Categories: Random Musings
Tags: This entry has not been tagged yet.
by Candy • Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 01:50 AM
I recently had an e-mail conversation with an author whose opinions I value highly about the way I write about books I don’t enjoy, and how some particularly terrible novels were a running joke on the website. And the latter was something she didn’t get, had never gotten. I’ll admit up front that I’m an asshole, and I tend to drive a point into the ground, so I could see why she wouldn’t think me joking about A Certain Author’s Novels representing the Asymptote of Bad Books was especially amusing—that it constituted a species of harassment, in fact, against the author. I didn’t agree with her, but I could see how people could get that impression.
Then she said, and I’m paraphrasing with wild abandon here, “We get that you don’t like her books, but you know what? Other people do. You think her books are terrible, and that other people shouldn’t enjoy them, and her publishers shouldn’t publish them.”
And that’s when I realized that people often read a whole world of motivation and intent into my words, despite the fact that by and large, I lay it all out there for people to see and read. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not especially good at keeping my opinions hidden.
So here’s one thing I want to make clear, once and for all:
I don’t want people to stop reading the things they love, even when I think they’re absolutely terrible. Why would I? They love it. That’s excellent. I may shit all over the book you love, but that doesn’t mean I want to deprive you of the right to read it and enjoy it. In fact, I want you to engage me about why you enjoyed it, and disagree with me about the points I’m making. I loves me some vigorous, informed argument. I may think you have terrible taste (depending on how bad the book is), but I promise you that I won’t think you’re stupid based solely on the fact that you enjoy something I don’t, or that you’re wrong for liking what you like. I’m a reader of romance novels, ferchrissakes; this means far too many people who don’t know me assume I’m stupid based solely on a genre I read. I’m not about to inflict that particular brand of assholishness on other people. (There are so many other superior varieties to choose from.)
Which brings me to my next point: I have encountered people who say things like “One of my friends just loves The Worst Author Ever, and I don’t know why those Smart Bitches have to be so mean about those books, because my friend who reads them is a perfectly nice person.”
See, to me, those statements have nothing to do with anything. My dislike of a book and consequent assessment of the author’s skill have absolutely no bearing on the character or moral fiber of the reader. I wish people would stop making the leap from “This book is awful, and if you love it, you have bad taste” to “This book is awful, and if you love it, you’re stupid” or “This book is awful, and if you love it, you’re a bad person” or “This book is awful, and if you love it, I won’t like you any more.” Similarly, I wish authors wouldn’t make the leap from “This book is awful, which means you failed at writing a good novel” to “This book is awful, which means you failed at being a good human being.”
And then there’s also the issue of good books vs. bad books vs. books you love, which is something I’ve struggled with for a while; unlike the absolute relativists (how d’you like THAT particular turn of phrase, eh?), I do think there’s such a thing as objective measures for how good or bad a book is, and that sometimes, you love something absolutely terrible, and other times, you dislike something that’s actually good.
And yes, that means you are guilty of the crime of suffering from the occasional bout of bad taste. You know what? We’re all guilty of it. I say, embrace it. Poor aesthetic judgment is not a measure of your intelligence, nor is it a moral failing. Own your bad taste. Hell, own your mediocre taste. Proclaim it to the skies.
I’ll start.
Dara Joy’s books are absolutely terrible. They’re clunkily written, the heroines are annoying as all hell, the heroes are utterly ridiculous, the poor excuse for science fiction plots make me cringe, and their liberal use of SF Gobbledegook makes me cringe even harder. But I love them so.
Those old Mills and Boon novels, in which the hero (who’s usually about 35) at some point grabs the heroine (who’s usually about 19) and gives her a punishing kiss? So. Bad. They’re clumsily written, and awful in all sorts of ways—the repugnant gender politics alone made me seethe with rage, and this was back when I was 11, mind you, when all I could articulate about what I didn’t like about those books was that “they weren’t fair to the heroine and the hero got to win way too often.” You know what? I still found them compelling, and I read them by the boatload.
I could happily go for a week eating nothing but Spam sandwiches. Thinking about it makes me want one now. And very few foods have as little to redeem it as Spam: its nutritional profile is atrocious, and its flavor is this eerie mélange of blandness, saltiness and overcooked meat. I mean, at least foods like natto are so foul, saying you like it gives you a sort of cachet—you’re hardcore, man, you eat natto. Spam? Just indicates your tolerance for sodium and sketchy meat is probably higher than it should be.
Remember Temptation Island? Holy shit, I loved that TV show. I watched every episode with unalloyed glee.
And Joe Millionaire? Yeah. I have no excuse for that one.
Let’s not even get started on how I used to compulsively watch Blind Date. I’m glad I no longer use my TV to watch anything other than DVDs these days.
Come on. You do it, too. “I love this particular book despite how bad it is. Shit, I love it because of how bad it is.” Say it out loud, you got no taste and you’re proud.
(All kidding aside, ultimately, I think these snap judgments and conflations regarding good taste = good moral character have to do with cultural shorthand about your socioeconomic class ("Oh there you go, bringing class into it again!"), but I don’t have the time or energy to delve into it right now. Have at it in the comments, though. Come out with your Marxist/post-colonialist /post-structuralist/ post-post-post-post-post-modern/ nth-wave feminist fists swingin’.)
Oh, wow. So many of my fave flicks are being mentioned. Adding to the list:
“Zorro, the Gay Blade” with George Hamilton. This one never fails to trigger a fit of mindless giggles --
“Caveman” with Ringo Starr --
“Big Trouble in Little China” with Kurt Russell. You gotta watch the commentary version with the star and the director - it sounds like they’re both trashed, and they forget all about watching or talking about the movie.
[race25—as in ‘Race Bannon’?? yeeks!]
Lisa in TX said on...the cutting edge with db sweeney..yea i know..its like watching a bad accident ..ya hate to do it but you HAVE to look
I’ll see your Cutting Edge (I so wanted Moira Kelly’s hair) and raise you a
The Cutting Edge 2: Going for the Gold
http://imdb.com/title/tt0463953/
A truly hideous USA Network movie. I HAD to watch it since I loved the original so much.
Oh, Teddy, I know. What do you think explains that thing I said earlier about the Battlestar orgy? I first saw Seven Brides when I was FIVE. It imprinted something fierce.
OMG, Summer of My German Soldier was a MOVIE?!
Auryanne said on...I’m going to admit that I HATE Princess Bride :P
Drop-Dead Fred!!!!
YES!!!!
Also, there’s nothing I love more than an oven-baked corn dog. Yup. Corn dog.
OMG, R, “Zorro, The Gay Blade”! I love that movie!!!
OK, plagiarism ‘fess up time: Some of my gay pirates were inspired by “Bunny”, Zorro’s brother, who had just a lovely time in the navy.
Okay, Darlene, now I gotta read your gay pirates—it’s just become a moral imperative!
SamG said on...The Cutting Edge...oh yeah...Toe Pick...hee
Scarecrow and Mrs. King...oh did the DH roll his eyes.
Iceberg lettuce and kraft american cheese slices on white bread...don’t think there is a redeeming thing about it.
