We Confess! Our Guiltiest Entertainment Pleasures of 2024

As a pop culture enthusiast and music aficionado, I found myself deeply engrossed in the captivating world of Sabrina Carpenter this year. From her catchy hit “Espresso” to her electrifying live performances and Netflix Christmas special, it’s safe to say that Carpenter has made a lasting impact on my musical landscape.

Absolutely! In a year like 2024 that has been particularly challenging, it seems we’ve leaned towards comforting forms of entertainment, with a touch of indulgent enjoyment as well. To delve into these hidden preferences, we asked The Hollywood Reporter team to reveal some of the not-so-proud items tucked away in our Netflix playlists, Spotify libraries, and TikTok feeds. These are the guilty pleasures that have defined our year.

Briefcases and Bikinis

In a fresh twist, Deal or No Deal Island combines elements of Howie Mandel’s money contest from his game show with the physical challenges found on CBS’s Survivor, minus Mandel or Jeff Probst. Instead, Joe Manganiello guides the competitors through a series of weekly physical trials, complete with ziplines, mazes, and mud pits. The successful completion of these challenges results in acquiring briefcases filled with cash, replicating the Banker’s Challenge from Deal or No Deal. Notable participants from season one included Survivor legend Boston Rob, who was eliminated due to a cheating scandal in week 11, as well as Joe Manganiello sporting a memorable tiger print shirt and an impressively CGI-looking yacht where the unidentified banker, later revealed to be Mandel, resides. Fortunately, the show has been renewed and is set to return in early 2025. — Zoe Phillips

The Chain Gang

Listening to the Doughboys podcast often leaves me with a feeling of guilt when wanting to share it with friends and family, as its content is quite intellectually unsophisticated, according to the hosts themselves. Each episode finds Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell, along with a guest, discussing various chain restaurants, ranging from Taco Bell to Nordstrom’s Bar Verde. However, much like other podcasts of this era, the real entertainment comes not from learning about IHOP’s Indiana Jones x Xbox menu, but rather from the humorous banter between Wiger and Mitchell and their extensive cast of guests.

Glenn Close’s Potty-Mouthed Possession

Those who watched “The Paperboy” can attest to Lee Daniels’ knack for over-the-top pulp. However, even Nicole Kidman urinating on Zac Efron doesn’t fully prepare you for the increasing madness of “The Deliverance” – a fusion of demonic possession horror and tense family drama. In this film, women from three generations style each other’s hair while reciting dialogue from “Valley of the Dolls.” The movie’s most amusing moment is Glenn Close as Alberta, a boisterous, cancer-stricken, born-again woman who adores cold-shoulder blouses. Alberta’s fashion faux pas are legendary – ripped skinny jeans, contrasting pushup bras, shredded Daisy Dukes, and a peculiar, trashy outfit for a mother-daughter conversation on the porch. Alberta’s confrontation with Mo’Nique’s social worker is captivating. But wait until you see her transformation into a demonic hag in the third act, with sharp razor teeth, sparse hair over a veiny scalp, the fingernails of Dracula, and gold hoops, naturally. Her taunting of Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s Pentecostal pastor results in an outrageous insult that might be the most shocking line spoken in a movie this year. — David Rooney

Milli for Murder

1989 marked the peak of Milli Vanilli’s pop fame, as they released popular tracks like “Girl You Know It’s True” (#2 on the Billboard Hot 100) and “Blame It on the Rain” (#1). They later added a melancholic, soft ballad titled “I’ll Miss You, Girl” to their repertoire, which also reached the top of the charts. At that time, their lip-sync scandal was still unheard of, but it would soon surface, derailing their meteoric rise. Interestingly, Ryan Murphy and his music supervisor Amanda Krieg Thomas chose Milli Vanilli’s final hit as the background music for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. The R&B-influenced song is frequently played throughout the series, acting as a recurring theme for some of its most gruesome scenes, such as the brothers murdering their parents, and also for its most emotional moments, like the brothers’ separation in prison. It’s surprising how a manufactured pop tune can evoke such solemnity. — Shirley Halperin

