As The World Turns
SAG Award Shocker! British Soap Downton Abbey Wins Best Ensemble Drama Series!
Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins
Last night at the SAG Awards in Los Angeles, one of the biggest shockers of the night came when Sigourney Weaver announced the winning cast for Best Ensemble For A Drama Series, and it was one of our favorite shows ever … Downton Abbey!
That’s right, the British Soap from ITV which is now airing its season three here in the United States on Masterpiece Classic on PBS, bested heavy favorite Homeland in a category that also featured heavyweights: Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Boardwalk Empire!
‘Downton’s’ Phyllis Logan accepted the award on behalf of the cast of the series and was accompanied to the stage by some of the stars in attendance from the U.K. including Drama Series Actress nominee, Michelle Dockery, Alan Leech, Amy Nutall and Sophie McSheara!
Logan stated to the shocked crowd: ‘We were so not expecting this. Shut the French windows, honestly! We would like to thank, first of all, SAG for even bothering to consider us against this fantastic category that we’re in. We’re just absolutely overwhelmed by it all.”
It was also a great night for former daytime soap stars! Tommy Lee Jones (Ex Mark Toland, OLTL) picked up the Actor, for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his role in Lincoln, Julianne Moore (Ex-Frannie and Sabrina Hughes, ATWT) picked up Best Actress in a MiniSeries or Special for Game Change, Bryan Cranston (Ex- Doug Donovan Loving)won for Best Actor in a Drama Series for Breaking Bad and Alec Baldwin (Ex-Billy Aldrich, The Doctors) won for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for 30 Rock! You can view the complete winners and list of nominees here!
So soapers, what do you think of ‘Downton’s’ victory? Thrilled as we are? What do you think of the former daytimers who came away victorious? Let us know!
As The World Turns
ATWT Alum Martha Byrne Pays Tribute to Eileen Fulton: “The Original Soap Star Who Paved the Way for the Likes of a Susan Lucci or Andrea Evans”
Tributes and remembrances are pouring in for the the late Eileen Fulton, who passed away on July 14th at the age of 91. Fulton broke the soap opera mold back in the early 60’s when she was cast to play Lisa Miller on As the World Turns, who would turn out to be the first villiainess, vixen, and homewrecker of daytime television.
Fans of the soap loved to love to hate her for how she destroyed many lives in her quests to nab a husband; especially one she had set her sights set on. In fact, Lisa was married 8 times during the history of the show. Fulton was with ATWT on and off until the final year of the show in 2010.
Martha Byrne, who has been Fulton’s castmate for a time (Bryne played Lily Snyder from 1985 to 1989 and then again from 1993-2008 where she also played Rose D’Angelo), took to her account on x to share her thoughts on what Eileen meant to the genre, and also spoke on how Fulton handled not being as front and center on the soap operas as the years went by.
Photo: JPI
“What can I say about Eileen Fulton. The original soap star who paved the road for the likes of a Susan Lucci or Andrea Evans,” began Bryne. “Since Eileen started on ATWT when the show was live, there aren’t enough pieces of history for us to truly grasp the enormity of her stardom and presence in the entertainment business. I remember being so impressed that she was a writer. The best part was she would use real stories from behind the scenes and change the names. Maybe that was her way of giving the audience a wink to include them even more.”
Photo: CBS
Bryne went to share, “She (Eileen) loved her fans and she had many. I went to her one woman shows and the place was always packed. As the years went on and her role wasn’t as prominent as it had been she took it with class. I never heard her complain as many did who were frustrated they didn’t have a storyline. She was always a class act and a true pro who knew a storyline or another opportunity was only around the corner. She knew her value and was secure in herself. A national treasure who shaped the entire industry. Thank you Eileen. I’m sure there was a pink feather boa waiting for you just inside the pearly gates.”
So, what did you think about the sentiments shared by Martha on the legendary Eileen Fulton? Would you agree, as we have previously noted, that Lisa as played by Eileen, was really the prototype for all soap opera “bad girls” to follow? Did you appreciate the fact that while having a more diminished role over the last few decades of ATWT, Eileen took it in stride? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
What can I say about Eileen Fulton. The original soap star who paved the road for the likes of a Susan Lucci or Andrea Evans. Since Eileen started on ATWT when the show was live there aren’t enough pieces of history for us to truly grasp the enormity of her stardom and presence… pic.twitter.com/bN3skb2Rws
— Martha Byrne (@MarthaByrne10) July 20, 2025
The iconic Eileen Fulton, who was daytime’s first bad girl as Lisa Miller on As the World Turns, has died at the age of 91. According to the obituary on her passing, Fulton died earlier this week on July 14th in Asheville, North Carolina, after a period of declining health.
