'All My Children' ends 41-year run

After 41 years, the ABC daytime drama "All My Children" aired its final episode Friday and ended things with a bang.

Longtime fans who tuned in one last time found the residents of Pine Valley, the fictional Pennsylvania town in which the soap is set, all dressed up and gathered for a party at the Chandler mansion. Erica Kane ( Susan Lucci) was seen telling Jackson Montgomery ( Walt Willey) that she wasn't ready to get married again (for the 13th time!), and Brooke English ( Julia Barr, who returned for the show's final week) accepted onetime husband Adam Chandler's ( David Canary) proposal.

In true soap fashion, there was a Friday cliffhanger. A drunken J.R. Chandler ( Jacob Young) was seen lurking outside the party with a gun, then the screen went black and a shot was fired.

The cliffhanger may get resolved if "All My Children" manages to find new life on the Web. Production company Prospect Park this week announced that it has made deals with some cast members to continue the show online. Cameron Mathison and Lindsay Hartley have agreed to continue. Lucci's participation is still not certain.

Near the end of Friday's episode, longtime Pine Valley resident Tad Martin ( Michael E. Knight) summed things up during a toast: "Neighbors, family and friends, I've found all of them here. It's been my home. The best years of my life."

Etheridge fights for custody

The already ugly breakup of Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels is getting uglier, according to usmagazine.com. The two split in April 2010, but they're fighting now over custody of their 4-year-old twins.
Michaels and Etheridge were married in 2003, but that seems to be in dispute, too. The rocker says the ceremony -- which took place in California, but not during the brief period in which same-sex marriage was legal -- was a nonbinding commitment. Michaels argues that it was a legal union, entitling her to half her ex's assets.

Wanda Sykes reveals cancer

Wanda Sykes revealed to Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and had a bilateral mastectomy in August, people.com reports.
While taping an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that's scheduled to air Monday, Sykes, 47, said she learned she had cancer after having breast-reduction surgery in February. She is now cancer-free, she said.

Briefly

• "Answer This!," the independent film shot on the University of Michigan campus last summer, is set to have a charity premiere Oct. 13 at Royal Oak's Emagine Theater. VIP tickets are $75; general admission tickets are $10. The film was made by Ann Arbor natives Michael and Christopher Farah. For more: answerthismovie.com.
• WRIF's Rocktoberfest is taking place today at Heritage Park in Taylor. The second annual event includes food, vendors, games and live music from the Kielbasa Kings, Mustache Baby, Buster Strange, Bridge and Under the Covers. It runs 2-11 p.m. rain or shine. Admission is free but there's a fee for parking. For more: wrif.com.

COMPILED BY ANGELA LOPEZ, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER