Friday, February 09, 2007

Celeb news is abuzz with the untimely death of Playboy model and reality star Anna Nicole Smith. Picking and choosing sources was a difficult task as most blogs and websites are choosing to report on the story very distinct ways. DListed's Michael K wonders "Why am I so sad?" and is posting everything Anna, scouring the internet for as many pics as he can find of her. Popsugar simply posted "Anna Nicole RIP" with the details from Entertainment Tonight and then moved on to covering Rachel Bilson at NYC Fashion Week. Celebdish hopes to condense this into one post, with the details of her collapse in a Florida hotel room, what will happen to Dannielynn, Larry Birkhead's reaction, and rumors surrounding her death. You will NOT find a link to the Splash video premiering Tuesday of paramedics' attempts to rescusitate her via CPR, which has already sold to Entertainment Tonight for $500,000.

"Former Playboy Playmate and TRIMSPA spokesperson Anna Nicole Smith died Thursday afternoon after she was discovered unconscious in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. She was 39.

Cops say Smith's private nurse called a hotel operator at 1:38 PM EST. Before paramedics arrived on scene, Smith's bodyguard performed CPR. One of the first paramedics to arrive claimed that she was dead when he got there. Smith was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood."

TMZ.com is reporting that illegal narcotics as well as prescription drugs were found in her room, and that Anna possibly choked to death on her own vomit, like many-a stars before her. The cause of death will not be revealed until after the autopsy, which will be performed this morning by the Broward County Medical Examiner, to be followed by a press conference. People from Anna's past are stepping forward, claiming her continued problems with drugs and alcohol and her mother, Virgie Arthur, told "Good Morning America" this morning that she "did too many drugs." She also warned that the paternity battle for Dannielynn "will get ugly." Dannielyn is currently in the Bahamas, and temporary custody will go to Anna's mother until the paternity is decided. Larry Birkhead's lawyer Debra Opri is currently in an emergency court hearing this morning to ask a judge to order Anna's DNA to be tested. Howard K. Stern, her partner at the time of death and the man listed on Dannielynn's birth certificate as the father, has refused DNA testing.

Birkhead posted on his website, larrybirkhead.net, this morning the following:

Chance brought us together, our love couldn't keep us apart. We loved, we laughed, we shared a connection that couldn't be broken, regardless of the challenges. I loved her in life and I will love her long after...

Our daughter, Dannnielynn is a constant reminder of the love we shared and the life that we desired...

My heart is broken, my tears are endless. She called me her angel, I called her my sweet potato, and every night before we went to sleep, she made me say to her...........'GOODNIGHT MY SWEET ANNA BABY'

ANNA NICOLE SMITH
1967-2007"

A lot of deets have yet to pan out...such as, why was Anna in Hollywood, FL and left her baby behind in the Bahamas? Why exactly did the Trimspa website shut down? Do diet pills have some link to her death? There are rumors that Anna was addicted to the heroin subsitute methodone, a drug that was found in her son Daniel's system when he died five months ago. Does Howard K. Stern supply both Anna and her son with drugs as if often rumored? Another more disgusting rumor is that Daniel is actually the father of Dannielynn and that she killed herself as the impending DNA test drew closer to deadline so that the truth would not be revealed. I mean, I know a lot of people thought Anna was trashy, but I think that's just ridiculous. Nevertheless, this rumor is circulating, and I think a lot of people will be disappointed when the truth comes out.

Cord from Mollygood wrote an insightful piece about the death of Anna and the media's conflicting reactions:

There has been an outpouring of grief and kind regards from many pop culture media outlets following Anna Nicole Smith's untimely death yesterday. After hearing many of them very casually throw around words like "tragedy," it occurred to me that I had almost never seen anyone discuss Anna Nicole without a sly grin or a snicker, let alone only in somber tones like they have following her passing.

TMZ's posting of a retrospective of her life here prompted me to take a look into other times they've acknowledged her myriad accomplishments. Here's my retrospective of their coverage:
Take a look at the trial back in 2000, and watch Anna Nicole squirm...

Anna Nicole Smith is five months pregnant, sources tell TMZ. And we're told that the former Playboy Playmate is engineering a way to make money off of the announcement.

Anna Nicole's Son's Death Certificate

TMZ has obtained footage of Anna Nicole Smith taking pills while celebrating Christmas Eve...

If the saga of Anna Nicole Smith has become a Shakespearean tragedy (and it has), then Howard K. Stern is one of the main characters.

[This accompanies a photo of her bare breast]: Anna Nicole Smith is busting out all over the "G-Phoria" award show.

Is Anna Nicole a fit mother?
No 82%
Yes 18%
Total Votes: 24,627

"... you've been around my mother for 12 years and haven't had any pussy either."
--Daniel Smith to Howard K. Stern

Really moving, huh?

Such is the counterintuitive nature of a lot of media: go ahead and say really damaging, awful things about people when they're alive and listening but, once they've died, let's drop the lascivious jabs and be kind. That, guys, is one of the biggest WTFs ever.

I'm not advocating that Anna Nicole's death be seen as meaningless. I'm just saying that most of the people calling this a "tragedy" are probably more upset that they've lost some decent cannon fodder.

Honestly, may Anna Nicole rest in peace. Sadly, something tells me that's not going to happen."

Here's some more links from Mollygood

"If I have to see Anna Nicole Smith one more time on television..." Rosie picked the wrong time to bash her, huh? [BWE]

• Narcotics found in her hotel room. [TMZ]

• Trimspa shuts down their site. I'm definitely not going to be surprised if their product played a role in her death. [Trimspa]

• Bahamian law deems that Howard K. Stern is now the legal guardian. Not good. [ONTD]

• If you're really, morbidly interested, here's excerpts from the death vid shown on foreign television news. [LL]

• Birkhead wants immediate DNA testing done on Smith's body. [FOX]

• Autopsy begins. Toxicology reports soon to follow. [CNN]

I'll try not to overwhelm you with everything ANS, since you've seen my coverage of the lengthy paternity suit and death of her son in chapter-form. But stay tuned for more deets, especially after toxicology reports come in later this afternon.

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