The Queen is Dead. Long Live The King.

So we have finally had the announcement that so many people have been waiting for, that Lorraine Newman is leaving for good. I cannot say I'm pleased by the announcement, I do still feel that the fans should have given her a little bit more time to reveal her plans, I mean we seem to have a lot going on this Autumn so it would have been interesting to see what happens.

Personally, the quality of the show seems to have improved since Kirkwood took over. Yes ratings have been down, but that is mainly because there is no big storylines for viewers to talk about. However I am really glad that Lorraine didn't go down the route of having sensational plot after sensational plot like other EP's have had in the past. Yes, we did have some very cringeworthy episodes involving tuna and spiders but the show really did need to take a back seat from all the doom and gloom.

There does have to be a balance, the show needs to ensure that the characters don't go through tons of misery, every character should have varying plots sometimes they should be miserable and sometimes they should be lighter in tone.

I do like the way Lorraine didn't completely revamp the show, that is one thing the show didn't need. Having a big explosion killing off all the poorly received characters simply wouldn't work. For dramatic episodes you actually need to feel for the characters involved, that's why these characters should go out with a whimper and not with a bang.

So while Lorraine does have her faults, I do still feel people have been a bit harsh towards her.

Now for my views on Dominic Treadwell Collins. I wish him all the best in his new role, but if anyone thinks he is going to come along with a magic wand and miraculously turn the show around then they have another thing coming. For all I know DTC might like wearing frilly dresses, but he certainly isn't a fairy Godmother. For the show to reach the great heights it once knew, he needs to build on Lorraines work. I really hope he doesn't come along and bring in tons of ridiculous plots, it's the last thing the show needs. It's character driven stories we are really crying out for now.

But one thing for sure, we're in  for a new era for the show. Fingers crossed that it's a good one. 

I'm still here!

Yes I've come to type my second post! Hopefully some people are still reading and not completely bored so I shall try my hardest to keep things interesting.

So what have I been up to this weekend? Friday night consisted of an evening with my friends, drinking and dancing things Scrabbler does best. Most of Saturday was coping with my hangover and today was a BBQ with the family. So nothing earth shattering, but still a nice weekend.


Music I've been listening to this week:

After hearing this on the radio a couple of weeks ago I've been listening to Young At Heart by the Bluebells. I was surprised to find out that it was only from the 80's, it feels like it should be a lot older

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMqRdudt1wo

Another song I've been listening to this week is She Moves In Her Own Way by the Kooks, I always imagine driving around in a CamperVan along the coast somewhere when I listen to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pquhYpGHrlw

Movies and TV:

I haven't watched any movies this week, I may try and get to the cinema at some point this week as I want to see Wolverine and The Heat.

I've only really watched Eastenders this week, (more on that below) and I did catch the Who Do You Think You Are with Una Stubbs and was amazed at how down to earth and nutty she seemed. I only really watch that program if the are any stars who I actually like and I doubt I'll bother with anyone else this series. Other than that, I haven't found anything on the tv I have wanted to watch.

Books

After finishing The Cuckoos Calling, which I really enjoyed and found a much better read than the casual vacancy, I turned to an old favourite and I reread Nightwatch by Terry Pratchett. It's a really good book, I used to be a massive Terry Pratchett fan and Nightwatch is defo one of my faves out of the Discworld series.

So Eastenders

My word, the Denise and Ian scenes this week have been utter fantastic. I do love their relationship, I think it's because they are both coming into the relationship as equals. Both have their own businesses, their own children and their own screwed up baggage. I mean, all of Ian's exes have wanted something from him, be it security, money or children but with Denise she actually likes Ian as a person (Amazing huh). She saw in Ian something that the others didn't seem to see and she explained to him what she did like about him and Ian took her comments on board. I think Jane will always be my favourite Beale wife, her and Ian had the best chemistry however I am glad that Ian has finally found someone who seems to be his match and that's why I find their relationship really interesting.

I'm actually finding Kat more bearable. I still don't like her, but I'm not resisting the urge to throw up every time I see her, I'm glad that they have taken her back to being someone who looks out for others. It was definitely the best thing about Kat when she was first in the show when she stuck up for her sisters and now we've seen her doing the same for the likes of Kirsty, Bianca, Jean, Alice and Michael and it has given the character a whole new lease of life.

I'm really bored of Shirley, she's just a one trick pony who needs to go to the knackers yard. I love Linda Henry, I always wanted her case in EE as a love interest for Phil when she was in Bad Girls and was overjoyed when I found out she had been cast. But this week has just shown how boring the character has got, she just snarls at people and I think she has lost all depth.

