David Vaughn

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/johnadams.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>HBO's Emmy-winning series is fabulous from a historical perspective, but it's also a demo showpiece in audio design, and at times, it's beautiful to look at. While most of the 501-minute runtime is dialog driven, there are many instances when you're transported to the 18th century during the Boston Massacre, crossing the Atlantic, or attending a swanky French party.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/johnadams.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography <I>John Adams</I> by David McCullough, this Emmy-winning HBO miniseries focuses on the life of the second president of the United States, from the Boston Massacre, where he defended the accused British troops, until his death on July 4, 1826. With his vision of a nation of liberty and justice for all, Adams (Paul Giamatti) guided his peers&#151;George Washington (David Morse), Benjamin Franklin (Tom Wilkinson), and Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane)&#151;in setting the values and plans upon which our country was founded. His steadying force was his wife Abigail (Laura Linney), whose life-spanning partnership became one of the most moving love stories in American history.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/lost1.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>On a flight from Sydney, Australia, to Los Angeles, California, Oceanic Flight 815 crashes on a mysterious island in the South Pacific. The ensemble cast is outstanding, but the true star of the show is The Island. Why did Flight 815 crash there? Did The Island have anything to do with the crash? What is the mysterious beast roaming the forest? Why are the numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 so special? Where did the hatch come from? Who are "The Others" and where do they come from? What is the Dharma Initiative? What happens if you don't push the button?