The Book of Pam

Lloyd Grove weighs in on the strange rise of Christianity in the lives of silicon-enhanced celebrities. Yesterday, Britney was enduring "the passion," now, apparently, Jesus works his magic on Pam Anderson. Hep C? No, true believers ... JC. Shmears:

"THE PASSION OF THE SEXPOT: I suppose it was inevitable that even Pamela Anderson would get religion. The buxom former 'Baywatch' babe and hardcore-video star sermonizes in Jane magazine:

"'I now love going to church. It's nondenominational, but they preach from the Gospel with sincerity. I've been reading the Old Testament lately. But the Book of John is also a good place to start. I've never felt anything but love from the people at the church I belong to. It doesn't matter to them that I'm on TV. Who cares?'"

Jesus gets all the hotties. It must be that cultivated trustafarian hippie look he's got going on. It practically shouts: my daddy's rich! Anyhoo: Rush and Molloy, our favorite crime fighting-gossip reporting couple (when will Miramax option their story?), does an exhaustive survey of celebrity religion that is a must read, among them:

"Wesley Snipes says, 'I never fail to pray before a meal.'

"For all her 'dirrrtyness,' Christina Aguilera says, 'Right before I get onstage, I gather my band and dancers in my dressing room. We hold hands and my bass player leads us in prayer, or sometimes I'll lead the prayer.'

"Reliably kooky Courtney Love thanks the Church of Scientology on her new CD, 'America's Sweetheart,' but says she also attends a Baptist church in South Central Los Angeles every other Sunday. 'When they say, Father, I just replace that with Mother, ' she says."

Yes, indeed, Court certainly is a mother.



Also in Grove is the extremely odd note that eminent Shakespearean scholar Harold Bloom pulled a Falstaff on feminist Naomi Wolfe when he "placed his hand between her legs."

The article will apparently be on sexual misconduct at Yale for New York Magazine. Beatrice (via Old Hag) notes that Camille Paglia -- a Bloom padawan -- has inserted herself into the mix. Stay tuned.