There’ll be lots of gloves on show tonight and after Jimmy Bullard’s neckwear at the City of Manchester stadium maybe the odd hat and scarf from some of the South American players! We always reckoned that Mido was one of the hat and scarf brigade but his fitness never allowed him to prove it!

So will we play a reasonable side tonight? Probably not the first team but a much better “reserve” side than we have put out before. Have we a chance? I fancy we have a better chance with the weakened 11 than the first team as their desire to try for a first team place will push them on. Let’s hope we see a decent performance.

Predicted 11: Gomes, Hutton, Dawson, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto, Bentley, Jenas, Huddelstone, Bale, Keane and Crouch

Result: I’m going for a 0-1 in extra time – remembering a league cup tie at Old Trafford with Ardiles scoring the winner! I think Joe Jordan headed the keeper and either Roberts or Hoddle took over in goal that night as well but I might be wrong!

Información:

La isla Dawson es una isla de Chile situada en el estrecho de Magallanes que forma parte del archipiélago de Tierra del Fuego. Está situada a unos 100 kilómetros al sur de Punta Arenas, en la XII Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena.

Después del golpe de estado de 1973, en la isla fue instalado un Campo de Concentración de prisioneros políticos, diseñado por Walter Rauff, criminal de guerra nazi refugiado en Chile. Constituye uno de los lugares más emblemáticos de la represión ejercida por el Régimen Militar entre los años 1973 y 1974, llegando a albergar cerca de 400 prisioneros, sentenciados a trabajos forzados, vejámenes y torturas. Durante la visita realizada por la Cruz Roja Internacional, realizada el 29 de septiembre de 1973, el centro concentraba a 99 detenidos políticos.

La prisión dejó de funcionar menos de un año después y sus prisioneros transferidos a otro lugar. Dicho lugar fue el campo de concentración más austral de ese período. Algunos de los prisioneros en ese lugar fueron Clodomiro Almeyda, Arturo Jirón, Fernando Flores, José Tohá, Jaime Tohá, Osvaldo Puccio, Anselmo Sule, Sergio Bitar (quien relató su experiencia como detenido político en su libro Dawson. Isla 10), Aristóteles España, Luis Corvalán , Sergio Vuskovic, entre otros.

En 2009 el cineasta Miguel Littín estrenó su película basada en las memorias de Bitar, que lleva el mismo nombre.

For the second week running the second half performance was light years ahead of the first and at the end we were unlucky not to take all three points. To do that the ball has to go into the net and Villa’s back line were particularly resilient when we were dominant.

The first half was a different story. After having an early chance we surrendered a sloppy goal from a corner when Bassong, Assou-Ekotto and Gomes failed to react to the situation and the ball was scrambled over the line. As with Wigan our ability to give the ball away was first rate and this week we were put under a lot of pressure conceding something like 10 corners. This was a better test of our strength against those teams around us.

Dawson and Bassong played together for the first time and Dawson had the Captain’s armband. He also saw a shot cleared off the line that would have put us level following a free kick that had bobbled over to Jermain Defoe for a shot which Friedl blocked well. MoTD showed us having the best of the chances in both halves though watching the game on Fox I found the first half a little nervy.

Half time team talks demonstrate a Manager’s ability. Keith Burkinshaw was a master often turning a poor first half into a Lazarus type comeback and Harry seems to have similar powers. All of a sudden we couldn’t miss our own players and were not giving the ball away at all. Villa were pegged back, the crowd started to lose its voice and we continued to attack in search of an equaliser.

When this team plays they play. There is a confidence on the ball and our switch play is excellent. Once again Kranjcar looked good  on the left and once Lennon started to get into the game it only looked a matter of time.In real time I missed the Defoe disallowed due to the feed choking but it seemed a fair decision. Despite lots of possession most of our chances came from longer range efforts and Dawson’s equaliser was a powerful shot from the edge of the box.

Could we press for a winner? We tried and Defoe had a shot at the end that whistled just past the post. But Villa also had a chance when Heskey’s header looped over onto the roof of the net.

This was a good Spurs performance. I thoroughly enjoyed the game particularly the second half when we were in the ascendancy. Having seen Man City’s draw and this Villa performance we look – on this form – to be the most likely contender but we are only 14 games through the 38. If we can hold the ball against the top 4 sides then maybe we can hold on – it’s certainly going to be interesting!

god bless you sir.

Here’s the team; unchanged despite Woodgate from the other week despite Harry’s insistance! Perhaps a mind game to alter the Villa setup. Kick-off at 5:30.

STARTING XI: Gomes; Corluka, Bassong, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Huddlestone, Palacios, Kranjcar; Crouch, Defoe. SUBSTITUTES: Alnwick, Bale, Hutton, Bentley, Jenas, Rose, Keane.

0- Good to see Rose making an appearance on the bench; it would seem that our kids are impressing more and more these days, pushing themselves into Harry’s thinking.

1- Gomes kicks the ball into the hand of Carew; Aston Villa have us playing slightly deep with their closing down. Plenty of space to move into though. The game is looking to settle a little but before we know exactly how things are going to work.

3- Dawson does well to win the ball in midfield starts a move that sends Aaron Lennon down the right; though the ball was perhaps a little too ambitious.

4- Excellent move started by Krancjar sets off Benoit down the left, leads to a powerful shot dealt with by Friedel. We’re looking hungry today.

7- A couple of sloppy passes from Palacios lead to a Villa corner, steered over for another by Crouch. Palacios looking slightly nervy today perhaps. We need him on form if we’re going to boss this game, that’s for sure.

9- GOAL- VILLA- Headed corner by Cuellar leads to a lose ball that is capitalized on by Agbonlahor. Maybe a bit of a defensive mixup leading to a failed clearance. Not unexpected on the way we’re playing, but we shouldn’t be playing this poorly.

12 – Weakness in possession in the centre of the field seems to be limiting our play a bit. The goal has also galvanized Villa who are looking very spritely at the moment. Without effective service Lennon and Defoe won’t be able to stamp much on this game.

17- Things are looking more interesting now as Kranjcar is taking the game into his own hands; Palacios still looks shaky worryingly but Lennon on the ball looks like he has something to prove with a cross that strays.

19- Nigel Reo-Coker takes a bite out of Kranjcar giving us a freekick at about 35 yards. Huddlestone smashes a shot that offers two opportunities firstly from Defoe then Dawson. Cleared off the line. Tentative play fizzles out.

21- James Milner with some great play leads to a chance wasted by Agbonlahor. The next goal will be crucial. Lennon doesn’t seem to be receiving much which is a bit of a worry at this stage; as this time in the match last week he had already caused Edman all sorts of problems. Another corner for Villa,  cleared.

