Happy New Year!

Happy New Years everyone! And Welcome to 2011! Yes this year is going to be bigger and better for Denial Island and the whole Soap Opera industry! So get ready for some fun because we are getting ready for a very exciting year.

Like I said in the Christmas post we have come a far way since Denial Island was started, and on behalf of myself and Melanie/ really long screen name, I would just like to thank Brooke for allowing us this opportunity to blog and be a part of this wonderful site!

Anyways have a Happy New Year!

If you have a moment then share your favorite New Years soap memory!

My personal favorite comes from 2009, when EastEnders Sean Slater exited the soap after kidnapping Roxie and Jacks daughter! It was a perfect way to start the year out and it made this EastEnders fan very happy.

'Emmerdale: Dingles for Richer, for Poorer' DVD Review

iTV recently released an exclusive dvd spinoff tale entitled Emmerdale: The Dingles - for Richer, for Poorer.
This spinoff is a nice 'what if' the Dingles would have won the lottery. The movie by its own merits was a cute flick, but when it comes down to it, the movie was rather confusing. The editing and continuity were off, or done in a weird way that it didn't really seem to fit.

I would have really liked it had the dvd been tied closer into the real show, and maybe show the Dingles go on yet another family vacation, or something to that extent, because this movie really let me down.

If you are already an Emmerdale fan you should check the dvd out and form your own thoughts, but whereas I would recommend Coronation Street: Out of Africa to everyone, I think this movie is really only for the 'hardcore' Emmerdale viewers.
Have you seen the movie? Do you agree or disagree? Let me know your take in the comments below.

My Coronation Street History

The worlds longest running scripted television show is itv's Coronation street. This landmark show hit the big 5-0 on December 9th 2010, and to commemorate this historic event I wanted to take a moment and look back on the few Corrie filled years I have been watching and discuss what I have liked, what I have disliked, what shocked me and what let me down. So without further ado let's get on with it shall we?

I started watching Coronation Street in 2008 when news came out that the series would be embarking on a new type of story using the '24' real-time storytelling model. That was to be focused on Tony Gordons stagdo and would end in the death of Liam Connor. I slowly got hooked into the street as the characters started to slowly feel like family.

The year progressed and I saw Tony Gordon become the evil mastermind that would have given ol Stefano Dimera a run for his money back in his hayday.

Meanwhile Peter Barlow returned to the street, son in hand, and made the statement every alcoholic makes "I am not a drunk, I know when to stop" *rolls eyes and ques alcoholism storyline*

But than something happened. The writers saw a spark between Kevin Webster and Molly Dobbs. An Affair was to begin, and the character assassination of one of my favorite characters would be taken place right before my eyes. I couldn't stand it, so I tuned out of the soap for the whole affair!

Then the sad news came out that Maggie Jones (Blanche) had died, so I tuned back in to see how the character would be written out of the program. It was touching, and poignant and I saw the Coronation Street I once loved once again. So I continued to watch.

I have seen the entire 'Sophie and Sian' storyline play out, and that is why in September I made the post discussing my negative take on the way Coronation Street outed the couple. I still stand by those comments, I understand that others see the connection between Hayley and Roy, and that it was a good time to out them and provided a lot of stories, but I still feel that it was a crummy way and it was very plot pointed and not realistic, but that's just me, so let's agree to disagree on that point shall we?

Siege week took place over the summer as well, and with it the end of Tony Gordon. I am glad that I got to see the Tony Gordon storyline, while it was over the top at times and not 'realistic', it was a fun soap villians final stand, and i was glued to my screen waiting to find out who would survive.

This leads me to the 50th anniversary tram crash-

I LOVE the event, I think it was brilliantly done and made perfect sense to have happened the way that it did. The Live episode was FLAWLESS and kicked the pants off of EastEnders 25th. But with that said, the promotional material for the series ran with the tagline "four funerals and a wedding" and I think it was a MASSIVE cop out to have the 4th death be the bus driver. It was lame, and pointless. Yes it kept people discussing to the bitter end who the final death would be, but really, was lying to your viewers really worth it?

In closing, I just want to say that I am a BIG Coronation Street fan. I may not always enjoy the stories, sometimes I may even tune out, but at the end of the day I do love the street, and I am looking forward to seeing what the series has in stall for me for the next 50 years, because I will be watching, and I hope that it is as fun as the first 50 years have been.

What are some of your favorite Coronation Street memories? Feel free to share them and discuss in the comments below.

Why do past relationships matter?

This week on the iTV series Emmerdale, David found out that shockingly his girlfriend Leyla had a previous relationship that fathered her son (Jacob). Immediately David started tearing into her about all of the lies and deceit. While sleeping with your sisters husband is not the best thing in the world to do, I really do bit see how this is any of his business. This problem is not exclusive to Emmerdale, soaps are notorious for having men look down their noses at their female counterparts as if they were walking STDs, when in fact all they did is have sex before getting involved with their current partner.

But is this something that happens in real life? Do men badger their significant others when their past bedroom deeds are right before their eyes? I have to think so. The difference is however, that soaps air constantly and there is a number of different shows airing around the world. So when these types of stories appear it feels that we have seen it already, and what seems like a countless amount of times.

So here is a question for you readers, do a persons previous relationships matter? Would it change everything for you to find out that your partner had been with their siblings partner? How would you react to that situation? Would the past really stay in the past, or would you blow up like most soap characters and start to question everything about the relationship? Let me know your take and more importantly what you thought of this type of story because this might be the start or a few relationship centered post in the coming weeks.

Soap kids that have ran away

This week on the iTV series Emmerdale we saw young Jacob run away from home after his father did not show up to see him perform in the school play. This made me start think about all the soap runaway stories I have seen over the years, so sit back and relax as I recount a few of the runaways that I can remember.

Home and Away- 1988 Lynn runs away from the Fletchers

One of the inaugural storylines for the Australian series Home and Away saw young Lynn once again run away from the Fletchers. After sometime it was revealed that Lynn was at the Pappas farm, where she quickly gained the friendship of Nico 'dummy' Pappas. Nico had mental problems, and was on medication to help him with his anger, only Lynn wasn't aware of this. So when she sees Nico on medication she assumes he is taking them for the 'wrong' reasons, just like her mother used to. As the story progressed the Fletchers eventually did find Lynn and she returned home to the caravan park, where she would stay for a little bit longer and than go home to live with her parents, only to make one final visit to the caravan park to meet little Christopher.

Coronation Street - 2010 - Sophie Webster

After being tossed out of the lesbian closet by Clair Peacock, Sophie and her partner Sian grab there gear and leave Wetherfield. Afraid that their parents would not accept them they attempted to make it on there own, after a few weeks however, they found out that it's tough out there for a couple of teenage lesbians on the run from there parents. So the pair made their way back and returned to the street, to find comfort in the Webster household. It was not so smooth sailing at Sians house however, because he father disowned her, because of his homophobia. The love story between S&S continues to play out on the street and is sure to have a lot more twist and turns before it is over.

Days of Our Lives - 2006 - Runaway Will

It feels like yesterday that ol Shaggymop Will Horton had taken his stuff and left Salem. Sami and Lucas took to the airwaves in hope to get their sons attention. At which time continuity was not a part of Hogan Sheffiers itinerary because the whole speech was full of errors and to this day still irks me. I mean really ol Shaggymop was the star player on the basketball team????? Ugh his nerd storylines with E.J. fit him so much better ( can we say Spinelli of Days?) anyways in typical Days fashion the storyline dragged out but Will eventually returned home and was able to make up with his parents for a little while and than was shipped off to Switzerland to be with his aunt and uncle ( Carrie and Austin). Only to show up a year later with a new face, but a year younger.. odd.

So those are some of the Soap Runaway storylines that spring to my mind, what are some other memorable soap runaways that you enjoyed?

Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone,

It has been an amazing year here at Denial Island, we have grown a whole lot since the blog originally launched. I mean heck it was just Brooke doing the thing all by herself! But thanks to a bit of Aussie kindness, Brooke took me and my cohort, Melanie/daisyclover/a million other names, on and we have enjoyed every minute of it.

So we would just like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Stay safe, and may all your soaps be merry!

