Sunday Comments, October 24

Lines of the week:

• Molly on New Year's in the Rovers "Out with the old and in with the old"
  
• Ryan about the Christian rock group "They smash up hotel rooms but leave the Bible in the drawer after"
  
• sally "I don't want to be a condition, i just want to be the same person i always was" (*sniff*)
  
• Bill to Kevin about Molly "You make it sound like some kind of accident!"
  
• Sophie to Sian "What was he? the main course?"
  
• Ryan to MIchelle "It's all right for you to put it about but not all right for me to be with the one i love" *slap* (she *is* a hypocrite!)
  
• Molly "What's she got that i haven't?" Kevin "Cancer. You stupid girl"
  
• Sally "Molly, you're dull!" Molly "Sally, you're drunk!" Sally "Molly, you're right!"
  
• Becky to Claire "From now on keep your nose out of my marraige. Or i'll break it."
  
• Rosie to Kevin about Sally "She's got a hangover, not cancer" (ulp!)
  

Dude! Tyrone's too sexy! Molly doesn't think so. She's brooding over Kevin dumping her while Kevin is worried sick about Sally. Molly was ready to dump Kevin but he dumped her very thoroughly so now she's panting after him again. He got the worst kind of reality check but it's snapped him out of his infatuation pretty swiftly and i'd have been extremely disappointed in him if he hadn't. It's no wonder that Kevin is upset, since his mother died of cancer but this is caught early and Sally is a major character so you know she'll be ok in the end. I can't believe Kevin told his father about Molly, though. Good lord, his dad should have taken a wrench to Kevin's backside when he heard that but he sure gave him a deserved dressing down! Excellent stuff!

Molly wasn't keen to go to the Rovers for New Year's until she heard Kevin and Sally would be there. Then she dressed up with a plunging neckline so he'd know what he was missing and she's still giving Tyrone the runaround. Our poor dim little mechanic nearly guessed she was seeing someone else but her amour Kevin convinced him she wasn't. It's just so obvious! Yet Molly is really making it all about her, flashing her cleavage at Kevin and is convinced that maybe Kevin is making the cancer up because Sally doesn't look sick. Oh just give her a few weeks when the chemo starts! Well Molly just sealed the deal on how Kevin really feels about her

Rosie wants a boob job? Oh *that's* going to go over well with her mother who might lose one or both of hers! Graeme is quite smitten with Rosie, even wearing Auntie Pam's knock off aftershave by Alvin Klein (lol!) Hey! Peter, Leanne and Simon were playing Kerplunk! I bet lots of you had that when you were kids! Natasha dumped Audrey for a hog roast! *snort* So she called the gigolo!!! Lewis certainly is a smooth operator isn't he? He knew she was nervous about hiring him and talked her through it all, telling her exactly what she needed to hear. It was a nice little scene after Audrey's date when she went to Gail's and they more or less made up over Joe.

Yeah. So Michelle gave Ryan a hard time about having sex with Sian and then turned around and skipped off to a posh hotel with a man who is almost a stranger. Nice example, eh? Not only that, Liz let her go on the busiest night of the year. That's completely unrealistic. Aw and Sophie found out she was dumped by Sian for a dvd and a teenage shag. Did anyone see Escape to Victory? It was all over the telly on Corrie on New Year's Day! I quite like those little running "jokes" and references sometimes.

Nick seems a bit keen on Tina but he's far too old for him and anyway, how much can poor David take anyway? Bad enough losing his girlfriend to his sister's ex-husband. But for her to go for his brother? So what do we think of NuNick? I think he's a far better actor if nothing else. The character was always a bit of a pratt so it remains to be seen whether he's changed any.

Steve wants a baby and Becky doesn't. Claire already knows so now Steve knows too. So what's he going to do about it? Looks like he's going to sulk. Then Becky told off Claire and Claire got into an argument with Ashley over fancying Leanne. Anyway, STeve and Becky are certainly up against a roadblock, But does Mother Nature have other ideas?

The Grandad wars continue. Ken bribing with babysitting with one hand and writing petitions with the other, right under Peter's nose in the pub too! I wonder how the view looks from that moral high ground, Ken?

Dev has decided he wants his family back. Does anyone else wish this story would go away? More and more i find Dev increasingly odious and obnoxious. I am glad to see Sunita back but i wish it were under different circumstances. But it seems the only way we can have her back is if she and Dev get back together so it's inevitable i suppose.

Are you getting tired of Michelle? I got tired of her a long time ago. Overused in ridiculous storylines. Lots of people say Becky is overused and they're tired of her, too. I love Becky and i do think that she's the "flavour" of the month but she's such a good actor and her storylines are very much in character where Michelle's were just pulled out of the air. Here's why i think Becky isn't annoying and why Michelle most definitely is

Sunday Comments, October 17

I'm back! Just in time for Christmas too! Wasn't it a good week? Lots of fun and lots of drama too!

Lines of the week

• Audrey about Zoe's foot in mouth disease "At least she's pretty"
  
• Molly to Kevin "How does the view look from the moral high ground?" (She's getting right up my nose!)
  
• Molly "Does it not get any better than this?" Pam "Some folk might say you've got everything" (and she is a bit ungrateful isn't she?)
  
• Becky to Steve "You kiss her again like that and Turkey won't be the only thing getting stuffed this Christmas!"
  
• Rosie to Sally "Christmas is a time of miracles but i wouldn't hold your breath" (you better hope it is!)
  
• Amy "Oh Bol......"(sound effects) Eileen "It could have been worse. she could have said Sh..."(sound effects)
  
• Molly "Is this really happening?" Kevin "It's all off. Sally's got cancer" Molly "It's not terminal is it? People get better." Kevin "There is no us. Are you so stupid? It's finished. It was a stupid game. We've just had the biggest wake up call we could imagine. .. My wife needs me. Go on... Grow up!" (YAY! FINALLY!)
  
• Becky "I think it's better when they're not your own!" (kids, that is)
  
• Connie "Do you think we might hear the pitter patter of of little feet by next Christmas?" Pam "I wouldn't count on it" (I would)
  

I'm glad Ashley had to pull out of the panto. He really isn't a Prince Charming, is he? In my opinion, Claire is selfish. Just get someone else to play the part, surely she can see how busy Ashley is? (I thought he said he was going to take Kirk on for the Christmas rush?) Ah well, Steve gets to be the substitute Prince but he wasn't very good at it was he? Problem is, he doesn't find Claire attractive but he sure does find Becky in thigh high boots attractive! Claire is also a big bossy boots. But the panto? It was brilliant! Great costumes, great characters...Jesse and Sean as the ugly sisters, Carbuncula and Gorgonzola, was brilliant and nobody could be Fairy Godmother but Betty! Amy stopped the show with "bollocks" which really isn't *that* bad but proof positive that she does swear! It's no wonder she fluffed her song. That child never gets any practice speaking out loud on set!

Why wouldn't Sarah come to her mother's wedding? Well since the actor is no longer on the show, it's likely she won't. Tina is turning into a right stroppy mare isn't she? Why all the jealously about Sarah all of a sudden? Ah but now we find out there's not been a divorce yet. I can understand she'd be a bit narked at him not telling her. David certainly enjoyed the big bust up but his girfriend Zoe got the worst of it and dumped David. He didn't seem bothered. Joe has to impress Nick and says he's going to do everything to make Gail happy. Would that include hiding the fact that a loan shark is on his back?


Tina gets drunk and kisses a handsome stranger. Only he's not a stranger! He's the nuNick Tilsley who's arrived after a call for help from Audrey! Eeek! That could be a bit tricky! Is it realistic that Tina didn't know David's brother's full name? She would have known they had different dads I think. She didn't tell Nick her last name or he might have put 2 and 2 together, probably knowing what David's ex girlfriend's name was (Tina) and that Gail is marrying her father. Crossed purposes. Uncrossed on Christmas day... you! YOU!!??

Sophie's baptism was very nice and so nice that Emily was there to contribute as well. I may not share the same beliefs but i do hope that Sophie keeps to her convictions and stays with the church. It seems to fit her quite well and it's nice to see her following her own way.


