J.D. Salinger

Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980. Catcher in the Rye was one of my all time favorites. Loving Salinger seems to follow my pattern of liking authors popular from the 1920's and up.

Darren Aronofsky

I may have only seen one of his movies, but it was amazing. "Black Swan" was one of the best movies I've seen this year. I saw it twice, even though it was insanely bloody and raunchy. His ideas to warp the ballet "Swan Lake" into a psycho, schizophrenic ride through the mind of an insanely disturbed ballerina (Nina) is both stunning and horrifying. Natalie Portman won the Oscar for her role as Nina and the movie was nomiated for Best Film. It may have lost to "The King's Speech," but it's still amazing.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald IS one of the best authors this country has ever known. He is my second favorite author, next to J.K. Rowling. "The Great Gatsby" is one of my favorite novels; I've read it four times. Currently I'm reading "The Beautiful and Damned" and I'm impressed thus far. Fitzgerald uses his own life experiences and translates it into his novels. I feel like I am, in a way, reading him when I read any of his novels.  

George Lucas

Another rather dorky director I am a fan of is George Lucas. Known for his success with the "Star Wars" series that have spanned through mulptiple generations, Lucas created a fantasy world in a galaxy far, far away. The Star Wars movies tell the story of Jedi Warriors, the Force and the Skywalkers. Lucas really knows how to spin interesting tales of science fiction and fantasy. His movies caused a culture shock. Kids, teens and adults all latched on to these movies in the same way people did for Harry Potter years later. Anyone with the skill to create such an amazing following and response to what they've done is more than worth writing about.
Lucas also created the popular "Indiana Jones" series. Completely different from "Star Wars," this series follows the adventures of professor and treasure hunter, Indiana Jones. Jones is played by Harrison Ford, who also played Han Solo in "Star Wars."
The legacies of those two series continue to live on. Despite the series of movies ending for "Star Wars," video games, tv shows and short films continue to come out as spin offs from the original series. "Indiana Jones" continues to release new movies. 

Stephen Chbosky

This author has only recently just come on my radar, but has made pretty impressive progress to immediatley become one of the favorite authors. His novel, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," is by far one of the best I have ever read. Considered to be a modern day "Catcher in the Rye," the story follows Charlie, a wallfower, as he goes through high school, taking in all of his experiences and giving an uncommon perspective on life. It was published in 1999 and will be made into a movie in the next coming years (with Emma Watson starring in a lead role).
Chbosky really knows how to tap in to true teenage experience and emotion. His novels are no where near the generic teen novel, they reach an audience on a much deeper level. I'm so excited to read more of his novels and to see "Perks" on the silver screen.

Peter Jackson

As insanely geeky as it is to admit this, I really like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I'm reading the books now, in one massive volume (and am planning to read "The Hobbit" after) and have seen the movies several times. Peter Jackson, while I have yet to be a fan of his other movies, was possibly the only person who could have ever directed those movies. I'm more than okay with sitting in front of a TV for four hours to watch these movies. I guess this is really more of a praise for these three specific (soon to be four) movies, but they're by far his best. He will always be remembered for taking the books and beautifully turning them into movies. Each movie is more beautiful than the last. They were all three filmed in New Zealand, making me really want to go there, and were all filmed at the same time.
It's hard for me to even pick out specific details from the movies for examples. The costumes, make up, lighting, location, set, animation...it's all perfect. Jackson blew my mind with these movies and I'm so pumped for "The Hobbit" to come out.

L. Frank Baum

This author was not originally on my list, but I was recently reminded of why L. Frank Baum is so great. For those who don't know, he is the author of the beloved children's book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Though I do not have as much to write about him as I did John Hughes, he's still a spectacular author. "The Wizard of Oz has been, and always will be, one of my favorite books/movies ever. The story is completely timeless, everyone knows and loves the story of Dorothy Gail from Kansas. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," however, was not Baum's only book. While it was his most popular, Baum continued on to elaborate on the story of Dorothy Gail and her adventures in Oz. His other works included

The Mystery of Bonita

Molly Oodle

John Hughes

Okay, out of a list of numbers of favorite authors and directors, I've decided to dedicate my first post to John Hughes. Though not a director that would seem relevant to my generation, he is still one of my all time favorites. Having directed, in my opinion, the best teen movies of the 1980's, Hughes is a legend. Not only is he a brilliant director, but his writing skills are such that he can really make you feel apart of the dialogue,or atleast want to be. I can't tell you how much I wish I could have been a fly on the wall during detention in "The Breakfast Club," or have been in the parade in "Ferris Bueller' Day Off!" Hughes really knew how to tap into the needs and interests of teenagers and bring that to the big screen. His movies have so far stood the test of time and are still highly discussed, referenced and watched. He's a director that others aspire to be like, but can't. No one can recreate what he has done. He is and always will be one of the best directors the world has ever known.