If you are home and with nothing to do (ha!) and looking for a little soapy cheer, head over to YouTube and check out one of the UK soaps special christmas episodes by typing in EastEnders (which is going to be HUGE), Emmerdale (SOAPTASTIC WEDDING SHOCKER!), or Coronation Street, and Christmas 2010 and you should see a few soapy specials to watch.

If not than how about sharing some of your favorite soap Christmas memories in the comments below.

The UnSpoken Soap Rules

We all know that soaps have their cliches, so I thought I would just take a moment to write them out and spark a conversation about these overused rules.

Ready? okay here we go-

If you are in a U.K. soap and you have a secret its going to come out on Christmas Day

If you have an affair it will almost always end with a baby by your piece on the side.

If you have a sibling than you will share at minimum one partner between you. ---Side note-- (and if you are on The Bold and the Beautiful than you share the entire cast!)

If you utter the words "this is the best ____ ever" something bad will happen and ruin everything.

If you are a female and your last name is Michelle you will end up sleeping with Jack Branning and than wind up having his baby.

Have a child? No problem, you will remain doing the same thing you have always been doing and will only acknowledge your childes existents when forced to.

Not even the characters in soapland watch soaps (unless you are in EastEnders)

When a fire breaks out someone will be trapped and unable to get free.

Every affair will be exposed.

You will get a job within the first week of arriving on screen.

If you are getting married something horrific will happen on both the wedding week and on the day itself.

It is perfectly acceptable to send your kids off someplace and when/if they come back they will be a lot older and have a different face then when you last saw them.

You always have a ton of enemy's pop out of the wood work right before you die so to make a dramatic who dun it storyline.

Someone is always watching your every move and talking to themselves about what they just saw you do.

So those are just the ones that I had out of the top of my head, what unspoken rules do you have? Post them in the comments below and we will include them in the unspoken rules 2 post coming soon!

The Young and The Restless 2011 Promo

CBS Daytime has released a promo for The Young and The Restless in which not a whole lot happens. With that said the one thing I did like however, was that it looks like Chloe and Kevin are going to be paired together? That could be a really cool coupling, though I was kinda thinking Chloe and Daniel would be good, oh well.

What are you guys looking forward to from Y&R in 2011?

Neighbours 2011 Promo

Neighbours is making the move to 11 in 2011, will you be following it? If so what storyline are you looking forward to most? Let me know in the comments below.

Recap and Thoughts on Neighbours in 2010

Neighbours had a very bumpy year in 2010, but it was by far the BEST Australian soap opera on the air. So what did I like? What did I hate? And what am I looking forward to in 2011 and beyond? Let's stop wasting time and just dive into it shall we?

The soap kicked off the year with Andrew Robinson making his way through the street, he slept with Donna and almost wrecked 'Dingo', but they made it through and were able to find their way back together.

In the midst of their reunion however there was a brief appearce by everyone's FAV actress Kate Bell in a short fatal attraction storyline that really wasn't all bad...

Meanwhile the years biggest story kicked off. Steph's pregnancy cover up and scandal! Yes this train wreck lasted a majority of the year as Steph tried to hide the truth from Libby and everyone else on the street. How did she do this? Well she used Toadie of course. Thus Toadie jeopardized his relationship with Sonya for the best friend he was once in love with.

Meanwhile over at the Robinson household Declan got a new face as Erin Mullay took over the role. Was the move worth it? Well those in charge believe that it was all for the 6,000th episode...

As the weeks passed and the 6,000th episode inched closer and everything was revealed! Libby found out that Steph was knocked up with Dan's baby, and fireworks exploded! But that was not the focus of the 6,000th week.

It was a landmark week and what better way to celebrate than a redux of the soaps most popular couple (Scott and Charlene) with Donna and Ringo! The two walked down the aisle and said their vows. Off to Lasaters they went and a month of happiness the two shared.

But the 6,000th episode was what everyone cared about, as the big story was WHO PUSHED PAUL!

The storyline played out over weeks and it was eventually revealed that Rebekah (the woman scorned) was the one that got her revenge on Paul! Only he remembered and began blackmailing her into staying with him or he would tell the police it was Declan.

Summer Hoyland made her triumphant return to the town and spiced up the Andrew Robinson storyline, this was followed by Harry Ramsey exiting and Chris Pappas 'Coming out'!

A new family made their way to the street with Tasha and her father Micheal.

After having the baby Steph gave it up to Dan, only she was suffering PND, thus she was not in her right mind. Steph spiraled out of control and got on her bike while under the influence of alcohol. This spelled disaster as she killed Ringo Brown on his one month anniversary to Donna.

Steph was charged with drink driving, and at her court case Sam made her return and made sure that Steph went down for her wrongdoings. She was given six years with no parole for two years. So will we see the character return in 2012? I guess we have to wait and see.

The final month dealt with Toadie getting over Steph's sentencing and Summer and Andrew getting closer.

The season finale ended with a cliffhanger with Summer, Micheal, Andrew, and Tasha all in the Scully's house as a fire rages within.

Who will make it out alive? Find out in 2011.

Overall I really enjoyed Neighbours this year, I was not a fan of the Scott / Charlene redux with the actors not sticking around, and I hated that the Steph story ate the show alive and she spent the whole year crying, but even with that said I still watched every single episode and I never found myself hating the series and wanting it put out of its misery like i did Home and Away.

What were your thoughts on Neighbours this year? Yes I know I left out a few things (Zeke's whole going to jail for love bit) but I think I covered the major elements, if I let out something big you think should be included let me know in the comments below.

A Hollyoaks To Root For

Since executive producer Paul Marquess took over Hollyoaks at the start of 2010, I have been giving him a hard time because on paper his desicions have been questionable to say the least on paper. But once I saw the stories play out I started to see things in a different light.

The biggest screw up on paper appeared to be the apperance of Kevin the Alien. yes non-hollyoaks viewers I said alien, my guess is that Kevin is Casey's British cousin or something. But after watching the story play out I found myself enjoying the story for the message it was trying to share with viewers. It was a message that those in collage are very acustomed, that is always to keep your mind open! Don't be scared to ask quesions and form your own beliefs because it is worth it in the end and if you do not do these things than we saw the consequences play out. At the end of the story the show made a smart choice in leaving the truth shout kevin's heritage under wraps and up to the viewers to decide.

The second controversial story choice was the end of Steph's storyline. When I first read how they were going to write out the character of Steph I was less than amused but as Steph found out she has cancer and slowly started getting worse I found myself accepting
The story and I was ready for a tearful cancer caused death akin to Belle on Home and Away. Only Marquess had other plans, thus we got Inferno week. the character of Steph was finally going to make her mark as she jumped into the flames and saved the lives of Amy Barnes and her two childeren. Only when it came time for Steph to save herself she decide she had enough and told Gilly to let her go. Ar that point tears were flowing down my eyes, "No, Steph Don't!!!" I shouted, praying that Gilly would find a way to save her, but it was too late, Steph was gone.

These scenes were brilliant, by far my favorite soap death that I have seen, and it made me proud to be a hollyoaks fan, and that is something I have not been able to say in a very long time.

Then we have the amazing Jasmine/Jason storyline. This is a brilliant start to a transgender story that has the potential to go either way. Rhys and Jaquie's slow building romance has been cute and Ste and Brendan heartbreaking.

I have generally loved this show and I cannot wait to see what happens next. Are you enjoying Hollyoaks? What about the marquess era are you loving?

Pod 4 The Cause - Interviews

Yesterday @destini41 held the Pod 4 The Cause event - for American Cancer Society. The interviews include Liz Keifer, Jerry verDorn, Jessica Leccia, Kim Zimmer, Beth Chamberlin, Jordan Clark, Bradley Cole, and so many more. You can listen to the event here, or head over to the youtube page here.

Is Product Placement Coming To a UK Soap Near You?

Super site MarketingWeek is reporting that starting in February the ban against product placement is being somewhat lifted, thus we may see our favorite UK sudsers pimping out the products like NBC's Days Of Our Lives.

