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News, Cast Updates and Scoop

New Project For DAYS's Shawn Christian

Soap Stars Hit Primetime

Natalie Hall (ex-Colby, ALL MY CHILDREN) will be featured in STAR-CROSSED, a new CW drama set in a world where an alien race have landed on Earth and been forced to live in an internment camp. But things get interesting when an alien boy and eight others of his kind are integrated in a suburban high school, and a romance develops between him and a human girl.

AMC's Sarah Michelle Gellar (ex-Kendall) and ONE LIFE TO LIVE's Amanda Setton (ex-Kimberly) will be appearing in CRAZY ONES, a new CBS comedy set in the world of advertising and starring Robin Williams.

Wendy Moniz (ex-Mayor Finn, OLTL; Dinah, GUIDING LIGHT) is in the cast of BETRAYAL, a sudsy-sounding drama that also stars James Cromwell and Henry Thomas.

And two of AS THE WORLD TURNS' former Lucys have new primetime gigs: Spencer Grammer will be in NBC's crime-drama IRONSIDE, based on the '60s series, and Peyton List will be starring in The CW's THE TOMORROW PEOPLE, a sci-fi adventure based on a UK series from the '70s about teenagers with powerful psychic powers.

Mom's the word for Tonys

Lauryn Hill Sentenced to Three Months in Jail

In addition to her three month sentence, she'll have an additional three months of home confinement. During her sentencing, Hill told the judge that she always planned to pay the taxes, but was unable to when she dropped out of the music business.

Earlier Monday, Hill reportedly paid more than $970,000 for taxes owed. Hill previously said that she didn't file her tax returns from 2005 to 2007 to protect her family from threats she was receiving at the time. She pleaded guilty last June and currently faces the maximum of one year for each count of tax evasion, but her attorney is hoping for probation.

Brooke Newton & Jason Pendergraft Join Online Soap 'All My Children'

Lauryn Hill Pays Tax Bill on Eve of Sentencing Hearing

The singer has paid off a court-ordered retribution sum of $554,000 that she owed the IRS, Reuters reports.

Hill apparently did so just before her scheduled appearance in court on Monday in Newark, N.J., for a sentencing hearing on tax-evasion charges.

In addition to the money she owed the federal government, the former Fugees frontwoman is said to have also paid additional state taxes and penalties, bringing the total amount to more than $900,000.

Last month, Hill's attorney told the court that the singer had repaid $50,000 so far and her hearing was postponed until May 6 to give her more time to pay off the rest.

Hill pleaded guilty in June of 2012 to failing to report approximately $1.8 milliion earned between 2005 and 2007.

ATWT Alum Is Tony Nominated!

The Tony Awards are scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 9 in New York City, and will be aired live on CBS.

Check Out a First Look of Marc Cherry's Devious Maids

Marc Cherry, the man behind our favorite former Wisteria Lane residents, will soon debut Devious Maids, a new Lifetime series that tells the stories of a group of maids — played by Ana Ortiz, Judy Reyes, Roselyn Sanchez, Dania Ramirez and Brianna Brown — who work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills.

The series is an adaptation of a Mexican telenovela, which was actually inspired by Desperate Housewives. In a fun bit of crossover, Sanchez's Maids character actually made a cameo in the Housewives series finale.

Check out a sneak peek via ET Online of the new series, which also stars Susan Lucci, among others: Video.

Devious Maids premieres Sunday, June 23 on Lifetime.

Maura West To GH!

Lifetime's Jodi Arias Movie Casts Jesse Lee Soffer As Travis Alexander

She has pleaded not guilty, contending that she killed Alexander in self-defense. After 2 1/2 months of testimony, the defense in the case rested yesterday. The trail has drawn national attention and given its own nightly series by HLN, HLN After Dark: The Jodi Arias Trial. According to the breakdown for Dirty Little Secrets, Arias is described as a single-minded, head-strong, quick-tempered and jealous to the extreme woman who is hell-bent on emotionally suffocating and controlling Alexander, a handsome young Mormon and motivational speaker who soon falls prey. Filming starts right away in Los Angeles.

Dirty Little Secrets, whose ending will be written after the end of the trial, is produced City Entertainment and Peace Out Prods, with Joshua D. Maurer, Alixandre Witlin and Judith Verno executive producing. The movie is a follow-up to other Lifetime movies about high-profile murder trials including the recent Prosecuting Casey Anthony and the 2011 Amanda Knox: Murder On Trial In Italy.

Hell on Wheels: Jennifer Ferrin Joining Season 3 as Series Regular

The actress will play Louise Ellison, a smart, witty and flirtatious journalist hired by the New York Sun to cover the “story of the century” — the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Louise imbues her work with an element of human emotion as well as thorough, blunt, truthful fact-finding. She is strong and independent and demands to be treated with the same respect that any man in her position would be given.

The gig reunites Ferrin with her former Cape EP John Wirth, who was recently named Wheels‘ new showrunner.

In addition to The Following and The Cape, Ferrin’s resume includes stints on CBS’ late soap As the World Turns and ABC’s Life on Mars.

AMC’s period Western is slated to kick off its 10-episode third season this summer.

Lifetime's 'Devious Maids' Debuts June 23

Zenk Makes Performing A Family Affair!

"I am so thrilled to be welcoming a mother and daughter to our guest star roster," says the show's creator, Ethan Paulini. "And what a fabulously talented pair they are. While the themes we explore in Mama And Her Boys have to do with mothers and sons, they are not gender specific. We worked hard to create a show that presented a universal point of view for all families."

Mama And Her Boys is currently playing at the new Underground Theater at 955 West End Avenue (at West 107th St and Broadway) in New York City, and Zenk and Crouch are scheduled to perform in the Monday, May 6, performance. Tickets range from $12-$44, and are available by calling (866) 811-4111 or visiting theatermania.com. For more details on the show, visit the Web site here.

Help Fund ATWT Star's New Film!

The story, by writer/director Samuel Brett Williams, concerns a southern baptist preacher named Eli, played by Malcolm Madera. To keep his congregation from dwindling, he plans a revival, but when he falls in love with Daniel (played by Silbermann), their relationship could destroy everything he's worked for. Eli must choose between his love for Daniel and his love for God, his church and his family.

Silbermann and his friends are nearly halfway to their goal of $67,000 with just over a month left before their deadline. For more information on the project, and to donate yourself, click here to visit The Revival's Kickstarter page. And as always, there are cool rewards for pledging, including signed scripts, DVDs and more! Heck, if you want to pledge $4,500, you can nab all of the rewards including a speaking role in the film!

GH'S Lindstrom Invades Soho Film Fest

Next up for the flick (and Lindstrom) is an appearance at the Bare Bones Film Festival in Muskegee, OK, on April 9 (visit http://www.barebonesfilmfestivals.org) for more information), then it's off to the Sonoma International Film Festival on April 10 (http://www.sonomafilmfest.org) and, at the end of the month, Lindstrom will take his movie to the High Falls Film Festival in Rochester, NY, where it will screen on April 20. For tickets to that event, click here.

Former soap star takes on sci-fi

Orphan Black, the new sci-fi series on Space, features a mind-bending premise with Canadian It Girl Tatiana Maslany (Picture Day) playing multiple clones of the same character - but while some actors might find this concept complicated, improbable plot twists and twins are nothing new to Vancouver-born actor Dylan Bruce, who kicked off his career on the soap opera As the World Turns.

"Working on a soap opera is such good training for the novice actor. No rehearsal, 120 pages of dialogue per week, and one take to get the scene right, no room for error," says Bruce, who had a blast playing Dr. Chris Hughes. "I think sometimes soap acting gets an unfair label for being bad and over the top. The lessons I learned there were so valuable. Seeing yourself every day on television you learned what worked and didn't work, what was bad acting and what wasn't, memorizing scripts became second nature."

Asked to describe his role in the heavily buzzed-about Orphan Black, Bruce told The Sun there's not much he can reveal at the moment. "Our show thrives on thrills and surprises. Without spoiling too much, the short on my character would be that he's an all-around good guy, strong, solid, and supportive. The perfect mate. He's in a tumultuous relationship with the character Beth (Maslany) who commits suicide in the first episode, unbeknownst to him, and when Sarah (also Maslany) assumes Beth's identity, he's intrigued and suspicious of who this new person is, even though he's loving every second of this new "Beth." As her deception and feelings for him grow, and his suspicion and feelings for her grow, it leads to one hell of a roller-coaster ride."

While he won't reveal any more plot points, he's happy to describe the show as "fun, dark, different, sexy, funny and thrilling."

Ironically - or perhaps appropriately - Bruce's audition for the 10-part season was the stuff of science fiction. After sending in a tape to apply for the part, he was invited to audition for the casting director and one of the show's creators via Skype.

"Thank god for Skype, because it opens up a lot of opportunities for actors who may not have been seen for a particular role." After the Skype session he flew to Toronto to screen-test with Maslany.

Born in Vancouver and raised in Boundary Bay, Bruce says his inspiration to become an actor was B.C.'s Michael J. Fox. "He was my hero. I wanted to be him, whether it was dressing in sweaters with a dress shirt and tie, going to school with a briefcase in kindergarten to emulate Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties, or wearing a puffy vest and blasting Huey Lewis and the News while skateboarding like Marty McFly, he was it. When I found out from my mom he was a B.C. boy, I knew that acting was for me."

As for his stint in soap-land, Bruce (who has also been seen in NCIS and The Sopranos) is proud to have been part of "the starting place for actors like Julianne Moore and Marisa Tomei as well as the wonderful people that were still on the show since the '50s, '60s and '70s up till the end in 2009.

"People grew up with those shows, but viewership is changing as well as the daytime model. I'm just glad to say that I was a small part of it."

Orphan Black debuts Saturday at 6 p.m. on Space.

ATWT Star Tends His Flock

"One has all this power and gets all this attention and money and fame," Rucker explains, "that's probably considered successful in a lot of ways. And then the other, he goes in the direction where there is significantly more challenges and less fame and less money. And it really shows that doing things the right way, following your voice, and handling yourself with some class, honor and integrity is actually a more significant definition of success."

And although the tale is set in Los Angeles churches, the actor believes that the themes are universal. "The film could be set in any community," he muses. "It could be in a corporate environment. It could be any industry, really.

"We shouldn't be afraid to challenge and examine some of the people who are in positions of power," Rucker continues. "They're in a position of significant influence, and because of that, we shouldn't be afraid to hold them accountable. Unfortunately, there's some use of the institution of the church and the dynamic of religion to control in that way and serve their own personal selfish goals. You've gotta be very careful about that!"

Rucker also finds himself working alongside an impressive cast that includes Washington as well as Elise Neal and Louis Gossett, Jr. "Oh yeah," he smiles. "Lots of folks that you'll know. When you've got that high production quality and you've got talented actors that can bring that stuff off the page, it rounds out quite nicely. I've gotten really incredible feedback about this film."

You can catch the world premiere of the award-winning The Undershepherd this Saturday, March 30, at 8:00 pm EST on TV One, with an encore presentation on Sunday, March 31 at 5:30 pm EST.

Ashley Williams Joins Keep Calm & Karey On

Daytime Collection Headed To The Smithsonian!

Spencer Grammer To Star In 'Ironside'

ATWT Star Goes Back In Time!

The actress had previously worked with executive producer Amy B. Harris on the CBS primetime sudser CENTRAL PARK WEST, but was meeting the young cast of THE CARRIE DIARIES for the first time. "AnnaSophia [Robb, Carrie] is adorable," Beck enthuses. "She is such a pro for 19 years old. Austin [Butler, Sebastian] is even more handsome in person, if that's even possible! What a kind, sincere, sweet young man."

Beck reports that she had a blast working on the '80s-era series, especially when it came to her period costumes! "I loved my wardrobe, hair and makeup," she smiles. "I'm an '80s girl!"

Beck's first episode of THE CARRIE DIARIES, airs on Monday, March 18, and you can see her again in the following episode on Tuesday, March 25.

Austin Peck To TAINTED DREAMS!

Jesse Lee Soffer Toplines NBC’s ‘Hatfields & McCoys’

Elizabeth Taylor's Bulgari Emeralds Get a New Wearer: Julianne Moore

The dazzling emerald-and-diamond necklace, purchased for Taylor by future husband Richard Burton while they were on location for Cleopatra in Rome, was a staple in the legendary star’s wardrobe; she even wore it to accept her Oscar in 1967.

It was one of eight Bulgari pieces that the jewelry house purchased from her 2011 Christie’s auction and now have on display at their Rodeo Drive flagship.

“The room absolutely stopped when [Moore] entered” in the necklace, a source at Bulgari’s pre-Oscars party, thrown to celebrate Taylor’s jewels, tells PEOPLE. “Kirsten Dunst exclaimed, ‘Are you wearing one of her pieces?’”

And Moore looked lovely in the necklace, which sold for more than $6 million at auction, though she went a distinctly non-Taylor route by offsetting it with sleek hair and a very simple Alexander McQueen dress. Regardless, we bet Taylor, who wore her fanciest jewelry to sit around the house, would have been pleased.

Pilot News: Mad Men's Peyton List Is One of The CW's Tomorrow People

The superhero drama, adapted from the 1970s UK series, follows several young people from around the world who represent the next stage in human evolution. Each of them possess special powers, including the ability to teleport and communicate with each other telepathically. Together, they fight evil.

Greg Berlanti (Arrow) and Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) will executive-produce along with writer Phil Klemmer (Chuck).

List’s character, Cara, is the female member of the group; she’s described as trustworthy with a sense of humor.

The actress recurs as Roger’s estranged young wife Jane on Mad Men and has had roles on FlashForward, Smallville and 90210.

Eileen Fulton Interview

Jon Lindstrom: Georgia On His Mind

Cady McClain Joins AMC Reboot!

"Since word got out that AMC/PP contacted me, I thought it was best to wait a bit until I confirmed it out of respect for the fact I am still sorting out the details of the situation. However, I feel confident in telling you that I will be a part of the AMC Internet Re-boot. I am very excited about the possibilities for the show in this medium and want to help give it every chance at success.

As you probably know by now, I am fascinated with all the many possibilities for creative expression that the Internet has to offer. I have a feeling the show will find many new opportunities for connecting with fans and I look forward to being a part of that as well.

I am also thrilled that Ginger Smith, who has worked on AMC for as long as I can remember, is finally getting the chance to helm the show. There are few people that know and love AMC as much as Ginger. I know for a fact she is doing everything in her power to make the show as wonderful for the long time fans as she possibly can.

Thank you all so much for your well wishes and support."

ATWT's Silbermann On Stage Again

The world-premiere play from Tony Award winner Richard Greenberg will feature Silbermann on stage with actors like Jessica Hecht and Judith Light (Karen, ONE LIFE TO LIVE). The story chronicles the family drama of a Jewish family living on Manhattan's Upper West Side over a twenty year period.

The Assembled Parties will begin previews on Thursday, March 21, and open for a limited run on Wednesday, April 17, at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on West 47th Street in New York City. For tickets, click here.

ATWT's Zenk Rules The Old West!

This is the second episode of the second season of the western-themed Web drama, so jumping into the middle of things means it might be a little confusing. But you can still appreciate Zenk's scene regardless! (And it might inspire you to go back and check out the earlier episodes of the impressive Web series at its Web site!) (Ep 2 Video)

It Has To Be ATWT's Trent Dawson

Jon Lindstrom Returns To GH

Jordana Brewster Is 'Enamored' with the Idea of Having Twins

The Dallas star, 32, who has been married to movie producer Andrew Form since 2007, tells Latina she "definitely" wants two kids and is "enamored" by the idea of having twins.

"My dad was a twin, so it runs in the family," she explains. "Fingers crossed. We're thinking about having kids but I don't know when it'll happen. I feel very ready now."

When the couple does eventually expand their family, the children will be raised in a loving home.

"We FaceTime all of the time," Brewster says, of keeping the romance alive long distance. "We love that. There are times when I just say, 'I need to see you now.' And so we FaceTime a lot, or I surprise him and visit him or he does the same. It's super important … Couples shouldn't be apart for too long. We've been married for five years now and we know how important that is because otherwise you just lose touch with each other."

A big part of their bond has come from the way Form inspires his wife on a professional level.

"It's so amazing to have a husband in the business who can challenge me and we can talk about his work and my work and understand each other in that way," Brewster says. "I love getting his feedback and he likes getting mine. And of course, that has pushed me more to consider producing in the future."

And she's not just talking about babies!

Thomas Gibson Arrested for DUI

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Gibson was driving in downtown Los Angeles at around 1:00 AM when he attempted to drive through a part of town that had been sectioned off for a half marathon. The race had already gone through that part of town (it started at 9:00 PM) but the area was still blocked off.

We're told Gibson was stopped and told he couldn't drive through ... but he proceeded to anyway.

According to our sources, police eventually stopped Gibson and detected an odor of alcohol. We're told Gibson refused to take a breathalyzer test. He was then arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI and taken into custody at 1:37 AM.

His bail is set at $15,000 and, as of this posting, is still in custody.

UPDATE: PP Hires Second In Command For AMC

Irna Phillips: Brief life of soap opera's single mother: 1901-1973

In 1930, Phillips—a 29-year-old, unemployed Chicago schoolteacher and part-time radio actress—was asked to write and act in radio’s first serial drama, Painted Dreams. She jumped at the chance. In the next 43 years, she would create or co-create 18 radio and television serials; four were still on the air when she died, including Guiding Light and As the World Turns, the two longest-running daytime dramas on television. Acting out the parts, she dictated her stories to secretaries for six to eight hours a day, producing an estimated two million words a year and earning more than $250,000 annually in the 1940s, when she had five programs on the air. She knew the role soap played in “soap operas,” and had a decades-long relationship with Procter & Gamble, but she focused on content: her innovations included adding doctors, lawyers, and other professionals as characters and cliff-hanger endings for episodes.

Soap-opera historians have long acknowledged the impact on the genre of As the World Turns in particular. When it premiered in 1956, serial dramas were all 15 minutes long; ATWT doubled that. Phillips believed “better story and characterization could be developed in a half-hour format”; when Procter & Gamble initially resisted, she took action. Aided by her longtime colleagues Agnes Nixon and Ted Corday, she wrote and taped a pilot at her own expense, and changed the face of daytime drama forever. ATWT also departed radically from its predecessors in style: for the first year, there was virtually no plot. Critic Robert LaGuardia has noted that “story to Irna was simply a vehicle; it was from the moment-to-moment emotions of her characters, expressed to each other in quiet scenes, that viewers derived vicarious pleasure.” Phillips knew that viewers would need time to get used to this format, and nothing illustrates her industry clout more than the licensing-agreement clause requiring CBS to air the show for a full year regardless of ratings. Fans expressed their pleasure by keeping ATWT at the top of the daytime ratings for 20 years, making it the first soap opera to fully penetrate the cultural landscape: an episode of the current television hit Mad Men showed secretary Joan Holloway engrossed by an “unmissable” ATWT episode from 1962—the end of the genre’s first super couple, Penny Hughes and Jeff Baker.