Sophie chucked Ben to the curb for making a pass at Michelle. Poor lad! Don't you think Michelle was kind of giving off mixed signals? I don't think she even realizes she does it. If it wears pants and she needs attention, it's fair game, it seems. Meanwhile Molly is behaving more and more possessive and things are getting more and more complicated. Kevin should have told her straight away that Sally swept him off to Paris for the weekend in stead of letting her find out from a photo slide show a week later. That should tell her something about his values and goals in life. He's a family man and no matter what he says, he's not going to leave Sally and i can't believe they were going to dump their spouses on Christmas Day!


Especially now Sally has dropped a bombshell. No wonder she wanted this to be a Christmas to remember. Sally has breast cancer and Kevin is going to realize just exactly where his priorities are. Molly finally has had enough and kicks him to the curb which makes Kevin come crawling back, for a slap at first. He begs, he pleads, she finally agrees and then he's got to stop Molly breaking up with Tyrone hours later. Oh come on, Look at that loveable Tyrone, tubby, topless and singing lovesongs to her on the karaoke machine. Why would Molly want Kevin when she's got this? How ironic having her have to sing "Don't go breaking my heart" just before she was going to dump him.

I don't mind telling you, Sally telling Kevin about her breast cancer had tears in my eyes and i didn't know then what i know now. The actress that plays Sally went off screen a few weeks later with an illness. Nothing was said and there was a media blackout on it. I had a sneaking feeling and in the spring the news came out just as she was coming back to work. Sally Whittaker (now she's going by her married name of Dyvenor) found out she had breast cancer herself and was going through most of the scenes knowing she too had to face chemo. Luckily, the actress has done very well and everything looks really good for her.
Will we have Christmas Ceasefire at the Barlows? Of course not! Too bad Blanche wasn't there, she'd have everyone sorted with a heavy dose of guilt. (Sadly, at this time last year when these scenes aired, Maggie Jones was in hospital and died in early December) Deirdre did her best and Peter finally agreed. Ken gets to spend his Christmas not only with George and Eve but with Janice too! Simon was thrilled with is bike after all so that made Ken's Christmas even if they got a flat tire on the first go. And even though George made a mistake with the wine at dinner, Ken took the opportunity to make a big deal of it when anyone could have done the same thing. I think he was narked that George's Wii present upped the bike.


Tina's hair gets higher and higher. It's a wonder she can even hold her head up! With all the times both Sally and Kevin have cheated on each other, you'd think Sally would have spotted the signs, wouldn't you! Steve is brooooodyyyyyyy! As much as Becky is so good with Amy, do you think you'd like to see her pregnant and in hormone hell? eek! Doesn't look like Claire and AShley are going to have much of an anniversary, does it? I guess with Vera gone, someone has to have a marital row on Christmas day! aw but they made it up in the end.

Sunday Comments, September 26

Lines of the week:

• Simon "I've got a brain ache and a hand ache" (That's quite the Christmas list, then!)
  
• Rosie "I want to be a doctor" John "But you really have to care about people"
  
• Sean "I've not got a deviated anything" Sally "That's debatable"
  
• Norris about Rosie. "They should lock her up and throw away the key." Becky "John's already tried that"
  
• Sally "I've always wanted a pagoda!" (on top of the conservatory, maybe?)
  
• Simon "I'm 6, Grandad, i need some wheels!" (bless!)
  
• Becky about the faux-Liz partiers "It's like being down Canal Street, knee deep in trannies!"
  
• Jesse to Eddie: "I can hear whining but it ain't sirens!"
  
• John to Rosie "Get out you pernicious little bitch!"
  
• Fiz "Total honesty from now on" John "No matter how painful" (you're gonna wish you remembered that promise, Stape!)
  
• Norris about Stape: "Any word on the Weatherfield Ripper?"
  

Well you just knew Rosie was working up to give John more grief, didn't you? When he didn't bend to blackmail, she set feminism back 40 years by pretending he assaulted her!!! I can believe that Bill would believe her and probably Sally but why on earth would anyone else? and Why would he think Fiz wouldn't believe him? Well, the fact that he didn't go straight home to Fiz to tell her right away, ya think that might have given her a few doubts? She'd have believed him. She knows what Rosie is like. And Rosie backing off from calling the police should have been a big clue right there but gormless Sally and Kevin didn't clue in and John gets arrested yet again. In the end though, John poked holes in Rosie's story in front of everyone and showed her up for the lying cow she is. I cheered. Boy if it was me, i'd have charged Rosie with mischief just so she can see what it feels like. I'm very glad Janice gave her a mouthful about telling tales, too!

Teresa got her and Lloyd banned from the pub so what does she do? Instead of apologize, she throws a party where everyone impersonates Liz. Yes. that's good. That'll get you invited back. Poor Liz, i felt sorry for her but really, dressing the way she does, she does rather invite a bit of ridicule doesn't she? You don't have to dress in twinsets and tweed but there's somewhere in between. If most or even some of the party goers were a bit uncomfortable with the party theme, why did they go into the Rovers at all? Liz got her own back, frying and tossing Lloyd's records (in front of a police car, even!) though I think that was very mean when it wasn't Lloyd's fault. How is hurting him getting back at Teresa? Then Teresa pretends that Lloyd proposed to her when everyone should have known it was the last thing he would have done after that.

Steve, Dev, Bernie, Golf, yadda yadda yadda. Dev is ticked off because Steve was having lessons behind his back? Pot.. Kettle... yadda, yadda, yadda. Dev being an ass on the golf course and a very very poor winner. yadda yadda. By the way, why is Dev acting all uppity about being a member at the club? He's been a guest member for years! Now, did you see that friend of Dev's, Matthew, that was taking lessons and apparently just got engaged but didn't say her name? Watch this space....

Molly's life is tedious. Tyrone witters on and on. Kevin's life is tedious. Rosie and Sally witter on and on. What makes them think life together would be any less tedious? These two are boring the pants off me. It's got to be one of the worst and most illogical storylines ever. And see? Kevin might make the right noises that he wants to leave his family but he jumps at the first sign of crisis and leaves Molly hanging on her on in the hotel. And then Sophie's getting baptized and her exams are next year and of course there's Christmas. It'll be one excuse after another. Will Kevin leave Sally? Somehow i doubt it no matter what he says. Watch this space, too!

Becky is going to drag Claire out for a night on the town. That ought to be interesting. Claire gets drunk with just a sniff of the cork! Only Claire could sip a shooter! Looks like she had a good time, at least but suffered for it. Instead, she's going to take Becky to the dramatic club. And Club is what Becky's going to do to Steve now she's found out about the lessons and the potential membership cost of 2000 quid when he wouldn't even buy her a jacuzzi. Anyway now the golf dreariness seems to be subsiding, Claire and Becky are going to have to put on the panto show themselves...in the Rovers!!! Or at least they might if they don't stop arguing about who gets to be Cinders and who gets to be the prince. Oh Gosh there hasn't been an event like that for years!

Deirdre moaned about Ken not listening to her. A. Does he ever? B. She was on about weevils. What did she expect? Why did Deirdre ring a taxi for Blanche? Doesn't Ken have a car? He hadn't been drinking, just at the library.

Let the war of the grandads begin! Ken is determined to get Simon a "wow" pressie for Christmas, probably knowing George is going to outspend himself. So if Simon wants a bike, Ken says he'll get one (um, isn't this supposed to be a surprise?) That said, a part time seasonal job is in order. As what? As Father Christmas. Can't you just picture Ken lecturing children on the evils of commercialism? Meanwhile, George is making inroads, seducing Peter and Simon with his taste of the high life, fancy house, and money dripping from every orifice and ready to finance the bar in spite of reservations about Peter's alcoholism. He'd probably have had more luck had he set up a proper interest payment and an investment plan rather than making it seem like a gift. Naturally Peter's pride wouldn't let him accept and naturally, Leanne's Battersby instincts say Yes please!

And yes, I do think George is trying to buy himself into Simon's life. Of course there's also the Christmas dinner war as well, with Ken getting all huffy about someone that he doesn't consider family getting their two pennies in. And the more Ken pushes, the more he's going to push Peter right into George's wallet. Peter's right. Ken never seemed to have much faith in Peter. I understand why Ken is worried that running a bar will be too much temptation for Peter, i do but once his concerns were aired, the prudent thing would be to support him whatever way he can, not fight him. It only makes things worse.

