Coronation Street: Good-Bye Becky!

So I just had the opportunity to screen Becky Granger-McDonald's final episodes of Coronation Street and I wanted to take a moment and just reflect on her tenure on the street.

Coronation Street: Who Killed Frank- The Suspects

Uh Oh! Things are not looking good for Frank Foster as the character is set to be killed off later this week! But with his death comes an on-going murder mystery with five suspects having been officially named!

Who do you think will be the one to give Frank his dues? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter @SoapWikiJohn

Comparing Kisses: Days Will & Neil Vs. Other Soaps First Same Sex Kiss

So Days Of Our Lives has taken the first step and allowed Will Horton to kiss a boy, but how does this stack up to other soaps "first" attempt at the realm of same sex kisses? Let's take a moment and compare and contrast this monumental event with some other noteworthy ones.

SPOILER: What Will Happen To Coronation Street's Frank Foster?

With the trial having come to an end this morning the fate of Frank Foster has been revealed (Both the verdict and long story)

Coronation Street - Trial Week Promo

It's time for another Coronation Street trial, full of lies, cheating, and scandal...

Coronation Street Simon Gregson (Steve) Sticking Around

Great news Corrie fan's! Actor Simon Gregson, who portrays the loveable Steve McDonald, has set the record straight stating he has no plans to ever leave the UK sudser as long as they will keep him around!

When I first began watching Corrie I will admit it took me a minute to get used to seeing someone who looked as normal as Mr. Gregson in a front burner love triangle (He was with Michelle and having an affair with Becky Granger) but once I actually watched Gregson's acting and the writing for Steve I quickly fell in love with the character, and his relationship with Becky kept me glued to the telly waiting to find out what happened next, so to say I am excited about this news would be an understatement! Here's hoping Steve McDonald is the next Ken Barlow and will remain on Corrie for the rest of it's life.

What do you think? Are you a Steve McDonald fan? Or has the character run its course? Let me know in the comments below.

Melanie/SoapOperaBabble's 2012 Soap Predictions!

For more predictions, check out Brooke's Predictions and SoapWikiJohn's Predictions

Okay, I'll just put this out there... My predictions suck. Emmy predictions, Academy Award predictions, TV Show predictions... I suck at all of them. So if I'm predicting it here, chances are it will not happen, lol. So...here we go!

SoapWikiJohn's 2012 Soap Predictions!

G'day everyone and welcome to 2012! Its been a crazy year so far but let's see how well I can predict the future with my second annual soap predictions!

Corrie's Michael Le Vell Cleared of Sex Assault Charges!

Good news (to say the least) for Coronation Street's Michael Le Vell. Back in September the actor was arrested on sex abuse charges (read about it Here), but it's just been reported that authorities have dropped all charges due to "insufficient evidence."  The actor has vehemently denied all wrongdoing and received the full support of Corrie's cast and crew throughout this ordeal. Le Vell, who split with his wife last year, will no doubt want to put this behind him and is looking forward to a fresh start for 2012.

What do you guys think? Was this all a horrible mistake? Was this a miscarriage of justice? Will we ever really know the truth?

Happy New Year All!
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble  

Roundup: Corrie Sex Abuse Scandal! Sons of Anarchy! JaSam Wedding! Bye-Bye AMC & OLTL!

Hey All, it's been awhile! Because of personal, professional and school commitments I haven't had much time for blogging, tweeting or even soap watching. But I'm Baaaaaack!!

So what's been going on?

The Happy:

JaSam Wedding

Finally! Jason and Sam are one of my all-time favorite Soap SuperCouples, so this marriage has been a dream come true for me (even if it was marred by more Franco Bullsh*t). But if JaSam has taught us one thing, it's that Love Always Triumphs. To me, JaSam is all about unconditional love *sigh*

Sons of Anarchy

Damn! This is the best soap I've seen in a long time! After hearing great things about the show, I decided to finally check it out. I was hesitant. Male dominated anti-hero shows can be popular but their a tough sell for me: most of the characters are unlikeable and a sexist perspective is sometimes present (Hello Sopranos!). But as it turns out this wild, testosterone-driven, violent biker show has a lot going for it. It's what Guza-era General Hospital so desperately tried to be. The action is intense, performances are terrific and it's got the soapy elements that I love: hyper-dramatic situations, crazy plot twists, cliffhangers, brilliant at it's best, contrived at it's worst. The thing I like the most? When you take away the Plot Points and the MacGuffins (those damn LETTERS) it's really all about the characters and their relationships with each other. It's their desires, needs, greed, narcissism, fears, betrayals, lovin' and hatin' that really drives the stories forward. Plus, I love the HOLY SH*T! OMG! ICan'tBelieveTheyJustDidThat! moments. I'm going to write more about SOA later, but for now I'll just say this show is Must Watch TV for me. Oh and...they better not kill Clay off!

The Sad:

Good-bye to AMC and the soon-to-be departed OLTL

I'm still kind of in denial about this. I've yet to watch the final few eps of AMC. They're just sitting on my DVR waiting to be watched. And I can't quite bring myself to watch what's left of OLTL. It's just too damn depressing. It's sad to see these beloved shows go and even sadder to know that this is signaling the end of the daytime soap genre as we know it. Saying good-bye to characters we've watched for years, sometimes decades, is like no other feeling. Only other daytime soap watchers really understand how heartbreaking it is for us.

The Shocking:

Coronation Street's Michael Le Vell Arrested For Sexual Assault

This has got to be the most shocking and upsetting soap-related story of the year. On Sept 30, Michael Le Vell (Kevin, Coronation Street) was arrested for rape of a 6-year-old girl (her age at the time of the alleged attack). The Corrie vet (he's been on the show for 28 years) denies the charges. He's currently out on bail until January while the charges are being investigated.

Boy, what do you even say about this? It's absolutely horrific. I'm just hoping that this is some terrible mistake, because the alternative is just too horrible to contemplate.

Ok all. Thanks for reading this rambling mess of a post, lol. I'm glad to be back and can't wait to dive right into the soap world again!

Melanie/daisyclover/SoapOperaBabble

Why We Love British Soaps: Brit Awards Promo Gives You a Taste

So some of you may have noticed that while we love (and sometimes love to hate) U.S. soaps, we just can't get enough of Brit and Aussie soaps. Luckily, the Soap Gods invented YouTube, so we can watch a lot of the shows that aren't normally available to us. For any of you that haven't watched Brit soaps but are considering checking them out, take a look at the British Soap Awards 2011 promo featuring clips from Coronation Street, Doctors, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks. It'll give you a little taste of what you're missing (and what we're loving).

Damn that's good soap!

To read my Newbie Babble about some of these shows, click here.

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Congrats to the Winners of the 2011 British Soap Awards!

The British Soap Awards were given out last night and we've got a list of the Winners in the Viewer Voted Categories! (courtesy of Digital Spy)

Best British Soap: EastEnders
Best Actress: Jessie Wallace (Kat, EastEnders)
Best Actor: Danny Miller (Aaron, Emmerdale)
Villain of the Year: Emmett J. Scanlan (Brendan, Hollyoaks)
Sexiest Female: Michelle Keegan (Tina, Coronation Street)
Sexiest Male: Scott Maslen (Jack, EastEnders)

For a complete list of the Winners and Nominees (including the Panel Voted Categories), click here

I'm pretty happy with the picks. I voted for EastEnders as Best Soap and Emmett as Villain of the Year (Brendan is scary!) But while I really like Scott Maslen, I voted for Chris Fountain as Sexiest (he'll get it next year!)  And even though I voted for Alison King (Carla, Coronation Street) as Sexiest Female, Michelle K was my second choice.

Congrats to all the Winners and Nominees!

-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

Newbie Babble: EastEnders, Coronation Street, Neighbours, Hollyoaks & Emmerdale

Hi everyone! This is a bit of a random post. A few weeks ago, with the encouragement of Denial Island residents SoapWikiJohn and Brooke, I started watching UK and Aussie soaps again. I've watched EastEnders on and off for about 2 1/2 years and would occasionally catch Neighbours. I've also seen some Corrie DVDs. But that's it. My reluctance to start up with non-US soaps is that once I get into the shows, my 'supplier' suddenly disappears and I'm left hanging, desperately searching for a new 'supplier' (or should I say, desperately asking SWJ to search for a new 'supplier'). But hey, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. So for the last 2 weeks I've watched the UK shows EastEnders, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale and the Aussie soap Neighbours.

I've got a theory on what hooks people on a soap. Sure, there's good writing, acting and quality of production but for me it's this: If there's a character I love, a character I hate and a character I have a crush on - I'm hooked! So, here's my love/hate/crush round-up for my 'new' shows (in fave to least fave order):

EastEnders:
Love: the Masoods, Whitney, Ricky, Pat and Dot
Hate: Janine, sometimes Phil
Crush: No One. Every time I get a crush on someone they leave: Jase, Sean, poor sweet Bradley :(
Random Thoughts: Despite not having anyone to drool over, I love EE. While US shows make me cry maybe twice a year, EE has me crying every few episodes. I know people think it's too dark and depressing (they have a point), but what can I say? I don't mind that lol. The Ronnie/Kat/Baby Switch story killed me. And Jack breaking down the other day? *sob*

Neighbours:
Love: Lucas, Paul, Jade (at first, I thought I hated her but...she's so scary when she's pissed and she always seems on the verge of kicking someone's ass. How can I not love her??)
Hate: There's no one I really hate, but Tash and dare I say it...Susan...get on my nerves
Crush: Lucas, Paul
Random Thoughts: I really like this show which is surprising considering how 'family friendly' it is. But with such a tiny cast are there enough women to go around?

Coronation Street:
Love: Carla (I want to be her!), Liz (why did she have to leave??), Becky (why does she have to leave??)
Hate: Frank and Chris (apparently it's ok he beat his wife because he's sorry now?), Tracy (I like the actress, but UGH I just want someone to punch the character in the face.)
Crush: Tommy (Chris Fountain is hot!)
Random Thoughts: I love that Stephanie Cole (Waiting for God) is on the show!

Emmerdale:
Love: Jackson & Hazel
Hate: The Dingles, Kelly (but she's Love to Hate)
Crush: Uhm...Carl maybe?
Random Questions: Why do so many people look like they've just stepped out of a nightclub? Why do Kelly and Nicola want Jimmy? What's with the matching mother/daughter trailer trash look of the Dingle Dopes?

Hollyoaks:
Love: no one yet
Hate: uhm..Warren maybe? Brendan maybe?
Crush: uhm...Warren maybe?
Random Thoughts: I don't mind watching the show but nothing has really pulled me in yet. I'm also having trouble keeping everyone straight, especially the women. I do like the theme and opening credits. And hey, there's an American! I'm also intrigued/frightened by Brendan.

Which UK/Aussie soaps do you watch? Who do you love/hate/have a crush on?
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover

SoapWikiJohn's 2011 Soap Predictions!

Hey everyone,

So with 2011 upon us I thought I would take a moment and make some soap predictions and see how close I actually come to being right as 2011 plays out, so without further delay here are my 2011 soap predictions-

Will A Soap Be Canceled, if so which one?- I think 2011 will be the end for All My Children. Its the bottom of the ratings, the show is over budget, and unless something dramatic happens the quality is not the best, so while it pains me to say it, I think AMC is toast.

Will there be another 'kish-o-trophic' casting shocker in 2011? I think so, I have a feeling that one MAJOR actor will be fired/let go/ not resign in 2011, I am not sure on which soap, but I have a feeling that it will shock the soapworld to its core.

