1. Abbey Road (The Beatles) Their masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. It is so passionate and brilliant I could never grow tired of listening to it. My favorite song from this album is "I Want You."

2. Bowie: Singles 1969-1993 (David Bowie) Perfect, because it contains every single release of his career up to the 90's. Every time I listen to it I discover more and more songs that amaze me. My faves are "Sound & Vision," "Space Oddity," "Life on Mars?," "Let's Dance," "Drive In Saturday," and "Ashes to Ashes."

3. Procul Harum: Greatest Hits, So I bought this CD because I really dug "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and in the bargain got an amazing deal. Among the stands out are "Homburg," "A Salty Dog," and "Repent Walpurgis"

4. In Utero (Nirvana) Awesome. Their best work, I think. I love all the songs in it, especially "Milk It," and "Dumb."

5. The Downward Spiral (NIN) Never get tired of this one. Kick ass all the way. I love "Piggy," "Closer to God" and the title track.

6. Songs in the Key of Life (Stevie Wonder) Probably one of the most beautiful records I'd ever listened to. It is powerful and just brilliant. I really dig "Isn't she Lovely," "Pastime Paradise," and "Village Ghetto Land." Mr. Wonder is a genius.

7. Rey Azucar (Los Fabulosos Cadillacs) The best album to come out of latin America since Ruben Blades and Willy Colon's "Siembra." It is political, socially conscious and tinged with all styles of music, from ska to techno to latin. I love "Ciego de Amor," "Miami," "Hora Cero" and "Saco Azul."

8. Supa Dupa Fly (Missy Elliot) Brilliant. She completely blew my mind with this record. Every single song is amazing, but my faves are "The Rain," "Beep me 911," and "I'm Talkin'".

9. Little Earthquakes (Tori Amos) By now this should belong to every decent music lover's collection. "Crucify," "Precious Things," "Winter," "China," and the title track will blow you right away.

10. Revolver (The Beatles) So I love the Beatles. Revolver rocks, it's got "Eleanor Rigby," "Tomorrow Never Knows," and "For No one." I can listen to this thing over and over and over again. And trust me I have.

11. Jesus Christ Superstar (Original Recording) Andrew Lloyd Webber's awesome interpretation of the last days of Christ. It has pretty cool lyrics by Tim Rice, even though they appear to be rather simplistic sometimes. Still, it's awesome to hear it just because of Murray Head's killer Pontius Pilate. Fave songs: "Heaven on their Minds" "What's the Buzz?," "Everything's Alright,""I don't know how to love him," and "I only want to say."

12. OK Computer (Radiohead) Amazing!!! One of the best concept albums I've ever heard. I can't say much about it, because it is something to be experienced, rather than analyzed. Songs: "Paranoid Android," "Exit Music," "Karma Police," and "No Surprises."

13. Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) I only decided to buy this record recently and was amazed by what I heard. It is quite the accomplishment for the band and a technical wonder to behold. I loved every single song in this CD.

14. Gold (Abba) Oh yes, told you I was cheesy...but this is *uber* embarassing to admit to. Still, I do love it, and might as well come clean...Songs: "Chiquitita" "Lay your love on me" "Take a chance on me" (Just for you Kiddo...) and of course, "Dancing Queen" among many many others.

15. Vasos Vacios (Los Fabulosos Cadillacs) These guys just ROCK! Awesome songs like "Matador" and a bunch more.

Yup. I love reading. Quite obsessed with it actually. Not much into the classics, but more like film bios and stuff.

1. The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank) So this is my most beloved book. It is the most amazing piece of literature I have come across with so far, because it is so simple, yet profound. I try to re-read it every few months, and every time I get new insight into this remarkable person and consequently, myself.

2. When I was Puerto Rican. (Esmeralda Santiago) One of my dreams is to make a film version of this book. It captures almost everything a young Puerto Rican girl goes through. Though it speaks about a particular group of people, Santiago somewhat manages to turn this potentially esoteric story into a universal tale.

3. Brando (Peter Manso) A very detailed account on Brando's life. What I liked about it is how it drew from Brando's personal life and how this influenced his performances and his choice of films. Plus, it's a lot of fun and quite engaging. Not to mention that the pictures from "The Men" to "Last Tango in Paris" demonstrate what a piece of ass this man was.

4. Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) Of course it had to be here. I'm a college student, aren't I? It doesn't hurt that the book is brilliant and that Holden Caulfield is such a fascinating character.

5. The Magic Lantern (Ingmar Bergman) Mr. Bergman's autobiography stands out, not because of elegant prose or whatnot, but because it provides some clues as to the origins of his genius as a film and theatre artist.

6. Lulu in Hollywood (Louise Brooks) An autobio of sorts from the unbelievable Ms. Brooks, the truly first star who really *acted* in a naturalistic manner. Her tales of early Hollywood and pre-stardom celebrities like Humphrey Bogart make this book a treasure for film lovers.

7. Jazz (Toni Morrison) This book--just as *every* Morrison book--is incredibly hard to read. I appreciate this woman's writing so much so that I consider her one of literature's equivalent's to Ingmar Bergman. Her tales are personal, but her prose (awe inspring) is extremely complex. Those final lines are unbelievable.

8. Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) One of the best works from the greatest living writer. The story is told completely in flashbacks and you will be amazed by how involved you become with the story even though you know the final outcome from the opening lines. Check out Mr. Garcia Marquez' short stories for a good time.

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