Eddie's got a new scam. Fill up the guttering then charge people to clean them! Eileen wasn't fooled, though, and got her own back on Eddie by stealing his Santa!

Sunday Comments, September 19

Lines of the week:

• Gail to Audrey "Look at you now, all pursed lips and grimaces" Audrey "I'd rather eat nails than watch you make the wrong choice again!"
  
• Bernie "I could say i'm a tarmaccer, been sorting out your drive!" (Ha!)
  
• Carla "I swear to you on my mother's life" Maria "You were never that close to your mother" (exactly. Pants on fire!)
  
• Tyrone to Molly "That's why we work so well together - we belong together!" Molly "Um.. you better go to work now"
  
• Betty, who gets all the good lines, "You know," says Betty, "for a good hairdresser you make a lousy liar, Audrey Roberts!" and "Nobody ever got addicted to a good strong cuppa tea, do they?" (i do know one or two that have, though!)
  
• Claire "I find it hard fitting in with the other mums" Graeme "That's because you went mental and got locked up. I can see how it would put some people off"
  
• Carla: "Sally. Why are you standing there trying to look important?"
  
• Rosie to Carla: "If you need me, I'm available." Carla: "'Available'. Could almost be your middle name, that!"
  
• Ryan "And if she did know what difference would it make?" Michelle "It makes a difference as to how much i can hate her"
• Sean "She might be a bitch, but she's our bitch!
  
• Eddie about his carol-less lights "Folk are gonna be that disappointed!" (Right there, right then. I know officially love Eddie! What a star! :)))
  

Rosie cracks a clue, video... jealousy... murder...Rosie figures she was close to death in that hotel room. It's all about her. Sally is ready to jump in and take over management of the factory. It's all about her, too. Ah but Carla's back and there will be hell to pay, now, and she didn't even know why Tony was arrested. She struggled pretty hard at first to pretend that she had no idea that he'd had Liam killed and the name Jimmy Dockerson gave her heart a jump. Carla and Maria hugging, i bet you never thought you'd see that. Carla nearly plotzed when the cops wanted her to find out if there's any trace of Jimmy in the factory records! And when she did find something, she shredded it! Big mistake there since Sally knows about the receipt. Wouldn't it be less suspicious if she gave a receipt to the police? They already know Tony dealt with Jimmy. I laughed at Sally in the factory when Carla came back, bigging herself up and brown nosing for all she was worth and it didn't get her anywhere. She deserved a good taking down off her high horse! Hayley still got the manager's job!

Maria has had her confidence completely shattered and won't even look after the baby! What did i tell you? Off to Ireland (for Samia Smith's maternity leave) You gotta feel for the poor woman, though. What she's been through is enough to bring anyone to their knees. Audrey was the only one that really made sense to Maria, pointing out that she was punishing herself. Poor Roy seems to have had a rough go of it too, trying to get his feet back under him. I was going to say getting his sealegs back but that might be in poor taste, eh? Maria flitted off to Ireland and that left Michelle to go to the court hearing instead. Well, she warned Ryan not to kick off and then made a show of herself instead.


Oh dear. Amy seems to be picking up some of Becky's rough language. Swear words that start with D! It isn't Damn, either, it's um... "Richard" head. (use your imagination) Claire has decided to get involved in an amateur drama group. That should work since she's quite often a drama queen with red haired temper! Why would Claire want to be Becky's new bezzie mate? You couldn't get two women more different. Is it by default since Claire doesn't fit in with the other school mums and they were bullying Becky? It might work, though. you never know.

Speaking of red hair, Teresa isn't too happy that Lloyd is still sniffing around Liz and Liz has no business being pissy with Teresa for being with Lloyd when she didn't want him anyway. Teresa is particularly angry that Liz reminded her that she only got Lloyd on the rebound. There will be repercussions. Her being nice to Liz immediately puts Liz on her guard and a few drinks under her belt gets her barred, as per usual. I wouldn't trust her either! It looks like Rosie is working herself up to some scheme or other to wind up John. I'm with Fiz. I wouldn't trust her.
Gail's selling up to pay off Joe's debts. Audrey knows there's something afoot and David is just ticked off that he will not be coddled by mummy any more. Naturally David is going to be so mature and make it difficult for everyone who comes to see the house. First looker? The loan shark!!!! Gail and David have no idea. I thought Joe was going to pass right out. And personally i don't blame Audrey for taking against Joe. Gail makes out that Audrey married Alf because he was safe. He was. Joe isn't and Gail likes that. She's going to regret that, mark my words.

Sally wants to see the books and they'll tell a tale. Kevin's been cooking the books for the motel charges without receipts. How's he going to get out of this? Plead stupidity? Boy she sure had Kevin and Molly scared, when she called both of them and demanded Kevin call her back. I guess they are back to motel visits AND taking chances in the Webster marital bed. So much for taking a break to keep people off the scent. Pam was trying to get Tyrone to do something nice for Molly but when you see him there slobbing in his dirty vest and Molly doing all the work, you kind of get the idea why she might have got bored and fed up with him. I'm not excusing her, mind you, the solution is to talk to your partner, not shag his best friend and business partner.

It had to happen. It had to happen that Kevin and Molly would take more and more risks and if Sally ever finds out they were making out on her bed? I wouldn't want to be Kevin or any of his dangly bits. Molly is starting to get more and more pushy, too, wanting to be found out but Kevin seems to be backing off a little, don't you think? Molly should have listened to Auntie Pam. Married men rarely leave their wives and families even if Kevin seems to be coming around to it. That was only after Sally was her usual obnoxious self. Will it happen? Wait and see!
Dull, dull, dull, Dev, Steve, Golf, hiding the golf pro lessons, pretty woman, Dev assuming a golf pro couldn't possibly be a woman and then flirting with her over the 19th hole, Becky stroppy because Steve's playing and paying. yadda yadda yadda. Steve seemed pretty sure that Bernie wasn't a solicitor. You figure he is taking secret lessons behind Dev's back? Well he is. No surprise.

You know, it just wouldn't be Christmas on the Street without someone putting up obnoxious and loud Christmas lights! Les used to do it, the Mallets had done it before and now we have the Windasses. And as awful a character as Eddie is, he's growing on me! He doesn't have a lot of redeeming characteristics but oh my god, Steve Huison is really making Eddie great!

Sunday Comments, September 12

Lines of the week:

• Julie to Eileen "You're too old to be this paranoid"
• Tony to the cops about Maria "Grief does funny things" (made her fall for her husband's murderer!)
• Hayley to Roy "Don't fall in!" (she didn't say don't get pushed in!)
• Hayley "He murdered your husband. And if i don't do something now, my husband could be next" (and he almost was!)
• Kirk to Maria "We'll sort it, like we used to" (Awwww)
• Julie about Eileen "There she is, Big Chief Sitting Bull"
• Blanche "Naughty Blanche. Naughty!!" (She was brilliant!)
• Helen "You shared a bed with my son's killer!"
• David to Joe "You really are the scrapings of a pretty ropey barrel" (I agree!)

Tony's giving Maria a spa day and then packed the baby off to Audrey. And he's still avoiding the police like a bad flu but they found him at the factory and they arrested him on suspicions!!! They did seem to be taking Roy and Hayley's accusations seriously though. They questioned him for five hours but he went off anyway. Last straw and all that. Didn't tell Maria about being questioned. Did he really think nobody would tell her? He put his spin on things, told her the truth about why Roy went to the police but saying that Roy is insane. That doesn't wash with Maria. She says she doesn't believe it but you can see she's shaken and so can Tony.

So. First. You lure Roy out into a dark, spooky location by reporting to the bat society that you've seen the rare sighting. Then. you get into the cafe and try to shut up Hayley (with a carving knife) only Maria got there instead and she believes Hayley's story. Tony knows he's lost her. Right there. He's lost her. He has nothing more to lose now. One last shred of conscience, though, and Tony pulled Roy out of the drink. Even stevens, then he turned himself in. He was so matter of fact, retelling the facts, wasn't he? So cold, so calm. The only reason he even confessed is because he knew Maria doubted him and he'd lost her. He'd lost everything and Roy's needling pushed him over the edge. When he was talking to Maria, wasn't it clear that Tony really is insane? He truly believed he could put murder behind him and make a new life with his victim's widow.

