Clearing out the Clutter

Thursday Clutter

Welcome back.  Come on in, make yourself comfortable.  It feels like it's been forever and a day since the last time we met up.  How's everyone doing?  The world feels like it's going a little crazy, or crazier than usual, I should say.  I can't help but think that we could resolve so much of the anger in the world if we just gave everyone a puppy.  BDH and Little Buddha support me on that one.  What do you think?  These are crazy times my friend, but we push on, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out a little Thursday Clutter.

In case you missed it, Stephen Colbert explains what tough SOB's people from Boston are, and shows the healing power of humor, because these are times where we could use an extra loud laugh:

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,Video Archive

 

 If you are focused on whether or not you're having more sex than your neighbors, you are reallllllllly missing the bigger picture here.

The stock market is struggling a bit, but is it a momentary response to bad news, or the beginning of a bigger slump?  It's not enough of a drop yet to inspire some unscheduled purchases, but the investment desk at Clutter Headquarters is keeping an eye on it.

It was such a welcome distraction to watch the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 7-2 on Tuesday night.  Baseball continues to be that small window where nothing else matters except the next pitch.  The only disappointment was that much of the fun of seeing Terry Francona again was lost in the moment, but I'm sure Tito would understand.

We'll always be your biggest fans, Tito.  (pic via news-herald.com)

When I was a kid, the Sox were still a "25 guys, 25 cabs" team.  I love that things are different with this team.  It's obviously great that this team is off to a better start and winning more games than they did last April, but it's also nice to be able to just like this team again. 

Red Sox reliever Joel Hanrahan went on the DL since the last time we all hung out here, and it's not at all clear that he'll be the closer when he returns.  I have no horse in this race, I just want the Sox to have a dependable guy in the 9th inning, be it Hanrahan or Andrew Bailey, and neither guy has filled me with confidence so far.  I'll be happy for whoever wins/keeps the job and hope that the other guy handles it like a professional.

RIP, Pat Summerall.  The longtime football announcer died Tuesday at age 82.    It's funny, I keep hearing his voice from the Madden 2005 computer game I still have somewhere around here.  Oh, I'd have such fun listening to Summerall call the action as I set the game on "beginner" and had the New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 140-3.  Good times.

Similarly to the Red Sox, everyone at Clutter Headquarters is feeling even a little more appreciative than usual that a new Doctor Who episode will be here to entertain us in just two days.

This is funny, I was just thinking about Friends a few days ago and wondering where the characters would be at this point.  Apparently I won't be finding out the answer any time soon. 

Maybe it's tied to my mood this week, but I want to see Man of Steel, and I want to see it right now.  How freaking awesome is this movie trailer?

 

Good luck to Ozzy Osbourne in his ongoing fight to stay sober.

Van Halen is off to Australia for their big concert this weekend, but that's not all lead singer David Lee Roth has on the schedule for this year.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have The Standells close things out with today's, "Song of the Day."  Boston, you're my home, and no one is going to change that.

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It really was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and you know that you're welcome to come back again later today if you want.  (The spare key is under the mat.)  Otherwise, be good, and we'll do this all over again soon.  For now, that's today's Clutter, and it's so good to be back.

Wednesday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back, come on in.  How's your week going so far?  BDH and Little Buddha are looking for their hats before we go for our morning walk, so while they're doing that, why don't you help yourself to a medium DD, and we'll clear out a little Wednesday Clutter.  Sound good?  Here we go...

See you in a few months, Andrew Bailey.  The Red Sox closer is having thumb surgery today, and he's not expected back before the All Star break, according to manager Bobby Valentine.   There's still time to throw Daniel Bard back into the bullpen and make Aaron Cook the 5th starter.  Just saying.  Even if they won't do it right now, you have to think there's a good chance the Sox make the move by May if they're having any bullpen problems to start the season.

In any case, Opening Day is tomorrow!  I know many people want to rant about how the Red Sox haven't really apologized about last year, and Bobby Valentine may be a self-imploding disaster as manager, but I don't care.  It's a new season, with new challenges, and this is still a good team.  I don't think they're going to have another horrible April/September, but I do think the relief pitching could cost them some games.  The Red Sox won 90 games last year, I say they win 93 this year.  Let the season begin!

Mitt Romney had a clean sweep in yesterday's primaries in Wisconsin, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., so let's take a moment to say goodbye to Rick Santorum.  Senator, it's been...it's been..well...goodbye, Senator.  Now that Mittens is on his way to the nomination, does this mean the Tea Party's influence has peaked?

