Sunday Comments, Novmber 29

Lines of the week:

• Ted to Ken "When I say i'm a good listener, i mean i'm an insufferable busybody"
  
• Rosie about Ben "Ok so he's not a complete mutant!"
  
• Kirk "What sort of person fakes a mugging?" Eddie "I live here! I couldn't do a runner like I usually do!"
  
• Tyrone about Tony "He was well gutted, i could tell. He's such a bad loser" (uh huh)
  
• Steve "I'm exstatic!" Becky "Well I'm Euphoric!" Steve "That's a big word for a small girl!" Becky "You don’t work next to Roy Cropper for a year and learn nothin’”
  
• Carla "And what brilliant subterfuge it was. We even had subterfuge in my wedding dress"
  
• Tony "Grief is grief!! The only difference is i didn't have to mourn. I could do something about mine!"
  
• Carla "You're a good man" Tony "No i'm not" (you got that right!)
  
• Steve about the singles club "The only problem with the lights is that they're on"

Is a coconut macaroon a cake or a biscuit? That was the question this week and Steve and Lloyd had everyone on the street talking about it. That was a classic Corrie move, intersperse the tension and drama between Tony and Carla with light silliness. So cakes go hard when they're stale and biscuits (cookies) go soft. Allegedly. Or...If you believe Eddie Windass (and he's a master baker so if nothing else, he'd know this!) Cakes rise, biscuits don't ergo a coconut macaroon is a biscuit.

Tony's excuses to Carla about Jed, making out that his neck bruises was an attempt at suicide didn't sound very likely to me but Carla bought it. At first. Tony didn't waste any time and lit a fire under Jimmy to light a fire under Jed. And the sight of Jimmy lit the suspicious fires under Carla again. Jed plus heart attack plus Jimmy plus altercation. Yep, i'd be asking questions too and she went straight to the horse, Jimmy himself. He was non-committal. She didn't get a thing out of him but he's rattled.

How could Tony be looking down out the window at Carla outside the factory when she entered and came *down* a few steps to where he was waiting? Anyway, that was the start of an explosive confrontation! He started off trying to convince her his story was the truth but she didn't buy it. So he pretended he did know but thought he'd just wait it out. No dice. Man she really gave it to him! Taunting him with her affair, and her love for Liam, how much better in everything Liam was than Tony. He actually had tears in his eyes, because he'd lost her for good i suppose. And maybe a bit of guilt. She pushed and pushed until he lost his rag. Result. You know why she backed down again and told him maybe it was just lust...to lure him into confessing. And confess he did! In spades! One of the best episodes on Corrie, that was. Tony didn't sound very sorry or guilty at all about the murder though he did seem to have a flash of it when he realized Maria was pregnant. They were throwing it back and forth, each doing their best to hurt each other and it ended with Carla speeding off into the rain, Tony soaking wet on the cobbles calling her name.

Janice wants to be a nurse but needs school qualifications. Yet biology is too hard (you kinda need that to be a nurse) and there's just too much history to learn. Something tells me she needs to rethink her calling.

So Ken has spilled his guts to the neutral Ted who might be a busybody but he's also The Vault. He keeps saying Martha's a friend but his head is in the clouds and he hasn't told anyone else about her either. Ken in a kimono in a back street terrace house. Yes, that's the image i always wanted. Now Martha wants to meet his grandchildren, or family. Um, last thing he wants isn't it? He hasn't been honest and the longer it goes on, the deeper it gets buried.

Steve is still having a hard time accepting his mother and Lloyd's relationship. I think they work, actually. There isn't that much of an age between them really, less than 10 years. Lloyd tricked Steve into going to a singles night and who else was there? Bill Webster! And Liz couldn't stand it, she had to go see what was up, too!

This business over Gary and David is annoying. And when did Anna and Eddie own a nice car? It's a BMW! I thought they moved their stuff in a van or truck. Maybe it's Len's car? Anna is determined to try to win over Gail but you know Gail, her with the blinders the size of dinner plates on. Any of Anna's efforts are getting nowhere especially when Uncle Len skulks around the kebab shop with Tina, he's very intimidating as he meant to be. I'd be on the phone to 999 or anyone else, pronto!