Phillips shared viewers’ vicarious pleasure. In her unfinished memoir, she acknowledged that she “had generally fictionalized my own life,” but it was in ATWT that she “fantasized as well as fictionalized” her life. LaGuardia suggests, “It was quite as if for Irna, Oakdale [ATWT’s fictional Midwestern setting] was a real place—far more real than New York or Chicago, and far better.” One likely reason was the patriarch she created for Oakdale, attorney Chris Hughes: the loving husband she never found for herself, the devoted father she never found for the two children she adopted as a single mother.

Her need for Oakdale began in the mid 1920s when Phillips, who never had a date in high school or college, met an English doctor, “not handsome,” but “with charm and intelligence,” and decided he was the man she would marry. Things didn’t work out as she hoped. She became pregnant but the doctor abandoned her, and she then lost not only the baby but any chance for another. The resulting sterility led her to decide “to never become involved with an unmarried man,” thus sparing herself “the pain and embarrassment of telling a man I couldn’t have children.” That vow played out through characters like ATWT’s jilted Edith Hughes, who later fell in love with her brother’s unhappily married law partner. Phillips presented the story through characters neither all black nor all white, forcing viewers, writes La Guardia, “to grieve over the heartbreak of the human condition rather than hang on to a fixed value judgment.”

In 1964, Phillips created Another World, and the character through whom she would both tell and hide her own story: Pat Matthews, who would murder the man who impregnated her and then coerced her into an illegal, botched abortion that left her sterile. In her memoir, Phillips wrote that her own pregnancy ended with a stillbirth, followed by an infection. What really happened will likely remain a mystery, but her efforts to exorcise her demons through Pat’s story took its toll on Pat’s portrayer; after 18 exhausting months, the actress asked to be released from her contract.

Phillips herself was never able to provide a sense of warmth and family involvement for her children; in the end, she described feeling “as unhappy in adopting them as they were in being adopted by me.” Haunted by her lost pregnancy, in 1972 she created ATWT’s beautiful and independent Kim Reynolds, who was meant to have a baby of her own. Of course, to conceive that baby, Kim seduced her sister’s husband. Sponsor Procter & Gamble, unwilling to reward adultery, chose to veto that happy ending; when Phillips—increasingly difficult to work with and unwilling to sensationalize her plots to compete with rival shows—was fired, Kim’s pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. It’s hard to say what caused Phillips more pain—losing the show that was so real to her, or reliving the loss of her baby as Kim lost hers. A few months later, she died of a heart attack, or perhaps of a broken heart.

Park Gets Hot!

Park will be playing the role of Gooper, although he admits that director Rob Ashford cast against type by offering him the role. "He's supposed to be a portly man who is not very well-liked by his father and mother," the actor explains. "He's got to be diametrically opposed to Brick, who is the superstar of the family. I'm not your normal type for Gooper. [Rob] is thinking outside the box a little bit."

While Gooper and wife Mae are often considered the comic relief of the story, Park adds that they have to be a serious threat. "The real threat should be there that Gooper is going to be taking over the business," he says. "He's going to be taking over the family plantation. It's going to be interesting. I'm not taking this lightly at all. What an opportunity."

Previews for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof begin on Tuesday, December 18, and the show's opening night is scheduled for Thursday, January 17. It will only run for 15 weeks, so if you're hoping to get tickets, don't wait too long to click here!

And for more from Park about his post-ATWT career and what's next after this play, don't miss his interview in the new CBS Soaps In Depth, on sale 12/17!

ATWT's Abigail Is A Mom Again!

ATWT's Craig & Rosanna Are Engaged!

What if the stars of a reality show didn't know it?

That’s because people behave differently when they know that they are being filmed. But what if a family didn’t know they were the subject of a reality show?

That’s the premise behind Oak Park native Adam Rifkin’s new TV miniseries, “Reality Show.” Rifkin is the writer, director, executive producer and star of the show which began airing on Showtime Nov. 1.

“I thought it’s time that somebody satirized the reality television show world,” said Rifkin, a 45-year-old who has been writing and directing films since he was 19. “I wanted to do it in a really biting, really dark, funny kind of way. I thought what better way than to have an evil reality show producer and the lengths he’ll go to to get the best show possible.” Rifkin plays that producer, Mickey Wagner.

In the series, it turns out that the Warwicks, the family Wagner chose for his new show, are b-o-r-i-n-g. So he decides to spice up the program by making things happen to them, from stealing the family’s dog to sabotaging the couple’s marriage and the husband’s career.

Kelley Menighan Hensley, who once again calls Glenview home, plays Katherine Warwick. Her face will be familiar to fans of the soap opera, “As the World Turns,” because Hensley played Emily Stewart on that show for 18 years up until the soap opera was cancelled in 2010.

“The biggest project that I’ve done outside of ‘As the World Turns’ is this crazy Showtime project,” Hensley said. She thought the script was hysterical and especially wanted to do the project when she learned that writer Rifkin was from the Chicago area.

“Katherine Warwick is your quintessential happy, happy housewife,” Hensley said. “She doesn’t wear a pinch of makeup. She is unaware of herself in every way — sexually, physically, mentally. She has this great husband who’s this sweet man. She crafts with her friends. She’s blissfully happy in that self-unawareness.”

Then, because of the manipulations of the producer of the show in which she doesn’t realize she’s a character, Katherine changes. Creator Rifkin admitted he had a blast figuring out ways to mess with those unaware Warwicks. “I was tapping into my sinister side,” he joked. “There are so many ideas that we didn’t get a chance to get to. I want to explore them further in future seasons.”

Of course, that will depend on whether audience response is good enough for Showtime to pick up another season of “Reality Show.” Rifkin is hopeful that people will be ready for “Reality.”

A Bushel For The Pecks

Hensley In A Reality Show

"It is insane," she says of the series. "That is the perfect word for it. It's out there. I mean, I called my parents when I agreed to do it and I'm like, 'I'm just preparing you that.. I'm not a hundred percent sure I want you to see all of it!'"

The premise of REALITY SHOW is that a producer (played by writer, director and executive producer Adam Rifkin) decides to create a real reality show by hiding cameras in a family's house and recording all the drama without them knowing. "So they randomly pick this family, the Warwicks," explains Hensley, "which I'm the wife of, Katherine Warwick. And we're the most mundane, boring happy family!

"So instead of the producers saying, 'Okay, these people are really boring, let's move on,'" she continues, "[the producer] says, 'No, let's just throw in some conflict to screw with them.' And slowly but surely, they sabotage our family. Ultimately... really bad things start to happen which ultimately pulls our family apart in such a sick, dark... twisted way."

Although the more scandalous material allowed on a pay cable channel like Showtime gave her pause initially, Hensley quickly realized she'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity. "It's off-the-wall and dark and risque and all of those things that daytime isn't," she laughs. "And really, that's why I was so drawn to it."

She was also more than happy when she was told that they wanted her for the part, but didn't want her to look anything like herself, costuming her in a mousy brown wig, ugly glasses and mom clothes. "They said, 'Are you cool with that?'" Hensley recalls. "And I was like, 'What?! Of course! I've been living in a daytime bubble of overdone hair and makeup — no offense to hair and makeup — for years, so this is perfect for me."

Shooting a series that is meant to be taped with hidden cameras meant actually performing for tiny little cameras called Go Pros that were strategically placed around the set. But that's not to say there wasn't a crew! "No, sometimes they would strategically place themselves," Hensley confides. "I can think off the top of my head, the director and the DP were both sitting on a fireplace mantle tucked away from the other cameras. They would do things like that all the time!"

REALITY SHOW is eight half-hour episodes, cutting between the producers' scheming and the family's lives unraveling, and the family portion of the show was actually recut into a 90-minute film for submission in the Sundance Film Festival! Also, because the two sections were shot separately, Hensley is looking forward to seeing the material she wasn't in. "It really was an unbelievable experience," she exclaims. "It was so much fun. You would walk away at the end of the day and go, 'Really? That was work? Because that was so much fun!'"

REALITY SHOW premieres tonight, November 1, on Showtime at 11:30 pm EST.

Soap Stars In Soapdish On Broadway

According to BroadwayWorld.com, the cast for an upcoming reading in late October of the musical will feature John Stamos (ex-Blackie, GH) and Michael Park (Jack, AS THE WORLD TURNS) alongside fellow Broadway stars Kristin Chenoweth and Jane Krakowski.

Hopefully we'll all be able to see this on Broadway next year!

Tunie Soars!

Next, Tunie takes to the skies when she stars in Paramount Pictures' new blockbuster, Flight. "It's about a commercial airline pilot (Denzel Washington) who successfully crash lands a plane and is touted the hero; however, at the hospital, they draw blood and his toxicology reports [present] questions," previews Tunie. Look for the actress to play the leader of the flight crew who — after helping to save the plane — gets unwillingly caught up in the investigation. "I consider this to be my first action movie," she relates. "I had such a good time shooting [it], I didn't want it to be over. I cried!" The film, which also stars Don Cheadle, John Goodman, and Melissa Leo (Linda, ALL MY CHILDREN), opens Friday, November 2. For more from Tunie, including details about her next project, check out her Keeping Track feature in the current issue of Soaps In Depth.

The World Still Turns

From the author's description: "Notwithstanding the title and cover photograph, as the world stopped turning... is not a post-apocalyptic novel, but a collection of 18 essays considering the final years of AS THE WORLD TURNS, the soap opera that redefined the genre when it premiered in 1956. Written by a lifelong fan of the show, these essays weave together the show's history, characters, storylines, writers and producers, to create a context within which to consider, not just ATWT, but all soap operas, past and present."

You can purchase the book for $9.99 and read a short sample of it by following this link.

Love Blooms For ATWT Stars!

Firstly, Trent Dawson (Henry) married fiancée Sharon Kearney this past Saturday. And Ewa da Cruz (Vienna) is now engaged to boyfriend Laurent Scallie!

Best wishes to both of the happy couples!

Excuse Me For Living

$127K in jewellery stolen from Moore

Detectives are investigating the theft of 10 expensive pieces, many of which were from luxury brand Cartier, at her property in Manhattan's West Village.

According to the New York Post, the star was filming the Carrie remake in Canada during the weeks when the theft occurred.

It is believed the house was being renovated while Moore was out of town between June and August.

No arrests have yet been made.

Soap Stars' Son Hits Broadway!

West's son will be portraying the role of Ralphie in certain performances, alternating with Johnny Rabe. "After months of searching, we are thrilled to have found two exceptionally talented boys to play the role of Ralphie," producer Gerald Goehring said in a statement. "Broadway's newest 12-year-old triple threat, Johnny Rabe, graduated from the ranks of the kids' ensemble in last year's tour to become our terrific young leading man. And Joe West wowed us with his online video audition and now joins our fabulous company. We couldn't be more excited to be the first to share these two young stars with the Broadway community!"

A Christmas Story, The Musical, based on the classic holiday film, will run from Monday, November 5, through Sunday, December 30, with Monday, November 19 slated as opening night. Tickets are now on sale at www.AChristmasStoryTheMusical.com!

ATWT Stars Stand Up To Bullying

Andy Williams Passes Away

ATWT's Tunie Takes The Stage!

Daytime audiences who know Tunie best as the Oakdale attorney might be surprised to learn that the actress' background is actually in musical theater. "Yes, I Sing!" will run for one week only, from Tuesday, October 30, through Saturday November 3. (Which coincidentally falls during the same time as the release of her new film, Flight, in which she appears opposite Denzel Washington!) For more information on the show and ticket availability, visit the Feinstein's Web site.

Jason Biggs to star in Netflix series 'Orange is the New Black'

"Orange" stars Taylor Schilling ("The Lucky One") as a Brooklynite who winds up in the slammer due to a college relationship with a drug-runner that she'd thought she'd put behind her. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Biggs will play Schilling's current fiance. The show is based on a memoir by Piper Kerman about her year in a women's prison.

Netflix has ordered 13 episodes of the hourlong series as part of the online streaming and rental service's commitment to ramping up original programming. They've also got fresh (and long-awaited) episodes of "Arrested Development" on tap for next year, the political thriller "House of Cards" directed by David Fincher and featuring Kevin Spacey, and "Hostel" director Eli Roth's werewolf horror series "Hemlock Grove" starring Famke Janssen.

Biggs is best known as pie-loving Jim from the "American Pie" franchise but has also done work in episodic television, including starring in CBS' short-lived comedy "Mad Love" and guest roles on "The Good Wife" and "Will & Grace." He also voices Leonardo in Nickelodeon's reboot of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

Jon Lindstrom's New Gig

ATWT's Park Sang Yesterday On TODAY

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Serving two tours in Vietnam, Granante was diagnosed with Hodgkins in 2001, and explains how his wife has been devotedly by his side throughout his ups and downs and repeated surgeries. After he tells his emotional and powerful story, Park comes out to perform the song "My Angel," written by co-host Kathie Lee Gifford and David Friedman.

You might want to have a tissue handy!

Pinter & Zenk Welcomes Granddaughter Etta Jones

Carson Daly‘s daughter sure knows how to make her papa proud! After years spent on MTV, it’s only fitting that the former TRL host’s second child with girlfriend Siri Pinter would arrive on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 6 — the night of the Video Music Awards.

“Tonight at 5:15 p.m. we welcomed the latest addition to our family. Etta Jones Daly weighs 8 lbs. and is beautiful!” The Voice host, 39, posted on his Facebook page.

“Mom was a rockstar, [3½-year-old] Jackson James is a proud big bro, and Dad’s drinking a cold one. Praise God.”

In the days leading up to her due date, Pinter — a food blogger — attempted to kick start her labor with a tried and true maternity salad.

And, according to Daly, Pinter’s plan worked! “I had to go into my office … ‘Did the salad work? Is there a baby yet?’ Contractions have begun!” he Tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

ATWT Star's New Blog

ATWT's Noah Romances A Queen

Silbermann will be portraying the role of Axel Fersen, a Swedish count who was historically alleged to be one of Marie Antoinette's lovers. The "barbed and brassy tragiocomedy" opens on Friday, September 7, and will run through Saturday, September 29, at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, MA. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here!

ATWT Alum Passes Away

Lauryn Hill facing more tax woes

The former Fugees star was accused of owing more than $1.6 million and in June, she admitted neglecting to file her financial papers for federal taxes between 2005 and 2007.

She faces up to three years in jail and a $75,000 fine when she is sentenced in November.

It has now emerged Hill is also facing a large bill for state taxes in New Jersey amounting to more than $440,000, according to TMZ.com.

Editors at the website report a civil judgement was filed against Hill in a New Jersey court on June 14.

Baby On The Way For Real-Life Couple

While the daughter, due the end of this year, will be the first child for the couple, Peck is already father to sons Aiden and Roman from his first marriage, while Conn is mom to daughter Julia. The Pecks celebrated their first wedding anniversary on July 1. Congratulations to the expanding family!

ATWT Alum Gets A Little Bit Country

ATWT's Ray Gets PRETTY!

Oscar Winner Holm Dies

While Holm's heath had been failing in recent years, her family told NY1 that the lifelong New Yorker had been hospitalized for dehydration two weeks ago, following a fire in the apartment of actor Robert De Niro in the same Upper West Side building. Holm is survived by her husband, Frank Basile, and her sons. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.

ATWT Alum Heads Off-Broadway

Cady McClain: What it's REALLY like to be a soap star!

Check Out ATWT's Bryggman On Broadway!

The Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy tells the story of Elwood, a man who befriends an imaginary six-foot rabbit. When his sister, Veta, tries to have him committed to a sanatorium, a comedy of errors ensues when Elwood wanders out of the hospital unbothered, but Veta is committed instead. Parsons headlines the comedy as Elwood, Jessica Hecht of FRIENDS and A View From The Bridge fame plays Elwood's sister, and Bryggman is Judge Omar Gaffney, who tries to have the young man committed.

The limited engagement of Harvey is currently in previews, and officially opens on Thursday, June 14. For tickets and more information, visit www.roundabouttheatre.org.

Park Lines Up Next Broadway Gig!

Tuck Everlasting The Musical is based on the 1975 fantasy children's novel by Natalie Babbitt about a young girl who befriends a rather unique family that never ages because they drink from a magical spring in the woods. Park played the Tuck family patriarch, Angus, in the developmental workshop back in December, and will now be part of the cast when it hits the Great White Way in Manhattan in 2013. Way to go, Michael!

Tell-All Tome About Y&R And B&B & more!

The book details the Chicago native's pre-soap opera life as an advertising executive in the era just before MAD MEN to his unparalleled career as television's most prolific writer. Bell not only is the mastermind behind the two surviving CBS soaps, but he also wrote for suders GUIDING LIGHT, AS THE WORLD TURNS (for nine years), and ANOTHER WORLD, which he co-created along with his mentor, soap opera legend Irna Phillips. In 1966, Bell left Phillips and took over as headwriter of DAYS OF OUR LIVES, saving the show from cancelation.

The Young And Restless Life Of William J. Bell offers insights into Bill's creative process -- how he felt about recasting, publicity, spoilers, sweeps, stunt casting and, of course, storytelling! The tome contains backstage dish and never-before-seen photos from the Bell family's personal albums. Lee's successful career as a broadcast journalist in the days of live television in Chicago is also covered, and the book contains information from the "bibles" for AW, Y&R and B&B that any soap fan will want to read!

Over 65 people -- including family members, actors, writers, producers, network executives and other notables from the soap opera world -- were interviewed for this book that every soap fan will want to have! So pre-order your copy today!

(The Young and Restless Life of William J. Bell: Creator of The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful)

Magnussen Madness!

But the funny business is over when he guest stars in the Friday, May 4, episode of CBS' BLUE BLOODS titled "Collateral Damage." "I play a finance guy who got caught up in a fight club kind of thing," Magnussen reveals. In addition to keeping pace with series star Donnie Wahlberg, Magnussen had another challenge. "My character had alcohol and pill issues -- it was a stretch, you know?"

Then on Wednesday, May 9, tune in to CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION to catch the actor's debut as a scandalous cop. The episode, titled "Homecoming," is about the death of an off-road race truck driver who was killed by a bomb in mid-race. "I'm doing the finale, and then I'll be going into next [season] with a couple of episodes," Magnussen previews.

