Nothing but a bowl of "Mush"

With age comes wisdom and the ability to self-reflect. And, there's the maturity and ability to admit things about yourself that may always not cast a favorable light.

Now that I’m in my upper 30s, I can confess that I have cheesy taste in TV shows and also in my celebrity man crushes. The former, I can say I got directly from my father, who while surly and gruff on the exterior could be found watching reruns of Highway to Heaven to this day.

The latter…now I’m not sure where that comes from. But, I am prepared to divulge the list of my main man crushes over the years in an attempt to humor you in the self-deprecating manner in which you all have grown accustomed.

Most Embarassing Celebrity Man Crushes (“Mushes”)

• Rick Springfield - I had years of crushography for Rick. I had every one of his albums on cassette. I love every pop-licious song he put out and sang them at the top of my lungs in my bedroom with the “jam box” blaring.

• A few members of Menudo-I don’t know why and I don’t know how I came to own a Menudo album when I was in middle school. I grew up in a very small town with very little Hispanic influence. This was just before or maybe right when Ricky Martin joined the group. I crushed on some of the older ones though. I’ll admit it. How do you say Cheese in Spanish?
• Patrick Swayze – This is the poster I had in my dorm room of Patrick, which I now can laugh about. I loved his whole—I’m a rugged man but a ballerina too thing he had going. I guess, in some ways, maybe Swayze was the first metrosexual actor? (Which really doesn't help my case then, does it?)

• Chris O’Donnell- This markes the beginning of my clean cut/wholesome boy-next-door “mush” stage. Yes, I know he helped ruin the Batman franchise. But, I still loved him deeply…I still cry when he gets run over by the train in Fried Green Tomatoes…because certainly someone that beautiful would possess the ability to stop a steaming locomotive barreling down on them, right? One would think...
• Ben Affleck- I liked Ben before it was cool to like Ben, actually. Back when he’d just done Chasing Amy and Good Will Hunting and had the big pompadour of hair. Prior to the over-publicized disaster that was his relationship with J-Lo. Ben is winning my graces back again now that he’s with girl-next-door Jen and they have that cute little girl, Violet. Just avoid the videos of you slappin’ someone's big bootie on a yacht, m’kay Benny boy?

In Mush Pergatory -(In between being embarassed and still drooling over...)

• Matthew Mcconaughey– I have professed my love of this mans pecs more than once on this blog, I know. But, I am embarrassed a little. I have read one too many stories of him not wearing deodorant and thinking his “man smell” is good enough to do without. The guy also seems on such an ego trip sometimes. But, I challenge you to watch A Time to Kill and not just melt into a puddle on the floor. The man is beautiful. Stinky, yes. But beautiful.

Least Embarrassing Mushes

• Young Mel Gibson (OK, old Mel isn’t bad either…when he is sober, that is.)
• The dude in the Amy Grant video “Baby, Baby” (This is pure male perfection, if you asked me…and thanks to the miracle that is the internet, we can see that baby, baby, age has treated him well!)

• Harrison Ford as Han Solo (Who can argue with this? No one, I tell you!)
• John Cusack (Then and now…I know he’s not model-like, but I crush him on a cerebral level, mkay? It's a brain crush.)

• Chris Daughtry - I have yet to determine though why Vin Diesel completely turnes me off, but Chris sets off the HOT-o-meter for me. Go figure...
• Matt Damon- This is a newly developed “mush” for me. I’ve loved Matt’s acting for years and have found him really intriguing. His move to “mush” began with the hilarious Will and Grace episode where he pretends to be gay to get in an all gay choir, continues with his humble and self-deprecating reaction to getting People’s Sexiest Man Alive this year, and caps off with this duet shown on Jimmy Kimmel (featured on Mamarazzi). A celebrity with that sense of humor, that ability to be silly and poke fun, well, he’s definite Mush material.
  A side note, this is the one celeb that my husband has been told that he looks like that I actually agree and like. So, if you watched that video clip, in a round-about way you could say I’m ___ing Matt Damon too! (Watch the clip, then you'll laugh!)