:anime: The End of Toonami:: Are TV Blocks Needed Anymore?

I've wanted to write up another anime feature for quite a while, since it's been so long that I last did one. Like with the boxing one earlier, it's great to have a chance to get back at it again! --HD

Toonami, for much of its eleven year run, was one of Cartoon Network's brightest stars and perhaps the most influential programming block on television for anime fans, new and old, in the U.S. over that period. Though more modern fans may fail to notice its significance during its waning years, it provided a girth of landmark shows over much of its history that helped pave the way for the industry's growth and popularity, from Sailor Moon and Tenchi Muyo! to Dragonball Z and Gundam. In addition, it was the block's "Midnight Run" of uncut Gundam Wing that eventually lead to the creation of the very successful Adult Swim block and "network," which itself became a gateway for seminal titles like Cowboy Bebop (its first show), FLCL, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and Fullmetal Alchemist that would, too, usher in new fans. However, the recent climate at CN and AS has been one of change, as has been the way that people view their anime.

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::10.21.08:: Hopkins Returns to Form

Quite the shock was delivered in the boxing world Saturday night, as Bernard Hopkins completely dominated the current No. 1 of his former middleweight division, Kelly Pavlik, at light heavyweight. More of this is covered at the linked content below.

:Thurs.10.16.08:
[C] WBC Featherweight Champion Oscar Larios SD Tahahiro Aoh

[C] WBC Bantamweight Hozumi Hasegawa TKO2 Alejandro Valdez


:Fri.10.17.08:
[C] IFBA Light Middleweight Champion Holly Holm M-D(10) Mary Jo Sanders
--"M-D" = Majority Draw

[NIXED] Aaron Pryor Jr. vs Sam Merza (Super Middleweight)


:Sat.10.18.08:
Bernard Hopkins UD Kelly Pavlik (Light Heavyweight) [PPV - HBO]
--Afterward: Good to hear Hopkins give Pavlik advice and words of encouragement after the fight, even to the extent of offering his services to him as a mentor of sorts. Pavlik's still has plenty of talent and what it takes to be a great boxer, so long as he learns from what happened Saturday night and make whatever changes are necessary both boxing-wise and mentally. It also might not hurt taking him up on his offer in the near future...

:boxing: Battle of the Scary Nicknames:: Pavlik vs Hopkins

It's been a while since I last wrote a boxing preview, so it's great to get back to doing it again! --HD

It is perhaps only fitting that with only two weeks until Halloween we have a match-up between a "Ghost" and an "Executioner". The former, Kelly Pavlik, is the current king of the middleweight division, coming off of two consecutive wins over Jermain Taylor and an easy ousting of mandatory challenger Gary Lockett. It is the morass circumstance of taking on "mandatories" deemed by the title organizing bodies and the lack of a viable opponent that has sent Pavlik north to take on the former undisputed champion at middleweight, who now resides in the light heavyweight division. That person, Bernard Hopkins, is at the end of his illustrious career, with age finally catching up with him and having lost to Joe Calzaghe earlier in the year. Both are at a crossroads of sorts, but in different capacities.

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::10.16.08:: V. Kiltschko, Dawson Victorious

On a big fight weekend, Vitali Klitschko "showed up" and Chad Dawson shut up...

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::10.07.08:: Gamboa Impresses, Martinez Destroys

While there weren't any big, major fights last week, it still was packed with top-notch action and young up-and-comers.

:Fri.10.03.08:
Michael Walker MD(8) Antwun Echols (Middleweight)

Eddie Chambers TKO5 Livin Castillo (Heavyweight)

Mike Alvarado TKO4 Manuel Garnica (Light Welterweight)


:Sat.10.04.08:
Kassim Ouma TKO6 Martinus Clay (Light Middleweight)

Yuriorkis Gamboa KO2 Marcos Ramirez (Featherweight) [HBO]

[C] (Interim WBC Light Middleweight Championship) Sergio Martinez RTD8 Alex Bunema [HBO]

Alfredo Angulo TKO10 Andrey Tsurkan (Light Middleweight) [HBO]

Juan Manuel Lopez KO1 Cesar Figueroa (Light Featherweight)

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::10.01.08:: Mosley Victorious With Last-Second KO...Literally

Shane Mosley continued to show that he's still got it, while Andre Berto showed that he might have something to behold in the future at the end of a (T)KO-packed two weeks...

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::09.23.08:: Marquez Wins Big, Forrest Wins Back His Belt

Originally appearing on HD's Autumn 2008 Boxing Preview page (posted on Sept. 16) as a sort of placeholder for the feature-to-be, here are the results for the big fights that took place earlier in September...and the one that didn't.

:Sat.09.13.08:
Juan Manuel Marquez TKO11 Joel Casamayor (Lightweight)
--The fight going in was a bit of a toss up in my opinion, with me giving Casamayor the slight edge, as I thought that his skills and old-school technical prowess would be just enough to hold Marquez off. It sounded like a close bout at first, going by reports, but Marquez pulled away and stopped Casamayor in stunning fashion. Now, Marquez can finally call the shots on his career, though Casamayor should still remain in the mix.

[NIXED] [C] WBA, IBF, WBO Lightweight Champion Nate Campbell vs Joan Guzman
--In the moments before the hotly-anticipated fight, Guzman suddenly pulled out due to illness...or he just didn't make weight like Campbell thinks, and would've lost his title chance.

[C] Vernon Forrest UD WBC Light Middleweight Champion Sergio Mora
--Forrest got back what he lost just a scant few months ago and Mora got his perfect record tarnished. At the very least, it was to a still-potent veteran he beat not long ago, of whom also now finds some renewed vigor on the boxing scene.

[C] WBC Light Welterweight Timothy Bradley UD Edner Cherry [Showtime]


:Mon.09.16.08:
[C] (Interim WBC Light Flyweight Championship) Jorge Arce RTD9 Rafael Concepcion

Jorge Solis TKO4 Jorge Samudio (Super Featherweight)

:boxing: Boxing Bits ::09.17.08:: The *REAL* Late Edition ::: Final Olympic Results, Calderon (Sort of...) Wins...

Yeesh...I really don't like falling behind posting things, especially boxing news and results. This post formally concludes HD's inaugural boxing preview for the summer of 2008...

:boxing: HardDoor's Autumn Boxing Preview - '08 Edition

<--To Summer 2008 Boxing Preview

To Winter 2008-09 Boxing Preview-->

The dates and bouts listed for this season's boxing preview is pretty much complete, save for a few fights that happened at the beginning of September (for now...). The comment snippets will be coming soon, but in the meantime, here's a look at what you can expect this autumn.

:anime: HardDoor's Autumn Anime Preview - '08 Edition

<--To Summer 2008 Anime Preview

To Winter 2008-09 Anime Preview-->

The autumn season of 2008 is upon us, and with it comes a fine mix of returning favorites, remakes, and completely new works. The summer played host to a good deal of intriguing shows and the fall appears to have even more. If anything can be derived from this year thus far, it is the apparent reoccurring theme among a few to have stories involving immortal characters and the suffering that that comes with the territory (and having to kill a bunch of supernatural creatures or bad people to finally pass away). Not to mention, the abundance of sequels to recent, popular franchises and especially remakes of older ones (anniversary years/exposure to newer audiences/cash cow milking/just plain ol' nostalgia). As before, this preview doesn't denote every single title, but it does list the ones that I've found to be of either interest or significance.