Favorites

Roger’s Favorites

Each list is shown in alphabetical order; these are NOT countdowns from best to worst or worst to best. This page is frequently updated and, thus, always under construction!

A Few Favorite Books

Almost French by Sarah Turnbull And Then There Were None (A.K.A. Ten Little Indians) by Agatha Christie As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Being There by Jerzy Kosinski Blood Red Sunset: A Memoir of the Chinese Cultural Revolution by Ma Bo Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska Desperation by Stephen King Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer Harry Potter I: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter II: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter III: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter IV: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter V: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter VI: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter VII: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Judge Dee at Work: Judge Dee Mysteries by Robert Van Gulik Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth Rose Madder by Stephen King Saints and Strangers by Angela Carter The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison The Buddha of Suburbia Hanif Kureishi The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy The Freedom Writers Diary by The Freedom Writers and Erin Gruwell The Green Mile by Stephen King The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela Carter Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story About the Hard Life by Flann O’Brien The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling The Talisman by Stephen King The Truth Book: Escaping a Childhood of Abuse Among Jehovah’s Witnesses by Joy Castro Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory McGuire Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys Wild Swans by Jung Chang

A Few Favorite Movies

A Christmas Story (1983) Back to the Future I (1985) Back to the Future II (1989) Back to the Future III (1990) Ball of Fire (1941) Batman (1989) Batman II: Batman Returns (1992) Batman III: Batman Forever (1995) Batman IV: Batman & Robin (1997) Batman V: Batman Begins (2005) Batman VI: The Dark Knight (2008) Being There (1979) Bend It Like Beckham (2002) Bent (1997) Bin-jip, or 3-Iron (2004) Casablanca (1942) Cidade de Deus, or City of God (2002) Charade (1963) Clue (1985) Der himmel über Berlin, or Wings of Desire (1987) El laberinto del fauno, or Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) El Norte, or The North (1983) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Finding Neverland (2004) Freedom Writers (2007) Ying xiong, or Hero (2002) Harry Potter I: The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) Harry Potter II: The Chamber of Secrets (2002) Harry Potter V: The Order of the Phoenix (2007) High Anxiety (1977) Inglorious Basterds (2009) Jeepers Creepers (2002) Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) Life as a House (2001) Lord of the Rings I: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Lord of the Rings II: The Two Towers (2002) Lord of the Rings III: The Return of the King (2003) Forrest Gump (1994) Little Miss Sunshine (2006) Manhattan (1979) Milk (2008) Once Were Warriors (1994) Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) Raise the Red Lantern (1991) Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) Shi mian mai fu, or House of Flying Daggers (2004) Signs (2002) Slingblade (1996) Spider-Man (2002) Spider-Man II (2003) Some Folks Call It a Slingblade (1994) Stand by Me (1986) Star Trek (2009) Star Wars: Episode IV (1977) Star Wars: Episode V (1980) Star Wars: Episode VI (1983) Stranger Than Fiction (2006) The Crazies (2010) La haine, or The Hate (1995) The Last Emperor (1987) The Sixth Sense (1999) The Truman Show (1998) Vanilla Sky (2001) Vertigo (1958) Whale Rider (2002) Where the Wild Things Are (2009) Wo hu cang long, or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) X-Men (2000) X2: Men United (2003) Y tu mamá también, or And Your Mama Too (2001)

Favorite TV Shows (Currently in Production)

(These don’t necessarily air all-at-once, but they are still “in production,” meaning they are not canceled as of the summer/fall 2010 to spring 2011 season.) Bold text signals good renewal prospects.

Show 30 Rock, season 5 Breaking Bad, season 3 Brothers & Sisters, season 5 Dexter, season 5 Emmerdale Family Guy, season 8 Física o Química (Physics or Chemistry), ssn. 6 Glee, season 2 Life Unexpected, season 2 Lonestar, season 1 Mad Men, season 4 Nikita, season 1 No Ordinary Family, season 1 Parenthood, season 1 Raising Hope, season 1 Smallville, season 10 (the final one!) Spartacus: Blood and Sand, season 2 Supernatural, season 6 The Office, season 7 The United States of Tara, season 2 The Vampire Diaries, season 2 True Blood, season 3 Undercovers, season 1 V, season 2 Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love)

Network NBC AMC (cable) ABC Showtime (cable) ITV (British) FOX Antenna 3 (Spanish) FOX CW FOX AMC (cable) CW ABC NBC FOX CW Starz (cable; also on Netflix) CW NBC Showtime (cable) CW HBO (cable) NBC ABC Das Erste (German)

Timeslot and Special Notes Thurs, 8:30 p.m. Sun, 10:00 p.m.; season 3 is done! Sun, 10:00 p.m. Sun, 9:00 p.m. Weekdays, 7:00 p.m.; also Thurs, 8:00 p.m. Sun, 9:00 p.m. Tues, 10:00 p.m. in Spain Tues, 8:00 p.m.; airs at 9 in the spring Tues, 9:00 p.m. Mon, 9:00 p.m. Sun, 10:00 p.m. Thurs, 9:00 p.m. Tues, 8:00 p.m. Tues, 10:00 p.m.; finale May 25 Tues, 9:00 p.m. Fri, 8:00 p.m. Fri, 10:00 p.m.; a spinoff will air in spring 2011 Fri, 9:00 p.m. Thurs, 9:00 p.m. Mon, 10:30 p.m.; season 2 is done! Thurs, 8:00 p.m. Sun, 9:00 p.m. Wed, 8:00 p.m. Tues, 10:00 p.m.; Nov 2011, timeslot TBA Weekdays, 6:00 p.m.

Status 5th season begins fall 2010 Renewed for 4th season! 5th season begins fall 2010 5th season begins fall 2010 Soap opera (continuous) 9th season begins fall 2010 6th season begins soon 2nd season begins fall 2010 2nd season begins fall 2010 Series begins fall 2010 4th season currently airing 1st season currently airing Series begins fall 2010 2nd season begins fall 2010 Series begins fall 2010 10th/final season begins fall 2010 2nd season begins spring 2012? 6th season begins fall 2010 7th season begins fall 2010 Renewed for 3rd season! 2nd season currently airing Renewed for 4th season! Series begins fall 2010 2nd season begins fall 2010 Soap opera (continuous)

Favorite TV Shows (No Longer in Production)

Show 3rd Rock from the Sun Aliens in America Angel Battlestar Galactica Buffy the Vampire Slayer Carnivàle Charmed Coupling Daria Dawson’s Creek Dead Like Me Dollhouse Eastwick Everwood Felicity Flash Forward Friends Gilmore Girls Golden Girls Greetings From Tucson Happy Town Heroes Hex Jack & Bobby Kyle XY Living with Fran LOST Maybe It’s Me Mutant X Nip/Tuck Over There Popular Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (on YouTube) Pushing Daisies Quantum Leap Reaper Reba Roseanne Roswell Sabrina the Teenage Witch Sailor Moon (dubbed from Japanese) Sliders State of Grace Summerland The Beautiful Life The Help Three Moons Over Milford Ugly Betty Veronica Mars What I Like About You Witchblade

Network NBC CW WB SciFi (cable) WB then UPN HBO (cable) WB BBC 2 then 3 (British) MTV (cable) WB Showtime (cable) FOX ABC WB WB ABC NBC WB NBC WB ABC NBC Sky One (British) WB ABC Family (cable) WB ABC WB Aired in syndication FX (cable) FX (cable) WB CBC and TBS (Japanese) ABC NBC CW WB then CW ABC WB then UPN ABC then WB Cartoon Network (cable) FOX then SciFi (cable) FOX Family (cable) WB CW (now on YouTube) WB ABC Family (cable) ABC UPN then CW WB TNT (cable)

Aired… Jan 9, 1996 to May 22, 2001 Oct 1, 2007 to May 18, 2008 Oct 5, 1999 to May 19, 2004 Oct 18, 2004 to Mar 24, 2009 Mar 10, 1997 to May 20, 2003 Sept 7, 2003 to Mar 27, 2005 Oct 7, 1998 to May 21, 2006 May 12, 2000 to June 14, 2004 Mar 3, 1997 to Jan 21, 2002 Jan 20, 1998 to May 14, 2003 June 27, 2003 to Oct 31, 2004 Feb 13, 2009 to Jan 29, 2010 Sept 23, 2009 to Feb 14, 2010 Sept 16, 2002 to June 5, 2006 Sept 29, 1998 to May 22, 2002 Sept 24, 2009 to May 27, 2010 Sept 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004 Oct 5, 2000 to May 15, 2007 Sept 14, 1985 to May 9, 1992 Sept 20, 2002 to May 9, 2003 Apr 28, 2010 to July 1, 2010 Sept 25, 2006 to Feb 8, 2010 Oct 17, 2004 to Dec 18, 2005 Sept 12, 2004 to May 11, 2005 Jun 26, 2006 to Mar 16, 2009 Apr 8, 2005 to Mar 24, 2006 Sept 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010 Oct 4, 2001 to May 3, 2002 Oct 6, 2001 to May 17, 2004 July 22, 2003 to Mar 3, 2010 July 27, 2005 to Oct 26, 2005 Sept 29, 1999 to May 18, 2001 Oct 4, 2003 to Sept 25, 2004 Oct 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009 Mar 26, 1989 to May 5, 1993 Sept 25, 2007 to May 26, 2009 Oct 5, 2001 to Feb 18, 2007 Oct 18, 1988 to May 21, 1997 Oct 6, 1999 to May 14, 2002 Sept 27, 1996 to Apr 24, 2003 Umm…let’s just say ’92 to ’02 Mar 22, 1995 to Dec 29, 1999 Jun 25, 2001 to Aug 19, 2002 Jun 1, 2004 to July 18, 2005 Sept 16, 2009 to Dec 18, 2009 Mar 5, 2004 to Apr 16, 2004 Aug 6, 2006 to Sept 24, 2006 Sept 28, 2006 to Apr 14, 2010 Sept 22, 2004 to May 22, 2007 Sept 20, 2002 to Apr 24, 2006 June 12, 2001 to Aug 26, 2002