Now that he's won the Democratic presidential nomination (I know, you were worried), President Obama kicked off the general election by taking the fight right to Mitt Romney and the GOP's budget star, Rep. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin).  Romney may think he can just shake things up and move to the center as soon as the primaries are done, but Obama and the Democrats will do everything they can to block him out and keep him pinned in that far-right corner he's so eagerly trying to occupy.

How much long-term damage would be done to the legitimacy of the Supreme Court if it threw out the entire Affordable Care Act, especially if it's on yet another 5-4 vote?

Gene Simmons from KISS is supporting Mitt Romney?  Does this mean we should expect to see Mittens singing, "Detroit Rock City" at some point?  Will he be in face paint?  These are the questions the people are asking!

Coming soon to a stadium near you?  (pic via rollingstone.com)

I'm sorry I missed this quote from former New York Governor George Pataki when he was ENDORSING Mittens.  Feel the energy!

"Now, Mitt is not a perfect candidate. He has a number of problems. It's hard for blue-collar families like mine to identify with him. It's hard for economic conservatives to identify with him. He needs to do more to reach out to the Latinos. But I think he has focus on that and on defeating President Obama as opposed to winning the next primary in the next state, and it's time to do that."

(You can read some other less-than-enthusiastic endorsement quotes here.)

Sarah Palin (remember her?)  says Mitt Romney should be willing to go "rogue" with his VP pick, because we all remember how well that went for the last guy who did it.

Senator Olympia Snow (R-Maine) says the GOP war on contraception feels like a debate out of the 1950's.

Apparently Dick Cheney's new heart hasn't rejected him yet.

The discriminatory-"Defense of Marriage Act" is being challenged in a federal appeals court today.  Best of luck to Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.  Hopefully she will be able to successfully defend the original court's verdict that found parts of this law unconstitutional.

I'm sorry, I don't know what the "right" way to measure body fat is, but I think the body mass index (BMI) is a meaningless number.  According to the National Institute of Health's BMI calculator, I could lose up to 54 pounds and still be considered in the "normal" weight range for my height.  Please, if I lost that much weight, there'd be an intervention scheduled for me.

Upper Crust Pizzeria's on-going problems continue to grow as one of the co-founders was placed on leave for using company funds for personal reasons.

A new version of Rock Band is coming out that doesn't require the instruments?  Forget that, the only point of playing was that was as close as I'd ever get to being able to "shred" on my guitar. 

My Twitter feed was flooded on Monday night with people ripping the band, The Fray, for their version of the Star Spangled Banner before the NCAA men's basketball championship.  After watching this video, I'm not sure I quite understand why it inspired such hatred.  We've had "rock" versions of the song on Clutter before, and I liked those.  This didn't do anything for me, but my biggest problem is that the guitars sound like a mess, and I'm not a musician, but everyone sounds flat to me.  What do you think?

 

Community creator Dan Harmon apologized for his role in his current fight with Chevy Chase.  If Chase does the right thing and accepts the apology, great.  Otherwise, I say his character Pierce Hawthorne meets an embarrassing end over the summer break.  Chase was clearly "the big name" when the show first started, but the rest of the group could carry on without him and not miss a beat.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  I'm looking at the date, and it's impossible to not hear Bono singing,

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

So, on that note, I think we'll let Bono and the rest of U2 take us out with today's, "Song of the Day," in memory of the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you as always.  Come back again soon, and we'll do this all over again.  Until next time, be good, and we are outta here.

Monday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to another round of randomness.  How are you?  Did you have a good weekend?  I hope you enjoyed yesterday's terrific weather.  I did, though it came at a cost, which we'll get to in a second.  In any case, it's Monday again.  I know, I'm just as surprised as you are.  Let's do the best we can with this by grabbing a nice medium DD and seeing where the Clutter takes us.   Are you ready, BDH?  BDH?  BDH, wake up, it's time to get to work!  Here we go...