25- The central midfield issue is causing us alot of issue; they’re managing to set their play up centrally that gives them far more options than we should allow. Palacios and Huddlestone really need to up their game if we’re looking to get any sense of control before half time.

27- Nice bit of play coming from the right hand side, results in a deflected shot from Huddlestone. Defoe follows on from the corner with a volley that finds it’s way just over the bar.

30- Dawson wastes possession with a thumping long ball for Defoe. Really seems like we’re short of ideas at this point. Though we know that we always seem to come up with ideas on the break.

31- Same story from Benoit. Gomes clears a back pass from Corluka for a throw. If there’s anything we do know, is that this could potentially be a game of two halves. Maybe not in as much as it was last week. Kranjcar runs Habib Beye into the ground showing his tenacity, which is nice as many view him as a lazy player. He has been tireless for the cause today.

38- Corner number 7 for Villa; is exemplary of how they’re pushing forward. We seem to be playing in our own half for the most part as their ability to throw their players forward seems to be stifling our play a fair bit. Half time will be welcome for regrouping

40- We’re having a good spell of possession at the moment. Kranjcar wins another freekick from 35 yards. A rerun of the last would be enough to buoy the fans for halftime. A goal would be a godsend.

41- Kranjcar blasts the ball straight into the wall, then slightly redeems himself by running for the rebound which is a fair shot but doesn’t trouble Friedel as he takes the ball with ease.

45- Interesting to see the majority of our play this half going down the left hand side with Kranjcar; with Lennon being the flashpoint that everyone seems to mention he hasn’t seen too much of the play this half. 1 minute added on and a rest for the lads to think about what to do next.

HALF TIME THOUGHTS – Their goal was really only scrappy, and we seem to be running the game a lot better towards the end of the last half so I expect that Harry will ask the lads to calm it down a bit and play patiently, as we seem to be gifting them opportunities through lost possession and rash decisions. I’ve a feeling that this one isn’t quite over yet. Crouch was looking a bit pokey, as he looks far better when the ball is flying in from the touchline, some might say the introduction of Keane’s influence would be beneficial.

45- Players come out, no subs by the look of it, Villa to kick off. Villa still look to try to hold the game, despite our apparent continual appetite for goal.

47- Still passing the ball around tentatively; it will have to take a special break for us to change our fortunes now. We do seem far more happy to commit players forward; they seem just as happy to compress their play though.

51 – Villa break towards us as Cuellar makes the best of the overlap. Luckily the play fizzles out through a bad finish. We’ll have to take some risks to score though so I guess we can expect more of this. Similar break follows which fizzles out again thankfully.

54- Great cross from Corluka looks to find the head of Crouch dips just before though. Corner goes for a goal kick despite coming off the glove of Friedel. Good play from Spurs. Not enough to warrant a goal quite yet though.

58 – Aston Villa seem to always have a player where they need him to be. Shows great structure and discipline to their play. Aaron Lennon cuts inside and puts the ball at Crouch’s feet.  Ball bobbles to Kranjcar whos shot is blocked. We now hold the ball in their final third and are exerting pressure. Freekick given for some over zealous challenging on the part of Milner. Bad freekick Dawson picks up the pieces with an inch perfect tackle.

63 – Scrappy play results in the ball falling to Defoe for a shot outside the area; deflected into Friedel’s hands as Jenas makes his way off the bench. Recently Tim Serwood has said that advice given to Jenas suggested that he should run with the ball more. If he does this today, it could make a difference.  He comes on for Palacios who despite making some good tackles hasn’t looked too lively today with his passing.

66- Nice classic build up sees the ball being played across the box with short passing. Left sided shot from Kranjcar across the goal finds itself wide. A good oppurtunity.

68- Reo-Coker’s shot forces Gomes to dive despite it being deflected, rebound falls to Milner whilst Gomes is on the floor. Wasted thankfully. Keane seen warming up on the touchline. Lennon searches for Crouch once again at the back post. Nothing seems to be coming off quite how we want it to. Sidwell comes on for Nigel Reo-Coker.

71 – Kranjcar breaks from midfield and cuts in, takes a shot from 35 yards which would have been far more productive if it were a pass down the flank. Play breaks down outside our box and Sidwell takes a speculative shot. Closer than Kranjcar’s but still very wide

72- GOAL DISALLOWED SPURS – Huddlestone’s shot deflects off Friedel and finds the hand of Defoe. Could have done with that one going in. Huddlestone perhaps should have found the corner with his initial shot.

75-  Heskey on for Carew. Huddlestone looks like he wants to find his way forward far more this match. Takes the corner lands for Defoe. Play builds up…

GOAL- TOTTENHAM – Lands for Dawson who chests it down and volleys it strongly into the net. Robbie Keane comes on for Kranjcar. 4-3-3, and pushing for the win.

79- Lennon looks like Ronaldo running at the Villa centre backs. Wins us a corner which finds it’s way over the bar via the forehead of Bassong. Nice build up play wasted by Huddlestone who goes for a lukewarm long range effort.

83- Huddlestone gets another striker chance from a Lennon heavy build up. Results in a corner. Corner is cleared and play breaks down. We’re looking like we’re going for the win; though the absence of Kranjcar and introduction of Keane’s attacking element is an interesting switch.

85 – Lennon’s pressure on Luke Young gives us a throw deep in their half. Jenas plays the ball to Corluka who cannot find a spurs player. Who’d have thought Jenas for Palacios would be the sub of the day. Lennon whips a cross in beats Friedel though defensive clearance takes the danger away. Spurs can smell the winner; though Villa are still looking dangerous on the break.

89 – Jenas does look dangerous running forward with the ball. Sets up Crouch who finds Cuellar fall at his feet for a free kick. Into added time now. A goal would be the nectar of the gods.

92- Ashley Young holds the ball well before finding Heskey telepathically with a cross that is flicked just over the bar. Defoe shoots from outside the area but is denied by a whisker.

Final Score 1-1

Thoughts.

Could have done with the win; especially as for the most part we did field a full strength side. Thankfully we did not lose though and as long as we’re getting points and keeping our competition then I guess we shouldn’t mind too much about not winning 9-1 every week.

Owen, Noah, Aaron, Rylen, Bruce, Holden, Parker, Matthew, Spencer, Dawson, Brandon, Trey, Tucker, Nathan, Kain, Jacob, Alexander, Collin, Benjamin, Nicholas, Austin, Joshua, Evan, Jack, Neco, Cooper, Elijah, Kyle, Oscar, Keegan, Malcolm, Mason, Bregan, Madden, Myles, Caeden, Brenden, Pryor, Maurice, Nicky.

Gabriella, Jillian, Lillian, Audrey, Ruby May, Erin, Bianca, Jade, Rylee, Aili, Trynity, Meghan, Olivia, Elise, Quinn, Ariana, Charlotte, Beatrix, Abigail, Layla, Kenley, Caoimhe, Cailyn, Ava, Carolina, Mia, Ailey, Alena.

