Anna Nicole Smith mattered, but why?

Maria Mon, Nov 12, 2007 at 09:07 AM EST

Yes it is sure sad to see her go. she was some kind of smitten human. she show the world that small town person can be famous no matter how hard or easy but she sure did it. she is beauiful either in fat or thin. after all she is long gone. let her rest in peace. hope this isn't mystery for to long, it is time to find the truth what really inside story about Daniel Smith and also Vicky Lynn Smith stage name Anna Nicole Smith.
Justice to be service.

Dr BLT Thu, Mar 8, 2007 at 02:02 AM EST

Anna Nicole mattered because she profited off of her shortage of sanity. There was, in fact:

Hole in the Soul
(of Anna Nicole)
Dr BLT (c) 2007
http://www.drblt.net/music/AnaNicole.mp3

And no, Howard Stern, you cannot try to cash in on this song. I wrote it and I have the right to give it away, which is exactly what I'm doing.

christine wolf Sun, Feb 18, 2007 at 09:38 PM EST

Anna Nicole was very much an enigma. She really was many things to many people and everything depended on just what angle you were looking at her. I see her more in terms of her Narcissistic personality. She wanted to be like Marilyn Monroe but she was also very much like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. She lived for the reflection she saw coming back to her from her fans. I think people are interested in her because she was an example of what can happen to a person who lacks self discipline and who just lets life happen. Anna Nicole emotionally was about 5 years old - and who doesn't love a 5 year old?

Priscilla Fri, Feb 16, 2007 at 03:28 PM EST

I've been following the story in the news and getting a kick out of wondering how this story will be depicted on a future episode of one of the Law & Order shows.
I watched a few episodes of Anna Nicole's show back in the day and had to stop watching because it disgusted me. She was mean spirited, rude, and self-centered. I find it unfortunate that they are placing her in the same category as Marylin Monroe. Hopefully, her little girl will be reunited with her real father and will be provided the stable home life she would not have had if she had remained in the custody of her mother.

Jonboyo Wed, Feb 14, 2007 at 08:25 AM EST

Way to go...! About time there is someone sane enough to tell it like it is. Enough of the bleeding heart teary eyed morons who do not have their own life and need the sappy crap like ANS death to justify their lives. All the media attention on this makes me want to puke! I have not watched any TV for days and I actually feel cleaner!

nay Tue, Feb 13, 2007 at 02:27 PM EST

I actually sought out this post because I tend to think that Popwatch usually does a decent job of honoring those in the entertainment industry who have passed. But this post was shameful. No matter whether you loved, hated or could have cared less about Anna Nicole, she deserves respect as a human being who lived an apparently extremely difficult and tormented life. This was a ridiculous post.

teresaandtony Tue, Feb 13, 2007 at 12:06 AM EST

Yes,you know something Anna Nicole was pretty and all of the above. But you know something she deservered everything she got, money, and show bizz.Im really proud of her. She came along way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kayla Sun, Feb 11, 2007 at 02:32 PM EST

I found myself feeling very sad when the news of her demise came; I feel she was kind of a lost soul who was able to bank on her looks and lack of talents; she had it all financially, yet emotionally, she was a pawn in so many people's hands. I firmly believe the only person who truly ever loved her was Howard K. Stern, and I PRAY that he will be determined the biological and legal father of her child. I cringe at the thought that either Anna Nicole's mother, or that creepy photographer Birkhead will be the custodian "parents" of this poor child. If this child was not Anna Nicole Smith's, I sincerely doubt her mother or this photographer would be so interested in getting a hold of her. My prayers go to the child and to Howard.

again Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 11:10 PM EST

seconding Molly.
Please remove the comments of "Je".

Brenda Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 06:24 PM EST

"Let he who is without sin throw the first stone."

Brenda Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 06:17 PM EST

My heart and prayers go out to her family and friends, especially her darling little girl who is an innocent in this unfortunate twist of tales... I still believe that Mr. Birkhead as much as he may want to prove his paternity, only escalated her pain, and will one day regret this...it should have been done quietly! It seems to me he was also looking for fame... what a shame...everyone at fault here will pay. "God knows best."