"The new legislation will also ban product placement of any tobacco, alcohol, baby milk, weapons, escort agencies, medicines and gambling brands as well as any foods or drinks high in fat, salt or sugar."

I am all for product placement if it helps keep these shows on the air, but others are worried that product placement could ruin the shows? What is your take? I believe that it would only help further the realism of these shows, but you may disagree so let me know in the comments below.

The Balkan Reveal and Random GH Thoughts

Guza just wanted to give all of the General Hospital fans a little treat as we got the lackluster reveal of Theo being the dasterdly Balkan! Wait, you mean you were not gripped by this revelation? You did not sit wanting oh so much more? *GASP* I AM SHOCKED! SHOCKED that there is gambling going on here....oh wait, nope I'm not.

The Balkan mess has been horrible from the start, and it looks like things are only going to continue to spiral down before they get any better.

Matt and Maxie are in storyline limbo, while Lisa is still driving Robin bonkers. Then we have there is Micheal and his hooker and the constant wink and nod towards the 'rape' that may or may not have happened -.-.

In other news James FRANCO is back...again.....do we really REALLY need him again? -.-.

My favorite line of the week came from Brooklyn when she was talking to Liz and said ""No I am just following my dreams and not getting stuck in port Charles with three different children by three different guys"

What did you guys think of the Balkan reveal? Did you think it was the best reveal ever (Believe it or not I have heard that), or were you let down like me? What was your favorite line of the week? Share those and any other thoughts in the comments below.

Bombhead is Back! Lee Otway Returning to Hollyoaks

It's official Hollyoaks fans, Bombhead IS BACK! At least for a short while as actor Lee Otway is set to make a triumphant return in the new year. The speculation is that it is for Lee Hunter's wedding to Leann but we will just have to wait and see if that is right.

I only saw Bombhead over the summer on the online spin-off "Hollyoaks Freshers" But I loved the character and Lee's performance so I am looking forward to his return, hopefully he will come back on a more permanent bases sometime in the future.

Do you guys want Bombhead back? Let me know in the comments below.

Kara Toinon Wins Strictly Come Dancing

Former EastEnders star Kara Toinon (Dawn) has won the 2010 fall edition of Strictly Come Dancing! As a fan of her acting I am pleased to see her win, but to those of you who watched Strictly this season was this a well deserved win or not? Let me know in the comments.

Why contract negotiations are killing daytime

In 2010 we saw many contract negotiations bring the industry to its knees time after time, from Eric Braden to Vincent irazary we have had are fair share of the Tomfoolery to last a lifetime. Unfortunately I have it on good authority that we ain't seen nothing yet as 2011 is the year that may change the industry as we know it. So what has changed so recently to make each negotiation such a terrifying event for fans? Well back in the day writers were, let's face it a lot more ,creative than they are today. Today if you don't sign on the dotted line you are public enemy number one and they are going to write your character into such a corner that you will never get out of with the fans respect. The stupid exit stories have hindered all of the soaps as we see their favorite plot device (back from the dead) used every other month, and yet we are supposed to care? Really? Did anyone here really care that the evil doctor Hayward was dead? No, because even blind Angie hubberd could see that plotline coming from a mile away.

So what could writers and show runners do to improve this situation? First it is well and truly time to treat viewers with a shred of respect and write the characters out in a way that would honor their history on the show. By simply doing that you would have a lot more fans on the edge of their seats, than watching characters act out of their normal behavior.

Actors on the other hand need to also realize that this is not the hayday of soaps anymore so they cannot be running around making outrageous demands like they are bringing in the tens of millions of viewers way back when.

Anyways I was just rather frustrated with the whole situation that had gone on in 2010, and I do not want to have another 'kishtatrophy' on our hands. What are your thoughts on the contract situation of 2010? Did you enjoy any of the exits / returns ? Who would you have kept if possible? And who would you not want to return in the future ? Let me know in the comments bellow.

Shortland Street in 2011

The New Zealand hit soap Shortland Street is taking a page out of Home and Away's "Bay Of Love" promo and giving its viewers a light hearted look into the following year with the tag line "Who would you have a summer fling with?"

While I am not yet a Shorty faithful, I have never hated the soap, just never got hooked. The promo (seen above) is extremely up-beat and light hearted in comparison to the 2010 promo (seen here).

Are you looking forward to Shortland Street in 2011? Should I check it out? Convince me in the comments bellow.

Why I Am Looking Forward to Home and Away in 2011

It is really hard to be positive about the Australian series Home and Away after the lack luster 2010 season, but it looks like my earlier assumptions were right and that 2011 is going to turn everything around.

Do not keep reading if you have not seen the 2010 season finale, because I am going to discuss the finale and the preview (seen above) for the next season.

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The Return of Roo Stewart -

Roo made her triumphant return to Summer Bay and showed that she has a hidden motive for wanting to move home, but what exactly is it? Roo left the bay at the end of 2010, but she will be back in 2011 (my guess is to coincide with Alf's return) and once she returns for good the bay will never be the same.

Ruby / Romeo -

When real life lovers get a plot line -.-....let's just hope they don't let their real life issues get in the way of story if they break up. I think the coupling is cute and will be really fun to watch, but knowing that they ara together in real life I just worry that that will wreck everything.

The End Of The PENN Storyline-

Thank the lord 2011 will bring a close to that awful awful storyline. Yes he is dead, yes it looks like Alf is going down for the murder (Which was probably committed by Will), but it should be wrapped up in a nice little bow never to be thought about again by the middle of next year (when Ray returns from his extended vacation and Alf get's off LOL), so I am really looking forward to that.

All the NEW Faces-

2011 looks like it will be a good year for new faces, and hopefully a few returning ones. Actor Dan Ewing is returning to the bay, after a quick stint on Power Rangers RPM, and is brining a family with him to stir up a little trouble.

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So what are you looking forward to most in 2011 for the residents of Summerbay? Let me know in the comments below.

Hey AMC Bring On The "Cake"

Recently All My Children brought on the phenomenally under-appreciated actress Lindsay Hartley on as Cara Finn, who is Jake Martin's (Ricky Paull Goldin) ex-wife.

While I know there are plenty of Jake and Amanda fans, I for one am really looking forward to seeing Cara and Jake's relationship bloom, so I say bring on the 'Cake' All My Children because you do not want to waste the amazing talent that Lindsey has to offer.

Are you enjoying Cara's return? What are your thoughts on Lindsay Hartley so far? And are you for or against 'Cake'? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Ratings for the week October 18-22, 2010

None of the soaps have anything to really write home about this week, as all soaps are down over their ratings last year.

With that said, Days Of Our Lives is the only soap that can be proud of it self for gaining viewers over last week as all the other shows lost viewers.

Total Viewers

1. Y&R 4,862,000 (-169,000/-192,000)
2. B&B 3,187,000 (-28,000/-54,000)
3. DAYS 2,531,000 (+118,000/-471,000)
4. GH 2,380,000 (-144,000/-185,000)
5. OLTL 2,354,000 (-97,000/-138,000)
6. AMC 2,309,000 (-101,000/-361,000)

HH
1. Y&R 3.4/12 (-.1/-.3) <- ties low rating (Last time: July 26-30, 2010)
2. B&B 2.3/8 (same/-.1)
3. DAYS 1.9/6 (+.1/-.3)
4. GH 1.8/6 (-.1/-.1)
5. AMC 1.7/6 (-.1/-.3) <- ties low rating (Last time: September 20-24, 2010)
5. OLTL 1.7/6 (-.1/-.2)

Women 18-49 Viewers
1. Y&R 1,011,000 (-42,000/-129,000)
2. GH 742,000 (-89,000/-101,000)
3. DAYS 652,000 (-31,000/-215,000)
4. B&B 632,000 (-18,000/-75,000)
5. OLTL 625,000 (-61,000/-85,000)
6. AMC 551,000 (-66,000/-184,000)

Women 18-49 Rating
1. Y&R 1.5/10 (-.1/-.2) <- ties low rating (Last time: October 4-8, 2010)
2. GH 1.1/7 (-.2/-.2) <- ties low rating (Last time: June 28 – July 2, 2010)
3. DAYS 1.0/7 (same/-.3)
3. B&B 1.0/6 (same/-.1)
5. OLTL 0.9/6 (-.1/-.2) <- ties low rating (Last time: July 12-16, 2010)
6. AMC 0.8/6 (-.1/-.3) <- ties low rating (Last time: June 21-25, 2010)

All ratings are Live+Same Day DVR viewing.