After my thoughts on England’s centre back pairings last weekend comes a golden opportunity for Messrs. Woodgate and Dawson this afternoon to lay claim to their squad places with hopefully a clean sheet in a Spurs win. Knowing other results and being at home gives us the chance to press home our advantage to cement fourth place this week on level points with the Arsenal.

It will be interesting to see what impact the Internationals have had on other Spurs players.

1. Will Keane be devasted (more by his miss than the handball)?
2. Will Pav be in tears now that he doesn’t need to move because Russia did not qualify for the World Cup?
3. Will Jenas get a game and if he does will he go forward?
4. Will Defoe and Crouch be out to show what they can do with a bit of service as Bent did yesterday and,
5. will Lennon be back?

Harry, please give us a team with some balance and width. If Lennon does not make it give Bentley a game or at least a subs appearance when Crouchy is on the pitch. Consider Hutton for a full game after Charley’s last outing and please go 4-4-2.

My team: Gomes, Hutton, Dawson, Woodgate, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Huddlestone, Kranjcar, Keane and Defoe.

Prediction: 2-0 home win with hopefully more goals if we get the show on the road

• The CW’s Web site has launched a store with accessories and clothing seen on Gossip Girl and 90210.
• PEOPLE.com has more on the Leighton Meester (Blair, Gossip Girl) coverstory in Glamour UK.
• Two Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills 90210) films–Mother May I Sleep With Danger and Co-Ed Call Girl–made AOL’s list of Most Awesome Lifetime Movie Titles Ever.
• Rihanna has refuted reports that she’s dating Tristan Wilds (Dixon, 90210).
• MTV has several articles jointly featuring Kellan Lutz (George, 90210) and Nikki Reed (Sadie, The O.C.), all related to Twilight and New Moon.
• Zap2it and AOL have interviews with Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan, The O.C.).
• Olivia Wilde (Alex, The O.C.) stars in Fix, which starts tomorrow in some areas. Perez Hilton posted a pretty picture of her.
• AOL also has a video interview with Joshua Jackson (Pacey, Dawson’s Creek).
• After separating in June, James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek) and his wife are getting a divorce.
• The Dawson’s Creek Web site now has a trailer advertising Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Series. It’s pretty cool.

Końcówka pierwszej walki Chada Dawsona z Glenem Johnsonem. Pojedynek odbył się 12 kwietnia 2008 roku.

Promocja dnia w sklepie Pretorian – sprawdź teraz!

Skrót drugiej walki Chada Dawsona z Glenem Johnsonem przygotowany przez telewizję HBO. Pojedynek odbył się 7 listopada 2009 roku.

Nowości w sklepie Pretorian – sprawdź teraz!

With the Paley Center’s “Dawson’s Creek: A Look Back” panel and the release of “Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Series,” I’ve been on a DC high the past week and a half.  Imagine my delight in finding someone who was not only just as enthusiastic but also chock full of insider stories only true fans like TDW readers could appreciate. And when you combine that with the fact that this guy is also partly responsible for introducing Beverly Hills 90210 to the world, well, that pretty much makes him a teen drama god.

After reading all the DC and 90210 goodness executive producer Paul Stupin shared with me, you’ll never want TDW’s stroll down memory creek to end!

TeenDramaWhore: How was the Paley Center panel?  How did it come about?

Paul Stupin: It came about for two sets of reasons. The first was that there are a  lot of die-hard Dawson’s supporters and fans out there that could support such a event. And the second key element is Sony is planning to issue this monumental all-seasons of Dawson’s DVD collection.

TDW: Yeah! It came out yesterday and I went to three different stores and finally found it!

Stupin: I just think it’s the coolest thing ever. So it was a good opportunity to call some attention to the DVD collection while at the same time having an event for the fans. It was really fun for me because when I did Dawson’s, I look back on it as a very special and rewarding time in my life and to be able to talk about it and see some cast members and see Kevin [Williamson, creator] again was just a blast.

TDW: I’m sure. I wish I could’ve been there!

Stupin: Yeah, you would’ve liked it!

TDW: Oh, I’m sure. Well let’s go back even further, to 1997-1998, and Kevin Williamson comes to you with this idea to make this semi-autobiographical show. What made you come on board?

Stupin: Well, that’s not exactly how it happened but I can tell you. I had read an early draft of this film that he wrote. At the time, it was called Scary Movie but that was going to turn into Scream and they used the original title for something else. I had read a draft of that and I had really responded to the writing. One of the things I loved about it is not only did it have some smart thrills and chills but it also had this great sort of teenage/20-something dialogue. I just loved his voice and I loved the different perspectives that he had brought to the horror genre so I pushed really hard to his agent for Kevin and I to sit down. Originally, I wanted to run two areas by him. The first area was sort of a younger X-Files-esque kind of show and the second one was just a really smart, young ensemble sort of show that could tap into younger characters’ voices. I had ran programming at Fox, so the idea of doing a family show was kind of not on the board because Fox had Party of Five. So we started to talk about potentially doing a show about a number of younger characters who live on the same street. Then Kevin sort of went away and came back and sort of pitched to me a bunch of characters living on the same creek, which, of course, was semi-autobiographical. What made that so interesting is that it specified the idea and made it something unique and took us to a place I had never seen before. And the other thing that made that original pitch so exciting was the characters. He pitched to me the characters of Dawson [James Van Der Beek] and Joey [Katie Holmes] and Jen [Michelle Williams] and how that triangle would work. And then as we were talking about that, we came up with the idea of incorporating another character into the mix who could be a confidante for Dawson and that’s how the character of Pacey [Joshua Jackson] originated.

TDW: I think you really hit it when you said the show was unique. There are a couple of specific things that people are still talking about today and they really want the inside details of how it happened. I know you guys went over a bit of this at the panel but I’d love to hear it from you yourself.  So if we can just go over a couple of different storylines, I’d love to hear what you guys were thinking and the genesis of those. So the first one is in season 2 when we have Jack [Kerr Smith] announce that he’s gay [Episodes 2.14 & 2.15, To Be Or Not To Be... & ...That Is The Question].