M*A*S*H...I still stop the t.v. when/if I see that (as a matter of fact, I saw a box set of all 11 years + the orig. 2 hour movie on sale at Costco and that is my birthday list).
I think I have too many others to try to get them written down.
Sam
Jen Jen said on...I absolutely freakin’ love Doctor Who. That’s not the admission. The admission is that Colin Baker? My new favorite. Have you seen the man’s -hands-?! And by God, I loved the TV movie because what’s not to love about Paul McGann?
If I find a rerun of The Nanny on, I’ll stop and watch it.
I love Earth Girls Are Easy. One of my favorite movies. Ever.
This post is awesome.
So I see some Brendan Fraser fans but I don’t think they were quite as obsessed as I was about The Mummy. Can quote large chunks of it and wanted to become a librarian because of it. It’s still my favorite movie.
As far as books my guilty pleasure is YA fiction. Meg Cabot especially. I have a whole shelf of bright pink/purple/girly colored books because of her. I love her pop culture references to cute boys/men.
And for food nothing beats eating chocolate chip cookie dough. I often make up a batch (without eggs) and just eat it while I watch TV.
Dragonette said on...Swedishsis said: 80’s Cartoons: G-Force, Robotech, X-men, D&D, GummyBears, Snorks, Spidey and Friends
omg, yes! the Smurfs used to run in a 4 hour block and I would watch ALL FOUR HOURS! I still say “smurfy!” I wish that show would come back!
michelle said on...Man how can anyone not love Ladyhawke? Best scene ever-that moment when they can almost touch at sunrise and then Rutger Hauer howls.
Slipper and the Rose-yup even got the cd soundtrack.
I love Dara Joy. Does anyone have any updates about her?
I will add the Last Unicorn movie as a guilty pleasure. Sniff.
If you don’t like opera you just haven’t listened to the right arias. Favorite aria-Una Furtiva Lagrima-and I was lucky enough to see/hear Jerry Hadley perform it. Sigh. (Also check out Amici Forever-their first cd-the Opera Band rocks.)
Guilty pleasures—OMG too many of them.
Sweet Valley High. They’re TWINS! And one of them is good! And one of them is bad! And there’s a hunky boy! I’m a twin, which is why this is a guilty pleasure.
Ally McBeal. I know. It’s so wrong. But I heart that show. I heart David E. Kelley so much, I even watch Boston Legal, though not as regularly as some of his other shows.
Heinlein. Anyone who says the word misogyny had better be able to tell me they read much more than Stranger in a Strange Land. Otherwise, I don’t want to hear it. Product of his times.
Spaghetti O’s with franks. Yes, franks. Yes I know those “franks” are a disgusting non-meat meat product, but I care not.
Buck Rogers, the original Battlestar Galactica, all the CBS Crimetime after Primetime shows (Forever Knight, Silk Stalkings, etc), Friday the Thirteenth THE SERIES!!! OMFG this feels good.
And I love cheesy 80s power ballads. I cry for Air Supply, can sing all of Hall and Oates songs and truly believe that “We did it all for the glory of love.”
Did I mention Karate Kid? Could go on, but have to go read me some Nancy Drew Ghost Stories.
Sherry Thomas said on...Karmela, I haven’t seen GLITTER but I imagine GODZILLA (the american version) wasn’t reviewed much better. I went to see it twice in the theaters, in two different cities. That movie makes INDEPENDENCE DAY look like a Merchant Ivory production
I went to see Meet Joe Black probably three times.
I hated the intelligent DEEP IMPACT and loved the trashy ARMAGEDDON.
Does anyone else wonder if a “good taste” thread would be just as long?
rebyj-I was wondering that, too. There probably wouldn’t be as many comments because sharing our bad tastes is like gabbing over cookie dough and diet coke in a sorority house.
Nora Roberts said on...~OMG, R, “Zorro, The Gay Blade”! I love that movie!!!~
The alcalde stole all my money.
Swing your hips!
This hat, that needs reblocking.
The ships in the field--you know, the lettle baa-baa-baas.
I could go on and on.
I cave--I can’t read all these. But from the sampling I’ve taken:
I love you guys!
Oooh, speaking of Zorro. Remember the Zorro series with Duncan Reghr? I loved him in Wizards and Warriors too (had to google it to find the name of the show-the main thing I remember is Duncan in total black). Total camp but he was gorgeous in it.
Okay, you people wanna talk Transformers? I give you Wheeljack over Bumblebee any day for sheer amusement and entertainment value. Dude invented crap all the time, some of which actually WORKED! Personally I think the series went to hell when they snuffed Optimus and transferred leadership to Rodipuss Whine. But that’s just me.
I am ALL ABOUT Def Leppard too! Highlight of my teens was getting front-row seats to the Adrenalize tour and coming home with not one, but two guitar picks. A metal one engraved with DEF LEPPARD from Sav, the bass player, and a blue plastic one from Phil Collen.
I’m sure there’s more.
“Two bits! Four bits! Six bits, a peso! All for Zorro, stand up and say so!!”
Ah, yes, Duncan Regehr, all in black in both W&W and as Zorro. Truly yummy, though I preferred him as teh Evil Prince Dirk (snicker) Blackpool. [Did you know that Regehr’s a serious artist?]
I confess, I’m a fiend for Zorro, the Musketeers, and John Carter of Mars.
[under12 = hur! Again, how does it know??]
Anonym2857 said on...Sheesh. I make it a point to not post from work, (good grief – there were over 200 posts before I even got to work!!) so by now most of mine have been said numerous times, yet I still want to add mine into the mix. Sorry for the repeats.
I remember friends with crushes on Bobby Sherman and David Cassidy, but the one who truly set my heart aflutter with his big blue eyes was Brett Hudson of the Hudson Brothers (Oliver and Kate’s uncle). It came on early on Saturday mornings as I recall, but I happily woke up to watch. Hey Margolis!!! Ahem. Where was I?
Speaking of pop, I personally haven’t been in a bad mood (at least none based simply on sheer grumpiness, not true trauma) that hasn’t been improved by a bit of MMMMMBop on the iPod. Can’t stay cranky when my head is bobbing along.
There is a distinct purpose and place for some of these tasty treats you’ve all been discussing. For example, the blue box of mac and cheese is a wonderful thing, but it’s not REAL, anymore than Taco Bell is true Mexican fare. Oreos are not mom’s home-made chocolate chips (which my mom quit making, BTW, when my sister asked why we couldn’t have Oreos like all the other kids). And yet, they are all wonderful, for their kind. There’s comfort in consistency.
Kindof like some of the guilty pleasure authors others have mentioned. I have a pal who LOOOOOOOVES Betty Neels. I personally haven’t read one of her books since my teens (tho I can tell you the plot of every book she ever wrote), but this very well-read and educated gal just loves her some Betty. (OT—I have a theory about Mrs. Neels – I’m guessing she had to be incredibly overweight. My reasoning? She’d go on for page after page, describing dinner. No dialogue, not for plot progression purposes. Just pages of prose, rhapsodizing about the food preparation, table décor, what wine was served, dessert garnishments, etc. This from the same gal who would go in for a chaste kiss, break for a chapter and start up again ‘two years later’… not that one has anything to do with the other necessarily. Just sayin’.) OTOH, I still buy all those Diana Palmer books. Who knew there were so many angry cowboys and tortured (usually by angry cowboy) virgins out there? Still, a book comes out, and if it’s not a reprint, I buy it.