Brenda Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 06:09 PM EST

May God rest her soul and her son's.... I began following Anna Nicole Smith's story on ET when her baby daughter was born, and shortly afterwards the death of her son, and this is because I never miss ET. However, it became more interesting because of the controversy surrounding her sBituation. I believe that the aggressive approach of Birkhead's quest for the truth of the birth of her daughter only added fuel to the fire. It was obvious that she was in great pain, almost at times it seems to me to be consuming her. However, I can't help but wonder what really happened there.... ET broke news a day before she died that two men from Myrtle Beach showed up to reclaim the house she lived in, and after her death, one of the same two men broke down in tears claiming he was her friend. Oh well! Another thing, they were all aware of her illness following the birth of her baby, and death of her son...she should have been hospitalized rather than giving interviews... she was ill!

Juju Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 04:58 PM EST

She mattered simply because she was a human being, and she left a little girl to be without her mother. No one knows what she was truly feeling after the death of her son. The antidepressants she was taking took its toll on her. And yes she did lead a tasteless life, but her passing gives me no joy.

Dee Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 03:53 PM EST

Cut it out ,Je .......your inner Gibson is showing.

Josh Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 03:06 PM EST

Thank you PopWatch! Finally, someone cuts through the bull and tells it like it is. What is the big deal about ANS? Nothing! I'm sure the astronut is happy though b/c her crazy story is not on the front page anymore! At least that's something that ANS's death did for us. End the insanity already please!

Delon Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 11:31 AM EST

Well, although they pledged their love and made a commitment to be there for one another before a Baptist minister, no marriage certificate was issued and the ceremony is not legally binding between Anna Nicole and Howard Stern, the lawyer. So he can't inherit her money, but through their daughter he might be able to control the it until she is of legal age. The Supreme court didn't award Anna Nicole with any amount but just affirmed her right to pursue a share of her late husband's estate in federal court.I'm suspicious about her and her son's deaths though.

Dhungangha Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 11:17 AM EST

Now Je sounds like a raging
anti-semite but he/she might have a point about Anna Nicole and her son's suspicious deaths. These deaths should be further investigated.

usagichan Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 10:42 AM EST

Why is it one cannot "speak ill of the dead" when mostly what was spoken when the person was alive was some varied form of "ill"? Most people just watched her show to feel better about themselves. And as far as being "our Generation's Marilyn", please! I'll take the original. Way too much time and effort has been wasted on this story. But I guess the crazy astronaut lady is happy to finally be out of the spotlight for a few minutes.

molly Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 10:16 AM EST

Je is obviously a sick anti-Semitic jerk attempting to be provocative. I'm hoping his comment will be removed quickly.

Delon Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 07:22 AM EST

This is tricky. When i read that she was dead i felt very sad. I dunno why. I didn't particularly like her or hated her but her death seemed so sad to me.I thought maybe she'll find peace in death. She was the spectacle of a trainwreck and just as we would watch an actual trainwreck we watched this human trainwreck with morbid fascination.I guess her tale was the tale of all those hopeless women who wanted to escape their misfortunes via clinging on other men's fortunes.In an era where women are increasingly having better education, better jobs and overall better lives just by working hard for it, Smith was the epitome of the archaic notion of womenhood that reduces women to a hole and two melons.This dim and uneducated woman had only her sexuality to survive and she tried very hard. I think she must have been very tried of this struggle. I guess you can say she just died of tiresomeness. Cintra Wilson of Salon magazine has a nice obituary written for Anna on Smith's wikipedia page.

Peg Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 06:51 AM EST

Here, here...it's a sad statement that we are losing soldiers every day and they get perhaps a 15 SECOND acknowledgement--if you're lucky, their name--and an inordinate amount of News time in the last 48 hours has been devoted to her.

Sorry she's dead, but enough is enough.

Dana Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 04:27 AM EST

Joshua Fasseel wrote that she will be the Marylin Monroe of this generation. if that's true, then what a crapass generation this turned out to be.