For more on what's ahead for the former soap star, including news about his music career, check out his Keeping Track interview in an upcoming issue of Soaps in Depth. For more on Damsels In Distress, visit http://www.sonyclassics.com/damselsindistress.

Now on DVD: The Lily and Holden Story

The set begins with the 1985 episode that saw hunky new stableboy Holden jumping out of the hayloft to encounter spoiled little rich girl Lily for the very first time. The ten episodes chronicle the ups and downs in their relationship including Holden nearly marrying Emily, Luke's birth, and the arrival of Lily's twin Rose, culminating in the 2006 episode where the pair renew their vows before family and friends.

For full details on each of the 10 episodes included in the 2 DVD set and for ordering information visit www.soapclassics.com.

ATWT Fave To THE BAY

Hutchison Joins THE BAY!

Current and past episodes of THE BAY can be viewed at www.thebaytheseries.com.

Another Soap Vet To THE BAY!

Kristina Romero Novel

In “Calling Extra” (ISBN 0985191600), author Kristina Romero (ex-Abigail, As The World Turns) creates a riveting young adult novel that transports readers to the streets of New York City in 1899. It follows 13-year-old Elsie Lutz whose life is changed forever when her father is jailed for a crime he did not commit. Now, Elsie finds herself alone in turn-of-the-century New York. On these mean streets, she befriends Grin, a teenage newsboy with a kind heart and a mysterious past.

Elsie soon finds herself wrapped up in the newsboy strike of 1899, a sweeping act of social activism led by children. Finding themselves exploited by newspaper barons Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, the crafty youngsters stop delivering papers for two weeks, forcing some of the wealthiest men in the world to reduce the cost of their papers.

Through the brotherhood of the newsboys, Elsie discovers her own courage, bravery, worth and self-determination. But will what she learns be enough to conquer the overwhelming odds, find her own voice and ultimately free her father?

“Calling Extra” is a stunning novel that revisits this tumultuous time in American history. It’s both a book about recognizing the power in one’s own voice to make a difference and a novel that explores the child labor movement, immigration and the impoverished slums of New York at the dawn of the twentieth century. As Grin and Elsie try to survive the city, they encounter many iconic figures of their place and time. This work of historical fiction does justice to its momentous era, while telling a compelling story about how friendship, brotherhood and sisterhood influence our lives in ways we may never fully realize.

“Calling Extra” is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.

About the Author: Kristina Romero is a writer, actor, director, web entrepreneur and Emmy-nominated actress. At the age of 17, she began her career starring on the CBS soap opera “As The World Turns,” where she earned Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Younger Actress in 2001 and 2002. She also appeared in the feature film “The Flock,” where she starred alongside Richard Gere and Claire Danes. She earned a master’s in professional writing from the University of Southern California, where she began working on “Calling Extra,” her debut novel. Her early inspiration to write the book was prompted by her enchantment with Disney’s musical “Newsies,” also based on the historic newsboy strike of 1899. She lives in Washington D.C. with her husband and son.

“The Story of Jack and Carly” on DVD

This collection contains ten of the most romantic and memorable episodes of As The World Turns featuring Jack and Carly.

For more information and to order visit: www.soapclassics.com

American Soap Opera Heads to Internet

The American company, Broadway Video Digital Media, already distributes “As the World Turns” on DVD and the internet throughout the world.

Company President Mark Yates commented: “Different countries are at different points in the story. Although 'As the World Turns' has concluded in the US, it still has three years to go in South Africa. Much-loved characters like Carly, Lilly, Jack, Holden and Luke will live on for South African viewers, and there are still plenty of fun plots twists and cliffhangers to come.”

Yates continued: “One of the great things about streaming the show on the internet is that people can watch the show whenever it’s convenient. We’ll be releasing five new episodes every Monday, and fans will be able to watch the episodes anytime, at their own pace, all week.”

The South African internet broadcast begins Tuesday, February 28. Although the program is aimed primarily at South Africa, viewers from anywhere in the world can also watch on the internet.

Viewers can register to watch at www.worldturns.nl. More information about SoapClassics is available at www.SoapClassics.com. More information about Broadway Video Digital Media is available at www.bvdigitalmedia.com.

ATWT Star Dead At 90

Prior to being cast on ATWT as Oakdale's police chief, Frazer played another police officer, Captain Frank McNeil on the hit 1970s series KOJAK. He also appeared in the films Cleopatra Jones, Take The Money And Run, Gideon's Trumpet and Deconstructing Harry, as well as in numerous TV shows, including BARNEY MILLER, THE WALTONS, LAW & ORDER and THIRD WATCH. Frazer's most recent project was in the 2010 drama The Pack, featuring his ATWT co-star Scott Bryce (Craig).

Frazer joined the cast of ATWT in 1986 and played the beloved Mac for a decade until the character died from a heart attack in 1996, including a poignant storyline where he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

That's Madam Martha To You!

"I play the head madam of a brothel," she chuckles. "I'm in charge of the girls. And I think the opening five minutes of the show are probably one of the most fun experiences I've ever had as an actor."

Byrne credits the show's creator Anthony Anderson for creating the role of Alexis Jordan and giving her such juicy material to play. "I think some of the Lily fans might be taken aback by it," she allows, "but I'm an actor, and I have to do things that are challenging or edgy."

The daytime vet will appear in a half-dozen episodes throughout the course of ANACOSTIA's third season, but taped all of her scenes over the course of a weekend. "I hadn't worked that hard in a really long time," Byrne confesses. "The heavy drama stuff is really draining. It's been a long time since I've had those kind of scenes that take a lot out of you physically and emotionally. I missed that."

You can learn more about ANACOSTIA over at the show's official Web site (and catch up on the first two seasons!), and watch Byrne's debut in the series' third season premiere at the show's Vimeo page. But be warned, there is some adult content! "They can definitely get away with a lot edgier material on ANACOSTIA than I'd ever seen on television," Byrne marvels. "You can swear and you can say things that I was surprised you can say!"

Soap Opera 451

“Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama’s Greatest Moments” includes interviews with: “All My Children’s” Eden Riegel on her character Bianca coming out as a lesbian to her mother, Erica Kane; “Another World’s” Linda Dano on her character Felicia's alcohol intervention; “Dark Shadow’s” Kathryn Leigh Scott on Barnabas bringing Josette back from the dead; “One Life to Live’s” headwriter Michael Malone on Marty's gang rape; “General Hospital’s” headwriter Thom Racina on scripting Luke and Laura's wedding; “Generations” creator Sally Sussman Morina on the show’s groundbreaking racial housing discrimination story; and dozens of other stars, writers, insiders and stories from “The Young and the Restless,” “As The World Turns,” “Days of Our Lives,” “Guiding Light”, “Passions,” “Texas,”“The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Doctors” and many more.

“Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama’s Greatest Moments” may be experienced via a tablet, iPad, cell-phone, lap-top or desk-top computer. All of the text may be read on the Kindle or Nook devices.

Get Your Copy here!.

Afternoon Delight, Indeed

ATWT Star Has Passed Away

In January 1997, Herrera was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma -- a rare and usually fatal cancer. In the course of his treatment, the actor underwent an autologous stem cell transplant and after a relapse, a donor transplant from his brother, the latter of which made medical history. Herrera even testified in The Senate in support of stem cell research. "The fact that I was asked to testify was a great honor," he told Soaps In Depth in 2008, adding that he wasn't the least bit intimidated by making his speech to Congress. "There aren't many people in the world who have had my life experience with cancer. I wasn't intimidated at all." Herrera was in remission for 10 years, and remained an advocate for government support in stem cell research.

A veteran of the stage, film and television, Herrera -- who also had contract roles on LOVING as Dane and THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS as Jack Curtis -- was the president of Poetry Theater, Inc., where actors such as Hume Cronyn, Charles Durning, Tyne Daly, and Willie Nelson have been known to recite verses on the stage. Donations in Herrera's memory can be made to Poetry Theatre, 210 West 70th Street, #808, New York, NY 10023.

The book Herrera wrote about his battle, The Cancer War, is available to download for free at www.thecancerwar.com.

Pale Swan

Fumbling thru the Pieces

Procter & Gamble moves from soap operas to tweets

Procter & Gamble Co., whose sponsorship and production of daytime TV dramas helped coin the term "soap operas," has pulled the plug after 77 years. Instead, the maker of Tide detergent, Ivory soap and Olay skincare is following its customers online with a big push on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

"The digital media has pretty much exploded," marketing chief Marc Pritchard said in an interview. "It's become very integrated with how we operate, it's become part of the way we do marketing."

The last P&G-produced soap opera, "As The World Turns," went off the air in September. The show was the leading daytime soap for decades, but had lost some two-thirds of its audience at the end.

Over the years, P&G produced 20 soap operas for radio and TV. But ratings for daytime dramas have been sinking for years, as women, their target audience, increasingly moved into the workplace, switched to talk and reality shows, and spent more time using online media and social networking sites.

P&G, the world's biggest advertiser, still buys individual commercials on daytime dramas. But the dollar amount has shrunk. P&G won't say by how much.

Dori Molitor, whose WomanWise LLC agency specializes in marketing brands to women, says big companies are realizing that social media is an efficient way to connect with customers.

"Social media has become mass media, and for women especially," she said. "I think for all marketers, these one-way, 30-second (TV) spots are very expensive, and are less effective for the way that women make decisions."

Marketing experts say the biggest companies were generally slow to adapt to the rapid rise of social networks, but that beverage rivals Coca-Cola Co. and Pepsico Inc., and P&G and fellow consumer products makers Unilever PLC and Johnson & Johnson are among those quickly making up for lost time.

In recent months, P&G began selling Pampers diapers on Facebook, offering an iPhone application for Always feminine products that allows women to track menstrual cycles and ask experts questions, and using social media to turn a campaign for the venerable Old Spice brand into a pop-culture icon.

The "Smell like a Man, Man" commercials starring hunky former football player Isaiah Mustafa became a YouTube sensation, drawing tens of millions of views and spawning parodies such as one with Sesame Street's Grover, and generated another round of attention with Twitter questions that Mustafa answered in videos — such as on ABC's Good Morning America when he suggested that President Barack Obama could improve standing with female voters by wearing only a towel and beginning speeches with "Hello, Ladies!"

The echo effect gives P&G a bigger bang for its nearly 9 billion bucks a year spent on advertising.

"It is such an effective advertising campaign that we are getting impressions that we did not pay for," CEO Bob McDonald told investors recently, recounting that he saw an editorial cartoon showing Obama on horseback, a takeoff on Mustafa's "I'm on a horse" Old Spice catch-phrase.

For a company known for measuring just about everything, P&G touts big numbers from Old Spice tracking:

• Number of impressions (people who saw, read, or heard about commercials): 1.8 billion.

• Number of YouTube views for Old Spice and related videos: 140 million and counting.

• Increase in Twitter followers for Old Spice: 2,700 percent.

P&G also said Old Spice sales are growing at double digits, taking more of the market for body washes and deodorant.

Just 20 months ago, P&G hosted "digital night" at its Cincinnati headquarters by inviting Google, Facebook, Twitter and other online experts to help test ways online and digital media could be used in marketing. By the Vancouver Winter Olympics last February, P&G was coordinating TV commercials with Facebook messages and tracking instant reactions to new commercials on Twitter.

P&G, which sponsored Team USA, unveiled sentimental "Thank you, Mom!" commercials at the Olympics that it estimates added $100 million in sales. The campaign has included Facebook essay contests and e-Cards for mothers.

P&G says it's still exploring new uses for social media.

"It's kind of the oldest form of marketing — word of mouth — with the newest form of technology," Pritchard said.

Park Joins Broadway's Business!

How To Succeed will begin previews on February 26, and officially open on March 27, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. For ticket information, visit www.telecharge.com.

ATWT Blooper Reel

ATWT's Hansis Gets Ambushed!

As The World Turns: Final Episode Extras

Goodbye to World Turns, to Oakdale, Bay City, and Springfield

Over the years the little town of Oakdale, Illinois was joined by villages on the P&G soap map created also by Irna Phillips and Agnes Nixon. Bay City (“Another World”), Springfield (“Guiding Light”), Henderson (“Search for Tomorrow”) and Monticello (“The Edge of Night”) were all small towns that happened to be big cities too. Everyone knew each other, but the towns had international airports, beaches, rivers, docks, world class billionaires, surgeons, and lawyers, and a few working class families.

There were rarely Jews or blacks in the P&G towns. There were no Asians. Even though President Kennedy was shot during “World Turns” live half hour in 1963, it was never mentioned by the characters. When the World Trade Center attacks happened, it registered barely a blip in Oakdale. They had enough to worry about. Only recently did gay people come to town, and that was because the producers knew the run was nearly over, and there was little to be lost. (In fact, funnily enough, the gay story became one of the most popular.)

And maybe that’s why we loved it. Oakdale, Bay City–they were steps out of time, lives on alternate planets.How refreshing and relaxing it was to zone out for an hour and let the little problems of the Hughes and Stewart families in Oakdale take over.

And now, after five decades, the people will live on You Tube and in memory. P&G wanted out, and they got out. It was ugly. At “Guiding Light.” they tortured the cast, crew and fans for 18 months before letting them all go. On “World Turns,” the same producer P&G used to shepherd out “Another World” –Christopher Goutman–just gored the show and let its carcass be eaten by bugs. This summer, instead of giving the fans returns of old characters, and resolutions of 50 years, he wasted four precious weeks by locking fictional fashion designer Barbara Ryan (the gorgeous 32 year vet Colleen Zenk) in a warehousewith an inanimate party clown. It was if P&G were saying, “We want you to have terrible memories of the end.” Congrats, guys. You did it.

Besides Zenk, there are about a dozen “vets” on “As the World Turns.” Everyone talks about who got their start on soaps, but it’s the actors who stayed, or who were able to deal with P&G, that made the show so memorable. Don Hastings, Kathryn Hays, Eileen Fulton, Ellen Dolan, Scott Holmes, Elizabeth Hubbard, Kathleen Widdoes, Marie Masters, Anthony Herrera, the recently passed matriarch Helen Wagner, and the amazing Larry Bryggman, who did come back to help clean up. When we were kids, the late Henderson Forsythe was also one of the show’s mainstays and we loved him as Dr. David Stewart. Pat Bruder was his long suffering wife Ellen. Rosemary Prinz was the first soap “star” as Penny Hughes.

There are only a few soaps left, and they’re all heading to their ends. Soon bouts of blindness, paralysis, amnesia, sudden discoveries of paternity and maternity (only on a soap could a mother not know she had a child), hysterical pregnancy, reversed vasectomies, murder, kidnapping, stalking, and one death from falling up, not down, stairs (Dan Stewart’s wife, Liz)– will be things of the past.

Soon we’ll just be left with noise: cheap games shows, second rate Snooki’s, and more inane chattering. Believe me, even Les Moonves is going to miss Oakdale in a few weeks.

"World" Stops "Turning" As Long-Running Soap Ends

The last episode marked an emotional goodbye not only for the cast and its millions of viewers, but for Pittsburgh soap fans who have also shared fond memories with the cast.

The show has become family to viewers as well as the cast.

"It was the most difficult thing of letting go of 'Barbara Ryan,' was letting go of my 'As the World Turns' family," said Colleen Zenk, who plays Barbara Ryan on the show.

Pittsburgh soap fans can't help but look back on the 54 years of memories and cherish the times they actually met the cast in person.

Most recently, Van Hansis, who plays Luke Snyder on the soap, traveled to Pittsburgh for the KDKA-TV Soap Star Spectacular at the Petersen Events Center this summer.

Fans may also remember when the some of the cast came to the 'Burgh in 2009 to film scenes for the show on the North Side.

The actors said they really enjoyed their time in the city.

"I'm so used to Manhattan, where everything is so tight, that when I see a little bit of space and people having room to move, that surprises me," said Maura West, who plays Carly Tenney on the show.

Michael Park, who plays Jack Snyder, said he has fond memories of Pittsburgh from his childhood where he lived for about a year.

"Coming back, it always... lights up my parent's faces when I tell them I'm going to Pittsburgh," he said during his visit to the area.

"As The World Turns" now joins "Guiding Light" in cancellation. "Guiding Light" went off the air last year.

Interview with Jon Hensley and Martha Byrne

'As the World Turns' Airs Final Episode, After 54 Years

(Video: Meg Ryan on ATWT)

Why has the show finally gone off the air? In the September issue of The Atlantic, James Parker's piece "As the World Turned" examined how the reality TV soap operas born of the classic daytime genre may be the very catalyst for its demise:

How to mark the passing of a universe that never existed? With invisible bells, and wreaths made of newspaper, and eulogies delivered from Styrofoam pulpits? Or with the slack jaws of 2 million viewers, a single thought in every brain: Okay ... So now what do I do?

Two million. That's a lot of people, but not very many viewers. As a viewership, in fact, it's almost negligible. Thus CBS's inevitable decision to terminate, this month, after decades on the air, its onetime flagship soap opera, As the World Turns. Can we be surprised? The mesmeric hold of the soap, the spell of its simmering close-ups and spiraling plotlines, has been broken. The deaths and births of these made-up communities no longer fill our hearts. Kim Kardashian, Brangelina, the kids from The Hills: these are the people we care about now. Meanwhile every man tweets his own serial narrative, from the line at Starbucks.

Still, As the World Turned has a long history of pushing boundaries in the landscape of television, most recently by airing daytime's first same-sex kiss. CBS News put together a retrospective of the show and its legacy: Video

'As the World Turns' stops spinning after 54 years

TV's oldest daytime drama aired its final episode Friday, concluding a run that began in April 1956.

Always full of emotional turmoil, "World" was set in the mythical town of Oakdale, Ill., where there was no shortage of couplings, heartbreak, double-dealing and hairpin plot twists.

CBS announced in December that it was pulling the plug on the New York-based show, which ranked at the bottom of the ratings among network soaps. It wrapped production in June.

Big events this week included Jack (Michael Park) remarrying oft-wed Carly (Maura West). Janet (Julie Pinson) gave birth to her ex-husband Jack's son. Then a DNA test revealed the father of the child was really Janet's betrothed, Dusty (Grayson McCouch). And — more joyous news — Carly learned she was pregnant with Jack's child.

"I think things turned out exactly the way they were supposed to," Janet said.

Friday's finale found Dr. Bob Hughes (played for a half-century by Don Hastings) in a reflective mood as he prepared to retire at day's end as head of Oakdale Memorial Hospital.

