HOLLYWOOD —This week’s Leading Ladies Gold Standard goes to two beautiful actresses who portray mothers: Eileen Davidson, who portrays Ashley Abbott on “The Young and the Restless,” and “B&B’s” Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke Logan Forrester. The two stars had very emotional scenes with teenage daughters this week. Ashley found out her terrible teen has been working on a plan to become the new reality TV starlet and Brooke worried that her daughter Hope’s heart would be broken by her stepsister Steffy. Both women were right. Ashley is correct that Abby’s out of control and Brooke is right to worry about Steffy causing harm to Hope.
Brooke watched over her daughter Hope this week. Hope’s falling in love with Oliver. Brooke had the typical mother and daughter discussion about sex and being safe and not going too fast in a new relationship. Brooke has never followed her own advice, but being a mother is something she takes very seriously now. In the past Brooke has slept with both of her daughter Bridget’s husbands. Now she is a more mature and level-headed woman. She then decided to go to Taylor and Steffy and to beg Taylor to help Steffy with her issues, so that she would not do anything to harm Hope who is in love for the first time.
Katherine Kelly’s emotional scenes were incredible. She’s doing a wonderful job as a maternal figure on the show and when Brooke begged Taylor to help stop this decades long feud and put their families back in order. Lang played it sensationally and she actually had me in tears. Katherine Kelly Lang did not get an Emmy nomination last week, another mishap which hopefully will one day in the future be rectified. However, I became a fan of Brooke this week. That’s in a large part because of who is portraying the character. Lang has grown immensely over the past 23 years in this role, and this week she reached a new level of excellence. The writing of the Wednesday episode by Bradley P. Bell was exciting and intensely fulfilling to viewers.
Eileen Davidson is one of the most respected actresses in the industry. This week she played Ashley the new CEO of Jabot Cosmetics, whose teenage daughter is becoming a terror. Abby’s the Paris Hilton of Genoa City and she’s not only a hand full, but as determined as her mother is at getting her way. Davidson had an incredible storyline last year as the long suffering Ashley who was emotionally unstable. This year is a different thing. Ashley’s very much in control of her life and the lives of hundreds of employees at the famed cosmetics company she now is CEO of, again.
Davidson is so exciting to watch as an actress. Like Katharine Hepburn she’s in the moment fully. You don’t get the feeling Eileen is ever preoccupied and she knows her lines and her delivery leaves nothing to chance. Davidson and Ashley have many qualities that are similar, but Eileen Davidson is in control of her emotions when Ashley may not always have that ability. Fans love to see this beautiful star showcase her skills as an actress and her executive producer and head writer Maria Bell is doing an amazing job giving Ashley and Eileen fans what we love most.
