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Pamela Anderson is probably one of the most recognizable names in the world. She has definitely come a long way from the small town girl from British Columbia, Canada she once was. Many actors have been accused of being famous only for their looks and not for their acting talent, and for no one does this hold more true than for Pam. She got her debut in ads for Labatt Beer in Canada, after attending a football game. During the game a cameraman picked her out of the crowd (she happened to be wearing a Labatt t-shirt), and the crowd went wild. Labatt took notice - and the rest was history. Her beer ads were a phenomenal success and others soon began to pay attention. The first to make her an offer was Playboy magazine, and she was more than happy to oblige them with a layout. She has since posed for the magazine a record setting five times. Soon after her first sitting with Playboy, Pam made a decision that would skyrocket her career - she had her breasts surgically enlarged. She began to show up on television, first a guest spot on Married...With Children, and then with a small role on the hit sitcom Home Improvement as the Tool-Time Girl. Then she got her big break, an offer to appear on Baywatch, the syndicated television show about the heroic lives of some scantily clad lifeguards, which also happened to be the number one rated show in the world. Her face (and body) are recognized all over the world but appearing on Baywatch has had its downfalls too. Actors on the show have discovered that despite their fame it is difficult for them to be taken seriously outside their roles of beautiful babes and buffed hunks. After a string of straight to video low budget B-movies, Pamela Anderson made her first semi-serious attempt in 1996 with the theatrical release of Barb Wire. The film cast her as a bounty hunter named, you guessed it, Barb(ara) Wire in a post-apocalyptic future. She was once more scantily clad, this time in patent leather that emphasized her chest, but this time it wasn't enough. The film was a dud that bombed swiftly at the box office. Despite the failures, Pamela has pressed on. Like many other celebrities she seems to exist as an entity rather than a person. Her life is regular tabloid fodder and has become more important than her acting credits. She was first linked to a variety of male celebrities from Dean (Superman) Cain to Sly Stallone but then shocked the world when she married Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee after only a four day prelude. The two have since had one child, Brandon, and a second boy, Dylan. Their relationship was a spectacle that unfolded for the public. They had all their dirty laundry aired in the papers, not to mention the fact that their honeymoon sex video was stolen and sold to the country. The couple flaunted their unconventionality and delighted in the press they generated. The two counted on it to keep their careers alive. However, eventually it all came to an end. After a night of drinking and an incident of abuse, Pamela dumped her hubby and got out. In the media blitz surrounding Mrs. Lee, it is often easy to forget about the person behind the image. She describes herself as being a very spiritual, "new age" type; which translated means she's into crystals, myths and meditation. She has never asked for much out of life, just taken what has come to her. She obviously knows what she's doing or she would have fallen by the wayside long ago. What the future holds for her will depend on her ability to transcend from her status as merely a media icon into something more. Since quitting Baywatch, her career has been on standstill, unless you count Stolen Honeymoon. Pamela recently resurface in a new nighttime television series, V.I.P., in which she headlines a cast of beautiful women who work as bodyguards to the stars. The show, a Charlie's Angels for the 90s, is a surprise hit. Pam also recently announced that she has had her breast implants removed - sending a resounding gasp through the ranks of adolescent boys worldwide. I guess that they have served their purpose...
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