"I was just thinking about this place," he mused — "how many patients I've taken care of here, some of them from their first breath (dramatic pause) to their last."

"Good night," said Dr. Bob at the close of the hour, as he doused the lights of his office and took his leave. On his desk, an illuminated globe was seen spinning at the poignant fade-out.

The demise of "World" follows by a year the end of CBS' "Guiding Light" after 72 years on radio, then TV.

On Oct. 18, CBS will fill the slot "World" occupied with "The Talk," a daily chat show whose hosts include Julie Chen and Sharon Osbourne.

A look back at the supercouples of 'As the World Turns, ' which ends its 54-year run on CBS today

In its 54 years, "ATWT" dominated the ratings for two decades, prompted a prime-time spinoff ("Our Private World"), introduced daytime television's first gay male character (Hank Elliot) in 1988 and won four daytime Emmy Awards for best show.

It also created some of soap's greatest supercouples. Here are five that "ATWT" fans will never forget.

Holden and Lily

Played by: Jon Hensley and Martha Byrne

Holden Snyder and Lily Walsh captured soap fans' hearts with their poor-boy, rich-girl love story. They met during the 1987 season when Holden was a stable boy working for Lily's mother. Their on-again, off-again relationship weathered the possibility of their being related, amnesia, two of Holden's secret love children, kidnappings and more. Even when apart, their feelings for one another were evident. Together, they had three children: Faith, Ethan and Natalie.

Jeff and Penny

Played by: Mark Rydell and Rosemary Prinz

As the soap's first supercouple, Jeff Baker and Penny Hughes were credited with launching the show to No. 1. Their storied romance reached its pinnacle in 1958 when they married on Christmas Eve, and viewers across the country reportedly tuned in, dressed in their Sunday best. Jeff also recorded a love song for her, aptly named "Penny." Their romance ended when Jeff died in a car accident.

Steve and Betsy

Played by: Frank Runyeon and Meg Ryan

The star-crossed love of Steve Andropoulos and Betsy Stewart began with a deathbed promise to Steve's brother that drove Betsy to marry another man. But her love for Steve repeatedly brought her back into his arms, and upon discovering her daughter, Dani, was his, Betsy married Steve on May 30, 1984. Their wedding was watched by 20 million viewers, making it the second-highest rated episode in U.S. soap history.

Luke and Noah

Played by: Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann

Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer were named one of television's top power couples by TV Guide and great supercouples by Entertainment Weekly. They are the first gay supercouple on daytime TV. At first Noah struggled to accept his sexuality but eventually admitted his feelings for Luke. The characters made history by sharing the first gay male kiss on U.S. daytime television.

Tom and Margo

Played by: Scott Holmes and Ellen Dolan

Tom Hughes and Margo Montgomery fell in love while investigating Mr. Big. They married in 1983 and went on to become a soap anomaly: They were one of the only supercouples to marry and stay that way for more than 25 years. Their marriage survived affairs, resulting in each having a child by his or her lover; Margo facing murder charges twice and being raped; a legal separation; and plenty of drama involving their son, Casey.

After 54 years, 'As the World Turns' ends today

"As the World Turns" debuted on April 2, 1956, and was the highest rated soap for 20 years (1958-1978). The soap was famously interrupted by Walter Cronkite at 1:40 p.m. on November 22, 1963, to announce the shooting of President John F. Kennedy. "As the World Turns" chronicled the dramatic lives of the Snyder, Hughes, Ryan and Montgomery families, but more recently made waves introducing two popular gay characters -- Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer.

"As the World Turns" was the country's second longest-running soap opera. The longest running soap was its sister show, "The Guiding Light," which went off the air last year after 72 years of combined television and radio broadcast. Today's final episode -- the 13,858th one -- was taped on June 23, 2010.

Soap operas are in trouble these days because, just as with primetime programming, reality shows and talk shows are cheaper to produce. And many reality shows play out like soap operas anyway. "As the World Turn's" most recent ratings averaged 2.51 million viewers, making it the least watched soap still on the air.

"As the World Turns" will be replaced by "The Talk," a new talk show with Julie Chen. "The Talk" debuts on October 18.

‘World’ stops turning

You can view the clip on YouTube: Dr. Bob Hughes lunching with a fellow doctor in a scene aired live on “As the World Turns” the afternoon of Nov. 22, 1963.

“Shall we get a menu?” Hughes says to his dining companion. “Waiter! I’d like to order. I’m kind of hungry.”

That scene was the last the TV audience would see of “As the World Turns” that day as CBS News seized the schedule for continuous coverage of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

The young, dark-headed actor who played Dr. Bob, as well as the rest of the cast, completed the show shielded from both the fact of its pre-emption and the terrible reason why.

Only after the episode’s final fade-out did they learn of the tragedy, as the actor portraying Dr. Bob, Don Hastings, recalled during the final days of taping the series in June.

Now 76 and handsomely silver-haired, Hastings was in his dressing room between scenes at the Brooklyn studio the series has called home for the past decade. He was still playing Dr. Bob – lately the head of Oakdale Memorial Hospital and, as always, endowed with a perfect bedside manner – just a few months shy of 50 years after landing the part.

But Hastings won’t get to reach his half-century milestone in October. On Friday, TV’s oldest daytime drama (airing weekdays at 2 p.m.) will fold.

In June, “ATWT” wrapped production forever. It first aired April 2, 1956.

“It’s been a job and a home and friendships for 50 years,” said Hastings, an avuncular, era-spanning presence as he pondered the series’ end. “I don’t think it’s hit me yet.”

The summer after CBS’ “Guiding Light” was cut down after 72 years on radio and then television, the doomsday scenario that has plagued soaps for decades has now claimed “ATWT.”

ABC’s “General Hospital,” which premiered in April 1963, will now inherit the title of American TV’s oldest soap. (Though it’s edged out worldwide by British TV’s “Coronation Street,” which premiered in December 1960.)

Used to be, there were a dozen or more daytime dramas on U.S. networks. Soon there will be only six, with only ABC’s “One Life to Live” still originating in New York. The ratings for all of them are a fraction of what they once were and continue in a downward spiral. “ATWT,” ranked last, this season is averaging 2.4 million viewers, whereas in the 1991-92 season, it drew 6.7 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Co.

“This show was created in the 1950s, and now there are different viewing patterns, different economic models, and we’re all fighting a tough fight to stay in the business,” said Chris Goutman, “ATWT” executive producer since 1999. “Daytime has been in trouble for a long time, and we’re part of that bigger picture.

“But when was the time that I thought we were fighting a losing battle? Never. I always think we’re going to win the battle. But this time we didn’t.”

Last December, CBS made it official, a death decree that, paired with the demise of “Guiding Light,” marks the exit of Procter & Gamble’s production arm from the soap opera business. This, of course, is a company for which the term “soap opera” was coined in the radio era when it began deploying such shows to advertise its detergent and soap products.

(“ATWT” took over the studio space where yet another Procter & Gamble soap, “Another World,” was taped until NBC canceled it in 1999.)

Like many soaps, “ATWT” is set in a bucolic but scandal-beset Midwestern burg – in this case, Oakdale, Ill. Having always centered on two families – the Lowells and the Hugheses – it premiered April 2, 1956, with mild-mannered Nancy Hughes saying, “Good morning, dear.”

She was played by Helen Wagner, who was among those seen on that fateful episode the day Kennedy died. She made occasional appearances as recently as this spring. She passed away in May at 91.

Hastings and Eileen Fulton (who joined “ATWT” in May 1960 as the vixenish Lisa Grimaldi) are now the senior cast members.

Longevity, of course, is a hallmark of soap operas. Unique in the otherwise mercurial world of TV, the life spans of successful soaps are measured in decades, even generations. Firm bonds are formed by viewers with a soap and its characters, as well as the actors who play them – and keep playing them.

“The idea of being tied down for a whole year challenged my sense of an actor as a gypsy,” said Kathryn Hays, who in 1972 returned to New York from California to take the role of Kim Hughes.

“I came back with two suitcases – one full of clothes, one full of pots and pans,” Hays recalled. She never left. (For the last quarter-century, Kim has been married to Dr. Bob.)

“It’s a different script every day, and the life that you’re leading in the show moves on, and over a period of years, it’s like you’re living another life,” she said, trying to describe her job’s appeal.

“But now, your character is no longer going to be there,” she went on, her eyes welling, her voice choking up. “You’ve been living that character for almost 40 years. You invest yourself in that character. I know who she is.” Her voice dropped to a theatrical whisper. “She’s mine.”

Like Hays, Marnie Schulenburg has come to value the cumulative power of playing a soap character, even after just three years on the show.

As Alison Stewart, a perky hospital aide and former crystal-meth addict, the 26-year-old Schulenburg noted that on daytime, “when your character has memories, or you’re talking about something she’s experienced, you’ve actually been through it with the character in the past – so these are real memories. It’s really cool.”

Schulenburg was nominated for an acting award at this year’s Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony – one of 13 nominations snagged by “ATWT.”

“I feel like Alison is another person,” Schulenburg said. “That’s what makes me sad: I’m going to miss her.”

“I think I was in shock for a while,” said Terri Colombino, who for 12 years has played the oft-wed, ever-looking-for-love Katie Peretti.

The idea of parting company with Katie “feels like a death,” she said, wiping her eyes – “which is good that we’re having a sad story line at the end, so we can all kind of work through it. It’s very cathartic.”

But it has also been hard to get through, filled with painful reminders that the show will soon be history. Reminders are even here in her dressing room. Colombino pointed to her makeup mirror. Only four of its bulbs were still lit, the other 14 bulbs burned out.

“They’re not replacing them,” she explained with a rueful laugh. “Because we’re done.”

Soap fans lament end of 'As the World Turns'

"As The World Turns" airs for the last time, the latest daytime drama to go because of fallen ratings.

The show made its debut in 1956 for Procter & Gamble Co., the Cincinnati-based maker of soap and many other household products. It was once a big hit.

Thirty-eight-year-old Melanie Cosgrove of suburban Cincinnati says she started watching while pregnant and hasn't missed an episode in 18 years.

Cosgrove tells The Cincinnati Enquirer she's already sad her grown-up baby is ready to leave for college, and now she'll lose her TV "friends."

Fifty-eight-year-old Pat Heasley remembers watching with her mother as a child in Fort Wright, Ky. Mom kept her updated during school years.

As the World Turns, Coming to an End

"As the World Turns" Cancellation Marks the End of an Era

Like many people reading this column, I wasn't around when ATWT debuted way back on April 2, 1956. But I remember my mother and my friends' mothers watching it when I was a kid. I think all people born anytime during the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies can recall something about this show from their childhoods or teen years, perhaps because it was the highest rated daytime drama from 1958-1978. Even if they never watched it they probably heard people talk about it. They might remember, as depicted last season on Mad Men, that it was famously interrupted on November 22, 1963 for a devastating announcement by CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Or they might recall the recurring sketch that it inspired on The Carol Burnett Show titled As the Stomach Turns, which itself became a commonly used comic phrase. They might also remember that ATWT in the summer of 1965 seeded a primetime spin-off titled Our Private World.

Like millions of other soap opera enthusiasts, I was all worked up one year ago when CBS and P&G Productions killed Guiding Light, a legendary soap that started on radio in the Thirties. I wondered why nobody in the television business could come up with a way to continue so historic a franchise - as a weekly primetime show, a basic cable series, a groundbreaking Internet production, a series of made-for-television movies. But the Light went out, the world kept turning, and here it is a year later and another soap that can only be described as iconic is falling victim to the inability of current television executives to think outside the box.

There was a time not too long ago when I thought ATWT would actually revitalize daytime drama. It certainly tried to become contemporary and offer something new. In recent years the show added to its canvas two gay characters -- Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer - and suddenly enjoyed more online publicity than any other soap. (It was as if broadcast soaps were finally catching up with MTV's notably diverse reality serial The Real World.) Indeed, savvy young viewers who were drawn to this storyline lifted the Luke and Noah scenes (hundreds of them over the years) out of daily recordings of the show and posted them on YouTube, launching a new kind of character-specific soap opera watching. Meantime, CBS debuted a reality series on its Web site titled InTurn in which aspiring young actors lived together and competed for a contract role on ATWT. InTurn ran for three seasons.

No matter what the producers of ATWT tried, though, it seems it was never enough to save the show from the multiple corporate and creative forces that were coming together to destroy it -- and, in fact, all broadcast soap operas.

To anyone who gets them, to anyone who understands the deep emotional connection that comes with following well-crafted stories featuring multi-generational characters on a daily basis over a long period of time, there is nothing else in the media landscape that comes close. Consider the unforgettable drama last week on ATWT as the long-running Luke and Noah storyline was brought to a hugely emotional conclusion. Even the short version reads like the stuff of classic soap opera: Luke's new love interest, brilliant but distant surgeon Reid Oliver, who restored Noah's eyesight a short while ago, tragically died from injuries sustained in a car accident while racing to another city to retrieve a donor heart for his ailing arch-rival Dr. Chris Hughes, with whom he was competing for the position of chief of staff at the city hospital. In grand soap style, Reid insisted that Chris receive his heart just before he died. (Van Hansis, the actor who portrays Luke, deserves an Emmy for his heart-wrenching performance during the story of Reid's death. Then again, given the fiasco that the Daytime Emmys have become, maybe I shouldn't wish that embarrassment on him and should instead just encourage the networks to find this guy a primetime role he can run with.)

At the other end of the age range, and no less engrossing, the long absent Dr. John Dixon (the esteemed Larry Bryggman), who has deep ties to a number of other characters, has been brought back for the show's final weeks, and it has been splendid watching him interact with the family members and friends he has ignored for years - especially his bitter ex, ruthless businesswoman Lucinda Walsh (Elizabeth Hubbard, one of daytime's finest). This has been soap storytelling at its best: John's return has reignited and partially resolved a number of old storylines while also advancing much current drama. (For example, John performed the Reid/Chris heart transplant.)

I'll miss such memorable moments from As the World Turns, as I do those from Guiding Light and so many other soaps, some long gone, others still with us but no longer delivering the goods. The particular long-term viewing pleasure that daily dramas provide is still something that only broadcast television can offer, but as soaps continue to suffer and die it's getting increasingly difficult to find. Soon, all we'll have left are endless variations on Bravo's trashy Real Housewives franchise.

Colleen Zenk Interview

End of 'As the World Turns' impacts Canandaigua's Michael Park

Its departure leaves only five daytime soap operas left on commercial television, and draws a close to a show that was part of pop culture fabric. When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Walter Cronkite cut into the As the World Turns episode, which is credited with a string of phone calls spreading the word of the shooting.

"They say all good things need to come to an end. I know that's a cliché, and I'm using it, but it's very sad," says Michael Park, the Canandaigua native who played Jack Snyder on the show. Park, who won a Daytime Emmy this year for his role, was in town on Monday night to receive the Spirit Award from the local nonprofit theater group Break a Leg.

"I haven't watched it because it does kind of hurt," says Park, who doesn't know why it's affecting him this way. "I'm usually not that sentimental. ... The fans have been wonderful, and my heart really goes out to them."

Critics point to soap supercouples from the show such as Holden Snyder and Lily Walsh; Steve Andropoulos and Betsy Stewart (whose fictional wedding on May 30, 1984, was watched by 20 million viewers, making it the second highest-rated episode in U.S. soap history); Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer, the first gay supercouple on daytime TV; and the show's stalwart Tom Hughes and Margo Montgomery Hughes.

If the show had continued, Park's character, Jack Snyder, and his on-screen love, Carly Tenney, would likely have joined that list. Maura West, who plays Tenney, also won a Daytime Emmy this summer for her role.

Park, who has returned to the New York City stage for now, says he's not sure what will replace soaps. He suspects that they'll creep back into schedules through syndication, cable or the Internet.

The only question left for As the World Turns this week? Will Carly and Jack's wedding go off without a hitch?

Tune in until Friday to find out.

'As The World Turns' ends run

After the final “As The World Turns” Friday, Procter & Gamble won’t have a daytime drama on the airwaves for the first time in 77 years, since “Ma Perkins” aired on WLW-AM in 1933.

“You could say it’s the death of the soap opera, because it’s the last soap still produced by a soap company,” said Sam Ford, 27, a Kentucky native who has taught “As The World Turns” classes at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

When the show debuted in 1956, P&G had “Ma Perkins” on radio and four other TV shows: “Search For Tomorrow,” “The Edge Of Night,” “Guiding Light” and “The Bright Day.” (CBS canceled “Guiding Light” in 2009.)

The story of the Hughes family in fictional Oakdale quickly caught on with viewers, becoming the top-rated daytime serial 1958-78. Fans are mourning the loss.

Melanie Cosgrove, 38, of Delhi Township hasn’t missed an episode in 18 years. She started watching while pregnant and ordered to bed rest in 1992.

“I am so sad it’s ending. It’s been a constant in my life,” said Cosgrove, whose daughter turns 18 Thursday. “I’m already emotional about losing my baby when she leaves for college next summer, and I’m losing my TV ‘friends” of 18 years.”

Pat Heasley, 58, remembers watching with her mother as a child in Fort Wright.

“Mom would fill me in during the school year with what was going on,” said Heasley of Anderson Township.

Heasley recalls watching young Julianne Moore on the show. Meg Ryan, Kevin Bacon, Marisa Tomei, Martin Sheen, James Earl Jones, Dana Delany, Parker Posey and Ming-Na also played early roles there.

Mount Auburn native Marie Masters, who has played Dr. Susan Stewart on the show for 35 years, remembers Moore having braces on her teeth, and Posey “wearing ripped T-shirts and scuzzy flip-flops .”

Masters – who graduated from Saint Bernard’s former Our Lady of Angels High School in 1959 as Marie Mastruserio – believes the bubble could burst soon for the six soaps that will be left on TV. Viewers have plunged by 80 pecent – from 6.4 million to 1.3 million – since 1991, according to Nielsen.

“I don’t think the rest of the shows have long to go. People have moved on,” she said.

The world has changed radically since “The World” started spinning stories in 1956 sponsored by Oxydol or Duz detergents, notes P&G spokeswoman Jeannie Tharrington.

“Not only are a lot of women not home anymore, there’s also competition from cable, DVRs and online videos like YouTube,” she said.

P&G has shifted pursuit of consumers to producing quarterly family movies on NBC with Walmart; working with producer America Ferrera (“Ugly Betty”) on MTV’s new “Pedro & Maria” telenovela; producing the “People’s Choice Awards”; and making “My Black Is Beautiful” for BET. P&G has produced more than 50 TV movies and miniseries, plus “Circus of the Stars” and other specials.

