Look up pam in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Pam or PAM may refer to:

Companies[link]

• PAM Transport, trucking company in Arkansas
• Pittsburgh, Allegheny and McKees Rocks Railroad in Pennsylvania, U.S.

Organisations[link]

• Agrarian Party of Moldova, or Partidul Agrar din Moldova
• Authenticity and Modernity Party, or Parti Authenticité et Modernité, a political party in Morocco
• People's Action Movement, a political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Pomeranian Medical University, or in Polish Pomorska Akademia Medyczna w Szczecinie
• Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon
• World Food Programme, also known as Programme alimentaire mondial

Military[link]

• Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City, Florida, United States, or PAM by the International Air Transport Association airport code
• Permanent Active Militia (Canada)
• Policy Analysis Market, an aborted DARPA program
• Precision Attack Munition, an artillery missile currently under development

People[link]

• Pamela (name), abbreviated form
• Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, nicknamed Pam
• Avraham Yaakov Pam, rosh yeshiva

Science and technology[link]

• Pancreatic acinar metaplasia, in gastroenterology
• Partitioning Around Medoids, a data clustering algorithm
• Payload Assist Module, a small rocket engine, also referred to as a PAM-D
• Peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase, a human gene
• Perpetual art machine
• Photoacoustic Microscopy, a type of Photoacoustic imaging in biomedicine
• Pneumatic artificial muscles
• Point accepted mutation, a type of similarity matrix in Computational Biology
• Positive allosteric modulator, in pharmacology
• Posterior auricular muscle
• Potassium-aggravated myotonia, a genetic disorder
• Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis
• Pulse-amplitude modulation, a characteristic of pulsed signals
• pralidoxime, or Pyridine aldoximine methiodide; an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor
• Polyacrylamide

Computing[link]

• Pluggable Authentication Modules, Unix authentication framework; also known as X/Open Single Sign-on
  • OpenPAM
  • Linux PAM
• PAM graphics format, a part of NetPBM
• Point access method, data structures and algorithms to search for points defined in multidimensional space

Other[link]

• Pam, a name for the Jack of Clubs in the card game Lanterloo or Loo
• Piedmont Atlantic MegaRegion, USA
• Kapampangan language, has the ISO 639-2 and ISO 639-3 code pam
• PAM (cooking oil), a brand of cooking spray, originally Product of Arthur Meyerhoff
• Pregnancy-associated malaria
• Production asset management

See also[link]

• All pages beginning with "Pam"
• All pages beginning with "PAM"

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Pamela Anderson
Anderson attending "The 6th Annual Hollywood Style Awards", Beverly Hills, California on October 10, 2009
Born	Pamela Denise Anderson (1967-07-01) July 1, 1967 (age 44) Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada
Other names	Pamela Anderson Lee Pam Anderson
Occupation	Actress, model, producer, activist, author, former showgirl,UK Reality TV Participant (Big Brother 2011)
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Tommy Lee (m. 1995–1998) «start: (1995)–end+1: (1999)»"Marriage: Tommy Lee to Pamela Anderson" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Pamela_Anderson) (divorced) Kid Rock (m. 2006–2007) «start: (2006)–end+1: (2008)»"Marriage: Kid Rock to Pamela Anderson" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Pamela_Anderson) (divorced) Rick Salomon (m. 2007–2008) «start: (2007)–end+1: (2009)»"Marriage: Rick Salomon to Pamela Anderson" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Pamela_Anderson) (annulled)
Partner	Tommy Lee (1999–2001; 2008–2009) Marcus Schenkenberg (2000–2001) Kid Rock (2001–2003)
Website
http://pamelaanderson.com/

Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990.^[1] For a time, she was known as Pamela Anderson Lee (or Pamela Lee) after marrying Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. She maintains dual American and Canadian citizenship.^[2]

Early life[link]

Anderson was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia, the daughter of Barry, a furnace repairman, and Carol (née Grosco) Anderson, a waitress.^[3] Her great-grandfather, Juho Hyytiäinen, was Finnish, a native of Saarijärvi, and left the Grand Duchy of Finland (which was a part of the Russian Empire at the time) in 1908,^[4] changing his name to Anderson when he arrived as an immigrant. Anderson also has Russian ancestry on her mother's side.^[5]

Career[link]

