Entertainment
Raunchy 90s Series Starring The Most Downloaded Woman On The Internet Is A Campy Good Time
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Back in the 90s, Baywatch was the most popular series on the planet, and as a result, Pamela Anderson was the most popular woman on the fledgling internet. Throughout the decade, she would be either one of the top-searched women or the number one search term, depending on which web browser was surveyed.
Remember Lycos? Also lost to the sands of time is her other ’90s series, the action-comedy V.I.P. Airing for four seasons and 88 episodes starting in 1998, the syndicated series gave millions of fans exactly what they wanted week after week: goofy self-deprecating humor.
V.I.P. Is All About Faking It Til You Make It
In 2026, Pamela Anderson is enjoying a career resurgence thanks to The Naked Gun and its press tour, during which she showed off her sharp wit. Anyone who’s seen V.I.P. knew that the blonde bombshell was well aware of her image as a well, blonde bombshell, and frequently made fun of it through her character, Vallery Irons. Accidentally finding herself thrust into the world of high-end bodyguards, Vallery has no idea what she’s doing but always manages to save the day in the end.
It’s an interesting dynamic where the new figurehead boss is forced into the spotlight while the competent, veteran team does all the real work behind the scenes. If you were to guess that everyone else on the cast looks like they came right from a Victoria’s Secret runway, you’d be correct. Even the men on V.I.P.’s staff, Quick and Johnny, were played by martial artists, Shaun Baker and Dustin Nguyen, respectively.
There’s no overarching mythology arc to V.I.P., and every episode follows the same formula of a celebrity/rich person hiring the team to protect them. Val and the rest of the team, Natasha (Molly Culver), Nikki (Natalie Raitano), Maxine (Angella Brooks), and Kay (Leah Lail), will somehow have to put on skimpy outfits in order to go undercover, distract the mafia, act as a body double, or any other countless number of reasons the writers were able to come up with during the 88 episode run.
The Queen Of Syndication
Pamela Anderson served as an executive producer on V.I.P., working alongside series creator J.F. Lawton (a name you don’t recognize, but he wrote Pretty Woman and Under Siege), who had a similar sense of humor. Together, they gave the studio what they wanted: hot people looking hot, but surrounded it with the campiest storylines since Batman ‘66 and constant references poking fun at the premise itself.
V.I.P. was a hit for all the obvious reasons and even launched a line of toys, comics, and, inexplicably, video games. A series built entirely on sex appeal is the logical choice for a Game Boy Color adaptation. After the series went off the air, there was a significantly less successful attempt to replicate Pamela Anderson’s success with Species star Natasha Henstridge’s She-Spies. Turns out there’s only one Pamela Anderson.
Anderson’s movie career may have fizzled out after Baywatch, and V.I.P. wasn’t her first choice after ditching the red swimsuit, but it worked with her second hit syndicated series in a row. Who knew the secret to syndication success was to put attractive people in the skimpiest clothing legally allowed?
Entertainment
Apples excellent AirPods Pro 3 are back on sale for just $200 — a $50 savings
SAVE $49.01: The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are 20% at Amazon and Walmart as of April 22. Snag a pair for just $199.99 (normally $249).
$199.99
at Amazon
$249
Save $49.01
Our very own Stan Schroeder is fresh off reviewing the new AirPods Max 2, Apple’s updated over-ear headphones. While he thought their noise cancellation has improved since the last generation, they still can’t block out sounds as well as the AirPods Pro 3: “Wearing them on a busy street makes the outside noise vanish in a spectacular fashion,” he writes of the earbuds.
So, if you’re an Apple user looking for best-in-class ANC, stick with the AirPods Pro 3. Right now, they happen to be on sale for just $199.99 at Amazon and Walmart — that’s a savings of nearly $50 and one of their best deals to date. They briefly hit $184 on Amazon back in February, but never since. (And they were $219.99 everywhere last Black Friday.)
For comparison’s sake, the AirPods Max 2 are up to $350 pricier depending on the color.