I loved Music and Lyrics, because it so pointed out how we all behaved in the 80s. And 80s hair band rock ballads. The sappy ones, not the actual rock and roll ones. I sat up humming along with the infomercial for them just the other night. Didn’t buy it, but I watched it twice. LOL And Hugh Grant romance movies. Interchangeable, yet I don’t care.
I used to plan my evenings around Little House on the Prairie in the Manly years. Thought he was just wonderful. Goofy looking, but I didn’t mind at all.
More recently I got caught watching Saved by the Bell by my sister. She still ribs me over it, but for its kind, it was excellent teen-trash TV. Who cares if I was in my late 30s/early 40s at the time?
Speaking of good teen trash, am I the only one who howled at the old summer break movie One Crazy Summer? With Demi Moore and Bobcat Golthwaite and others? That one still makes me snicker.
And I absolutely LOVED The Princess Bride. So much, I went out and got the 25 year anniversary edition DVD (which came with the book attached), even though I already owned it. Ditto with Dirty Dancing and Simply Ballroom and all those other dancing movies.
I haven’t seen mention of Dr Quinn Medicine Woman and Sully… back before they ruined it by making them a true couple. Sigh. And sighing for different reasons, I also loved Northern Exposure, before they ruined it with the Maggie/Joel hookups. Sometimes that sexual tension is far better in inference than reality (or TV reality, as it were), and sometimes it should never be acted upon at all.
I don’t remember Jem, but I must confess that my Christmas gift to myself last year was a Mrs. Beasley doll to replace the one my sister sent to Goodwill while I was in college. Still haven’t forgiven her for that lapse in judgment, but oh well. I spent an obscene amount of money, in my mind, but I now have a lovely reproduction smiling down happily at me from a bookshelf. Actually she’s leering at me a bit maniacally, in that ebil doll way ala Chucky, but I love her anyway. I just keep her on the shelf in one of those clamped-at-the-neck doll stands, and trust that I’ll notice she’s missing long before she ever reaches up from under the bed and wreaks havoc. I hope so, anyway.
Diane
Neveth said on...Spam
the American Godzilla movie (I’m glad to see I’m not alone in this)
Mercedes Lackey novels
Kraft Mac&cheese
cheezy newage music (I admit I have a John Tesh cd and LOVE IT.)
Vin Diesel (… He’s adorable! Like a big puppy!)
movies that have plots that are utterly implausible but still fun to watch.
Miss Congeniality
Those terrible terrible Sci-Fi original movies. (Though I admit watching these with a group and mocking them is the BEST fun)
Does being a huge Stargate fan count? (movie and tv series)
Sherry Thomas wrote:
I hated the intelligent DEEP IMPACT and loved the trashy ARMAGEDDON.
ARMAGEDDON!!!!!!! Bwahahaha! Wasn’t that the movie that told us how to transform oil-well diggers into astronauts?
And another sooperdooper guilty pleasure:
Singing karaoke to Whitney Houston’s theme song from THE BODYGUARD. Sing it with me:
“And Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...will always love youuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!”
The Princess Bride—I luvs it!
Man, I still have my paperback copy I bought back in ‘73, and my purchase of it was based entirely on the back blurb:
“What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince in the world,… and he turns out to be a son-of-a-bitch?”
I wonder if Goldman wrote his own copy?
Heh! Give Wesley/The Dread Pirate Roberts a hat and a cape, and he’s instantly transmogrified into Zorro—
Azteclady-I should have put the first sentece of my last paragraph with the first paragraph. I do love me some Princess Bride. My daughter groans every time I pull it out. So, I have to keep an eye on her or she’ll hide it.
Also, I’m going to admit that I HATE Princess Bride
INCONCEIVABLE!!!
I’m sorry I couldn’t resist.
I’m lucky--my kids love the movie, so we get to talk in snippets from it all the time.
“Do you always start conversations that way?”
“Incontheivable”!*
“Why do you keepa sayin’ that? I do not think that means whatta you think it means.”
Goldman’s a genius. I’ve been studying his books on screenwriting, since my first draft always looks like a shooting script, anyway. [another guilty pleasure—reading scripts!]
*Does that indicate something that can’t be stolen?
I’m shocked that nobody has mentioned V.C. Andrews yet. Unless I missed that post?
Urrrgh, I hate Heinlein. Product of his time or not. (Of course, I use the same excuse for my own favorite writers, so just chalk me up as a happy hypocrite.)
Emma G. said on...I absolutely will not cop to bad taste in reading material, but movies? Ahem…
Biggest guilty pleasure has to be Dirty Dancing. How much I adore this movie is probably the one thing that embarrasses my husband about me more than anything else. But seriously. Nobody puts Baby in a corner!
I find Kevin Smith movies to be hilarious.
I love me some cheesy/romance flicks, especially the ones that make me nostalgic for my early teens. Cocktail, Clueless, Muriel’s Wedding, Mystic Pizza, While You Were Sleeping, Grease...the list goes on.
Okay, so I’ll admit to one guilty reading pleasure: SEP’s Nobody’s Baby But Mine.
I posted much earlier, and this thread has taken me much reading to catch up - dare I add some more? I dare -
I don’t just indulge in delicious badness - I am indoctrinating the next generation.
As many a bitch has said - I love Jem - have Seasons 1 & 2 and Part 1 of season 3 on DVD (apparently Season 3 Part 2 will not be released due to legal issues - damn, those were the best episodes too! With the Stingers!) Anyway my 4 year old rocks out to Jem on a regular basis, and she loves those naughty Misfits the best.
Goonies - love this movie too, could watch it over and over...and since letting my daughter see it, I’ve indeed been forced to watch it over and over. She’ll go up to random people and grab their cheeks saying, “The only thing we serve here is tongue. You boys like tongue?” Needless to say it’s freaked more than one person-not-sharp-on-their-80’s-pop- culture out. She kept telling me to “turn off my brain” when she wanted me to be quiet - and I was clueless as to where she picked this up for weeks, until we were watching Goonies once again, and there it was. Data shouting at Chunk to “turn off your brain Chunk!”
Ah, Data.
Sigh. I was planning to be productive tonite, but I find myself logging back in to clarify… just in case, and considering the subject matter we’ve all been embroiled in of late.
In my above-post, I mentioned scary dolls sneaking out from under the bed. I also mentioned Oreos.
I got to thinking, though, that Nora used Oreos in Summer Desserts, and she also mentioned dolls in umn… some trilogy or other, as well as in conversations on other boards.
So just in case anyone was noting any ‘eerie similarities,’ they were simply that. But if credit needs to be given, by all means, send it to Nora.
Tho my mama will STILL mention how insulted she was when my sister asked for Oreos.