After graduating from Highland Secondary School in 1985, Anderson moved to Vancouver and worked as a fitness instructor. During the summer of 1989, Anderson went with her friends to a BC Lions game at BC Place, and during the game she was shown on the stadium screen wearing a Labatt's t-shirt, causing the crowd to cheer for the 21-year-old Anderson. She was taken down to the field to receive an ovation from the crowd. Her photographer boyfriend Dan Ilicic produced the Blue Zone Girl poster on his own.^[6] In October 1989 she appeared as the cover girl on Playboy magazine. At this stage in her modelling career, she had decided to live in Los Angeles to further pursue her career ambitions. She became a centrefold for Playboy when the magazine chose her to be their Playmate of the Month for their February 1990 issue. She then chose to get breast implants. Anderson has since appeared in Playboy several times in the 1990s and 2000s.

Acting and modeling[link]

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (August 2011)

After her move to Los Angeles, she won a minor role as the original "Tool Time girl" on the hit television sitcom, Home Improvement. She left the show after two seasons and won the role of C. J. Parker on Baywatch, a role she played between 1992 and 1998. Anderson was still modeling for Outdoor Life and appearing on the cover of the magazine each year. In 1993, Anderson appeared in a music video "Can't Have Your Cake" by Vince Neil to promote his first solo album Exposed.

In 1994, she was cast in her first starring role in Raw Justice also known as Good Cop, Bad Cop, a film in which she costarred with Stacy Keach, David Keith and Airplane! star Robert Hays. The film won the Bronze Award at the Worldfest-Charleston in the category for dramatic theatrical films under the title Good Cop, Bad Cop. The notable cast was the focus of many reviewers. ^[7][8]

In 1996, she appeared in Barb Wire playing Barbara Rose Kopetski, which was later claimed by some sources to be Anderson's real name, although it is not. The movie, a thinly veiled futuristic remake of Casablanca, was not a commercial success. In April 1997, she guest-hosted Saturday Night Live. She appeared on one of two covers for the September issue of Playboy.

In September 1998, Anderson starred as Vallery Irons in the Sony Pictures Entertainment hit syndicated show V.I.P. created by J. F. Lawton.^[9] Blending action and humor in a fast-paced adventure series, with Anderson often poking fun at her tabloid image, the show explored the exciting and sometimes treacherous lives of the rich and famous.^[10] The series lasted through a successful four year run.^[11] In 1999, she appeared as a giantess in the music video for "Miserable" by California alternative rock band Lit. Her role as C.J. Parker gave her more popularity and gained her attention from international viewers. She returned to Baywatch for the 2003 reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding. She appeared on The Nanny as Fran's rival, Heather Biblow.

Anderson aboard USS Ronald Reagan, (2004)

In early 2004, Anderson returned to the spotlight. In May, she appeared naked on the cover of Playboy magazine. It was the first time she had appeared naked on any magazine cover. Later, she posed naked for Stuff and GQ magazines.

Anderson became a naturalized citizen of the United States on May 12, 2004, while retaining her Canadian citizenship. She has lived in Southern California since 1989.

In 2004, she released the book Star, co-written by Eric Shaw Quinn, about a teenager trying to become famous. After this, she began touring the United States, signing autographs for fans at Wal-Mart stores nationwide. Her second book, the sequel Star Struck, released in 2005, is a thinly veiled look at her life with Tommy Lee and the trials of celebrity life. In April 2005, Anderson starred in a new Fox sitcom Stacked as Skyler Dayton, a party girl who goes to work at a bookstore. It was canceled on May 18, 2006, after two seasons, although some episodes were never aired. On August 14, 2005, Comedy Central created the Roast of Pamela Anderson to honor the sex symbol for the past decade. During her final speech at the Roast, Anderson referred to her breasts as "Pancho and Lefty".

In December 2005, NBC cut off a video of Anderson pole dancing on Elton John's "The Red Piano." NBC said that the footage was inappropriate for prime time. The video was shown on huge screens during the event, while John played "The Bitch is Back". In March 2006, it was announced that Anderson would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame thanks to her many years as a model and actress. She is only the second model to receive a star. In April 2006, Anderson hosted Canada's Juno Awards, becoming the first non-singer and model to do so.

She was referenced in the 2006 mockumentary, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, as the title character becomes obsessed with her, and plans to abduct and marry her. She appears as herself at a book signing at the end of the film, confronted by Borat in a staged botched abduction.^[12]

She performed on February 13–14, 2008 in a Valentine's Day striptease act at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris.^[13] Anderson then starred in Pam: Girl on the Loose, which debuted on August 3, 2008 on E! in the United States.