Which Soap will be the 'best' in 2011 -

Oh lord this one is hard, the soaps fluctuate so rapidly that it is really hard to tell which will be the "BEST".

If you are watching U.K. soaps I am going to go out on a limb and say EastEnders will reclaim its thrown with the whole Baby Swap storyline that has just kicked off. While I haven't seen those scenes yet, I just have a feeling that this storyline could be game changing and could help it be the 'BEST'. Coronation Street has issues and I think its to unpredictable to say it will be the best, and Hollyoaks and Doctors while both having a big year, and I will personally be loving them I don't know that they can overtake a baby swap. That leaves Emmerdale. Had Executive Producer Gavin Blyth not died I would have said Emmerdale would easily take best soap, but because of his unfortunate passing I am just going to give it to EastEnders and pray that I am right.

If Australian soaps are your favorite I am going to say Home and Away will reclaim its former glory and beat out Neighbours in quality come 2011. The soap had a lot of problems in 2010, but with a new writer involved I have a feeling that we will get much better storytelling in this coming year.

Now for what you all really care about the U.S. soaps..... This one is really a toss in the bucket. I don't think All My Children or The Bold and the Beautiful will get this title. The ONLY way Days of Our Lives will be the BEST is if Dena Higgly is fired, and I highly doubt that will happen. The Young and the Restless is way to sporadic. So that really just leaves One Life To Live or General Hospital. Between those two I am going to say General Hospital will pull the year off as best show. Now I think they will also be the most talked about and controversial show, but that might be just the thing the soap needs to regain its footing as best soap.

What Soap Will Be Unwatchable in 2011-

I am going to go out and just say All My Children will be the worst soap of 2011. There really is no foundation for this assumption, only that I don't think it will be able to compete with any of the others. I feel that Days might wise up and fix a few things, but AMC... I just don't feel that they can gain the ground needed to fix things to even compete so that's why it is the most unwatchable in my opinion.

Who will be the most tortured couple of 2011?

Well this one is going to be fun, and get me into a LOT of hot water. I am going to say JaSam will be the most tortured couple of the year. I don't know anything, or have any hard proof, but I just feel that things could go down a bad road and the way that General Hospital has been with its couples I think its about time to cause havoc and wreck the thing that is JaSam all up.

Cutest Couple of 2011?

I am going to say for the US- Kevin and Chloe from The Young and the Restless, and for Australia - Romeo and Ruby from Home and Away.

So those are my predictions for 2011! Do you agree or disagree? What are your predictions? Let me hear them 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.

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?

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

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.

My Reaction to Coronation Street's "Outing" of Sophie and Sian

On August 30th 2010’s episode of Coronation Street the characters of Sophie Webster and Sian Powers were ‘outed’ by Claire Peacock infront of the entire street as they made their way to Roy and Hayley wedding.

While I cannot say that the S&S storyline has been my favorite, the way in which these characters were ‘outed’ felt like nothing more than a plot device used to push other storylines further.

Coronation Street had the chance to tell a storyline that would have gripped the nation, while actually HELPING those struggling with their sexual identity to find a way to express themselves by following in S&S’s suit. Now the potential for this storyline has been somewhat wrecked and any lasting impact was shoved to the side for a quick ‘gasp’ and shock as everyone in town heard their ‘dirty little secret’.

Now I will admit that the soap quickly 'down played' the reveal to make it look like Claire was a liar and that S&S would 'never' do something like that, but isn't that just as bad, if not worse for the storyline?

So obviously I am disappointed in Corrie, but maybe you feel differently. What is your take on S&S’s storyline so far? Do you agree with the way the writers exposed the couple, or are you as outraged as I am over this pointless plot device?

It's Official! Coronation Street Goes Live For 50th!

It's offical folks! Coronation street is going LIVE for its big 50th birthday!

While not much has officially been anounced as to the contents of the live episode, we do know that the 50th week will involve a big a big tram crash that will shake the residents of Wetherfield to their core.

Are you looking forward to Corries big Five-O?