BEST OF THE WEB
You expect a good A&E site to be fun, but the best ones are informative as well. When you visit an art site, for example, you not only want to look at the works, but learn a little about the people who created them and the techniques they used.
This virtual museum is simply the finest collection of art in the online world. From the special exhibitions (when this was written, they were on Paul Cezanne, the medieval art of the Duke of Berry, and 20th-Century art), to the those
treasures of Western art by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. The Louvre, both online and in France, is the art museum by which all other art museums are measured.
On the Web, for example, you find not merely a collection of images, but the finest of commentaries on the artists' lives and times, as well as on their individual works. It's an art lover's feast. The Louvre sites -- mirror sites are scattered around the world, so that you don't need to wait long in this museum's "lines" -- are all well designed and easy to explore. WebMuseum Paris does not merely collect illustrations and text, it marries them together in that unique synthesis of delight and informat ion that only the best-made Web sites can manage.
Theatre Central
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Perhaps the best theater site in existence, Theatre Central contains links to everything and anything of interest to theatergoers. That in itself should be wonderful enough for drama fans, but the best is yet to come.
This comprehensive site is organized in a way that not only makes navigating within its realm a breeze, it's also easy to leave and come back, too. For example, all sites are coded as to what country they're located in, so you'll know at a glance whet her you want to take the time to visit a site in, say, Israel. Each site is also clearly marked as to what type of site it is. This way, for instance, you wonÕt find yourself stranded unexpectedly in an FTP repository of scripts.
Naturally, no site is flawless; however Theatre Central's only sin is that it doesn't include any editorial description of the sites within it. Still, when you consider the quantity and scale of the sites that Theatre Central covers, it's an easy misst ep to forgive.
If that isn't enough for you, consider that this site is updated at least twice a week. To say that Theater Central is an overwhelming achievement is faint praise. Rather, it is an almost ideal model of how a site that organizes other sites should be c onstructed.
| (tie) The Internet Movie Database |
If you love movies, you have to love this site. The Internet Movie Database, which has mirrors throughout the world, offers a comprehensive index and search engine to explore the wide world of movies.
Whether you only know a word from a title, the name of an actor, a song from the soundtrack, or almost anything about a movie, the Internet Movie Database will let you find it. Once you're at a movie's information page, you can link your way to the act ors' pages, reviews, stills from the movie, or on and on forever in an orgy of movie lore and movie love.
Sounds like it could become a maze, doesn't it? Well, that's not a worry, because every page includes easy-to-understand icons that let you spring forth on a new search or dig deeper into the same movie. For example, many movies come with a notable quotation icon so you can quickly find out exactly what quotations came from the movie in question. Or, say you find that Clint Eastwood didn't say, "Go ahead, make my day," in The Dead Pool, the icon also lets you search for quotes, so you'll quickly find out that the Eastwood character Dirty Harry makes that crack in Sudden Impact.
If you haven't gotten the message yet, let me make myself perfectly clear, this is the best movie site. Nothing else comes close. Enjoy it. It's one of the best free things you'll ever find on the Web.
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| 4. CultureFinder |
If you like classical music, opera, ballet, or any of the classical performing arts, CultureFinder is the Web site just for you. This site is based around a searchable calendar that will help you find out about performances in your area. In addition, C ultureFinder boasts links to Classic CD, The NPR Guide to Building a Classic CD Collection, and other original editorial material.
| 5. Project Gutenberg Home Page |
It's a simple idea, really: Take the great works of literature that are no longer protected by copyright and turn them into electronic formats that anyone can then read and download on the net. And, you know what? It really is a great idea. From Aesop to Virginia Woolf, all the greats of Western literature are here for your reading pleasure. If the greats don't sound so great to you, you'll find dashing derring-do from the likes of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Sax Rohmer, and Arthur Conan Doyle as well.
| 5.(tie) National Museum of American Art |
What should an online museum have? Well, how about complete graphics of its collections and exhibitions? And while we're at it, how about well-organized tours including images, explanatory text, and sound? Well, you don't have to wish for it anymore, b ecause that's exactly what you'll find in this lovely blending of high technology and fabulous art at the National Museum of American Art.
| 7. Grooves CD & Music Magazine Online |
No matter what kind of popular music you prefer, you'll like Grooves magazine. This online publication from Time-Life does a great job of covering all types of music from folk to country to rock, complete with the actual songs for your listening enjoym ent and a discussion group for talking about music.
| 8. The Ultimate TV List |
It doesn't look like much at first, but just behind that rather dreary text heavy exterior are links to almost every important TV site, episode archive, mailing list, and newsgroup in existence. Best of all, everything is searchable.
| 9. Warner Bros. JazzSpace |
You can forgive this site for its devotion to Warner Brother Jazz artists because of its extensive collection of lyrical, descriptive text, music, and images. It's a jazz lover's delight.
| 10. Art on the Net |
The art gallery of the 21st Century is already here, and resides at the address above. Artists making art available on the Net is this site's credo. Anything goes here, from GIFs of paintings to performance art to hacker art.
| 11. Some Contradance Stuff |
Watching someone dance is all well and good, but sometimes you want to get out there and dance yourself. If that's you, then you might want to explore contra dancing.
