HOLLYWOOD—This week’s leading ladies gold standard goes to two gorgeous actresses who portray women in love with more than one man. Both, Kimberly Matula as Hope Logan on “The Bold and the Beautiful” and Sharon Case as Sharon Newman on “The Young and the Restless,” embody what daytime divas are all about. Matula has grown as a budding young actress, who has become one of the show’s best heroines. In addition, Case deserves an Emmy-nomination for her marathon-like performance as the ever suffering Sharon, who is constantly in jeopardy and in love. These two ladies are always outstanding, but they really performed at their best this week.
Kimberly Matula as Hope has had a tough year. As soon as she fell in love with her boyfriend Oliver, her sexpot mother Brooke Logan slept with him at Hope’s high school graduation party. Sure they were all wearing masks, but Hope didn’t believe her sexy mother when Brooke said she didn’t realize that it was not her own husband Ridge. Hope finally was able to forgive her mother, but decided that it would be too painful to compete with her mother’s sexy image in Oliver’s mind. Like her older sister Bridget found out, it’s not easy being the daughter of the sexiest woman in the world. Hope then moved on to Liam, and they have also fallen in love.
However, in the back of Hope’s mind, she’s still in love with Oliver. This week when Hope made the decision to take her relationship with Liam to the next level, Oliver and ever scheming diva Amber Moore decided to take Liam out of the equation long enough for Oliver to get Hope back. Kimberly Matula has the beauty and grace of a real princess. She makes the viewers fall in love with Hope and that takes a lot of talent. Talent is in high supply on CBS’s “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
Sharon Case is never lacking a storyline on CBS’s number one daytime drama “The Young and the Restless.” This week Sharon was stunned when Nick asked her to remarry him. Her immediate reaction was hesitation, but as soon as Nick found the ring that he’d given her over 20 years ago when they were teenagers, Sharon was smitten all over again. The couple has struggled after their daughter Cassie died several years ago, and they found themselves falling out of love and in love with different people. Nick fell for the devious red-headed witch Phyllis, and Sharon for Nick’s stepfather Jack Abbott, then with his half-brother Adam. She married them both, but now she finds herself with her ex-husband Nick’s baby daughter, and she is desperate to bring her family together again.
Ms. Case is a superb actress, who is often overlooked for her talent because she’s so gorgeous and beautiful. However, Maria Arena Bell, the show’s head writer and executive producer, keeps Sharon, the show’s heroine, constantly with enough men on her arm to stock the L.A. Dodger’s team. This week Sharon Case showed viewers why we love her character so much and why we male viewers drool whenever she’s on the screen.
Both Case and Matula epitomize what is right in daytime’s leading ladies lineup.
“Y&R” and “B&B” both air weekdays on CBS.
Photographs Courtesy Kimberly Matula by John Paschal, JPI Studios© West Hollywood and Sharon Case by Sony for CBS and “Y&R.”
