"I think I can always come back. I think I can do special reports for you," Maria Shriver told Matt Lauer on Today this morning. Hmmm, really Maria? That's interesting. Because just last month, as it was revealed you were still collecting cheques from NBC News after you left the network, you were talking about how television coverage of Anna Nicole Smith's death turned you off from TV forever. We understand you have a book, Just Who Will You Be?, to promote. And that you remain steadfast you could've remained an objective journalist, even as the California governor's wife. But let's not change our tune so quickly. Even Lou Dobbs doesn't do that, and nobody respects him.
Shocking only in a "we're surprised it took this long," TMZ.com is facing a lawsuit from Anna Nicole Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, on charges of libel. Namely, she says an April story on the site, which claimed she had a relationship with her stepbrother, hurt Virgie's chances of gaining custody of Anna's daughter Dannietlynn. Along with TMZ, three other bloggers were named in the suit, including a one Lyndal Harrington, whose blog we cannot find on The Google. (Maybe this is it?) Court docs are here.
The passport snooping scandal now involves some twenty high-profile types. Beyond Hillary, John, and Barack, there's Anna Nicole Smith, whose records probably show just a little drug smuggling between here and the Bahamas. [BBC]
Might Ashton Kutcher's latest punk'd project be a rip-off of an Anna Nicole Smith idea? Back in '04, the now-deceased Playmate and attorney Howard K. Stern pitched E! execs on Celebrities Bite Back, which carried the very premise of Kutcher's Pop Fiction. This week, Ashton's show aired, making it the perfect publicity opportunity for Stern to begin threatening legal action.
A Los Angeles judge ruled yesterday that 18-month old Dannielynn will be Anna Nicole Smith's sole heir. Naturally, the little girl has 16.5 more years before she can legally get her hands on any of mama's moolah – and hopefully by then, the courts will have worked out J. Howard Marshall's estate – which means papa Birkhead will have more than a decade and a half to loot her trust. [TMZ, People]
Larry Birkhead's decision to let Entertainment Tonight and The Insider's cameras into the hospital when Dannielynn undergoes surgery to correct a cross-eye has nothing to do with profit motive, silly! Rather, he wants the CBS Studios' tabloid shows there is to clear up rumors that his daughter's medical problem isn't a result of Anna Nicole Smith's drug use, but a genetic trait. Money won't change hands, he swears. [P6]
Authors who don't understand publishers are supposed to award them advances should not be in the business of book publishing. Also, this world doesn't need another Anna Nicole Smith treatment.
So you can register our sympathy level for authors Pol' Atteu and Patrik Simpson, who had arranged with Jody (Babydol) Gibson, "a former Hollywood 'super madam,'" to sell Anna Nicole Smith: Portrait of an Icon online via her imprint Corona.
Except they backed out of that deal, to sell their "signature edition" through publisher Kings Road, and, in a soon-to-be-filed lawsuit (aren't they all), they allege Gibson defrauded them, and are after $50k. That the twosome signed an agreement with Gibson (which they consider a "draft") notwithstanding, they also ponied up $3k for Gibson for expenses, not realizing money usually flowed in reverse, from publisher to scribe.
"We didn't know they were supposed to give us an advance," Simpson tells Gatecrasher. "We just wanted to put out a beautiful tribute to our friend [Smith]. [Gibson] is a convicted criminal; we didn't know the extent of everything she was doing."
To be fair, Gibson has been convicted of solicitation and running a prostitution ring. But so has Heidi Fleiss, and look what a respectable individual she has become.
Now news that The Associated Press has prepared an obituary for 26-year-old Britney Spears has put the spotlight on a debate transpiring within the business of reporting death: With people grabbing the celebrity spotlight at a younger age, and some of them living lives of obviously dangerous excess, is it time for news organizations to begin preparing for early exits from celebritydom's under-30 crowd? …
"Somebody like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan or Amy Winehouse, you could arguably put something together," [Washington Post reporter Adam Bernstein ]said, naming three young stars who have lately become more prominent for bouts of bizarre behavior than displays of talent. …
It was [Anna Nicole] Smith's death that served as a "wake-up call" to be prepared to report immediately on any high-profile person with a public history of troubled behavior, said Lou Ferrara, the AP's managing editor for sports, entertainment and multimedia.