Stupin: I think there were two reasons for that. The first reason is it was a great way to integrate in a gay character on our series and to do it from the perspective of the kids we’d come to know and love on the show from the get-go. So the thought of involving Joey in a relationship with Jack and seeing that relationship take a completely unexpected turn and then understanding the emotional impact it would have on Joey’s character, and what it would do to Dawson and Pacey–all that seemed really interesting. And at the time, the thought of integrating a gay character and following that journey seemed really powerful and a way to tap into a whole set of emotions that would make our show even more memorable. One of the things that I love about Dawson’s is that it sort of wore its heart on its sleeve. Not only did it capture the voices and that sense of teenage yearning and teenage love and first-time love, and the power and the strength of all that, with love comes heartache as well in many stories. I think it enabled us to tell a really emotional and powerful story for a character that we’d really come to enjoy in the form of Jack. So that was one element to it and I think for Kevin it was a very personal story as well, and it was a way to again put a whole different perspective on the teen ensemble drama in a way that it hadn’t been done before. The second element to it was the fact that when Joey started that relationship with Jack, it was not going to go on forever. The key relationship in our series was what was going on between Joey and Dawson and Pacey, so the Jack character, that romance, was ultimately going to come to an end. And I think there was the thought of what a powerful way to see the relationship head south when the character starts to realize an insight into his own sexuality.

TDW: Going back to the Dawson-Joey-Pacey relationship, I read in Jeff Stepakoff’s book “Billion-Dollar Kiss” that Greg Berlanti–whom I adore–was the one to suggest putting Joey and Pacey together. I was wondering how accurate that story was in the book.

Stupin: Well, at the top of every season, we’ll sit and we’ll talk about [our plans]. We take a couple of weeks and we talk about each character and where we were going and what the sort of macro-issues were that we want to cover over the course of that particular group of 22 episodes. And Greg was definitely a part of that and the thought  of telling sort of a whole Joey-Pacey romance did in fact come out of that, absolutely. But I think you can go back, you can look at the pilot and you can look at the chemistry–and I did, in looking at the pilot last week–you can look at the chemistry between Joey and Pacey and you just know they’re sort of two peas in a pod and sooner or later that element of the triangle is going to get explored. So it’s definitely true what Jeff had in the book but I think that Greg was building from the seeds that were established in the original conception of the show, to tell you the truth.

TDW: Right.  Going to a more somber note: this probably came early on for you guys given how you plan the season but a lot of people were really surprised and devastated when in the 5th season Mitch [John Wesley Shipp] died [Episodes 5.03 & 5.04, Capeside Revisited & The Long Goodbye].

Stupin: Yes.

TDW: I’m wondering what the idea for that was. We never knew if it was casting reasons or storyline-dictated.

Stupin: It wasn’t really casting issues. The thing with Mitch was every year we would figure out a way to have 1 or 2 sort of emotional stories between Dawson and his mom and dad. In the first season we had all that great stuff with her affair with a newscaster. That was just sort of natural. The second season we have the story with mom and dad trying the open marriage, and it’s arguable as to how memorable that actually was. It seemed like such a fresh idea. I’m not sure that it translated quite as well as the idea initially seemed. And then after that, when the inter-relationships between the teenagers grew ever-more prominent and people became much more invested, it felt like the parents–though still important–were not quite as much a part of the storylines. So that’s when we would always try to include them, to have them in different things, to have great sort of Dawson-mom, Dawson-dad scenes but I think we were straining a little bit. And I think that when we got to the point of deciding the fate with Mitch, it seemed like we weren’t using him altogether that much in the series, in the seasons. We were using him but we weren’t using him in a huge way. There weren’t any financial or casting considerations. It really did come from the creative angle, in terms of how would it affect Dawson’s character if in fact this happened to his dad, and exploring that, and exploring the unexpected tragedy of it seemed like another way to really heighten the exploration as to who Dawson was, so that’s basically where that came from. And I remember talking to John Wesley and mentioning that the one thing that this would provide is that it was going to take the Dawson-father storyline to a really heartbreaking sense of conclusion and, at that point, we weren’t using him as much as we had in the past.

TDW: How does that contrast, then, to the decision in the series finale [Episodes 6.23 & 624, All Good Things... & ...Must Come To An End] to have another death and this time it be Jen?

Stupin: It was so interesting last week; it came up that in a way it was a great book-end for the series. It frankly never occurred when we were talking about the beginning or the end of the show but one could argue that the series began with a catalyst and that was the arrival of Jen. And the series ended with a catalyst as well, and that was the departure of Jen. And the one thing that I think that it did is it really brought a sense of emotional resonance and power to that final episode, because one of the things with a final episode you want to be able to do, you want to be able to end a series in a satisfying and emotional and interesting way. And if we essentially had the last episode in history for Dawson’s Creek, we could talk about and we could explore issues of mortality involving some of our characters. Then when we talked about it, if we were going to be dealing with the characters’ mortality, she seemed like the most natural character in which to explore that.

TDW: Going back to the catalyst idea, it could be extended that that was really what it took for Joey to finally make up her mind between the two boys.

Stupin: Yeah, I think a little bit. I think the interesting thing was the series sort of ends twice. It ends in the episode before then [Episode 6.22, Joey Potter And The Capeside Redemption] where we get the sense that finally Dawson and Pacey are going to be friends and Joey did actually get to Europe. And I think that had a sense of closure. Then we took it another step and went to a sort of even more sort of larger-than-life ending of exploring who she was going to end up with. I think that was the big question: who was she going to end up with? And I think that that was handled pretty well, too. Like I personally love the thought that what this show was really about was not the romance of Dawson and Joey but about the strength and depth of that friendship and how that friendship was going to exist forever.

TDW: So if you had to answer the question, in your heart of hearts, do you think Dawson belongs with Joey in a platonic, friends soulmates sense and Pacey in the romantic soulmate way?

Stupin: In my heart of hearts, I think we ended it the right away. I think that what she did have in the romance with Pacey was as powerful as the friendship with Dawson. And I think that we were able to come up with a sense of satisfying closure for both of them. ‘Cause I will tell you, weirdly enough, when I was looking at The Sopranos–I’ll weirdly liken it to the conclusion of The Sopranos, at least from my weird perspective, because I was a fan of that. I like to think, in my mind, that Tony Soprano is still out there–maybe it wasn’t going to last forever, but maybe he’s still out there with his family, still dealing with the issues and still dealing with all the balls he was juggling. And in my mind, I like to think that Dawson and Joey are still out there in our alternate TV universe, still communicating with each other and still sharing the inner-most aspects of their hearts and still dealing with their friendship as adults, and that Joey and Pacey still have that romance. Because I feel like what we were able to come up with was, for me, an emotionally-satisfying conclusion for both stories which doesn’t let anyone down. And I know there are people who think Dawson and Joey should’ve been together romantically and I totally understand that point of view but I think we did the right thing.

TDW: Well, as a Joey and Pacey fan, I completely agree with you!

Stupin: Well, I can tell you this: that decision wasn’t made until the last hour was being shot and so if you look at the first hour of that final two-hour, I think at that point we were leaning toward her ending up with Dawson and so there are a few, I think, little cues–for the life of me I don’t remember exactly–that were set up to lead us in that direction and then, frankly, in the last hour, when the last hour was being shot–because it wasn’t shot as a two-hour; it was shot as two separate 1-hours–that when we came up with that conclusion, it caused us to shift things around a little bit. So I’ll tell ya, we were undecided up until the very last minute ourselves.