An Apple Movie a Day

2023 was the year when Apple had to reconsider its movie approach, as the poorly received film “Argylle” set an unfortunate tone. Despite not receiving much media attention or box office success, two of Apple’s films stood out among my favorites for the year: the George Clooney-Brad Pitt collaboration “Wolves,” which made headlines due to its sudden loss of a full theatrical release, and the period romantic comedy starring Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson, “Fly Me to the Moon.” I watched both movies multiple times on the big screen and found them charming reminders of the enchantment we lose when studios neglect original, lighter productions for the big screen. Not every comedy needs to achieve the box office success of films like “Deadpool & Wolverine” to warrant a showing at the cinema. — Ryan Gajewski

Ballroom Drama

Dancing with the Stars transcends beyond just a dance competition; it offers an intriguing exploration of family dynamics, the influence of social media, and the fascinating blend between religion and competitive dance. The ballroom culture in Utah, deeply ingrained, produces DWTS professionals, and even outside this LDS community, the ballroom scene is relatively small. As a result, competitors grew up not only as rivals but also as friends, siblings, and dance partners. They date, break up, marry, and start families. They’re incredibly attractive individuals, and their romantic relationships during the show are another topic altogether. I could write a book about its influence, but instead, let me share my Thanksgiving Day Instagram post. Perhaps I should feel more embarrassed. —Erin Lassner

Scrollable Culinary Criticism

I’ve become addicted to TikTok food reviewers. They alternate between enraging (the pastrami is from “Katz’s Delicatessen,” not “Cats Deli”) and engaging (the quality of iPhone cameras makes almost everything look delicious), but has quietly become a place I return to for food content. The travel/food category has been around forever, and always seems to evolve and change, somehow spanning both the highbrow and the lowbrow. Anthony Bourdain gave way to both Guy Fieri and Stanley Tucci, for example, but with new places and Instagram-friendly dishes always popping up, there is no better place to stay on top what I should be eating, and gramming. Food Network is out, FoodTok is in. At least until it gets banned. — Alex Weprin

Even More Demi Moore

I never thought that my all-time favorite movie from 2024 would be a darkly humorous body-horror film, written and directed by an unknown named Coralie Fargeat, featuring none other than Demi Moore. Yet, ever since its Cannes world premiere until this moment, I’ve found myself captivated by the brilliant and addictive The Substance. It’s hard to find a more entertaining, sinister, or intelligent takedown of Hollywood since Billy Wilder and Gloria Swanson presented us with Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. back in 1950. Granted, the third act is wildly unconventional, but it’s a small price to pay for reaching the poignant ending on the Walk of Fame. – Scott Feinberg

My Own Spotify Wrapped

It was clear to me that my most-played song of the year would either be from Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” or Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” according to my Spotify Wrapped. However, I was deceiving myself because I listened to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” excessively since it came out in April. This song is the epitome of a pop hit. My fascination with Carpenter didn’t stop there: Her album is outstanding, her live performances were a blast, and her Netflix Christmas special was charming and festive. She’s so endearing that it’s not surprising that she could qualify for best new artist at the Grammys even though she’s already on her sixth album. – Mesfin Fekadu

Digging Up the Dead

Revisiting the long-running TV series, “Bones,” has taken up a significant chunk of my year so far. Spanning an impressive 246 episodes, I’d argue it’s a fantastic way to spend around eight months of your time! Emily Deschanel’s portrayal of the intelligent and serious character, Bones (yes, that’s her on-screen name), alongside David Boreanaz as the rule-breaking FBI agent Special Agent Booth, is truly captivating. It’s essentially “The X-Files” without the extraterrestrial elements. I could delve into the intrigue of their relationship throughout the first six seasons – until they finally get together and the suspense wanes – but it’s more enjoyable to experience all 12 seasons yourself. -Nicole Fell

“Who is She?”

I’m not sure how I stumbled upon Total Trash Live, a tabloid recap show that airs Monday nights on Instagram (and then on YouTube) hosted by comedian Pete Zias. But I’ve been addicted to it ever since. Zias improvises the whole thing, pulling his trademark magnifying glass to his eye and uttering his catchphrase — “Who is she??” — as he pores through the pages of the Enquirer and Star. Like Dominick Dunne and O.J., he’s really found his muse with the Luigi Mangione saga. (The CEO assassin’s McDonald’s capture allows Zias to explore other strange obsessions, like his love of the Filet O’ Fish.) The bottom line is that Total Trash Live makes me laugh. I think it’s that voice of his — imagine Divine hosting E! True Hollywood Story. —Seth Abramovitch

2024-12-23 20:55