Let's get right to the best story of the day:  Josh Beckett gave his best pitching performance in years, as the Red Sox beat the Yankees 4-0.  With two hits, 10 strikeouts, and zero walks, Beckett dominated the Yankee line-up right from the beginning, and it was exciting to watch.  (Note to Salty:  Tek will clearly be catching Beckett going forward, and if you don't start getting it together, he'll be coming after the other four pitchers in the rotation next.  No pressure, though.)  The Red Sox left about 400 men on base during the game, but they at least they were able to drive in four of them, so let's call that a win for now.  Shortstop Marco Scutaro had a big night with a bases-loaded double, and Dustin Pedroia had three hits, giving him nine for the series.  Not bad.  Big Papi also chipped in with an RBI double driving in the final run of the night.  This gives the Red Sox their first series win of the year and hopefully will build their confidence and give them some momentum against the lowly Tampa Bay Rays who now come in for three games.  I'll tell you what, folks, I'll go to Fenway tonight just to make sure everything is on track.  No, really, I don't mind.

One last thing, I loved that games 7-9 of a 162 game season all had the feel of playoff elimination games.  Of course, I loved that more since the Sox won two out of three of them, but still, it was fun.  There's still hope for this season, my friends.  Hang in there, this team is just getting started.

Clay Buchholz signs a new four-year contract extension with the Red Sox.  I don't know if this was a distraction for Clay so far this year, but now that it's out of the way, he can focus on coming back from his atrocious Saturday outing against the Yankees and showing that he's worth the money.

Could Pedro Martinez come back to the Red Sox?  I say give him John Lackey's spot right now, no questions asked.

Shame on the Augusta National Golf Club for still being stuck in another century.  It's ridiculous that they don't allow female members, and it's also mind-boggling that they don't allow women reporters in the locker room after the Masters.  Tara Sullivan, a female reporter was prevented from entering after the tournament and doing her job simply because she's a woman.  Come on Augusta, come join the rest of us in the modern age. You can do it, I promise, it will be ok.   Also, why is the PGA silent here?  They claim they can't do anything about the club's rules.  Ok, but why can't you move the tournament?  It's really not that hard folks. 

I love going to the gym.  It's good for my mental health and physical health, and I particularly love those days where I'm "in the zone."  Each exercise feels good, and it's easy to add more weight and keep going.  There's also a bit of an endorphin rush that I don't mind.  Yesterday was one of those days.  Everything was cruising right along, and the 90 minutes just flew by, but it was hard to be inside when it was so nice out, so I went for a walk afterwards around the Cleveland Circle Reservoir, and it was the same thing.  I did one lap and just kept going, and then another lap, and then another one.  Suddenly I'd been out there for 90 minutes.  It's amazing how quickly time can pass when you're not paying attention.

However, it turns out that the price to be paid for not paying attention is the first sunburn of the year.  I thought I just worked up a good sweat, but no, I've got a slightly pink face, pink shins and calves, and an odd little patch of pink on my hand.  This has to be the earliest one I've ever gotten.  in addition, it turns out that my body gets mad when I exercise that much, as I'm somewhat crippled at the moment, but you know, it was still worth it.  Besides, who cares if I'm banged up, because I'm off to Fenway tonight, and it's all good!

Sarah Palin jumps in with the "birther" crowd.  I still struggle to imagine how terrifying it must be to be a birther.  It's not just that you disagree with the president about policy matters, you actually think the country is run by an alien.  That has to be incredibly scary and that kind of fear has to be draining on a person.  It almost makes me sad. 

What do you think, folks, is it time for a Clutter live feed?  BDH would love it, he's a bit of a ham.

These are busy days at Johnson & Johnson.  When they're not recalling another product over safety concerns, they're paying $70 million in fines to settle bribery charges.

Just one more reason to enjoy that medium DD:  It's good for your heart!  Really, is there anything DD can't do?  Me thinks not.

"Organic cookies" taste better than regular cookies.

RIP Gil Robbins, folk musician and father of actor Tim Robbins.

Finally, 13 has come back to "House!"  I'm going to have to remember to set the DVR to find out what happened to her.

Chris Jericho can do it all, including uniting "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars."  Chris, you're going to have to survive this week on "DWTS" without me my friend.  You can do it, just take out Sugar Ray Leonard.

Ok, kids, that's going to do it for now.  Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, but you don't always have time to go to the gym.  In that case, today's "Clip of the Day" is a brief workout you can do in your office or at home.  It's nice and easy and really gets the heart going.  Have a good one, my friends, don't forget to give up your seat on the T to those who really need it, and we'll see you back here again soon for more fun.  Later.