TDW: Wow. Well, switching gears slightly, you spoke about Dawson and the way he would communicate with Joey. Going off that, both Kevin Williamson and James Van Der Beek are on Twitter these days. I was wondering, had the service existed when the show was on the air, how do you think Dawson would’ve used it, if he would’ve used it? As I said, They’re both on it now, and Dawson was very much a storyteller.

Stupin: Well, I think Dawson might’ve used it to express his emotions. I think he might’ve used it as a shorthand way of communicating with both Joey and Pacey. It’s certainly easier to communicate things to someone by Twitter than it is necessarily in real life. He might’ve, at some point in our storytelling, he might’ve used it to express something that he might not have been so willing to express in person.

TDW: When you look back on the show and the television landscape then and now, what do you think the show’s legacy is?

Stupin: You know, I think for me it’s–well, first of all, I’m so proud of the show. I think the characters were amazing. I think their stories were amazing. I think the quality of the writing, the quality of the direction was–of course I’m biased but I think it was just top-flight. And I really do think it took the young adult teen genre and elevated it from just a niche kind of show to something universal and iconic. I think adults could look at it. When we were doing it we never looked at it as just a teen show.  We looked at it as just a smart, interesting, relationship show that happened to deal with teenagers and though our core audience was teenagers, it was written for everybody, for people in their 20s, their 30s, their 40s. And I really think it managed to transcend all of that and bring an element of quality and exploration to the genre that really took it to the next step.

TDW: Do you have a favorite episode or storyline?

Stupin: You know, I’m so biased. It’s like trying to pick if you have 120 kids which one’s your favorite. But I think for me there are certain sort of moments that I love. There’s certain episodes, like the pilot because it introduced us to that world, and I remember so much of it almost like it was yesterday. The first season-ender when Joey went to visit her dad in prison, I loved that. I loved the detention episode [Episode 1.07, Detention]. A lot of them are some of the original ones. But then I think I love the episode when they graduated high school [Episode 4.22, The Graduate]. I thought that was just sensational. I love the one-hour ender as well as the two-hour series finale ender. I think there’s so many. The episode where they studied and it was an all-nighter [Episode 2.07, The All-Nighter]. The episode where Joey had to enter the beauty pageant [Episode 1.12, Beauty Contest]. I just love all of those.

TDW: Well, conversely, do you have a big regret or something you wish you did differently?

Stupin: Yeah. My biggest regret would probably be, as I think about it–and it was a mistake we made–was the character of Eve. Remember that character?

TDW: Yeah. You guys even have a joke about that in the episode before the series finale.

Stupin: Yeah. I don’t think the first episodes of season 3 really were as memorable as the other episodes. And I think that whole notion of “Is she Jen’s sister? Is she not?”–I don’t think that was that effective. I don’t look back on that run of episodes as my favorites.

TDW: Yeah, I think the fans do agree with that.

Stupin: Yeah, but you know what, we turn it around.  In the middle of that season we turned it around with–

TDW: With Joey and Pacey.

Stupin: Yeah, with Joey and Pacey. And that certainly helped get us back, I think, to our roots.

TDW: Going more to your history, I know you played a bit of a role with the creation of Beverly Hills 90210.

Stupin: Yes, I did.

TDW: What influence, if any, did that show have on Dawson‘s Creek?  If you learned anything from how viewers took to what was really the first teenage show, as Dawson’s Creek is largely considered the next step in the genre.

Stupin: Well, two things. And it’s an interesting question. The first thing: when I hired Darren Star to write 90210, I felt as if his voice was just so unique in terms of his ability to write characters and come up with dialogue and wit that seemed like it would be a particularly good fit if he put into teenager characters’ mouths. So in a way I think that when I read Kevin’s voice, I felt some of it was the same in terms of being clever and sharp and smart and pop culturally-savvy. I felt like I had found another voice who was capable of taking the genre to the next step. So I felt like both Kevin and Darren brought originally a really unique sense of humor and sharpness to their creation of characters and dialogue. So I think there was a similarity there. The one issue that I took away from 90210, that was very effective in 90210, was the mix of issue-oriented episodes and personal inter-relationships. Though, when we jumped into Dawson’s, we veered away from doing the issue-oriented episodes and explored further just all of the great inter-relationships.

TDW: Going further ahead to the rest of the genre and the teen dramas that are on today, do you think Dawson’s Creek influenced them?

Stupin: I’m sure it did, though I can’t say–you know, again, I’m biased. I don’t know. In my mind, I’m undecided as to what the next real step in the genre is after Dawson’s. I’m not sure what it is. I haven’t watched enough of the shows. I hold, of course again I’m so biased, but I hold everything up to the prism of Dawson’s. I don’t know if any of them that have come since have quite represented that cultural milestone that Dawson’s did.

TDW: Do you think Dawson’s Creek would fly on The CW today? Because it’s so different than what The WB was.

Stupin: Yeah. I’m not sure. I’ve often thought would I be able to sell Dawson’s today? Would I be able to pitch that as a series and get it going, and I’m not altogether sure. Because now, when you look at Dawson’s, we sold it off the strength of the characters and off of the strength of Kevin’s voice being so fresh. Now, I think that the networks are looking for slightly higher concepts. So I’m not altogether sure that a Dawson’s would be able to sell today.

TDW: I have to ask, then, why do you think the 90210 spin-off sold?

Stupin: Oh, I see, are you talking about bringing able to bring it back, for instance?

TDW: Well, no, not for it to be a spin-off. But the 90210 concept today is working.

Stupin: Well, I think the 90210 concept–everyone, myself included, has fondness for that original show. The thought of sort of putting two new outsiders into that world and bringing the  show back is a great way to hook people into a whole new group of characters, and I think it was a great idea. The thing with Dawson’s is I don’t know if bringing the world of Dawson’s Creek back with a bunch of new characters would generate quite the excitement. Because I think when you think about the show, you think about Dawson and you think about the very unique 3 characters, the 4 characters we had, and the actors that played them. And I’m not sure if it was brought back again–I certainly wouldn’t want to redo it with a new Dawson or a new Pacey. So the question would be could we go back to Capeside with a whole new group of characters, and I’m not sure we would be able to put together a new group of people as memorably as we did originally.

TDW: Right. You know, they say lightening strikes once.

Stupin: Right. And you know, I’m afraid you always run the risk of–when you make a sequel to a movie that’s not as good, it kind of reflects negatively on the original movie.

TDW: I completely agree.

Stupin: And I like to think of all our episodes as being so special, I’m not sure it’s something you could bring back.

TDW: Well, my biggest disappointment right now is that Dawson’s Creek is no longer on any channel in America.