Roy managed to come out of it alive, and still had to make sure he recorded the information about the bat sighting! Poor Maria could be close to another breakdown but awww wasn't Kirk a good big brother? between the aftermath and finding her later at Liam's grave, he really does love her. You gotta feel for the poor girl (a bit more to read about this through this link). She feels stupid for being duped and it's a big thing to be duped over. Let's face it, this isn't just nearly marrying a man that's unfaithful, is it? She knows everyone is going to think she is as well. They'll be sympathetic to her face, most of them but some of them will still have something snarky to say or think. Everyone is in shock and man, you just knew Mammy Connor would have a lot of I Told You So to say! At least she didn't blurt it out to Maria first thing. She waited 5 minutes. Tony never really got her on side as much as she seemed to start to thaw. There was still down deep suspicion.

I'm a bit surprised that, as worried for Hayley's safety as he was, Roy at least didn't take Hayley's mobile. Then there was the awful acting of Ben Thompson (Ryan) who really is as wooden as a plank, isn't he? Kym Marsh (Michelle) isn't a lot better but she can express emotion a tad me realistically. Compare them to the actors playing Roy, Hayley, Becky and Tony who act circles around this lot.

 Apparently, this area of Manchester under those bridges is where the scenes canalside were filmed. It must have been from the other side of the bridges because it doesn't quite look right to me from this side. It's only a short walk from Granada Studios. Once you've seen this week's omni, have a read over here where i've written something on the Downfall of Tony Gordon

Back to our regularly scheduled storylines...

Brilliant stuff! Blanche managed to spill all the Barlow secrets after getting squiffy on wine when George and Eve visited. George didn't take some of the news well but he did apologize...with expensive gifts. Buying their love. I guess he doesn't know any other way. Typical Dev, riding on a guest membership long after the original person who guested him was gone and Steve's guest membership has been for a dead man. Obviously the golf club don't bother checking. Now they've got to actually pay for a membership and they are going to fight over the last open one. Dull, dull, dull.

Eileen doesn't believe that Julie fancies Jesse. I don't think she does either, for all her moaning about finding a fella. But i do think Jesse is tempted by Julie. Laughed at Jesse running down the road away from Julie. I really think that Eileen is too good for Jesse, though. He really does seem to have the apron strings firmly tied and i think he just used Eileen to try to get away from his mother. Very possibly Sean's description of Saggitarius, half donkey half man was closer to the mark than half horse. Half jackass is even closer to the mark. Why lie about your birthday? Because you want to spend it with your mommy and your girlfriend isn't invited. He used the excuse that he didn't think she wanted to go but that's really a pretty lame excuse but apparently, a pretty fair one since she had a horrible time.

John gets to be a pinnie wearing cafe guy. Seems to be a habit, having ex-teachers work in the cafe! So much for signing the van over to Rick the debt collector. He wasn't happy with it and is demanding double the remainder! Joe is back to sweating and grimacing and whinging and he's dragged Gail into it too. Just when David is halfway to possibly accepting Joe, i guess once this gets out, it'll be all daggers drawn again. And i can't blame him, really. He sees someone dragging his mother down. First it was the depression and drug addiction and now crushing debt with a loan shark and his mother about to sell his home out from under him!

You know that running joke about Spa and people talking about shopping? There's a grocery store chain in the UK called Spar.

Becky thinks Gail could wear a dress just like one of hers! Ya think? Here's what she'd look like!

Poor Maria

That poor kid! Loses her husband and then falls in love with the man that had her husband murdered. She thought he was guilty of it but then he was smooth enough to make her think she was just losing her mind. Little by little he managed to get under her skin and she fell in love with him after he delivered her baby on a beach. He may even have fallen in love with her a bit too, in some way. Tony felt he was making up for what he did to her and it could all be put behind him as long as Maria didn't find out.

But she did and he went off the deep end after pushing Roy Cropper into the deep end and pulling him out again. Now everyone knows the truth and Maria can't walk out the door and face the world. She reckons everyone will be staring at her and thinking how stupid she was. They'll be sympathetic to her face, most of them but some of them will still have something snarky to say or think. Well, she was stupid and naive but it isn't her fault completely. Let's face it, this isn't just nearly marrying a man that's unfaithful, is it? Tony Gordon was very slick and smooth and could talk himself out of any pickle and has done. And she was grieving and vulnerable and he took advantage of that.

I do feel bad for Maria. She wasn't too bright but she did get sucked in, too. Now she's got to live with the consequences and was ready to rid the house of any trace of Tony. At least Kirk was there to help and what a lovely man he is too, when it comes to being a big brother. It feels to her like losing Liam all over again and she's lost all her confidence. She doesn't even feel able or entitled to look after a child! You know that will be sorted out quick enough but I expect you'll see her go to Ireland for a break for awhile (because the actress was pregnant and going on maternity leave). You know she *must* not be thinking straight if she's willing to spend an extended time with her mother-in-law!

Maria's never been too bright when it comes to men, has she? She should have stayed with Tyrone all along but she grew up and grew a bit more ... well "sophisticated" isn't quite the word for it, though maybe it is when compared to Tyrone! She lost Ty to Fiz and fell for pretty boy Nick and that was a bad choice. She shagged Toyah's boyfriend, got pregnant and had a termination and that blew up in her face too. There was another go-around with Tyrone but she kept wanting to change him and he knew she didn't really love him the way he loved her. Chalk up another loss. She had a brief fling with Peter Barlow but he had no intention of being around for her. She thought she had it made with Liam but he always loved Carla and was on the verge of leaving her when he was killed. Then there was Tony. Biggest. Mistake. Yet!

What will happen to Maria? Will she manage to find someone she can trust again? Or will she always be the one that makes the wrong choice with men?

Sunday Comments, September 5

Lines of the week:

• Kevin to Sally "Since when have you ever been able to resist bragging!"
  
• Fiz "I've missed this. You going on about stuff i don't understand"
  
• Chesney to David "Do sommat nice for a change!"
  
• Kevin "I love you and i'd do anything for you" Molly "Except leave your wife" (honey, they almost never do!)
  
• Ted on seeing the wee diamond ring "It means we'll have more money for the wedding" Joe ... thinking.... "oh crap"
  
• Ted "It's not every day your daughter gets engaged" Sean "That's right, you've not been around very long"
  
• John to Tony "Whatever happens, i'm not prepared to be frightened anymore. That's the worst prison of all"
  
• Hayley "I thought i'd married a cafe owner, not Cracker!"
  
• Steve "You're sleeping with an absolute nutter" Lloyd "You're married to one!"
  
• Tony "The hunter chopped up the big bad Wolf with an axe" Maria "He deserved everything he got!" (Feel hunted, much, Tony?)
  

Roy poked and prodded Tony, even gazed up at him through the rain...Clearly he's getting to Tony. Tony wastes no opportunity to suck up to Hayley as well, making sure she knows he was drugged up and didn't know what he was saying. Tony's conversation with John was interesting, too. John spoke of learining to forgive himself and that he's a different man now that Fiz loves him. I wonder if Tony thinks he's a different man. He's not really, he's still up to his old tricks. He's putting scary pressure on Roy and threatening Hayley too and Hayley is scared Roy is on Tony's case too much.
So everyone got locked out of the factory because Hayley didn't turn up. They called, oh yes, but did they walk 50 yards down the road to the cafe? Why didn't someone do that? tsk. Solution? Go to the police. I wonder how seriously the police actually took them but it looks like they were going to follow up anyway. I'm sure Tony could probably charm them out of it like before but things are definitely closing in. Roy always seems to get so single minded when he gets something under his skinand with no regard for anything else until it goes too far. Next step? Run away but they don't fool Tony, nosiree, and he didn't waste any time getting his nose into the Cropper flat to nick Hayley's keys.