I really was going to be productive, but now that I’m back online, I may as well stay, right?
Diane
ignoring laundry to surf the next
May I add Breakin’ 2 Electric Boogaloo? I still can’t resisit that movie.
snarkhunter said on...I really, really love this thread. I think I’m hormonal or something, but this thread has made me so happy today.
One more guilty pleasure. I love--and I mean LOVE--Orlando Bloom. If he’s in a movie, I’ll see it. I often tell people that I love him like one loves a retarded puppy--and it’s true. He’s not a very good actor, but he’s adorable, and whenever he learns a new expression (I think he’s got, like, 5 or 6 now!!) I feel a glow of semi-maternal pride.
I feel a glow of semi-maternal pride. *
Semi-maternal, b/c I’m roughly the same age as he is.
Just for fun, I wonder if maybe the SBs will start a thread called “Secret Crushes”. We seem to have quite a few popping up here under guilty pleasures.
I’ll hold off on naming my dream guys, just in case.
Can’t stop...feel compelled to...ugh...share…
This gives you such insight into the people in the SB blogosphere! Great topic choice!
I noticed a few people hadn’t mentioned...maybe I’m the only one?
Television faves:
Dark Angel (Jessica Alba and Jensen Ackles both hot, and with special powers, what’s not to love!), Magnum P.I. (Tom Selleck, shirtless!), and Remington Steele (Pierce Brosnan, enough said!)
Movies:
Stardust
National Treasure
French Kiss
All Indiana Jones flicks
All Back to the Future flicks
All Harry Potter flicks
Princess Bride
Goonies
Ghostbusters
Big Trouble in Little China
Willow!!!!
(ok just as an aside here, this is what can happen to the dyslexic...I gave my daughter the middle name Dannalora, thinking at the time I was naming her after the baby princess in Willow...but no. I hadn’t watched the movie in several months. And, once my daughter was about six months old, I watched it only to discover it was actually Allora Dannen!)
Music:
Humm, that would be a little of everything from Avril and Brittney Spears to Hall and Oats, ABBA to Def Leppard, throw in a little Nickleback, Poison, Iron Maiden and Motley Crue for flavor. Oh! And country music too, luv some of Trace Adkins, Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson.
Foods:
Childhood favorite was Tunafish in Tomato soup (don’t ask, it’s a Sicilian thing aparently...). I don’t like Mac n’ Cheese because I ate too much of it when the kids were really little. I LOVE cheescake and chocolate, but not chocolate cheesecake, go figure and
HATE COFFEE - can’t even stand coffee flavored ice cream.
Authors:
Love to read James Rollins, Julia Quinn, Cherry Adair, Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum!!!), and J.K. Rowling.
I cherish the fact that I can suspend my analytical processes when Im reading books. My brain has developed an automatic self defense mechanism that skims over the really awful and unbelievable parts of a book to get to the juicy and wonderful parts. Otherwise, my reading list would probably be limited to less than 50 books. Besides, how can you appreciate the really good books if you dont see the value in the awful ones.
kpsr. said on...sorry about my bumblebee confusion earlier. thanks for the clarification.
my actual favorite guilty pleasures?
Mr. Mom
the Man With One Red Shoe
Cloak and Dagger
Her Alibi
Baby Boom
While You Were Sleeping
What’s Up Doc?
Last Starfighter
Monster Squad
aaaaaaaand
French Kiss
“my ass is twitching. this comment thread is making my ass twitch.”
oh, also,
apparently if billy barty is in a movie, it’s a good bet that i’m a fan (also a good bet that it should be on this guilty pleasures list).
for evidence:
willow
masters of the universe
legend
under the rainbow
foul play
uhf
seriously. all awesome.
‘adventures in babysitting’, that horrible 80’s movie with allie sheedy and frat boys and gangsters on the subway and the thor-obsessed munchkin and her older brother and his playboy-loving friend and the asshole boyfriend and the babysitting blues song? yeah, i love it like a fat kid loves cake.
same thing with ‘girls just wanna have fun’ with jessica parker and holly hunt. “tune in tokyo! tune in tokyo!”
oh, oh, and ‘teen witch’! with the short lady from poltergeist and those rockin’ 80’s half demin/half tulle poofy skirts. man, i wish i had one of those.
verification: sense93 yeah, it makes no sense to me either! :D
Freda said on...Dak said:
3. Candy, I’m glad you confessed to loving Temptation Island because, damn. That show was so trashy and just plain bad but could I stop watching? Hells no. (I still cringe at the whole nerdy Dave and bitchy Charla thing. Cannot believe I even *remember* that.)
Actually, Dave and Charla were on Paradise Hotel. I know, because I watched every episode of PH. LOVED.It. And Temptation Island was another guilty pleasure of mine. I’ve watched all the episodes of both seasons of Flavor of Love and I Love New York.
I read the Mona Lisa books by Sunny, and enjoy every bit of them, even though I know they’re crap.
Heat said on...I eat cold spaghettios straight from the can. It disgusts everyone else I know, but wow I love them.
I object to Stardust (the movie) being listed as a guilty pleasure because that would require that it have something wrong with it to make you feel guilty for enjoying it and it is an utterly fabulous movie. There is no shame in loving this movie. It’s got snarky fallen stars, cross-dressing pirates, and sword fights! That is a recipe for awesome!
Dak said:
3. Candy, I’m glad you confessed to loving Temptation Island because, damn. That show was so trashy and just plain bad but could I stop watching? Hells no. (I still cringe at the whole nerdy Dave and bitchy Charla thing. Cannot believe I even *remember* that.)
Actually, Dave and Charla were on Paradise Hotel. I know, because I watched every episode of PH. LOVED.It. And Temptation Island was another guilty pleasure of mine. I’ve watched all the episodes of both seasons of Flavor of Love and I Love New York.
I read the Mona Lisa books by Sunny, and enjoy every bit of them, even though I know they’re crap.
I also adore The Pirate Movie (with Kristy MacNicol and Christopher Atkins).
Ruth said on...“Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.”
I could watch that movie all day long. Or how about “Howard the Duck?”
Hollyn said on...Finally made it through all 300+ comments.
Here is my list:
back in ‘99 there was a fox kids show called the Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog that I was totally obsessed with. It was horrible, sexist, had plot holes galore, but I loved it. Kinda depressing considering I was like 14 at the time.
I LOVE the movie Dangerous Beauty.
I will watch Troy in its entirety just for Brad Pitt’s ass.
I have all of Christine Feehan’s Dark books. Some are autographed.
Ditto with Sherrilyn Kenyon.Though I have actually met her twice, and she’s a truly awesome person.
I not only have questionable taste, I’m also a big giant geek---Adventures in Babysitting was Elizabeth Shu, not Ally Sheedy. I don’t even want to tell you how many times I’ve seen it. It’s like The Cutting Edge, if it’s on TV I can not turn it off.
Nikki said on...I know I’m coming in late but I feel compelled to share. Especially after reading everyone else’s confessions.
FOOD--
Banana and mayo sandwiches, washed down with a tasty glass of iced tea.
Ramen noodles, sour cream, and that mysterious seasoning packet. Yum!
