She was the first person on either side of her family to go to college, and she held herself to insanely high standards. She worried a lot about whether she was good enough. It was surprising to see how relieved she seemed whenever I told her how amazing she was. I wanted her to feel strong and free. She was beautiful when she was free.

I had no voice to talk with because she was my whole language.

In my headphones, I led a life of romance and incident and intrigue, none of which had anything to do with the world outside my Walkman.

'The Voice' has lots of singers who fit the 'Idol' mold of young, innocent ingenues with psycho stage moms. But it also has long-suffering adult pros, with a whiff of thirtysomething despair in their voices. That adds an edge of realness.

Rock stars did not invent burning out. They just do it louder.

That's the secret of 'True Blood' - all the creatures that roam Bon Temps become a metaphor for our insatiable lusts and inner desires. Humans craving what they can't have and those secret appetites transforming them into beasts, or even killers.

Like any teenager who reads The Great Gatsby, probably, I was madly in love with the teacher who had opened it up for me.