Fulton was born Margaret Elizabeth McLarty in Asheville on September 13, 1933. After studying acting in New York City, she changed her name to Eileen Fulton, when in 1960 she was cast in the film, Girl of the Night, co-starring with Anne Francis.
Eileen would change the face of daytime drama when in 1960 she was cast as the disruptor to the family dynamic, Lisa Miller, on the CBS soap opera. Throughout her ATWT run, the character of Lisa would eventually be married eight times to: Bob Hughes (1960–1964), John Eldridge (1965–1967), Michael Shea (1969–1970), Grant Coleman (1975–1979) ,Whit McColl (1982–1984), Earl Mitchell (1986–1987), Eduardo Grimaldi (1994–1995), and Martin Chedwyn (1996).
Photo: CBS
ATWT historians know that Lisa’s full name by the time the series went off the air in 2010 was: Lisa Miller Hughes Eldridge Shea Colman McColl Mitchell Grimaldi Chedwyn. Fulton played the role with only brief interruptions until the show was cancelled that year making her one of the longest-running tenured soap opera actors in US history. Other performers who took on the role of Lisa in Fulton’s absence included: Jane Powell, Maeve McGuire, Pamela King, Betsy Von Furstenberg, Lynn Rogers and Carmen Duncan.
Throughout her time on ATWT, it was Fulton’s eagerness to play Lisa as a villainess that contributed to the character’s popularity and therefore its longevity. She was inducted into the Soap Opera Hall of Fame in 1998 and was awarded a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. In addition, in 1988, Fulton received her first-ever Daytime Emmy Award nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series.
The legendary star was also infamous for the grandmother clause she inserted into her contract that guaranteed she would never have to play a grandmother on the soap. In an interview with the LA Times in 2000 she shared, “At that time, grandmothers had no romance at all – and I wasn’t about to let that happen to me.” At some point, this all changed and she became OK with the idea of grandmother-hood. At one point, ATWT fans were so angry at the manipulative villainess played by Fulton that she had to employ a bodyguard to protect her.
Photo: CBS
When Futon stepped away from the show, at one point, she left to star in ATWT”s 1965 spinoff Our Private World, which aired Wednesday and Friday nights on CBS. In the story, Lisa had fled Oakdale after dumping Bob to move to Chicago, where she wed the wealthy John Eldridge (Nicolas Coster, who later would play Eduardo Grimaldi). Our Private World was canceled after four months on the air, and Fulton went back to As the World Turns in 1966.
When Eileen received her Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, she was part of a group of actors who also received the honor that year including: her ATWT co-stars, Don Hastings and Helen Wagner, plus Ruth Warrick, Frances Reid, John Clarke, Ray MacDonnell, Don Hastings, Jeanne Cooper, and Rachel Ames.
Photo: JPI
For a time early in her career, Fulton not only was appearing in As The World Turns, which at that time was broadcast live, she was simultaneously appearing on Broadway in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and off-Broadway in the long-running musical The Fantasticks.
Fulton performed her cabaret act for many years in venues around New York and Los Angeles. In 1970, she co-authored her first autobiography, How My World Turns. In 1995 she co-authored a second autobiography, As My World Still Turns, to celebrate her 35th anniversary on As the World Turns. She also authored a series of mystery novels. In 2019, Eileen retired from show business and moved to Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Photo: JPI
She is survived by her brother, Charles Furman McLarty (Karen) of Black Mountain; niece Katherine Morris (David) and their children, Everly Ann Morris and Easton Lane Morris of Fort Mill, S.C.; and sister-in-law Chris Page McLarty of Camden, Maine. She was pre-deceased by her parents and her brother, James Fulton McLarty.
Share your remembrances and condolences for Eileen Fulton via the comment section below, but first check out this classic early scene from ATWT featuring Fulton as Lisa, and the 2004 Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award presentation.
As The World Turns
ATWT Alum Tala Ashe Scores Tony Award Nomination; OLTL Alum Jonathan Groff and ‘Glee’ Favorite Darren Criss Also Receive Nods
Nominations for the 78th annual Tony Awards were announced Thursday morning honoring the best in the recent Broadway season.
The awards will be presented on June 8th live from Radio City Music Hall live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ with Wicked star Cynthia Erivo, a Tony winner for The Color Purple, hosting the show.
