Anna Nicole Smith reportedly collapsed, possibly dead

Did you see the Daily SHow last night? “CNN ran commercial-free for 45 minutes. So she’s more important than the State of the Union but less important than 9-11.” :smack:

BrainGlutton:

I don’t think this truly applies to her. She is famous for having been a Playboy model. OK, it’s not like her looks are a personal accomplishment (at least not before she gained and re-lost the weight), but it’s not a Paris Hilton sort of thing.

(Yes, Paris Hilton’s been seen nude too, but the difference is: ANS, someone else saw her and thought she’d look good in pictures. Paris Hilton had cameras waiting for her as an accident of her birth.)

She WAS famous for having been a Playboy and Guess model…over a decade ago. She sustained that fame in a similar way that Paris Hilton does–some tabloid-worthy behavior, bit parts in shitty movies and a trainwreck of a reality show.

I’m wondering if people in their early 20s even knew she was a model.

It’s got every element of sensationalist journalism. A sex symbol dies. Drugs were likely involved, but we don’t know which or how many. The hashing over of her previous behavior and white-trash upbringing is inevitable. It may have been a suicide; her son also died mysteriously, less than half a year ago. Her sleazy lawyer* boyfriend was on the scene – or was he? And he was on the scene – or was he? – when her son died. Who WAS the father of her baby, anyway? And what will happen to the child?

I’d like to think that if a five-month-old baby’s future was not undecided, and likely to be for a long time, that this would not still be a top story. Custody disputes always tug at heartstrings. And because paternity has not been established, that naturally leads to talk about who ANS might have been with, and her behavior in general. If it was just that ANS died, I’d be more bemused by the coverage. But the baby! Won’t someone think of the baby! I can’t fault anyone for getting drawn into the speculation about who and why and where and what did and what will. Although I’m not sure whether to be glad or sorry for the thousands of other infants and children who are also the focus of custody disputes, but not the focus of so much attention because their parents are not famous.

*No offense to lawyers. He’s sleazy and a lawyer; not automatically sleazy because he’s a lawyer.

What was she supposed to do? Go back to waitressing or stripping just because she wasn’t modeling anymore? The only reason her behavior was “tabloid worthy” is because she wasn’t famous enough to get mainstream media attention. And the only thing she did that drew the tabloids to her, was get fat and act stupid. And there have been quite a few more famous people who have done that.
Paris Hilton got famous from her sex tapes. Where are the ANS sex tapes?!? Maybe if she had some, there wouldn’t be all this guessing about the paternity. The reality show was HER idea, because she wanted to show everyone that she was just a regular person, (I imagine she needed the income also). Well, we saw that she was just a regular person, a little ditzy and a little quirky, but still not the diva that everyone thought she was.

the problem with ANS’s reality show was that there were no real surprises. It’s predecessor in this realm, The Osbournes, had a high concept that sold itself: Ozzy Osbourne (and all that implies)…with his WIFE AND KIDS!!! That’s compelling TV right there, that’s something that you’re not sure what you’re going to encounter, and lures you in.

The Anna Nicole Show? What am I gonna see, a ditzy ex-model who can’t figure out why everyone doesn’t want to spoil her anymore? Yep, that’s pretty much what we got. No surprises.

It’s her fault that you had preconceived notions of what her show should be? :rolleyes:

And The Osbournes was entertaining for one season, then the rest was just playing to the cameras. Not much “reality” at all.

Arguable, but my point still holds: I think this media circus is exactly the kind of memorial ANS would have wanted, bless her dry, shriveled soul! :slight_smile: