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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, January 27, 2023 4 By Sarah Passingham TV Media P eople who lived through the wild tabloid craze of the 1990s and early 2000s know that the ultimate covergirl of that era of celebrity gossip rags is Pamela Ander- son. The "Baywatch" star, reigning Playboy cover queen and animal rights activist takes audiences behind the scenes of the many chapters of her life in the feature documentary, "Pa- mela, A Love Story," premier- ing Tuesday, Jan. 31, on Netflix. Anderson's life has been dis- sected by the writers of maga- zines, books and blogs, and by TV entertainment reporters for decades. But in "Pamela, A Love Story," she offers viewers her own perspective on the events of her life. Anderson re- counts her upbringing, career and marriages alongside intro- spection on "her lifelong pur- suit of love," according to a De- cember article on Netflix's Tu- dum. Deploying her signature sense of humor, Anderson re- marked upon her many whirl- wind romances by saying, "When you're not looking for love, it finds you ... and I guess I'm easy to find." Born in Ladysmith, B.C., a small town on the coast of Vancouver Island, Anderson moved to Los Angeles after early success posing for Play- boy magazine before pivoting to acting. She featured in the popular ABC sitcom "Home Improvement" as Lisa before becoming the breakout bomb- shell C.J. Parker in "Baywatch" from 1992 to 1997. Anderson also pursued a film career, no- tably starring in the cult hit "Barb Wire" in 1996 and mak- ing a semi-autobiographical appearance in 2003's "Scary Movie 3." Arguably more known for her love life, Anderson has been married several times, most famously to heavy metal band Mötley Crüe's drummer, Tommy Lee, with whom she shares two sons. Anderson was married to and divorced from "Cowboy" singer Kid Rock in 2006, after which she married and divorced poker player Rick Salomon twice — first in 2007 and again in 2014. Most re- cently, Anderson returned to her hometown to build a dream home, as documented in the HGTV series "Pamela's Garden of Eden." While there, she met a Ladysmith local, and the pair married in 2020 but di- vorced in 2022. All from relatively different worlds, the husbands all seem to have one thing in common: no bad blood. "Pamela, A Love Story" director Ryan White ("Good Night Oppy," 2022) told Vanity Fair in December that "all of [Anderson's] hus- bands are a part of her story, so they're all in our film, including the most recent one." It's not all about the juicy details, though, as White highlighted the sweet silver lining of being someone who so easily falls in love, saying, "No matter how many times it hasn't worked out for her, she still is a hope- less romantic and looking for true love in every way." These days, Anderson mostly stays out of the limelight, but a recent miniseries and some family motivation pushed her to make "Pamela, A Love Sto- ry." The 2022 Hulu miniseries "Pam & Tommy" dramatized the events surrounding the theft and distribution of a tape belonging to and depicting An- derson and her then-partner, Lee. Anderson was not involved with "Pam & Tommy," and comments shared with Enter- tainment Tonight by a source close to the star last January made it clear that Anderson was not interested in its explo- ration of that time in her life. The source told Entertainment Tonight, "[Anderson] feels so violated to this day. It brings back a very painful time for her." The source added, "It is shocking that this series is al- lowed to happen without her approval." Anderson herself shared in an email to Vanity Fair that it was persuasion from her oldest son, Brandon Thomas Lee ("The Hills: New Beginnings"), that made her pull out her per- sonal archives. Anderson shared, "Brandon can talk me into anything with his sincere heart and a fierceness that only a son could have ... he wanted me to tell my story authentical- ly and without distortion." Brandon also sat down for the documentary and serves as a producer for the film alongside White, Primetime Emmy-nomi- nated "The Keepers" producer Jessica Hargrave and Out- standing Nature Documentary Emmy winner for "Trophy" (2017), producer Julia Notting- ham. While Anderson looks back on years past, she also looks ahead in "Pamela, A Love Sto- ry," or rather into a dance stu- dio mirror. Anderson took Broadway by storm in an eight- week run of "Chicago" as Rox- ie Hart in spring 2022, and all of the preparation and rehears- als were caught on camera for the film. "You can't discount Pamela. She's been discounted her whole life and she totally pulled it off," White told Vanity Fair about Anderson's stage turn and the valley between public perception and the real Anderson. A memoir, "Love, Pamela," will release in tandem with the premiere of the documentary on Jan. 31, and with her side fi- nally out in the open, Anderson admitted to Vanity Fair that that is enough reflection for now. She shared, "The docu- mentary I haven't seen, and I have no intention of seeing. I gave full access to my archives and diaries, and I hope that through full transparency, it makes sense to somebody." Take a peek inside the life of one of pop culture's most infa- mous blondes and catch the premiere of "Pamela, A Love Story" when it drops Tuesday, Jan. 31, on Netflix. coverstory Pamela Anderson and Gregory Butler, in a scene from "Pamela, A Love Story" Bombshell: Anderson tells all in 'Pamela, A Love Story' By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Has John Goodman ever done a singing role? He has such a distinctive voice, so I'd love to hear him sing. A: If your goal is just to hear John Goodman (of "Roseanne" and "The Connors") sing, then the 1998 big-screen sequel "Blues Brothers 2000" has you covered. According to most critics, it doesn't deliver much else. This 18-years-later sequel to the cult classic "Blues Broth- ers" (1980) is one of the most hated cinematic followups of all time. ("It makes an audience pay for every two seconds of pleasure with 10 seconds of pain," the San Francisco Chroni- cle's Mick LaSalle said). The soundtrack was about the only thing that people liked about it, and that had a lot to do with Goodman's big baritone voice — he plays a member of the tit- ular Blues Brothers band, so he gets to show it off quite a bit. That voice also got him some of his earliest lead roles. He was one of the main characters in the oddball 1986 musical film "True Stories," a passion project from Talking Heads singer David Byrne, and got to perform an original Talking Heads song ("People Like Us") written specifically for the film. A few years later, he played the title role in the modest co- medic hit "King Ralph" (1991). He got to do a couple of musi- cal numbers as a low-rent lounge singer who, through a pretty convoluted set of circumstances, becomes the King of Great Britain. This, and his imposing six-foot-two frame, all led up to the day he got to play a singing bear. And not just any singing bear — the "Bare Necessities" singing bear. Goodman had the honor of voicing Baloo in 2003's "The Jungle Book 2," another long-awaited sequel, though this one was a good deal more popular. This is despite the fact that the wait was even longer: 36 years after the original animated classic "The Jungle Book" (1967). Playing Baloo meant he got to put his own stamp on "The Bare Necessities," an Oscar-nominated classic from the origi- nal film that's one of the most beloved Disney songs of all time. Q: Is that thing about the contract clause in "See How They Run" true? Could they not produce a film version of "The Mousetrap" until the play closes? A: Incredibly, it is true. And it could be why there has never been an English-language adaptation of "The Mousetrap" to this day. Agatha Christie, the legendary novelist who also wrote "The Mousetrap," insisted in her contract that a film adaptation couldn't be made until the play's run closed. She feared that if the end of the mystery became widely known, people wouldn't go to see the play for themselves But it turns out she didn't need to worry. "The Mousetrap" has never actually closed, and is now the longest-running play of all time. And the contract clause is still in place — though there have been adaptations in other languages, there's never been an English-language "Mousetrap" film. This clause is, as you say, a central point in the plot of last year's indie mystery "See How They Run." The film is a long- form tribute to Christie and her work in shaping and populariz- ing the whodunit mystery. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A

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