Canceled/Ended After 6 seasons; 139 episodes 1 season; 18 episodes 5 seasons; 110 episodes 4 seasons; 83 hours (includes mini-series & movies) 7 seasons; 144 episodes 2 seasons; 24 episodes 8 seasons; 178 episodes 4 seasons; 28 episodes 5 seasons; 70 hours (includes 2 movies) 6 seasons; 128 episodes 2 seasons; 31 hours (includes 1 movie) 2 seasons; 26 episodes and an unaired pilot 1 season; 13 episodes 4 seasons; 89 episodes 4 seasons; 84 episodes 1 season; 22 episodes (technically 21) 10 seasons; 236 episodes 7 seasons; 153 episodes 7 seasons; 180 episodes 1 season; 22 episodes 1 season; 8 episodes 4 seasons; 78 episodes 2 seasons; 19 episodes 1 season; 22 episodes 3 seasons; 43 episodes 2 seasons; 26 episodes (6 unaired, from 1st season) 6 seasons; 120 episodes 1 season; 22 episodes 3 seasons; 66 episodes 7 seasons; 100 episodes 1 season; 13 episodes 2 seasons; 43 episodes 1 season; 49 episodes plus 2 specials and 1 concert 2 seasons; 22 episodes 5 seasons; 96 episodes 2 seasons; 31 episodes 6 seasons; 125 episodes 9 seasons; 222 episodes 3 seasons; 61 episodes 7 seasons; 169 hours (includes 3 movies) 5 arcs total; 200 episodes total* 5 seasons; 88 episodes 2 seasons; 39 episodes 2 seasons; 26 episodes 1 season; 2 episodes aired, 5 available on YouTube 1 season; 5 episodes 1 season; 8 episodes 4 seasons; 85 episodes but has movie interest 3 seasons; 64 episodes 4 seasons; 86 episodes 2 seasons; 23 episodes

*NOTE: Sailor Moon is a very complicated beast because of the international nature of the show (with dubbing and fused/cut episodes), so until I can straighten out airdates (if ever), none will appear here for the show. As for arcs and episodes, 4 of the 5 arcs have been dubbed in English, and that makes 166 English episodes (though some of the original 200 were cut or fused, and many changes were made in the name of censorship). Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon only aired in Japan and, to my knowledge, has never been dubbed, but people online (especially YouTube) have created a version of the show with subtitles.

**ANOTHER NOTE: I haven’t listed my childhood shows (except Sailor Moon), but I’ll list some of the titles here, for nostalgia’s sake. Growing up, I watched 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd, All That, Animaniacs, Animorphs, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Batman Beyond, Batman: The Animated Series, Big Bad Beetleborgs, Beetlejuice, Big Wolf on Campus, Bobby’s World, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Dinosaurs, Doug, Eerie Indiana, Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension, Garfield & Friends, Goosebumps, Inspector Gadget, Land of the Lost, Life with Louie, Masked Rider, Muppet Babies, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Ocean Girl, Pinky and the Brain, Power Rangers, Rocko’s Modern Life, Rugrats, Spellbinder, So Weird, Spider-Man, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Spider-Man Unlimited, Spongebob Squarepants, Taz-Mania, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Amanda Show, The Batman, The Looney Tunes Show, The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, The Secret World of Alex Mack, The Wild Thornberrys, Tiny Toon Adventures, Under the Umbrella Tree, VR Troopers, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, X-Men, and X-Men: Evolution.

***FINAL NOTE: I got all the above information from IMDB.com, TV.com, and Wikipedia.org. If you want to know more about a particular movie, check out IMDB. If you want to know more about a particular show, go to TV. Wikipedia will help with either one, but be mindful of sources, as the information on Wikipedia is sometimes wrong. Nevertheless, I’ve found it to be helpful and mostly accurate for researching shows and movies.

Originally written 14-March-2010 at 4:50 a.m. Eastern, in Baltimore, MD
Last updated 15-March-2010 at 3:37 p.m. Eastern, in Baltimore, MD