“We’re certainly proud of ‘As The World Turns.’ The legacy soaps that got us into production created a chance for us to do other shows,” Tharrington said

P&G wanted to keep “As The World Turns” on the air for “another year or two,” she said, but CBS canceled it. The soap will be replaced on Oct. 18 by “The Talk,” a “View”-like show with Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini.

P&G tried to move the show to another network, cable, syndication or online without success, she said.

“It’s a shame P&G got out of the soap opera business. I became a fan of the company because of the exposure to their products during commercials," said Bonnie Shelley, 58, of Deerfield Township.

“As The World Turns” ends with main character Dr. Bob Hughes (Don Hastings) retiring. The taping was “chaotic and crazy. People were crying and laughing and breaking down,” Masters said.

“They respected the format. I liked that. Life in Oakdale goes on,” Masters said. “But there will never be closure. It’s heart-breaking that they (P&G) are out of the business.”

Longtime soap "As the World Turns" comes to a halt this week

Nancy Hughes, played by Helen Wagner, was chatting with her father-in-law, "Grandpa" (Santos Ortega), about how her son Bob (Don Hastings) had invited his ex-wife for Thanksgiving dinner — because he said he didn't want her to eat alone on the holiday.

"That's real nice of the boy," Grandpa said, to which Nancy began, "And I thought about it, and I gave it a great deal of thought, Grandpa …"

The next voice heard was Walter Cronkite's: "In Dallas, Texas, three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas …"

On Nov. 22, 1963, "As the World Turns" was seven years old and the most watched daytime drama in America. It would live on for almost another 47 years, and weather a succession of eras in American history, from the Cold War into the Internet age.

But the end is now near. Last December, CBS announced it was shutting down "ATWT." The final (13,858th) episode, taped on June 23 at its Brooklyn studios, will air Friday, ending the storied run of a daytime legend.

"It's been around for 54 years. In this day and age, you're lucky if a show goes five years," says Marie Wilson, who has played Meg Snyder since 2005, shuttling between Parsippany and Los Angeles during that time. "When something like that ends, it's like the end of an era. It's very heartbreaking."

The late Irna Phillips created "ATWT" as a sister show for "Guiding Light," which had its last airing, after 72 years (on radio and TV), last Sept. 18. Both shows eventually succumbed to sagging ratings, changing times, the proliferation of viewer choices and so-called "reality" series, which also deal in serialized story lines and colorful characters.

"The No. 1 factor is money. Reality shows are basically soap operas, and they're cheaper to produce," says Bergen County resident Terri Colombino, who had played Katie Peretti since 1998. "If you're going to the store [to buy] an apple and there's one for $1 and there's one for $500, which one are you going to buy? …

"We have such a huge cast. It takes so much money to produce these shows every day," Colombino says.

What's more, Wilson notes, with so many women now in the workforce, there are fewer people home watching daytime TV.

How different things were on April 2, 1956, when "ATWT" debuted, one of the first two soaps to run a half-hour rather than 15 minutes. (The other, "The Edge of Night," bowed the same day.)

Set in the fictional Oakdale, Ill., "ATWT," which expanded to an hour in 1995, chronicled the trials and tribulations of the Snyder, Hughes, Ryan and Montgomery families. It aimed for less melodrama, and more realism in dialogue and character development, than many other soaps. And the key to the show's longevity was its "message of survival in families when crisis comes," says Martha Byrne, the Waldwick native who played Lily Walsh Snyder for a total of 19 years, between 1985 and 2008.

"It was an identifiable show. It was always about family, and when we did shows that weren't about family is when the fans reacted in a negative way," says Byrne, who also played Lily's twin sister, Rose, from 2000 to 2005. "In soap operas you deal with the extremes of family issues and drama. … No one's been kidnapped seven times like I've been, but I'm sure people watched to see how I would get out of those situations. … You could relate to it in some way."

And even in extreme circumstances, Byrne says, she aimed to make her character's ordeal as realistic as possible, so fans would not wonder, for example, "Why does she have a French manicure when she's been tied up in a basement for eight days?"

For Kelley Menighan Hensley of Old Tappan, who has played Emily Stewart since 1992, that realism took getting used to. The actress, who'd grown up on ABC soaps and had never seen "ATWT," checked it out before testing for the show.

"I turned on an episode, and it happened to be a scene in the Snyder kitchen, which I thought was the strangest thing I had ever seen on a daytime soap opera," she says. "I grew up watching 'All My Children,' and … it was all about mansions and fancy clothes and there's this Snyder kitchen that looks like it's dated from the 1950s. I thought, what did I get myself into?"

Hensley, who met her husband, actor Jon Hensley (Holden Snyder), on "ATWT," came to love being part of the show. She got to work with long-timers like Marie Masters (Susan Stewart), Kathryn Hays (Kim Hughes), Eileen Fulton (Lisa Grimaldi), Don Hastings (Dr. Bob Hughes) and the aforementioned Helen Wagner, who died on May 1. Wagner spoke the very first line of the series ("Good morning, dear").

"For as old as she was when she finally passed, she could tell you anything about our show," Hensley says.

Wagner was the one Cronkite interrupted when CBS News cut into the program several times before going to wall-to-wall coverage of JFK's assassination. Hastings was also in scenes that day, and he recently shared his recollections with Colombino.

"When they cut in, everybody in the booth knew because they could see the TV, [but] they didn't tell the actors, because they had to come right back and finish the scenes and they knew how devastated the actors would be," Colombino says, adding that Hastings said that the cast learned later that day.

In the genre's heyday, there were a dozen soap operas on the air. Now, there are but a handful left. And with 2.51 million viewers, "ATWT" is the least watched daytime soap. Sometime this fall, CBS will fill its time slot (2 p.m. weekdays) with "The Talk," a talk show on the order of ABC's "The View."

But for two decades, from 1958 until 1978, "ATWT" was the most-watched daytime soap, drawing 10 million viewers per day.

"I get very emotional knowing that I was a small part of something so historical," Colombino says. "There's never going to be any show that's gonna last as these shows did, ever. I mean, it's just not the way of the world anymore."

Eileen Fulton Interview

'As the World Turns,' one of TV's legendary soap operas, ends its 54-year run

"As the World Turns" will stop spinning with the episode airing at 2 p.m. Friday on WOIO Channel 19. In many ways, this is the bigger loss. "As the World Turns" started a 20-year reign as daytime's top-rated serial in 1958, and that was a time when soap operas were incredibly popular and profitable.

"Even though 'Guiding Light' was older, this unquestionably was the big one," said Michael Logan, the resident soap-opera expert at TV Guide. "More than any another soap opera, this is the one that entered the nation's consciousness in an iconic way."

This is the one that was famously spoofed on "The Carol Burnett Show" with skits called "As the Stomach Turns" (a parody suggested by "As the World Turns" star Eileen Fulton). This is the one that set the standard for all soap operas.

"It was the show that invented so much of the soap form -- the pregnant pauses, sitting around having coffee while talking about your problems, the big dramatic freeze before a commercial," Logan said. "Even people who didn't know anything about soap operas knew this title. And if you didn't watch it, this seems to be the one your mom or your grandmother watched. "

"The Young and the Restless" has been TV's No. 1 soap for 22 seasons, but its viewership is an anemic fraction of what "As the World Turns" was pulling in its heyday. At its peak, and that peak was the 1963-64 season, "As the World Turns" posted a dizzying 15.4 rating (percentage of all TV homes). Last season, "The Young and the Restless" was tops with just a 3.7 rating.

And, friends, a 15.4 rating is higher than the one that took "Friends" to No. 1 in the prime-time ranks for the 2001-02 season. It's comparable to the rating that made "American Idol" the most-watched prime-time show of the 2009-10 season.

"No question, this was the big hit," said author and TV historian Robert J. Thompson, a professor of communications at Syracuse University. "This was the soap opera. It was the gold standard."

Like "Guiding Light," "As the World Turns" was created for CBS by "the mother of soap operas," Irna Phillips. The opening words, "Good morning, dear," were spoken on April 2, 1956, by Helen Wagner.

A beloved symbol of the show's durability, Wagner, despite failing health, continued to appear on "As the World Turns" until shortly before her death on May 1. She was 91.

Wagner's character, Nancy Hughes, was on-screen when, at 1:40 p.m. on Nov. 22, 1963, the soap opera was interrupted by CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite: "Here is a bulletin from CBS News. In Dallas, Texas, three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas. The first reports say that President Kennedy has been seriously wounded by this shooting."

"This was the top season for 'As the World Turns,' " Thompson said. "It has been suggested that one of the reasons word of the assassination spread so quickly was that Cronkite broke into 'As the World Turns.' Millions of housewives were immediately calling their husbands to tell them what was happening."

By 1963, Eileen Fulton's scheming Lisa had become one of the most talked-about characters on daytime television. She was credited with keeping Lisa a top-10 name for baby girls from 1963 to 1976.

Fulton joined the show in May 1960. Don Hasting was introduced to viewers as Nancy's youngest son, Bob Hughes, five months later. Both remain central players on "As the World Turns."

"There is so much history built up with these characters that I expect the ending will be extremely touching," Logan said. "I think there will be some highly emotional resolutions for fans. They'll be tying bows on the package in some cases, but they'll also be leaving behind some good question marks so these characters will live on in the minds of the fans."

The cancellation of "As the World Turns" leaves the networks with only six daytime soap operas. There were 19 of them during the 1969-70 season. ABC's "General Hospital," which premiered in 1963, will take over as the longest-running serial.

"The loss of these two epic soap operas is a devastating one-two punch to the soap-opera form," Logan said. "But the difference is that when 'Guiding Light' went out, the patient was brain-dead by the time they pulled the plug. 'As the World Turns' still is firing on all cylinders.

"They made the decision to go out with all guns blazing. They're really cooking, and they didn't give up when it was canceled. CBS is killing a very different type of show here, and that makes this loss all the more poignant."

What has been killing the daytime soap opera? Thompson cites four lethal factors.

"First, serialization now is done all over the place, and it's done better on cable dramas," he said. "Second, the reality show has given younger viewers a quicker dose of cliffhanger storytelling. Third, soaps are just too expensive, when it's so much cheaper just to schedule another judge show or another game show. Fourth, and most important, the demographic that the soap opera was invented for -- women at home -- doesn't exist anymore."

Still, Logan believes this will be the last major loss for a while: "There now is some stability with the remaining six. The future is far from rosy, but the killing spree seems to be over."

Both Logan and Thompson also see some hope for the form being kept alive on the Internet, where dozens of scaled-down serials have appeared.

"The daytime form really is amenable to online serialization," Thompson said. "They'll be shorter and have lower budgets, but it could work and should work online."

But Thompson also believes this is a time to celebrate, not mourn, the daytime soap opera.

"The soap opera is the one form that did what television is uniquely qualified to do, and that is to tell stories that go on forever," Thompson said. "The soap opera, and none more than 'As the World Turns,' showed the power of developing stories and characters, not just over hours and weeks, but decades and generations."

And almost all of the acclaimed shows of the last 15 years, from "Sex and the City" and "The Shield" to "The Sopranos" and "Mad Men," have used serialized storytelling.

"They owe their aesthetic quality to the soaps," Thompson said.

Logan couldn't agree more: "Serialization has become our chosen storytelling form, and we owe that to the soap opera. So really, when you look across the TV landscape, it really is the ultimate success story."

Beck Offered To Leave Lily Role

When TV Guide Canada notified two-time Emmy winner Martha Byrne of Beck’s generous offer, the Gotham creator simply nodded, “I was aware of this offer by Noelle after the show was cancelled. It was a very unselfish act on her part.”

Would Byrne have returned? “Of course,” she answers. “I would have gone back for the end — not just for me to say goodbye to Lily but to provide the fans with closure. I think that has always been clear.”

The fans were also on Beck’s mind when she made the unselfish offer, too. Beck highlights, “It was her job. She played the role for 20 years. It was sad, because I think a lot of people wanted to see her. I didn’t realize when I took the job how loyal the fans are.”

Jon Hensley feels it was a mistake not to bring Martha back. In the World Turns’s special farewell issue published by Soap Opera Weekly/Digest he says, “I will go to my grave thinking it was a mistake. I was as vocal as I could be. It’s unfortunate, because life is short, and those of us who hold onto bygones don’t ever live their life to the fullest. When you make peace with yourself and everybody around you, life is a little better, and I think that was a grave mistake. I was sad, but to this day, I still don’t know what went down between those two and it was obviously pretty heavy for him not to bring her back.”

Unfortunately, not having Byrne in the role subtracted some emotional resonance during the show’s finale. Hensley explains, “The day before [our finale], I had all these scenes with Noelle, about the stables and how we met, and it was really difficult because I was sort of channeling Martha all day. It was really just emotional for me and really hard to get through.”

Photo Gallery

Elizabeth Hubbard Interview

Five Things About Twelve's Billy Magnussen

At the audition, Magnussen licked the casting director's face. "I went in as the character," he says. "I take acting pretty seriously!"

Besides Magnussen, 25, who also appears on As The World Turns, Twelve also stars Chace Crawford, 50 Cent, Emma Roberts and Rory Culkin – and, right before its Friday opening, PEOPLE got to know something about the movie's resident bad guy.

1. He Makes Quite a First Impression
Clearly, the casting director would agree. "Licking the casting director was not out of character," Magnussen explains with a laugh. And when asked about his band, Joy State, the actor-rocker took it upon himself to serenade this reporter with a quick original song on his guitar. "I wrote that for you," he quips.

2. He Got Ripped for the Role
To play the bulked-up drug dealer Claude, Magnussen honed his workouts. "It was cool – I got guns!" he says. "You feel confident when you work out. There's no free ride, no secret. I worked out a lot. I wish I still did." He may not be packing on the muscle anymore, but the actor does still keep in shape with lots of bike riding (he's currently in Southern California, filming NCIS: Los Angeles) and rock climbing.

3. But His Parents Would Have Kicked His Butt
Growing up in Woodhaven, N.Y., Magnussen had unusually fit parents. "My mom was an aerobics instructor – she wore spandex and sweat bands and stuff," he says. "It was awesome." Equally so? "My dad was a professional kickboxer and bodybuilder. I have this picture of him after winning a kickboxing match in 1980. It's ridiculous."

4. He Nearly Missed the Acting Boat
Like his parents, Magnussen was a pretty physical guy, wrestling in high school until he ripped his hamstring. Then, "they put me in drama class because I couldn't take gym class," he says. "And I found out it was awesome! I went to college for it and I was like, this is brilliant."

5. Giving It Up for the Soap Fans
"I cannot explain the joy they bring to me when I see them," the actor says of his soap followers. "They're the most loyal fans in the world, and they support me in everything I've ever done." Hopefully, that includes one other little known endeavor. In the future, he says, "I want to become a skydiving instructor."

See The Full ATWT Tribute

`As the World Turns' stops spinning after 54 years

"Shall we get a menu?" Hughes says to his dining companion. "Waiter! I'd like to order. I'm kind of hungry."

That scene was the last the TV audience would see of "As the World Turns" that day as CBS News seized the schedule for continuous coverage of President John Kennedy's assassination.

The young, dark-headed actor who played Dr. Bob, as well as the rest of the cast, completed the show shielded from both the fact of its pre-emption and the terrible reason why.

Only after the episode's final fade-out did they learn of the tragedy, as the actor portraying Dr. Bob, Don Hastings, recalled one day last week.

Now 76 and handsomely silver-haired, Hastings was in his dressing room between scenes at the Brooklyn studio the series has called home the past decade. He was still playing Dr. Bob — lately the head of Oakdale Memorial Hospital and, as always, endowed with a perfect bedside manner — just a few months shy of 50 years after landing the part.

But Hastings won't get to reach his half-century milestone in October. On Sept. 17, TV's oldest daytime drama (airing weekdays at 2 p.m. EDT until then) will fold.

On Wednesday, "ATWT" wrapped production forever.

"It's been a job and a home and friendships for 50 years," said Hastings, an avuncular, era-spanning presence as he pondered the series' end. "I don't think it's hit me yet."

The summer after CBS' "Guiding Light" was cut down after 72 years on radio and then television, the doomsday scenario that has plagued soaps for decades has now claimed "ATWT."

ABC's "General Hospital," which premiered in April 1963, will now inherit the title as TV's oldest soap. But who knows for how long?

Used to be, at any given time there were a dozen or more daytime dramas on the networks. Soon there will be only six, with only ABC's "One Life to Live" still originating in New York. The ratings for all of them are a fraction of what they once were, and continue in a downward spiral. "ATWT," ranked last, this season is averaging 2.4 million viewers, whereas in the 1991-92 season, it drew 6.7 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Co.

"This show was created in the 1950s, and now there are different viewing patterns, different economic models, and we're all fighting a tough fight to stay in the business," said Chris Goutman, "ATWT" executive producer since 1999. "Daytime has been in trouble for a long time, and we're part of that bigger picture.

"But when was the time that I thought we were fighting a losing battle? Never. I always think we're going to win the battle. But this time we didn't."

Last December, CBS made it official, a death decree that, paired with the demise of "Guiding Light," marks the exit of Procter & Gamble's production arm from the soap opera business. This, of course, is a company for which the term "soap opera" was coined in the radio era when it began deploying such shows to advertise its detergent and soap products. ("ATWT" took over the studio space where yet another Procter & Gamble soap, "Another World," was taped until NBC canceled it in 1999.)

Like many soaps, "ATWT" is set in a bucolic but scandal-beset Midwestern burg — in this case, Oakdale, Ill. Having always centered on two families — the Lowells and the Hugheses — it premiered April 2, 1956, with mild-mannered Nancy Hughes voicing the words, "Good morning, dear." She was played by Helen Wagner, who was among those seen on that fateful episode the day Kennedy died and made occasional appearances as recently as this spring. She passed away in May at 91.

Hastings and Eileen Fulton (who joined "ATWT" in May 1960 as the vixenish Lisa Grimaldi) are now the senior cast members.

Longevity, of course, is a hallmark of soap operas. Unique in the otherwise mercurial world of TV, the life spans of successful soaps are measured in decades, even generations, not fleeting seaons. Firm bonds are formed by viewers with a soap and its characters, as well as the actors who play them — and keep playing them.

"The idea of being tied down for a whole year challenged my sense of an actor as a gypsy," said Kathryn Hays, who in 1972 returned to New York from California to take the role of Kim Hughes.

"I came back with two suitcases — one full of clothes, one full of pots and pans," Hays recalled. She never left. (For the last quarter-century, Kim has been married to Dr. Bob.)