While musicals Buena Vista Social Club, Maybe Happy Ending and Death Becomes Her topped the nominations with 10 each, the list of Hollywood names and former soap opera alums who will be part of Broadway’s bigges makes it interesting drama for Broadway’s biggest nights.
Photo: JPI
In addition, there were big time snubs including: Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal and Kieran Culkin, who failed to make the nominations list, while other big names including: George Clooney are in the running.
Soap fans should take note that Tala Ashe (ex-Ameera Ali-Aziz, As the World Turns – 2007) scored her first-ever Tony nomination in the Best Featured Actress in a play category for her performance in English. The play takes place in an Iranian classroom where four adult students and their teacher leapfrog through a linguistic playground, this is a funny, stunning triumph about the universal foibles of language and miscommunication.
Photo: JPI
On As the World Turns, Ashe’s Ameera became involved with Luke and Noah, after she fled Iraq when her mother died, after her protector, Noah’s father, the Colonel, was reassigned and imprisoned. Once in Oakdale, when he heard her sad story, Noah (Jake Silbermann) agreed to a marriage of convenience, upsetting then boyfriend Luke Snyder (Van Hansis).
Once again, Tony Award winner, Jonathan Groff (ex-Henry Mackler, One Life to Live -2007) had scored another nomination. This year for his star turn as Bobby Darin in the new musical, Just in Time. Groff is competing in the category alongside former Glee star, Darren Criss, who is nominated for his work as a retired robot in Maybe Happy Ending.
Photo: JPI
Interestingly enough, Jeb Brown who is nominated in the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for Dead Outlaw, was formerly the bandmate of Beyond the Gates and General Hospital star, Jon Lindstrom.
Audra McDonald made Tony history scoring her record-setting 11th overall nomination, this year for her starring role in the musical revival of Gypsy. However, she will face-off with former Pussycat Dolls singer, Nicole Scherzinger, who plays Norma Desmond in the latest adaption of Sunset Boulevard, where she is getting all the raves this Broadway season.
Photo: JPI
You can check out the full 78th annual Tony Award nominations here.
So, remember Tala from ATWT as Ameera? Jonathan from OLTL as Henry? Who do you think should take home a Tony Award next month in the Big Apple? Comment below.
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Incredible episode of DA last night. Soaps, both daytime and nighttime, are back!!!
So happy DA won last night!
FABULOUS! It’s a great show. They deserve it.
Yes!
Great news for DA and also Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln.
I’m so very happy for all of you!! My husband & I have been watching since the beginning. We look forward to more Downton Abbey and more good luck to you all. By the way were are from New Orleans, Louisiana..Yeah Saints!
the sag awards were a mess! argo’s win was a travesty! typical hollywood has to reward a film w/c glorified whitewashing. ben affleck is not a latino and he cast himself as the lead! it was ridiculous especially during argo’s credits where they didn’t show affleck’s picture next to tony’s picture bec obviously the casting was not racially accurate. affleck’s casting is a part of hollywood’s “grand” tradition of whitewashing racial minorities and portraying white people as saviors. the film’s historical and it’s abt how moviemaking can save lives and therefore it’s going to be rewarded bec hollywood wants to tell the planet how “special” they are. stupid hollywood whitewashed tony and yet it premiered argo during latino heritage month! that’s hollywood’s brand of sensitivity towards racial diversity and latino representation! typical hollywood whitewashes a latino but then hollywood only uses “realism” if they need to portray latinos doing menial labor. hollywood glorified argo w/c whitewashed latino americans! what the hell was w/ the camera panning repeatedly to neil patrik hariss during argo? there are no complaints from hollywood and entertainment press and mainstream manhattan media abt nph’s newest “music video” w/ a bollywood theme. nph’s attempts at humor were disgusting. the video was equating bestiality to the religious belief of cows being sacred. and of course there was a stupid “holy cow joke” w/c is typical of untalented nph. hinduism and indians and indian americans can be mocked w/ no backlash from hollywood and entertainment press and manhattan mainstream media. it’s bec only mocking white gays is hateful right? if any “comedian” made an lgbt themed “music video” where he compared lgbt relationships between 2 white gay men w/ bestiality then hollywood and the entertainment press and mainstream manhtattan media and glaad would keep screaming homophobia. but hollywood keeps bashing Asian americans w/ their “jokes” and whitewashing and lack of portrayals. it’s bec Asian americans are the most educated and richest among grps compared to lgbt. Among Asian americans it is indian americans and filipino americans who are the richest according to pew research and thus hollywood has to bash them bec the only minority grp they want to be successful are white lgbt. this reminds me of how Asian americans who identify as lgbt were mocked by an lgbt theme party. the huffington post reported abt this “mr. wong’s emporium” lgbt party where the whole theme was meant to mock and degrade Asian americans. new yorkers love to proclaim how openminded and “progressive” they are and yet this party was manhattan based! typical of the “tolerant” and “progressive” crowd of manhattan media and hollywood. they’re only tolerant of lgbt issues but they bash Asian americans.