In December 2009, Anderson guest-starred as Genie of the Lamp in the pantomime Aladdin at the New Wimbledon Theatre in Wimbledon, south-west London, England.^[14][15] Anderson took over the role from comedienne Ruby Wax, with former EastEnders actress Anita Dobson and comedian Paul O'Grady also booked for the role.^[16]

Anderson is due to star in a short film The Commuter directed by the McHenry Brothers to promote the Nokia N8 smartphone in the UK^[17] Fans of Anderson, who won a Nokia UK run competition, will be starring alongside Anderson in the short film.

[edit] Playboy career

Pamela Anderson
Playboy centerfold appearance
February 1990
Preceded by	Peggy McIntaggart
Succeeded by	Deborah Driggs
Personal details
Born	July 1, 1967
Measurements	Bust: 36 in (91 cm)[1] Waist: 22 in (56 cm) Hips: 34 in (86 cm)
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1]
Weight	105 lb (48 kg; 7.5 st)[1]

Anderson's Playboy career spans three decades (1989–2011), and she has appeared on more Playboy covers than anyone else.^[18] She has also made appearances in the publication's newsstand specials. Anderson wrote the foreword in the Playboy coffee table book Playboy's Greatest Covers.

Pro wrestling[link]

• During an appearance at the World Wrestling Federation's Royal Rumble in 1995, Anderson promised that she would accompany the winner of the Royal Rumble to WrestleMania. Anderson returned for her appearance at the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania XI on April 2, but as the guest valet for WWF World Heavyweight Champion Diesel and not the Royal Rumble winner, his opponent Shawn Michaels; Michaels ended up being accompanied to the ring by Jenny McCarthy. After pinning Michaels, Diesel left with both Anderson and McCarthy.
• In anticipation of her appearance at the Royal Rumble, several skits were produced featuring wrestlers fawning over Anderson. One commercial featured Anderson coming home and checking her answering machine. As Anderson strips down behind a curtain, messages from wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels, Diesel, and Doink the Clown can be heard.
• At the 2006 Canada's Walk of Fame induction ceremony, Anderson shared a kiss with WWE diva and fellow Canadian Trish Stratus.
• She appeared on former Pro Wrestling commentator Mark Madden's Pittsburgh-based sports talk radio show in October, 2006.

[edit] Big Brother

On July 9, 2008, Anderson entered the Australian Big Brother house for a three-day visit.^[19] This was Anderson's first foray into reality television. In November 2010, Anderson appeared on season 4 of Bigg Boss, the Indian version of the Big Brother television franchise. She stayed as a guest in the house for three days for a reported sum of Rs. 2.5 crores (approx $ 550,000 USD).^[20] Furthering her involvement in the franchise, In September 2011, Anderson took part in the 12th series of the UK version of Big Brother.^[21]

[edit] Dancing with the Stars

Anderson was a contestant on the tenth season of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with professional dancer Damian Whitewood. The season premiered on Monday, March 22, 2010,^[22] and after seven weeks, Anderson was eliminated.^[23]

In 2011, she appeared on the Argentinian version of Dancing with the Stars, entitled Bailando por un sueño (Bailando 2011). She withdrew from the competition after the fourth round.^[24]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

In addition to her fame from modelling and acting, Anderson has received a great deal of press attention for her well-publicized personal life. Her relationships have made headlines in gossip magazines for years. Anderson married Tommy Lee, drummer of Mötley Crüe, on February 19, 1995, after knowing him for only 96 hours and the couple eventually had two sons, Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee, named for Anderson's great grandfather, Dale Jagger Grosco who fought in World War II. During this time, she was known professionally as Pamela Anderson Lee. Anderson filed for divorce from Lee twice and reconciled with him twice, before the couple finally broke up for good, however, she admitted to newspapers that she still often had sex with him since their divorce.^[25]

In March 2002, Anderson publicly stated that she had contracted the Hepatitis C virus from Lee (supposedly from sharing tattoo needles), and began writing a regular column for Jane magazine. In October 2003, Anderson jokingly said on Howard Stern's radio show that she does not expect to live more than 10 or 15 years,^[26] but this was misconstrued and taken seriously by many websites and tabloids.