 

  

Thursday Clutter

A quick shout-out before we get into today's randomness.  I ran into someone yesterday on Beacon Hill who I hadn't seen in a little while.  We were talking, and at the end of the conversation, he mentioned that he was a regular visitor here, which totally made my day.  It continues to amaze me that anyone else reads this blog besides me, and the fact that you all keep coming back just rocks.  Thanks for coming on this crazy trip, you crazy Clutterheads.  Now enough of this sentimental crap.  Grab yourself a nice hot medium DD, and let's see what we've got today.

I thought we might have already covered this, but let's review one more time.  If you're a sitting congressman, meeting women on Craigslist probably isn't the best idea you've ever had.  Everyone got that?

Our runner-up in this week's "What the hell are you thinking?" challenge is New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez who is apparently dating a 17-year old.  Let's be clear, that's legal in NY, but come on, Mark.  You can find someone to date who won't have to wait another four years to legally buy alcohol.  I'm not a fan, but I have faith in you, big guy.  You just need to apply yourself.

Wait a second, can I write off some of my Dunkin Donuts expenses from last year?  Hell, that could be enough to keep me from owing any income tax!

The Cleveland Cavaliers just make me sad.  I don't even have a joke here, just pain in my heart.

"Guitar Hero" is gone?  Will the madness never end? 

Diet soda can increase your chances for a stroke or heart attack.  Plus they all taste like crap, so there's that.

I spent most of Wednesday frozen as I traveled from one meeting to another across town.  However, it was all good as I reminded myself that Adrian Gonzalez has reported to the Red Sox spring training camp.

Apparently the St. Louis Cardinals won't immediately give slugger Albert Pujols a $300 million contract.  I can't believe they'd so blatantly disrespect the guy.  A man's got to feed his family, after all.

Ticketholders who ended up without a seat at Super Bowl XLV have now filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL.  Isn't that just another great story that gives you the warm fuzzies about this country and your fellow man?  Let's take a moment to let that warmth embrace us like an asbestos blanket. 

I watched the "Mr. Sunshine" premiere, and it was fine.  I forgot most of it 20 minutes later, but I'll give Matthew Perry another chance for the next few weeks.

Ok, kids, that's going to do it for now.  I know we've covered this song before, but you're out of your mind if you think I'm going to pass up the opportunity to dedicate today's "Song of the Day" to Mark Sanchez.  Out of your mind, I say.   In fact, I can only assume that this will be his new entrance music next year.  Enjoy, be good, and come back to visit again soon.  I enjoy our chats.

 

 

 

 

Saturday Clutter

Hi folks,

Need something to do before the next round of snow/rain arrives today?  I have just the thing for you.  Grab yourself a nice hot medium DD, and let's take a look at today's bits of Clutter. 

The country's top health IT chief steps down.

Apparently Ron Reagan won't be endorsing Sarah Palin anytime soon.

Speaking of which, how is Sarah Palin similar to the Jersey Shore crew? 

So we owe ourselves most of our public debt?  Can't we just work something out amongst ourselves to get out of this hole?  I mean, what are we going to do, send goons to beat ourselves up if we don't come up with the money that we owe ourselves?  We seem more reasonable than that. 

New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft has a lot on his mind.

I remain appreciative of the fact that my biggest football disappointment this year is that we're not in the Super Bowl.  Things could be much much worse.  For instance, the Patriots could be owned by someone like Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.  That would have me softly crying myself to sleep each night.

Sports Illustrated's Peter King gives a good overview of what to look for during the Super Bowl (besides the commercials.)

Oh, it's coming tomorrow.  I can't believe it's almost here!  I'm too excited to focus right now.  I'll have to talk about this more later once I calm down.

The Red Sox truck leaves for spring training on Tuesday!

The Red Sox announced 20 non-roster invitees to spring training.  As far as I can tell, I am not one of them. 

The Arrested Development  movie is probably not happening.  Unless of course, it happens.  Unless that happens, though, it's probably not happening.  Or it could be out in a week.

Apparently Monty Python's cow tossing game doesn't reach Angry Birds-level.  That might be the oddest sentence to appear in Clutter this year.

In case there was any doubt, January was a rough month for the MBTA.

Facebook is on the move. 

Ok, kids, that's going to do it for now.  The cow tossing game might be a disappointment, but Monty Python remains one of my favorite educational programs.  Why today's "Clip of the Day" alone both allows you to practice your German and see what a "typical Bavarian restaurant" is like.  Enjoy, and we'll see you back here again soon.