Something else I've really enjoyed about EE recently is the cultural references we've been getting, such as Shirley stating that Sharon and Kim were reforming as Pepsi and Shirley and Phil saying Jay, Dexter, Dennis Jr and Morgan were the Bash Street Kids. We really do need more of these references and digs as they are usually quite funny and give the show a bit more realism.

So that's it from me, although don't forget I am doing the eppy thread on Tuesday this week on DS (Yes I am back). Feel free to leave comments!

Scrabblers Scribbles: My first post! Yay!

Howdy All!

I've been wanting to create a blog for awhile and my temporary ban from DS forums has given me the kick up the backside to start one. Why have I been banned you may ask? I don't have a clue! My straight talking and my love of winding people up does not always go well on there. But it's up to the Mods to decide what goes on that board, not me so I shall have to respect their opinions and type my ramblings here instead.

Firstly I want to make it clear I shall not be using this blog to slate other members from DS as that's simply not fair. What I will be using this blog for is to talk about Eastenders, to talk about myself and to just ramble as that is something I just love to do. So I shall say a big welcome to anyone who has been bothered to read up to this point.

As it's my first blog I shall tell a little about myself first, I'm male and I live in the Midlands. I'm not yet thirty but it's not too far away unfortunately. I have a boring desk job, which pays my wages and it's at least a place where I can have fun zooming around on my chair. At the moment I'm on a bit of a health kick, while I may not be the size of an elephant I could do with losing a pound or to, but my love of chocolate makes it so hard. Why they had to make Ferrero Roche so fattening is beyond me.

I am gay, but I'd rather not have it as a label. I mean I actually just consider it a part of me rather than finding it defines me. We all have different tastes and that's mine. I don't get why so many people get obsessed with sexuality.

I go to the movies quite a lot, I watched The Worlds End on Friday night and thought it was amazing, maybe not as good as Hot Fuzz and Sean of the Dead but still had quite a few giggles and I was entertained throughout. What I did not enjoy was The Bling Ring. I didn't care for the rich kid thieves of the rich celebs they stole from. Still it was worth seeing Hermione try out an American accent, it was worth it just for that.

What am I reading right now? The Cuckoo's Calling by transsexual Robert Galbraith. I'm actually really enjoying it, which has surprised me as The Casual Vacancy was diabolical, (even if it did have a character who is based on me (ish)). I'm just over halfway through and I'm loving the concept of it. I'm not yet fully invested with the characters but they are likable enough and I would recommend it to anyone who likes crime novels although it tends not to be as gory as some crime authors.

I go through songs which I obsess about. I warn you now, my musical tastes are absolutely awful. But what are you going to do? At the moment there are two songs which I keep listening repeatedly to, Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now, which is just awesome and Mika's Elle Me Dit which is quite a perky song to listen to while I'm playing freecell or Words With Friends on FB.

See what I mean about the ramblings?

So now about Eastenders! (about time I hear you say)

I will criticise Easties when I think it deserves it, but currently the Doom and Gloom threads are getting me down so I want to talk about something positive. And that is the Beales.

I absolutely adored the Beales when we had Ian, Jane, Steven, Lucy, Peter and Bobby. It was a fantastic set up and I hated the fact the family got broken up. Because Ian Beale is simply the best character in the soap. Do you know he actually reminds a bit of Severus Snape, who JK once declared was a gift of a character. And Ian Beale is a gift of a character.

I see loads of posts where people call Ian a weasel. Which he is. But like my sexuality doesn't define me, Ians weaselling doesn't just define him either. It's only a part of him, he is like an onion there is so many layers to his character but I don't think all viewers get that.

So now we have Ian and a load of NuBeales. And I am actually warming to them. The new Peter sounded far too posh when he first arrived and I dreaded them turning him into another Joey but in actual fact he seems to have some of the old Peter Beale about him and is quite interesting. I think he has given NuLucy more substance too, they are bouncing off each other really well and I am loving their dynamic.

I want them to move Denise into that house, I think that will really tighten up the set up. And I miss seeing Denise as a mother figure, she's really good at it. I doubt we'll ever see Chelsea or Libby again, so lets see Denise form some relationships with the Beale clan as this set up is one of the best things about EE right now.

I hope I have entertained you, feel free to post comments about whether you thought it was a big pile of poo and let me know if there is anything you'd like me to ramble about!

Scrabbler Signing Out!