Greeting,
Ah, soap operas. Or, as so many of us have called them over the decades, my stories. Sometimes they are the only moments a woman (or man) gets to escape her hectic reality. In my life, I have visited a few of these shows, even enough sometimes to actually keep up with what the heck is going on. Currently, though, I only have time for one - The Bold and the Beautiful. They win, mostly, because they are only half an hour long. But there are other reasons why I like this show. First, I love fashion, and it is based in the fashion world. I thank you all for that. The other of those reasons is the people. There are some amazingly talented actors and actresses on this show, but, like with most soap operas, they are completely underrated because of the work they choose to do. I never understood that. Of course, they win their Daytime Emmys and have a lot of fans, and I am not trying to undermine either of those things. I am, after all, one of those fans. But I still don't get why some of these people are not uber-famous. They certainly have the chops to be. So today I will honor some of the fabulous actors and actresses of The Bold and the Beautiful.
Now over the years, there have been many people coming in and out, but I'm going to stick with current cast members. Let's begin with the Mom and Pop of the show. First, we have our matriarch, Stephanie, played perfectly by Susan Flannery. Before B&B, she had a pretty decent career in television and movies. One well remembered movie role was in The Towering Inferno. Yeah, if you've ever seen her character in that movie, it will make every jab she takes at another B&B character, Brooke, seem kind of ironic. Anyway, Susan Flannery is the best, and I love nothing more than to see her get mad at someone. Oh, yeah, the clenched jaw, the blazing eyes, the balled up fists ready to throw a punch - perfection. Now her sometimes husband is Eric, played by John McCook. May I humbly say that, despite the fact that he is very much more "mature" than I am, I find this man incredibly attractive. It's no wonder he has always gotten the chicks on this show. Why wouldn't he? And I must reveal a little pre-B&B experience I had with him. Second season of Family Ties, an episode entitled "This Year's Model", he shows up as what IMDB calls "Tuxedo Man" helping Elyse Keaton hock frozen food called (I'm not kidding!) The Proper Penguin. It is quite possibly the best guest appearance on any show in TV history. It must be seen.
Moving on to the next generation. Here lies the infamous threesome . . . yeah, I don't know what else to call them but that. Well, I guess I can go with trio. It does make them sound like they're in a sixties singing group together, but it's far less disturbing than the predecessor. We're going to go with trio. Anyway, it's Taylor, Ridge and Brooke. These three have been on a carousel of marriages, divorces, love, heartache and everything in between and beyond since the show started, and they are all fantastic at it! Let's start with Taylor. She is played by Hunter Tylo. Now I could go on and on about how much I love this woman. She is truly one of my life's heroes, and she has an amazing story that everyone should find out about. Here on this show, however, her poor character often gets the shaft. Somehow, though, mostly, she has managed to show this character as a strong woman who has been able to overcome much adversity with much dignity and grace. Her nemesis, if you will, is Brooke, played by Katherine Kelly Lang, or KiKi as I call her because of the two K's in her name. Anyway, I am always on Taylor's side on the show, because I just am. But we NEED Brooke. And it is a testament to the brilliant acting of my dear KiKi that she can be such a lovely woman in real life, but then turn around and make me want to punch her on the show. That is a gift with which one must be born. And finally we have the man in the middle, Ridge, played by Ron Moss. He has perfected the art of playing both sides to Oscar-worthy levels. I can't tell you how many times some of us have wanted to grab him and say, "Dude, seriously, grow up and choose a side!". And let us not forget that he was (maybe still is) in the band Player, which gave us the song "Baby, Come Back". I don't think I have to say any more about that.
Okay, all of those fine people are what we would consider the big legends of the show, but they are backed up by some excellent . . . well, back up. I could mention a lot, but I will mention a few.
Let's start with Heather Tom. She has been here on B&B for about five years, but she is also very well-known for her role on The Young and the Restless (Y&R), a soap I never got into. Sorry. And I even saw her playing Marlee Matlin's sign language helper on an episode of Law and Order: SVU. This woman can do it all. But here, she plays Katie, a character that has had more ups and downs than a roller coaster on crack. She does manage to balance a sense of grown up innocence with an inner strength that makes her very memorable and, at times, quite admirable. Her husband on the show is Dollar Bill Spencer (no, really, his nickname is DOLLAR BILL) played by Don Diamont. This guy is MAG-nificent. He also was swimming in that Y&R pool for awhile, but he's been settled here for about three years now and what a wonderful three years it has been. He is so deliciously evil that every time I see him I think, "How has this man never been cast as a Bond villain?". He's that good/bad! And since we seem to be liking the Y&R people we've shared, I have to mention Adrienne Frantz who plays Amber Moore. She has been in and out of B&B for the last fifteen years or so, and to be honest, at first, I wasn't crazy about her character. I don't think I was supposed to be. But once I got some info about Ms. Frantz in real life, I started to love her and Amber. Now Adrienne is a great actress, but she is also a great musician. Her 2007 album Anomaly was brilliant, and it has added one more reason to my list of why I do not trust the Grammys. It didn't win one. But it gets a big thumbs up and a future review on this blog from me. Stay tuned.
Okay, I am giving one more paragraph here to one more cast member. She has become one of my all-time favorites on the show and also of the show. She is Jacqueline MacInnes Wood a.k.a Steffy Forrester, daughter of Ridge and Taylor, namesake of Queen Stephanie, and she is fabulous. She has been on the show since 2008, and as good as she has been from the start, she has only improved and become a better actress since then. Jacqueline has also managed to branch out to other television roles, like on the upcoming show Arrow, and also into film. She was featured in the last Final Destination movie, something I may not have seen had I not wanted to see and support her performance. And, like some of her previous cast members that I've mentioned, she's got some serious music skills. I must say that, of all the youngsters on this show, and there are some really talented ones, I believe Jacqueline has the most promise. And I cannot wait to see her fulfill it.
And so there is my tribute to the wonderful folks at The Bold and the Beautiful. The wonderful folks who, yes, should be more famous! Now I know it is difficult to get anyone to start watching a new show, especially a soap opera, but check them out if you can. They are all more than worth your time.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
