Wednesday Clutter: Trump, Elon Musk, Coca-Cola, Boston Red Sox, Tom Brady, Cameron Diaz, FBI, Jerry Seinfeld, GH, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, and more
10/16/2024
Hi everyone,
How are you? This week already seems to be flying by too quickly. No luck at the bookstore yesterday, but that's okay. Like I mentioned yesterday, BDH and Little Buddha are looking forward to Alex Van Halen's memoir which arrives next week. They've been waiting for this since they read the first announcement for it back in February, so it's almost like an early Christmas present.
Today's to-do list involves a bit of running around, so let's get to work. There's a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Wednesday Clutter.
Donald Trump held a bizarre campaign event on Monday where he abruptly stopped taking questions and instead swayed to music for 30 minutes. The town hall had to be paused after two medical emergencies in the audience. Trump apparently checked out at that point and appeared almost frozen. If President Biden or Vice President Harris did this, the media would be blasting them. Between behavior like this, Trump's rambling answers when he does speak, and his ongoing refusal to release his medical records, there's every reason to be concerned about his health and mental status. That's especially true when he's asking the country to accept JD Vance as his successor if something happened to him.
Everybody dance now. (pic via www.cbsnews.com)
Donald Trump humiliated himself with his incoherent answers about economic policy at an Economic Club of Chicago event yesterday. He tried his usual weaving nonsense, but moderator Bloomberg Editor-In-Chief John Micklethwait wouldn't let him get away with it, and the results were disastrous for the Great Pumpkin. Trump lashed out at Micklethewait for daring to contradict him, because really, what does a guy from Bloomberg know about the economy? He then proceeded to rant about Google, January 6, and Putin, among other topics. The man is deteriorating in real time, so you can see why he'd rather stare at an audience blankly while music plays for 30 minutes.
For any MAGA cult member who might be mad about us discussing Trump's incoherence, watch this video and tell us what he said. If you had a relative who spoke like this, you'd get them medical assistance.
Elon Musk gave $75 million to a pro-Trump PAC this past July-September, according to new federal disclosures. The America PAC spent $72 million during that period, so they were completely dependent on their mega donor. This follows reports that Musk was secretly funding a conservative group for years.
Coca-Cola recalled thousands of cases of Minute Maid No-Sugar Lemonade, because the beverages were in fact loaded with sugar. How exactly do you think that happened?
Congratulations to Boston Red Sox outfielders Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu on being named American League Gold Glove finalists yesterday. The Gold Glove winners will be announced on November 3. This team featured some atrocious fielding again this year, but fans could always feel confident about balls hit to center and right field. Now the question becomes, will either of these guys be trade bait this winter?
NFL owners finally approved Tom Brady as a Las Vegas Raiders minority owner yesterday. We'll always love TB12 for everything he did with the New England Patriots. He's the GOAT, and we appreciate the 20 years of terrific memories. However, he is just another guy when it comes to the rest of his career. Now that Brady officially has an ownership stake in the Raiders, he should resign as a Fox Sports NFL broadcaster. That's a conflict of interest that should not be allowed to remain in place in light of this new development.
The Las Vegas Raiders traded disgruntled wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets in exchange for a conditional third-round draft pick yesterday. The Jets seemed like the logical destination for Adams, since it means he now reunites with former Green Bay Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers, who runs the show there. Adams reportedly restructured his contract to make it easier to play with the Jets this season and then revisit the idea of a long-term deal after that (again, likely dependent on Rodgers' whims.)
Cameron Diaz shared some thoughts about her upcoming return to Hollywood next year, after the actress checked out of the entertainment business in 2014. It sounds like she was focused on self-care, which is always a good call. We look forward to seeing her back in action again in 2025.
So, we really didn't feel this week's Only Murders in the Building episode. We could see where they were going with discussions about found families, and that's in line with the overall spirit of the series. It just didn't land for us. It might have been because everything about "the Westies" has felt a little rushed, or maybe it's the group's casting. Whatever the reason, we haven't connected with them this season, so learning more about their backstory felt like a let-down. Hey, one disappointing episode in almost four seasons is a pretty good ratio. All we know is that there are only two episodes left, and we still don't know the identity of the killer.
After that, there was the FBI season premiere, which was a mixed bag. We generally enjoyed the suspense behind this week's crime, but the story felt unresolved at the end, so we're hoping the show will revisit it at some point later this season. The best we can say about Special Agent Tiffany Wallace's abrupt departure from the series is that we've seen worse on other Dick Wolf shows. Apparently Wallace didn't feel closure after the end of last season, so she's moving to Georgia to be closer to her sister. Eh. It was rushed, and all of actress Katherine Renee Kane's scenes felt awkward, like she and her co-stars couldn't hide the fact that she got a raw deal.
Jerry Seinfeld is now trying to walk back comments he made in April about the "extreme left" killing comedy. It was a lazy argument for the billionaire to make at the time. Society's values constantly evolve, and it's up to comedians to figure out how to adapt to those changes. We're just wondering why Seinfeld is trying to distance himself from this story six months later. Does he think the backlash negatively impacted his Unfrosted movie? It must have cost him some money somewhere.
Here we go, General Hospital fans - the soap opera set the stage for Kelly Monaco's upcoming departure as Sam McCall yesterday by revealing that Sam is a liver donor match for Lulu Spencer. It seems like they would have known Sam's status earlier in this storyline. In any case, given that Monaco has already filmed her last scenes, we're thinking the transplant is successful for Lulu, but complications arise for Sam. Do you have a different theory? We're still looking forward to hearing more of Monaco's perspective about why she was fired from the soap opera after 21 years on the show.
In other GH news, it sounds like Marcus Taggert won't be returning to Port Charles anytime soon. Actor Réal Andrews posted a video saying his time on the soap opera is done, and he's moved on to a new project. It's been over a year since the last time we saw Taggert, and he was having a breakdown after finding out Trina Robinson was not his biological daughter. It sure felt like there was much more ground to cover in that story, but Taggert disappeared from the picture without a word, and it appears he'll just remain a loose thread for now. In the meantime, Andrews is reportedly joining the new CBS daytime drama, Beyond the Gates, and we wish him the best.
Yikes, former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee was reportedly shot multiple times while walking his dog in Las Vegas yesterday. Fortunately, Lee is expected to make a full recovery. We're glad to hear he's on the mend. According to this linked article, this shooting is considered random, which if accurate, makes it all the more frightening.
Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx stands by the band's decision to fire longtime guitarist Mick Mars back in 2022 and replace him with John 5. We have nothing against John 5, but after listening to samples from the band's new EP, Cancelled, the right move for the group would be to shut everything down once and for all. Their cover of the Beastie Boys' legendary "Fight for Your Right" should be considered a crime against humanity.
Okay kids, that's going to do it for now. The first Ozzy Osbourne album we ever bought was The Ultimate Sin in 1986, and Jake E. Lee was still the guitarist in the group at that time. Let's have those guys close things out with, "Shot in the Dark" for today's, "Song of the Day."
Thanks for stopping by, folks. It was great to see you, as always. Enjoy the rest of your day, 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.
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