Anderson and Kid Rock in 2003

Since her divorce, she has been engaged to the model Marcus Schenkenberg and to the singer Kid Rock (Robert J. Ritchie). She broke up with Schenkenberg in 2001 and with Kid Rock in 2003. It was announced on July 18, 2006 that she would marry Kid Rock on July 29, 2006, on a yacht near St Tropez, France. "Feels like I've been stuck in a time warp," said Anderson in her blog entry. "Not able to let go of MY family picture ... it's been sad and lonely and frustrating ... I've raised my kids alone in hope of a miracle. Well my miracle came and went. And came back and back because he knew that I'd wake up one day and realize that I was waiting for nothing." "I'm moving on," she declared. "I feel like I'm finally free ... I'm in love." There was extensive unconfirmed media speculation that the marriage was pregnancy-related, but the theory was based only on Anderson's representative's refusal to comment on the question.^[27]

On November 10, 2006, it was announced that Anderson had miscarried while in Vancouver shooting a new film, Blonde and Blonder.^[28] Seventeen days later, on November 27, 2006, Anderson filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court from Kid Rock, citing irreconcilable differences.^[29] Some news reports have suggested that Kid Rock's outrage during a screening of Borat, in which she plays a cameo role, led to the filing for divorce two weeks later.^[30]

Anderson told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres in September 2007 that she was engaged. On September 29, Anderson and Rick Salomon, applied for a marriage license in Las Vegas.^[31] Anderson married Salomon between her two nightly appearances at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Hans Klok's magic show in a small wedding ceremony at The Mirage on October 6, 2007.^[32] However, the couple separated on December 13, and on February 22, 2008, Anderson requested through the courts that the marriage be annulled citing fraud.^[33]

Sex tapes[link]

A sex tape of Anderson and Tommy Lee on their honeymoon was stolen from their home, and made a huge stir on the Internet. Anderson sued the video distribution company, Internet Entertainment Group. Ultimately, the Lees entered into a confidential settlement agreement with IEG. Thereafter, the company began making the tape available to subscribers to its Web sites again, resulting in triple the normal traffic on the site.^[34]

A second tape, which was made before the Tommy Lee tape, involving Anderson and musician Bret Michaels from Poison was later announced, and an abridged version of less than 60 seconds appeared on the internet. Frames of the video first appeared in Penthouse magazine in March 1998. The tape was successfully blocked by Michaels, but a four-minute sex tape is still available on the Internet.

Legal[link]

The California Franchise Tax Board cited Anderson as delinquent in state income taxes owing nearly $525,000, in a list of Top 500 Delinquent Taxpayers^[35], updated on April 12, 2012. The tax board had filed a lien against Anderson on April 7, 2009.

Charitable work, activism and advocacy[link]

Anderson promoting vegetarianism

Anderson is a vegan, an advocate for animal rights, and an active member of the animal protection organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), taking part in several campaigns for animal rights.^[36][37] She became a vegetarian in her early teens when she saw her father cleaning an animal he had hunted.^[38]

One of Anderson's campaigns as a member of PETA has been against the use of fur. In 1999, Anderson received the first Linda McCartney Memorial Award for animal rights protectors, in recognition of her campaign. In 2003, Anderson stripped down for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" advertising campaign. On June 28, 2006, Anderson posed naked with other protesters on a window display of the Stella McCartney boutique in London, England. It was a PETA gala event before the PETA Humanitarian Awards. Anderson went inside the boutique and said she would take her clothes off if the event raised enough money for PETA, which it did. She campaigned against Kentucky Fried Chicken. In 2001, Anderson released a letter in support of PETA's campaign against Kentucky Fried Chicken, stating "What KFC does to 750 million chickens each year is not civilized or acceptable." She later made a video about KFC's treatment of chickens.^[39] In January 2006, Anderson requested that the Governor of Kentucky remove a bust of Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, from display but her request was refused even when she offered her own bust in exchange. In February 2006, Anderson decided to boycott the Kentucky Derby because of its support for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