Eddie's darts scheme was exposed for the scam we all knew it was. The guy that got the triple 20 in darts is apparently a famous darts player. And it turns out.... who'd have thought it... Eddie is a master baker!!! I'm not sure cakes are going to turn the tide though. Sophie's crush, Ben, seems very nice and awfully polite! No bad boy for her! And she's going to a Christian youth club. Is she about to be born again or is it just interest because Ben is in the club? Nice little touch with Rosie and Sophie actually not bickering and Rosie helping her get ready for a date. (It didn't last very long, though!) Ben sure seems like a fine upstanding and very polite young man! Makes a change from Rosie's fellas!

Leanne's looking a bit scruffy isn't she? Looks like her hair was cut with a hedge trimmer. A little aside, the bloke that plays Jimmy is the real life husband of Jane Danson who plays Leanne. Vikki has left to see her mother in Poland. That's because the actress is pregnant. Don't know if she's coming back or not. The actress that plays Leanne is pregnant and so is the one that plays Carla. Carla's now on her maternity leave and Leanne won't be far behind.

Sunday comments, November 22

Lines of the week:

• Janice to David "I'd have thought you would have been the last one to criticize anyone's driving!" (Score!)
  
• Norris to Liz "And i suppose you're younger than you look"
  
• Janice "I should have been a nurse and it's not too late!"
  
• Len "He can look after himself can our Gary"
  
• Carla "I want to know, Tony, What really happened?" (are you sure you wanna know?)
  

I'm back and i have caught up a little. I did see Ty and Moll's wedding which almost went off without a hitch except for Tyrone fainting at the altar and his mother nicking the honeymoon tickets. Maria is really losing her rag over this Tony stuff. The worst part of it is that she's right but nobody believes her! So where are we now... ah yes....

Maria up against the airbag of the car...Maybe now she'll back off and take better care of herself. Even if she's on the money about Tony killing Liam, she can't prove it and the stress is not good for her or the baby. Does she forget what happened the first time she was pregnant? I'd say she was an at risk patient after that. Tony pulled a rabbit out of the hat and produced Jed for all to see. Alive and kicking. If he didn't kill Jed, did he kill Liam? That's what's going through Maria's head but ... Carla's suspicions are now piqued and she can smell the vapour of truth now that she's seen Jed's neck scars and went to Maria for more info. Tony seems a bit suspicious of Carla's reticence.

Rosie and that clipboard have to go. Sophie's got a crush!!

Julie is the daughter of a school friend of Eileen's. The friend must have had a teenage pregnancy then, because Julie must be 30 if she's a day and Eileen is only in her mid 40s. Janice wants to be a nurse. I'm not quite sure she's up to that though i do applaud her wanting to do something more with her life and gain some skills. I think she's got a bit of an unrealistic view of how much work it's going to take.

David put two and two together and stitched up Gary because he's jealous of Gary's attentions to Tina. And you know what? Ok, that was the wrong thing to do but Tina certainly isn't helping the whole situation, inviting Gary in, giving him coffees and smiles in the pub. She knows how jealous David can be, why is she dangling the red rag in front of the bull? Gary pushed and pushed David until he exploded and Gary took the opportunity to make mincemeat out of David's face. David might have pulled the first punch but Gary went way beyond defending himself and Gary *did* steal the pipe in the first place and he did bait David all day. David is bent on revenge, and bent on stitching Gary up for the assault and is dragging Tina into it. Tina is basically an honest kid, though. Will she put up with more of David's schemes? Problem is, Gary has thug Len on his side and he's more than just a little intimidating.

Norris is still winning competitions and now has won a motor home with Mary! Sounds like a dream come true for her, on the road in close quarters with Norris because you can clearly see she fancies the pants off him. Living with her mother all these years has clearly driven her round the bend. Norris seems to suspect Mary does fancy him and questioned Liz about age differences but he doesn't seem to be that keen, does he? Rita is still knocking about with Eileen's dad and Norris is huffy about that too.

Oh dear. Ken seems to have found a new soul mate, and at his age!! And you know? She's just as insufferable as he is! Ken being Ken, didn't correct her when she assumed his wife was dead when he said Peter's mother was passed away. You do notice that Ken's accent gets a lot posher around Martha don't you? And his head is so far up his... er... in the clouds over her that he didn't even remember who Peter was when Leanne asked after him!

