"My personal theory is that the Hays Code didn’t just forbid certain behaviors and images, it also subtly suggested the way that they might one day be allowable. Eventually filmmakers and studios figured out it wasn’t so much that you absolutely couldn’t show homosexuality, drug use, prostitution, child abuse, and mass murder. They just couldn’t seem fun. Or even funny. John Waters joyfully violates this deeper unspoken code. That’s why his films, especially Female Trouble, burn with the raw power of a Public Enemy or Baby Face."

"This film was my introduction to New York-based films and actually New York City at all. Once I saw this, I knew that I, too, would be destined for a penthouse Manhattan apartment with trampolines, pinball machines and bunk beds. The romance with Elizabeth Perkins is believable despite its high concept and just adorable and laugh-out-loud funny. It’s also heartbreaking, and makes me cry every time I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it 15 times. Actually, I cry quite a bit in general."

"If I had to choose my number 1 favorite book of all time, it would be this. (And as this is widely considered one of the great American novels, I’m clearly not the only person who’s been hugely affected by it.) White Noise uses the story of a college professor and his family in small Midwestern town to explore American paranoia, consumerism, and novelty academic intellectualism. I love this book for its ability to to be dark, beautiful, smart, and hysterically funny, all at the same time."

"I just love that movie so much. It’s just so well-written. It’s so funny and tragic at the same time. I just feel like it’s so poignant about marriage — I mean, not that I know from experience. [laughs] I’ve never been married. But I really love the dialogue and the questions it asks. I feel like it’s so revealing and human, in terms of, anybody that’s been in a relationship for a really long time, whether you get married or not, the issues we all face."

"Buster Keaton, Steamboat Bill Jr. — that’s an epic in its own way. Just terrific. Very funny, but the famous hurricane or tornado scene or whatever, where the wall comes down and he stood there, in just one moment — and it comes down, and it’s going to flatten him, but he just happens to be standing where the window was — it’s a perfectly crafted story as well. I think it’s a masterpiece, really. And The General. But I just adore it and adore him. He’s wonderful."

"There aren’t many authors who can get me invested in a one-night stand right off the bat, but this book was real and raw enough to make it work. Written solely from the hero’s point of view, Trashed follows an ex-con gang member trying to get back on his feet as he develops feelings for the prickly chef he works for. Sexy, funny, heart-warming and intensely romantic, this book is one of my all-time faves. In fact, I adore this whole series."