The AirPods Pro 3 actually have the same H2 chip as the AirPods Max 2, so they support the same suite of smart features like Adaptive Audio and Live Translation. On top of that, they come with a built-in heart rate monitor that “worked perfectly,” per Mashable contributor Adam Doud. (Read his full review.)
Mashable Deals
On their own, the AirPods Pro 3 will net you up to eight hours of battery life per charge with their ANC enabled. Their included charging case adds an extra 24 hours of use.
I can personally assure you that you won’t find the AirPods Pro 3 on sale for anywhere cheaper — even if you go for a used pair. In new condition, they’re $239.99 at B&H Photo and full price at Best Buy and Target. Then there’s Best Buy’s open-box AirPods Pro 3, which are are $204.99 in fair condition. Pass.
Entertainment
LA public schools pass screen time limits for students in a first
Los Angeles public school students may be returning to the age of college-ruled notebooks and Scantrons, following a Tuesday school board vote that will limit the use of computers, laptops, and tablets in classrooms.
Titled “Using Technology with Intention,” the new resolution mandates the creation of grade-level and subject-specific screen time limits across Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools, including a complete ban on device usage for kindergarten and first grade. The use of one-to-one devices, like individual Chromebooks, will be discouraged for second through fifth grades, as well.
Revised guidelines will also address video-aided lesson plans, access to video streaming platforms like YouTube, and expanded restrictions on gaming and social media platforms.
District staff must present the revised tech use policy by June, which will go into effect for all LAUSD students beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Guidelines will be reevaluated every year, and schools are tasked with tracking and sharing student screen time numbers with parents.
Mashable Light Speed
The resolution cites increasing concern about the effect of screen time on young minds and alleged screen addiction, including recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies that show a correlation between high screen time and adverse health effects. The board was unanimously in favor of the tech restrictions, with one recusal.
“We know that tech is not going away and can be a powerful tool in the classroom. This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time and screen time in schools to ensure we are doing what actually helps students learn best,” board member Nick Melvoin said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time…”
Advocates, parents, and even students have spent the last year lobbying for greater tech restrictions following the passing of a 2025 bell-to-bell cellphone ban restricting the use of personal devices during school hours. Schools Beyond Screens, a national classroom tech safety coalition founded by LAUSD parents and teachers, helped craft the resolution in collaboration with board members and co-sponsors Melvoin, Karla Griego, Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Jerry Yang, Kelly Gonez, and Rocío Rivas.
“Now is the time for a safe and science-backed approach to classroom technology, one that is not guided by Big Tech talking points like screen value over screen time,” the organization wrote in a press release following the decision.
“There is much work to be done, and this is only the beginning, but today, we are proud, grateful, and – for the first time in a long time – hopeful. Our kids may yet have the kind of public education that they deserve — one that is proven effective and free of undue digital distraction, harmful content, and corporate exploitation.”
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Entertainment
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is at the lowest price weve seen all year
SAVE $75: The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $299. That’s a 25% discount.
$224
at Amazon
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Save $75
Packing up for an adventure means figuring out how to bring along a soundtrack. A trip to the cabin or a lakeside campground all deserve to be experienced with a great playlist. If you could use an upgrade before summer to get a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, check out this deal at Amazon.
As of April 22, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $299. That’s a 25% discount that takes $75 off the price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen at Amazon so far this year.
A compact speaker with a scratch-resistant aluminum shell is exactly what we should be packing on adventures. With an attached carabiner, the B&O Explore speaker is designed to clip onto your backpack when you hit the trail. Or you can utilize the rubber base to set it on a rock or even in the sand. It’s both waterproof and dustproof, adding to the durability.
Bang & Olufsen notes this model gets up to 27 hours of playtime before it needs to recharge. It weighs under 1.5 pounds, so it won’t add much bulk to your gear. It takes about two hours to recharge the Beosound Explore.
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Before summer kicks into high gear, add the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore speaker to your pack. It’s ready for any adventure you have planned.
Apples excellent AirPods Pro 3 are back on sale for just $200 — a $50 savings
Red Bulls' struggling defense clashes with woeful D.C. offense