DVD Review: Coronation Street Out of Africa

Several years ago we saw the back of Cilla Battersby Brown when she ran off to Las Vegas. Earlier this fall, in Canadian Corrie timeline, we saw Fiz, Chesney and Kirk go to South Africa where Cilla was living. We didn't know how Cilla got from Vegas to Sun City and we didn't find out what happened to everyone during their sojourn there. That's because ITV released a spinoff dvd all about their adventures in South Africa as a sort of stand alone episode. It's called Coronation Street Out of Africa. The storyline was unrelated to the day to day goings on in Weatherfield.

The dvd was released in the UK last October but only in the UK. You couldn't play it in a dvd player in North America unless you have a machine that will play Region 2 disks because the format for North America is different (Region 1). Now, however, E1 Entertainment has converted the Out of Africa adventure and released it in North America format and it's available now at Amazon, and all the usual dvd retailers where it may be a bit cheaper. Walmart, Costco and Future Shop generally are and you don't have to pay the shipping there. It's already in my library because i have the UK version but the NA version is the same, with the "Making of" documentary and interviews with the cast. I love those behind-the-scenes things!

I know Cilla isn't to everyone's taste but i really liked the character, that is... liked to hate her. She was horrible, wasn't she? She hasn't changed, I'll tell you that much. The story is fun and typically Cilla. The scenery is fab and some of the secondary characters are real scene stealers. I already wrote up a storyline summary because I didn't think most people here would ever get to see the adventure, but if you want to get the dvd, that will spoil it for you so don't look!

The dvd is out just in time for Christmas and i know i sound like i'm trying to push it but i'm just pleased there's a company that is putting great Coronation Street in the hands of Canadian and American fans finally! In the UK, this fall, there's another spinoff called Romanian Holiday and it features Roy, Hayley and Becky. Let's hope E1 will pick that up next year! You can't go wrong with the Croppers!

Classic Corrie for Canadians (and Americans)

A few years ago, three 10-disk boxed sets of Classic Coronation Street episodes were released in the UK. Each set covered a decade, the 60s, 70s and 80s and each set had 10 dvds, one per year, with 8 episodes on each disk. That's 240 episodes of Classic Corrie, in case you were doing the math. If you live in North America, you need a dvd player that works with Region 2 disks in order to see them. Luckily, I have one of those (you can get them but you can also "hack" them by entering a code on the remote that unlocks the machine to play any region. But i digress...) As I said, I have one of those players so I bought all three dvd sets.

Now, the folks at E1 Entertainment, a Canadian dvd distributor, have started to release some of these old episodes in North American format (Region 1)! What they've done is picked "best of" or perhaps their favourite episodes from these Classic moments to produce volumes of dvds that we here in Canada and the U.S. can play. They have three volumes so far, ranging from 1960 to 1966. Each volume has 2 disks and 8 episodes. I happened to get my hands on volume 3, the newest release that covers 1963 to 1966 and initially I thought only one of the episodes was the same as what was on the larger UK boxed set and was quite excited that these were new episodes. Oops, I guess I haven't watched my dvds in awhile. Upon checking with the episode summaries on the boxed set, I now realize that the episodes on the E1 volume are indeed taken from the original boxed set. This is after I ran out and bought volumes 1 and 2!

That's ok, though. Christmas is coming and I have some Corrie fans on my list.

The dvds have a little brief summary of each year before the episodes from that year, just to give you an idea of what's going on in Weatherfield. The episodes are digitally remastered so they are in pretty good shape as far as visuals and audio are concerned. Volume 3 contains episodes that see Emily Nugent (later Bishop) jilt the older Leonard Swindley, Dennis Tanner rescue Sheila Birtles from possible suicide, Val Barlow giving birth to twins Peter and Susan, Elsie and Ena rowing in the street, a day trip out to the Blue John mines, Ena getting arrested for shoplifting two tins of salmon, the aftermath of the collapse of Number 7 and the discovery of an unexploded bomb in Albert Tatlock's back yard.

For anyone that loves Corrie, this will give you a little taste of it's early days, with the legendary characters you've heard about. Volume 1 starts with the very first episodes and Volume 2 covers 1961 to early 1963. Amazon.ca has Volume 3 for $17.49 at the moment. They say the actual price is $29.99 but I have seen the dvds in WalMart and Future Shop for about $21.99 or thereabouts. You may also find them in Costco at a good price, or at other shops that sell dvds. Keep an eye out, I expect they will continue to work their way through the 1960s and hopefully, through the rest of the 1970s and 80s, too!