Everybody (I would assume) has some sort of secret (or guilty) pleasure. It’s that one thing you know you probably shouldn’t do. It’s that one thing you generally don’t tell anyone about. And if someone ever did find out about it, you’d have to come up with some sort of excuse to explain it away, if not outright playing the “you see, I have this friend…” card.
It’s also the kind of thing that if someone else ever did find out, they probably wouldn’t care at all. After all, with six billion people on the planet, who really cares if you hide bags of M&Ms around the house. Because, let’s face it, you really wouldn’t care if you suddenly found out John Smith of Anytown, USA enjoys eating popsicles in his underwear before bed. Unless you also suddenly found out that John Smith was your spouse. Then you might be … concerned.
But so what! Today’s the day we let it all out. We free ourselves of guilt and of secrecy. We lift a great weight from our chest. We get up out of our chairs, go to our windows, and shout out, “I’m as freaky as hell, and I’m not gonna hide it anymore!”
Or something like that.
Since this is my blog, I’ll start. I like…
I like…
Dang it. I can’t do this. I’m closing my window and sitting back down in my chair. No, no. I said we were going to air our laundry today. I must follow through. Here goes. Take a deep breath, Charlie. Three… two… one… “I like watching American Idol.”
There. I said it. I know it’s wrong. I admit I’m not proud of it, but I can’t deny it. I keep on watching. (And that’s saying a lot, considering my normal weekly television viewing time totals about seventeen minutes.) It’s not that I outright hate TV, but I just have so many other things to do. My brain must constantly be producing something, and television simply doesn’t fulfill this need. If I sit there for more than ten minutes, my mind is overwhelmed with thoughts of everything else I’m not doing.
So it’s the middle of January. Again. And another season of American Idol has begun. Again. And all I can do is shake my head and say, “Not again.” I really don’t need this. Again.
Any other fans out there? Or anyone else in the don’t-want-to-admit-it boat? How about those other guilty pleasures you want to get off your chest? Come on! I know you late-night underwear-wearing, popsicle-eating folks are lurking out there! Talk to us!
on January 14, 2009 at 6:48 am
I used to watch marathon of America’s Next Top Model….
Its embarrassing cause I hated most of it…but I couldn’t stop. It was like crack for tv people.
I don’t have cable anymore so I don’t watch it, but during college I put off many a homework assignment for that stupid show.
on January 14, 2009 at 7:25 am
Honestly, I’m a little tired of it so I don’t usually get to the point where I’m really watching and/or taping until the final weeks. We did watch about an hour of the auditions last night and got some giggles.
on January 14, 2009 at 7:46 am
I consider myself a hard core rock enthusiast with bands of my era like Pink Floyd, The Stones, Supertramp, but when no one else is around usually when I’m in my car I listen to stuff like Billy Ocean and crank it up. There I said it, now can I apply for witness protection?
on January 14, 2009 at 8:04 am
I am a fan, and I am so sad I missed it last night because we had a staff meeting.
on January 14, 2009 at 8:24 am
Haha! Charlie that is hilarious! I wish I could say that I don’t watch TV, but I do…and I love it! Especially the real trash! I don’t watch AI, and never have, but can you believe I watch The Bachelor? And Real Housewives of Orange County? Yep, both are on the TiVo queue. The Cub and I have resolved to *ONLY* watch shows on TiVo, so as to cut back on any other brainless watching. Hoping we’ll both be more productive this way. 😉
on January 14, 2009 at 9:09 am
Great topic.
Grey’s Anatomy. And Sees candy. Both equally junky — yet to me, somehow irresistible.
on January 14, 2009 at 9:52 am
Well that’s it, I’m done reading this blog….
on January 14, 2009 at 9:54 am
Ok fine, while I don’t watch American Idol I did watch this video from Britains got Talent (basically the same thing and I think they were first). I’ve seen it several times and I almost cry every single time. I’m not watching it again:
http://eaturl.info/ys75
on January 14, 2009 at 10:15 am
I haven’t clicked on that, Nick, but is it Connie Talbot!?
on January 14, 2009 at 10:43 am
I love American Idol. But my guilty pleasure is watching shows about deformed people – the more deformed the better.
“World’s smallest mom gives birth. Watch how she struggles to feed a baby bigger than her!”
“The man who had trees as hands” is another favorite.
“Conjoined twins.” In fact, any show on twins, triplets, sextuplets, I have it ready to go on the DVR.
I also recently saw a show on sevant twins, who are now in their 50’s and can name the day of the week on any given day (even before they were born) and have a passion for Dick Clark. They still haven’t recovered from his stroke and cry everytime he appears with his slurred speech every New Years.
Okay, whew. I am glad I got that off my chest!
Although, truth be told, my husband already knows this about me!
on January 14, 2009 at 11:22 am
I love the “news” specials on BBC America. One was about the women obsessed with their reborn baby dolls. Another example- me and my giant boobs- or something like that. Britans Fattest Teenager is another one. Biz I’m with you on the deformed people shows. And finally Paula Deen. We have a Paula phone chain if she makes something amazingly disgusting, like her deep fried calzone
on January 14, 2009 at 11:29 am
My guilty pleasure is reading this blog instead of writing stuff for my own.
on January 14, 2009 at 11:31 am
Hmm, not sure who that is, but the link is to Paul Potts.
on January 14, 2009 at 11:42 am
Same season: in fact, their videos are typically right next to each other on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWNoiVrJDsE
on January 14, 2009 at 11:44 am
You don’t have enough room in your comments for all of my quirks.
Yes, I watch Idol…and if you think Simon is bad you should hear some of my comments. It brings out the worst in me, like musical gin.
Sigh.
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
on January 14, 2009 at 11:56 am
I’m a reality TV hoar. I watched Paris Hiltons’ my BFF, 50 cent reality show where he gives away $100,000 of his own money, Bret Michaels trying to find love, American Idol, Top Chef, etc… I know… its an addiction!
on January 14, 2009 at 1:50 pm
When no one is watching I close the drapes and watch the greatest show ever produced…..Cheeters.
There is something about that show I find intoxicating.
on January 14, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I’m a bit disappointed in your revelation Charlie, I mean, surely, you have a juicier guilty pleasure than that?? 😉
Mine are unprintable on a family site!
Tusc 😀
on January 14, 2009 at 3:27 pm
American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Flavor of Love, I Love Money, Real Chance of Love, Hells Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, Top Chef…
The latest is Tool Academy. It’s about a group of guys that think they’re competing for Mr. Awesome, then find out their girlfriends nominated them to be on the show – which is actually about reforming their tool-ishness.
Vh1 FTL.
on January 14, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Yes American Idol, Americas Top Model and Project Runway (and the Canadian versions too .. sigh).
As for food … I get up really really early to eat cold left-over Chinese food for breakfast before anyone else gets up.
on January 14, 2009 at 4:27 pm
my guilty pleasure is the food network. i watched it all day in bed on sunday 🙂
on January 14, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I don’t know what was more disturbing, my Martha Stewart habit when I was home with the kids or my husband’s Jerry Springer habit when he was going to school….
on February 6, 2009 at 10:14 pm
On the first day in my Organizational Behavior class we had to admit our guilty pleasures. Mine was Britney Spear’s new album. Some people said Grey’s Anatomy, which really ticked me off because there is NOTHING to feel guilty about when watching Grey’s! Everyone should watch it! One guy did admit to liking chick flicks, though. We all laughed at him.