Favorite Guilty Pleasures

This week on Sheri and I's list day, we sort of cheat and don't really do a list. What we do is actually just present a multitude of favorites, because to be honest it'd be pretty hard to really rank what your favorite guilty pleasure is. I mean, is it the best thing that is a guilty pleasure? Is it the most embarrassing of all of them? What is it?

So instead, it's just a random group of things that we love that are not exactly industry standard, and generally things that a normal person would keep on the down low for loving. Of course, Sheri and I are not normal people and share whatever we love with everyone, but these are things that still draw ire and "seriously?" comments from the average person.

So without further ado, here is a link to Sheri's blog, and below are my favorite guilty pleasures.

Comics: I'm putting this one first because it's a strange choice for many different reasons. #1 - I love them quite a bit, and do not feel any sort of guilt about it. #2 - They've become quite popular, negating any of the negativity that used to come to them. #3 - Even if I did feel guilty about them, I have too damn many of them to possibly hide the fact that I have them.

I have 23 full long boxes at this point, with several hundred extras yet to be put away. To say I'm addicted may be an understatement. In fact, the one embarrassing thing about them is the fact that I have so many of them. Truth be told though, there was a time when I actually quit reading comics due to concerns of how people would think of me. I missed a lot of damn good comics because of that, and I'm embarrassed to this day of how I acted. Sorry comics! I'm glad you forgave me!

Hugh Grant romantic comedies: Generally, I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. At one point, my mom called me a "hopeless romantic" but really, who isn't a sucker for a happy ending? In specific, Hugh Grant romantic comedies really get to me, from the higher end works of his career (which has rarely left the comfort of the romcom) like Notting Hill and Love Actually, all the way to lower end materials like Mickey Blue Eyes and Nine Months.

I like it all, and good god, does it make me feel dirty sometimes.

Fatboy Slim's You've Come a Long Way Baby: There was a time that this wouldn't be a guilty pleasure, and this would be considered hip. Too bad for me the year for that was 1998, not 2008. No less, this album coming on my ipod randomly (in specific, massive hit "Praise You") was the inspiration for this list.

At this point, Fatboy Slim is received with a mixture of derision and scorn quite often, and frequently matched up against fellow "strangely popular bad bands that headlined music trends" like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies (seriously, that name was announced on the radio...and frequently) and Chumbwumba (they weren't even part of a trend, I just wanted to mention them). The difference between those two and my boy Norman Cook?

His music rules! I was terribly addicted to it my freshman year of high school, and when I hear tracks from it I hear the relentless mocking coming from those around me about it - but I also hear some seriously fat beats and catchy tunes. Rock on Fatboy, rock on.

Ridiculously bizarre 80's movies: Was anything normal in the 80's? Seriously? So much weird stuff came out of that decade, chief amongst the trends being the cult classic movies that came from it. Here's a quick lineup. Evil Dead? Check. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension? Check. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen? Check.

If you ever caught these on cable, you'd quickly speed by and say something akin to "no way am I watching something like that!" Honestly, they look and sound ridiculous. I agree. But damn, they sure are entertaining! They feature crazy costumes, rock band super heroes, tree sex, and Jeff Goldblum in a ridiculous cowboy costume, and they are awesome from beginning to end. We could use a lot more of that type of creativity today.

Avril Lavigne's "My Happy Ending": This is the guiltiest of all my guilty pleasures. Well, probably.

No less, I consider myself a pretty decent music-phile who knows quite a few bands that your average music fan has not heard. Hell, I pride myself on the elitist mantra of "I liked them before they were big."

However, good god, this song has some sort of magical pull upon me. I hear it in Best Buy, and I find myself nodding my head and fighting urges to sing along. Sitting in a restaurant and it comes on the radio? Toe tapping and whistling along. It's the bane of my existence, but damn! It's so catchy! I can't help it. In the dreaded world of radio hits, we could use more of pop gems like this and less crap - yes Nickelback, I am looking directly at you and your very, very ugly lead singer.

Drama (aka Laguna Beach and the OC): I don't mean dramas. I love dramas, but I don't consider them to be guilty pleasures. No, I'm referring to the exquisite brand of drama that only stories coming from the county of counties (aka Orange County) can provide.

Sure, they're ridiculously cheesy and totally contrived (even you Laguna Beach, the "real" Orange County), but they sure provide some tasty drama and some incredible levels of unintentional humor. Of course, on typical occasions I would never, ever mention that I enjoy them because frankly, they are embarrassing. Embarassing, but delicious.

Bubble Boy: Ask 9 out of 10 people that have seen this movie, and they'll tell you that this movie absolutely sucked. I mean come on, it's a ridiculously cheesy and stupid comedy about a kid who loves a girl, but can't show her that because he's a bubble boy. When she leaves to get married, he has to chase her down in a bubble suit across the country to express his love. How could that be any good?

Very easily!

Ever since I saw this movie (I had seen October Sky and was a big fan of Jake Gyllenhaal, so I of course saw this) I loved it. Sure, it is all those things I said in the first paragraph, but the whole movie is ok with that. Every actor commits fully to their roles, every moment is taken up for all it can be - this movie does not waste a second. It takes what should be mediocrity and by god, it squeezes out awesomeness from the humble beginnings.

Well, that's what I say. Everyone else I know hates it...but there it sits on my DVD rack, nestled in between Cabin Boy and Buckaroo Banzai.

S.W.A.T.: This is what critics are referring to when they say "mindless summer action flick." It's based off a TV show from yesteryear, it's frequently flat out impossible (2 mile shot from a gun to take down a helicopter? don't worry...I got that), and it stars maybe the world's most hated leading man (Colin Farrell, come on down!).

But man, I saw this in theaters and thought it was entertaining. Then I randomly decided to buy it for $2.99 on a Black Friday one year, and have watched it roughly 200 times since. It is maybe the single most rewatchable movie ever made, and it gets slightly better each time. If it started out as a hair above average before, now it's stellar.

Sure, it may be everything that's wrong with Hollywood, but everything is awesome whenever it's on. I may actually be this movie's single biggest fan. Yay me?

Kids/Animated movies: This may be a revelation towards my maturity level, but if I was to have a movie marathon of the movies I get the most enjoyment out of, they'd likely be comprised of at least 50% kids and animated movies.

You like Unforgiven? I love Fievel Goes West. You like Field of Dreams? I love Little Big League. Odds are, if it's intended for 10 and under, I'll love it as well. I can't help it, I just love that stuff.

One of my strangest and favorite evenings during my summer vacations in college was one when my parents were out of town, and everyone I knew was tied up with other things. What'd I do? I made a couple PB&J sammiches, threw them on a Fievel Goes West plate, grabbed a huge glass of milk, and put in my old Fievel tape. It was glorious. I can't emphasize that enough. Did I mention that I was 20? I'm a sad, sad man...