 

 

 

Monday Clutter

Hi Folks,

Apparently it snows in Boston in the winter.  Who knew?  Looking out the windows from the top floor of Clutter Headquarters, I see people driving slowly.  Be careful out there if you have to go to work today.  Your boss will understand if you're a little late.  So, whether you're reading this from the office, or at home in your pj's, grab yourself a medium DD, and let's see what we've got today.

Congratulations to the 2010 AFC East champion New England Patriots.  The Patriots secured a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs by crushing the Buffalo Bills 34-3.  This was the 15th consecutive time the Pats have beaten the Bills, and the Bills were kind enough to help New England this week by coughing up the ball seven times.  Conversely, Tom Brady set a new record for consecutive pass attempts without throwing an interception. 

The New York Giants challenged the Bills for title of "Worst NY Football Team of the Week" by having a total meltdown, coughing up the ball six times, and losing 45-17 to the Green Bay Packers.  The Giants still have a chance to make the playoffs (unlike the Bills), but they're not going to last long even if that happens.  This team is going in the wrong direction and seems in a hurry to get there.

The New York Jets couldn't get the job done against the Chicago Bears, but they backed into the playoffs anyway, thanks to the foot of the Washington Redskins field goal kicker Graham Gano  who kicked the winning field goal against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ok, when did this turn into the "New York Sports Review?"  Let's move on.

How many people will notice that there are fewer lawyers serving in the Massachusetts Legislature?

2011 is just around the corner, which can only mean one thing:  It's time to start getting ready for the 2012 elections.  This feels like CVS putting out Halloween candy in March.

I don't know what's rarer, finding a nice story about a MBTA employee, or finding an article I like from the Boston Herald.  Combining the two is like finding a unicorn.

This guy was arrested for reading his wife's emails.  Just a friendly heads-up to those Clutterheads who might have some boundary issues.  I'm not judging, just passing it along.

"Back to the Future" is now a computer game.  It's about time.

A new study links brain size to socializing.  No word yet on the connection I want to know about between brain size and how much truly useless information is rattling around one's head.  I should volunteer for that study.

The only sure way to avoid a hangover is not to drink too much in the first place.  However, here's a list of just about every other approach you can try if you're so inclined.

Ok, kids, that's going to do it for now.  I think there's really only one appropriate song to kick off the week as we wind down 2010.  So ladies and gentlemen, I give you today's, "Song of the Day" which is "Final Countdown" as performed by some random orchestra, because nothing says "headbangers" like cellists. 

Have a good day my friends, and don't forget to check out today's upcoming, "2010 Classic Clutter" which seemed to resonate pretty broadly.  We'll see you back here again soon.

 

Friday Clutter

Happy Friday, everyone.

I don't understand what happened, but apparently I won't be coming back for the second round of auditions for that Dunkin Donuts commercial.  The casting agency must have lost my phone number and email address.  I wonder if the agency burned down and we'll have to start all over?  Yeah, that's the ticket.  A fire.  That must be it.  Otherwise, how could they possibly say no to me?  Well, whatever the story, let us not lose focus on what matters most in life.  So, yes, grab yourself a hot medium DD with milk and sugar, and let's clear out some Clutter.  Dunkin Donuts would want it that way, even if they don't know it.

Herbie the Tree lives on.  This is a great new chapter in a 200+ year old story,

You know what's better than the Celtics beating LeBron and the rest of the Miami Heat?  Them doing it twice.

Newsweek and The Daily Beast are expected to announce a merger.  Newsweek has become the most uninteresting magazine around in the last few years, so I hope this helps.

Who feels confident that anything positive will come out of the recommendations of President Obama's deficit reduction commission?  Who feels like their leaders, on either side of the issue, will bathe themselves in glory on this issue and fight strongly for whatever it is you support?  Yeah, me neither.  On the other hand, this seems to be the first thing there's been widespread consensus on in the last two years--this plan stinks.

I had no idea that soldiers who are discharged from the military are paid half of what soldiers who are discharged for other reasons receive.

Who is excited about the GOP win?  (Click all the way through to the full story, it's an interesting snapshot of what voters are thinking.)

I just realized that in the last couple of years, I've supervised interns who are younger than "The Simpsons."  Excuse me while I wrap my arms around that one for a minute....huh...ok, where was I?

I saw "Due Date" yesterday, and it's just not what you would call a "good movie."  However, that's ok, because Robert Downey Jr. made history with his next project.

