DRW50

Thanks for continuing to share these with us. The 70s soap magazines provide so many unique types of discussions which would never be asked today - talking about therapy, EST, astrology, and so on. Malcolm seems like a fascinating person. I loved Louise's response too. She seems like a hoot.

He's good at putting on a slick facade but he will desperately pander to the far right to get support. He did that when he was governor, flip-flopping all over the place on matters like global warming, and he also flip-flopped on gay rights throughout his career. When he thought it would make him a star he blatantly hitched his wagon to the odious Bachmann and her big rallies against gay marriage in 2004. Bachmann and her followers used to go in and pray over the desks of the legislators while they were out, just to try to help them see that the big priority should be banning any (based on what the legislation actually said) legal contracts between same-sex couples.

Tim Pawlenty, who helped preside over a very divisive Minnesota GOP for years and is often hyped as some sort of thoughtful or intelligent alternative to hard right conservatives, panders once again by pledging to repeal DADT. http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/pawlenty-to-bryan-fischer-id-support-reinstating-dadt.php?ref=fpblg

Before being cast on ATWT as the ballerina, Leslie Denniston auditioned to be Tara on AMC and Liza on SFT.

There seems to be a strong contempt in Emmerdale now for its past characters. I guess they feel they have to "move on" or be "modern." I can't argue with the ratings success so far, but I wonder how that will last. This last stunt seemed so slapped together, from the badly Photoshopped promo on. I guess that might have been down to Gavin Blyth falling in, but the one with Jackson wasn't worth it either.

Poor Deena http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/01/14/emmerdale-s-deena-payne-talks-about-her-hurt-and-disappointment-at-her-character-viv-being-killed-off-115875-22847567/

Yeah I'd forgotten about that. And then when he was so hurt when Louise dumped him for Matthew. Why are they getting rid of a dependable, talented actor for so many talentless new cast members?

Short interview with Billy Hartman. Poor guy...Terry was so underrated and underused. When they bothered to give him a story, like Terry's stroke, or Dawn's death, he did a great job. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a297844/hartman-emmerdale-has-been-wonderful.html

So from what I've heard, the two characters who died didn't even get an exit scene, and Viv won't even get an onscreen funeral. I guess respect for history doesn't mean much if you need that airtime for such thrilling stories as the wooden, vapid Katie/Andy/EvilCop, Declan's annoying family, the increasingly pointless Bartons, and life-draining Aaron and Jackson having the same scene for months on end! If Emmerdale is going to trash its own history, I wish their present wasn't so damn hollow.

That's my favorite Ricky Nelson song - very haunting, and so ahead of its time. Ricky is so underrated as a musician. Anyway...

Yeah the show didn't exactly bother to hide that. Not sure why.

Karin Wolfe was a writer later on (or was that Garin)?

Were there any particular actresses playing Mary Anderson you liked or didn't like? At the time did these characters seem like new blood? It's tough for me to say because we know now most of them were gone within a few years, but some of them seem very generic to me. I think I have a Days with the Hayes where they also help introduce the new characters, but can't find it at the moment.

Thanks for reading. I don't know very much about Leslie (I don't think Josh Taylor mentioned her when he mentioned his leading ladies as Chris) or about Cassie Burns. Was Cassie a minor character? I imagine people at the time must have felt a little patronized if they'd read this, especially since most of the new characters didn't seem to work out. But Mrs. Corday seems to be less condescending than most of today's soap producers. That's sad about Stephen Brooks. I didn't know he'd passed away. I was hoping they might have brought Jean Bruce Scott back when Nick was on the show. I didn't know Liz was a villain when she started out.

The rumor was the role was created for Judi and they were waiting for her to leave DAYS. Whether that's true or not I'm not sure.

Pilon seems to lack charisma, which basically made Alan what he was. I don't think Alan ever had that again after Bernau passed away. I read on Youtube today that Beverlee tried to get them to hire Daniel Davis (who had played her crazy husband Eliot Carrington on Texas - later to be Niles the butler on The Nanny) as Alan after Bernau passed on. How do you think that would have been? I saw Pilon from some soft-core Canadian anthology show, Bliss, around 2002, in some episode about swinging couples. He didn't show anything, but it was still kind of odd when I remembered he played Alan and then he was...doing that. I love this clip. The comedy between Alex and Harley is fine but the best part is when Harley accidentally rips Alex's wedding dress to Eric, and Alex begins to talk about her lost love and how she had never felt that way again. Beverlee played that wistfulness so beautifully. Marj had her moments but generally she either didn't have those chances or didn't use them.

Since when does that stop Hollyoaks I think they should keep her in a supporting role for now. I would build up a toxic relationship with Cindy, love/hate perhaps some of that movie Joan Crawford won an Oscar for (I'm blanking). It looks like one of HO's best actresses is still keeping active after being fired.

The Wylde story fell apart last year and perhaps the show resents the actors in the family for leaving, but how sad to see this once fascinating bunch each given such a poor exit, first Natasha, then that crap with Nathan, now Maisie moping her way out of town, not even having goodbyes with anyone she used to be friendly with. I guess Declan is so busy with his annoying family that the show couldn't be bothered to even have him say goodbye to her or notice she was gone. I still wonder why, if they're having a clearout, they've done such a poor job with the new characters they've brought in.

I think they should just write Finn and Diane out. Have Sinead move in with, I don't know, Frankie? Don't really care. Finn seems to be lifeless and Diane is a bore.

I like Judi Evans, although it's still a tough adjustment for me when I see her in the earlier episodes - she's a bit tough, and the vulnerability isn't quite as on the surface - but there's something so ethereal about Cali's work as Paulina, so fragile, yet tough too, when she has to be. At the time you were watching these did you think they were pairing up Pauline/Jamie? I did wonder when they had Jamie worrying so much about Paulina, holding her in her room on her wedding day, then didn't Marley become convinced they were involved? Do you think the show should have gone there? I know I mentioned this a while back but I found that Digest with Tom Eplin and Ellen Wheeler on the cover, I'll try to scan some of it soon.

Some fun moments here with Alex and her attitude towards Blake, Harley ("Meals on Wheels waitress"), and her trying to keep Alan in line while looking out for Sonni. Great writing for Alex, and I love Bev's sarcasm and cool looks. Poor Elizabeth Denehy - did Kids in the Hall get their inspiration for the Chicken Lady from her?

I've been too annoyed by their hostility towards vets and their misery-for-the-sake-of-misery stories and horrible new characters to get into the show recently.

It's very disappointing, because the people who aren't satisfied will never be satisfied, and the people who were drawn into this story will now have less interest. The show loses both ways.