Mozz Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 04:24 AM EST

as tragic as it is, i remember hearing about it and saying, oh, she died... and then continuing on with the conversation I was having about Microsoft Vista. it was odd, let her family mourn her, i think at the very least she should go out with some dignity. However, i just don't see the media giving anyone a dignified death when it can be exploited to sell magazines and to get ratings.

ari Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 02:39 AM EST

She is/was a constant reminder that this is who we are or who we could have been if we also had (have) such an unhappy existence. Greed and personal misery are the two factors that drive many Americans unkind hearts, and I wish people weren’t so mean to others or themselves. Although I did not really care for Anna Nicole or her antics captured on film, I have complete compassion and empathy for any fellow human that is that far from their spirit in life. Sadly, she never discovered her true self, and was led around by others chasing some false and selfish dream of their own. When people are so uneducated and/or so abused by other humans they rarely get/find the chance to pull themselves up from the negativity they experienced throughout their lives. All that are involved—be at peace—be human. Be the change we want to see in the world~Ghandi

Simon Jones Sat, Feb 10, 2007 at 12:35 AM EST

In truth, no one really cared about Anna Nicole Smith. She passed a few idle moments of the day for men (and some women) who enjoyed seeing her either naked, half naked, drunk, fat, or all of the above. Now that she's dead we can forgive her of her sins, make a mini series about her "tragic life", publish a book, re-run her naked pics in Playboy as a "tribute" and generally squeeze out the very last dime from the dim Texan before we move on to the next victim of celebrititus.

Snarky Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 07:14 PM EST

Are we really at a loss as to why there's so much attention about her passing? Let's see...sex, drugs, deaths, & money. It practically writes itself

again Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 06:24 PM EST

Yeah, we can smell the hypocrisy here all right. If this online version of EW claims to be "snark-free" regarding this death, you would not ever have printed the photos you have - within what? 1 or 2 hours - after she died. A celebrity for whatever reason in the shallow world of American celebrity stalking - but a human being nonetheless. Just because you happen the have one of the worst pictures of a human being ever taken in your files, does that mean you need to print it when she can no longer defend herself against it? Shame on you.

matt Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 05:56 PM EST

seriouisly, who cares.....people die all the time and they go unnoticed, people who are more deserving of the attention than this now dead media-whore. she had no talents, she acted like white trash and when she was alive everyone laughed at her, now that she's dead everyone wants to be all sad and prop her up on a pedestal?!? So what, people die, move on, and by the way, the person below that said she will be this generation's Marilyn Monroe?!? What the hell are you smoking?

Stephanie Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 04:27 PM EST

First off, it is easy to put prescrption drugs in a blender with a liquid beverage thus creating an overdose. This is Anna Nicole Smith everyone, can you say "Ask Mikey, he'll try anything"?

There are a million possible answers to what happened. Maybe she was THAT selfish to have taken her own life instead of being a mother to her baby girl? Perhaps Trimspa or someone hired by her ex hubby's family was paid to in the words of AC/DC, do a "Dirty Deed"? She and Trimspa were being sued by a customer who clamied false advertising. Perhaps she knew that the paternity test would have proven that Stern was not the father?

There are a number of possibilities here. I don't think that she was a celebrity by any means, and to compare her to Marilyn? Monroe was a better actress than Smith, and was not that stupid. I feel horrible for her mom and her daughter.

Jakeem Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 04:02 PM EST

Anna Nicole lived a classic rags to riches story with enough train wrecks along the way to make it an epic tale!
It's like Larry King said on a CNN special report yesterday, you wouldn't believe her story if it was fictional.

Adam Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 03:57 PM EST

Am I the only one who thinks this post was a little tasteless? Anna was America's "crazy cousin," and, whether we believe it was moral or not, her claim to fame was an American dream. "Marry rich. Have fun. Be beautiful. Keep them talking." These are the things that young girls today aim for. Now, I'm not condoning that by any means, I'm just stating that it's not hard at all to see why so many feel at loss over her death. Not to mention all of the tough times she had come upon before her untimely death. Whether she had talent or not, she was the embodiment of celebrity. And you honestly don't get why America would mourn that, PopWatchers?