She has also campaigned against seal hunting in Canada. In March 2006, Anderson asked to speak to Prime Minister Stephen Harper about the annual seal hunt but she was refused. In May 2006, she petitioned random individuals on the street for their opinion on the Canadian Seal Hunt. In December, 2009, Anderson, photographed in a t-shirt with a drawn picture of a seal pup on it, was featured in a new ad campaign for PETA. She appears next to the headline "Save the Seals" in the ad and urges the public to help end "Canada's annual seal slaughter." She joined forces with PETA in a campaign for the boycott of fruit-juice maker POM. The "Pom Horrible Campaign"^[40] has resulted in the company halting animal tests. In March 2005, Anderson became a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetics's MAC AIDS Fund, which helped people affected by AIDS and HIV. After becoming the official spokesmodel, Anderson raised money during events in Toronto, Tokyo, Dublin, and Athens. Anderson became the celebrity spokesperson for the American Liver Foundation, and served as the Grand Marshal of the SOS motorcycle ride fundraiser. She wrote an open letter to President Barack Obama urging the legalization of cannabis.^[41]

Anderson became the center of controversy when she posed in a bikini nearly nude for a PETA ad that was banned in Montreal, Canada on grounds that the ad was sexist. Anderson retorted saying, "In a city that is known for its exotic dancing and for being progressive and edgy, how sad that a woman would be banned from using her own body in a political protest over the suffering of cows and chickens. In some parts of the world, women are forced to cover their whole bodies with burqas – is that next? I didn't think that Canada would be so puritanical." ^[42]

She became a company spokesperson for FrogAds, Inc. in March 2012.^[43]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

• The Flintstones: Little Big League (1978)
• Charles in Charge episode "Teacher's Pest" (1990)
• Married... with Children episode "Al With Kelly" (1990)
• Married... with Children episode "Route 666: Part 2" (1991)
• Home Improvement (cast member from 1991–1993)
• Baywatch (cast member from 1992–1997)
• Days of our Lives (cast member in 1992)
• Come Die with Me: A Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Mystery (1994)
• The Nanny episode "Danny's Dead and Who's Got the Will?" (1997)
• The Nanny episode "The Heather Biblow Story" (1997)
• V.I.P. (1998–2002)
• Futurama (voice) episode "A Fishful of Dollars" (1999)
• Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003)
• Less Than Perfect episode "All About Claude" (2003)
• Stripperella (voice) (2003–2004)
• Stacked (2005–2006)
• Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson (2005)
• 8 Simple Rules episode "C.J.'s Temptation" (2005)
• 8 Simple Rules episode "Torn Between Two Lovers" (2005)
• MADtv (2005)
• Pam: Girl on the Loose (2008)
• The Sunday Night Project – Guest Host (2008)
• Big Brother Australia – House Guest for 3 days (2008)
• Dancing with the Stars (2010) – As contestant
• Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff (2010) – As roaster
• Magic Numbers (in the United Kingdom) (2010) – as guest
• Bigg Boss India – House Guest for 4 days (2010)
• Celebrity Juice – As a Guest
• Bailando 2011 (2011) – As contestant
• Les Anges de la télé-réalité (France, season 2) (2011) – as guest in Miami house
• Big Brother UK – as guest in the house (2011)
• Yalan Dünya episode number 9 (2012) – guest appearance as herself
• RuPaul's Drag Race – guest judge

In popular culture[link]

'Newman House' in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, Australia

Newman House is a pop architecture building constructed in 2003 in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, which features a large image of Anderson's face. Sam Newman commissioned local architect Cassandra Fahey to design the building, and used the image with Anderson's permission. Permits were issued retroactively when it became a major local landmark and won the award for Best New Residential Building in the RAIA Victorian Architecture Awards.^[44]

Serbian comedy rock band Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi released the song "Lepa si, Pamela" (trans. "You're Beautiful, Pamela") on their 1998 album Seks, droga i Bodiroga (Sex, Drugs and Bodiroga). In the song the band's frontman Igor "Prljavi Inspektor Blaža" Blažević declares his love to Pamela and makes threats to Tommy Lee, and the album cover features an image of Anderson and Blažević in bed.^[45] In 2009 Blažević met Anderson in Belgrade, presenting her with the Seks, droga i Bodiroga disc.^[46]

Anderson is also seen on the television series, Invader Zim, appearing in "Walk of Doom", "Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom", "Mortos de Soulstealer", and "The Girl Who Cried Gnome". However, she did not speak in her appearances on the show.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pamela Anderson (category)

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Pamela Anderson

• Official website
• Pamela Anderson at Playboy.com
• Pamela Anderson at the Internet Movie Database

Jenny McCarthy
McCarthy in 2006
Born	Jennifer Ann McCarthy (1972-11-01) November 1, 1972 (age 39) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.[1]
Occupation	Actress, comedian, model, author, activist
Years active	1993–present
Spouse	John Mallory Asher (1999–2005; 1 child)
Partner	Jim Carrey (2005–2010)

Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy (born November 1, 1972)^[1][2] is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and film acting career. Most recently, she has written books about parenting, and has become an activist promoting the claims that vaccines cause autism^[3] and that chelation therapy helps cure it—both claims are considered false by the medical community.^[4]

Early life[link]

McCarthy was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois to a middle-class Catholic family of Polish and Irish descent. She lived in the West Elsdon neighborhood of Chicago.^[5][6] She is the second of four daughters; her sisters are named Lynette, Joanne and Amy. Her cousin is Academy Award-nominated actress Melissa McCarthy of Bridesmaids and Mike and Molly.^[7][8] McCarthy's mother, Linda, was a housewife and courtroom custodian, and her father, Dan McCarthy, was a steel mill foreman.^[9][10]

As a teenager, McCarthy attended Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School (whose school sweater she donned in the pages of Playboy) and was a cheerleader at both Brother Rice High School and St. Laurence High Schools,^[11] although she has referred to herself as an "outcast" at her school^[12] and has described how she was repeatedly bullied by classmates.^[13]

Career[link]

Modeling and acting[link]

After getting accepted by Playboy in 1993, the magazine offered McCarthy $20,000 to pose for its October issue. McCarthy became the Playmate of the Month and later the Playmate of the Year and was paid a $100,000 salary.^[14] In 1994, because of her newfound public attention, McCarthy moved to Los Angeles and, for a time, hosted Hot Rocks, a Playboy TV show featuring uncensored music videos.

In 1995, MTV chose McCarthy to be the host of a new dating show called Singled Out, for which she left Hot Rocks. Her job as a host was a success, and Playboy wanted her to do more modeling. That same year, she also appeared at World Wrestling Federation (WWF) pay-per-view event WrestleMania XI as a guest valet for villain Shawn Michaels, who faced heroic WWF Champion, Diesel. She left after the match with the victor, Diesel. McCarthy returned to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, formerly the WWF) on the August 2, 2008 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event to thank the fans for supporting Generation Rescue, an autism advocacy organization. In 1996, she landed a small part in the comedy The Stupids. In 1997, McCarthy launched two shows. The first one was an MTV sketch comedy show The Jenny McCarthy Show, which was sufficiently popular for NBC to sign her for an eponymous sitcom later that year, Jenny. The latter show is generally considered a disappointment and was quickly canceled.^{[citation needed]} Also in 1997, she appeared on one of two covers for the September issue of Playboy (the other cover featured Pamela Anderson). McCarthy also released an autobiography: Jen-X: Jenny McCarthy's Open Book.^[15]

In 1998, McCarthy's first major movie role was alongside Trey Parker and Matt Stone in the comedy BASEketball. The following year, she starred in Diamonds, a movie which was directed by her then-husband John Mallory Asher. In 2000, she had a role in the horror movie Scream 3, and three years later she parodied that role in horror film spoof Scary Movie 3 along with fellow Playmate and actress Pamela Anderson. In 2005, McCarthy produced, wrote, and starred in the movie Dirty Love, where she was again directed by her husband at the time, John Asher. In March 2006, she was given Razzie Awards for "Worst Actress", "Worst Screenplay", and "Worst Picture" for her work on Dirty Love, which also earned Asher a Razzie for "Worst Director."^[16]

In addition to her early TV fame on MTV and her short-lived, self-titled NBC sitcom, McCarthy has guest starred in a variety of other television shows including Stacked, Charmed, The Drew Carey Show, Wings, Fastlane, Two and a Half Men and Just Shoot Me!.^{[citation needed]} She was the voice of Six in the third season of Canadian computer-animated science fiction cartoon Tripping the Rift. In 2005, McCarthy hosted a show on E! called Party at the Palms. The reality show, which was filmed at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, featured hotel guests, party goers, and celebrities.^[17]

McCarthy has continued her work with Playboy over the years, both as a model and in other capacities. She appeared on the cover of the magazine's January 2005 issue wearing a leopard skin version of the company's iconic "bunny suit" and was featured in a pictorial shot at Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in that same issue. She was the second woman (following Carmen Electra) and first former Playmate to become a celebrity photographer for the Playboy Cyber Club, where she photographed model Jennifer Madden.^{[citation needed]}

Jenny's younger sister Amy has also posed for Playboy. She was Cyber Girl of the Week for September 27, 2004, and Cyber Girl of the Month for January, 2005.^[18]

McCarthy currently stars in a five-episode online series, called In the Motherhood, along with Chelsea Handler and Leah Remini.^[19] The show is on MSN and is based on being a mother where users could submit their stories to have it made into real webisodes.