Stupin: Really? You know, they gotta get on that! Wasn’t it running like forever in the early morning hours?

TDW: It used to be on TBS. When I was in high school, it used to be on at like 10am. And then they pushed it to 4:30am, 5:30am and then it just faded away there and now it’s not on at all.

Stupin: I’m not sure what the design is on that because I always like to know that Dawson’s is out there.

TDW: I know, I know. It saddens me that it’s just not in repeats anywhere anymore in this country.

Stupin: You know what, those things tend to be cyclical. Maybe in the future you’ll be channel surfing one night. Knowing you, you’ll know way before then but maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

TDW: Fingers crossed.

Stupin: Exactly.

TDW: Well, let’s bring it back and finish on today. You’re with Make It Or Break It on ABC Family. Just looking at your career over the years, what is it about Make It or Break It that you’re here now?

Stupin: Well, what I love about Make It Or Break It is I’m a big fan of the genre, having originally developed 90210 and then developed Dawson’s. When I left to become a producer, I never really thought that my first real success would be in the same genre as 90210 because I actually never thought that lightning would strike twice in that genre for me as quickly as it did. But after I ran Dawson’s, you know, for six years, I developed a real love for the genre. And the thing that I love about Make It or Break It is the idea. It’s a fresh idea, it’s a fresh world. And it provides a pretty unique prism in which to explore sort of teenage relationships in a really unusual way. I mean, these girls aren’t normal teenagers. They’re elite gymnasts and there are rules against relationships as they’re pursuing their passion. How do they deal with that? And how do we deal with the same elements of teenage love and relationships and heartbreak but from a whole different perspective? And I love that about it, and I also love the relationships between the main characters and their parents and their parental figures. I think they’re a really organic element to the show and give us an opportunity to deal with really unusual family situations as well. So that’s why I love it. And also the gymnastics is just really cool. It’s a lot of fun just to see the gymnastics.

TDW: Oh, the gymnastics is just phenomenal to watch.

Stupin: So I think that Make It Or Break It is just such a special show. We’ve done 10 episodes and I think it’s just starting to get its sea legs. I think it has a huge successful life in front of it, I hope.

TDW: Well, best of luck to you on that!

Stupin: Thank you!

Come back next Sunday for another exclusive interview!

TDW Interview Index

You’ve got to be pleased when players from your club are called up for international duty but then sometimes you ask the question “are they good enough to play?”

These thoughts passed through my mind when Messrs Huddlestone and Jenas were called up for the England game against Brazil. If you’ve read my previous posts you’ll know I question whether these two are good enough to play against the Top 4 opponents if we want to win the game so to play Brazil, whilst a fantastic honour for them, is in my humble opinion a bridge too far. Full stop as far as Jenas is concerned and at this time for Tommy though he has a little time on his side.

So what did we get? I missed the first half but did not hear the commentators raving about the side’s performance or that of individuals. What I saw in the second did JJ’s chance little good as he was his usual hesitant self going backwards with the pass, sometimes to a man under pressure, or failing to exploit the space.

At the end Cappello will remember a very poor free kick that eluded Milner and went out of play from a promising position. Tommy had a brief appearance and little chance to impress though he did float a couple of balls in for Defoe to chase.

Defoe replaced Darren Bent at a time when the midfield were not producing sufficient chances for him to exploit and Crouchy replaced Wright-Phillips the man who looked like producing crosses. I never understand these substitutions. If the midfield fail why should Bent be replaced? Maybe it’s the white shirt – it never agreed with him at club level either! And how will this change shape up the midfield to produce chances for Defoe instead?

Likewise if you remove the provider how does the striker seize a chance to equalise? I’ve never understood this but then I think you keep on your strikers in the hope that one chance drops for them.

We knew before the game that this would be makeshift side. And it really shows how little depth the England team has got from the Premier League. Foster and Wes Brown are not regular starters. Lescott is not an international centre back and Upson and Bridge failed to make their mark at Arsenal and Chelsea. The same can be said for Wright-Phillips at Chelsea, Jenas is not a regular at Spurs if Modric is fit and Milner was challenging Ashley Young for the left wing slot. Bent scores goals but regularly against the top 4?

Nothing I saw told me that Dawson and Woodgate cannot knock out Upson and Lescott if they get fit and play plenty of games so overall tonight’s game is encouraging for them and also for Lennon who certainly stakes a strong claim for a place come the World Cup.

• Be sure to check out The CW’s site for all the new video content this week.
• Last night’s One Tree Hill (2.7 million viewers rounded up) and Gossip Girl (2.4  million viewers rounded up) saw a great increase in the ratings compared to last week. One Tree Hill matched its season-high, and The CW sent out a press release touting that and Gossip Girl’s increases in the key demographics.
• Examiner.com has an interview with Austin Nichols (Julian, One Tree Hill).  I love what he says about The Notebook.  It’s both kind of sweet in an idealistic way and funny in a realistic way.  By the way, have you read my interview with Nichols?
• MTV picked up The Notebook comments as well. It’s even more interesting when you consider that Bethany Joy Galeotti (Haley, One Tree Hill) is adapting the movie into a musical.  That’s what Lee Norris (Mouth) was referring to in our interview.
• The One Tree Hill Connection has a new podcast with an interview with Mike Grubbs of WakeyWakey who played, um, Grubbs in last night’s episode.
• PEOPLE.com has a poll asking if the Gossip Girl threesome was “too sexy or too safe.”
• The Parents Television Council released a new statement in response to the episode.
• I really enjoyed TVGuideMagazine.com’s take on the threesome and Variety has an interesting comparison to Two and a Half Men.
• Gossip Girl has been nominated for Favorite TV Obsession and Blake Lively (Serena) was nominated for Favorite TV Drama Actress in the People’s Choice Awards, where fans actually vote for the winners.
• In case you missed my coverage, Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Series was released on DVD today.  They also finally updated the Web site!
• Just noticed that James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek) tweeted about the Chad Michael Murray (Charlie, Dawson’s Creek; Lucas, One Tree Hill) comments at the Paley panel.
• In advance of its January premiere, EW.com is already telling readers to watch Life UneXpected, which stars Kerr Smith (Jack, Dawson’s Creek).
• Adam Brody (Seth, The O.C.) says he tried doing his own singing for Jennifer’s Body but they didn’t like his voice.

In honor of today’s release of Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Series, I’ve rounded up some key cast and crew to reflect on the monumental series.  If you followed my coverage of the Paley Center panel, you probably noticed a certain lady was MIA: Mary Beth Peil, better known as the one and only Grams.

I was lucky enough to track her down.  In our interview below, Peil discusses her favorite parts of playing grandmother to Michelle William’s Jen and shares memories of her time at Northwestern University, where we each attended college.