Source: Soap Opera Network

How To Save Neighbours

As promised here is my how to save Neighbours post, so sit back becasue this one is going to go on for a bit.

We all know that Neighbours is in a bad shape ratings wise, but still quality wise the show is leaps and bounds over some of the soaps competition such as All My Children and Days of our Lives. But hey no one ever said ratings made sense, so what would I do to save Neighbours?

(Please take into note that I am keeping the current comings and goings in mind while I am writing this, that is why you will not see axings for characters that have already left, or long stories that would be amazing for those that have already said "SEEYA!")

Well first thing first I would get back to basics. It is time to let the axe fall and say good-bye to some local residence. The first people that I would axe are the poor unfortunate Williams family. This is not a slam directly upon them. I don't mind either actor as much as the Queen of Denial Island (Brooke), but I don't really see the need for the characters at this moment unless I really sit down and create a long story that would in someway salvage the storyline and make me care about what is going to happen next.

Next on the chopping block is 50% of the recurring cast- this includes- Kyle Canning
Melissa Evans , Doug Harris, Nick Nixon, and Mark Brennan.

*sigh* Okay I know all of these characters have had their little plot points that have made the little town of Erinsborough seem real...but it's time to hit the road. Kyle has no real connection to the show, nor does he need one. Melissa bless her little heart was a plot device to give Zeke a job and that's about it so see-ya. Dr. Doug was good-ol Susan B's breakout plan to hook Libby up with a gigantic plot device to make the fallout from Steph's secret hurt just 'that' much more.... but he served his purpose, and is no longer needed. I am sorry yes Neighbours needs diversity, but how about we get it with some better characters. Then we have Nick whose purpose will be served by the end of the year and he can vanish off into the sunset, and lastly Mark.... I have to admit he is the only one who I could see keeping around if I took Neighbours in a more 2007-2009 Home and Away direction, but that is not the case, thus it is time for Mark to go away as well.

So with that said there is now room for some casting upgrades and movement, who's going to be moved around? Well first Chris Pappas is given a contract. He will play a vital part in my 2011 storyline. Some additional casting includes a new male for Kate, a new girl who will play a vital role in the rebuilding of the Kennedy's as well as Andrew/Summer's storyline, and a new boy-toy for Chris..

Unfortunately the boy-toy is a plot-device, but he will be a well fleshed out plotdevice!

Now that's out of the way let's talk storylines-

Chris - To the brink of death-

It is the time of Chris's life, he has just found his first boyfriend, he is friends once again with Andrew and Summer, and people have finally began to accept him for the guy that he is. That is until he and his boyfriend (Max) are caught kissing by one of Chris's schoolmates. From that point on his entire life starts to spiral out of control. His parents who thought they were 'okay' with their son's sexuality cannot stand to see their boy with another guy ( Chris can initially overhear a conversation and then later confront them both which is when their 'true' feelings come out), and then the classmate that took the photo will plaster it all over the campus with some homophobic slur written all across it. As a result homophones will start to pick on him, way past the point of it being 'alright'. That is when Chris finally decides to end it all. But before he could do it he writes a letter explaining everything to his friends, and most importantly Max, only Summer comes in and saves the day. It is at that point that everything changes, and we see Chris get the help he needs to overcome the bullying.

The storyline would be socially relevant, controversial, and most of all talk worthy.

Rebuilding The Kennedy's -

As the Williams family exits, the local school board goes berserk, they simply cannot keep anyone in as Principle, and they do not feel that Libby is up for that type of responsibility / role. So who do they turn to? Former school Principle Susan Kennedy. The school board explains that it is only a temporary move until they can find someone more permanent, so Susan takes the job.

While acting as school principle Susan meets Carly, a wise cracking teenager whom everyone thinks is bad news...everyone except Susan that is. When Carly gets in serious trouble Susan sticks her neck out on the line to protect her, it is then that she finds out that Carly is homeless, and has been living on the streets for the past few months. Having an empty house at home Susan impulsively ask Carly to move in.

Karl initially is furious, but later comes around when Carly shows her good side. However, when her dark streak comes out Karl attempts to throw her out of the house. "After EVERYTHING we have done for you, you do this to us?". It is Susan however that reminds Karl that they took in Carly for the good and the bad, and they cannot let the girl go now, not after all the hard work they have done so far. So Carly eventually makes her way back to the Kennedy's household.

But due to all of the stress as returning school principle and the Carly struggle Susan's MS flares up, temporarily crippling her. Susan then is forced to resign as acting principle, right after having been handed a two year contract.

It is then that Libby seriously goes after the job, and is finally given it.

The Ramsey's / The Robinson's -

After weeks of deliberating, Kate finally agree's to move in with Paul, and allow him to help raise Sophie and be a part of her life. Andrew instinctively is against it, "Why take in these strays so they can take away part of my inheritance?" but he nevertheless gets over it and moves on.

Kate eventually meets Joshua, a teen father who is attending EU with her. The two find they have a lot in common and begin to date. Now depending on a few variables the story can go in a few different directions, but the one I love the most is taking it towards domestic abuse-

After falling madly in love and having an instant wedding, Kate finds out that Joshua has a dark side as she finds a huge bruise on Mandy's back. When she questions Mandy about it she says "daddy did it to me". Shocked Kate confronts him, he says he will handle his daughter how he sees fit. Kate says this is wrong, this isn't how he should treat another human benign, so Joshua slaps her across the face. This starts a long domestic abuse plotline that will play out for a long period of time.

Now there are obviously other things that can be done such as rebuilding the Scully's, repairing the Ramsey's, and Robinsons, and creating a new family to come and take the place of the Williams and Napier's, but these are the initial changes that I would make to revamp and save Neighbours.

So what do you think? Do you like my ideas? Or do you disagree? Let's hear what you would do to save this struggling show in the comments below.

Neighbours hits all time ratings low

It is a day that will go down in the history books, as the Friday October 29th edition of the Australian soap Neighbours pulled in a all time record low rating of only 386,000 viewers.

So with all time record low ratings already resulting in the show being moved to Eleven in 2011, how much longer will executive producer Susan Bowler be allowed to continue on her reign of terror before the network axes her? Will the show give one more EP a chance or is it time to say good-bye to everyone's favorite Neighbours?

Look for a "How to save Neighbours" post coming soon.

Why I Love Hollyoaks

In honor of Hollyoaks 15th anniversary, and because I am currently working my way back in to the series, as it starts heating up with it's latest storylines. I thought I would take a minute to talk about what exactly it was that got me hooked on this show in the first place.

To be honest the very first thing that got me involved in Hollyoaks was the pub fire that was used to clean house in 2006. But we will get to that later because what I want to talk about first is the REVEAL! Yes those of you that watched Hollyoaks know EXACTLY what I am talking about. The climax to the John Paul/Craig/Sarah triangle.

First a little background. So in 2006 John Paul (James Sutton) 'came out', this caused Hannah Ashworth (his ex, portrayed by Emma Rigby) to think she had turned him gay and stop eating, we will get to her in a bit. Meanwhile John Paul had a crush on his best mate Craig Dean (Guy Burnet), who was currently seeing his other best mate Sarah Barnes (Loui Batley). Well after telling Craig how he felt and coming out of the closet Craig kinda shunned him...that was until John Paul found himself a boyfriend in the form of Spike (Tom Vaughan)! Craig got jealous and that is when he and John Paul first hooked up. This began the never ending cycle of John Paul hooking up with Craig only to have Craig utter those three evil words after the fact... "I'm not gay!" .......................UGH So meanwhile Craig and Sarah became serious and eventually Craig got down on one knee and tried to make it official. Well a big engagement party was thrown in their honor, only John Paul had enough of the lies, so he got Craig to come up to the bedroom with him, where he stole Craig's cell phone and texted Sarah to come up and be with him....only when she got there she saw John Paul and Craig going at it. Now fastforward about 15 minutes later and we get this AMAZING confrontation between the two star crossed lovers.

