Fiel's Files

Cover story ... And the winner is ... It's us! Click here to find out what! ************** Great gift for the Dad in your life! "Fumbling Thru Fatherhood" Dads, especially new dads, need a good laugh and Jared Fiel's collection of his funniest columns on parenting, can help put a smile on any diaper-detailing daddy. Click here for purchasing information. [Larger cover] [Contents] [Back cover] [Reader Comments] [ORDER NOW! from Amazon] *************************** See the May 2004 issue of Ladies' Home Journal (page 26) for an article about how Jared and his wife met. *************************** OK, I caved to the pressure of everybody else having one. Here's my blog. ****************************

February 18, 2008 - Confession, I’m told, is good for the soul.

I recently read a wonderful column in Entertainment Weekly by screenwriter Diablo Cody where she confessed one of her guilty pleasures: New Kids on the Block.

I, myself -- like most of the free world -- would rather swallow broken glass than hear NKOTB again in this life time, but it got me thinking that there are a whole slew of things in this world that I love that most people find just as horrid.

So, I will begin my confession in the music arena. Music is very subjective, obviously. For instance, I know quite a few people who would argue that Journey should never be played anywhere ever again. But I would disagree and will even admit to singing along with “Faithfully” just about every time it’s on the radio.

One of my favorite types of music is one that is often maligned by music critics: Hair Metal. Yes, the lyrics were stupid. Yes, they looked stupid. Yes, the musicianship of Black N’ Blue, Quiet Riot and Ratt was not, well, let’s just say it was not. But, man, I love it.

In a completely different genre is John Denver. Again, music purists believe his music to be trite and sappy and awful. I saw John Denver in concert many times when I was a kid (pretty sure I was the youngest person in the whole arena), and I still love almost everything he ever did. “Take Me Home, Country Road” is played as often in my iTunes playlist as Metallica and AC/DC.

TV also offers many guilty pleasures. Many are cheesy and wonderful, such as classics like “Fantasy Island” and “The Greatest American Hero.” I would also put “Dukes of Hazzard” on this list (including the cheesy stupid, but fun movie). “The Price is Right” (pre-Drew because I haven’t had a chance to see him on it) is also priceless.

I found old “Fantasy Island” reruns on cable and I watch them all the time now. They are wonderfully stupid and trite. The costumes are laughably horrid and the guest stars crack me up. I saw one the other day with Lisa Hartman, Florence Henderson, Don Knotts and Cesar Romero. I was in heaven.

In the “stupid but can’t help watch it” category is some reality stuff like “Deal or No Deal.” But the champion of this genre is “Saved by the Bell.” I hate this show. It’s stupid. Painful and not funny. But I find it nearly impossible to turn the channel when it’s on. I’m pretty sure Screech is controlling our minds with his hair.

Movies are almost as divisive as music. For some, watching “Cannonball Run” is worse than being forced to shave Dom DeLuise’s back. For me, it’s classic.

In the “it’s so cheesy that it’s great arena,” is the all-time classic “Xanadu,” a perfectly horrible mix of Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly … on rollerskates … all done to an ELO soundtrack. You can’t get better than that.

Taking second place in this category is “Love at First Bite” with George Hamilton as a modern-day vampire. Whole lotta cheese!

I started looking at some of the all-time “worst” movie lists. I realized that most are pretty bad.

But I saw Dana Carvey’s “Master of Disguise” at No. 9. While it’s certainly no “Citizen Kane,” it’s also pretty funny. In fact, I even turned my kids on to it and they loved it so much we bought the DVD.

Pretty bad when you pass bad taste on to the next generation, huh?

And that leads me to my ultimate guilty pleasure that has nothing to do with entertainment. It has to do with food. A food that has been trashed and despised by so many for so long is also one of my favorites… Spaghetti-Os.

This was my ultimate comfort food as a kid and, to this day, as my kids shovel them down for dinner, the smell of that red pseudo-sauce makes my mouth water.

Thus ends my confession, got to get back to the tube. Tattoo just spotted “Da plane!”

Column updated every other week