Enjoy the first part of TDW’s stroll down memory creek…

TeenDramaWhore: You started out as an opera singer and then moved on to theater.  What attracted you to a serialized drama about teenagers?

Mary Beth Peil: My life as an opera singer had NOTHING to do with a teen drama other than the fact that, having left opera in my early 40s, I was working very hard to prove myself as a legitimate actress and musical theatre performer. When the audition came along I went with the attitude of  “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

TDW: Do you think you share any qualities with Grams?

Peil: Age-wise I am closer to Grams NOW than when we started. I always thought of Grams as in her late 60s, early 70s. When we started the show, I was 57. I have a wonderful relationship with my daughter as opposed to Grams with Jen’s mom. BUT I DO LEARN something new everyday it seems…from my kids and young granddaughters. Being able to work with young actors all the time is a wonderful way to keep learning … AND give advice when asked for it.

TDW: Why do you think Grams was the one to teach the greatest lessons and have the wisest sayings?  (My favorite is probably “Love is the hardest of woods.”)

Peil: Oh I love that line! When I was shooting FRINGE with Josh [Jackson, Pacey],  he brought out that line as one of his favorites. Grams was really the only GROWNUP. It seemed that everyone’s PARENTS were going through their own adolescence angst/identity crisis etc. and I think [creator Kevin Williamson] wisely tapped into the “PRIMAL Tribal Elder” syndrome which our society seems to fight or ignore.

TDW: Grams had a pretty progressive love life for her age. Which parts of that did you think were realistic and which not so much?

Peil: Again…I think society dictates that she was progressive for her age. But I think being surrounded by all those raging hormones and libidos had a subliminal affect on her. Made her see herself in the mirror a little differently each day and as time went on begin to realize there was something missing in her life. I think the only thing TRULY UNrealistic about it was the availability of single straight age-appropriate MEN!!!!

TDW: They touched on this a little bit at the Paley Center panel and I’m wondering what your take is.  Fans would’ve been devastated had Grams died during the show, just as they were when Mitch did.  Why do you think it was so important that she even outlived her own granddaughter?

Peil: Another life lesson for everyone…the only thing you can expect  is the UNexpected. Parents are supposed to go first  BUT it doesn’t always turn out that way. AND of course it gave Kevin the opportunity to write some of his best stuff for the last episode.

TDW: Your Grams voice isn’t actually your natural one.  What inspired the voice and what was it like having to do it so often?

Peil: It just CAME at the audition. Her name was GRAMS so I knew that she was older than me. The first time I said  “Jennifer!!!”…it all fell into place. They wanted a hint of Cape Cod  but not too much. It was like part of my costume…that voice…part of putting gray in my hair…that voice…GRAMS.

TDW: As you mentioned, earlier this year, you reunited with Joshua Jackson on the set of Fringe.  What was that like?  Are you in touch with any of the other cast or crew?

Peil: When I arrived for a fitting the day before I was to shoot, Josh came through the office where I was waiting and all the
staff was peeking out of cubbies and from behind desks to see what would happen when he saw me. He did not disappoint.
He is such an OPEN Unaffected person…he literally jumped up and down with joy like I was his favorite Christmas present. We hadn’t seen each other in a while. We had done a reading together a couple of years ago. And it was sheer delight to work with him on set and to see what a splendid actor and MAN he has become.  I shot a film in Wilmington (THE LIST) and reunited with many of the wonderful crew. The DAWSON’S crew was just HEAVEN! Salt of the earth types…happy to be living and working in coastal NC.
I saw Katie [Holmes, Joey] in ALL MY SONS on Broadway and was so proud of her. Have occasional emails, conversations with James [Van Der Beek, Dawson]. But Michelle is  my ANGEL! I have unconditional love and respect for her. For her choices in her personal life and her professional life

TDW: Finish this sentence: When I look back on Dawson’s Creek, I think ….

Peil: I’m a big believer in the Gods and Goddesses of TIMING and the CREEK came into my life at the PERFECT time. I am deeply grateful for all that I learned (about being on camera regularly) AND for my beautiful Upper West Side apartment which we call the “HOUSE THAT DAWSON BUILT.”

TDW: Will we see more of you on The Good Wife?

Peil: I think so…am shooting a wonderful episode right now. Hoping Jackie has more to do as we go along through the season.  It is a wonderful show…cast, crew, producers AND WRITERS !

TDW: Lastly: I’m a Northwestern graduate as well, and I’m wondering if you’ve been back to the campus since you went there and what reflections you have of your time there.

Peil: Yes, I have been back. Shortly after graduation I was appearing at the Opera house in Chicago so I came up to Evanston to visit. They were just starting the lakefront development. In the early 80s I was back again with Chicago Opera Theatre and 4 years later I was there with KING AND I and went up and was knocked out by the changes. And then recently I was doing a play at Steppenwolf and came up and literally did not recognize the place. I was a Music Major and it took some doing to even FIND that big old white elephant of a building. I had a wonderful rich time at NU…  a solid liberal arts education, the BEST preparation for a career in Opera AND one year of acting with the legendary Alvina Krauss. She let me take her class because she was an Opera fan..and I think she knew even back then that I was a singing ACTRESS as opposed to an acting SINGER. Even life in the Sorority house has given me life long friends.  How lovely that you too are an Alum….quite an impressive group of folks, eh???

Come back Sunday for another exclusive Dawson’s Creek interview!

TDW Interview Index

It’s another big fight week. Which means different things to different people.

Especially we writer types.

Some count down to opening bells by waxing nostalgic on past events. Some immerse in head-to-head matchups seeking evidence of one man’s superiority. And others simply spend time gorging on hospitality food and drink buffets.

Not a bad selection in the bunch… if you ask me.

But I come here not to praise the fistic establishment, but to bury it.

And, while simultaneously pondering replies to a Facebook friend request from someone I’ve neither seen in about 20 years nor liked in about 21, I’m feeling just a tad bit crusadery.

Either that or it’s another mid-life crisis.

And though no one’s asked my opinion in so many words, I’ve nonetheless chosen this week to climb on the soapbox and enlighten with my own home remedy for boxing’s ills.

My personal sanctioning body, if you will.

For lack of a better idea, and because all the good ones are taken, we’ll keep our name simple.

Ladies and gentlemen… I present the IMHO.

Of course, with the arrival of a supreme being of sanctioning bodies all the others must immediately be dissolved. So with apologies to their office-bound hierarchies and corporate staffs, I bid adieu to the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC and WBO.

Not to mention The Ring.

Sorry Oscar, you’ve been downsized.

Or if you prefer, voted off alphabet island.

Next, I hereby declare all existing championships vacant.

To all the men who’d been holding world title belts when the aforementioned ruling was handed down, thanks for your time. Your in-ring service is noted. Your worthy accomplishments are commended. Now please step back into line with everyone else.

Our new tagline: “Lineal, schmineal. We’re the IMHO.”

