MayorBob, I have seen the "what's the big deal" meme repeated in lots of places. Even Katie Couric's blog is asking why is this so hyped. Her answer was that the powers that be have made the call to make this a huge story, that most media outlets are being good soldiers, doing what they are told and holding their noses over reporting the over-hyped death of a "b-list" celebrity.
I find the attitude appalling. The story is a good one on its face. A tragic story of a celebrity who by most accounts was a pretty nice person. The story of Anna Nicole Smith is interesting, a woman who has tried to model herself after Marilyn Monroe, just like Madonna and many others. Her fame was solidfied when she became the most famous trophy wife of all time, a widowed heiress who had to fight her own Son in Law for the inheritance her husband left to her. Her case went all the way to the Supreme Court, didn't it? She was always so bizarre, in that she just was who she was, even when she had her own reality TV show. She was a train wreck with a certain sweetness and panache.
And the originality of the tale has to be considered too. How often would a woman have a baby girl at the age of 38, with a controversy over who the child's father is, then lose her 20 year old son to a drug overdose 3 days after the birth of the baby, and then a few months later have an eerily similar death, and everybody crawling out of the woodwork claiming to b e the baby's daddy so they can get a piece of that inheritance? How often? Once. Ever. Circumstances like Anna Nicole Smiths will never happen again in our lifetime or any other. It is weird and quirky. It is a better tale than a crazy astronaut.
What also bothers me is that people are trashing Smith in her death. There are real people who are rightfully mourning her early death. And then there are insensitive types who are trashing her and whining about how much attention she is getting. But the story is deserving of attention because it is so unique. She is a compelling story, and the tale of the now motherless baby, who lost a brother at age 3 days and a mother at age 5 months and stands to inherit a fortune. Well it is one to wrap your mind around.
I like Anna Nicole Smith. She came from nothing and became something, somebody worth remembering. A success story with a tragedy wrapped up in it.
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Re: My guess.
Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 03:38:32 PM EST
5.00 (astute, brilliant, brilliant)
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You're right, nmiguy. It's the perfect American tragedy for a number of reasons:
- she posed naked numerous times
- she was a gold-digger
- many men masturbated to her naked photos
- she stood to inherit a fortune
- she liked to take her clothes off for the camera
- she was vacuous, but famous, thereby fulfilling the fantasy of vacuous Americans everywhere
- she had large breasts which she liked to show off
- she was extremely fucking stupid, but famous, thereby fulfilling the fantasy of extremely fucking stupid Americans everywhere
- she posed naked for many, many photographs
- she experienced tragedy by losing a son, thereby endearing her to vacuous, fucking stupid, tragedy-laden but not-famous Americans everywhere
- did I mention she posed nude, several times?
Her death is, frankly, entirely meaningless to me. The outpouring of self-indulgent hand-wringing and full-court press coverage, on the other hand, is telling of an American society that "honours" shallow, stupid, people - famous for being shallow and stupid - as their most notable citizens.
When it comes to the deification of nothingness, Anna Nicole Smith is hard to beat.
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Re: My guess.
Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 06:06:48 PM EST
3.00 (astute)
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Hey she worked hard for her money, unlike Paris Hilton & the other vacuous heiresses that seem to populate American popular culture these days. But yes, she was famous for being famous, as far as I can tell. I do feel sorry for her baby, though.
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Re: My guess.
Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 08:19:18 PM EST
5.00 (astute)
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I think that whatever you think of 'vacuous' types, they pretty much ALL work hard for their money. There is a method to getting famous, but it takes a lot of dedication and hard work to get there, and a little luck. For every famous person you see, there are probably 100 people who've tried and failed, often through lack of perseverance or a general unwillingness to do 'whatever it takes'. Sure, sex, money and bodybuilding, whatever, all played a critical role, but, fundamentally, it's like everything else, hard work.
Anyway, taking your clothes off hardly makes you famous. There are plenty of Playboy models working as waitresses.
Chris.
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Re: My guess.
