Guilty Pleasures

[The Borgified Corpse]

Thankfully, I don't have as many "guilty pleasures" now as I did when I was a kid. I remember back when I was in middle school, my best friend & I were still playing with Power Rangers action figures even though we felt that we were too old for it. I was so embarrassed that, when we went to see Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie at the theater, I came up with an alibi just in case we ran into anyone that I knew there. Turns out we did run into a kid from my PE class outside the theater and I lied and said we'd just come out from seeing The Empire Strikes Back: Special Edition.

There's something to be said about Underworld. I agree that it was always better in potential than in execution. And that Greg Cox did that franchise far more justice than the filmmakers did. (I never read the novelizations of the movies but his "Blood Enemy" prequel novel was far superior to the Rise of the Lycans movie.)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. The movie is chock full of plot threads that are only half-developed and the characterization of the Turtles started to slip a bit. But still, I loves me some Turtles.

Also, the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & The Simpsons arcade games from the early 1990s. Games back when it was better to be rich than good.

Highlander II. The plot is all over the place and has so many continuity errors with the first movie. However, the production values are spectacular, particularly during the big flying chase in the middle. And the presence of Sean Connery (as preposterous & unnecessary as it is) means that this is certainly A MOVIE.

The Super Mario Bros. movie. This one is kinda borderline. I love Bob Hoskins & John Leguizamo in the movie. Dennis Hopper is good campy fun. But I gotta admit that part of my fascination with the movie is the fact that it's taking something as thoroughly unadaptable as Super Mario Bros. and just keeps hammering at that round peg until it fits into the square hole of being a live action sci-fi movie.

Lost Girl was a quality series but started to descend into guilty pleasure territory in Season 4. Still, I love Kenzi.

And if we're talking about trash TV: Bar Rescue & Jerry Springer.

Also: Songs that I won't ever admit that I like to anyone that knows my real name:
"I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry
"You Belong with Me" by Taylor Swift
"All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow
"I Don't Wanna Wait"

 

[Greg Cox]

Thanks for the kind words about my Underworld novels, folks. I always enjoyed writing those.

These days I guess my favorite "guilty pleasure" is The Lizzie Borden Chronicles on Lifetime. I can't really say its quality television with a straight face, but it's strangely addictive and Christina Ricci is amusing as Lizzie.

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

Despite Miley Cyrus bugging the hell out of me, I like a lot of her music, and I used to watch Hannah Montana whenever it was on. I wouldn't really consider myself a Miley fan though.

Also I like a lot of the shows on the Disney Channel: Jessie, Good Luck Charlie, Austin and Ally, etc. Even though Disney channel hasn't been good in years.

 

[FPAlpha]

2 Broke Girls but mainly for the boobs on the brunette and the fantastic legs on the blonde

The show was always very low brow and one dimensional but occasionally it was funny, current season it dipped too far into the low end so i quit.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Good boobs and good legs have more to do with good posture than what's happening with your boobs and legs.

 

[Taylirious]

I don't feel guilty about any of the crap I like.

 

[Greg Cox]

I don't feel guilty about any of the crap I like.

Neither to do I, to be honest, but in this case I'm taking "guilty pleasure" to mean a show you can't really praise with a straight face, and whose failings you're perfectly aware of, but which you enjoy anyway.

"So, is that show any good?"

"Well . . . ."

 

[Taylirious]

Then it would be everything I enjoy! I guess Gotham is hard to defend and maybe Reign or Beauty & The Beast.

 

[Karzak]

While I am one of those who doesn't really care much what other people think of my interests, I would have to say a guilty pleasure of mine is definitely the first Avengers film.

No, not the Joss Whedon one. The Jeremiah Chechik one. It's largely a terrible film, with one or two saving graces, but I love it all the same.

 

[J.T.B.]

I'm past caring what people think about my tastes in film, television, books, and music. If they don't like it, they're welcome to fuck off.

Yeah, the last show I remeber feeling "guilty" about watching was Party of Five about 20 years ago. Nowadays I assume if I like it it must be good, and maybe other people should feel guilty about not liking it.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I don't see the designation of 'Guilty pleasure' as being a measure of how other people might judge you. I see it as more of the 'Junk food' of television. A short, intense burst of flavor that doesn't last very long and has no substance behind it.