"It's a different script every day and the life that you're leading in the show moves on, and over a period of years, it's like you're living another life," she said, trying to describe her job's appeal.

"But now your character is no longer going to be there," she went on, her eyes welling, her voice choking up. "You've been living that character for almost 40 years. You invest yourself in that character. I know who she is." Her voice dropped to a theatrical whisper. "She's mine."

Like Hays, Marnie Schulenburg has come to value the cumulative power of playing a soap character, even after just three years on the show.

As Alison Stewart, a perky hospital aide and former crystal-meth addict, the 26-year-old Schulenburg noted that on daytime, "when your character has memories, or you're talking about something she's experienced, you've actually been through it with the character in the past — so these are real memories. It's really cool."

Schulenburg is nominated for an acting award at Sunday's Daytime Emmy ceremony — one of 13 nominations snagged by "ATWT."

"I feel like Alison is another person," Schulenburg said. "That's what makes me sad: I'm going to miss her."

"I think I was in shock for a while," said Terri Colombino, who for 12 years has played the oft-wed, ever-looking-for-love Katie Peretti.

The idea of parting company with Katie "feels like a death," she said, wiping her eyes — "which is good that we're having a sad story line at the end, so we can all kind of work through it. It's very cathartic."

But it has also been hard to get through, filled with painful reminders that the show will soon be history. Reminders are even here in her dressing room. Colombino pointed to her makeup mirror. Only four of its bulbs were still lit, the other 14 bulbs burned out.

"They're not replacing them," she explained with a rueful laugh. "Because we're done."

'As the World Turns' tapes final episode in Brooklyn

Since daytime soaps tape several weeks in advance, the final episode of ATWT will air in September. TeleNext Media, the company that has produced the sudser, released this statement today to EW: “Last December, when CBS informed us that they were canceling As The World Turns, we immediately launched a far-reaching search to find a new outlet for the show,” said Brian T. Cahill, senior VP and managing director of TeleNext Media Inc. “We have aggressively pursued network and cable outlets as well as syndication options, and have explored many innovative formats and relationships that we hoped would ultimately enable the future success of As The World Turns. Regrettably, we have not found an outlet or platform that will carry the show forward. This is an extremely disappointing outcome to what was a tireless and exhaustive pursuit.

“While we are sad to see As The World Turns come to an end, we remain proud of the achievements the show has made over the last 54 years and are extremely grateful to the loyal fans who invited us into their homes every day. There is still much in store for the show’s well-loved characters throughout the summer, and although the show will go off the air in September, the remaining stories will honor the remarkable history of As The World Turns.”

With 2.51 million viewers, ATWT remains the least watched soap in daytime. The network will likely replace it with a game show, but no decision has been made.

World Turns’ bible

CBS Cancels 'As the World Turns,' Procter & Gamble's Last Soap Opera

CBS announced on Tuesday that it was canceling “As the World Turns,” the 54-year-old soap that is the last daytime serial owned by Procter & Gamble. The show chronicled generations of characters in fictional Oakdale, Ill., as they survived love and loss, but they couldn’t survive the harsh realities of modern television, where scripted dramas have become too expensive to justify dwindling ratings.

The demise of “ATWT,” as it is known to soap fans, means that the two most venerable examples of the genre have been given cancellation notices in the same year. “Guiding Light,” a CBS daytime staple, had been on the air through radio and television for 72 years. CBS informed Procter & Gamble of the cancellation “a couple of days ago,” according to Jeannie Tharrington, a spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble.

“It’s a part of our business that we will miss, and it’ll be hard for us to say goodbye to the show,” Ms. Tharrington said. Proctor & Gamble said it would try to find a new home for the series. Given the current economic climate, though, that is considered unlikely.

Soaps typically cost around $50 million a year to produce. CBS replaced “Guiding Light” this fall with “Let’s Make a Deal,” which costs about half that amount, and the network has seen increases in total audience and among the younger viewers that most advertisers seek.

“Is it the end of an era?” Leslie Moonves, the chairman of CBS, asked. “Sort of. Only the special soaps are going to survive. It’s certainly the end of the client-owned soap.” He added, “All good things come to an end, whether it’s after 72 years or 54 years or 10 years. It’s a different time and a different business.”

“As the World Turns” had the longest-running continuing character in television history — the family matriarch Nancy Hughes, played by Helen Wagner, now 91. Despite the conservative reputation of many Procter & Gamble soaps, the show featured a male couple, Noah and Luke, and the first gay kiss on daytime television.

However, its audience, which exceeded six million viewers a week in the 1990s, has drawn less than 2.5 million so far this season, the Nielsen Company said. And the younger adult women viewers, which are favored by most advertisers, had shrunk even more.

The decline has been a continuing trend for the daytime genre. One CBS soap, “The Young and the Restless,” has posted slight gains of 3 percent total viewers and 6 percent among women 18 to 49. NBC’s last remaining soap, “Days of Our Lives,” has staged a small comeback this season. It is up 15 percent among total viewers and 10 percent among women 18 to 49.

But for the most part soaps these days are watched by older women. Every network soap now has a median viewer age over 50 and only “General Hospital” on ABC is under 53. “As the World Turns” has a median age of 57.8. That is older than most of the network averages in prime time, during which NBC’s programs have a median age of 48, ABC’s programs 51.4 and CBS’s programs 54.1.

The subtraction of the two shows means that network television, which once offered soap operas back to back throughout the daytime hours, will be down to only six serial dramas on three networks starting next fall.

For Procter & Gamble the loss is symbolic more than financial. The company, which has owned more than 20 soap operas in the past 80 years, now spends more than $7 billion in global advertising each year, making soap operas only a tiny portion of its business. Procter & Gamble said on Tuesday that it wanted to remain in the television production business and that its annual “People’s Choice Awards” will continue each year.

“The world has turned,” said Tim Brooks, a television historian and co-author of “The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows.” Ratings for soap operas have declined for decades because of “social changes,” he said.

“Women are working today,” he said, and fewer people are able to spend time every day watching soap operas.

The shows emerged on the radio in the 1930s during the Depression, he said, “and they seem to be ending in an era of economic downturn, too.”

As the World Stops Turning After 54 Years

Generations of kids faking sick days and bon bon-eating housewives have gone into mourning, as the network has called time on As the World Turns, canceling the sudsy staple after 54 years.

The show premiered in 1956 and helped launch the careers of Marisa Tomei, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Julianne Moore, Martin Sheen and James Earl Jones, among others. Its final episode will air next September.

"We are disappointed and saddened by the news that the show is not being renewed," ATWT executive producer Chris Goutman said in a statement. "It will certainly be a loss for all of us, and for the show's loyal audience."

About that audience...

It just keeps on dwindling.

The cancellation of the longest-running soap still being broadcast comes just three months after CBS pulled the plug on Guiding Light (the all-time topper at 72 seasons strong). Just six of the once-mighty genre remain in play, and even that number may not be around for long as daytime soap viewership continues to drop.

The rumor mill is rife with speculation that ABC is already picking out plots for One Life to Live.

'As The World Turns' Cancellation A Sign Of Times

The world spun as best it could to keep up with the time, but after 54 years and more than 13,000 episodes during weekday afternoons on CBS, "As The World Turns" will air its final episode in September 2010.

"It's like losing an old friend, you know. A lot of viewers have watched these shows for years and years and it's their special time, their guilty pleasure," said Lynn Leahey, Editorial Director of Soap Opera Digest.

When the daytime drama of families living in fictitious Oakdale started in 1956, actress Helena Wagner was there and she still is today as are many actors who have played their characters for decades. It also boasts early jobs for box-office film stars like Meg Ryan and Julianne Moore.

The "As The World Turns" studio in Brooklyn was closed to reporters Tuesday, but executive producer Chris Goutman said: "We are disappointed and saddened by the news that the show is not being renewed. It will certainly be a loss for all of us, and for the shows loyal audience."

Fans recall how the show was a part of their lives as they grew up.

"That reminds me of my childhood. I watched it with my mom when I was a little, little girl and it was like the first soap opera I ever watched with her, so that's really what it brings to my mind," said Montvale, N.J. resident Nancy Bamberger.

They may have watched as children, but they stopped watching as adults as more women went to work and soaps' core audience has been dwindling. The CBS soap "Guiding Light" went off the air three months ago.

Gone, yet Soap Opera Digest said don't count the genre out.

"People are already starting Web soaps, that's just in its infancy. We're gonna see where it goes," said Leahey. "It has to be turned into a business model. I do think there's huge potential there. I think if we can deliver the content where people are instead of expecting them to sit in front of their TVs, there's hope."

"As The World Turns" said it is proactively looking for a new outlet to carry the show, but for now, until next September, you can still see it on CBS on weekday afternoons.

As the World Turns to End Its 54-Year Spin

Bowed down by declining ratings among daytime soaps in general, the longrunning series, which is filmed in New York City, will draw the curtains for the final time on Sept. 17. Only three months ago – and almost exactly a year before that, on Sept. 18, 2009 – the 72-year-old soap Guiding Light broadcast its final episode.

Many of the castmembers of As the World Turns have gone on to have notable careers in film, including James Earl Jones, Marisa Tomei, Meg Ryan and Parker Posey.

Final turn slated for 'As the World Turns'

"As the World Turns" has been on the air since 1956 and televised its 13,661st episode Tuesday. Its last episode will be next September, the network said.

It's the second daytime drama CBS has cancelled in a year, after "Guiding Light." Both shows were produced by a subsidiary of Procter&Gamble, the company for which the term "soap opera" was created because it used the shows to hawk products like Ivory soap and Duz laundry detergent.

Daytime dramas have been fading as a genre for years, with more women joining the work force and the increased number of channels offering alternatives like news, talk, reality and game shows. In tough economic times, paying casts, producers and writers proved prohibitive to networks when there were cheaper alternatives.

The cancellation will leave CBS with only two daytime dramas: "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and Beautiful."

Through the years, actors Marisa Tomei, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey and James Earl Jones have appeared on "As the World Turns." The show follows families in the Illinois town of Oakdale.

"It's a hell of a Christmas present," said actress Eileen Fulton, who will mark 50 years playing the character Lisa Grimaldi on the show. Her character has been through nine marriages and Fulton was hoping for a 10th before the signoff.

"I'm just very sad," she said. "I'm sad for all of the people who work out there in Brooklyn (where the show is filmed). We're a family. I hate to be split up. It's like a divorce."

Brian Cahill, senior vice-president and managing director of the P&G subsidiary TeleNext Media Inc., said the company is actively seeking a new outlet to carry the show.

TeleNext said the same thing about "Guiding Light," which went off the air in September, but has been unable to find a new home. Keeping the show alive online has been discussed, but that's an alternative where cost may prove prohibitive.

Procter&Gamble first began producing soap operas in 1933 with the radio show "Ma Perkins," and has made a total of 20 such programs in its history.

CBS Cancels As the World Turns

As the World Turns Ends on CBS in September 2010 Show Entertained Fans For Half Century

As The World Turns, the long-running daytime drama, will complete its final season on the CBS Television Network in September 2010. CBS has decided not to renew the show for the 2010/2011 broadcast season, thereby ending its 54-year run on the Network.

“Throughout our history, As The World Turns has remained dedicated to sharing compelling stories that have entertained fans for more than five decades,” said Executive Producer Chris Goutman. “We are disappointed and saddened by the news that the show is not being renewed. It will certainly be a loss for all of us, and for the show’s loyal audience.”

“As The World Turns has been a cornerstone of our business and a tremendous asset to the company,” said Brian T. Cahill, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, TeleNext Media, Inc. “We are proactively seeking a new outlet to carry the show, and are open to exploring innovative formats and relationships that will enable the future success of ATWT.”

The epitome of multi-generational, serial storytelling, As The World Turns has been entertaining generations of fans for more than half a century. The show boasts a well-loved and long-tenured cast, including actress Helen Wagner (Nancy Hughes) who spoke the first words on the premier broadcast of ATWT in 1956. To this day, Nancy is still at the helm of the Hughes family, earning Wagner the distinction of portraying the longest-running character in television history.

Other veteran cast members still on the show today include Eileen Fulton (Lisa Grimaldi) and Don Hastings (Dr. Bob Hughes) who each have played their characters for 49 years; Marie Masters (Dr. Susan Stewart) with 41 years; and Kathryn Hays (Kim Hughes) who has starred on the show for 37 years.

As The World Turns has tackled many contemporary themes over the years, including AIDS, Alzheimer’s, alcoholism and more, while remaining true to the show’s rich history and realistic characters. In 1988, the serial made history by introducing daytime television's first gay male character, Hank Eliot (played by Brian Starcher), for which it was honored at the first annual GLAAD media awards in 1990.

Created by Irna Phillips, As The World Turns premiered on April 2, 1956 as a 30-minute live television show, unprecedented at the time for a soap opera. Top-rated from 1959 to 1971, it was the first daytime serial with its own spin-off, Our Private World, which aired in prime-time. The show switched to color on 1967, and expanded from a half-hour in length to one hour in 1975. Over the years, ATWT has been awarded numerous accolades, including 58 Daytime Emmy awards.

Set in the fictional Midwestern town of Oakdale, As The World Turns launched the careers of many now-famous Hollywood celebrities, such as Dana Delany, James Earl Jones, Julianne Moore, Parker Posey, Meg Ryan, and Marisa Tomei to name a few.

UPDATE: CBS has finally acknowledged the cancellation, releasing this statement from Barbara Bloom, the network's senior vice president for daytime programming: "It's extremely difficult to say good-bye to a long-running series that's been close to our hearts for so long. The almanacs will show As the World Turns as a pioneer of the format, a hallmark for quality with its numerous Emmys, the launching pad for many television and film stars and a daytime ratings powerhouse for parts of three decades. But, the true legacy of As the World Turns will be the fictional characters and stories of a small Midwest town that resonated every day with millions of viewers over multiple generations, becoming a treasured daytime institution in the process. We thank our partners at Procter & Gamble for the privilege of hosting this beloved series...the actors, writers, producers and crew who worked so hard and shared their amazing talents to bring this series to life… and, of course, the viewers who shared the journey on our network for so many years."

After 54-Year Run, Soap Opera Cancelled

Today the network has cancelled "As The World Turns." The show has been on CBS TV since April 2, 1956. It comes just three months after CBS canceled another pioneering soap opera, "The Guiding Light."

"As The World Turns" will have its final broadcast in September, 2010.

Chris Goutman, the show's executive producer, said in a statement, “We are disappointed and saddened by the news that the show is not being renewed. It will certainly be a loss for all of us, and for the show’s loyal audience.”

In 2006, TVWeek saluted the 50th Anniversary of "As The World Turns." The following timeline, compiled by Allison J. Waldman, is from that tribute:

1956: ``As The World Turns '' debuts on CBS. ``The Edge of Night'' premieres on the network at the same time. They are the first 30-minute daytime soaps on television.

1956: In her role as Nancy Hughes, Helen Wagner speaks the opening line of ``As The World Turns'': ``Good morning, Chris.'' She will play the part from then on. The actress has been cited in the ``Guinness Book of World Records'' for Longest Time in the Same Television Role.

1958: Just two years after its debut, ``ATWT'' reaches the top of the daytime Nielsens, tied with CBS's ``Search for Tomorrow'' with a 9.8 rating. ``World'' keeps the No. 1 spot for the next 20 years, until ABC's ``All My Children'' surpasses it in 1978. ``ATWT's'' 20-year reign is a record that still stands.

1960: Eileen Fulton is introduced as Lisa Miller, a ``bad girl'' character who's not completely evil. She is daytime's original ``woman you love to hate,'' pre-dating Erica Kane (Susan Lucci on ``All My Children'') by 10 years.

1962: ``ATWT's'' favorite couple is split for good when the love of Penny's (Rosemary Prinz) life, Jeff (Mark Rydell), is killed in a car crash. Fan reaction is tremendous: CBS is swamped with mail, telegrams and calls complaining about Jeff's demise.

1963: CBS interrupts the broadcast of ``As The World Turns'' to announce that President Kennedy has been shot. However, the actors must continue performing because the show is live, not on tape, and cannot be stopped. They are informed about JFK's death when the broadcast ends.

1965: A spinoff from ``ATWT'' called ``Our Private World'' debuts on CBS as a prime-time serial, the first time a daytime show inspired a prime-time show. Ms. Fulton stars as Lisa, the character she created on ``As The World Turns.'' When ``Our Private World'' is canceled after five months, Ms. Fulton returns to ``As The World Turns.''

1967: The show begins broadcasting in color.

1968: ``As The World Turns'' is spoofed on ``The Carol Burnett Show'' in a sketch called ``As the Stomach Turns.'' It becomes a regular feature on Ms. Burnett's comedy hour.

1970: Eileen Fulton's autobiography, ``How My World Turns,'' is published.

1973: ``World'' changes its musical accompaniment. Instead of organ music, prerecorded orchestral arrangements are used.

1975: ``As The World Turns '' expands to 60 minutes, becoming the first hour-long daytime drama on CBS. Also, the show stops airing live episodes, instead broadcasting a tape of the actors' real-time performance of the soap opera.

1976: ``ATWT'' maintains its dominance as the top soap in the ratings, but Time magazine criticizes the show as being ``bland, euphemistic and reactionary.''

1980: CBS moves ``World'' to 2 p.m., a spot it still holds today.

1981: Dr. John Dixon (Larry Bryggman) is put on trial for marital rape.

1983: Actors Justin Deas and Margaret Colin get married, just like their on-screen alter egos, Tom and Margo Hughes.

1983: ``As The World Turns'' wins its first two acting awards at the Daytime Emmys: Mr. Bryggman as outstanding actor and Mr. Deas as outstanding supporting actor.

1985: After a 12-year courtship, Bob (Don Hastings) and Kim (Kathryn Hays) get married. Also, a new core family is added to the cast when the Snyders are introduced.

1987: ``ATWT'' wins the Daytime Emmy as outstanding drama series.

1988: Hank Eliot (Brian Starcher) comes out to Iva (Lisa Brown). He's the first male gay character on a daytime soap.

1988: Julianne Moore wins the Daytime Emmy for outstanding ingenue for her role as twins Frannie and Sabrina.

1989: Stories from the early years of ``ATWT'' are converted into novels and published by Pioneer in a series of paperbacks.

1991: ``As The World Turns'' wins its second Daytime Emmy as outstanding drama series.

1993: Show alum Marisa Tomei (Marcy) wins an Oscar for best supporting actress for her role in ``My Cousin Vinny.''

1995: Actress Patricia Bruder is let go after playing Ellen for 35 years.