This site has the most complete information on this increasingly popular type of folk dance. Indeed, it has the most information of any of the recreational dance sites. Among other goodies you'll find here are schedules for many local dances throughout the United States, descriptions of bands and callers, and the history of the dance style.
| 12. MCA/Universal Cyberwalk |
For my money, the most entertaining studio site is MCA/Universal's. Previews, reviews, and behind-the-scenes information on recent and upcoming releases from their movie, recording, and book divisions are attractively packaged and -- except for the tim e taken to download the overlarge online images -- easily accessible.
| 13. Cyber Film School |
Here's a site for every Walter Mitty out there who dreams of making feature films. The Cyber Film School is dead serious about showing you how to make movies. Serious doesn't mean dull, however. Would-be directors, producers, writers, or actors will fi nd this site fascinating. Be warned, though: you must have Netscape 2.0 or higher to get the most from this site.
| 14. Discovery Channel Online |
The future of television is online, and The Discovery Channel is leading the way with its graphics-intensive site. This sites holds more than just information about the network's shows -- it's a Web introduction to the world of Discovery.
| 14.(tie) Guide to Theater Resources on the Internet |
If you're into theater as a profession or are an academic specializing in theater, you need this site on your hot list. Its list of various resources for theater professionals is matchless.
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16. (tie) Rodney Dangerfield Home Page
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This was a close call, the King of Rock n' Roll, or The King of No Respect! This site is a must see .. it is loaded with Real Audio, Photos, Contests, just loads and loads of FUN stuff. You can spend all night on this site, and still respect yourself in the morning, maybe! Go ahead click his face ...
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16. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum
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Hail, hail, rock and roll! Photos, lyrics, music, artist and band biographies, it's all here and more for rock fans of all ages. Now, if the site just had more music to go along with its choice of RealAudio, AU, and WAV music formats, everything would be really groovy, man.
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UK Theatre Web |
The definitive site for information on theatre in the United Kingdom. Here you'll find ticket information, recommendations, news reviews, and more for London's West End and every other kind of theater activity in the UK (slight demerits for incomplete links).
| 17.(tie) GEMM: Global Electronic Music MarkeTplace |
Want to find a music site or a CD of your favorite musician, but don't have a clue where to start? Well, click your way to this interesting site that serves as a search engine for musical areas and for everyone from music companies to someone with an o ld album who wants to sell it to you.
| 17.(tie) Internet Road Map to Books |
Talk about truth in advertising! This really is a road map to book sites on the Web. The Internet Road Map to Books is on the crude side and it could stand to be updated more often, but if you're looking for a book, and you already like searching throu gh books anyway, why not do so virtually?
| 20. Library of Musical Links |
Want your music information now? Well, the Library of Musical Links is the best place to start. It has a complete collection of just about every musical site you could ever dream of on the Internet. If only those darn graphics weren't so big and slow, this would go from being a good site to a great one.
| 21. Internet Book Information Center |
Want to know what's going on with books these days? There's are few, if any, better starting points for a virtual book jaunt than the Internet Book Information Center. Whether you're searching for an online book, or a first edition of Persian Stories f rom the Arabian Nights translated into English by Sir Richard F. Burton, or just looking to spend a cozy time in the company of the site book editor and writer, this is a very enjoyable site.
| 22. The Internet Dance Directory |
This site is as plain as plain can be, but it's also the definitive index of dance sites on the Internet, including Web pages, newsgroups, and mailing lists. There could be better; but for now, this is the site to go to if you have any questions about any kind of dance.
| 22.(tie) The Movie Cliche List |
Okay, so the site's not attractive...oh, all right, it's downright ugly. But The Movie Cliche List is also a real hoot, with its all-too-accurate descriptions of every movie cliche in the book.
| 24. Internet Underground Music Archive (IUMA) |
Underground music is alive and well at IUMA. Here you'll find new music, new words about music, and new news about music. Alas, the graphics are too tacky to be truly useful. Still, if you want to hit some of the most radical sounds on the net, I guess you have to make sacrifices.
| 25. New York City Reference Theatre |
While far from being the most visually exciting site, the New York City Reference Theatre is the most comprehensive guide to theatre-going in New York City. It includes reviews, ticket information, excerpts from Playbill, and more.
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