Gary's attitude towards War vets sure got him told very soundly, didn't it? Jesse and Julie got found out! Simon was in the crowd and wasn't he clever, getting to win all the games! It was inevitable that they got busted! and someone should tell Eileen that making a man choose is never going to end up well. It's too bad, John Thompson is a good actor but they didn't do a lot with his character.
So Joe owes 9 thousand pounds??? The loan shark bought 2 grand worth of debt with 7 grand interest! Joe might want to buy a paddle for that boat because he's up the creek! And he should have sold the boat for 5 grand. Instead he gives Rick the van and thinks they're even. Somehow, i doubt that. And will he tell Gail? Will he heckaslike! What does he do next? Buy Gail an engagement ring with the money he didn't actually get in hand from the van!

Aww Kirk and Chesney persuaded David and Zoe to paint Number 5! What stars! Even if they did paint the walls in easter egg colours! I like it! So John is going to live with Fiz... happily ever after? Not if Sally Webster has her way. I know she's got good reason to dislike John, really i do, but she did go a bit over the top. After all, Rosie isn't bothered or scared of having him close by. She never really was scared of him. Mind you, i am surprised that legally he was allowed to live within such a short distance of his victim. Wouldn't that be unusual? Couldn't Sally and Kevin have put in an order or would Rosie have to do it? It would serve Sally right if Fiz called the police but Ches is right, ignoring bullies is the best way to deal with them, especially bullies like Sally. Nice example for your children, though, isn't it? Not.

Style-ista of the week.. Eddie in the buff body pinnie! John fell into a job at the cafe. Steve and Becky are back from honeymoon and Steve's quite surprised to find Theresa with her feet under Lloyd's table. Lloyd's embarassed (wouldn't you be?) and pretended she was cleaning his flat. She'll clean his clock! Steve and Lloyd seem to be pretending to like each other's girlfriend/wife but i thought Lloyd actually did like Becky? I bet most of the photos Anna was looking at that she thought were a scowling young Roy were a scowling young Harold.

So Connie sleepwalks! Molly didn't like hearing about Kevin's past, did she? I wonder if it made her feel like just another bit on the side. Well, i think that's all she is no matter what Kevin says. Molly better get her act together. She's treating Tyrone like dirt and he's getting upset about it all. She needs to leave him or chuck Kevin for good. Kevin wasn't fooling the lawyer with his story about a friend. Now he knows it will cost him big time. That's one more reason not to leave Sally. Married men rarely do. It's rather the exception that proves the rule.

Sunday Comments, August 29

Lines of the week:

• Graeme "I'm getting a vibe... Horace and Norris" and "She hasn't got a (false) leg to stand on!"
  
• Graeme yet again, to Norris "Get down to the DIY store and get yourself a crack hoe" Horace "I've certainly heard the phrase before" (bloomin' wonderful stuff from Graeme this week!)
  
• Leanne "Let the competitive grandparenting commence"
  
• Hayley "It assumes we all have clarity when we die. That our final words are always profound and far reaching. What if we just talk rubbish?
  
• Joe to Ted (Gail's father) "I'm gonna romance the pants off her tonight" (oops)
  
• Hayley "It's a lot more money than i'm used to" Roy "How much money... for your soul!"
  
• Freda "You think i'm a bad person" Graeme "No i think you're a good person, with an evil twin" Freda "I assume i'm lip reading you wrong but really, you just say weird things!"
  
• Roy to Tony "The guilt must be unbearable" Tony "I have nothing to feel guilty about" (But he does, and we all know it)
  
• Roy "It's not the obsessive self righteous man who is grinding you down. It's the guilty, tired, trapped man. Yourself."
  
• Maria "What've i missed?" (quite a lot, love)
  
• Simon in the Kabin "There's two of them!" (the mouths of babes)
  
• Deirdre "Do excuse my mother. She's herself today!"
  
• Connie "I know you're in there Jack, i can hear you cowering"
  

Seems that Tony's going to live. This leaves Roy in a dilemma. Was Tony's "confession" real or drug induced? Tony tries to shrug it off but Roy just can't let go of the fact that Tony thought he was dying and seemed to want to get it off his chest, therefore it must be true. Well we know it is of course. Tony trying to buy Roy off by offering him a charity donation and theatre tickets "in thanks" is highly suspcious. That's only going to add to Roy's unease, no matter how much Tony tries to pretend his confession was down to the drugs or guilt over Liam's stag night etc. Hayles and Roy have deduced that Tony could have paid someone to knock Liam down, however. Roy, who cannot tell a lie and has a strong moral conscience is now going to haunt Tony, poking him and prodding him to confess on his own. This can't end well.
I think Roy is going to be Tony's Telltale Heart. Roy knows Tony spoke the truth and Tony knows that Roy knows. Hayley castigated Roy for mithering Tony when he's probably all wrong. (oh yeah?) Roy promises to drop the subject and but doesn't really believe he's wrong. He's just not 100% sure he's right. But the more Tony protests, the more Roy is confident, and he's poking a bear with a stick, prodding at Tony's conscience, urging her to confess.

Norris has yet another assistant, Horace who's the mirror image but when this is pointed out by Simon, Norris and Horace both were highly insulted! And I laughed and laughed when Graeme had Norris go to the store and ask for a crack 'ho' ;))) Graeme and Freda are also getting on like houses on fire which also puts Norris' nose out of joint. Graeme was a real joy to watch this week!

So Lucy's father is on the scene and Simon has another grandfather. Seems he was not such a great dad and lost touch with Lucy. So much so that he only just found out he even had a grandson! That isn't really going to be such a good recommendation, is it? Peter certainly isn't too keen on the idea either. I can understand Peter's reluctance and anger to cozy up to George. Peter's not had a great track record and is probably afraid George could take Simon from him. I think Leanne was right, it's going to be a war of the Grandads between Bolshy Ken who's got the morals and Capitalist George who's got money to throw around (Peter still needs backing for that bar. Go figure.)

Then it's Meet the Other Parents at the Barlows. Blanche was awesome, pretending Deirdre was the hired help and then getting looped on wine and letting all the family skeletons out of the closet. Ken's free yoyo was a distant memory when Simon saw the hand held computer game from George.

How can Joe's boat be finished when he thought it would take him a year of working on it when he could get the money for stuff? Now he's ready to put it in the water? Understandably, Gail is not really keen on actually sailing, not after Hillman tried to drown them all. I'm kind of surprised David would consider it, too. He's got even more reason to be freaked out about water. Zoe seems nice and she seems to have mellowed David. I bet he's not really over Tina, though. Joe's also lost his job, he should be selling that boat for the several thousand he promised Gail but he seems awfully happy for someone who has no job and owes money. Snork... he called the boat Gail Force!!! Leave it to Gail to want hot soup when there's champagne on offer!

Seems Jack thinks Connie's trying to get into bed with him. We all know what he was like when Vera was randy! Of course Molly doesn't mind Kirk moving in with them, it's a buffer between her and Tyrone. Gail has agreed to marry Joe. Sounds like she's lining up another loser to latch onto. Jake is there and then he's gone. Was there a point to him other than showing up Michelle as a slapper and making Dev look an idiot?
John's coming home tomorrow (Monday)...I think there's going to be another round of fireworks! oh dear, and Joe has a new loan shark!

Sunday Comments, August 22

Lines of the week:

• Tyrone to Kevin "I just want us to be happy forever!" (Oh Kevin how can you stand yourself!)
  
• Pam to Roy's bat-wittering "How interesting" Roy "You're welcome to join us!" Pam "Happen i were just being polite"
  
• Kelly about Tony "I'm beginning to think Janice's right about him bein' gay!" (just because he takes no notice of the town bike?)
  
• Graeme "Good luck, boss... or should i say (squeaking) good luck boss!" (Ashley got snipped!)
  
• Ryan about Jake "What a sleazebag" (virtually guaranteeing Michelle will be in his pants before another week is out)
  
• Tony "Hell is spending your last hours with Roy Cropper wittering in your ear"
  
• Jake "eye for an eye, towel for a towel, tit for tat!" Liz "If you drop that towel, i shall call the police. Not immediately. But very soon after"
  
• Michelle "You understand?" Jake "I hear what you're saying" (not quite the same thing)
  
• Tony "I killed Liam!"
  
• Jesse to Joe "Can i book a cabin for her maiden voyage?" Gail "If you can find a maiden, I don't see why not!"
  
• Leanne "'Oh right, we're just going to walk outside and trip over a pot of gold, are we?" (Yeah, pretty much)
  

I think Gail wins the fashion award of the week, don't you?

Good heavens, Maria got from Weatherfield to Cypress, dump the baby on his doting grandparents and got to a cyber cafe in record time! Could they be any more loved up??? You could see Tony had been having chest pains for a few days, so now he's in quite a pickle isn't he? Heart attack and then saved by Roy Cropper! He was awfully nasty to Roy, wasn't he? But Roy can't help but do the right thing and he knew that Tony needed someone, didn't want to die alone. Tony thinks he's going to die, and genetic history seems to prove that he always knew it could happen. He even had a "last supper" of a forbidden bacon butty with brown sauce except he didn't even get to have that!

That old morality he was probably brought up with, the stern Scottish Kirk, bubbles to the surface and he can't bear to die with the sin of murder on his conscience. Roy knew there was more than just bats on his conscience. Confession is good for the soul but only if you actually die. Which he didn't. Now the cat's out of the bag! Will Roy take Tony at his word, the word of a dying man or will he think maybe it was the drugs, as Hayley suggested.

Go Team Pam!!! Boy did i love hearing her tear a strip off Kevin! Telling him he's an over 40 looking for a bit of excitement. That's exactly what i've thought all along. Molly is starting to be manipulative, not really minding that Pam knows and hoping it all comes out. But then again, Kevin is certainly giving her mixed signals, telling her he loves her and looking at show homes and all that, and then doesn't want anyone to know and tells her she needs to get real. Sounds like Pam is right, he's not really in love, he just wants a bit on the side. Molly can see how he is with his family and she doesn't like it, is she feeling guilty? Heck as like. She just wants what he has, a family with him. But now, since Pam knows, they're going to lie to her and pretend they've broken up. They're just getting in deeper and deeper! Hearing her lie to Pam and Pam lap it up? Made me ill!

Oh dear, clearly Ben has a crush on Michelle and i know she doesn't think she should change her ways for anyone but seriously, dressing in skimpy clothes in front of a teenage boy? And then she has the cheeky builder arrested and then ... dates him? She's really turning into a slapper, isn't she? Having said that, normally, yes, Jake did technically make an assault at first but Michelle didn't exactly discourage it and i didn't notice her slapping his face either. And what is she teaching her son by example? That No means i want to rip your clothes off, really.

Rosie has a knot in her face that gets tighter by the minute, still reeling from the rejection and humiliation. She didn't want the PA job but she didn't want her mother to get it either. Peter is being very tetchy isn't he? Just because he doesn't like Halloween... maybe Ken never took him out when he was a kid! well it seems that dream of opening a bar hasn't gone away so the money is going to end up coming from somewhere. Enter stage left, Simon's other grandfather. What are the chances? Pretty good, i'd say. Stay tuned for some childish granddad rivalry!

Interesting that the current factory owner took a heart attack on the same spot outside the factory as a previous factory owner (Mike Baldwin). After all that palaver about getting a cheaper builder, Dev ended up having to pay a lot anyway. Dev is just a cheap money grubber, after all. Builders cost. Join the real world, Dev. Mind you, Jake seemed to be charging Dev for the time he spent while arrested and that's wrong, too as it was his own fault. Oh i see Julie is still playing kid shows with Jesse behind Eileen's back. How difficult can it be to contact Maria at her parents' home in the middle of the night?

Meeting Sam Aston

That's me and that's Sam Aston, one of the stars of Coronation Street. I attended a ping today and he was the special guest! It started a few weeks ago when the Downeast Streeters were given the opportunity to host a ping with Sam as a guest. Seems he was going to be on holiday in Nova Scotia with his parents, visiting some family friends in the area and had expressed interest in attending a ping and meeting some Canadian Corrie fans. We put it together in less than a month with extensive help from the Parkside Pub people who did all the ticket sales for us and even searched for a hotpot recipe to serve on the day! The Parkside is where we've been having our pings lately and they have been very accomodating.

The ping had to be low key since there was limited seating, unlike the huge ballroom we use for our larger events. The guests were invitation-only as a thank you to people that have faithfully registered for and attended local pings over the last couple of years. We also decided to have a silent auction in addition to our usual raffle because we had some special items that we thought would be interesting to the punters and Sam was also bringing a signed script!

Sam arrived at 1 after lunch to rousing applause. The MC, local florist and celeb Neville MacKay introduced him and ushered him on stage to see everyone. Sam then greeted everyone and got down to business. He was in charge of reading out the answers to a Battersby themed quiz that the pingers had been working on over lunch. Later he went through a stack of questions submitted by everyone. It was great to hear some of his experiences on the set of Corrie. He's been there since 2003 when he was only 10 years old and has been acting since he was 5!

He was nervous on his first few days on the set but on screen family members Jennie McAlping (Fiz) and Wendi Peters really took him under their wing. He says he still misses Wendi a lot and they do keep in touch. Now that he's 17, having grown up on the show, he's looking forward to having more adult storylines and it seems like that's going to start happening this year though he wouldn't reveal any spoilers!

He still lives at home. He's the youngest of 9 kids, and two of his siblings have been in Corrie, too. His brother, Joe, was Tommy Duckworth for a short time and his sister, Emily, was Becky (who was the daughter of one of Des Barnes' girlfriends) back in the late 1990s. One of the best things about Corrie, he told us, was working with so many great people and doing what he enjoys. He is so lucky to be able to do so many great things, including travel. He went to South Africa a few years ago to film a spin off DVD, Out of Africa, featuring onscreen characters of Kirk, Cilla and Fiz. That was great! He said their hotel was right back in the nature reserves and was surrounded by animals coming up on the grounds all the time! He says they did film right in the animal reserves where at least once, a giraffe just strolled by behind them through the shot! He also got some golfing in while he was there and was very glad to see his on screen mum again!

He hasn't had any formal acting training but has attended a weekly workshop. He enjoys golf and football and he loves movies. His favourite actor is Denzel Washington and also mentioned Tom Hanks as a favourite. He also likes American shows Two and a Half Men and Family Guy.

He's been seeing a bit of Nova Scotia while here, too, including Peggy's Cove, Mahone Bay, Halifax, the Annapolis Valley and Port Royal and Fort Anne at Annapolis Royal. He mentioned that he'd told fellow costar, Andy Whyment (Kirk) that he was coming to Canada and Andy thought he might get mobbed here! However, he says, people have been really nice and not many seem to have recognized him at all! We pointed out that we Nova Scotians are polite and probably just left him alone! He also seems to have taken a shine to Tim Horton's donuts but we all urged him to try our local junk food, donairs!

Talking about Corrie, now, he said that actors such as David Neilson (Roy Cropper), Wendi Peters (Cilla) are very much not like their on screen characters and though Andy Whyment is a bit more similar he's not as dopey! He also said that Malcom Hebden (Norris Cole) pretends he hates Sam but he loves him, really! :) And his closest friends on the set include Andy Whyment, Ben Thompson (Ryan Connor, with whom he attended the acting workshop), Brooke Vincent (Sophie Webster) and Sascha Parkinson (Sian Powers, who is Sophie's best mate). Sam also related that he used to be quite cheeky on set when he was young and even used to prompt Barbara Knox (Rita) when she'd forget a line!

He supports Burnley for football though would probably go for Manchester City if he had to pick between City and Manchester United and he reckons Chelsea might win the Premiership this year, which prompted a major fan in the audience to cheer loudly! He supports the RSPCA and a hospice that is local to him that does a lot of good works.

When asked how he managed to decide on Nova Scotia, he related that his mother and brother met a couple on a train. They got on well, and kept in touch. His brother has been here to visit them and they've been to England and now it's Sam's turn! All down to a chance meeting on a train!

He's learning to drive, has finished school so has a bit more free time. He's saving for a house maybe, and has started a business venture with his brother. He loves bacon butties (but instructed us to always keep your HP sauce in the cupboard, not the fridge!) and he'd like to have a storyline with Jack P. Shepherd (David Platt) some time!

He's a lovely young man and was very personable and relaxed. He hasn't done too many of these types of appearances but you'd never know it, to see him joking with Neville and telling stories on stage. After the Q&A, he had a break and listened to a lady who did a presentation on the Battersby-Brown family history on Corrie. He then took the time to go around to every table and pose for pics and sign autographs. He seemed to really enjoy himself and we really enjoyed meeting him!

All the photos are here.

Sunday Comments August 15

Lines of the week:

• Vicar "Do you reject Satan?" Tony "Why yes, um, does it count that i'm here while my henchman is about to kill my ex?"
  
• Norris about the noise "My sour apples are jiggling in their jars!"
  
• Kirk to Tyrone "You're completely doggy whipped!" Tyrone "I don't think it's 'doggy whipped'" (LOL it probably is in Kirk's world!)
  
• Kirk "Does that mean i'm going to have another factory owner for a brother-in-law?" (tactful, Kirk. Very tactful!)
  
• Joe "Our ship has quite literally come in" (I'm not so sure about that)
  
• Roy about Vampires "considering they feast on young maidens, i think i am quite safe" (walks away) Joe "I guess that goes for Hayley, too!" (well... she isn't young anymore ;)
  
• Helen "I'm not one for holding grudges" (oh are you not?)
  
• Blanche about her hair do "Same as usual!" (well everyone looks the same coming out as going in!)
  
• Tyrone "I want you to sit there and let me moan about her" Kirk "Are you gonna be long?"
  
• Dev "Do you think i got this successful by being taken for a ride?" (so, if it all falls down, you'll get what you deserve)
  

Well that's weird. The rain was pouring on the boat people on Coronation Street, and Tony came into the church dripping wet but then went right back out and the sun was shining out of a bright blue sky when Tony was talking to Jimmy... AT the same time, it was still pouring buckets over Gail and Joe.







Even Tony can't get Rosie's money back (of course not, Carla owns the shares!) and Luke's probably on a plane to Rio! Why do they always go to Rio when they've stolen money? Surely there are other places equally far away where they can't be found or extradited back? Back to the christening... Squabbles over who gets to be godfather if Tony doesn't show up. (I hope there's a provision for changing the godfather once Maria finds out Tony killed the baby's father because you know she will!) Helen and Maria might have made up but she still has a vicious gob on her, calling Kirk the Village Idiot in front of his sister! She doesn't seem to accept that Maria gets the final say on anything to do with that baby. Meanwhile, Carla is riding Tony's backside and he's siccing Jimmy on hers, blackmailing him into killing Carla!

Nice touch, the ringing church bell (for whom the bell tolls, it's tolling for Carla, with Jimmy creeping up behind her. Tony bottled it though he nearly didn't make it to the flat in time to save Carla. Now he has let Carla think she killed Jimmy. It was self defence of course, if he had been killed. Why not get the police involved? She could just call it a break in. Ah but there's too much of a chance the real truth will come out so Tony works on her and sends her out in the rain back to sunny L.A. But she'll be back, no worries. He didn't like Maria taking the initiative getting Carla's number from Leanne either. Because why? Because of what Carla knows of course! Distract her with diamond ring shopping. That always works. Get her out of town, that works even better.







Joe's bought a wreck of a boat and is going to fix it up. He's paying it off in installments. Probaby 5 pound a week considering his current financial situation. Poor Gail. It's just one thing after another! The idea of a good profit might help or it might not. Norris didn't like it on his doorstep either. At least Gail has decided it's not such a bad thing. She may regret it, i couldn't possibly say. ;) Gail's right though, i'm sure there's more noise coming from the garage and as much as she's not so sure about the whole idea, she backs up Joe 100%.

Sweet Tyrone bought his Molly a home gym (for that games room he plans to put the pool table in? There won't be room enough to swing a dumbell!) Guess she is going to need a new excuse now. She nearly gave it away by wearing the necklace Kevin bought her when they were away. So, was he not paying attention when the vendor told Sally they were unique? He was there because Sally said he didn't want to pay 100 euro for it. (not for her at least.) Interesting that Kevin would use the church as an excuse to get off with Molly. Hell beckons.

Molly uses her "poorly" father as her excuse and Pam ends up rumbling the whole thing. Really, though, it's a bit obvious, Kevin taking that blindingly bright coloured breakdown truck on his assignations. Won't people wonder why it's outside their favourite hotel or pub all the time? It's about time someone discovered the affair. Someone always does, you know. So what does Molly do? Get all pretend-jealous on Tyrone's ass over Minnie as a diversion but it didn't work. Pam knows and I'm SO glad Pam tore a strip off her! Pam seems to have had experience in this sort of thing. Learn from her mistakes! I doubt Molly will take her advice. "But we're in luuuuurve!" As if that excuses it. Poor Tyrone doesn't know what to think and Molly is treating him horribly.

I'm still not sure why Norris needs another body behind the counter of the Kabin when he's got Tina. Norris and Rita got along fine just the two of them for years. Anyway his new recruit is the exact opposite of Sheila Wheelah! This one doesn't say a thing! It's like Jay and Silent Bob in the Kabin! You know it's desperate when Norris is happy to see Kirk! Rosie's broke and she's not even a 9% owner anymore considering the shares were never Luke's to sell apparently. Back to square one. And Becky has called to find Roy and Hayley's holiday address in Romania where they are house sitting for Frankie ex-Baldwin. Find out all about that adventure in this dvd review.
 
Dev really needs a large slice of humble pie. He's as arrogant as ever and this roof thing is probably going to come back and bite him where the sun don't shine by going on the cheap.

By the way, When Jimmy keyed in the door code, it said "Connor" on the buzzer name. Carla left Tony months ago and he'd lived there for a good year or more before that. Surely, at the very least it would have his name and hers? And once she'd left him, wouldn't he be the type of person to take her name off it altogether?

Sunday Comments, August 8

Lines of the week:

• Mrs. Connor "Been a year since that terrible night. As if any of us could forget that." Maria "Of course not" Tony (thinking) Doh.
  
• Helen about Tony "I think there might be trouble in paradise" (speaks the voice of Trouble!)
  
• Maria "I was a mess for such a long time" (for all of about 2 months!)
  
• Dev to Darryl "As a manager, you make a great coat stand!"
  
• Rosie "All I'm going to say is Watch This Space" (the one between your ears?)
  
• Umed "I am a fantasist. Reality is not my friend"
  
• Teresa "I once made a lame donkey walk again (I shudder to think how)
  
• Maria "We're engaged" Tony (Oh crap they're going to kill me!)
  
• Kevin to Molly: "It's not like we're going to hurt anyone" (Oh, are you not?)
  
• Tony about Helen re Liam: "She must feel like I've stolen his life!" (You have!)
  
• Rosie: "I've always known. I've always known I'm not *ordinary* like everyone else around here.
  
• Joe seeing the boat "This fella. He didn't have a wooden leg and a parrot, did he?"
  
• Gail seeing the boat "Sometimes, just sometimes, you just need to sit down!"
  
• Joe "I got it for a song!" GAil "Which one...Money for nothing?"
  

Mammy Connor is all about Connor traditions and gets hurt because Maria won't have the lovely Christening outfit. Michelle on Maria's side and really it must be a tough position to be in, wanting your own traditions but faced with the parents of your dead husband. Tough call. Then there are all those family photos that made everyone emotional and made Tony feel even more guilty! Can you believe he actually asked Maria to marry him sat across from the grave of the man he had killed??? Nice to see that Maria is feeling a bit of guilt over the engagement, trying to be sensitive to how it will affect Liam's family. Secrets like that aren't going to stay secret very long, though. But thinking that Tony should adopt the baby was just the opposite of sensitive. Mind you, "sensitive" isn't the word i'd use to describe Mammy Connor, though, isn't she awful?? But yes, she's still grieving and it's been hard for her to move on and she's taking it out on everyone, especially Maria.
Carla has now found out that Tony and Maria are together, thanks to Leanne, and she's back on the warpath! Well, someone has to pull him up! She sure did. Did you see his face when she called? Perfect spot to confront him, too, at Liam's grave. So what's Tony going to do now she's back and threatening to expose him? Will he give up Maria, the baby, and his perfect little family? Will he tell Maria the truth before Carla does?
I gotta say i'm really enjoying all the twists of this story and no spoilers but the next few weeks are going to blow your mind!
Norris is all worried about someone to run the shop so he can have a break. Where did Tina go? I thought she was working there too? Fwoar!!! Tony in a tshirt AND he irons! He might be a homicidal maniac but he isn't half gorgeous! That was very clearly a pretend whistle from Pam with very obvious sound effects!