"At last... at last he understands!" "Im sorry everyone knows, I am sorry that everyone can see you for the two timing lying little toe rag you really are, I am sorry I ruined your selfish little plans, Im sorry that I forced you to face up to the fact that you get off on undressing boys as well as girls, but I am not sorry for any of that! you caused that, no one else you! You had everything you own way hadn't you?, telling her you loved her, telling me you loved me, I mean playing these games with us, well now you have to deal with the consequences"

BRILLIANT, I mean just totally and utterly brilliant.

But now onto the Fire at the dog.

So a bit of background. This was the culmination of MONTHS of storytelling and plotting. It was also Bryan Kirkwood's (Ex-Hollyoaks Executive producer, now EastEnders executive producer) first massive storyline.

Sam Owen (Louis Tamone) was sent away for rape, but after attempting suicide in jail he is sent to hospital where he escapes! He begins to plot his revenge on the ones who sent him away, and what better way then manipulating his younger sister? Anyways a long story short everyone is gathered at the local pub (The dog) to have a drink, they get ready to leave when Sophie (Connie Powney) gets a call from whom she believes to be Sam's brother (Russ), but it is SAM! Well watch the video to see what happens.

Now as a result of this storyline Sam dies, but not before taking the lives of Melanie Burton (Cassie Powney), Joe Spencer (Matt Milburn), Olivia Johnson (Rochelle Gadd) and Mel's twin, Sophie.

Lastly I am just going to briefly touch upon Hannah's Story. This touching, moving, and award winning storyline was just all together epic. Beginning with a slow build, Hannah Ashworth developed an eating disorder. With her best friend becoming a model Hannah started feeling 'fat' and inept in comparison. Things only got worse when Hannah became friends with Sarah's co-worker Melissa (Carla Chases). After months of building, and struggles, Melissa and Hannah finally decide to leave the village together so they can escape the pesky parents who keep sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. Unfortunately things do not go well, as Melissa is gravely ill, and Hannah is not far behind as the two have been attempting to fit into a size 0, and have finally made it.

Unfortunately the video is not embedable. But you can head on over to youtube and check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZJ5sKtSS5I

So what are some of your favorite Hollyoaks moments?

Memorable Soap Deaths 3

Hey All! Way back in March, fellow Denial Island resident SoapWikiJohn posted some of his Memorable Soap Deaths. I loved his post, and I followed it with Memorable Soap Deaths 2, where I posted some of my personal favorites.

Well...we're baaaaaaack! Here are some of our readers' picks!

1. Death By Plaster: Jeremy Hunter, Loving (formerly of All My Children)

Erica's Evil Twin cited the death of Jeremy Hunter (Jean LeClerc) as one of the most memorable, and silliest, soap deaths. In 1995, Loving was cancelled (spinned off as the ill-fated The City) and the final storyline featured a serial killer bumping off a good chunk of the cast (geez, I'm thankful the GL and ATWT finales were better than that!) One of the victims was former Pine Valley/AMC resident Jeremy Hunter, suffering a truly weird and surreal death! Campy and Hilarious or Just Plain Stupid? You be the judge!

(skip to 7:32 for Jeremy's death in all its slo-mo glory and make sure to watch until the end so you don't miss his 'body' being discovered!)




2. Too Young To Die: Cassie Newman, The Young and the Restless

Inbal, Imgoodbackup and Pam all cited the 2005 death of Cassie Newman (Camryn Grimes) on Y&R as a memorable soap death. I have to agree! Not only was this incredibly sad, but it was shocking! She was a Newman heir (though not biologically), a popular character played by a popular actress who we watched grow up onscreen, and she was soooo young! I still feel that killing her off was a mistake, but the emotional impact of her death is undeniable. I cried hysterically when this first aired, and it still hits me hard when I watch it now! Brilliantly acted, written and edited...get your tissues out:




3. Shot and Dropped From a Cliff, Roger Meets His Maker: Roger Thorpe, Guiding Light

Pam picked Roger's 1980 "death" in Santo Domingo as her most memorable soap death. I never saw it originally, but had a blast watching it on YouTube! Roger is dragging poor Holly through the jungle as Ed and Mike (who??) chase after them. One thing leads to another, and the dastardly Roger finally gets what's coming to him...or so viewers thought. I love the sparks between Maureen Garrett and Michael Zaslow - whether Holly and Roger were hating each other or loving each other - Maureen and Michael were always magic!
(RIP Michael Zaslow - one of the greats, he'll never be forgotten)




Any other Memorable Soap Deaths that broke your heart, shocked you, or just made you giggle? Let us know!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

He Said/She Said: As the World Turns

Almost two weeks ago (yikes!), our SoapWikiJohn blogged about the final week of ATWT in the latest installment of our He Said/She Said: ATWT Finale series. He loved Jack and Carly’s wedding, Parker’s decision to become a cop and Katie getting a happy ending with Chris. He was also highly critical of the final week, his major complaints being: No enough returns, useless recasts of Liberty and Hope, lack of Martha Byrne, no happy ending for Luke or Nuke and too much Janet. Judging from what I read on the blogosphere, twitter and in the mainstream soap press, J’s thoughts mirrored what many fans felt about the finale. For the most part, I agree with a lot of what’s been said, though I do seem to hold some unpopular opinions (be prepared for a defense of Janet!) It’s been awhile since the final week of ATWT aired, so forgive me if some of the things I mentioned were aired before the final week. So here’s my roundup, Good/Bad/Ugly Remix style!

He Said/ She Said - As The World Turns Final Week - Part 1

There is no denying that there was a lot of good within As The World Turns final week, but even so there were a lot of issues that could have easily been rectified. So grab your hat, and get ready because we are about to dive right back in to Denial Island's "He said / She said debate!"

To read my thoughts on the final episode click here, and to read Melanie*SoapOperaBabble*daisyclover1938 (.... She could not possibly pick a longer username could she?) click here.

Let's tackle the good first shall we?

Jack and Carly Got Married!

So within the final days of world turns, the fan favorite coupling of Jack and Carly reunited and got married one final time. The wedding was nice, simple, and brought closure to the CarJack coupling's story.

The wedding also brought the character of Parker full circle as he announced (with the help of Margo) that he was going to join the academy and follow in his father / stepfathers footsteps.

Another good storyline for the week was Katie and Chris's relationship, it was nice to see the two of them happy and for Katie to get her happily ever after that she has always deserved.

See Mel, I can do nice! I can, really! But um now let's get onto the bad.

No returns!

Okay let's see, we have a 54 year old show, with hundreds of people going through the doors to Oakdale, and you are telling me we cannot have ANY returns within the final week? Not even for CarJack's wedding? I mean even at the end of Guiding Light they recast Payton and brought her on, but we cannot get a recast J.J?

There were so many little characters and little moments that could have brought up so much history and tied things together so much nicer. Why didn’t Daniel return and have the past between Emily and Tom winked at while Emily is getting ready to marry Paul. Or we could have had a recast Liza, or seen Johnny, or any of the little kids in Oakdale for that matter.

Oh but we did see the kids you say, we saw Recast Hope and Recast Liberty….And that brings me to my next point. WHY DID WE NEED THEM? I am sorry, I know that they didn’t really want to kill off the character of Liberty after having just killed off her father. But the death would have been so much more memorable and made so much more sense then recasting the character with someone we didn’t care about so to have a plot device and suck up more airtime that could have been devoted to other things. Then we have Nu-Hope……again what was the point? The character lusted after her cousin and made a fool out of herself while she was busy worrying about reuniting mom and dad….then at the end of the day she made no real contribution to the story what-so-ever.

But hey, at least we got to have Martha Byrne back for…oh wait we didn’t, we got to see Holden and Lily reunite a little but no real closure whatso ever. And that is just bull crap. I am sorry it is, they could have easily brought Rose either back from the dead, or as a ghost and helped wrap up the storylines while giving the fans one last good-bye to an actress that they loved.

There was NO HAPPY ending for 'Nuke'?

