Pamela Anderson is at that stage in her career (snicker) where she doesn't want to just be known as a bimbo anymore. No, Pamela wants people to take her seriously. The same way they take Angelina Jolie seriously. And that's why Pam, already a vocal member of PETA, has decided to devote herself even more to charity work.
"I have some decisions to make about my career," wrote Pam on her personal website. "I have plenty of options but most importantly I really want to get more involved in environmental issues... and human issues around the world."
Translation: Showing up in crappy countries under UN sponsorship is a really easy way to get positive publicity without having to actually do anything. That was how Angelina got started. And people like Ashley Judd and Naomi Watts have pulled it too. Basically, you show up at a press conference to have your picture taken, then someone helicopters you out to some village where people subsist on handfuls of rice and water that's mostly urine, and you let one of the natives braid your hair, and you dance with them and act like you don't want to hurl at the awful smell. Then you smile and climb back on the helicopter, and as soon as the door is shut you start complaining about how constipated you are, and how you can't find a decent Chinese acupuncturist out in the bush (Don't believe me? Just read this).
I'm being a bit cynical about Pam's announcement I realize. There's always a chance, I suppose, that the stupid bitch is sincere about all this, and isn't just looking for some new kind of attention now that no one wants to give her movie or TV parts. But I'm sorry, I just can't help being skeptical. Because it's such an obvious move. And nowadays, if you're a celeb, you get more press for what you do in your outside life than your professional one (when's the last time you read an article about one of Lindsay Lohan's film roles?). So, it's natural that, if you're going to have all that attention, you want it to be positive. The problem is that it's all just a dog-and-pony show. These organizations want to be associated with celebs, because it helps their money-raising efforts. And the celebs get the nice warm glow of feeling like they've done something good, and more importantly, they get to look like they've done something good. It's all sort of whorish. And it's not going to end world poverty and hunger either. Even Angelina can't do that.
