It's a sign of our times that most of us first hear of news like this not from television, radio or newspaper, but from the Web. And we don't hear about it at 6 or 11 p.m., or when we first wake up and trundle out to the front porch. Rather, we hear about it almost as soon as it happens.
[My point being that old media is increasingly irrelevant to all of us. New media now rules. End of diatribe. On with this entry...]
I'll admit to being slightly more than mildly annoyed by the breathless tone with which so-called entertainment "reporters" cover the celeb beat. Let's face it, I don't really care that some starlet went skiing in Vail over the weekend. It's pap, not news. And Mary Hart's cloying voice is enough to make me want to break a mirror with my bare hands and eat the shards, one by one.
Which is why I find the circus surrounding Anna Nicole Smith's life and death to be more than a little odious. The net result is a complete whitewashing of the fact that someone has died. It's a perverse exclamation mark on a life that was lived with difficulty and was ended before its time.
In the days to come, much will be written about Ms. Smith's passing. The only thing that sticks in my mind is a five-month-old baby girl who will never know her mom except through the tabloid-tinged recollections of a world that viewed her with scorn. I pray for that child, and wish her a life of happiness and charm, something her mother was never able to attain.
Your turn: Thoughts?
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26 comments:
Her baby was the first thing I thought about as well.
Let's face it, her demise is hardly surprising. But it's very sad for that innocent baby who drew the short straw, indeed.
Here via michele.
Well said Carmi.
My first thought was about this motherless child. Anna Nicole seemed to be dogged by lots of pain in her very short life. It is quite sad to me the wake that has been left behind.
I feel the very same about this. Her death is sad but the child is mostly in my thoughts.
it's tragic that something like this happens and the vultures just swarm all over it. My heart goes out to her baby girl and I pray she doesn't end up troubled like her mother.
thanks for stopping by
Very well said, Carmi. I also thought of the baby, and wonder what her life will be like. At times I wish I lived 100 years ago, when the media was not in control of our every thought.
I agree with you, her little girl will never know her mother, except for what the media has to say about her. Poor child!
I agree; Well said. I, too, was amazed at how fast the news came in. Within minutes every news site and entertainment site that I subscribe to had an article about it. I guess that's why I don't want to post a post myself.
If you aren't enjoying everything you schemed for in life/love, then life must get unpleasant.
But, on a human note, Anna was, despite her fame, one of us. She felt. I'm sure she felt.
Carmi, I knew you would put it well and succinctly. The thought of that baby girl saddens me to tears. Not only is she motherless, she has more than one man claiming to be her father. The whole idea of it is appalling. I just heard on the news that some suspect she was on drugs. I don't doubt it. I hope her pitiful life and untimely death can serve as a lesson to others who may be treading the same path.
Michele sent me tonight.
I did hear about this on tv, but I was at work telling people how to fix their satellite television. The tvs at work are usually on cnn or the weather channel & we were all straining our eyes to read the closed captioning on the screens above us. Very sad, I never cared much for her but it is terrible for her daughter.
Here from Micheles.
I am sad for the little girl. I hope there is someone who can care for her while paternity is being settled and her future inheritance determined. Hopefully she can change her present heritage to a meaningly legacy.
Well said Carmi. The bizarre thing about all this is the fight over that old man's money is now going to continue through beneficiaries of the original contestants (who are now all dead) , with this paternity fight the next battle and then perhaps a will contest if ANS left her estate to someone other than her daughter.
Michele sent me.
I think this poor woman suffered so much...she lost a son shortly after the birth of a daughter...the whole paternity thing...people requesting HER DNA (why, might I ask?). She appeared to be suffering post-partum depression. Having been there myself, I know some of the signs....
Prayers for the child... that is the best.
Smith's early demise has saved her kid from a lifetime of therapy. Money and no Mom should make for a nice life for that baby girl.
I can't say that the passing of Anna Nicole bothers me any. Nothing in her life that I'm aware of spoke well of her character.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed that someone had died adn what is more had died alone before her time leaving a baby behind. Very sad.
I know little about her but I think it is sad that she had to endure so much scorn from a world that nmade her what she was.
Well said Carmi.
Carmi: I walked into my hotel room and late yesterday and the news of this tragedy was stinging. I couldn't agree more with you on the cheap sensationalism of so-called "entertainment reporters". Anna Nicole was fodder for so many to mock and I generally thought hers was a sad life. This outcome is even sadder. I share your views and thoughts for her son completely. Well expressed, my friend and with compassion.
I like how you said this. Everyone at my work (being teachers) kept saying "oh the poor baby." I piped up with, "Maybe it's for the best. I mean... growing up with a drug addicted mom pretty much sucks." And no, I'm not sure it is better than no mom. So there. Maybe her death gives her poor baby a chance at a better life.
Yeah. Can't help but think of that little girl and the legacy that was left her. Sad.
Michele sent me back,
~S
The only thing that sticks in my mind is a five-month-old baby girl who will never know her mom except through the tabloid-tinged recollections of a world that viewed her with scorn.
Amen. Why isn't anyone looking out for the welfare of this innocent? The whole story is sad.
I'm in agreement with all the other folks here...very sad. For the child, but also in so many other ways.
"My point being that old media is increasingly irrelevant to all of us. New media now rules. End of diatribe. On with this entry..."
So true Carmi. Being intimately involved with the printing industry for the last twenty years, it tears me up to see this happening but I'm afraid it is true. For those of us with ink in their veins it is tough to see.
I believe this entire story is of such public interest because of the scandal. First, Anna Nicole is named playmate of the year. Then she marries a very rich, very old man. Which turns into a large fight with his family. Then, there is the maternity suit, which had a very interesting twist added today.
In this sensationalized world we live, it is not surprising such a story and person would be catapulted to the forefront of the media attention.
I agree, I feel bad for the child. However, I also feel like the child may now have hope for a somewhat normal childhood.
Her death is very sad, and my heart goes out to her baby daughter. However, I'm just shaking my head now at the 'dads' coming out out of the woodwork to claim her as their own. I think there are 3 now, including Zsa Zsa Gabor's ex hubby, Prince Something Or The Other. I wonder if they are motivated out of true parental concern and love or by the millions the child could inherit. What a circus this is going to be!
Vultures. When I saw (and sadly am still seeing) coverage of "WHAT KILLED ANNA NICOLE?" I am sickened. I hate the media, of which I am a part, when they act like this. It's disgusting.
She was someone's mother, daughter, sister. She was a PERSON. I don't care how messed up she was. The merciless teasing and picking and making fun of someone, who I think was very sick and obviously addicted, and the judgemental people going on and on about what a loser she was, is pathetic.
Makes me angry. Can you tell?
You hit on exactly what I was saying the other day. Danilyn will grow up with the public/tabloid version of her mother ever before her. She was a druggie, she was a pinup, she was fat, thin, sexy, ditzy... But what about who she was when there were no cameras? Had she lived, Danilynn would have gotten to know that woman, good or bad, but now all she'll have is headlines... and tapes of Mary Hart to introduce her to her mother. So sad.
Oh, and your mirror shard comment is brilliant writing! I had to read it aloud to Champs, it was so well crafted.
My first thought was for her child too... so sad. I'm not sure if there is anything I could think of right now seems more heart-breaking, especially when I hug my own babe.
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