Okay are you serious P&G? Out of all the characters you gave unbelievable endings to, the only one you decided to happily forget is the one who happens to be a homosexual? Wow there is no horrible discrimination here at all is there? I didn’t need to see an ‘instant’ relationship, but why couldn’t Noah have called Luke and invited him to come down to LA for a bit, and their last scene been a reuniting kiss?

To Big of a focus on Janet -

I love Janet, I love the actress and all of her hard work, but I did not need for the entire final week of World turns to be about her and her baby! There was other things we could have focuses on had we simply wrapped up that storyline on Monday and moved on with things. But that was not going to happen, we instead got Janet and Dusty EVERY SINGLE DAY. While I understand that the storyline was a part of ATWT's history and needed to be wrapped up nicely, you could tell that the writers were trying to force the storyline, and that is why for me at least it fell flat.

Anyways that's my take on the final week, look for Mel's posting soon as we continue to discuss the ending to a fantastic show.

This is Coronation Street: The 1st 5 Episodes

For anyone out there who, like me, loves classic soaps and is curious about non-US shows, here's a tip for you: Netflix has a series of Coronation Street DVDs available to rent, including This is Coronation Street: First 5 episodes & The Anniversary Special, Coronation Street: Farewell to Mike, and Coronation Street Family Albums. I can't wait to watch these dvds and figured I'd blog my thoughts here for fellow Denial Islanders who might be interested in checking them out.

First up: This is Coronation Street: The First 5 Episodes

First, a warning: I am almost a complete newbie to Coronation Street. Besides watching this dvd, the Farewell to Mike dvd awhile ago and a couple of random eps on YouTube, I'm pretty clueless about the show. So please forgive the lack of knowledge I'll be displaying here, lol.

Here's what I do know: the show premiered on December 9, 1960, in B&W, airing two evenings a week. From what I could tell in the first 5 episodes, the show is set in a working class town and deals with the lives of the various people who live on Coronation Street. A nice surprise at the end of two episodes is the camera panning down the street, listing the actors credits in front of their characters' homes - a fun way of letting the audience know where the characters live in relation to one another.

I enjoyed these episodes tremendously and found myself disappointed that I could never watch the rest of the show. Within just a few episodes I began caring about these characters and wanting to know what ended up happening to them - though the dvd features 'Character Profiles' which answered some of my questions (it includes character bios, years they appeared on the show, and their various addresses during their time on the show.)

A special shout-out to my favorite character on the show: Ena Sharples (played by Violet Carson)

Separated at Birth?

Corrie's Violet Carson (Ena)

and

Character Actress Anne Ramsey

At first, I thought Ena would be a character I loved to hate, but I have to admit, I just loved her. A churchgoing, bar-dwelling, tough, judgmental, busybody who seems to always be getting into fights with people - this character is hardly original. Yet, Ms. Carson played her with such gusto, dignity and genuine pathos - I found myself caring for the curmudgeon in spite of myself. I just can't let this character go! I'll have to try and find some clips of her on YouTube.

As most of you may know, there is only one actor who has stayed with the show through its entire run: William Roache (as Ken Barlow). 50 years of playing the same character is not unheard of (Don Hastings was Dr. Bob Hughes continuously for 50 years on ATWT), but it's impressive nonetheless. From what I've read on wiki, the character is considered a bore, but I was intrigued by him. What I liked about these first 5 episodes is that it dealt with realistic problems: difficulty in marriages, a mother dealing with a son just out of prison, romantic woes, and most intriguing, University student Ken's conflicting feelings regarding his working class roots. While being close to his family, and not wanting to be ashamed of where he comes from, you can tell there's a desire to break free and pursue a more intellectual and prosperous life. How ironic then that out of everyone, it would be Ken who remained on Coronation Street for his entire life.


Thanks for reading my Coronation Street babbling! I highly recommend this dvd to Soapies with an interest in soap history. I'll be watching the other dvds as well. Next up will be This is Coronation Street: The Anniversary Special. (FYI: The Anniversary Special and The First 5 Episodes are actually part of a 2 disc collection under the name This is Coronation Street, however, Netflix has them listed separately.)
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

Emmerdale Thoughts + Tram Crash Promo!

*Takes a deep breath* Oh lord in the morning, it looks like Emmerdale (ED) is stealing a page out of the As The World Turns playbook and is going to run over the poor little gay boy with a train... -.- But let's just hope he gets a nice road to recovery shall we? (This is nothing confirmed or spoiler, simply my thoughts).

But even with that beyond stupd plot point, I mean SERIOUSLY!, I am loving Emmerdale, even more so then Coronation Street and even Home and Away!!!!! Yes I said it, I am loving the rural soap more then my all time favorite Australian sudser! But that is only because Home and Away doesn’t even know where it is at the moment.

So what is it about ED that keeps me coming back for more? Well I have already listed most of it before in my Am I really enjoing Emmerdale? Post, but I have to admit I am really getting sucked into Aaron (Danny Miller) and Jackson’s (Marc Silcock) story! It is what One Life To Live’s Kish should have been, it is well acted, well portrayed, and lacks most of the outragous plot points that found its way into the Kish storyline…I said most…

Anyways Emmerdale has quickly become appointment TV and I know I will be glued to my screen to see who they run over in the explosive game changing episode.

Are you going to be tuning in? Are you enjoing Emmerdale? Let me know in the comments below.

EastEnders Janine Going to be Nastier Than Ever Before!

Stacy Branning better watch her scrutched up little self as our Mel likes to say, because Janine is on the warpath, and she's not going to hold back.

In the recent What's on TV interview Charlie Brookes, who portrays the newly deemed, Janine Malloy, has come out saying that -

"She will turn into the nastiest bitch you can ever imagine. She does some really awful things."

Janine recently found out that her new hubby Ryan (Neil McDermott) is Stacy's (Lacey Turner) baby daddy, and she is not taking it well to say the least.

I have been LOVING this story, and it is just so classic Janine to finally become happy to only have some scutchy nose little twit come and wreck everything.

What are your thoughts on Janine and her current storyline? Are you enjoying it or do you wish she would tone things down a bit? Let me know in the comments bellow.

Latest Soap Ratings: Sept 13 - 17, 2010

As the World Turns reaches #4 again! *sniff* *sniff*

Credit Soap Opera Network

September 13 - September 17, 2010
(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)

Total Viewers
1. Y&R 5,048,000 (-69,000/+46,000)
2. B&B 3,193,000 (-58,000/-153,000)
3. GH 2,641,000 (-101,000/-61,000)
4. ATWT 2,593,000 (+18,000/+105,000)
5. DAYS 2,510,000 (+16,000/-360,000)
6. AMC 2,387,000 (-81,000/-211,000)
7. OLTL 2,327,000 (-130,000/-236,000)

HH
1. Y&R 3.5/13 (same/-.1)
2. B&B 2.3/8 (same/-.1)
3. GH 2.0/7 (same/same)
4. ATWT 1.9/7 (same/+.1)
5. DAYS 1.8/7 (same/-.3) <- ties low rating (11th straight week)
5. AMC 1.8/6 (-.1/-.1)
5. OLTL 1.8/6 (same/-.2)

For Demographic breakdowns, Day-To-Day and Seasonal numbers, visit Soap Opera Network

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

He Said/She Said: As the World Turns

It's been a week and a day since the last episode of As the World Turns aired and I'm still in mourning. ATWT was never "my" show, but I watched it regularly since the 90s and while the show wasn't perfect (what show is?) I thought it had a lot of life left in it. When fellow Denial Island resident SoapWikiJohn suggested we do a series of He Said/She Said pieces about ATWT and it's finale, I thought it would be a nice way to keep the show alive for a little while longer. We're thinking about doing this in Parts - Initial Reactions, Final Week/Final Year, Characters, etc... I hope you enjoy the discussion, and we'd love for you to share your thoughts and memories of ATWT.