She has also appeared in two video games: playing the role of Agent Tanya in the video game Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, replacing Kari Wührer, and the fitness video game Your Shape Featuring Jenny McCarthy.^[20]

She is the host of season 2 of Love in the Wild, which begins on June 7, 2012.^[21]

Public persona[link]

April 4, 2005

McCarthy once modeled for Candie's, a shoe company. In one magazine ad, McCarthy posed on a toilet seat with her underwear near her ankles. Cultural scholar Collin Gifford Brooke wrote that the ad's "taboo nature" brought it attention, while noting that the ad itself helped to weaken that taboo.^[22] Another Candie's ad depicted McCarthy passing wind in a crowded elevator.^[23][24]

A sketch on her MTV show centered on her character, a well-coiffed business woman, answering the question of "What did you have for lunch?" by seeming to force herself to vomit all over a table which she then ate. This was faked using special effects.

This theme was taken to a new extreme in her film Dirty Love, which featured McCarthy's character sitting in a massive pool of her own menstrual blood.^[25]

Personal life[link]

McCarthy began dating actor/director John Mallory Asher late in 1998.^[26] The couple became engaged in January 1999, and married on September 11 of that year. They have a son, Evan Joseph, born on May 18, 2002. Evan was diagnosed with autism. McCarthy and Asher divorced in September, 2005.^[27]

In December 2005, McCarthy began dating actor Jim Carrey. They did not make their relationship public until June 2006. She announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on April 2, 2008 that she and Carrey were living together, but had no plans to marry, as they did not need a "piece of paper."^[28] Carrey almost made a mock proposal to McCarthy as a promotion to the film Yes Man for Ellen's Twelve Days of Holidays. McCarthy and Carrey announced that they had split up in April 2010.^[29]

In April 2012 she began dating Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.^[30][31][32]

Activism and autism controversy[link]

Jenny McCarthy speaking at the 2008 Ante Up For Autism benefit

In May 2007, McCarthy announced that her son Evan was diagnosed with autism in 2005. Before claiming that her son's autism was caused by vaccination, McCarthy wrote that he was gifted, a "crystal child", and she an "indigo mom".^[33] Evan's disorder began with seizures and his improvement occurred after the seizures were treated, symptoms experts have noted are more consistent with Landau–Kleffner syndrome, often misdiagnosed as autism.^[34][35] McCarthy served as a spokesperson for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) from June 2007 until October 2008.^[36] She participated in fundraisers, online chats, and other activities for the non-profit organization to help families affected by autism spectrum disorders. Her first fundraiser for TACA, Ante Up for Autism,^[37] was held on October 20, 2007, in Irvine, California. She is a prominent spokesperson and activist for the Generation Rescue foundation,^[38] and serves on its Board of Directors as of January 2011.^[39]

A study found 24% of parents placed "some trust" in information on vaccine safety from celebrities like Jenny McCarthy.^[4]

McCarthy's book on the subject, Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism, was published September 17, 2007. She stated both in her book and during her appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show that her husband was unable to deal with their son's autism, which led to their divorce. In 2008, she appeared on a Larry King Live special dedicated to the subject, and argued that vaccines can trigger autism.^[40][41] In an April 27, 2010 PBS Frontline documentary, she was interviewed about the controversy between vaccine opponents and public health experts.^[42][43]

In addition to conventional, intensive Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy, McCarthy tried a gluten-free and casein-free diet, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, chelation, aromatherapies, electromagnetics, spoons rubbed on his body, multivitamin therapy, B-12 shots and numerous prescription drugs.^[44] McCarthy has stated on talk shows and at rallies that chelation therapy helped her son recover from autism.^[4] The underlying rationale for chelation, the speculation that mercury in vaccines causes autism, has been roundly rejected by scientific studies, with the National Institute of Mental Health concluding that autistic children are unlikely to receive any benefit to balance the risks of heart attack, stroke and cardiac arrest posed by the chelating agents used in the treatment.^[45]

