New York Times Magazine Chief National Correspondent Mark Leibovich was looking for a distraction from his regular job covering politics so he decided to examine something far less controversial: the National Football League. (Wait, that doesn't sound right.) Leibovich dove head-first into the saga that is the NFL over a period of four years and came out on the other end with his new book, Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times. (Release date: September 4, 2018.) The author doesn't hide the fact that he's a lifelong New England Patriots fan. In fact, he fully embraces it. Whether you think... Read more →

The Clearing out the Clutter staff is finally starting to come to terms with the fact that summer is over. That means we now have time to properly focus on the important things in life, like the fact that the new season of Doctor Who is right around the corner! (It's all about priorities, you know.) The BBC just released the second trailer for the 13th Doctor, so let's have a look: Quick Thoughts: In this time of well-publicized change, it's nice to know one thing about the show remains the same: There's a lot of running. Again, the visuals... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? Wednesday is the craziest day of the week around here. There's always a lot of running around to do, and it feels like I wake up, say hi to BDH and Little Buddha, blink my eyes twice, and then it's time to say goodnight to BDH and Little Buddha. Next thing I know, it's Thursday morning, and we're back here with you guys, so it all works out in the end. The guys think I'm rambling a bit here, so they just put a coffee cup in front of me. I can take... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? BDH, Little Buddha, and I were just hanging out and talking about the book they're reading (with hopefully a review to come next week), as well as reviewing what's still left on this week's to-do list. I picked off most of the low-hanging fruit already, so we'll see how the rest of it goes. We're still also adjusting to it being dark in the morning. I assumed I still had plenty of time to sleep when I woke up today, but it was only 10 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go... Read more →

CNN just released a new trailer for the final season of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, and we're telling you right now that it's about to get dusty in here. Comedian and TV host W. Kamau Bell discusses what it was like to travel to Kenya with Bourdain earlier this year. We see a few clips of their time together, but it's not enough. Not nearly enough. Parts Unknown premieres on September 23 at 9:00 PM on CNN. This story ended too soon. (pic via variety.com) Read more →

Longtime fans remember well the dramatic transformation that hit the pro wrestling landscape in the mid-1980's. A longstanding collection of regional wrestling territories were challenged by Vince McMahon as he sought to turn his father's Northeast-based (then) WWF into a national company. McMahon upended tradition with sweeping talent raids, aggressive use of the emerging cable television industry, maximizing the new pay-per-view universe, and providing a more cartoonish form of wrestling aimed towards children. The other promoters tried a variety of ways to block McMahon's plans. One by one they fell, and wrestling would never be the same. It's a fascinating... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? We were just watching the rain. Guess there's no need for me to water the garden today. BDH and Little Buddha were also talking about how we're back to waking up in the dark, so they need to remember to turn on the kitchen light before they make the coffee. Yeah, things will definitely go smoother if they can see what they're doing, right guys? Right. Fortunately, they remembered this morning, and there's a fresh pot on the counter, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Tuesday... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! Come on in, have a seat. Anywhere you like is fine. BDH, Little Buddha, and I were just looking at today's to-do list. It's a little longer than I expected. The guys say we're supposed to get a good amount of rain tomorrow (the remnants of Hurricane Florence), so maybe I should focus on whatever needs to be done outside today and then tackle the rest of the list tomorrow. They're so smart, I don't know where I'd be without them. Of course, the first thing we need to do is check out today's headlines. The... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? BDH and Little Buddha are fascinated by the heavy fog outside this morning. It's supposed to burn off in a few hours, so that's long enough to keep those two entertained for a while. Other than that, there isn't too much to report on this end right now, so let's see what's going on in the world. The guys tore themselves away from the window long enough to make the coffee, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Sunday Clutter. The Trump administration will send... Read more →

Bob Woodward's latest book, Fear: Trump in the White House, has been all over the news for the last few weeks, and with good reason. The veteran political reporter provides a harrowing look into the inner workings of Donald Trump's administration, and it's alarming. It's not that the book reveals another side of Trump, it's that it demonstrates his known failings are even more extensive and dangerous than have been reported. Fear shows that the biggest daily task his staff and cabinet face is not carrying out his agenda (not that he has a defined one in the first place.)... Read more →