Do the Red Sox know who they want to be their catcher in 2011?

I'm glad the FDA is stepping up with more aggressive cigarette warnings.  If you're a smoker, don't kid yourself, the odds are really good that bad, bad things are going to happen, and why should we dance around that? 

The Allston Cafe is closing after 26 years.  Between that and the closings of Harpers Ferry and The Kells, that stretch of Allston is really looking at some significant overhauls in the near future.

Do you ever get the feeling that Kevin Garnett doesn't get a lot of Christmas cards from other NBA players?

I once ran into Dave Andelman from "The Phantom Gourmet" TV show as he was on his way to Beacon Hill to lobby for legislation that would allow people to enjoy a cocktail with their brunch before noon.  Cheers to Mr. Andelman and his colleagues for achieving this important goal.

Ok, kids, that's going to wrap it up for now.  I think we need to close out this week with a "big" song, and they certainly don't get bigger than the glory that is Meat Loaf.  On that note, I give you today's, "Song of the Day," and wish you all a happy weekend.   We'll meet back here soon for more randomness.

 

Beauty and the Beast Clutter

Happy Wednesday, my fine friends.

Nothing says good time like waiting for the repairman to arrive.  Actually, the only thing that says a better time than that is waiting 2.5 hours for the repairman and then finding out his office told him the wrong day for the appointment.  Clutterheads, I'm telling you, it was dangerously close to a crisis situation.  I couldn't get my medium DD with milk and sugar until after he left, which meant it was about 3.5 hours later than my usual consumption.  I'm lucky I survived!  Now let's move past that unpleasantness and see what we need to clear out today.

• My reward for surviving the refrigerator repair mess was to attend a book reading by author/wrestler Mick Foley.  Longtime Clutterheads will remember Mick's previous appearances here, protecting kids who support gay and lesbian equality and explaining the filibuster as only he can.  I know many of you have a thousand jokes ready to go, but I'm telling you it was a blast.  How many of you would have guessed that Foley would start the reading by quoting Emerson?  Or that he  told us that his favorite chapter in his new book was how exciting it was for him to meet Tori Amos? That's a true "beauty and the beast" pairing if ever there was one.  Many of the people in the audience were pretty obnoxious as they each tried to show off how much they new about the industry, but Foley was very engaging. 

• Is New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss heading back to Minnesota?  I like Moss, and I'll be sorry to see him go, but if this trade reduces the chance of having to go through the football equivalent of a Manny-departure, I wish him the best and say let's move on.

• Of course Ben Roethlisberger will regain his starting job with the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The man may repeatedly assault women, but he's a winner, and every team needs a winner!

• Where's the latest place you can find "President Obama, Joe Biden, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Al Gore, as well as a team of Republicans that includes George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, John McCain, and Dick Cheney(?)"  NBA Slam Jam, of course!  I might have done better in school if our student center hadn't had a Slam Jam machine.  I was always the Charlotte Hornets, which was Larry Johnson and some other guy. I lost a number of hours, many quarters, and probably a few points off my GPA to that damn game.

• Startling news as Massachusetts Congressman John Tierney's wife will plead guilty to several tax charges.

• Is there new hope for the stalled project at the former Filene's location in Downtown Crossing that's been nothing but a gigantic crater for the last two years?

• Brad Pitt's in town.  The best part is that he doesn't need to try to learn a Boston accent!

• Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and former WWE CEO Linda McMahon slug it out at a debate yesterday.  Did you know only three Congressional candidates have ever spent more of their own money than McMahon has so far?

• I've got to run, kids, so that's going to do it for now.  In honor of Mick Foley, let's have his good friend Tori Amos take us out with today's, "Song of the Day."

 

• In case you're wondering what a 300 lb wrestler, who's missing an ear (ripped off during a match), quotes Emerson, and loves Tori Amos, looks like, I also give you today's, "Clip of the Day."  Mick is the one doing all of the talking here.  As an aside, the guy he's talking to, HHH, is Linda McMahon's son in-law in real life.  See how we tied that all together?  I always knew wrestling was staged, but I was convinced as a young kid that "Cactus Jack" was legitimately nuts.  Cheers, Mick.

 

Friday Clutter

• Sad to hear about the death of Rue McClanahan who played Blanche on "Golden Girls."  I can only imagine the SNL skit where the three deceased characters complain about Rose being the last one standing.  Cheers.

• Was Gary Coleman's death the result of foul play?  What a sad life.