-The AP, on the AP's announcement that it had prepared an obituary for Britney Spears.
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Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
Approximately two months into my tenure at Jossip, Anna Nicole Smith died. And the media reaction was immediate. The cruel jokes and sarcastic headlines started even before the official coroner's report was released, conceivably before the family had been contacted and before funeral arrangements had been made. Supposedly reputable press outlets salivated over the chance to publicly decry this woman – a gold digger but also a mother – only moments after learning that her death was either the result of an accidental drug overdose or suicide attempt.
Appalled by the immediate onslaught of insensitive headlines and the speed with which she was desecrated by the press, I found myself in the unlikely position of defending Smith.
Anna Nicole Smith what have you done for us lately posthumously?
In dying, you gave us Larry Birkhead, the most smug tabloid dad ever. And now you’ve taken Maria Shriver (one of the foremost journalists married to a famous person) from us.
At a conference for women in Long Beach, Shriver blamed the media coverage of the death of Anna Nicole Smith for her decision not to return to broadcast news:
"It was then that I knew that the TV news business had changed and so had I. … I called NBC News and told them I'm not coming back."
Sure, the media showed demonstrable restraint in covering the O.J. Simpson case, Princess Diana's death and Sarah Ferguson’s "dramatic" weight fluctuations. But when it comes to the death of a former Playboy model, reality TV star and gold digger, that’s where they crossed the line.
Howard K. Stern slaps Rita Cosby with a $60 million over allegations in her new book accusing Stern of climbing into bed (both literally and metaphorically) with Anna Nicole Smith's baby daddy, Larry Birkhead. When reached for comment, the always litigious Larry Birkhead exclaimed, "Damn! I can't believe that son of a bitch beat me to it! Guess we all know which bastard's getting an ass-fucking later on tonight." [Queerty]
In addition to admitting he had some reservations about invading Iraq for no reason whatsoever, Donald Rumseld has one more revealing confession, namely that he's frighteningly inept in terms of completely irrelevant pop culture.
Reading a story about Paris Hilton, [Rumsfeld] asks his wife, Joyce, "Sweetheart? What's a hair extension?" He's also baffled when a conductor on a train tells him about a "terrible tragedy" - "Anna Nicole Smith has died."
Quick someone find this man an Us Weekly! And, while you're at it, some weapons of mass destruction.
Larry Birkhead's former bodyguard (who may not be the sharpest tool in the shed) says even he started to question his client's motives when he accompanied Birkhead to the cemetery, paparazzi in tow, and watched him do three takes of pretend-crying over Anna Nicole Smith's dead son. In other bizarre news, Larry Birkhead has a bodyguard. [Mollygood]
Rita Cosby will not be appearing on the Today show today, tomorrow or anytime soon if Larry Birkhead's lawyers have anything to say about it.
According to TMZ, Today producers abruptly canceled a scheduled sit-down with the former NBC correspondent (and author of trashy publicity-seeking bio, "Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith’s Death") after receiving a rather threatening letter from the litigious Larry Birkhead and his newest crop of high-paid high-powered attorneys.
Birkhead, as we reported previously, has threatened to sue Cosby for smearing his *cough* good name with somewhat-believable allegations that he and Howard K. Stern were in collusion throughout the custody hearings and somewhat-less-believable allegations that he and Stern were in a "relationship." At least according to Jackie Hatten, a reliable source "known wacko whose brother served prison time for stalking Anna Nicole."
OK! magazine breaks off its annoying multiple-issue deal with devoted father/publicity whore Larry Birkhead after plummeting sales figures prove nobody else gives a shit rumors surface that he and Howard K. Stern may have some sort of a backroom deal during the Anna Nicole Smith custody proceedings.
Editorial Director
