Ben

I'm so not looking forward to, "Nasty" Nick's return. I don't see the need for it. June Brown, has way too much clout, for my liking. Hmm, seems like a point I should've added to that Vets thread of Sylph's. Only listen when it's for the good of the show.

I wouldn't know! That't nearly double my age. Sam Janus, is awesome. Well, Archie's contracted for 6 months... So, who wants to bet that it'll all blow-up, in The Vic, on Christmas day? Unless Bradley and Stacey hijack Xmas, of course.

Too true. Corrie has been terrible for the last 2 years, but not once did the press criticise the producer, or the horrendous characters that were introduced. EE, is under the spotlight in a way that other soaps don't get. When it falls from it's perch, it gets bashed. I don't think it helps that it's no longer the #1 rated show. When Corrie was dire, it was still pulling in the ratings. That's been true of the past, but the 2 years have shown that far from the case. The show became, Conner Street, with anyone who wasn't involved with Liam/Carla/Michelle, backburnered, or dropped to recurring, like, Kelly Crabtree. David and his "devilish" antics also dominated things, as well as the horrible Morton family.

I don't watch Hollyoaks, so I won't. Tricky question. I'd say none of them. Emmerdale still sucks. But Corrie, I suppose is improving, albeit at a slow pace, after an horrendous 2 years. Ronnie/Archie - this is good. Archie's evil, with a capital 'E'. Ronnie fell pregnant at 14, and when she gave birth, Archie stole her baby and gave it up for adoption. He has this need to control everyone and everything around him. When Ronnie, went to track down Roxy, she found her living with their father. While alone, he callously and coldly revealed in the cruellest way possible that her daughter is now dead. Apparently she drowned in the bath. He made it clear that it was a good thing, as Ronnie didn't deserve to be a mother, and she was never going to get the chance to be one. Ronnie also blames him for driving her mother away. No, Roxy is not Ronnie's daughter. But new direction-less, Danielle, probably is. She's blonde, right age, etc. Really predictable. If she isn't, then she really does have zero point. Ronnie hates Sean, because he's a total slime. Isn't that enough? They've been getting on better since Archie descended upon The Vic. Weirdly, the guy owns a mansion, yet settles for living in an overcrowded flat above a pub, in East London. Go figure. Oh, I suppose Sean, is better the devil you know. Corrie is overrated, especially with the press (it can do no wrong in their eyes). It's slowly picking up, but not fast enough. Small improvements are better than none... If only they could see the light, and get rid of the stereotypical Sean, and the annoying Michelle.

It's like a steam train heading in the wrong direction. EE is not in the same place it was this time last year. For some reason, Santa has been undoing all of the good work he put in place. This summer was extremely plot-driven, and heavily focused on certain characters. There has been an air of predictability and a sense of laziness with the execution of some stories. The show has a lot of dead weight, which do nothing more that clutter up the canvas. Billy, Garry, Minty, Heather, Shirley, Vinnie, Darren, Charlie... New characters are really direction-less, and lack a valid point for being in Albert Square - Danielle, Callum, Suzy. The latter pair have family, but still they don't seem to blend in very well. Callum is Vinnie's son, who's leaving anyway, which makes his son's arrival pointless (he's also badly miscast). He's been chucked into a love triangle with Bradley/Stacey (yawn), who BTW, are being forced upon us. At the moment, Eastenders seems to revolve around the Mitchell's and the Branning's, with the Jackson's thrown in for good measure, while Christian, Patrick, Denise, Chelsea, Lucas, The Masood's, continue to languish on the backburner. They killed Jase off, which only serves to isolate Dawn, further. Axed Honey and Yolande, for no good reason, which almost makes their spouses obsolete; It also allows them not to deal with little Janet, and her Downs Syndrome. So basically, we have the dullness of, Max/Tanya/Jack; Bradley/Stacey/Callum; Archie & Peggy; Archie/Ronnie/Roxy/Sean (which isn't moving very fast), and Bianca/Tony/Whitney (which is all a bit creepy for the timeslot). Oh, and Jane was given a clichéd secret, complete with clichéd dialogue to match. Overall, it's not good, but it's not bad, either. Just mediocre. And Eastenders can be so much more than mediocre.