sag awards was the oldest prom! julianne moore of course was awarded for her horrific acting. it’s hilarious how hollywood bashes palin for being a stupid republican and for favoring traditional marriage. but hollywood never bashes her for leaving hawaii bec there were too many Asian americans. typical hollywood racism. mf wins for best comedy ensemble bec of its message. the gay chars of course have to be white and rich. obviously glaad and the mainstream media and entertainment press and hollywood loves that specific kind of portrayal of the lgbt community. but of course lily’s vietnamese heritage is completely ignored bec the only thing hollywood cares abt is a flattering portrayal of the white gay couple to make people support same gender marriage. who cares abt how they raise lily and completely ignore her Vietnamese heritage? mf’s really problematic when it comes to the latina char. she’s a complete stereotype. feisty! wears loud clothes! thick accent! her culture is made fun of bec she’s foreign.of course she has to be attractive bec she’s paired w/ an old guy who’s white. he’s her “savior” bec hollywood loves those kinda storylines. she was poor til she married her white husband. and she really loves him and not his money! talk abt a hollywood fantasy tailor made for an old and white executive from hollywood! at least that horrid cbs sitcom “theory” did not win best comedy ensemble. I stopped watching that show abt nerds bec it keeps bashing Asian americans. howie i guess married bernadette. the other nerd is dating penny. the white actor that portrays sheldon is openly gay and is paired w/ mayim’s char. but of course the Indian american actor who portrays raj is single and asexualized. one episode had him dating his talking gadget. this other episode had raj think of marrying a closeted lesbian bec he didn’t think anyone would ever marry him. the ugly white actors get romantic storylines but the handsome Indian american actor does not get a romantic storyline bec hollywood loves to bash Asian americans. hollywood’s abt controlling the culture and thus Asian americans must be bullied and discriminated against by hollywood thru their racist portrayals. hilarious though bec the actor that portrays raj is married to miss India and yet it’s not “realistic” for him to be portrayed romantically! have these hollywood idiots never watched scenes from bollywood? Indian males are portrayed very sexually and a lot of them are handsome leading men! but hollywood can’t handle that bec white males must be the “ideal” and the status of white males as leading men would be threatened. typical hollywood racism. the acting careers of dev patel and freida pinto are examples of how hollywood treats Asian american actors compared to Asian american actresses. dev was the villain on the horrid “the last airbender” w/c whitewashed all the Asian leading characters by hiring unknown actors who are white to portray the lead roles. and yet the villain remained Asian as portrayed by dev and the fire nation villain chars were all dark skinned! typical hollywood racism. dev’s on hbo’s left leaning propaganda drama “the newsroom” as a token racial minority char. he has to settle for supporting roles from films and low rated cable tv bec hollywood does not want Asian american actors to be portrayed as leading men. while freida has a movie career but is often romantically paired w/ white actors like james franco from “planet of apes” reboot and “immortals” and woody allen film.
bc you will be much happier in life if you do not watch awards shows and do not watch shows that make you unhappy this is the lay of the land now days as my dad would call it. They will slowly come into everything and destroy your enjoyment and Asian Americans are the hardest working people I know our best friends our from Vietnam they work 66 to 70 hrs a week private sector their children our doctors and an engineer they could buy and sell hollywood if they wanted they want to be left alone raise their families etc.So do not worry they know all about the views from liberal America and as my family could care less. Quit watching this B/S and enjoy life!
What is really SHOCKING is the number of people who come to Michael’s site who profess to love soap operas and yet do not watch Downton Abbey or even seem to know it exists. You have no idea what you are missing.
I do not watch award shows.I am thrilled DA won,I do not watch the other shows that were nominated.This show deserves every award it gets. The acting is great,the writing is great, and the way they have kept it real is terrific. Congratulation.DA.Hope you continue .I will continue watching.
Julian Moore great .She is a superb actress and person. She will always have my support because she came back to ATWTs to say goodye to the cast and fans.She put herself out there. She never denies she was on soaps like it was something to be sorry about and needs to hide. I was very happy to see her win.
Congratulation to the winners,and also to the nominees.