McCarthy's public presence, and vocal activism on the vaccination-autism controversy, led, in 2008, to her being awarded The James Randi Educational Foundation's Pigasus Award (granted for contributions to pseudoscience) for the 'Performer Who Has Fooled The Greatest Number of People with The Least Amount of Effort'. Randi stated in a video on the JREF's website that he did sympathize with the plight of McCarthy and her child, but admonished her for using her public presence in a way that may discourage parents from having their own children vaccinated.^[46]

McCarthy's claims that vaccines cause autism are not supported by any medical evidence, and the original paper by Andrew Wakefield that formed the basis for the claims (and for whose book McCarthy wrote a foreword)^[47] has been shown to be based on manipulated data and fraudulent research.^{[48][49][50][51]} The BMJ published a 2011 article by journalist Brian Deer, based on information uncovered by Freedom of Information legislation after the British General Medical Council (GMC) inquiry into allegations of misconduct against Wakefield that led to him being struck-off from the medical register (unable to practice medicine in the UK) and his articles retracted, stating that Wakefield had planned a venture to profit from the MMR vaccine scare.^{[52][53][54][55]}

Parental concerns over vaccines have led to decreased immunization rates and increased incidence of whooping cough and measles, a highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease.^[56] Neil Cameron, a historian who specializes in the history of science, writing for The Montreal Gazette labeled the controversy a "failure of journalism" that resulted in unnecessary deaths, saying that The Lancet should not have published a study based on "statistically meaningless results" from only 12 cases and that a grapevine of worried parents and "nincompoop" celebrities fueled the widespread fears.^[57]

Generation Rescue issued a statement that the "media circus" following the revelation of fraud and manipulation of data was "much ado about nothing",^[58] which led USA Today to report that McCarthy had "taken a beating on Twitter".^[59] Salon.com responded to Generation Rescue's statement with:^[60]

"It's high time the woman who once said that 'I do believe sadly it's going to take some diseases coming back to realize that we need to change and develop vaccines that are safe' took a step back and reconsidered the merits of that increasingly crackpot stance. And it's time she acknowledged that clinging to research that's been deemed patently fraudulent does not make one a 'mother warrior.' It makes her a menace."

In January 2011, McCarthy defended Wakefield, saying that he had listened to parents and that the controversy was "merely the allegations of a single British journalist named Brian Deer".^[61]

Publications[link]

• Jen-X: Jenny McCarthy's Open Book, an autobiography (Harpercollins, ISBN 978-0-06-039233-8).
• Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth (ISBN 978-0-7382-0949-4)
• Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth about the First Year of Mommyhood (ISBN 978-0-525-94883-4)
• Life Laughs: The Naked Truth about Motherhood, Marriage, and Moving On (ISBN 978-0-525-94947-3)
• Louder than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism (ISBN 978-0-525-95011-0)
• Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds (ISBN 978-0-525-95069-1)
• Healing and Preventing Autism Co-written with Dr. Jerry Kartzinel. Dutton Adult, March 31, 2009. (ISBN 978-0-525-95103-2)
• Love, Lust & Faking It: The Naked Truth About Sex, Lies, and True Romance (Harper, 2010)(ISBN 978-0062012982)

Filmography[link]

Television work[link]

• Mr. Show (1995)
• Singled Out (host from 1995–1997)
• Wings (1996)
• Jenny (1997–1998)
• Home Improvement (Guest star on "Young at Heart") (1999)
• The Big Breakfast (1998)
• Honey Vicarro (2001) (unsold pilot)
• Untitled Jenny McCarthy Project (2003) (unsold pilot)
• Charmed (2003)
• Less Than Perfect (2003)
• Hope & Faith (2004)
• Stacked (2005)
• What I Like About You (2005)
• The Bad Girl's Guide (2005) (canceled after 6 episodes)
• Party @ the Palms (2005–2006)
• One on One (2003–2004)
• My Name Is Earl (2006)
• Tripping the Rift (Voice of Six) (2006–2007)
• Two and a Half Men (2007–2008, 2010, 2011–present)
• Just Shoot Me! (season 5, episode 6)
• WWE Saturday Night's Main Event (Saturday Night's Main Event XXXVI, August 2, 2008, edition)
• Chuck (Chuck Versus The Suburbs) (2009)
• The Price is Right (2012)
• Windy City Live (2012)

Video game work[link]

• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (2008)

See also[link]

• List of people in Playboy 1990–1999

Notes[link]