla release. Fortunately, his site has plenty of links to the original Japanese releases he so dearly loves.
Godzilla.Com: Sony's site based around their blockbuster release. Lots of links and cool info about the American version of the Big G. Frames and graphics heavy.
Godzilla's Domain: Lots of FAQs, fan fiction, fan art, film updates, etc. Maintained by Ramsin Tamraz.
Godzilla World: Toho Studios' official site. In Japanese.
Monster Zero: Fandom.Com's Godzilla site. Lots of info, links, cast and crew info, etc.


Music | Television | Movies | Books | People | Places | Things


Books*

General

The Fur Person: A wonderful book by the late New England author May Sarton. It tells the story of the cat she owned in the 1950's from the point of view of the cat. Beautifully-written insight into what the mind of a cat might be like.

Mystery

Jeremy Brett as Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes: While Sir Arthur Conan Doyle may not have created the first detective stories, his are by far the most famous. Who has not heard of Sherlock Holmes? Neil has read all of the original stories and many Holmes adventures written by other authors. He and Beckie have both enjoyed watching the late Jeremy Brett's portrayal of the detective on Mystery! and in reruns on A&E. The endurance of the character, more than 100 years after his creation, is a testament to Conan Doyle's skill as a writer, and to the human fascination with people of character and shrewd intellect.

Sherlock Holmes Museum: Website for the museum that resides at 221B Baker Street, in London.
Sherlock Holmes International: Resources for Holmes-based sites around the world. Lots of links to all sorts of information and other people's ideas about the world's first "consulting detective".
Granada Television's Sherlock Holmes: A guide to all the episodes of the series featuring Jeremy Brett.
Section Two - Sherlock Holmes: A site belonging, oddly enough, to Sherlock S. Holmes, Doctor of Divinity. He has a whole section devoted to the illustrious detective, including a page for the Quintessential Holmes: the late Jeremy Brett.

Hercule Poirot: Agatha Christie's Belgian detective uses his "little gray cells" to solve crime after crime amid the backdrop of the 20's, 30's and 40's.

Agatha Christie Mystery Online Bookstore: A wonderful place to order Agatha's books in various forms including hardcover, paperback and audio.

Science-Fiction & Fantasy

Harry Potter bookHarry Potter: J.K. Rowling's series featuring a young boy who one day discovers he's actually a wizard and is taken from his oppressive Muggle (non-magical) home and plopped down into the middle of Hogwart's School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Funny, compelling, chilling and often moving, these books are a must for any adult who still longs for magic in their own lives.

HarryPotter.com: Warner Brothers' site for the upcoming movies.
The Harry Potter Page: Lots of info on the books from around the world, movie casting info and pics, rumors and more!
The UnOfficial Harry Potter Fan Club: Another good site with lots of links.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Douglas Adams' hilarious adventures of Arthur Dent, a seemingly-normal Englishman caught up in wildly-hysterical intergalactic intrigue after the Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass.

H2G2: The Earth edition of the Guide. Not exactly a Hitchhilker's site, but it's inspired by the books and is actualy quite a useful site!
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: Though the name is based on another of Adam's books, this site has some HHG-related links, including a clever littls guide that features entries and responses from the books.
Douglas Adams.com: Personal site of the author.
ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha: The website of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Appreciation Society.

The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings: Quite simply the best fantasy epic every written. Tolkien's masterful brushstrokes created a world of unparalleled beauty and mystique, while at the same time making social commentary on such things as greed, imperialism and the drawbacks of the industrial revolution.

Neil read all four of the books to Beckie over a nine month period after moving to Boston in 1995 and it has been a symbol of their relationship ever since.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Website for the upcoming movies based on the books. Also includes interviews, cast profiles, a discussion forum and on-line shopping.
Lord of the Rings.com: Still under construction at this time, but has a large array of links to check out whileyou wait for it to come on-line.
The Tolkien Society: Dedicated to encouraging interest in the life and works of Professor Tolkien.
The Tolkien Trail: A very interesting site that takes you on a tour of Middle-Earth as part of navigating the site. Still under construction, but what there is is pretty cool.

H.G. Wells: The father of modern science-fiction, Wells envisioned a world which has come to pass in many ways. Though his ideas on love and social progress were unconventional, he shed light on social issues in a way few authors had managed to do before him.

The H.G. Wells Society: What better place to start?
H.G. Wells: A biography and a list of selected works.


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People*

Lori Berenson

Lori Berenson

Lori Berenson is a political prisoner currently serving a life sentence in a Peruvian prison after being convicted of terrorism by a hooded tribunal and without adequate representation. The movement by her family and friends has, in part, pressured the Peruvian government into giving her a new trial, this time a civil trial with, hopefully, her choice of legal counsel. Her recent state of health has been very poor, as she spent three years in a high-altitude prison in the Andes. Please follow the link and learn more about this travesty of justice.


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Places*

Mt. Desert Island, Maine

Beckie and Neil spent their honeymoon here in 1996.

Acadia National Park: Site built and maintained by the folks at AcadiaNet. Includes info about the park, camping, bird guides, and more.
The Bermel's Guide to Mount Desert Island, Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park: Larry and Michelle Bermel's personal guide to the island. These people obviously love the place as much as we did!
Welcome to Mount Desert Island: InUSA.com's site featuring tourist attractions.


Music | Television | Movies | Books | People | Places | Things


 

Things*

Carousels

Beckie on a Carousel

Beckie just absolutely LOVES carousels (as you can see), so we decided to include a link to one of the best carousel sites in the country: http://www.carousel.org/

Merry-Go-Round Museum On-line: Website for the museum in Sandusky, Ohio.

Carousel Center: A shopping mall in Syracuse, New York, built around an antique 1909 carousel.

Dirigibles & Zeppelins

ZeppelinEver since elementary school, Neil has been fascinated with the history of lighter-than-air craft. From the tragedies of the U.S.S. Shenendoah and the Hindenburg, to the North Pole expedition of the Norge and modern-day Goodyear Blimp, Neil has read about them all. And now he has compiled a list of links that you can follow to learn more about these amazing "giants in the sky".

Airship: DJ's Zeppelin Page. Numerous photos of the Hindenburg, Graf Zeppelin, Los Angeles, Shenendoah and Akron. Several stamps, advertising cards and brochures, as well as some letters of note in dirigible history.
Airship Heritage Trust: A charitable organization dedicated to the preservation of British airship history located in Bedfordshire, England. Information and photos about Britain's foray into the world of lighter-than-air craft, particularly the R-100 and the R-101.
Zeppelin: Another site with definitive dirigible info and history. Maintained by John Dziadecki.
Zeppelin Library Archive: Basic essential information about the greatest of the airships and a look at the future of airship endeavors.
Advanced Technologies Group: Company out of Bedford,UK, which produces and develops modern-day airships for commercial and military uses.

Games

Neil's far too deep into games for Beckie's taste, but here are some links to a few of his favorites.

DiabloII.net: Neil's current favorite PC game, Diablo II, and the best site for news, hints and general info.
Once Upon a Time: An incredible card game which requires people to tell a story using the cards dealt to them.
Dungeons & Dragons: Well, duh! The game that really got Neil started down the path to hell. :)


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