LM Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 03:56 PM EST

I get your point. But I liked Anna Nicole. Her story is stranger than fiction and full of sadness and tragedy. It is compelling even if there is no made-for-TV lesson at the end. She made the scene early on with a real job as a professional model (not just a Playboy model). She became an early version of Paris Hilton without the trust fund -- famous for being famous -- made only more substantial, sympathetic and maybe sad because she was also a mother. She made tabloids because of her zany life; made entertainment news because she starred in a reality TV show and was a model; she made national news because of her tragic end. That's quite an impact on pop culture to be acknowledged whether you were a fan or not. Don't be so hard on her.

aa Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 03:56 PM EST

i really don't know why i feel badly. maybe because it seems like she was one of those people who was two steps forward two steps back. maybe its because people seemed to take so much glee in beating her down and she was just a human being. she didn't do anything other than live her life, with mistakes to be sure, but who hasn't made mistakes?

Mariana L. Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 03:39 PM EST

Her movie will now be re-vamped as a remake for the murder mystery "CLUE"

Solve the mystery of the glamourous and tragic Anna Nicole Smith's Death

Players -

Howard K Stern (AKA Mr. Green)
Motive: Helped her fight for her millions from her octagenarian husband and now feels entitled to it all. He managed to bump off the son and if he succeeds in being legal guardian to her daugher, he also has the power of all the funds.
Odds: 3:2

Kimmy (AKA Professor Plum)
Motive: The sapphic devoted personal assistant of grape colored hair was tortured by the love that would never be reciprocated (except that night when Anna was really drunk.... well more than usual).
Odds: 15:1

Bobby Trendy (AKA Miss. Scarlett)
Motive: Looking at his mirror mirror on the wall, he was unable to accept that there was anyone more tragically fabulous than he. The wicked queen was also unable to get another decorating job after Anna Nicole's house as he grossly overestimated the popularity of polyester satin hot pink walls among the rich and famous.
Odds: 20:1

Larry Birkhead (AKA Colonel Mustard)
Motive: If proven to be the father of Anna Nicole's daughter, he also has access to her estate, but after seeing the baby girl in the news, he really just wants to raise her right, (no matter what it takes). As everyone else in line for the money is dead though, Larry better watch his back
Odds: 4:1

Sugar Pie (AKA Mrs. White)
Motive: Not enough biscuits, had to wear ridiculous accessories, tired of being tongue-kissed in public by Anna Nicole. Would rather hump furniture and Howard K Stern's leg.
Odds: 250:1

The People vs. Trimspa and Anna Nicole: (AKA Mrs. Ho)
Motive: If that fat, junkie 'ho can lose all that weight and look great, and they can't, some kind of shady process MUST be involved. Therefore Trimspa is guilty of false advertising, and these hungry people won't stand for it. They will take her out and when the autopsy comes back, they can finally find out what she was REALLY on (so they can rush out and buy it).
Odds: 75:1

Happy Friday!
Mariana

iohelfv Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 03:30 PM EST

Sorry, I believe that all lives are important, but other than that . . .

Anna Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 03:28 PM EST

I liked Anna Nicole when she was a spokesmodel for Guess jeans, which if I recall was the height of her career. It was nice change to have see a plus-size model get that kind of attention.

I don't get the person below who thinks her life was someone had less meaning because she was a Playboy model and stripper. What if someone decided your life was worthless because you're acting like a snob? There's also no evidence that she was a bad mother. Her son actually seemed to be fairly well adjusted. I don't think it's even been made clear that he wasn't actually murdered.

Karla Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 03:17 PM EST

It was a sad life and a sad death.

Thanks Mandi for posting this. I was really wondering what the behind the scenes considerations were at the mag, because this was a person with no talent, except a talent for notoriety. But she had entertainment value.

I was astonished to see her covered on Nightline. What? And absolutely yes to the comments about the focus on this instead of Iraq.

And I shudder to think about Dannielynn's future. Is she in the care of that hanger-on lawyer dude? Does he have legal rights as her guardian?

Certainly, no one in Anna Nicole's family would be a suitable guardian, and god knows how long the paternity nonsense will drag out. What a tragedy.

Joshua Fasseel Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 03:10 PM EST

She was a human being and deserves respect. It's easy to judge somebody when you haven't lived a day in their shoes. Most of us haven't had to go through half the thing she went through plus go live it out in the public eye. She will be imortalized in death. She wil be the Marilyn Monroe of this generation.

elizz Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:54 PM EST

that confusion you're feeling is what it's like to be sucked into the media vortex against your will. 24/7 cable news/info-tainment channels have to have something to talk about, and the sudden death of a person whose name is famous will do just fine. this is the media taking over your/our lives and trying to tell you/us what is or is not important, what we should or should not care about.
we can rebel. we can choose not to watch/listen to the coverage. we can turn away, read something else. we can leave this woman to be mourned by people who actually knew her and cared for her. and by so doing, maybe recapture a little of our own individuality.
just 'cuz CNN, or E! says we have to care, don't make it so.

Rey Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:48 PM EST

I thought her death would have the same effect on reality TV that Princess Di's on the paparazzi.The relentless photogs were forced for a split second to look at themselves and their profession.
But I haven't seen any of that. Smith was clearly over medicating herself. Yet the producers of her hit reality on E! never bothered to get here help. The cameras kept rolling as the cash kept coming.

mike Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:47 PM EST

I'm amazed at this outpouring of affection for Anna Nicole Smith. I'm sorry she died. But, she was a stripper and Playboy model when she met her 80-something husband, then has been trying to take his families money. She was a train wreck of a mother. Her 20year old son had three different drugs in his system when he died and did Anna-Nicole know who the father of her hopefully healthy baby daughter is. She had a reality show that was a freak show because she was high or drunk most of the time. We'll see just how dangerous Trimspa is. There are lawsuits pending.
This should be listed as Don't Let This Happen To You.

Myma Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:43 PM EST

The moral of the story is to keep your old man away from strippers. Her life was a self-inflicted tragedy. Let's be honest, the only reason that her death is national news is that the little baby girl could be worth half a billion dollars, and whichever idiot turns out to be the father will be the guardian of the money.

Stacey Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:37 PM EST

It's the perfect made for televison gossip filled drama. A movie likely will have to be made. Three men now claim to be the father of her infant daughter as another one came out of the woodwork today. Anna Nicole may not have contributed much, except modeling; acting, and fighting for what she deserves in court. But the way she died, ontop of giving birth and her eldest son dying. And now the paternity squabbles. Drug allegations. The media loves it, because it feeds their love for celebrity gossip, and since it's such a mystery...feeds their need to investigate. It's so sudden. And plus she was such a figure in this media age.

Deb Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:34 PM EST

As much as she revered Marilyn Monroe and perhaps felt it neccessary to die a tragic death like her icon, why did she have to leave her little ray of sunshine without a Mommy?

t3hdow Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:32 PM EST

"Nick Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:24 PM EST

Still thinking about this........life isn't always black and white. This is definitely a gray matter, I think we can all agree on that. The world isn't perfect, but EW was ethical."

Yeah, I don't see why a few of you are getting upset to the point of banishing popwatch forever. They were a bit apathetic perhaps, but I wouldn't say it was a tasteless response. Stacy's anger is warranted though, since everyone in the nation is talking about Smith's death, yet often forget about the men and women serving in Iraq. I'm guilty of that myself.

Ang Knee Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:28 PM EST

Sad. If we are sad. (below)

Ang Knee Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:27 PM EST

Sad. If we are sad. (below)

Nick R. Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:27 PM EST

I think what makes her so memorable is that she lived with such abashed enthusiasm that it's hard not to miss her. She may have been nuts but she's like that dotty old aunt that always comes to dinner on thanksgiving. She's a kook but she's sweet and likeable and when she's gone you want her back. That, to me, was Anna Nicole Smith.