1995: ``As The World Turns'' broadcasts its 10,000th episode.

1999: When ``Another World'' is canceled by NBC, some characters ``move'' from Bay City to Oakdale, including Jake McKinnon (Tom Eplin) and Cass Winthrop (Stephen Schnetzer).

2000: ``World'' moves its production facilities to JC Studios in Brooklyn, N.Y., where ``Another World'' had been shot for years.

2001: ``ATWT'' wins eight Daytime Emmys, the most for any one show in a single year. Among the honors is the show's third award for outstanding drama series.

2002: Oakdale cop Jack Snyder (Michael Park) is kidnapped, bound and raped by psycho stalker Julia Lindsay (Annie Parisse).

2002: Tamara Tunie (Jessica) joins the cast of ``Law & Order: SVU'' while continuing her long run on ``World.''

2003: `As The World Turns'' wins its fourth Daytime Emmy as outstanding drama series.

2005: TV Guide names ``ATWT'' the best soap opera of the year.

2006: Podcasts of entire ``As The World Turns'' episodes are made available for download on CBS.com/netcast and iTunes.com.

And today we add:

2009: Show is cancelled. Final airing will be in September, 2010.

ATWT to Broadcast its Final Episode

As The World Turns Is Canceled

AS THE WORLD TURNS: Canceled

Oakdale Confidential

Thank You As The World Turns

Soap Operas are not meant to end. Maybe that's why As The World Turns' producers and writers squandered so much time leading up to today and left so little room for the show to conclude in a satisfying way. I loved Bob's voiceover, and the world turning at the end. I loved Luke and Reid's tragic goodbye last week. I loved Holden's very real tears when he reminisced with Lily yesterday. But other than that? Pretty unsatisfactory stuff. It's almost like someone drank the Les Moonves kool-aid and agreed this soap wasn't special. The final stories should have started playing out two or three months ago, not two or three weeks, giving ample time for them to explore the layers and layers of emotion that have in fact, made ATWT one of the most special shows in the history of television. Instead, Lucinda and Barbara quit their jobs to be with their men? When did they stop being two of the most dynamic career women in daytime? When did Lisa become a dayplayer? Why wasn't some dashing scoundrel checking into her hotel, bringing out the vixen in her one last time? Where was Snyder Farm? And specifically, Emma, in her kitchen, fretting over her kids and baking one last pie or batch of cookies? How could Dusty and Janet warrant a happy ending, while Holden and Lily were left in limbo, without even one last kiss? We know they're seeing each other tomorrow. We know they love each other, Lily tried to say it, Holden said he knows, they parted with tears in their eyes, it was actually a great scene, I'm just torn over whether it was enough, since we are never seeing them again. And really, would it have been that hard to cut out all the teens no one cares about for the last week, and give their time over to old clips of people the audience cared about, memories fans wanted to relive, for some reason Another World is the only soap that put great montages at the end, while ATWT couldn't even search through the archives for a scene where Nancy says, "Goodnight, dear," surely one exists somewhere. Okay, enough for the complaints, after all, this show was special, there's more of it to celebrate. The last few weeks I've praised couples and characters that remained on the soap till the end, but there were plenty of other memorable players we haven't seen lately, tops on my list would be the aforementioned Emma Snyder, any scene with her, was for me, the true definition of comfort food. The best triangle ever would not have happened without morally challenged, yet physically gifted, Damian Grimaldi. Some of the best couples in recent years would not have happened without one of the last working class guy's in daytime, Mike Kasnoff. Kirk. Samantha. Aaron. Georgia. Isaac and Bonnie. Camille and the original Brad. Scott Bryce's Craig. Duncan's Scottish brogue. Jessica, sometimes the lone diversity on the canvas, but by no means the reason she was there. There are so many more names I'm sure I missed among your favorites, I wish I had tuned in sooner, seen them all, but the moments I did see will always stay with me, such as Andy's struggle with alcoholism, John and Barbara and Casey and Gwen losing their babies, and Holden and Lily in the bell tower. Somehow I don't think the Chenbot and company will ever deliver anything as memorable or as heartfelt. Holidays will never be the same without Oakdale, The Snyder Farm, and the Hubbard Squash.

Recap: The Last Weeks

Monday, August 30, 2010

At the Lakeview, Kim marveled at how John Dixon and Bob could just pick up arguing like no time had passed. When Bob noted he'd had practice with Reid, John revealed it was Reid who had called him to consult on a case. When Bob asked who the patient was, Reid walked up, alarmed. At Katie's, Chris rocked her with the truth of his heart impairment, revealing he'd been sick for quite a while. A teary Katie demanded he fight this and beat this. Horrified to realize he hadn't told his family, Katie talked about Brad's death and told Chris not to take time away from his loved ones. Back at the Lakeview, Reid tried to whisk John away, but Kim stepped in, wanting to talk to John about Andy. Alone, Bob wanted to know what Reid was up to and demanded the identity of the patient. Reid covered, escorted John out and called Chris to meet them at the hospital. Katie sent Chris off with a kiss, and then broke down. Bob and Kim were mighty suspicious about John and Reid, and Bob resolved to get to the bottom of this. At the hospital, Reid explained the constraints he'd been working under to a mystified John. On cue, Chris walked up. Reid left Chris to explain everything to John. When Reid got home, he told Katie he knew about Chris. Katie went off, pounding on Reid's chest and weeping. Reid talked about how much he'd grown to care for Katie and Jacob, and gently tried to explain the extent of Chris' illness. Katie begged him to come back to the hospital with her. At the Lakeview, Lisa cornered Kim and Bob, demanding to know if John had indeed checked in. At Memorial, John blasted Chris for his irresponsibility, reunited with Katie and then looked over Chris' MRI results. John would start the first treatment option as soon as Chris and Katie told their family what was going on. Chris called Bob and asked the whole family to meet him and Katie at Tom and Margo's. Lisa and Kim automatically assumed Chris and Katie were announcing an engagement. After Chris and Katie left Memorial, Reid asked John for his real assessment. John told Reid that Chris would likely need a heart transplant, and he'd get the ball rolling immediately.

At Tom and Margo's, Lisa and Kim told Casey and Ali their Chris/Katie engagement theory. Casey and Ali realized they couldn't steal his uncle's thunder, but definitely wanted to tell Nancy privately. Chris and Katie arrived, and they all realized that Bob was taking forever to come back with Nancy. An ashen Bob then arrived, and told them, "Mom's gone."

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

At Tom and Margo's, Susan, Barbara and Lucinda fondly remembered "the bus ride from Hell," with a hilarious flashback. Casey and Ali showed up at Fashions, asking Lisa what they could do to remember Nancy. Lisa talked about Nancy's loving spirit and how she preferred taking action. It gave Casey an idea! Tom, Margo, Bob and Kim all came home, and Bob remembered a Christmas celebration from the black and white era. When Chris and Katie walked in, Kim urged them to finish what they'd started yesterday and give them some good news. Lucky for Chris, Casey, Alison and Lisa all returned with their idea: to spend the day helping people like Nancy would have! Then, John came in, assuming the gathering was about Chris' bad news. As he and Bob talked circles around each other, Chris interrupted, pointedly letting John know that Nancy had passed away. John quickly gave Bob and Kim his condolences and caught up with Lucinda. Then, everyone split off to do volunteer work. Bob and Kim let Chris and Katie into Nancy's to go through Nancy's stuff. Elsewhere, Tom and Margo funded a scholarship in Nancy's name at the school she once taught at. They remembered Kira (Lauryn Hill), whom Nancy taught to read with rap lyrics! At the hospital, Bob and Kim decided to start a mini-library. As for Lisa, Susan and Barbara, Lisa sat the gals down at the Lakeview and ordered two regular pink ladies and one virgin cocktail. She related her wishes for her own send-off and remembered an early moment with her mother-in-law. They resolved to donate money in Nancy's name and toasted their drinks.

At Yo's, after recruiting John to volunteer at Luke's foundation, Lucinda updated him on her rift with Lily. John related a story from Lisa about when Lisa and little Tom were living with Bob in Nancy's house. He used the anecdote to encourage Lucinda to swallow her pride and reach out to Lily. In Old Town, Casey was invigorated by all the helping out he'd done, and Alison told him that she has no more doubts. Casey remembered Nancy urging him to keep the engagement ring. Buoyed, he finally put the ring on Alison's finger. At Nancy's house, Katie and Chris went through a box of her things, unearthing all kinds of treasures. As they looked through a photo album, a bunch of classic Nancy clips played, including Chris and Nancy's 50th anniversary. "Our" Chris believed that, some day, that would be him and Katie. "No regrets," she smiled, kissing him. Later, everyone converged in Old Town with lit candles and Bob recited Nancy's Thanksgiving prayer...which faded into a voiceover of Nancy speaking the same words. Katie let herself into Nancy's, remembering Nancy giving her advice about Brad. "Help me!" she begged her lost friend, sobbing on Nancy's couch about how she couldn't do this again.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

In Old Town, John accused Chris of being in denial about his health, and when Chris had chest pains he hauled him to the hospital. At Nancy's apartment, Katie sorted through classic photos and wondered how Nancy had survived so much loss. Margo walked in, and Katie took comfort in her hug. When Margo raved about Chris and Katie's future, Katie had to fight back tears. And then she gaped at Margo assuming she and Chris had been about to announce their engagement. When Tom interrupted, Katie made a hasty exit...and Margo realized something more than Nancy's death had to be wrong. At Bob's office, he and Kim were reminiscing when he realized he had a golf game with a trustee. Kim suggested he send Chris in his place. Chris stumbled into the staff room, where his parents were hanging out, and covered for his condition. Bob and Kim asked him about the golf game. When they mentioned how Nancy had high hopes for Chris, he agreed to play a few holes.

John was incensed to realize Chris was gone, and vented to Reid. Reid then extended his condolences about Nancy to Bob and Kim, who told him Chris is playing golf. John went to Tom and Margo's looking for Chris and Katie, and they demanded he 'fess up. He couldn't, but asked them to come with him. Out and about, Chris was shmoozing the trustee and Reid caught up with them, offering a "threesome." He was determined to keep an eye on Chris, despite his complete lack of golf prowess. At Java, Bob opened up to Kim about how he'd found Nancy dead in her favorite chair, and they talked about how extraordinary Nancy was. Out on the links, Reid accused the trustee of cheating and got the game cut short. As John, Margo, Tom, Bob and Kim all converged at the hospital, Reid brought Chris in. John had Chris taken into a room, and asked everyone to let him do his job. Chris then had to break the news to his family.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

After a talk with John, Tom and Margo left for Springfield to look into Chris' transplant options. Meanwhile, Kim caught up with Katie at WOAK and wondered why she wasn't at the hospital with all of them. As they discussed Katie's feelings for Chris, a heartbroken Kim admitted how terrified she is, and talked about how she doesn't have time for Katie's fear. Kim asked her if she could "bear this pain without turning away." In Chris' room, Luke urged him not to keep Katie at a distance right now. Across the hall, Reid and John clashed about Chris' treatment. After John slammed out, Bob called Reid out on keeping Chris' condition from him. Reid pointed out doctor/patient confidentiality and said he'd urged Chris to tell Bob himself. "I made the best decisions that I could, given the circumstances," he explained, telling Bob to take up the issue with Chris. Bob did just that. At Katie's, she wept over a picture of her and Brad. Back at Memorial, Kim lashed out at Reid for taking advantage of Chris' illness, and Bob told her how Reid has been helping Chris all along. She tearfully apologized.

John ran into Luke in Old Town and asked him about Reid, given the battle ahead of Chris. Luke assured him that, when it comes to his job, Reid would give him everything he needs. Back at Katie's, Reid admitted he's an idiot about romance, but told Katie it's stupid to avoid love because it scares you: "Dry your eyes, blow your nose, get your butt back to the hospital where you belong!" Reid admitted Luke had caused his philosophical turnaround, and Katie thanked him for his support. At Memorial, Bob confessed to Kim that he's "ready to scream." Then, Tom called Bob with news of a potential heart donor at Bay City General. Bob and Kim stood in Chris' hospital room, worried. Reid watched them from the hall, and then told Luke about his and Katie's change of hearts. They "Dr. Oliver" and "Mr. Snyder"-ed each other, grinning. Meanwhile, Katie visited Brad's grave and told him she'd fallen in love with Chris. She begged for his help. Back at the hospital, Chris began to code!

Friday, September 03, 2010

Reid told Luke, Casey and Ali about the heart. Casey and Ali joined the gang in Chris' room, where Kim and Bob were determined to enjoy the miracle. Bob asked Ali to scrub in on the surgery and then Casey told his grandparents they were engaged. In the lounge, Barbara hugged Henry for his part in getting Katie to the hospital. Reid and Luke then noticed John having an intense conversation. John was forced to tell the Hugheses that a Bay City cardiologist wanted the heart for his own patient. The news rocked everyone, and Barbara followed Katie to the lounge, talking about how she'd survived her ordeal in the warehouse because she knew how much she was loved. She urged Katie to be equally "relentless" about Chris. Chris agreed to accept the LVAD and, after sharing a moment with Bob, asked to see Reid. They traded some good-natured barbs, and Chris asked Reid to take care of Katie. Reid left Katie to cuddle Reid, watched Barbara and Henry and Casey and Alison and Bob and Kim...and it energized him! He told Luke he's going to Bay City to get that heart for Chris! Luke told him there were too many risks, marveling at how Reid was decrying the arrogant "savior of mankind" doctor who'd stolen Chris' heart. Reid wryly assured Luke he's the same selfish jerk he's always been, and he's earned the right to throw his weight around like this. "I love you," he smiled. "There. I said it." He kissed Luke tenderly before getting in his car and driving away.

At Memorial, John told everyone the LVAD procedure was a no-go because Chris was too weak to survive it. When Luke got back inside, Casey and Alison told him that...and he assured them that Reid has a plan! His faith in Reid touched Ali and Casey. Meanwhile, Reid was on the phone with the other surgeon, and he floored it to make it over a railroad crossing...and thenhis car stalled. He was so frazzled, he couldn't get his seatbelt off...and the train sped towards him ominously.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Tom and Margo were at the police station when they got word that Chris's donor heart is no longer available. Margo then got a call about Reid's accident. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. They rushed to the site of the accident and were overwhelmed by what they saw. Later, they returned to Memorial, where Margo braced herself to tell everyone the news. She tearfully informed Bob that Reid's car stalled on the tracks and he didn't get out of his car before the train hit. Bob was dumbstruck and devastated that there is now no hope for a heart for Chris. Bob then summoned Casey to get Luke out of the ER before the EMTs arrived with Reid, but it was too late. Luke refused to believe that Reid would die, even after Bob explained that his injuries are too severe to be helped. He lashed out at everyone for not being proactive and stormed into Reid's hospital room. He was devastated as he saw the severity of Reid's injuries and begged him to open his eyes. Reid tried to speak as Luke broke down in tears. Luke got Reid's wallet for him and took out his organ donor card. Luke summoned Tom for Reid, who gave Luke his power of attorney and made it clear that he wants Chris to get his heart. "Who knew I had one to give?" Reid managed to joke. Luke pleaded with Reid to hold on and declared his love once again just as Reid flat lined. Tom explained that Reid wants Chris to get his heart. John was concerned about it being the right match and the legality of it all without paperwork. Bob was hopeful that they could make it work and they got moving quickly. Bob then gave his condolences to Luke, who was in shock, and let him say a final good-bye to Reid, who had died.

After, Tom presented a grieving Luke with the proper paperwork, which he signed to allow for the transplant. John informed an elated Katie, who told Chris she loves him before he was tested as a match. Bob and Kim, meanwhile, took time to absorb everything that had happened. Kim was overwhelmed with guilt for once questioning Reid's principles and being so cross with him before. Meanwhile, Katie went to tell Luke how amazing Reid is for pulling through for Chris and was eager to thank him in person, unaware that he'd been involved in the accident that allowed Chris to get a heart at all. After Luke told her what happened, she started to sob. Then she followed Bob and Luke's lead and said good-bye to her friend before letting Chris know that Reid is going to save his life. Chris was then wheeled into surgery.

Tom, Casey and Margo marveled at Reid's selfless act, called him an inspiration and hoped that his sacrifice wasn't made in vain. Meanwhile, John prepped Chris for heart surgery and the operation got underway.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

At the hospital, Alison urged Luke to go home and get some rest but he refused to go until he knows that Chris made it through the operation. Meanwhile, Chris came to after his surgery. Kim and Bob greeted him in the recovery room, where John deemed that he'll be fine and that everything was a success. Katie also came in and was happy to see Chris, who was eager to thank Reid for getting him a new heart. "Where is that jerk?" he laughed, unaware that Reid had sacrificed his own survival for him. Kim, Bob and John discussed whether to tell Chris what happened and agreed to wait until he was feeling better.

Later, Ali happily informed Luke that Chris made it and reminded him how amazing Reid was for giving his heart to someone in need. Ali assured tearful Luke that the moment they took his heart was peaceful and that Reid didn't feel any pain. Margo offered to give Katie a lift home, then caught up with her pop, John, who said he's been well but can't help but think about what he'd do if he was in Bob's position with his own kids. Margo pointed out that her father has been estranged for years and wondered why. She thanked him for helping Chris and Katie, and they agreed to discuss other matters at a later date.

At Java, Noah, who was about to leave for L.A., ran into Ali. She broke the news to him about Reid and urged him to support Luke in his grief. Noah wasn't sure he could offer anything to Luke anymore.

Luke returned home, where Lily and Holden did their best to console him. Luke was still struggling to comprehend what it meant to have Reid's organs donated to others in need, not just his heart. The hospital called and asked for Luke to track down Reid's next of kin so he can figure out what to do with the body. Luke broke down again, fearful that he doesn't know Reid as well as he thought he did. They met with a funeral director to make arrangements. Luke said Reid has no family and wanted to take care of things himself but the funeral director refused and said that it's a matter of law to contact the next of kin. Luke then went to Memorial to ask Bob and Kim if they knew more about Reid's extended family and was stunned to discover that Chris doesn't even know that Reid's heart is beating inside his body. Luke was overwhelmed when Chris kept asking to see Reid and rushed out. Chris, meanwhile, overheard a board member giving Luke his condolences on his way out.

Katie went home and was conflicted about her own feelings. She was grieving her roomie Reid but ecstatic about Chris's survival. She was thankful to have had Reid in her life. "He helped me get my life back," she smiled and refused to pack up Reid's things or forget him. Margo promised her that no one will ever forget Reid or what he did in Oakdale. Katie was determined to keep it together and be strong for both Luke and Chris.

