A Reverse Inspiration

Some folks, whether they're as well-known as Thomas Jefferson, or as (relatively) obscure as your 11th grade English teacher, inspire you to do thing through their ingenuity, compassion, nobility of spirit, or strength. Then, there are the "reverse inspirations," people who make you go, "Well, shit, if she can do that, I can DEFINITELY do that too." Tonight I got reverse inspiration in Barnes and Noble from a source I never would've guess: Pamela Anderson.

Did you know that this woman has not one, but two novels out? The first one is called Star. Before I even took it off the shelf, I said to myself, "I bet the main character is named Star." I was right. It apparently chronicles the meteoric rise of a small-town girl into an international celebrity and sex symbol. In case anyone's questioning where she might have gotten the idea for that book, the next book is called Star Struck. If any of you have taken my advice and read the Motley Crue autobiography The Dirt, you'll know that Tommy Lee spent a few months in jail for hitting her while they were married. And just by reading the dust jacket, this book is so clearly about the two of them that you wonder why she bothered to change the names.

I have never liked Pamela Anderson. I've always thought she was more scary-looking than sexy. To her credit, she has tried to do some good with her celebrity, through her work with PETA and all, but I still always see her as vapid. Perhaps it has something to do with the quality of her "work": Baywatch was about the height of it. Then she was on two really shitty shows, V.I.P( stands for "Vallery Irons Protection)and Stacked, where she worked in a bookstore (it's a double entendre! Get it? How clever!) There was a shitty movie, Barb Wire (where she played a woman named...wait for it..Barb Wire. Pam likes to keep it simple.) Since I'm not a man, I never really paid her much attention.

But my curiousity is piqued with these books. I'm not proud to admit that I spent a good half hour looking at the books and those are what sticks out. I'm a little afraid, actually, of what it might say about me. At least I didn't buy them (not like I'd be the only one; the first was apparently a best-seller). But it may get to the point where I can't take it anymore and just have to give them a go, like I did with Citizen Girl. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if Star and Star Struck are significantly better than Citizen Girl.