Bold and Beautiful, Brooke and Ridge

Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) in "The Bold and the Beautiful" gets her photo taken with fans in Polignano A Mare while filming on location in Puglia, Italy. Photo by Trisha Thomas

Dear Blog Readers, you were all so enthusiastic about my “Bold and Beautiful” posts I am doing one last wrap up.

I found Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) to be lovely.  She is 51 and she looks awesome and is open, generous and friendly too.  A mother of a mixed family with 4 children from various marriages, not only is she an actress, but she is also a competitive horseback rider frequently competing in 25-50 miles races.  I asked her if she had any suggestions for working Mammas.  She said, “Just keep doing it.  Schedule everything really well. If you have a passion and drive to do something else, you should be able to do that as well as raise a family… but you have to be motivated.”

Executive Producer Brad Bell could not have chosen a more spectacularly beautiful spot than the town of Polignano A Mare for the show’s romantic wedding scene.  Its steep cliffs and turquoise waters were stunning.

The town of Polignano A Mare. Buildings perched on cliffs over a clear blue sea. Freeze frame of video shot by Peppino Ciraci

Don Diamont lives with his wife—Cindy Ambuehl– and many children.  He said his wife doesn’t let him get away with anything. He told me the following “If the kids are watching the show and I am doing a love scene she’ll – VROOM – Freeze frame it and say, “look,  look how hard Daddy works.  Look at what Daddy does when he goes to work.”  And they all say, “eeewww, Daddy, that’s gross!”

My only slight disappointment on the whole shoot was my interview with Ronn Moss (Ridge).  When I asked him to take off his sunglasses, he asked why.  When I told him that “AP has a rule, no TV interviews with sunglasses, and no TV interview with anyone smoking a cigarette.” He shot back, “I don’t give a shit about AP, and I don’t give a shit about AP’s stupid rules.”

I smiled graciously and told him, “You’re the star, do whatever you want,” and we proceeded with the interview.

Of course, I don’t like anyone dissing my company.  I happen to be very proud of the AP.  Indeed, he is the star, and he did get his way, but I am a journalist and we have our own weapons – poisoned pens and callused fingers.  I was almost tempted to Tweet. It wasn’t worth it though, we all have our grouchy moments.  His ever helpful publicity department did provide me with the photo below of  Ronn Moss–without sunglasses– studying his lines while leaning on an olive tree trunk.

Ronn Moss (Ridge) from "The Bold and the Beautiful" studying his lines while leaning on an olive tree on location in Puglia, Italy. Credit: Damiano Guberti

And one last note. When I arrived at the airport in Bari, a driver from the production company picked me up at the airport.  As I got in his car he asked me, “And who are you?”  I said, “I am the hard-working, determined journalist, mother of three whose Italian husband cheats on her with her best friend. Her best friend’s husband discovers the affair and beats up her husband outside a pizzeria. She decides to stick with him despite the humiliation and throws herself into her work to forget her woes.   She then gets a paparazzi-like assignment in Puglia to cover the wedding of Hope Forrester, the daughter of Beverely Hills fashion Magnate.

“Hmm,” said the driver, “and then?”

“I just made that up,” I said.  “I am actually a real journalist here to do a story on “The Bold and the Beautiful” in Italy but do you think maybe I can get a job as a writer for the show?

Marriage between Hope and Liam in "The Bold and the Beautiful" on location in Polignano A Mare, Italy. Freeze Frame of Video shot by Peppino Ciraci.

 

10 thoughts on “Bold and Beautiful, Brooke and Ridge”

  1. It’s funny. I glanced thru the photos before I read the post and I thought the guy looked like a jerk. (just being honest) It appears he is! Maybe you should write fiction too…..La Dolce Vita with a female protaganist!

    1. Trisha Thomas

      I don’t think fiction writing is for me, I am too much of a newshound, but I must admit ever since I was on that story I’ve been thinking up dramatic plotlines involving tidbits of people I know. It is fun.

  2. I’m not sure why Ronn Moss should be expected to follow AP rules. I’m not a star and I wouldn’t follow AP rules. I don’t work for them and neither does he.

    1. Trisha Thomas

      Gisele — You are absolutely right. Ronn Moss was not obliged to follow AP rules. We did the interview with him with his sunglasses on and my bosses in our Entertainment decided they wanted to use the interview because he is a big star that people are interested in, and he said some interesting things. Since you don’t work for AP, you wouldn’t have to follow AP rules either. I work for AP, and I do have to follow them. And there are lots of rules….for the wire side, there is a whole famous AP Stylebook full of style rules, on the TV side we have plenty of our own rules that I won’t bore you with but are intended to make our reports better.

      While we are on the subject on Ronn Moss, I was interested to read today that he will be leaving the show. I am sure a lot of fans will be sorry to see him go.

      1. I use the AP Stylebook for reference all the time. It’s by my keyboard at this moment, well worn, but loved none the less. Publicists and writers and journalists the world over use it like a “bible” – and I have used it for years (always updating the versions every few years or so).

        (Sorry for the late response but I just found your blog and I am rereading it chronologically and relishing every bit….)

    1. Thanks Massimo — I am surprised you came across this one. I wrote it a long time ago, but I am glad you got a laugh.

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