Ang Knee Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:26 PM EST

If we are said, perhaps it's because we sense Anna Nicole's most important work was still to be done. The contribution she might have made to the culture is lost to us now. We'll never know.

Nick Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:24 PM EST

Still thinking about this........life isn't always black and white. This is definitely a gray matter, I think we can all agree on that. The world isn't perfect, but EW was ethical.

Nick Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:17 PM EST

Renie...you're done with popwatch like I'm done with porn. And that's simply not going to happen. You read this stuff because you love to. You might not comment anymore...but you'll lurk. Why is this piece bad??? It's controversial, yes, but SO up to speed. It's a ballsy approach! A few weeks/months down the rd...other publications will say "was the coverage TOO MUCH" and then you'll know that EW called it like it was, FIRST. Thank you again, EW.

Sven Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:17 PM EST

Whether they admit it or not, she took the easy way out by ODing. She couldn't handle the pressure any longer. Let's remember this is the woman who admitted to Regis and Kathy Lee that her biological father used to "entertain himself" to her Playboy Centerfold picture before he found out he was her father. It was a sad life, but I don't doubt for a minute that she chose the way to end it.

Nick Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:15 PM EST

Junior...you're a loser. It's EWs JOB to talk about things like this...even if they are controversial. It's called (here...say it with me...) en-ter-tain-ment jour-nal-ism. There ya go, friend!

Ballsy piece, nonetheless. Her death is tragic because her life was sad...I agree with Stacy about the Iraq soldiers...but is our shallow society that much of a surprise for those who are offended by this piece?

Its sad she died, but should she really be featured on 20/20, True Hollywood Story, etc etc.....sad to say, but no.

t3hdow Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:13 PM EST

To Some Guy:

In Mandi Bierly's defense, a celebrity getting rich and then eventually hitting depression and addiction is the average Hollywood rags-to-riches-to-rags story. For god's sake, VH1 made that perfectly clear with their 'Behind the Music' series, stories about former child stars hitting incredibly desperate lows, and even now with the reality shows 'Breaking Bonaduce' and 'Shooting Sizemore'. Don't get me wrong. I'm not insulting the aformentioned people involved in addiction and hope they get clean before it's too late, but these 'cautionary Hollywood tales' have been told so much, it's about as common as hearing a news report about a fatal car accident or a domestic murder.

Renie Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:12 PM EST

I'm done with Popwatch. Shame on your for even posting this. Aren't you the ones that have for years used Ms. Smith for fodder? If Ms. Smith matters to any of us, it's because all publications (from all media sources) contribute to making us believe that she is of importance/significance. Regardless of what she wanted, the media wanted us to feel something towards her in life. Now, everyone is having a field day in her death. We are all flawed but it absolutely unspeakable to throw dirt at someone who isn't around to defend themselves. Ms. Smith hasn't even been dead for 24 hours and somehow people find it necessary to question her relevance? If you believe that, explain to me the relevance of Paris Hilton, Kim Cardashian, Nicole Richie, Brody Jenner, every Reality show contestant?

paige Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:11 PM EST

i feel bad for her because i felt she was getting overloaded with too much for the past year and half but at the same time, i hate it when a "public figure" dies and everyone gets all optimistic about someone everyone felt so negative about. its definately guilt, but madonna said it best when she said everyone kisses your ass when you die... she's right. brace yourselves everyone when paris hilton bites the big one.

Dave Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:10 PM EST

Yawn. Kudos to whomever pointed out that she's famous for being famous. I cannot understand why this is national headline news, other than it maybe being a really slow news day. Oh well, I'll always remember her for turning out to have a wiener at the end of Naked Gun 3.

NineDaves Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:06 PM EST

wow ew. i totally agree. i've been pretty indifferent about her for a while now. it's sad that she couldn't turn her life around, but i don't think she ever wanted to. i won't go around saying i'm hurt by her death at all. but damn was she good in the naked gun 33 and 1/3.