And, someone else mentioned this, mayo & ketchup mixed together for french-fry dippin’.
MOVIES--
Independence Day is NOT a guilty pleasure, people. That there is fine cinematography. Oh, and Jeff Goldblum is ALL MINE!
I can’t believe no one’s mentioned this one yet but FIFTH ELEMENT with Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Chris Tucker. Loved. It.
Anytime US MARSHALS comes on TV, I watch it. Tommy Lee Jones is freakin’ awesome.
Same goes for Men in Black--1 AND 2.
PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT I mean, how can you NOT love three drag queens traveling the Australian outback. And the ping pong scene? Nearly pee myself every time.
Anything with Bruce Campbell in it because, seriously, he is Teh Bomb!
TV--
Moonlighting. Bruce Willis as that lovable jerk David Addison. Makes me sigh just thinking about it.
X Files. OMG Mulder! No further explanation needed.
BOOKS--
I will forgive or overlook so much in regards to writing/story if a book has one of the following premises:
Broken/scarred hero, either mentally or physically. OMG HAWT!
Best-friends-turn-lovers. Sigh.
And, for the record, I don’t think SEP’s books are a sign of bad taste. I love how she takes those cocky athletes and Makes. Them. Beg. at the end of the book.
Wow. I do feel better. S’pose confession really *is* good for the soul. ;-)
Laurie said on...Oh, heavens. I just found this site ... oh, yesterday (and shockingly NOT from anything about the Cassie Edwards mess). So many of mine have already been listed, but I’ll hit them again.
Trixie Belden - I have them and reread them at least once a year. All of them. Squeed over Jim giving Trixie the bracelet (among other squeeworthy moments).
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - mmmm ... especially the chocolate iced kreme filled ones - we call those cavity detectors.
Scarecrow & Mrs. King and Remington Steele - swoons over Sexy Super Spies.
Disaster flicks - ID4, The Day After Tomorrow, etc.
Thundercats, Voltron, Transformers, Dungeons & Dragons and a whole host of other cheesy 80s cartoons
Jem - I had both her and Aja ... and did you know that their shoes and clothes actually fit Ken? ... Whenever my Ken dolls had to go undercover as women, they borrowed clothes from Jem and her friends ... oh, quit laughing. I mean it, stop.
Barbie - I won’t tell you how old I was when I quit playing with Barbies, but it was well past the age when I started reading trashy romances.
Extreme - but I did listen to the whole album and not just Hole-Hearted and More Than Words.
Young Riders - Oh, god was I ticked that Lou wound up with Kid and not Jimmy. Yeah, I know Jimmy was a ‘real’ person, but they screwed with history so much, one more wouldn’t matter. First discovered fanfiction because of this (followed rapidly by Trixie Belden fanfic).
Cross-dressing Trashy Romances - No, not like the Ken doll thing, but more like Ashes in the Wind. One of the first trashy romances I ever read.
Kathleen Woodiwiss - Early conditioning. I blame it totally on that.
Bertrice Small - Same as the above.
Jayne Castle - (I don’t think that JAK is ‘bad taste’ per se, but the faux sciffy of Jayne Castle sets my teeth on edge worse than those Krispy Kreme doughnuts ... but I can’t stop reading them)
Whelan TV - Buffy, Angel and Firefly, Oh My.
Last of the Mohicans - You have no idea how many times I saw this in the theater. And I really don’t want to tell you. But it was a lot. Let’s put it this way, I know all of the dialogue. All of it. Yes, all of it. Plus, I know where the buses were (and when they got edited out of the DVD, darnit), the tupperware, the vanishing gun and the fabric rock. Sigh.
The Slipper and the Rose - I didn’t know anyone else had ever seen that movie! I love the crypt scene (Good kings, bad kings ...) and cry every time she leaves. Of course, I can only watch this at midnight, after everyone is in bed. While eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
LKH - any of ‘em. Both series. Can’t resist.
Judy Garland movies - especially The Harvey Girls and Summer Stock. Sigh.
Singing along with musical soundtracks, especially Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. In the car. Alone. When no one can hear me. But I can hit the high notes (no, really, I’m a first soprano ... just not soloist quality, by any stretch).
Cookie dough - raw. I eats my cookies raw (God, what is that from ... Oh yes, ...)
Lavyrle Spencer - Separate Beds (starts where she’s at his house because he knocked her up on a one-night-stand). Truthfully, I’m not sure she belongs here, as I think she’s a good’un (super-saccharin-sweet-sentimentality, but good stories). However, I hated the Lifetime adaptations of her movies. Gah.
And for the ones that no one has mentioned yet:
Nelson - I had a poster of those boys over my bed, I had it that bad.
MST3K - Stuff was like crack, man.
90210 - Yes, I watched it. Please don’t hurt me.
Barbara Cartland - my grandmother was afraid to let me read these because she thought they were too racy for me. I was in college.
Princess Diana - I had the paper dolls from their wedding ... sigh.
Wil Wheaton - I had such a crush on him. Not just Wesley Crusher, but also Joey from Toy Soldiers (oh, yeah, that movie goes on the list, too).
Forever Knight - OMG, does it get any cheesier?
SeaQuest DSV - especially Lucas (Johnathon Brandis?), but truthfully I also lurved the Delouise brothers (not sure about the spelling).
21 Jump Street - see above, along with Johnny Depp, of course.
And now I’m praying that no one I really know is reading this. :) The Last of the Mohicans is a dead giveaway, I’m afraid.
Looking forward to some hot Jack on Ianto action.
I have seen proof this will happen. I may have squealed a bit.
BethC said on...Let’s see…
Ron “Tater” White. He’s not blue-collar, and he’s not a redneck. He’s a Texas Bubba. I have half a dozen relatives like him, and I love them all, and I love him.
“Hercules” & “Xena”.
40-clove Garlic Chicken. The house is close to toxic for a week after we make it, but it’s something my husband & I both gobble down like there is no tomorrow.
Cookbooks from the 1960’s, 70’s & 80’s, especially if I find them on the dollar book rack.
Celebrity gossip. I gotta know all about the latest Britney stunt or what Amy Winehouse is shooting up with this week.
Nothing is quite as much fun as watching Independence Day with a bunch of scientists and pulling it to pieces. (And wondering what happened to the southern hemisphere.)
I also have to sign up for Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon. Although I think Feehan going to hardcover in the Dark books may have saved me there. Not Kenyon though. Now I’m just spending more money.
Also have to cop to V. Marc Singer. And scientists as the heros instead of the ones that cause the problem. What could be better.
Oh, this thread is bringing back a lot of great memories.
Oh, Back to the Future.
“Heavy, there’s that word again. Is there something wrong with the earth’s gravitational pull?”
And I’m quoting this without having to watch the movie first. That tells you more about me than anything.
As to French Kiss. LOVE!!!that movie. Gawd that french accent was horrid, but you know what I wanted that HEA like nobodies business.
was marc singer the “beastmaster”?
the only two movies our school took us to see was beastmaster and “other side of the mountain”
yes that’s how old I am
ginmar said on...Oh, God, Independance Day. I own the special two disc movie. Anything with martians, aliens, zombies, werewolves----can’t get enough. Dinosaurs? Bring ‘em on. CAn I get ‘em all at once?