• Now Zack and Kelly can finally be together, unless that stupid Slater gets in the way.

• Woman fired for being "too sexy?"

• Trivial Pursuit co-creator dies.

• Linda McMahon isn't sure if steroids are harmful.

• Quick quiz:  Do you know how many children Kevin Costner has?

• Well, that wasn't fun.

• So this was originally a bullet ripping on umpire Jim Joyce again for blowing the call for Armando Galarraga's perfect game.  However, having just watched this video of yesterday's pregame ceremonies, I'll just say, I'm sorry for everyone involved.

• If you've been reading this blog, you already know who is the AL Player of the Month for May.  If you haven't been reading this blog, welcome!  This is my blog!  Check it out.  Stay a while.  There's DD on the left, Sam Adams on the right, and cookies straight ahead.  No, the Van Halen never stops playing overhead.

Where was I?  Ok, back to the Clutter...

• Jack and company say goodbye to Dennis Hopper.

• I may have to give ABC's new show, "Downfall" a shot this summer.  Host/WWE wrestler Chris Jericho is very funny on the microphone, and this could be entertaining.  You may remember Jericho from his many appearances on all of VH1's, "I love the 80's/90's/00's/heavy metal songs/hard rock songs/songs about Chris Jericho" shows.

• I think we all know where today's, "Song of the Day" is going.  Cheers to Rue, Bea and Estelle.

• Though, maybe we should let Betty White have the final word?

Saturday Clutter

A few bits of Clutter while Gregg Allman continues to play in the background:

• Pac-Man is 30 years old?  Not sure how I feel about that...at....all....However, I will say that the game remains a timeless classic.  Google had a version of it on their homepage yesterday, and it was just as much fun to play as it was when I was in first grade.  The Washington Post has a great piece on the history of the game here.

• If you want to make a movie, how many people are involved in the approval process for your idea?  10?  20?  100?  I don't know the answer, but there's at least more than two, right?  I mean, Joe Blow doesn't walk into the studio, say to the head honcho, "I want to make this movie," and then have the exec just approve without thinking it through, right?  There's "some" thought that goes into it, whether it's an old-school Miramax artsy film or just some teen sex comedy.  Multiple people have to weigh in. 

If we can all agree on that, then let me ask this--who thought "MacGruber" could possibly be a good film?   If you tell me Lorne Michaels had incriminating pictures of the key decision-makers, that's one thing.  But if anyone actually looked at this and thought, "Hey, that could make some money and be a decent movie," that person should be fired on the spot.  Come on, Hollywood, at least put in a little effort here.

• Can't help but noticing that Friday's post had a higher than usual traffic spike.  Raise your hand if you clicked on the link because you were looking forward to hearing a great Gregg Allman song.  Anyone?  Class?  Bueller?  Now, raise your hand if you were looking for some dark confession from me.  Yeah, that's what I thought.  Sorry, folks, that's not going to happen on this blog.  You want that kind of revelation, you're going to have to put some effort into it, by which I mean, at least buy me a Sam Adams Summer Ale...or two...and some wings....mmm...wings.........oh, hi, I'm back. 

• The Red Sox lost another game last night, and it was another one of those games that seems pretty hard to watch right from the start.  However, hopefully tonight will be better as Jacoby Ellsbury FINALLY makes his return, plus we have Big Papi playing first base!

• I spent a good amount of time at the park today.  Got some sun, read my book, relaxed, it was all good.  Maybe I got a little too much sun, maybe I fried my gigantic head bit (even though I had a hat and sunscreen).  Maybe that's why I still can't get my arms around the fact that British Petroleum doesn't have the slightest idea how to stop an oil leak.   Is it me?  Do I have sunstroke?  Have I snapped?  Is that why I can't freaking understand why an OIL COMPANY CAN'T STOP AN OIL LEAK?  My head hurts now.  How did that conversation go down?  "I think it would be fun to have an oil company and drill for oil."  "Do you think we should come up with a game plan in case we spring a leak somewhere?"  "Don't be an ass, what are the odds of that happening?"  I know Lewis Black must have a rant about this somewhere.

• The subject of great debate on Facebook in recent days, however he got there, Rand Paul is on the wrong side of history and civil rights, and how voters respond to him will speak volumes either way. 

• Better grab some food before the Sox game begins.  In honor of Jacoby Ellsbury's return, we welcome him back with today's, "Song of the Day."