To read SoapWikiJohn's Initial Reaction to the ATWT finale, click here

I agree with some of John's observations: the happy endings did seem forced and rushed, and the Reid/Luke/Noah fans were cheated. But generally, I liked the last episode. I cried, I laughed, and I enjoyed all the performances. Not to mention the fact that I got what I'd been wanting desperately for years - John and Lucinda together again!!! I was also moved by Bob's narration (which seemed very Our Town-ish to me). Call me corny, but I liked the happy endings - it's what we fans wish for our favorites, and it's something we can only get when a show ends. Most of all, I liked that the show's finale was really about what soaps should always be about: Love, Family & Friends, and Community.

I didn't love everything though. I was shocked that Eileen Fulton was relegated to what was essentially a cameo appearance, it did seem rushed (as if TPTB just ran out of time and quickly slapped something together at the last minute), not enough interactions between the characters, too many of whom seemed to exist in their own little bubble (Paul and Emily, for instance), not enough returns, and I was hoping for lots of clips. Most of all, it was heartbreaking that Martha Byrne wasn't there. Noelle Beck is a fine actress, but not having Byrne resume her signature role as Lily was criminal and a real slap in the face to the actress and her fans.

All that said, I found the final episode to be satisfying. Sure, it could have been better but I'm hesitant in being too critical because 1) I don't know what kind of restrictions TPTB were working under and 2) It seems useless to pick on a show that's gone now, went out on a high note, and I found to be more entertaining than most of the other soaps still on the air.

So these are my initial reactions. Look for SoapWikiJohn and I to get into a more detailed discussion about ATWT in the upcoming weeks! I know I plan on discussing: my beloved Reid & LuRe, CarJack/Janet/Dusty, favorite stories/characters, and stuff I hated. And I'm sure SoapWikiJohn and I are going to do lots of arguing!!

Thanks for reading! We'd love to hear what you think!
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

The Great As The World Turns He Said - She Said Debate Part 1 - Initial Reactions- The He Said Version

Welcome one and all to a good ol' fashion "He Said" vs. "She Said" debate! Me and our Melanie will be tackling the end of As the World Turns, in which we will debating the finer points to the final months of this groundbreaking soap opera and how it's executive producers, writers, and cast decided to handle the daunting task of ending such a epic show.

Since our Mel isn't quite ready yet I am going to take it upon myself to start off the debate.

In part 1 of our debate we will simply be tackling our 'initial reactions' to the series finale.

Initial Reaction To The Finale-

After finishing the final episode of World Turns I could not help but grasp that the show was 'really' over. The final story thread of Bob Hughes, played by actor Don Hastings, retiring and narrating his final day was the most brilliant decision that TPTB made when planning the final episode. But unfortunately for me, I found the rest of the episode to be very bland.

When discussing the Guiding Light finale many fans speculated that there was a giant list created to which Ellen Wheeler simply checked off as the episode progressed. I kinda got the exact same feeling from the As The World Turns Finale. That someone had a mandated list of 'things that HAD to happen' and that is why everything was forced into nice little bubble.

The most shocking thing about the finale however was lack of closure for the 'gay' storyline. As I will get to in a moment, the Luke, Noah, Reid storyline was botched in what appeared to be an attempt to give the 'Nuke' fans a happy ending. Only that 'ending' did not appear on screen. While EVERYONE else in Oakdale seemed to be given a happy ending, Luke was left by his lonesome, mourning the death of his boyfriend Reid.

I have come to accept the loss of ATWT, but that does not in anyway negate the fact that the show had it's issues.

So there you have part 1 in our hopefully on-going debate about the end of World Turns! Look for the 'She Said' edition soon, followed by part 2 in which we tackle some of the more gritty details of the shows ending.

Latest Soap Ratings: Sept 6 - 10, 2010

Nice to see some weekly gains for all our shows! And I'm thrilled that ATWT hit #4 in Total Viewers!!

Credit Soap Opera Network

September 6 - September 10, 2010
(Compared to Last Week/Compared to Last Year)

Total Viewers
1. Y&R 5,117,000 (+144,000/+119,000)
2. B&B 3,251,000 (+107,000/+21,000)
3. GH 2,742,000 (+82,000/-45,000)
4. ATWT 2,575,000 (+207,000/+227,000)
5. DAYS 2,494,000 (+51,000/-226,000)
6. AMC 2,468,000 (+48,000/+7,000)
7. OLTL 2,457,000 (+82,000/-22,000)

HH
1. Y&R 3.5/12 (same/-.1)
2. B&B 2.3/8 (+.1/-.1)
3. GH 2.0/6 (+.1/-.1)
4. AMC 1.9/7 (+.1/same)
4. ATWT 1.9/6 (+.2/+.1)
6. OLTL 1.8/6 (+.1/-.1)
6. DAYS 1.8/6 (same/-.2) <- ties low rating (10th straight week)

Women 18-49 Viewers
1. Y&R 1,108,000 (+96,000/-15,000)
2. GH 966,000 (+85,000/+35,000)
3. OLTL 714,000 (+57,000/-34,000)
4. B&B 711,000 (+74,000/+12,000)
5. DAYS 706,000 (+28,000/-63,000)
6. ATWT 620,000 (+84,000/+64,000)
7. AMC 599,000 (+6,000/-58,000)

Women 18-49 Rating
1. Y&R 1.7/11 (+.2/same)
2. GH 1.5/9 (+.2/+.1)
3. DAYS 1.1/7 (+.1/-.1)
3. OLTL 1.1/7 (+.1/same)
3. B&B 1.1/7 (+.1/same)
6. ATWT 0.9/6 (+.1/+.1)
6. AMC 0.9/6 (same/-.1)

Girls 12-17 Viewers
1. GH 50,000 (+8,000/-2,000)
2. Y&R 48,000 (-1,000/+35,000)
3. OLTL 46,000 (+20,000/+14,000)
4. ATWT 36,000 (-1,000/+31,000)
5. AMC 27,000 (+13,000/+16,000)
6. B&B 24,000 (-9,000/+7,000)
7. DAYS 17,000 (+8,000/-2,000)

Women 18-34 Rating
1. Y&R 1.0/7 (+.1/-.2)
1. GH 1.0/6 (+.1/same)
3. DAYS 0.8/5 (same/-.1)
4. OLTL 0.7/5 (+.1/-.2)
4. B&B 0.7/4 (+.1/-.1)
6. ATWT 0.6/4 (+.1/same)
7. AMC 0.5/4 (same/-.3) <- ties low rating (3rd straight week)

Men 18+ Viewers
1. Y&R 1,185,000 (+62,000/-13,000)
2. B&B 719,000 (+46,000/+65,000)
3. DAYS 549,000 (-4,000/-10,000)
4. ATWT 522,000 (+62,000/+106,000)
5. AMC 499,000 (+28,000/+21,000)
6. GH 495,000 (-8,000/-7,000)
7. OLTL 444,000 (-4,000/+22,000)

For Day-To-Day and Seasonal numbers, go to Soap Opera Network

- Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938

(ATWT finale starts in a half an hour - *sniff* *sniff*)

Random Thoughts on General Hospital

So I haven't checked in with General Hospital lately, thus the time is right for some 'random thoughts' on General Hospital.

Matt and Maxie -

I know there are a lot of M&M haters out there, but dang it unless they are going to make the move back to Salem, I am perfectly fine with my redux here. With that said, I do kinda wish the story was better written. Why is Matt on Lisa's side? Why are they not building up a big love story with heartache and twist and turns like the old days... instead its doing it in the hall closet... ugh.

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She's BACK!--

Yup the great Gina Kincaid returned to...oh I guess you people would rather I called her "Brenda" hu? -.-. Well she returned and I really don't care..at all. I mean seriously what is there for me to like?

The build up to her return was 'huge', and the return has been botched. I have never seen Brenda before, but what I would have loved is for her to come back to town, be right outside of Sonny's house, look in to the window and see Sonny and Clare make love and of course all of this is happening in the rain. But hey why do that when we can have fashion and saving the children and all these other characters that I know nothing or care nothing about.

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Robin/Lisa/Patrick-

Okay while I don't think this storyline needed to play out, the acting has actually turned things around and saved the story for me. I am really enjoying the "REAL" Robin returning and giving Lisa everything she's got, and I hope that the storyline will continue to be as enjoyable as it has up until this point.