I make ham sandwiches with swiss cheese and onion on rye and gobble it down like it’s ambrosia. Which it is.
I scarf down tuna straight from the can.
I mix Lipton’s Onion Soup into hamburger, add crushed crackers and egg and allspice to it, put it in a bread pan with ketchup on top, and slice it to serve between buns.
Love KFC mashed potatoes and gravy. CAn’t get enough, especially with lots of salt and pepper.
I loved the Tom Cruise version of “War of the Worlds.” Well, some of it. The machine. The first basement scene. I want a sequel that shows what happens after.
I love the TV show “Moonlight.” It got me writing fanfic again. I’m too old for fanfic! Screw it, I love it.
Give me mashed potatoes and KFC and a day full of awful sci fi channel movies and I am just in heaven.
This is the worst: I kind of liked Bloodrayne. And I will watch anything with dragons in it. I loved Alien vs. Predator guiltily but passionately. Own it on DVD. My DVD shelves are equal parts monster movies, alien movies, and stupid romance movies. Try The Whole Wide World for one of the best kisses evar.
Dear gods, forgive me—I failed to mention:
Rocky Horror Picture Show—must be seen in the company of an experienced and well-equipped audience.
Hot Fuzz—absolutely insane cop comedy with Timothy Dalton. [I cannot believe that man’s sixty-five years old at the he did this flick—hawt damn!]
Invader Zim—GIR is,… well, you just have to see for yourself. There is no way I can do this cartoon series justice.
Zim: How could you not know [where we are]?! I just upgraded your guidance system!
GIR: Oh. I left that at home.
Zim: You left what at home?
GIR: The guidy chippy thingy.
Zim: You! Why would you do that?!
GIR: To make room—for the cupcake!
Zim: Ride the pig, GIR! RIDE THE PIG!!
Crash said on...My guilty pleasure movies are really bad. I think they were made before I was born, but I still love them. Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Dracula: Dead and Loving It. The stupid humor is what gets to me.
My other guilty pleasure: Smart Bitches. I hardly ever even venture into romance books (my tolerance for fluffy isn’t very high and most of the tolerance gets taken up by my anime) but I lurve me some Smart Bitches.
Anna Clare said on...Okay...here goes.
V.C. Andrews - even the postumous books. Hell, especially the postumously published knockoff novels, because they’re even more awful and samey than the ones she did when she was alive. There’s something incredibly sick/funny about the thinking behind that publishing deal - well, shit, the author’s dead, but no reason to let that spoil a good franchise. Got a ghostwriter? Good. Can he write stories about rape, incest, rape and more incest with extra incest and incest sprinkles on top? Jolly good. Sign him up.
Love them. Awful books, but so addictive.
I also own Aqua’s (The Danish band of ‘Barbie Girl’ infamy) album and I am not ashamed.
And Sunset Beach, the late lamented soap from the late lamented Aaron Spelling. Utter crap - wooden acting, cheap sets, headswap operation casting, hilarious sex scenes and a heroine of neutron star density in the shape of Meg. I loved every dreadful, shouting-at-the-television moment of it.
i’ll see your aqua’s ‘barbie girl’ and raise you aqua’s ‘happy boys and girls’. which reminds me: all the cheers in ‘bring it on’, including the moves? yeah, i know and love them. and will shamelessly bust them out whenever someone brings up the movie.
and invader zim and gir? so not trashy! they is the poo. i’ve got a bunch of the old episodes downloaded, and the first time i showed them to my then-7-year-old, she said “mama, i ‘member dis show!” when i informed her invader zim had gone off the air years before she was born, she said “oh yeah, i forgot, cause it looks like my comic book about johnny the crazy guy and mr. noodlehead.” she recognized johnen vazquez’s style all on her own. makes a goth mama proud! :)
confirmation: force58. why no, i didn’t force my young child to read ‘johnny the homicidal maniac’; she picked up ‘squee’s great big book of unspeakable horrors’ and got herself hooked, thank you very much!
Oh, this is the bestest one ever! Squee! :)
Here are my confessions (in no particular order):
I’m a member of Mercedes Lackey’s fan club. Scary, I know.
Last of the Mohicans isn’t cheesetastic...it’s a great movie & DDL is so hawt it’s not even funny.
Bruce Campbell fans...have you watched Burn Notice on USA? Funny, snarky, awesomeness. *sigh*
Torchwood
JR Ward (but I think I’m done)
Never got into Danielle Steele. Ugh!
Love Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, but my biggest no-no was Sweet Valley High. I had every single book in the series & my mom gave them away. The one y’all were “discussing” not all that long ago when Liz gets felt up by Bruce Patman? Probably my first real sexual experience. LOL!
Cheesetastic 80’s movies.
Just bought an MP3 player. What’s on it? Whitesnake, Heart, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Journey. I’m a sad, sad individual.
And the only reason I watch Robin Hood on BBC America is because of Richard Armitage and his brooding portrayal as Guy. Can we same yum?
And I don’t think this is stupid, but I have a neverending fixation on anything British, historical, and romance. (BBC remakes are my favorite).
Men in Tights! Oh, yes! Way better, uh, cheesier, than Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood.
Anyone else remember Mel Brooks’ series “When Things Were Rotten”? It preceded Wizards and Warriors by about 7 or 8 years, I think.
My favorite bit was the perpetually whining Prince [Richard Lewis] John and his wandering facial mole—
Heh heh heh ... I can still sing the theme song from When Things Were Rotten.
And Daniel Boone.
Why yes, I am a tragic. Your point?
Oh yes, and of course ID4 and yes yes yes Armageddon. Come on. How can you not love Armageddon??????
Freda,
You’re right, of course. I have conflated two trashy reality TV shows, thus admitting to watching so much reality TV I can no longer keep the programs straight.
But wasn’t Paradise Hotel awesome?
Dak
Theresa Meyers,
You are not alone in your Magnum PI love. I copped to owning the first three seasons on DVD way upthread, about 300 messages ago. Watching them back now, I never realized at the time just how ... short his shorts were. Heh.
Karla said on...I love me some crappy 80s sci-fi flicks!
Megaforce - Barry Bostwick and Persis Khambatta (with hair!)
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone - Peter Strauss (YUM!) and bratty Molly Ringwald (IOW, Molly Ringwald)
Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn - with pre-Travolta Kelly Preston and Bull from “Night Court”
Secure word: europe89. Nah, not one for furrin flicks
My guilty pleasure movies are really bad. I think they were made before I was born, but I still love them. Robin Hood: Men in Tights and Dracula: Dead and Loving It.
Congratulations, Crash! You win the very first ever “Make Lorelie Feel Old as Dirt!” award! OMG, seriously? I’m laughing my butt off about this. I pestered my mom for weeks to see Men in Tights in the theater, then (when she wouldn’t) pestered the employees at the rental place for months about when it was coming out. On VHS, mind you!
