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As The World Turns

Eileen Fulton on the end of ATWT and taping the final episode!

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Eileen Fulton wraps up 50 years of playing Lisa on As the World Turns this coming Friday, when the show goes to the big soap heaven in the sky. TV Guide caught up with the unstoppable Fulton, for her parting words as she wraps up, along with other cast mates, a huge part of  her entertainment career.  Here are some interesting excerpts on what the legendary Fulton had to say about the final tape date and the ending!

Fulton on how it was to tape the final episode and wrap up the final days of taping: “Terrible! I have never been so relieved to leave a place in my life as I was on that last day! I took my picture of my dog, Geraldine Page, and my radio and my damn bedroom slippers and walked out of my dressing room, got in the car and said “Thank God!” It was very hard for everyone. People got extraordinarily depressed. They were tearing down the sets as we were trying to do our final scenes. We had to ask them to stop hammering so we could act. Then there was the fire.”

Fulton on burning Benjamin Hendrickson’s hairpieces on the last day of taping: “On the last day they took all of the hairpieces worn by Benjamin Hendrickson [the late actor who played Hal Munson] and burned them one by one in the yard at the studio. Benji hated those hairpieces but the show insisted he wear them — let me tell you, he was furious! — so we told stories about him and wished him well and knew that he would be delighted to see those damn things go up in flames. So that was fun, but it was a hot, humid day and we were choking to death on the smoke. It was an odd way to end things. [Sighs] I love the show the way things used to be. I love all of the people I used to work with — the cast, hair, makeup, wardrobe, the darling kids in the office. [Laughs] And yes, the producers, too…even though I left ATWT three times forever.”

Fulton on if she feels the audience will be satisfied with the final episode: “It’s marvelous! Very touching without being drippy. [Executive producer] Chris Goutman did a good thing — I just love him! — and I was very proud of everybody. It’s a beautifully written script and a great tribute to Helen Wagner. There are some wonderful old scenes with her character, Nancy, that the fans are gonna love. [Wagner, who uttered the very first words on ATWT, died last May]. I wish Helen had known how much I appreciated and admired her.”

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Miss Eileen is a real pistol & a real class act! 🙂

You people stink for taking ATWT off the air. Did you get a new CEO that made that lousey decision??? FIRE HIM!!!!!! I was loyal for over 50 years and now yu don’t give a damn!!!! I don’t care what you put on in it’s place, I’ll be watching any station but CBS!!!!! Thanks for ruining my afternoons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beth Grunewald

There will never be another ATWT, it was a show a one of a kind. Have watched from beginning when it was live and black and white.
The cast, the ones that were the main characters that never changed will be missed forever.
Helen Wagner, the great lady of the family gone but will never be forgotten. Don Hastings, Eileen Fulton, Ellen Dolan, Scott Holmes, Martha Byrne, Jon Hensley, Colleen
Zenk, the late Benjamin Henderickson, Elizabeth Hubbard, Maura West, Michael Park
Kathleen Widdoes, Marie Masters, Kathryn Hays now this was a cast of wonderful actors. So many more that really held this show in high regard, and brought class to my life every weekday at 2.

Hope that this fantastic soap gets another chance to survive, and that it will get picked up by another super star Oprah. This would mean so much too so many, my 2 o’clock is now empty. Please bring this show back with the same cast of character’s to go on
for ever.
A devoted fan, Diane from Florida

As The World Turns

Richard Roundtree, ‘Generations’, ‘ATWT” and ‘Shaft’ Star, Dead at 81

Motion picture and television leading man, Richard Roundtree, has passed away at the age of 81. The actor, best known for his role in the iconic film Shaft, and its sequels, died from complications from pancreatic cancer on October 24th in his home in Los Angeles.

In a statement, Roundtree’s manager, Patrick McMinn shared, “Richard’s work and career served as a turning point for African American leading men in film. The impact he had on the industry cannot be overstated.”