P.S. – You can keep your belts if you’d like. You know, to show the grandkids someday as evidence that you were young once. Kind of like 8-track tapes. Or pay telephones.

But now… it’s on to new business.

At the risk of alienating purists in the crowd – you know the type, folks who pine desperately for the days of eight weight classes and log-chopping training camps – we have an announcement.

The IMHO is a champion of technology. We endorse replay to determine whether cuts are caused by punches. We give scratch pads to judges flummoxed by carrying 1s on their scorecards. And we use computers to remove any trace of human bias from our ratings.

OK, full disclosure… the IBO beat us to that last one.

But now that it’s been disbanded (see Paragraph 12), we’re claiming it as our own.

Nyah, nyaaaaah.

Upon annexation, the immediate priority becomes filling title vacancies.

Referring to ratings as of Nov. 1 (www.iboboxing.com/top_100_computerized_rankings.html), the top four in each weight class will be matched up in mini single-elimination tournaments to be begun and completed by mid-2010.

Tourney winners will be awarded pristine new championship belts.

All losers will be placed back in the mix for mandatory title defenses.

Each freshly minted champion will fight at least twice per year, once against the incumbent No. 1 challenger and once more against a top 10 contender of his choosing. If a champion elects to fight three or more times in a year, other opponents can be chosen at his whim.

If you want to give an anonymous hometown kid a shot, go for it. If you want to pull the trigger on a guy 25 pounds lighter, knock yourself out. And hey, if you can win multiple titles and meet defense requirements in multiple classes… bully.

Just don’t ask for special treatment. Because you won’t get it.

Meanwhile, concurrent fights between contenders will be called just that: fights between contenders. Not interim title fights. Or title eliminators.

Or any other trumped-up code name that actually translates to “Please remit 10 percent of your anticipated purse to the address below, in exchange for a meaningless title belt.”

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. But they’ve got no place in boxing.

Similar terms like super, interim, unified, undisputed, emeritus or in-recess have also been barred forever. In fact, the mere mention of such imposters – or the very mouthing of the term “catch weight” at any official IMHO gathering – is grounds for permanent media suspension.

And contrary to this weekend’s jewelry-encrusted “title fight” of convenience, the IMHO’s weight-class boundaries are hard, fast and non-negotiable.

If a fighter chooses to defend his title two pounds lighter than the limit, so be it. But no title match will be sanctioned that requires any fighter to come in at anything other than the established weights.

It may irk the odd promoter or two – sorry Bob – but it ought to satisfy the hardest line of a fickle scribe horde that’s always quick to point out shortfalls in existing systems, all while quickly lapping what the alphabets serve like parched dogs at a soiled toilet.

You can’t have it both ways, people. And in the new IMHO era, you won’t. 

Finally, presuming the fighters entering each mini-tourney as top seeds emerge victorious, the inaugural list of IMHO champions would look like this:

Heavyweight – Wladimir Klitschko

Cruiserweight – Steve Cunningham

Light Heavyweight – Chad Dawson

Super Middleweight – Carl Froch

Middleweight – Kelly Pavlik

Super Welterweight – Paul Williams

Welterweight – Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Super Lightweight – Manny Pacquiao

Lightweight – Juan Manuel Marquez

Super Featherweight – Humberto Soto

Featherweight – Chris John

Super Bantamweight – Celestino Caballero

Bantamweight – Hozumi Hasegawa

Super Flyweight – Nonito Donaire

Flyweight – Omar Narvaez

Junior Flyweight – Ivan Calderon

Strawweight – Oleydong Sithsamuochai

Not to speak for the masses, but we IMHO types think that’s a roster to be proud of.

And as for other day-to-day issues, they’ll be dealt with as they arise. In fact, I say bring ’em on and let’s get started. We’ve got promises to keep. And title fights to sign before we sleep.

After all, folks… it ain’t rocket science. It’s just boxing.

And in my humble opinion at least, we couldn’t do a lot worse.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

This week’s title-fight schedule:

FRIDAY

IBO welterweight title – Stoke, United Kingdom

Lovemore N’dou (champion) vs. Matthew Hatton (No. 50 contender)      

N’dou (47-11-1, 31 KO): First title defense; Ex-IBF champion at 140 pounds

Hatton (37-4-1, 14 KO): First title fight; Four-fight win streak since May 2008 (4-0, 1 KO)

Fitzbitz says: N’dou by decision

SATURDAY 

WBO welterweight title – Las Vegas, Nev.

Miguel Cotto (champion) vs. Manny Pacquiao (No. 1 contender)

Cotto (34-1, 27 KO): Second title defense; One loss in 15 title fights (14-1, 11 KO)

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KO): First title fight at 147 pounds; One loss in 12 title fights (9-1-2, 8 KO)

Fitzbitz says: Pacquiao in 10

WBA super welterweight title – Las Vegas, Nev.

Daniel Santos (champion) vs. Yuri Foreman (No. 1 champion)      

Santos (32-3-1, 23 KO): First title defense; Two losses in 11 title fights (9-2, 5 KO)

Foreman (27-0, 8 KO): First title fight; Second fight in Las Vegas (1-0, 0 KO) 

Fitzbitz says: Santos by decision

So its 1 am right now and I’m pretty bored, but can’t sleep. I figured I would troll youtube and put together a fun post of some videos I found pretty interesting. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

This is possibly the best parody of Bohemian Rhapsody I have ever seen…

This teacher seems pretty cool. I thought it was a pretty creative use of a projector to be honest.

With this one, at first you will just shake your head and think to yourself “What in the world?” But as it goes on, you will find yourself laughing just because it’s so ridiculous.

While this one isn’t a comedy or anything, I was watching this, thought it was pretty amazing, so figured I’d share!

For those of you that remember the pocket pets, this one will be quite funny. If you don’t you might feel a little left in the dark.

So its 1 am right now and I’m pretty bored, but can’t sleep. I figured I would troll youtube and put together a fun post of some videos I found pretty interesting. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

This is possibly the best parody of Bohemian Rhapsody I have ever seen…

This teacher seems pretty cool. I thought it was a pretty creative use of a projector to be honest.

With this one, at first you will just shake your head and think to yourself “What in the world?” But as it goes on, you will find yourself laughing just because it’s so ridiculous.

While this one isn’t a comedy or anything, I was watching this, thought it was pretty amazing, so figured I’d share!

For those of you that remember the pocket pets, this one will be quite funny. If you don’t you might feel a little left in the dark.

1. Beverly Hills 90210: Episode 2. 23, Cardio Funk

The gang does karaoke at The Peach Pit. (Ignore the Spanish!)

2. Dawson’s Creek: Episode 3.19 , Stolen Kisses

The gang does karaoke at Dawson’s aunt’s house. (Skip to 5.45)