Angelina said on...OMG R - I totally forgot about Zim & Gir! You are right its definately the shiznit!
Laurie - I didn’t think MSTK3 was bad taste - dammit I don’t like anything classy, oh well.
I’m going to sing the doom song! Doom doom!
Kim said on...Easy Cheez? Check.
Willow and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves? Check.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (the movie)? Check (and Becky, I’d LOVE to have it on DVD, where’d you get it?)
Grease 2? Oh yeah. “Coo-oo-oo-l rider, I want a coo-oo-oo-ool rider…”
Trixie Belden? CHECK. And I’ll raise you a Cherry Ames.
And no one has mentioned The Waltons? I’m shocked, I tell you. I still rabidly fangirl The Waltons, although I didn’t enjoy the episodes as much after Ben married that blonde girl. Ben was supposed to marry ME, dang it!
Buck Rogers! I had a total girl crush on Colonel Wilma Deering (Erin Gray) when I was about 10. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Gray last summer and it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done!
But my absolute, total bad taste guilty pleasure? Point Break.
I love every absolutely cheesy minute of it, from the unlikelyhood of Keanu Reeves being an FBI agent, to new age Patrick Swayze, to Lori Petty running around the desert in her nightgown.
MaeveGlaistig said on...Hollyn,
I was so with you on Mystic Knights. Attempting to explain to the resident male of my house that I had a burning need to seduce Angus did not go over well, and there were never more than five minutes in a row of that show that weren’t incredibly, heinously bad… but I loved it to death.
Joey, the smart one said on...Plagiarism is plagiarism....period. It doesn’t matter whether it is a romance novel or a prize winning pulitzer. An author should know better. Edwards is a hack of an author, who shows her common schoolgirl technique cutting and pasting passages she can’t write herself.
And clemens didn’t use steriods either.
Oh! Oh! The Last Starfighter was actually filmed in the small town in Oregon where I grew up! That big white church was just down the street from where we lived (which is saying a lot for a town of 4,000.)
Good God, how could I have forgotten
X-files, Men in Black, Adventures in Babysitting!
*sniff* I think I love you bitches!
Which made me think of what else I’d do if I could for a day so include Arnette Lamb’s historical romances featuring lucious Scottish lords and Pirates of the Caribbean movies (but am I the only one who thinks Orlando Bloom looked hotter as a blonde elf in Lord of the Rings than as Will Turner?)
Guilty pleasures…
TV / Movies
ANTM - I’m addicted
Anything with Gordon Ramsey
Bridezillas - how trashy can one girl be?
Project Runway
Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency
Anything by Broken Lizard - Super Troopers, Beerfest, Club Dredd
Demolition Man
Scream Movies
Fame
Scrooge, 1969 musical version
Food
Peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches - YUMMY
sauerkraut and hot dogs
I don’t have any quilty pleasures in books. The first romance I read was Violet Winspear - I suppose that would be a guilty pleasure. :)
Another lurker confession:
* I lurrrve me some Hercules and Xena. I used to get the fan merchandise catalogue and can sing every word in BOTH musical episodes of Xena.
* While I didn’t watch the Marc Singer “BeastMaster”, I did watch the other guy...whoever that hot blonde one was in the newer series. His character was “Dar”, which is about all I could say after staring at him shirtless for an hour.
* I have had a crush on Dean Cain for...oh, fifteen years because Lois and Clark was the BEST SHOW EVAH. I faithfully await the day when Dean can break free of the Superman curse so that the light of his talent can shine unfettered--and so that he can stop making such God-awful movies as “Dragonfighter” and “Christmas Rush”.
* I read Harry Potter fanfiction and still assert that Harry belonged with Hermione and that Ginny is a twit.
* Love me some Swanhat Kenyon’s Dark Hunters so much I put the Acheron book release date on my calendar. I squeed like a deranged fangirl when she told me the release date at NJRW when I should have been a Professional.
* I named my cat after Rogue from X-Men.
* Not only have I seen Enchanted (and loved it), but I’ve also seen Disney Princesses On Ice. I have no children, so this was mildly embarrassing.
* I own every JAK/AQ/JC single title published and won’t give any away for fear of “breaking up the set”.
Geez, this was long. I should totally be ashamed of myself for my taste in...just about everything. Ah well.
Willow and Top Secret (spy spoof film with Val Kilmer) and also Real Genius. Had me some Val Kilmer love going on there for a while.
The Pirate Movie—Depp wasn’t the first pirate in my world to wear eyeliner. In 1983, I wore out a VHS tape of this movie by watching it all summer long. I can still quote huge chunks of dialogue and have the DVD version now.
Highlander the television show, which I watched religiously even unto the bitter, bitter shark-jumping end. And I read the fanfic.
Weiss Kreuz, which is really, really bad. It’s low-budget animation with hackneyed urban legend plots (among them a kidney stealing ring) and four (animated) crime-fighting assassins. Yes, really. And they all have Tragic Pasts. One’s got a sister in a coma, even. (I didn’t actually *start* liking this until I was over thirty.)
Novels? Mercedes Lackey is probably the author whose books I should hide. Everything else, I can claim I read it for the porn.
Music: I am a product of my era. It is not *wrong* for me to like 80’s era power ballads. It isn’t. I spent an unfortunately formative portion of my youth on the floor of a poorly-lit gymnasium watching OTHER PEOPLE dance to power ballads, slowly, in the arms of their junior-high soulmates. Somewhere in my psyche there is a very big scar and underneath that scar, there are jaggedy black letters that say “Power ballads are romance, and you cannot have any.”
Sigh,…
And my shame continues: The Monkees
i see robin hood prince of theives a lot.. i’m more of a robin hood men in tights kinda girl.
You mean you changed your name TO “Latrine”?
Latrine: Yeah. Used to be “Shithouse.”
Now thats a baaad movie..but alas, its one that i yell and sing along to often
:0 ... Weiss Kreuz is not in anyway bad taste. Of course, I am an anime junkie, but there are still things among the anime world that are bad taste.
Still having your Pokemon card collection. Still watching and enjoying DBZ (DragonBallZ).
Hell, even Sailor Moon could be called a guilty pleasure. But Weiss could NEVER be called a guilty pleasure. The art is entirely too beautiful for it to be a guilty pleasure.
i just remembered something that is in the trashiest of awfully bad no-excuse-for-it shouldn’t love it so bad taste: black or brightly colored bras under those thin white wifebeater tank tops. i love doing it, i think other girls look awfully cute when they do it. there’s just something about it that feels like a big middle finger in the face of good taste, and i so like fucking with peoples’ perceptions. it’s like “yeah, let’s see you call me a ‘stupid skank’ when i start geeking out on/in biochemistry/french/physics/whatever other stereotypically smart-sounding thing that’s going to push your assumptions into the dirt and stomp them ‘til they cry like little boys.”
Brianna said on...There are many things that people have listed here that I also have on my List of Shame, but here are 3 that stand out:
Betty Neels: I also own all her books. I bought them off eBay (therefore I own multiple copies of some titles). I <3 these books. They are so innocent!
