welcome to tops & flops in the arts

Welcome to Tops & Flops In the Arts, where visitors see lists of the best and worst artistic creations and creators. Visitors come to this feature looking for information about the arts that's organized in the form of lists.

about This feature

the Tops & Flops feature consists of a collection of lists about the arts. Items on Tops & Flops lists are about whos, whats, whens, wheres, and whys in the arts. All items on a specific list are about a single arts-related topic or subject which all the items on the list have in common. Electricka's Visitors come to this feature to see the personal preferences and opinions of other visitors as well as arts information that's factual and not a matter of opinion.

Who creates Tops & Flops lists? Some Tops & Flops lists are created and submitted for publication at Electricka's web site by her visitors; other lists are created by ETAF Staff. As a result, visitors who explore Tops & Flops lists not only learn about the arts, they learn what other visitors are thinking or doing.

there are two different kinds of Tops & Flops lists: 1) some that contain visitor opinions about the items on the list, and 2) others that convey objective information about the items on the list rather than opinions.

Lists with opinions

Tops & Flops Lists that contain opinions have a purpose that's similar to the favorites lists, 10-best lists, and 10-worst lists you've probably come across elsewhere. They treat subjects such as the ten best paintings, the five worst painters, or a few films you love to hate. Words like best, worst, and hate give them away.

A visitor who submits this kind of list wants to inform other visitors about his opinions, preferences, or biases where the arts are concerned. He wants to share with other visitors what he feels or fervently believes about the arts; he wants to vent emotions, express his tastes, or publish his personal likes or dislikes.

Lists with Objective information

Other Tops & Flops lists are are not about what's good or bad in the arts; instead, they contain factual and objective information about the arts rather than opinions. A visitor who submits this kind of list wants to inform other visitors about such things as the names and dates of literary periods, Impressionist paintings that feature sunlight on water, Italian painters of the middle-Renaissance period, or prominent jazz musicians of the 1950s. A visitor who submits an objective list like this seeks to share something he knows about the arts with other visitors, rather than to express his opinions; he seeks to give other visitors the benefit of his knowledge or experience.

How tops & flops lists work

Exploring the Tops & Flops collection is easy. All you need to know is:

1. What a Tops & Flops list looks like and what information it contains.
2. How to find the Tops & Flops lists you want to see.

Want to explore Tops & Flops? Click More to find out.

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Send the Muses your own Tops & Flops list

Have you developed specific likes and dislikes about any of the arts? Have you got firm ideas about what makes for good and bad in the arts? Have you favorite or despised actors, writers, or musical performers you want to honor or heap scorn upon?

Here's your chance to share your insights, knowledge, good taste, prejudices, and artistic judgment with other visitors!

Electricka and her cohort muses invite you to send them a list of your favorites or least-favorites in a specific category, subject, or theme of your choosing—a Tops & Flops list—that Electricka can publish in these Tops & Flops pages. Heck, don't just send one list; send as  many as you like. You'll get credit for every list you publish.

• Explore the guidelines for contributing a Tops & Flops list now: click here.

other lists that rate the arts

Electricka's Tops & Flops lists are similar to other favorites lists, 10-best lists, lists of films you love to hate, and other tops & flops lists that you see at other web sites or in magazines or newspapers; you're probably familiar with many of them.

Electricka's Tops & Flops lists resemble these other kinds of lists but they're unique. Electricka invites you to explore a few other web sites that rate the arts and to compare their lists to Electricka's Tops & Flops lists. While you're away at these other sites, notice:

• How other web sites evaluate lists.
• How their evaluations compare with Tops & Flops evaluations of the same items.
• the methods they use to judge, rate, and rank list items.
• the organization and presentation of their lists and how organization and presentation compare with Electricka's Tops & Flops lists.

—email— compare Tops & Flops with Favorites lists at Other web sites Let Electricka know which other web sites rankings lists you like better than her Tops & Flops lists and why: click here.

Explore these rating and ranking lists at other web sites and compare them with Electricka's Tops & Flops. they contain valuable information about the arts:

the American Film Institute

the American Film Institute (AFI) offers lists of films that meet its standards for what makes for tops. They offer several  lists in a variety of categories that range from a list called AFI's 10 Top 10 to a list called AFI's 100 Movies to a list called AFI's Winning Musicals. It also offers lists about film subjects other than movies, such as a list of celebrated quotes taken from movies, a list of top songs, etc. There are just too many of these lists to mention all of them here.

Are you wondering line from a movie is the number one movie quote of all time? As of this writing, according to the AFI it's Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn from the movie, Gone With the Wind.

• To download a complete set of lists, visit and explore the page at AFI's web site called AFI's 10Top10/AFI's 100 years...the Complete Lists: click here.
• For more about AFI, visit the AFI home pageand explore. Have a good time! click here.

the Internet Movie Database

the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) offers lists of the best and worst movies in a number of categories. These items are voted for by visitors to the IMDb web site.

• Start with the IBDb Top 250: click here.
• then, for contrast, try the IMDB Bottom 100—they're bad, yes they are: click here.
• Explore other IBDb film categories that are tops, flops, and neutrals: click here.

• For more links to arts favorites lists at other web sites, explore the Catalog at Electricka's Resource Shelf: click here.

Electricka's Forums

At Electricka's Forums you can raise topics, have discussions, or argue your points about tops or flops that are important to you and other visitors. Express your elation, praise, disappointment, or disgust about whatever tops or flops you have on your mind.

Be a critic. Make your point. Share your opinions and ideas about the arts with other visitors and with Electricka's muses at Electricka's Forums. Discuss, debate, or suggest new Tops & Flops lists to add to the collection at Electricka's Forums.

• Electricka and her cohort muses invite you to discuss Tops & Flops lists at the Tops & Flops Discussion Group at Electricka's Forums: click here.

You can see current and past Tops & Flops discussions among Forums members; but you must be a Forums member to start a discussion of your own or to participate in existing discussions.

Aren't already a member of Electricka's Forums? Think you might want to become a member?

• Learn about Electricka's Forums and join at the page called About Electricka's Forums: click here.

about across the muses

Today In the Arts is an Across the Muses feature.

• Explore other Across the Muses features. Learn more about them. Visit Electricka's page called Welcome To Across the Muses: click here.

ETAF Recommends

the Modern Fantasy book by Pringle is out of print and dated, but is an excellent source of citations and summaries for fantasy novels published between 1946 and 1987. As of this writing, new and used copies are still available.

the two books by Bloom (the Western Canon and the Best Poems of the English Language) are well worth a look. Harold Bloom is an outstanding critic of American literature, theorist, author, humanities teacher, scholar, and intellectual, who as of this writing is teaching at Yale. Bloom advocates a purist, aesthetic approach to literature and some of his ideas are considered controversial in some circles. You may or may not agree with every one of his opinions but an honest difference of opinion in the arts is all for the best. You certainly will profit from his deep knowledge and good taste.

there are a slew of books that cite and review novels, poetry, and other literary genres you should explore, as well as music to hear, paintings you should see, movies you should watch, creative artists you should investigate, plays to see, operas to see, etc.

Since there are far too many of this kind of book to mention here, the Muse cites only a few in order to get you started looking on your own. Even if a book on the list below turns out not to be exactly what you want, you probably will profit from exploring it. Good luck on finding additional references and the one that's just right for you.