Oh God Joe's back. Bleurgh. And he's bought an old wreck of a boat from Bill. (Weren't Pam and Bill cute?) Using what money, i asks?
Luke is sucking up to Rosie all of a sudden and all apologies. Rosie is lapping it all up and making out she decided to take him back but he's up to something. He's even ready for her to move some stuff in! What's up with that? Well..... it sounds like Carla doesn't want to sell the factory after all and I thought Luke already had bought it. Else what was all that about when he first arrived and Tony confirmed it with Carla's lawyer? Now they're saying she's taking her shares back. She can't do that if she's sold them and if she hasn't, there's a great hole in the plot. Again. Is this the first business transaction in Corrie history to actually take place in real time over months instead of hours?
Anyway, Luke is telling Rosie that she could buy his 51% which he doesn't seem to have to sell anyway. Boy wasn't he putting the pressure on her? What does he need the money for, though, if he's not buying the shares? He *says* it's for another investment. Meanwhile she's got visions of uniformed workers and "English Rosie's" (new factory name) dancing around in her empty head while he's booking a ticket out of Dodge City, emptying the cupboards and deleting files off the computer. Once that cash was in his account, you didn't see his dust. Bastard! It was, however, immensely satisfying seeing Rosie come down with a great thud, weeping, wailing and newly poor again. Serves her right, silly girl.

What's Teresa going to do next? Homeless... and she managed to get Umed to let her sleep in the shop. I thought he was going to have a heart attack when she pretended Dev saw her coming out. Seems she's got her feet back under Lloyd's table in the long run though and her fingers in the pie making curry for the kebab shop. Dev wasn't too happy with Umed for facilitating that one! Dev was particularly nasty to Darryl, it was totally uncalled for. No wonder Darryl chucked his job in and went all the way to Spain! That's him gone. Teresa is all on her own now so what does she do? Massage her way right back into Lloyd's bed. Well if he can't be with the one he loves...

Dev had a go at Umed too. I do agree though, Umed makes all those tall stories up but he knows that too. Looks like he's finally realized he's outstayed his welcome. Turns out his life isn't so great back home after all but he is manning up and going back to face the music and the gambling debts. Too bad, though, Umed grew on me. That's three characters gone in one week!

New 2011 Corrie calendar is out!

I was walking past the Carlton Card store in my local mall which is in the complex where I work and I spotted the new 2011 Coronation Street Calendar. Now, I always get one, so I had a look at this year's offering. It's really good! There are pages with photos from all the way back to the 60s, a nice nod to the 50 year history, though mostly the pages feature photos from the 1990s and 2000s. The retail cost is $16.99 plus sales tax. You can get it at Blighty's online for that price, and at Amazon.ca where it is a bit cheaper but you must remember you'll pay shipping if that's all you're ordering.

I Googled the calendar and there seems to be at least one other version, possibly the one for America or the U.K.? Wyman Publishing is the producer of this one. The Calendar Club, a U.K. site, also has it but no photo online yet.

It's on Amazon.com and .co.uk too but no photos, so I'm not sure which version you get, but the Play.com site, also a U.K. site, seems to have one that features "explosive" storylines so that might be the one available overseas.

It's all so confusing! This photo is the one I have and probably the one you will get if you order from Amazon.ca or Blighty's or see it in a bookstore.

Sunday Comments, August 1

Lines of the week:

• Blanche: "An alcoholic and an arsonist open a bar. Sounds like the start of a joke!"
  
• Theresa "A wild animal wouldn't do that to it's own mother" Lloyd "Unless it's own mother got on its nerves"
  
• Tyrone to Molly "Love you!!!" Molly...silence.
  
• Ken to Peter "I don't regret what i said, just the way i said it" (doh)
  
• Darryl "I don't think i know anyone that sad and desperate. Or unhygenic, for that matter"
  
• Liz to Lloyd about Teresa "If you'd have her, you'd have anyone!"
  
• Dev "It's a shop, not a gossip factory" (since when?)
  
• Kirk, on why he likes to hang out in the betting shop "Because usually, it's filled with total losers which makes me feel better about meself!"
  
• Tyrone to Kevin "Is Molly having an affair" (Does Kevin needed new shorts after that one!)
  

Deception upon deception. Cancelled trains, no photos from the run, no bill from the hotel...Oh i got injured and dropped out and Molly stayed with me. lies upon lies and yet nobody gets suspicious? Pah! Kevin got quite a tan after that Glasgay run. It really isn't that sunny up there ;) It really REALLY annoys me seeing Molly roll her eyes when lovely Tyrone wants a cuddle and then she bitches at him.

Finally, the penny drops for Tyrone and he is suspecting she might be having an affair, only because Molly's being bitchy all the time and doesn't want any nookie (that's a classic clue, though, that one. Cheating spouses either feel too guilty to do it or they do it all the time, more than ever, figuring you'd guess if they stopped wanting it). And he confides in his best friend.... who's having the affair with Molly! Kevin was worried that Tyrone wanted to talk to him. I don't know why. If Tyrone suspected Kev was having it off with Molly, he'd be reenacting Tommy's murder using Kevin's head not wanting to have a drink with him. GULP! Kevin, you deserve to squirm, you worm!

Tony and Maria are back and Tony is being obnoxious right out of the gate. He drove poor Kirk out who moved one more door down the street again. You did notice how he reacted when he was going to make a restaurant reservation for Oct. 16 and then realized it was the anniversary of Liam's murder... Reality check, I think. Not just sympathy for Maria's feelings either, a little stab of guilt, perhaps? Daddy and Mammy Connor are back for the christening. It didn't take her long to start poking Tony with a figurative stick. You just know Tony will be doing his strong-arm routine and Mammy Connor will be her usual spiteful self towards him and Maria will be stuck in the middle.

Darryl had enough of his mother and chucked him out. Can he do that? But WHAT is Lloyd thinking? He's snogging with Liz on the dance floor but why did he get snarky with her for going back to the bar *to do her job*? For that he gets drunk and takes Teresa home? Seeing Teresa sucking on a cig in the morning and looking for more sex was enough to make him run for the hills while she went running around in Lloyd's jacket and little else, bragging about her night-scepades.

But as many people that knew, it wasn't even Teresa that let the cat out of the bag, it was Michelle! And just in time to put the kibosh on Liz and Lloyd getting back together. It was a close call. I certainly wouldn't want him back after he'd been with Teresa and neither does Liz! Flowers and sweet words wasn't enough. She lost a lot of respect for Lloyd. He's got no chance now. None of it really was Teresa's fault though. It's not as if she stole him from Liz and she did get the nasty end of the stick when it all came out and she then lost her job and got evicted, too. (I thought Darryl had already done that! I guess he relented)

Ken has turned 70 and Emily is 80. Tactfully there's only a 70 candle on the cake. Liz bitches about the age difference between her and Lloyd but it wasn't much really. Not like the difference between Ken and Deirdre, about 15 or 16 years without looking it up.

Not surprised that Sheila didn't last out the week, for driving poor Norris spare with her wittering on and on. I bet she could even out witter Mavis! And Michelle? as Dev said, you move in over a kebab shop, what do you expect it to smell like? Roses?

Peter seems interested in the old Turner's Joinery. Leanne misses managing a bar on her own. Connection? Yes it seems so. He sure got the key fast and he wants to open up a bar. An alcoholic. Not so sure that's a good idea and i can just hear Blanche now! You know, it looks like the inside of that joinery is like the Tardis (along with most of the other buildings on the Street). It was way wider and deeper inside than a railway bridge is! It was also a lot newer on the inside than the door was on the outside. I can understand Ken having concerns but let's face it, he's never ever really supported Peter in anything.

I hope Claire isn't planning on doing karaoke any time soon. Luke seems to be upset about someone not selling their shares after all. If it's Carla, i thought he already did buy them, case closed? Actually i know where this is going but it still makes no sense.