Hi everyone,

Welcome back, and a happy Friday to you all.  Did this week go by quickly, or no?  In any case, what's on tap for the weekend?   The big event on our schedule is that the first two new episodes of Doctor Who drop on Disney+ at 7:00 tonight!  Everyone in our crew is excited to see Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in action again, especially in a double feature.  Don't know if we much of anything else happening, but that's fine, because we'll be thinking about these adventures for a while.

In the meantime, let's take a peek at the headlines.  BDH and Little Buddha just made a fresh pot of coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Clutter.

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Judge Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump's second request this week for a mistrial in his hush money case yesterday.  Judge Merchan largely blamed Trump's lawyers for multiple mistakes that allowed Stormy Daniels' testimony to stand, thus defeating their own motion.  If/when Trump loses this case, look for him to blast his incompetent legal team along the same lines as the judge's criticisms.  (Of course, someone will have to wake Donald Trump up first.)  That's what happens when good lawyers want nothing to do with you. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is prepared to move forward with a full-scale invasion of Rafah, despite President Biden warning that the United States will halt arm shipments if that happens.  There are over one million refugees in Rafah who have nowhere else to go.  However, Prime Minister Netanyahu apparently doesn't see that as a problem.  That is yet another reason why Israel is garnering global criticism for its actions in this conflict.

Apple is apologizing for its new widely-criticized iPad Pro ad which shows the company crushing tools of human creativity to create its latest gadget.  It's remarkable that executives thought this would be well-received in the first place.  With all of the current talk of fears about how AI can replace humans in different roles, it was a terrible call for Apple to say, "Yeah, let's lean into that!"

Planet Fitness is reportedly increasing its "classic" membership rate from $10/month to $15/month, starting this summer.  You might think a 50% increase seems pretty dramatic.  However, $15 is still much lower than most gyms, and Planet Fitness hasn't had a price hike in 26 years.  Having been to one of these locations a few times over the years, it's still a solid value for $15.

APNews.com has an article about the best way to spend your tax refund.  The Clutter investment team has always tried to combine practical with fun when it comes to any kind of refund or other windfall:  Our crew generally divides the money into thirds:  1/3 goes to investing, 1/3 goes to saving, and 1/3 goes to fun.  (If you have major debt, swap out the investing pile.)  It's important to keep your financial house in order, but people also want to enjoy themselves, so this approach allows for both. 

Also, the team recommends taking care of this the day you get the money.  The longer you take, the greater the odds it all gets spent on fun.

The Boston Red Sox starting pitching has been terrific so far this season, but let's not overlook how far outfielder Jarren Duran has come in just a few years.  We were among those calling for the team to trade the guy after a rocky start that showed some immaturity issues.  However,  we're happy to say we were wrong about Duran, because the center fielder is now reaching All Star level potential.  He's a good fielder, and his speed makes it an adventure every time he hits the ball.

New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonalez won't say if he's fully recovered from last year's season-ending shoulder surgery.  Here's hoping he's just being annoying about the question and will be available for all of next season.  Gonzalez showed a lot of potential in his first four games in the NFL, so it would be terrific to get him back on the field full-time.

The Boston Celtics were embarrassed 118-94 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals at home last night.  The good news is that the Celtics rebounded nicely from a similar stinker in Game 2 of their series against the Miami Heat in the first round.  However, questions remain about the toughness of this year's squad.  It's an extremely talented roster which can dominate lesser opponents, but they seem to flinch when the other team fights back.  We still expect Boston to take care of business against Cleveland, but there could be issues as the opposition gets tougher in the playoffs.

Doctor Who boss Russell T. Davies said David Tennant is "absolutely not" coming back to the show.  What can we say?  We don't believe RTD.  It makes sense to declare that right now, so that fans stay focused on Ncuti Gatwa.  The show is starting a new era, so let's look forwards, not backwards.  However, we would be shocked if the 10th/14th Doctor is never seen again, whether it's in the 70th anniversary celebration, or some new spin-off that Davies might have in mind for the Whoniverse. 

Last night was finally the night Young Sheldon fans have been dreading for years.  We'll say no spoilers, but you know exactly what we mean.  Anyone who watched The Big Bang Theory knew this moment was coming for years, and you knew it had to be coming soon, because the series ends next week.  Even so, the actual scene was such a gut punch.  That only happens if you've developed connections to fictional characters, so good for the powers that be for doing such a great job on that front. 

Now we'll have to see how they handle the series finale.  Hopefully there will be at least a little glimmer of hope and humor before the final credits roll.  TVLine.com spoke to several key people connected to the show to get their thoughts about what happened last night.

You knew it was coming, but it was still hard.  (pic via parade.com)

We've got the first teaser trailer for the third season of The Bear, which drops on Hulu on June 27.  We held off on finishing the second season so we wouldn't have to wait that long for new episodes when we were done.  Looks like we can resume watch those soon.  Excellent!

It's finally official:  Law & Order: Organized Crime has been renewed, and the show is moving to NBC's Peacock streaming service.  Organized Crime was the last of Dick Wolff's shows to be renewed this year, and it seems to be in a constant state of upheaval with its frequent showrunner departures.  Maybe moving to Peacock will allow the series to find a way to settle down for a while.

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of former General Hospital star Jacklyn Zeman.  GH's Laura Wright recently shared some insight about what it was like to film the episodes that celebrated the life of the former Bobbie Spencer.

There was a mini Monty Python reunion recently, as John Cleese and Terry Gilliam joined Michael Palin to celebrate Palin's 81st birthday.  The other remaining living member of the group, Eric Idle, wasn't there, which makes sense since he's criticized Cleese and Gilliam's daughter in the past.  We never thought all of these guys had to be best friends or anything.  They were co-workers who made funny content for a while, and then they decided to move on to other jobs.  That's life.

What is this?  The remastered version of Queen's 1981 Montreal concert movie is coming to Disney+ on May 15?  That's tremendous.  This clip looks and sounds fantastic.  We can't wait to finally watch the whole show:

A&E will air a Biography episode about Sammy Hagar on June 30 as part of a focus on rock musicians.  We'll definitely give that one a look.  It would be interesting to learn more about the former Van Halen frontman's early days.

We want to wish a happy belated birthday to Alex Van Halen, who turned 71 years old this past Wednesday.  We can't wait to read the drummer's memoir which comes out this fall.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here's Ghost to close out the week with a live version of, "Absolution" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, folks.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha say you're welcome to come back tonight to watch the new Doctor Who episodes with them, but there will be no talking until the end.  (The guys don't want to miss a thing.)  Otherwise, enjoy your weekend, be good, and we'll catch up with you again soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.