I see it as a bit of both, really. Something that you generally aren't proud of liking, which often tends to be 'Junk Food'. In other words, something that might be fun to you, but you'd rather not everyone know you do watch it.

 

[Beagleman]

Oh, I just remembered another one that I probably share with many folks around my age: Dawson's Creek. *Insert crying Dawson-meme here*

 

[Mach5]

I DON'T WANNA WAIT!!!............

 

[Greg Cox]

I don't see the designation of 'Guilty pleasure' as being a measure of how other people might judge you. I see it as more of the 'Junk food' of television. A short, intense burst of flavor that doesn't last very long and has no substance behind it.

I see it as a bit of both, really. Something that you generally aren't proud of liking, which often tends to be 'Junk Food'. In other words, something that might be fun to you, but you'd rather not everyone know you do watch it.

Oh, I don't care if people know what my tastes in junk food are. I just want to maintain my credibility when it comes to recommending things that are actually good . . .

"No, really. THE AMERICANS is one of the best shows on television. You have to watch it."

"I don't know. That's what you said about CLEOPATRA 2525 . . ."

 

[Beagleman]

I DON'T WANNA WAIT!!!............

That was a catchy song.

 

[Karzak]

I don't see the designation of 'Guilty pleasure' as being a measure of how other people might judge you. I see it as more of the 'Junk food' of television. A short, intense burst of flavor that doesn't last very long and has no substance behind it.

I see it as a bit of both, really. Something that you generally aren't proud of liking, which often tends to be 'Junk Food'. In other words, something that might be fun to you, but you'd rather not everyone know you do watch it.

Oh, I don't care if people know what my tastes in junk food are. I just want to maintain my credibility when it comes to recommending things that are actually good . . .

"No, really. THE AMERICANS is one of the best shows on television. You have to watch it."

"I don't know. That's what you said about CLEOPATRA 2525 . . ."

I often encounter this same concern when trying to recommend the now concluded Spartacus: Blood and Sand/Gods of the Arena/Vengeance/ War of the Damned. A superbly written, performed and produced series, yet the majority of people I talk to about it just can't get over the visual similarities to '300', which I guess they feel cheapens the entire endeavor.

 

[Trekkin]

Spartacus was one of those shows where I always have to say 'The first few eps aren't very good, but it gets better! Promise!'

Dark Shadows (either series) is one where I know that so much is wrong with it, yet still got me unironically hooked. What can I say? I was invested in the characters.

 

[Timewalker]

My Guilty Pleasures would have to inclued:

Love Boat
Partridge Family
The Brady Bunch
...and, yes...

The "Donnie and Marie" Specials

We used to watch Donny & Marie. My grandmother had Donny & Marie dolls (Barbie-type) in her collection. And she and my dad were pleased when I learned to play "Paper Roses" on the organ - for some reason my dad liked to whistle along with that one.

I found a couple days ago, something that shook me to my core.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7yYCepJmZM[/yt]

Oh. Yikes.

I had no idea there was such a thing as a combination of the Partridge Family, the Jetsons, and the Pebbles & Bamm-Bamm Show (the music was reworked and used in the latter show - or the reverse, whichever one was first).

 

[Owain Taggart]

I don't see the designation of 'Guilty pleasure' as being a measure of how other people might judge you. I see it as more of the 'Junk food' of television. A short, intense burst of flavor that doesn't last very long and has no substance behind it.

I see it as a bit of both, really. Something that you generally aren't proud of liking, which often tends to be 'Junk Food'. In other words, something that might be fun to you, but you'd rather not everyone know you do watch it.

Oh, I don't care if people know what my tastes in junk food are. I just want to maintain my credibility when it comes to recommending things that are actually good . . .

"No, really. THE AMERICANS is one of the best shows on television. You have to watch it."

"I don't know. That's what you said about CLEOPATRA 2525 . . ."

Good enough reason for me


Oh yeah, one of my guilty pleasures is watching Degrassi: TNG. Or I should say, used to. I stopped watching after the original cast was phased out after their 'Hollywood' movie. I thought the writing was fairly good for what it was and surprisingly deep.

 

[Gaith]

I also tend to reject the Guilty Pleasure label; however, I was once (long ago) entertained by a certain Michael Caine flick that can probably only be defended as an unusually well-acted and well-produced work of softcore pornography. (I imagine Guy knows the one. )