During his extensive credits and career, Roundtree made two stops to two daytime soap operas. In 1990 till 1991, Roundtree played Dr. Daniel Ruebens on the defunct NBC soap opera Generations. He later appeared on As the World Turns from 2002-2003, taking on the role of Oliver Travers, the father to T. Marshall Travers played by Lamman Rucker.

Photo: NBC

Roundtree’s leading lady on Generations, Jonelle Allen took to her Facebook upon learning the news of the death of her former castmate and friend, expressing: “My Leading Man on Generations. I Am Very Sad. My Condolences To Your Family. Dearest Richard Roundtree.”

In a subsequent post, Allen shared a photo of their Generations’ characters, Daniel and Doreen about to lip-lock. Jonelle stated, “In the scene with him I kept thinking: ‘Shaft is about to kiss ME!!!’ Thank You.”

On Generations, Roundtree’s character of Daniel Reubens was a brilliant doctor, who was accused of killing someone by causing an explosion at a lab in 1974. He and his daughter, Maya, then went “underground” for the next 15 years. Maya was played by Viveca A. Fox.

Photo: AP

Fox, honored her former on-screen soap father with an Instagram post upon learning of his death. Vivica wrote: “GM Dawlings! My heart is sad this morning as late last night I learned that LEGEND Actor @officialrichardroundtree had passed. I had the blessing of working with Richard on alot of 1st in my acting career! He played my Dad on the soap opera #Generation‘s TV show #90210BeverlyHills Mr Roundtree thank u for your AMAZING GIFTS! U will truly be missed as u were the 1st African American Action Star #SHAFT I’ll never forget the time u stood for ME when a director was being a jerk to me! I’ll miss your smile, jokes, laughs & hugs! REST EASY KING! U DID WELL. #Classic #LEGEND #LeadingMan #Actor #SuperStar #Respect #RestInPeace”

Richard was also known for his roles in Roots and the Brad Pitt thriller Se7en. On television, Roundtree appeared on: Murder, She Wrote, A Different World, Beauty and the Beast, 21 Jump Street, MacGyver, Beverly Hill 90210, L.A. Law, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Alias, Desperate Housewives, Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy, Chicago Fire, and Private Practice and many more.

Share your condolences on the passing of Richard Roundtree via the comment section below.

 

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As The World Turns

Soap Alum John Wesley Shipp Shares Health Update

John Wesley Shipp, best known to daytime fans for his roles on As the World Turns, Guiding Light, One Life to Live et al, and primetime fans for his role in The Flash, shared a heartfelt health update via his Instagram.

While Shipp did not go into specifics, he did say he underwent surgery earlier in September for an urgent medical issue.

In his post, accompanying by his photo, John expressed: “Hello out there! Friends and contacts have written recently, like, “where are you? are you ok?” Well, here’s the deal: I had surgery early this month for a health issue that had to be dealt with immediately. All went well, but I’ve had to postpone a theatre production and personal appearances as the recoup will take some weeks. I do read and appreciate what you share with me, that you entrust me with your thoughts and feelings. You are ever on my mind and in my heart, and I look forward to getting active and out there again as soon as possible. Until then, remember to play nice, be kind, and stay engaged! Our futures depend on it.”

Photo: JPI

John’s soap resume is quite impressive having portrayed: Dr. Kelly Nelson/Victor Laszlo on Guiding Light, Doug Cummings on As the World Turns, Martin Ellis on Santa Barbara, Carter Jones on All My Children and Eddie Ford on One Life to Live. Shipp won two Daytime Emmys along the way.

More recently, John has appeared in primetime’s, Arrow, The Flash, Stargirl and countless other TV appearances.

Share your well-wishes for a speedy recovering to John via the comment section below.

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As The World Turns

‘As the World Turns’ Alum Martha Byrne Speaks Out On Conviction Against Her Husband, Michael McMahon: “We are Fighting Till the End”

If you have been following two-time Daytime Emmy-winning actress, Martha Byrne’s (ex-Lily, As the World Turns) social media accounts or have been following news reports, Byrne is adamantly speaking out about charges and a conviction levied against her husband, former decorated NYPD sergeant-turned-licensed private investigator, Michael McMahon.

