Things that are WAY BETTER and WAY WORSE than I thought they would be...

BETTER

1. The Book of Eli - On the surface this movie is a big budget action film in the same vein as Road Warrior - the preview looks as though we've seen this a few times before.  Post-apocalyptic landscape where a man does whatever he can to survive, bla bla bla....but oh no.  This movie is so much more than that.  Yes, it has Gary Oldman doing what he does best -- yelling at people.  And yes, it has an aging Denzel beating up multiple bad guys at once, but when you finally get to the end it makes up for any wrong doings that came before.   A clever twist doesn't hurt either.
2. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - Yes, Julie sang the praises of this show way back when but I just re-watched it again (especially after watching The Newsroom) and it's really really enjoyable.  Better than a lot of shows on tv right now.  Interesting characters, the usual fast-paced dialogue from Aaron Sorkin (love him or hate him) and genuinely funny skits written for a show about a show that writes skits.  Yes, it has its moments of hitting you over the head but once you fall in love with the characters you go with it.
3. Juicing - I, like most Californians (said in the SNL accent), would buy the occasional juice for a few reasons; it made me feel better about myself and juicing places were EVERYWHERE.  But now that I'm living back at home, I started juicing here and it's great!  Now, it's true that I don't work and have time on my hands but it's fun to throw different veggies and fruits together and find out which combos work and which don't (ginger and pineapple work with everything).  But the real reason I like it is it keeps me on a routine where I take my vitamins and cut fruit and veggies every day so I have them to snack on.
4. Green Day - yeah, I said it.  Ever since I saw American Idiot (the musical) I think their music is pretty damn good.  I can't listen to it all the time but it's pure in the sense that they play their own instruments, write their own music, and it sounds good.  Better than what I thought it would sound like before I gave it a chance. * please note I am not recommending anything to the 'list anything' crowd since I already know you are all music snobs but rather, ahem, making a list.
5. Michael Connelly - I have a confession.  I have probably read 16 books by this guy in the past year.  You will most likely only know him as the author of BLOOD WORK (which was made into a Clint Eastwood movie - not a very good one) and THE LINCOLN LAWYER (which was made into a Matthew McConfxolefiuwfedf movie and a mediocre one),  but what got me started was his series on a character named Harry Bosch.  The Bosch books are great and a huge influence on this novel I started.  Also, in case you have Amazon Prime, check out the pilot for BOSCH.  It's pretty damn great.
6. Matthew McConaughey - I don't know about you people but this guy was THE WORST just a few years ago and for as long as I can remember.  We all loved him in Dazed and everything he did in real life made us laugh but his movie choices and his acting were...not good.  But then something happened.  He hit his head - I don't know.  He had a role in a small film called Bernie.  Not the first time he took his acting seriously (watch Frailty or Lone Star).  Then another indie film, Killer Joe.  Then another, The Paperboy.  And again, Mud.  Then he flexed his muscles in Magic Mike, now he's nominated for an OSCAR with the Dallas Buyer's Club, has another small but memorable role in The Wolf of Wall Street and oh yeah, stars in the phenomenal True Detective on HBO.  He will, however, go back to being a movie star in Interstellar next year but for now, he makes the better list.

WORSE

1. Elysium - Oh my god this movie suuuuuucked.  I loved District 9 and I think we can all agree that Jason Bourne is awesome.  But wtf? With every cliched minute I watched this movie you can picture my face descending toward the ground.  I started with a smile - my eyebrows lifted (not really but just go with it) and after thirty minutes I had to stop watching.  Oh, and further proof that it is a horrible movie, my mom loved it.  And Jodie Foster puh-lease.

2. The Killing - I know, I know, I was the only one of us who praised this show.  But to be fair that was only because, at the time, I put my faith in the writers and thought they would lead us somewhere great (i.e. the second season of Homeland).  But they didn't.  And to make matters worse they began season 3 with yet another tease of greatness only to piss all over my face by the end.  You were right.  I was wrong.

3. Neko Case's last album - barf.

4. Steve's wireless internet - I have to pause HBO go every few minutes just so it can buffer.  I cannot watch a single episode of Family Guy on Hulu without it constantly stopping to reload.  Horrible.

5. The Hobbit - Don't even get me started.