Disney Princesses: particularly Sleeping Beauty. Jean, I didn’t think there was someone else who loathes the Pink Dress as much as I do!
Redheaded Heroines: these are my crack. I will read *anything* that has a redhead as the heroine.
You know what? I’m feeling pretty darned good about myself. My appalling taste in television, movies and books is widely shared!
Robin Hood: Men in Tights? I watch it Every Time It’s On. Every time.
Highlander? I even watched the last gloriously awful finale.
Hercules? Are you kidding me? All I have to do is see a photo of Kevin Sorbo and all I can do is drool over the scene where he poured a bucket of water over his head.
But my deepest, darkest secret? Talking cats. Oh the shame! But I lubs me some chatty kitties. Linnea Sinclair and Robin Owens are going to heaven solely on the strength of the love I have for their talking cats.
Trixie Belden? CHECK. And I’ll raise you a Cherry Ames.
Was gonna confess to loving all the Cherry Ames novels the other day, but couldn’t make myself do it after the Shaun Cassidy confession.
Coming in late, but hey...this is fun!
Guilty pleasures? Audie Murphy movies and old Westerns. McClintock? Fantabulous! Ditto for the golden age of Hollywood musicals. There’s just something about people breaking into song for no reason...I think that’s the same reason I like opera, too.
Bad sci fi is another one that gets me. I have the first season of the Sentinel and the first season of SeaQuest on DVD. I also LOVE crime dramas. CSI, Law and Order (SVU or Criminal Intent,)and my favorite, NCIS. Any type of show where people’s insides become their outsides or there’s a talking dolphin and I’m there!
Guilty book pleasures? Mostly classic children’s literature. I actually read most of the Elsie Dinsmore series despite the fact that they gave me seriously high blood pressure.
Here’s a couple of my guilty pleasure movies
The Blue Lagoon with Brooke Shields and Christopher Aiken - long lovers who didn’t have a clue what they were doing. Really Bad Movie - but........
Tarzan the Ape Man with Bo Derek. The movie was horrendous but to my young impressionable mind when Bo and Tarzan (Miles Okeefe) were in the water and he starts “touching” her - Wowzers!
hee hee - password - fine 35. That’s what I thought Miles Okeefe was in this movie. Mighty so
Tina said on...I consider these to be my “guilty pleasures” and I’ll leave it to you to decide how tasteful they are:
Movies:
Queen of the Damned
I’m watching it now—Stewart Copeland makes it worth my time. Stewart Copeland, shirtless, in leather pants, makes it worth my time to see it again and again and again.
Pitch Black
I own this one and I’ve watched it far too many times.
Blade
I love me some Blade movies! I love them all. I’ve seen them over and over and I even love the horrible third one. The Blade tv show on SpikeTV, on the other hand, sucked the paint off the walls. Blade was a WUSS who couldn’t even kill the cannon fodder without a protracted fight in the tv show. I refused to watch it after three episodes because it refused to get any better.
Terminator
All of them.
Aliens
All of them.
Predator
The first two were good!
Underworld
Armageddon
Save the Last Dance
Dirty Dancing
That’s some mighty 80’s music for this flick set in the early 60’s, doncha think? I don’t care—I LOVE this movie
Pretty Woman
This movie may have made Julia Roberts career, but really, it’s not a good movie. Handsome, generous, rich guy can’t find a woman to escort to various business dealings so he has to get a prostitute? A sweet, heart-of-gold, incredibly lovely prostitute that he just happens to find standing on a street corner and then he falls in love with her? Really? Again, I don’t care. I love this movie. I loved Nottinghill, too.
A great number of B-grade action movies
Like pasta, this is truly a great weakness of mine. Some examples include, but are not limited to: Roadhouse—a movie with Patrick Swayze, Sam Elliot, big trucks, guns, martial arts, blues music, T&A for both sexes…what’s not to love?; Next of Kin—another movie with Patrick Swayze and also Helen Hunt and Liam Neeson, guns, martial arts, bluegrass music, bad accents, worse hair, and the charmingly ridiculous notion that the “hollers” of Eastern Kentucky are just a skip and a jump away from Chicago and people travel back and forth between the two constantly. (I live in Lexington, Kentucky, a good 4-5 hours in travel time if not distance, from anywhere there might be a “holler” and 5 hours or so from the southern edge of Chicago—and I’m between the two places.); I Come In Peace (recently renamed “Dark Angel” according to imdb.com)—surprisingly good alien movie with Dolph Lundgren. Alien bad guy, alien bounty hunter, Dolph as the cop caught between the two while attempting to stop his own major bad guy.
Honestly, pretty much anything with Brendan Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and any of the early Dolph Lundgren.
Any action movie with Milla Jovovich
Most Brendan Frasier movies
Elvis movies
Love’em all
Doris Day/Rock Hudson movies
Bet you all weren’t expecting these last two to pop up on the list, huh?
Television:
Most of these aren’t on anymore, but….
Highlander
Especially Methos
La Femme Nikita
Xena, Warrior Princess
Andromeda
At least while Keith Hamilton Cobb was on it as Tyr. He always wore leather pants and a chainmail tank top. I discovered the show while flipping through channels because he was on the screen at the time. (You have to google this guy if you don’t know who I mean and you’ll see)
Forever Knight
Pros Vs Joes
(This is as an adult, mind you—my childhood viewing habits were much, much worse!)
Books:
I think I’m pickier about my books, but I guess some of what I read is considered pretty bad around here…
Laurell K. Hamilton
I’ve been fairly disappointed with her works over the last couple of years, though. I definitely get the feeling she’s working out some personal problems through her characters. That doesn’t bother me as much as her apparently unwillingness to see that it might be time to stop a series that, while popular, has seemingly run out of ways to go except making everyone ever more powerful. Consequently, the emotional issues never get resolved (because then she’d really have no reason to keep the series going) and you end up with grown adults who have immense power and the emotional growth of a flea. That said, I still buy, read and pretty much enjoy every book.
Linda Howard
I just enjoy the books. I don’t know why—I know there are parts that are ridiculous—but I do.
Music:
Kid Rock
Skid Row
Some truly atrocious 80’s pop music, such as 99 Luftballons by Nena and that one by Falco
Bee Gees
Hall & Oates
I know I’m forgetting stuff, but this thing is long enough!
Bob j said on...Ur all a bunch of degenerate low-lifes and u need to get a life.Imagine getting worked up over a book and
then talking bout it to some perfect stangers. What the hell is wrong with u ?
Somebody has a very tiny penis and just ran out of vaseline. Anybody want to start a fund?
cory said on...I know this thread is from six months ago, but I was going through the archives and noticed that in all the fantastic guilty pleasures (many of which I share) mentioned in the 300-some comments, no one mentioned the greatest guilty pleasure of my life: MeatLoaf. No, not the food. The guy. I own all his music. I saw him in concert. I own the tour t-shirt. And I’m not sorry, although everyone always seems to think I ought to be. Then again, I’ll see any movie Colin Hanks is in no matter how awful because I want to have his babies, so my taste may indeed be questionable. I don’t care. We can only do what brings us joy.
01.15.08 at 03:46 PM |