Since I last posted, my opinion has changed. Not really that into the show atm. In fact I'm back to missing episodes again. Way to newbie-centric for my liking - 80% of the cast are new, and all within the space of several months. I haven't been keeping up with Oz spoilers, so this is mostly UK pace. After Sam's murderer was revealed to have been herself, Jack and Martha got back together. After a rough period persuading everyone that they were meant-to-be, Martha discovered she's pregnant - cue, who's the daddy? Roman knows he's a candidate, but Jack doesn't. Tony proposes to Rachel, and she excepted. She wants to start a family, but it turns out that Tony, had the snip, sometime after Beth's death (when the hell did he fit that in?), and he can't have it reversed, due to complications of some sort. Another childless relationship for Rachel, then. After her plot to break-up Rachel/Tony was revealed, as well as a frank talk with Rachel, Jazz decided to take stock of her life, and leave town to reconnect with Drew. Gavin, the jerk newspaper editor, tried to have, The Den, shut down, as part of some revenge attempt against Belle, for quitting her photo journalism job, by insulting him. He failed. Leah and Miles tried to fight their attraction to one another. Miles tracked down a kid, he'd befriended in Phuket, who he'd promised to look after. Jai was reluctant at first, but decided to come and stay with Miles, in Summer Bay House. He struck up a friendship with Maddie, due to her perfume reminding him of his Mum. Noel blackmailed Ric, into partaking in under-ground bare-knuckle-fighting. Viv's unborn bayb, which was Ric's, was at stake. Ric came up against an old member of Johnny's gang. Viv's baby was diagnosed with a disability, she tried to flee, but Noel, caught her. Ric managed to scrape with his life, but Viv lost the baby, while Noel faked his death to escape his debts, as well as the cops. Maddie organized a sweet memorial for the baby. Ric got a job as a security guard, working with Aden's dad, Larry. During an armed robbery (Kane), Larry was shot, and Ric was injured. He's now suffering from post-traumatic stress. Geoff and Melody became the new, Romeo & Juliet. After Nicole's bet to snag him for herself failed, Christine (Melody's Mum) plotted to keep them apart (uber catholic, everything's a sin, etc), first by taking on Miles, and his chosen reading material, which basically put the kids to sleep, than corrupt; then by issuing a restraining order against, Geoff. It was at Nicole's (Roman's teenage daughter) party, which was gate crashed by Axel's mates, that saw Axel try to seduce Melody, even though she said no. Belle and Aden started to draw closer. Their flirtation nearly boiled over into something more. He's still dealing with his grandfather's abuse, and is feeling betrayed by his father. Larry swore his was off the grog, but during the night of the armed robbery, in which he got shot, he'd been drinking, which has caused complications. Nicole showed that she cared for him, by opening up her heart, but he broke it by rebuffing her, and subsequently forgetting their tête-a-tête. And Nicole's reasons for being in town - her mother's boyfriend tried it on with her. During Sam's murder case, Morag hooked up with old lover, Ross. Colleen's over protectiveness of newly discovered sister, nearly cost Morag her relationship. Alf persuaded Morag to give into her feelings, and let love take hold. Ross' daughter Charlie, arrived, non to pleased about the budding romance. She saw it as a crime against her dead mother's memory. Kane and Kirsty returned, with their son, Oliver in tow. Irene ended up hiding the fugitives, while Oliver received treatment for a bone condition. After a car chase, Kane was caught, and arrested for several robberies. Kirsty was devastated. I've probably left heaps out. But this is the gist of where we are. It's all a bit boring, really. I loved Jazz, and Rachel Gordon, who played her. Simply stunning. I thought it was her Neighbours, role as faux-Dr. Charlotte Stone, which was completely different to her Blue Heelers Character? Maybe I'm mistaken, but it come before Jazz... I can't get into Martha's story, at all. It's all been there, done that, bought the rehashed t-shirt. I know that it's "new" for H&A, but it's not even been 2 years, since the exact same story was done on Neighbours. And even if they leave out the sectioning part, it'll still feel too much the same, IMO.

I'm not a big fan of Shonda Rhimes. She did an interview with Scrip Magazine, last year, and there was something that she said, which alienated me. It had something to do with her writing technique and storylining on Grey's. Maybe I should reread and see if it has the same effect. I wouldn't say all of Krista Vernoff's work was awful. She did write a couple of eps that I really enjoyed - although she was responsible for most of the dreadful clangers, like, Necromancing the Stone. Can't really comment on SATC, as I never really watched. Being a guy, it was kind of alienating... But well always well written. I think her name was Pauline. She was in the same league as John Darvell (who had a crush on Sarah Buxton). He originated the character nicknames (which I think I can remember most of them). He left the business after Five's daytime lineup disintegrated. I think she's still continuity announcing, and is the best of a very crap (female) bunch. There was: Father Fit - soaps hottest ever priest. Francester - in honour of Francesca's assets. Gobby - for Gabi. Sister Sara (obvious). Bimbi (formerly Smurf) - Dimwitted Caitlin. Dimples - Cole. Bubble wrap - a name given to Vanessa thanks to Martin's Syndrome. Bungalow - referring to Casey's good looks, with not much happening up top. Tight pants Tim (obvious). Miracle man - Dr. Tyus. Bad-to-da-bone - Mrs. Moreau. Dumbo - Maria's inept ability to not see the truth. The plank - that is Hank. The Gorgeous One (TGO) - Ben/Derek (Thanks to Pauline). The things one remembers. ETA: Seeing as you were in London, do remember the Sunset Beach Tour? Five organized it, which saw them travel around the universities. But I can't remember if it was specifically a fan thing, or if it involved cast members. From what I've seen, these two were a favourite, along with Bailey.