The couple share three children together and have been married for over 30 years.  Last week, McMahon was preparing to go back to work. However, Michael was blindsided when a Brooklyn federal court convicted him and two others accused of stalking a New Jersey couple on behalf of China.

McMahon told the New York Post, that he felt betrayed by the Department of Justice (DOJ).  Clarifying further, Michael felt he and his family with Martha Byrne where being made scapegoats in the DOJ’s first case against Operation Fox Hunt, which is the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-corruption campaign that targets Chinese nationals abroad.  It also targets former government officials and others suspected of economic crimes against China.

In the case against McMahon, he was hired in fall of 2016 by what he believed was a translation company from New Jersey to do surveillance on a luxury New Jersey home occupied by a relative of Xu Jin and Liu Fang, and to use public records to find companies and other assets registered to the couple.  He was then informed that Xu and Liu had had stolen money from a construction company, and the people who hired him wanted to find where the cash had gone. However, McMahon says what he was not told was that Xu was a former official in Wuhan, who had fled China amid allegations of corruption.

McMahon said that when he conducted surveillance as he had done on numerous other cases.  However, what he did not know was that his work was used in a civil suit in New Jersey in 2018 against Xu and others by a Chinese construction group that alleged that they had embezzled millions from that company.

Things took a bad turn in October of 2020 when 12 federal agents surrounded McMahon and Byrne’s home.  Michael was arrested, but it wasn’t your normal arrest, he detailed.  McMahon didn’t think he needed a lawyer so he spoke to the FBI agents. He had wanted to help the government.

Photo: MBryneFacebook

Byrne shared, “He was being as transparent as he possibly could. Instead, they turned everything against him and made him look like the devil in court. I’ve never seen such dark forces trying to portray him as an unlawful person.”

McMahon was charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act by working for the Chinese government without telling the State Department, and with conspiracy to commit interstate stalking.

Byrne answered one soap fan’s inquiry to clarify what exactly happened to her husband in a Facebook post. She expressed: “He was hired to find assets on a civil matter. never asked to do ANYTHING illegal. The FBI let the Chinese agents flee, who were operating some scheme separately and unbeknownst to my husband, so the FBI turned their attention to an innocent man to save face. They took legal work as a PI and deemed it criminal for their own purposes. This is VERY VERY scary for every US citizen.”

In the NY Post account, it details that the DOJ shifted its focus to Operation Fox Hunt, targeting private investigators across the country, including McMahon.

Currently Michael is not allowed to be a private detective until this case is overturned.  He shared: “I didn’t harass or stalk anyone, and if I had been asked to do so, or if I had suspected that my clients worked for the Chinese Communist Party, I would have contacted the FBI right away and not proceeded with the job.”

Byrne expressed: “The DOJ knew this problem existed, that private investigators were being used, they knew the patterns well, but they communicated none of this until after Mike’s arrest … We are fighting to the end.”

McMahon’s lawyer will file a post-trial motion next month to overturn the conviction.

Photo: NATAS

On her Twitter account, Martha shared their lawyer’s, Lawrence Lustberg’s statement: “We are obviously very disappointed with today’s verdict and feel strongly that it is not consistent with the evidence in the case but more importantly, is not consistent with the truth.  That truth is that Michael McMahon never had any idea that he was working for the Chinese Government.  If he had, he would not have taken the job or done the work he did.  His work in this case was the normal every day work of a private investigator and Mike’s conviction on the stalking counts, as a practical matter, criminalizes the work of private investigators in every case.  We will file post-trial motions and, if necessary appeal, until all possible appeals and lawful avenues to challenge this verdict have been exhausted.  And I believe that we will ultimately prevail because this conviction is a terrible injustice, one that I do not believe our legal system will allow to stand.”

What do you think about the conviction of Martha Bryne’s husband, Michael McMahon and by all accounts how he has been wrongly convicted? Comment below.

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