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Micheal's Rape-

So is this storyline just going to be the thing we are all supposed to forget about? I know Brenda came back and then there was Franco and everything in the world had to pause around the 'great ones' returning, but shouldn't we focus on this storyline and maybe attempt to salvage it?

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Anyways that's my random thoughts for today! What do you guys think? Are you enjoying Brenda? Is Micheal's rape not really important anymore? And are you an M&M fan or a hater? Let me know in the comments below, or you can hit me up on twitter @soapwikijohn .

Kat and Alfie Return To EastEnders Promo

EastEnders fan favories Kat and Alfie are about to return. Will the square ever be the same again?

Are you looking forward to their return? If so why? what is it about Kat and Alfie that make the fans go crazy?

Wishful Returns- Gemma Bissix as EastEnders Clare Bates

Here we go, with one of the greatest show runners around Brian Kirkwood as Executive Producer of EastEnders I think it is about time that we discuss a bit of 'wishful returns' for this show. Yes we have Kat and Alfie on their way, but who really cares about them...okay a lot of people, but they are a bit obvious, so I am going to discuss some of the 'not so obvious' returns that I think would heavily improve this show.

Who better to start off with then the return of Clare Bates as portrayed by the wonderfully Gemma Bissix. Clare was last seen in the square in 2008 where she had a brief relationship with Bradley. Since then Clare has been M.I.A. But I think that with Kirkwood in charge it is time for her to return!

Gemma and Kirkwood first worked together on Hollyoaks, when he decided to recast the role of Clare Devain with Bissix, and transformed the character from being a whimpy co-owner of the Loft, into one of the BEST Soap Villians ever.

During Bissix/Kirkwood's era on Hollyoaks the character of Clare was involved in the destruction and attempted murder of one of the villiages most beloved characters Max Cunningham (A.k.a. her hubby!), then went on to do one of the biggest 'Who Dun It's' in the soaps history with "Who Pushed Clare".

But all things had to come to an end as Clare left the village after being presumed dead, when she tried to get revenge on Justin for pushing her...

Unfortunately for the residents of Hollyoaks, and most specifically Warren Fox, Clare returned in 2009 for Brian Kirkwoods last day as Clare returned once again to finish out her run as she set the Loft a blaze and killed Warren. But before Clare left she declared that she would return, but to be honest that looks unlikely.

So now Gemma is a free-agent, and in need of a job, and at the same time EastEnders is in need of her talent and character.

Would you like to see Gemma return to EastEnders? Or do you think its time for her to check out an iTV sudser like Coronation Street / Emmerdale? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

New Hollyoaks Opening Sequence

So what do you think of the long awaited brand new Hollyoaks opening? I think it is much better then I expected and it is really fitting for the new era of Paul M.

The Road To Coronation Street Promo

BBC's retelling of the behind the scenes story of Coronation Street airs tomorrow, but until then check out the promo above.

Quick Thoughts On Home and Away and Why I am sticking With it.

Okay so it is not hard for those watching Home and Away to see where the show is having major issues, but knowing a few of the things going on behind the scenes really helps to shape up an opinion and really helps to give strength to keep with it.

#1. - My major issues with the soap is the fact that everything is very segmented. Each storyline is off in it's own little bubble and no one is really crossing over and interacting like they used to. This makes for a very sparadict show.

#2.- Where is a storyline to root for? All over the show the same storyline is dragging its feet and looking for a place to improve. We have Bianca and Liam, Ruby's drinking, April and Xavier, Leah and Elijah, Miles off by himself, Alf off by himself, Nicole getting stuck with a needle by Penn...and then the whole Penn mess by itself... I cannot find one thing about this show that I find myself 'wanting' to watch.

#3.- No 'great' new characters.

Okay I get it, 2010 is a year for the show to 'reboot' itself, but outside of April Scott and Dexter, I don't really find myself enjoying any of the 'new' characters. They are all boring and pointless.

But that is all the downside. The positive news is that a brand new script producer has been hired. Jason Daniel is an AMAZING storyliner, he is best known for his work on Shortland Street, and is the reason for the 2007 Fernadle Strangler storyline which aired from August 2007- March 2008.

I have the upmost faith in Jason to tell a good storyline that will keep viewers glued to their screens. In addition we have the return of Roo Stewart, the revelation of who Penn Graham really is, and so much more coming up. So while I may be losing the will to stick with it, I am going to strugle on as the show is sure to improve in the next few months.

Are you enjoying Home and Away? If so what about it? And what are you most looking forward to coming up? Let me know in the comments below.

Who Pushed Paul? And Other Random Neighbours Thoughts

So Paul Robinson got pushed off the balcony and I finally realized just "WHY" Neighbours had to recast the role of Declan.

Prior to this episode (and news coming out that Neighbours actually wrote storylines out and had been filming scenes as early as last November!) I was completely against the recasting of Declan, but now that I finally see the point I guess I will ease up a tiny bit on the 'Declan' hate. With that said I still hope that Declan was the one to push Paul, thus getting this actor off my screen.

So who do I think pushed him? I really do think it was Declan, he had the motice, the writers have a reason to get rid of him, and it all really fits, otherwise it is probably going to turn out to be some nobody and we will all be left with a pointless storyline.

The 'Dingo' wedding was sweet, but again kinda pointless knowing what is coming up 'contract status' wise. If the two of them were staying I think the Scott/Charlene redux might have worked, but now I think it was to much, to fast and it just didn't work.

As for the rest of the show... let's see-

Harry's coming out storyline has been alright, I think it is a little dull at points, but it is a lot more 'realistic' then say Sophie and Sian's on Coronation Street. *Ducks from angry commentors*.

Overall I am really still enjoying Neighbours. It does have issues, like you know CONTINUITY!, but compared to Home and Away I am really enjoying Neighbours and I look forward to seeing where the show will go in the coming months, and with the transition to Eleven.

So what are your thoughts on Neighbours? Let me know in the comments below.

EastEnders Ryan and Janine: Married At LAST!

After a long soapy drawn out wedding and game of 'will they, won't they' Ryan Malloy and Janine Butcher FINALLY tied the not on yesterday's installment of Eastenders.

Are you happy the two finally said "I do" , and better yet do you think the marriage will last? Let me know your thought in the comments bellow.

The Battle Of The Drug Abuse Storylines: EastEnders vs. Emmerdale

This week on EastEnders, Phil Mitchell’s brand new drug addiction *cough* PLOT DEVICE *cough* will have dire consequences as he causes the Queen Victoria to burn to the ground in a storyline that will result in Barbra Windsor’s exiting from her iconic role as Peggy Mitchell.

With both EastEnders and Emmerdale doing big drug storylines at the same time it is interesting to compare and contrast the major differences between the two and how they are both unfolding.

On Emmerdale Holly Burton’s drug storyline began as a slow building storyline that has only recently hit the fan as everyone found out Holly’s miss doings when she left a little bit of her ‘stuff’ behind at a baby-sitting job for the local Vic. Yea doing drugs in a house with kids is bad, doing drugs in a house with kids for the local preacher is probably the stupidest thing you could do.

Anyways the storyline continued to fall out with Holly running away from home, leaving her family to believe she was dead in a ditch somewhere. Now Holly has returned home one last time to pick up the rest of her personal items while the rest of the family is out, only her little sister Hannah appeared before she was able to leave. Holly was able to escape and the Burton’s now know that at least their daughter is alive… for now.

Over on EastEnders, Phil had lost everything. His son Ben was sent to prison, after following in his father’s footsteps. Then his little girl was ripped from his hands by his own MOTHER and given away to the person who stole her in the first place.

So first Phil did what any alcoholic would do, he turned to the booze! But hey that doesn’t numb the pain enough, thus he hooked up with some Branning trailer trash and all the sudden became a junkie! Now Phil has a case of the munchies and cannot wait for his next hit.

While the spiraling disaster that is Phil Mitchell’s life is an accurate presentation of what someone would do given his situation, it is hard not to notice that everything that went wrong in his life was all done as a plot device to get to the point that will deliver Peggy Mitchell’s final moments on the square.

Now with that said which drug storyline are you enjoying the most? Do you disagree that Phil’s is very plot driven, whereas Holly’s is character? Let me know what you think in the comments below.