Toups, I'm gonna see if I can find you a new image for the thread - That one is so 1998. Here's the recent awesome Bushfire episodes. New producer, Susan Bower's micro-managing is really paying off. Bushfire 1 "> " type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"> Bushfire 2 Bushfire 3 "> " type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"> Bushfire 4 "> " type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344">

Ignore. Forgot to change the HTML thing-y.

Well, I'm gonna post some clips, and a synopsis will follow... if it's needed. I'll say this, the transition from the awesome Bevan Lee and into the new writer, whose name escapes me atm, has been pretty good. There is one predictable and boring story - Who's the Daddy - involving Jack/Martha/Roman, but a part from that it's been OK. It's not Bevan, but it's still good. This is a comical scene involving my all-time-favourite should've-be-permanent guest character, Jazz Curtis. "> " type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"> A pregnant Cassie, learns she's HIV Positive. Behind-the-scenes of Jack & Sam's Wedding. Johnny attacks Ric and Jazz! Sam Kills Johnny! Sam's secret revealed + Jazz & Tony - Part 1 ^^ Part 2 ^^ Part 3 More will follow if you want.

Why? I have to say, I struggle to get into Grey's. I don't no what it is, their's just something about it that doesn't make me want to tune in. Dreamy Nick... Maybe he's a little picky about the roles that he chooses? He made the hottest priest ever. Gordon Thomson used to get bad press over here. The continuity announcer, John Darvell nicknamed him the horse whisperer. He would constantly get dissed about his bad acting (all in jest of course); it was open season during the earthquake, when debris were out acting poor ol' AJ.

I tolerated Randy Spelling. The first year, he was dire. The sets were better actors that he was. Then he got a hair cut and things didn't seem so bad. Does anyone remember that awful rapping phase Sean went through? You know, I really hadn't realized how much of a Spelling fan I actually am. I used to watch, Melrose Place, Charmed, Charlie's Angels, Dynasty... my mind's gone blank. Every show had his unique signature, which cried out 'I'm produced by Aaron Spelling!' No other show could emulate that magic. Gabi's rape trial was awesome. It really brought PG and the character in to their own. That sinister twist, was one that I didn't see coming. That was one of the best things about the show; it had these break out moments, yet it would constantly be over looked. How the hell they didn't get an Emmy nom for Shockwave is anyone's guess. The amount that went into producing such a high class stunt - all the debris for the earthquake, capsizing the ship etc. - everything that went in to make it as real as possible should have garnered them a nomination. No other daytime quake has ever measured up, IMO. Well Sarah Buxton did a stint on Days, before heading into Prime time. She had a baby in a year or so ago, and hasn't been seen since. Sherri Saum did Beggars & Choosers, then OLTL, followed by Rescue Me, and is currently doing a couple of movies which are in production. I always thought Sam Behrens would go on to do other things, but he's been MIA for ages. Nick Kiriazis was another who I thought would do well. He did star on that show alongside Hank Cheyne - I forget what it's called. I'd love to see them in a major role, as well as Dominique Jennings and Lisa Coles. I'd say Eddie Cibrian has been the most successful actor to leave BEACH and go on to doing a whole host of other shows - He's a regular working actor.

I always thought it had something to do with ownership. I'm pretty sure I remember reading something about NBC wanting a soap they owned (hence Passions); Something which they didn't have with AW, and only partly with BEACH (they co-owned it). Their creative control was limited.

Toups: By '98 they had fixed those issues though. Ricardo got a family, and Meg's parents became main-stayers; even Bette was granted a daughter. The pace was definitely slowed down, and the film effect was shelved after 6 months. I'd say the low ratings during the latter half of '99, was down to NBC moving its timeslot to make way for Passions. Grrr. A lot of the affiliates were airing it in the early hours of the morning. Thanks for the interesting article, Sylph. I read in an interview that Aaron Spelling did for SOD, and he said the bible was around 300 pages. That still seems a lot, but it must have been very detailed. There'll never be another show like BEACH. Not one that garnered the cult status that it did here. I don't think I've ever come across a show that's been so popular that the network releases a helpline number after the final episode, to console grieving fans. What a money making plan, huh?

Sunset Beach was my all-time favourite show. It was an instant hit, which grew in popularity in the UK, especially during it's last year. UKBoi, the show used to get over 1 million viewers, normally around the 1.5-1.8 mark, and was constantly in Five's top 30. It was also ITV2's number 1 show at one point, during it's rerun stage in 2000. BEACH wasn't perfect, but it had a certain charm about it; It was able to poke fun at it's self, and be totally daring, without a care in the world. No other show can say that they've had an affect on other programmes, like BEACH - Virginia and her turkey baster pregnancy spawned a lot of other turkey baster related plots, in Bad Girls, and Coronation Street (2007) when Violet got pregnant via the aid of a turkey baster, to name two. I loved Shockwave, especially the earthquake. They spent a lot of money to make it as realistic as possible, and I think they pulled it off. Rosario Jewels could have been better, if it didn't have those capping plot holes - thank you JERk! I also loved how they utilized their African-American, and Hispanic cast in front burner stories. Antonio & Gabi were one couple that I wished had gotten together at the end, even though I do believe this was where they were heading, had the show continued.