As I stated in an earlier post, I never paid much attention to Anna Nicole Smith prior to her death. When I wrote that other post I genuinely figured that would be all I’d have to say about that. I am surprised at myself that I feel compelled to write something on this woman again. But I am …

I stayed home from work today and found that I could barely take my eyes off the horrors of the seemingly endless spectacle that is the fight over the remains Anna Nicole Smith. It gives every appearance that any and every one remotely connected to the woman or connected to someone who is connected to the woman is determined to squeeze every last dime and/or every last nano-second of publicity they can from her corpse.

No one wants the ride that was Anna Nicole Smith to end.

Of course, I have formed opinions on the matter – no surprise there. If you are interested in my observations, keep reading. If not, move along.

I am finding myself feeling sad for Vickie Lynn Hogan. The girl who left home to find fame and fortune. She became a cliché. She became the epic story of rags to riches to decline to betrayal to finding out that the golden ring wasn’t what she wanted after all. Nothing filled the empty hole in her soul, it seems. Nothing was enough. It’s one of those lessons in ‘be careful what you ask for’.

Every person involved in this has something they are going to get out of it. They are picking over her bones.

The judge slipped and compared the trial to writing a book that is evolving – which explains his exasperating attempts to get testimony from the witnesses about their ‘feelings’ and their ‘motivations’ about events that have no apparent relevance to the disposition of the remains.

The mother, Virgie, wasn’t very quick on her feet. When asked about selling photos and film footage to publishers she stammered and stuttered and then lied. Then later told the sorta truth claiming she didn’t understand the question earlier. She did seem to have sincere feelings for her daughter, but I didn’t get the impression she was a saint in this whole mess.

The lawyer/friend/hanger-on/gofer, Howard K. Smith, gave quite a performance of concern. He demurred from exposing Anna Nicole’s drug dependence, but it turned out he fetched her prescriptions and never attempted to help her in any way. When asked about his living arrangements, he eventually owned up to the fact he has lived off Anna Nicole Smith for a number of years. There was a revelation that not only himself but both of his lawyers are named as executors of Anna Nicole’s estate. That revelation got them hoping up and down making objections.

It was also revealed that her will was being faxed around between the lawyers in the week before her death. They objected and brought forth evidence that one of them got the will faxed in the days AFTER her death. They never disproved the allegation they had faxed it around PRIOR to her death. I never saw a resolution to that issue – tune in tomorrow.

Finally, the supposed father of Anna Nicole’s daughter got his chance to testify. In his defense, he started trying to have paternity testing done immediately after the baby was born, way before Anna Nicole’s death. He also supports himself. He also did not try to slime out of owning up to the fact he had made money off Anna Nicole. He is a photographer and made money off photos he had made of her and her family. He was the only one that admitted that he had made money off her. That was refreshing.

Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mean he’s any kind of stellar citizen. I have no idea what kind of person he is. It’s just that out of the entire cast of characters, he was the least despicable from what I saw today. But there’s always tomorrow.

Here’s the thing. Every picture and every interview I’ve seen of Anna Nicole since the death of her son she was obviously heavily sedated. I don’t mean stoned as she’s been seen in the past. I mean sedated. Flat. Emotion-less. Bitter. Repressed anger and pain.

Her son’s death is very suspicious and still unresolved. His body was kept out of the country and an investigation into his death is on-going. There was the drugged marriage of Anna Nicole in the days after her son’s death. The lawyer won’t cooperate with a paternity test, he won’t bring the baby to the United States and he attained a guarantee he would not be detained before he would appear at this hearing.

Look at the photos of her ‘commitment ceremony’ that she and Howard K. Stern had shortly after her son’s death. Does she look happy? The only person smiling is Howard K. Stern. In every single picture I’ve seen of that ceremony the pastor is looking at Anna Nicole with a concerned look on his face. Anna Nicole looks a mess and terribly unhappy.

She looked happier in her wedding to Howard Marshall.

Regardless of the outcome, as soon as this hearing is over there will be appeals. Vickie Lynn Hogan was a smart beautiful girl. She used her assets to get where she wanted. But she wasn’t very sophisticated and didn’t know who to trust or how to determine who was trustworthy. She was surrounded by sycophants and hangers-on who used her during life and are picking over her bones following her death.

Lord only knows how long it will be before she can be laid to rest. It won’t be until every ounce of her usefulness is used up.

Everybody is grabbing pieces of Anna Nicole Smith.