Thu Feb 15, 2007 at 09:00:55 AM EST
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There are plenty of Playboy models working as waitresses.
Name one.
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Re: My guess.
Mon Feb 12, 2007 at 09:57:00 AM EST
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Keta, I never mentioned her nude pics. If you get hung up on that you miss the story and the tragedy.
I mean, the actor in the grey poupon commercials died too, but no one cares if he ever posed nude. His story is just not as compelling, although he may have beena very wonderful person.
You trash Anna Nicole because you see her as trash. I do not. I see someone who rose from nothing and got everybody's attention. I admire her spunk and attitude.
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Re: My guess.
Tue Feb 13, 2007 at 05:14:57 PM EST
4.33 (funny, funny, funny)
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It's true, spunk had a lot to do with her success. Lots and lots of spunk.
In regione caecorum, rex est luscus.
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Grey Poupon!?
Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 09:46:33 AM EST
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What the shit?! He's dead?! Uh, I mean, which one?
-----
The earth may fail, but we will quiver
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Re: Grey Poupon!?
Wed Feb 14, 2007 at 12:11:32 PM EST
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You know, This guy.
"Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?"
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Re: My guess.
Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 09:41:40 PM EST
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Katie Couric says she is just a helpless tool of the system? She is just being a good soldier in all of this? I disagree, the death of this woman is news because while she was alive her every dumb and vacuous move was heavily reported and hyped. So, if someone who has eaten up as much of our collective attention while alive is certainly not going to just die without the media reporting something about her, especially when she dies suddenly with drugs involved and all the buzz about whose DNA thread belongs to her daughter.
You see, Anna Nicole was nothing more than a moderately fascinating train wreck to me. I never knew her and I am not sure anyone really knew her. Because it seems to me the face we see on most of these celebrities is exactly what they and their publicists want us to see. And I am not sure I could really feel at ease or open in the company of someone whose main thoughts appear to be what is the best way to get their image polished or sharpened for the evening news. You say you are amazed and bothered by the way some people are trashing or joking about her. Why would that be? If it were any other way, she would be the first celebrity in history who was deeply and universally mourned by everyone. There will always be people who did not really care about her. There will always be people who resented her for having money or just for being famous (which is odd, because that is really the one thing she was good for).
I do not know about her story being all that compelling. Young girl manages to parlay her physical looks to rise above her circumstances. Becomes a woman obsessed with money and fame. Apparently fooled around with drugs and died as a result. Pretty unremarkable if you look at it that way. The party in all of this that has to be considered compelling is what is going to happen to the daughter. As you say, five months old and her mother is dead. There seems to be no end of people coming out of the woodworks claiming to be her father (I mean WTF, the Eurotrash who was married to Zsa Zsa!). With her you see an eerie similarity to what ended up happening to Christina Onassis.
Illegitimi non carborundum.
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Re: My guess.
Mon Feb 12, 2007 at 02:59:03 AM EST
4.00 (astute)
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MayorBob, you're certainly on to something. I was talking with an old friend from my days in the porno business; he had heard about her death and told me. Neither of us had ever had any contact with her, but anyone who works in the business knows about the personality disorders that shape these young women like Anna. My guess was that she had borderline personality disorder; his guess was hystrionic p.d., but the two certainly aren't exclusive.
Unlike most mental illnesses, b.p.d. has a predictable death rate, 15% by age 40, about the same as smallpox.
Technically she died of a drug overdose, but her death was a suicide. The ambiguity leaves enough room for all kinds of books and magazine articles over the coming years.
January 20, 2009. Justice becomes possible.
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Re: My guess.
Mon Feb 12, 2007 at 08:33:38 AM EST
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You say you are amazed and bothered by the way some people are trashing or joking about her. Why would that be? If it were any other way, she would be the first celebrity in history who was deeply and universally mourned by everyone.
MB, have you forgotten Princess Di? Lady Di was publicly mourned by the world. Yeah there were a few fringe elements who did not mourn her or who mocked her tragic death. But Anna Nicole's drama is a joke. But a woman had died. A baby is left without a mother.