Greg Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:03 PM EST

I too found this article in poor taste. Maybe you are correct about her career and her contribution to society, but the woman has been dead for like 24 hours. Couldn't you maybe wait a couple of days before speaking ill of the dead? Also, if people want to mourn, who are you to ridicule them for it? She was a public figure. She obviously had a substantial fanbase. I know it is your job to provide commentary on entertainment news, but in the case of someone's sudden and untimely death, show a little respect. If you can't say something nice...

janine Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 02:00 PM EST

I would have seen it anyway (on DVD) but then again, I got excited about Miss Cast Away and the Island Girls.

brandonk Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 01:53 PM EST

I wasn't terribly surprised to hear that she'd died. I feel pretty much the way I felt when I heard her son had died...it was a sad end to her sad life.

Mel Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 01:50 PM EST

I think you are being too harsh on PopWatch. I think Joshua Rich is right. Smith was pretty much famous for being famous. Maybe it sounds cold but one of the thoughts I had after I saw it on the news, after feeling sorry for her family, was maybe now we don't have to see Anna Nicole Smith on CNN anymore.
I agree with EW: It's notable that she passed away, but it's not "news." She's not a president or someone who contributed something that made a difference in people's lives, like art or a book, or the films of someone like Steven Spielberg. I can see 20/20 devoting an hour to him, but Smith? How many "career" highlights can they show for her?

Stacy Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 01:48 PM EST

Her death shouldn't matter to anyone other than her family. In that regard it's tragic. But for the rest, The only effect her death has is to slightly raise the national IQ average. This was a vapid, talentless, gold digging waste of space who conducted her life and death devoid of an ounce of dignity or class and doesn't care enough for her newborn child to stay sober and raise her. She could only be "famous" in a culture such as ours that finds stupidity adorable and opportunism admirable. If you people want to mourn someone you don't know, mourn the brave nameless soldiers in Iraq who were killed today. Their names won't be printed because the space is needed to showcase a woman whose contribution to America is to say to little girls that all they need to get ahead is ginormous boobs and no brains whatsoever. Then realize, if we'd all stopped wasting time on tripe like her show and instead picked up an occasional newspaper, they needn't have died in a needless war at all.

Bekkah Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 01:48 PM EST

I feel sorry for the little girl. You are guaranteed two things in life .. death and taxes. When you time is up, your time is up. If you choose to help it along, you are hurting the people you leave behind. So sorry for Daniellynn Hope. Now they are fighting over her and I feel basically for the money Anna may or may not have inherited.

Some Guy Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 01:42 PM EST

Wow you are disgusting for writting this. It sounds like you hated the woman. How can you say she isnt a cautionary tale? She started off fame and money hungry, then battled depression, drug use, the death of her son and now shes dead. This is a perfect example of what fame, money, bad parenting and being around bad people can do to someone. Sure she made her own bed in the end but its obvious shes been crying for help for years. Im sure those around supported her habits and made matters worse. Its sad, a tragedy because this could've been avoided just like her son's death and many things in her life. Her own mom is on TV, heartlessly stating her daugher was fame hungry and that she had it coming. What does that say about her that she goes on TV to make statements like that? Dont you think her mom is on TV for attention? Where do you think Anna got it from? As for you, your sad, saying such awefull things about a life you will never understand. Grow a decent human heart.

t3hdow Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 01:38 PM EST

I dunno...it is a pretty weird feeling. I heard about/found out about Smith's death three times and I said the same thing each time: "man, that kind of sucks." I wasn't particularly sad, but it was surprising. It sucked that she died so soon after her son's unexpected demise and mere months after her daughter's birth. She didn't really lead a productive life and considering the many risque/idiotic things she's done for fame - in recent years, she sounded drunk most of the time - I can't say I'm feeling much remorse. That's life I suppose...RIP Anna.

junior Fri, Feb 9, 2007 at 01:31 PM EST

Maybe because we, the public, knew who she was and what she was going through and she was a person and now she's dead. Maybe that's why it matters. I'm done with Popwatch. This was tasteless, and slightly confusing since you guys are supposed to be entertainment journalists. You couldn't figure it out. What's to figure out. She was a big-time model turned paparazzi target over the last 15 odd years and now she's dead. It's not that hard. Goodbye.