By SAMANTHA ETTUS
24-AUG-05

For many of us, summer is all about fun, sun and relaxation. But for those that party all year round, the summer months bring a less dramatic change of pace. This week we take a look at three party girls: Tara Reid, Pamela Anderson and Courtney Love. Each has allowed their partying to impact their careers and personal brands, but for only one has the result been positive.

Pamela Anderson
With the release of her second novel this past week, Anderson is now more prominent than ever, having conquered television, Playboy and publishing to boot. Admirably, she has accomplished so much without taking herself seriously, an anomaly in the world of celebrities. She works hard and plays hard too, and despite her stereotypical dumb blonde party girl act, she is impossible not to like. Though she is ubiquitous on the party scene, she is a devoted single mother to sons Dylan and Brandon and maintains a close relationship with their father, ex-husband rocker Tommy Lee. Anderson's success stems from her commitment to consistently deliver the persona her fans know and love, and she has continued to focus on projects that capitalize on her past successes. And the busy star keeps plugging along; in addition to her new novel Star Struck, her TV series Stacked - in which she stars as a party girl turned bookstore employee - was picked up for a second season by FOX after surprisingly strong ratings in its debut this Spring. Anderson also just launched her own clothing line, and a restaurant and club are in the works. She recently became Comedy Central's first female roastee, a high honor that symbolizes the surprising level of respect she's attained in the industry. Anderson is proof that the old adage, stick with what works, is a profitable one.

Pamela Anderson's Celebrity A$$$$ets

Courtney Love
Love suffered a terribly public tragedy in the wake of the suicide of her husband, Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, but reemerged from the tumult seemingly stronger and more balanced. She was a successful singer (with her band Hole) and she even took a turn on the big screen, winning enormous praise as the AIDS and drug addicted Althea Leasure in The People vs. Larry Flynt. After lighting up the screen, Love was roundly embraced by Hollywood and the tabloids. Yet two drug related arrests in 2003 marked the beginning of a dramatic fall for the star and resulted in her temporarily losing custody of daughter Frances Bean. She has since been in and out of rehab, and was recently ordered to head back in again after violating her probation. It is premature to predict what Love's career will ultimately amount to, as her ability to remain clean will be vital to her professional future. Nonetheless, it is safe to say that once she emerges from rehab, she will be viewed as a liability to anyone considering her for a project . Though Hollywood and the music world are excessively forgiving, her latest relapse may have sent Love tumbling across the line.

Courtney Love's Celebrity A$ets

Tara Reid
Fewer career choices signify "I give up" more completely than the latest move of actress Tara Reid. Reid recently decided to follow in the footsteps of Brooke Burke, the former host of E!'s Wild On, by hosting Taradise, another E! project that features her partying across the globe. But whereas Burke leaned on Wild On to propel her to fame, Reid seems to be using her platform for a soft landing, and in doing so is promoting her own worst attributes. Reid launched to stardom behind a number of promising film roles, including The Big Lebowski and American Pie, and her career initially showed promise. But her newest act follows a downward trajectory that started a few years ago and has increasingly solidified Reid's tawdry reputation. In an unlucky coincidence emblematic of her descent, Reid was in the car when famed publicist Lizzie Grubman ran down 16 innocent partygoers outside a New York nightclub in 2001. Since that infamous event, Reid hasn't slowed down a bit, spending ample time partying with Paris Hilton and pairing with numerous "bad boy" celebrities. Earlier this year it appeared Reid might be turning a corner when she took a role against type as an anthropologist in the film Alone in the Dark and appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she discussed her desire to find a normal "good guy" boyfriend. But such efforts and pronouncements are overshadowed by her turn in Taradise, a show in which she looks, generously, less than her best. A night of drinking doesn't look great on anyone, and it wears particularly poorly on the formerly promising young actress.

Tara Reid's Celebrity A$$ets

Remember: the most dependable road to the top is to treat your brand as your greatest asset.

(Samantha Ettus is the author of "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do" (Random House). Contact her at Samantha@celebrityassets.com.)