John met up with Lucinda at the Lakeview Lounge, where she was drowning her sorrows over Lily with bloody marys. She refused to think she was selfish in what she did to Lily and revealed that she went to the mob. "Oh! Which one?" John ribbed, reminded Lucinda that she's always been a schemer and then got the full story on what went down with Ralph. John called Lucinda pathetic "narcissist crybaby" and told her again to make inroads with her daughter.

Holden and Lily went to the police station to investigate Reid's past. They found an old video of Reid with his chess mentor, Angus, who lives in Midwood, Brooklyn. They decided to reach out to Angus for Luke. They found him playing chess in a park but he wanted nothing to do with his "ungrateful big-mouthed nephew." Meanwhile, Luke went to the Snyder Pond to think things over and was surprised to see Noah had followed him there.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

John barged into Worldwide where he found Lucinda distracting herself with work and the usual scheming. John blasted her for not trying to change her ways. Lucinda realized she's crossed the line one too many times with Lily, who has disowned her. La Walsh explained that she's just protecting herself from the power her daughter has in the company by making a preemptive business deal to oust Lily. John was shocked. "Classic Lucinda Walsh," he scoffed. Lucinda countered by telling him to stop sticking his nose in her business. John tried to extend an olive branch, but La Walsh called him out on not being there for her, even during her cancer and said they can't be friends. He apologized and realized he was in the wrong, but still encouraged her to stay away from Lily, if that's what Lily wants. Finally, Lucinda came around. John asked if he should reach out to Lily for her, but she declined. They shared a sweet moment as John said he knows Lucinda better than anyone else.

Holden and Lily broke the news to Angus that Reid was killed. He was upset but wondered why they came to him. So, they explained the situation (including that Reid was gay) and asked him to help Luke. He was hesitant but finally signed the paperwork. Then Angus showed them one of Reid's old chess pieces. He got choked up as he recalled the time he shared with his nephew in his younger days.

At Memorial, Chris demanded to know whose heart he has but Katie refused to tell him. After he pleaded one more time, she finally spilled the truth. "You have Reid's heart," she sighed. He was flabbergasted as Katie told him everything that had happened. Chris blamed himself for Reid's death. "He's the one who was trying to save my life!" he pointed out. He was overwhelmed with guilt and struck by the irony of it all. He was upset at the thought of living the rest of his life with Reid's heart in his body and was about to give up until Katie demanded that he "suck it up" and be grateful for the miracle that was given to him. He finally came around and looked forward to spending his future with Katie.

John dropped by Margo's to say he's staying in Oakdale for a while and resolved to make inroads with his own daughter. Lucinda dropped off a bouquet of flowers for Lily. Holden and Lily returned to Oakdale, where Luke scattered Reid's ashes at the Pond and gave a touching tribute to his lost love. Bob told Chris that the new hospital wing has been named in Reid's honor. Chris was pleased and also found out he'd be the new Chief of Staff after Bob retired. He lovingly glanced at Katie from afar as he smiled and said, "What can I say? I lead a charmed life."

Monday, September 13, 2010

At the farm, Liberty snapped at Faith, who realized Libby got into FIT in New York, like she'd always dreamed. Libby said she wasn't going! Parker walked in, and Faith informed him Libby was about to "ruin her life." At the Lakeview, Janet brought Dusty a bunch of food and an offer to nurse him back to health. They chowed down, sitting in bed. Feeling better, Dusty wanted to get his swerve on. Janet nixed that, and then felt a contraction! Meanwhile, Liberty explained to Parker why she was deferring college, and Parker admitted he's not going either. He whispered his secret plans to her. Faith spied them through the Al's window. At Memorial, Dusty hugged John (who he'd apparently kept in touch with!) and introduced him to Janet. Alone, John noted that Dusty had neglected to tell him Janet was expecting his child. "Yes and no," hedged Dusty. In the exam room, the ob/gyn dubbed the contractions Braxton-Hicks and noted Janet's baby was huge. If he got any bigger, they'd have to induce! When Jack and Carly showed up, Janet apologized for the false alarm. As for Dusty, his spidey senses were tingling. They got back to the farm, and a squirrelly-acting Dusty told Janet that he was off to lunch with John. Faith then told Janet that Liberty got into FIT but wanted to stay in town to help her mom. When Libby and Parker got home, Janet gave her a talking-to, urging her to go to New York. Then, Liberty and Parker accused Faith of telling Janet about FIT to eliminate her perceived competition for Parker. At Java, Dusty showed John the sonogram photo, revealing that he thinks the baby is his. Surrogate father and son shook hands. Left alone, John nabbed Dusty's coffee mug to run a DNA test on it! Back at the farm, Janet told Dusty about Liberty's conundrum and they felt the baby kick.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Janet came in to Dusty's Lakeview suite, venting about the cabin snafu with Carly. Dusty found the reality of Janet having to put up with Carly for the foreseeable future pretty amusing. Janet had an idea she needed his help for. Back at the farm, Parker was all suited up and he was about to bring up his big secret issue with Jack when Jack got called away to pick up Sage. Parker ended up telling Will and swearing him to secrecy! Jack brought Sage home to the Milltown house, and a worried Gwen and Ro told Jack that Carly was off by herself somewhere. Out at the pond, Carly remembered Jack giving her the compass at the boathouse, and then she dropped the compass in the water! Gasp! "I lost the compass," she told Jack, when he walked up. He felt around for it, but it was gone! Carly began weeping about how she needed it to find her true north. He said she didn't need it. He'd never leave her side again; she was already home! Elsewhere, Rosanna ran into Gabriel and Holden and Lily convinced a sullen Faith into going to the wedding. At Java, Craig asked Gabriel if they could try to get to know each other better. Gabe turned down a lunch invite, saying he had the wedding to attend. Back at the pond, Jack shored Carly up and kissed her, sweetly. Elsewhere, Janet and Dusty had taken it upon themselves to decorate the honeymoon cabin. Dusty made Janet get off a ladder...only to get a cramp and fall off it himself. Moments later, Janet went into labor.

Jack brought Carly to the farm, where her bridal party had enterprisingly thought to bring her dress. They also each gave her a flower to carry down the aisle. Then, Lily showed up with a wedding/"I'm sorry about Craig" gift. Out at the garden where the wedding would take place, a suited up Jack met up with Will, Holden and Parker. The guys bantered so adorably, it had to be partially ad-libbed! Then, the women showed up. Carly took Jack's breath away. As for Rosanna, she saw Craig lurking and confronted him. "You lookfantastic!" he tried to evade, but she wasn't having it. He said he just wanted closure and promised to be on his best behavior. Nearby, Gabriel and Liberty showed up and Parker and Faith were still at odds. Jack again calmed Carly's nerves and Ro warned them that Craig had shown up. "Nothing is going to spoil this wedding!" Carly insisted.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Back at the wedding, Craig proposed a toast, much to everyone's chagrin. He surprised them all by admitting, "you belong together" and wishing them every happiness. When Rosanna wondered what brought that on, Criag said she did - he wanted her to like him again. Jack and Carly then had a first dance (offscreen!) and Faith urged Holden to ask Lily to dance. Sadly, Parker was still giving Faith the brush off. Nearby, Gabriel told Craig he was going back to Montega and Rosanna realized Gabriel is Craig's son. Then, Parker's secret plans came up again, and Margo urged him to just tell everyone he wants to be a cop. His parents were boggled and moved in turns. Parker explained that he hoped to end up just like Jack. "That's a sneaky way to win an argument!" Jack choked out, hugging his son. Afterwards, Holden asked Molly to dance and they had a nice moment and Rosanna counseled Craig about Gabriel. Then, Carly and Jack reassured Sage that it's "for real this time," and Carly threw her bouquet. Rosanna caught it! Carly and Jack drove off for the honeymoon to cheers and applause.

At the cabin, Janet yelled at Dusty, who urged her not to push. Jack was about to carry Carly over the threshold, when they realized what was going on inside. Back at the garden, Will and Gwen accidentally spilled to Margo and Tom that Casey was moving to Carbondale. At the farm, Molly and Lily thanked each other for their mutual generosity today and Molly wished Lily and Holden luck. Will and Gwen noted how cute Faith and Parker were, and Parker bid his big brother farewell. He then went back to Faith, apologizing for keeping his plans from her. When she hoped they were friends again, Parker told his "friend" she looked hot in that dress and kissed her cheek. A few feet away, Gabriel and Craig made amends and Ro revealed she's staying in town for a while. At the honeymoon cabin, Janet was about to give birth ASAP, and Carly got a little queasy.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

At Java, Lucinda offered to create an endowment in Reid's name, and Luke liked the idea. Big Lucy's rather cynical, defeatist attitude had Luke wondering what his grandmother had done now. At the Lilypad, Holden and Lily talked about the wedding and Molly and then flirted a little. John interrupted the moment to persuade Lily to forgive her mother. John noted Lily was younger and less set in her ways. Since he got a text from the hospital, he asked "sensible" Holden to help fix things. Alone, Holden told Lily, "John's full of it," and said he was proud of Lily for sticking to her guns. Back at Java, Luke talked about how life was short and sent Lucinda off to make things right with Lily. Noah walked up on the tail end, and Luke filled him in. Then, a sad Luke talked about how calm Reid had been in death, and Noah comforted him. Noah revealed he's putting off heading to LA. Luke wondered why. To take care of him? It wasn't necessary! Luke quit Noah's job for him and dragged him out the door. After Holden's pep talk, Lily called her mother to meet up with her. Lily and Holden were a united front and about to kiss, when a beaming Lucinda walked in. Sadly, Lily dashed Big Lucy's hopes of reconciliation. She loved her mom but couldn't forgive her yet. Lily and Holden both told Lucinda "goodbye." At WOAK, Luke gave Noah a state of the art video camera, revealing his family had also bought Noah a bunch of recording equipment. Noah had to get on that plane! Noah agreed, as long as Luke came and visited him. They reminisced about meeting at the studio; Noah brought up sharing their first kiss there. Noah assured Luke he understands that Luke needs to honor what he had with Reid and "grieve and heal." But maybe when Luke was ready, he could come to LA? Noah kissed Luke goodbye and left.

At the Lilypad, Holden and Lily remembered the day they met (with a lot of tears from Holden), and they kissed passionately! Meanwhile, Lucinda sought out John and accepted his offer to run off to Amsterdam. At the hospital, as Dusty, the baby and Janet all had a moment of bonding, Carly told Jack she's pregnant! He swept her into his arms and they kissed.

Friday, September 17, 2010

In Milltown, Jack asked after Carly's morning sickness and Sage wondered when she can share the pregnancy news. As Carly cleaned up papers and talked about car problems, she gasped to Jack that they're "normal." Would they become "dull" and "boring"? He assured her they wouldn't. Then, Dusty and Janet showed up at Jack and Carly's to introduce them to little Lorenzo Dustin Donovan...and ask Jack to be his godfather! Carly told them she's pregnant, and Janet noted "things turned out exactly the way they were supposed to." At the Hughes house, Susan and Emily had joined Tom and Margo to see off Ali and Casey. Hugs were exchanged and tears were shed. Emily marveled to Susan about "our little girl" going off, and they went for a "soda" at the Lakeview. Meanwhile, a teary Margo's empty nest wistfulness was in overdrive and Tom took her out. Back at Katie's, Chris proposed and she accepted. They pondered getting a bigger place as Tom and Margo came over. Tom urged Katie to "distract" his weepy wife, so she spilled the engagement news. The sisters impulsively decided to swap houses, as the brothers looked on, bemused.

Back at the Lakeview, Henry and Barbara were still canoodling, despite dinner plans at Paul and Emily's. At Fairwinds, Paul and Emily discussed him walking away from the business and making Em and Eliza his priority. Ironically, Barbara arrived with similar news: She was dissolving their BRO partnership! The foursome toasted to the future. Elsewhere, Luke visited Katie's, telling Chris that he had his vote as Chief of Staff. Chris admitted that it might not be the path he wants. Luke was haunted by being where Reid lived. As he went to leave, Katie gave him Reid's stethoscope. Luke asked if he could listen to Reid's heart, and he and Chris shared a poignant moment. John and Lucinda dropped by the Lilypad to tell Lily they were back together and that Lily could have control of WorldWide. At the hospital, Susan said goodbye to Bob and Kim, and Bob took one last box out to the car. Chris and Katie test drove Chez Hughes, as Tom and Margo christened Katie's with some lovin'. Paul and Emily reaffirmed their love at Fairwinds, while we learned Barbara and Henry were taking over Metro. Henry turned up the music in their suite and they got their disco on. Downstairs, a snarky Lisa urged John and Lucinda to "gather ye rosebuds," and the duo made a pact to "have a helluva good time." Back at Lily's, she was worried about her mom and John not working out. Holden noted they were older, wiser and loved each other. "You think that's enough?" Lily mused. Before Holden left, he and Lily shared a long look. Back at the Milltown house, Jack and Carly settled into bed and kissed. Things wound up at the hospital, with Kim kissing Bob for "just a little encouragement." "I don't think there should be goodbyes...just goodnight," she said, before leaving him to wrap up alone. Bob packed up his briefcase, took one look around, and said, "Goodnight," before turning out the light. The globe on his desk lit up and spun...

Facts

1. January 12, 1998: Molly interrupted Lily and Holden’s second wedding in 1998 but failed to stop them from saying “I do.”

2. February 14, 2005: Katie wed Henry.

3. March 2, 1987: Beatrice and Brian wed.

4. March 13, 1994: International actress Claire Bloom joined the cast of ATWT in the role of Orlena Grimaldi.

5. March 20, 1998: To save their marriage, John brought Barbara to see the baby girl he’d arranged for them to adopt.

6. April 2, 1956: The serial debuted with Nancy and Chris Hughes waking up in separate beds. It was the first 30-minute daytime soap in history.

7. April 2, 1986: Chris and Nancy’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration coincided with the show’s 30th anniversary.

8. April 2, 1993: Seth Snyder and Angel Lange walked down the aisle in a rush.

9. April 2, 2001 marked the shows 45th year on the air with its 11,477th episode

10. April 2, 2004: As the World Turns celebrates 48 years on television with its 12,230th episode

11. April 4, 1998: Ben and Camille made love for the first time.

12. April 15, 2000: Ellen Dolan (Margo) gave birth to her first child, daughter Angela Emmett.

13. April 18, 1997: A not-so-dead James Stenbeck was spotted in town.

14. April 1985: On Easter Day, longtime friends Bob and Kim tied the knot. At their reception aboard Diana’s yacht, a gambling sting went down and landed the unknowing bride and groom in jail.

15. May 1993: Lily had a lot of explaining to do when she was found in Italy.

16. May 7, 2001: Ruby drugged Lucinda’s tea!

17. May 13, 1999: Brad Snyder married Carly.

18. May 16, 1995: Luke Grimaldi was born.

19. May 16, 2000 marked Eileen Fulton's (Lisa) 40th anniversary with the soap

20. May 25, 1996: Castmates Kelley Menighan (Emily) and Jon Hensley (Holden) were married in Chicago.

21. May 31, 1984: Twenty million viewers tuned in for Betsy (played by Meg Ryan) and Steve’s long-anticipated Greek-style wedding.

22. The 12,000th episode is scheduled to air on May 6, 2003

23. June 18, 1993: Hal came back from "the dead" with Barbara and baby William in tow.

24. June 20, 1997: Paolo Seganti reprised his role as Lily’s presumed-dead hubby, Damian.

25. June 24, 2002: Lucinda and Katie arrived in Avanya to search for Simon

26. June 27: On this date in 1997, Molly finally told Holden that she had his baby (Abigail) and had given her up for adoption.

27. June 28: Reid and Julia got engaged in 1999.

28. July 2, 1993: Holden found out the truth that Aaron is his son.

29. July 6, 2001: Simon rescued castaway Katie, who was marooned on an island with Henry while treasure-hunting.

30. July 7, 1997: Just as Lily and Holden were getting engaged, Damian came back from the dead.

31. July 29, 1997: Ben and Camille shared their first kiss

32. August 14, 2002, Hal and Emily were married

33. August 21, 1978- Duncan wed drunken teenager Erin in Antibes.

34. August 23, 2001: Napiera Danielle Groves joined the cast as Bonnie.

35. August 25, 1999: Jake discovered Lucinda had been faking her incapacitation in Bay City.

36. September 7, 2001: Terri Conn (Katie) was married to Arthur Colombino

37. September 9, 2002: Barbara agreed to sell BRO to Rosanna on the condition that she didn’t later turn the company over to Craig.

38. September 10, 1965: ATWT’s spinoff, OUR PRIVATE WORLD (which followed Lisa’s move to Chicago) last aired in 1965

39. September 16, 1998: Margo discovered she was pregnant

40. October 3, 2001- Jake and Molly exchanged vows at Lucinda’s mansion

41. October 9, 2000: Julia shoots David Stenbeck’s corpse at his funeral to make sure he’s really dead.

42. October 22, 1999: Kristina Sisco assumes the role of Abigail as she returns to Oakdale.

43. October 22, 2001: Bryant is in a fatal car accident.

44. December 25, 2002: Lily gives birth to Natalie

45. 1971, the cast of ATWT was featured on the cover of TV Guide, a first for a soap.

46. Irna Phillips announced moments before World Turns started spinning each weekday: “We know the bleakness of winter, the promise of spring, the fullness of summer and the harvest of autumn. The cycle of life is completed. What’s true in nature is true in man, for he too, has his cycles. As the World Turns.”

47. ATWT was No. 1 in the daytime ratings every year from 1958-1978. In 1965, it became the first soap to spin-off another serial, Our Private World, which followed Lisa (Eileen Fulton) to Chicago after her divorce from Bob.

48. There are seven cast members who have been on ATWT for 20 years or more, and eight who have been on longer than 10 years. Forty-three-year vet Helen Wagner (Nancy), who spoke the first words on the show ("Good morning, dear") has continuously played the same character longer than anyone on television.

49. 1958, Ellen Lowell became the first regular character on a soap to bear an illegitimate child (Jimmy, who was later adopted and renamed Dan Stewart).

50. At 33, Micheal David Morrison, who had played Caleb, was found dead of an alcohol and drug overdose in the apartment of a female friend on Febuary 18, 1993. While the news shocked fans, friends familiar with Morrison's reckless lifestyle were more sad than surprised. "Micheal was a kick-ass kid," commented Ellen Dolan (Margo) shortly after Morrison's death. "He had a great, big heart. But he also had a great, big devil riding him." Morrison's surviors included his wife and baby son.

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