The Anna Nicole Smith Circus

The coverage of Anna Nicole Smith's death has spun completely out of control.

It's gone from excessive to tasteless to positively deplorable.

Take the EXCLUSIVE interviews with Smith's mother and sister and other family members, take all the speculation about the identity of her infant daughter's father, add the questions about the baby's whereabouts, and what do you have?

A circus.


It's pathetic.

Truly.

I'm sick of the freak show.

Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband Prince Frederic von Anhalt coming on board as a possible father of Smith's daughter put me over the edge.

Then, the photos of what was inside Smith's refrigerator hit the Internet.

There's no end in sight.

The insanity continues.

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Anna Nicole Smith's 5-month-old daughter and the baby's purported father have reclaimed the Bahamas mansion where they lived before the former Playboy Playmate died last week, Smith's lawyer said.

Not only is the paternity of Smith's baby — who could inherit a fortune from Smith's late husband — in dispute, but so is the Bahamas mansion where Smith had been living.

Smith, who died in Florida on Thursday, had claimed that a U.S. developer and former boyfriend, G. Ben Thompson, gave her the house. But Thompson said he had only loaned it to Smith — and on Friday had the locks changed.

Smith's lawyer and companion, Howard K. Stern — one of three men who claims to be the baby's father — had the locks changed again and on Sunday was once again at the gated waterfront estate, known as "Horizons."

The baby girl, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, was also there, attorney Wayne Munroe told The Associated Press. An AP Television News reporter saw Stern's mother enter the white house, as well. Another AP reporter saw Smith's mother, Vergie Arthur, at the gates, but she did not go inside.

The way Smith's mother has reacted to her daughter's death bothers me most of all.

I expect the media to do whatever they can to get ratings. I expect them to be heartless.

But her own mother? It's incomprehensible.

While I'm disgusted by the non-stop coverage, I'm not surprised.

Some media critics decry the media's obsession with Smith and her death. But as coverage of entertainment and scandal stories plays an increasingly important role in modern-day journalism, those who practice it are increasingly unapologetic about the time and resources they devote to such stories.

"No matter what you thought of her bizarre life, which we covered little of in recent months, her death was untimely and stunning," says Jim Murphy, executive producer of Good Morning America. "The story of what she represented, an overexposed personal life, is very much a part of the American story today."

Says Robert Lichter, a George Mason University journalism professor: "Media now seek out the lowest common denominator, and Smith was the lowest common denominator." But Lichter understands her appeal. "The media can't resist when something serious happens to someone frivolous. She had everything the media look for in a story: money, sex and dieting. Her death is so irresistible because it lets people mourn and gloat at the same time."

"The media can't resist when something serious happens to someone frivolous."

How crass!

We're talking about the tragic life and death of a human being, not a "frivolous" character in a novel.

I'm also sick of the media dissecting the media's handling of the story.

Why are Americans so enthralled?

What does it say about us?

Blah, blah, blah.

Is that supposed to be taking the high road? Doing stories on the stories of the story?

But again, I come back to her mother -- HER MOTHER.

How could she agree to appear on TV less than 24 hours after her daughter's death?

The woman has had cameras following her around since Friday.

I don't understand why Arthur is cooperating with the media. She's complicit in the exploitation of her daughter's misery and demise.

It's horrible. How could she do that to her daughter?

Has our culture become so twisted that a mother supposedly grieves by doing interview after interview rather than dealing with her loss at least somewhat privately for at least a little while?

So many aspects of this story are ugly, really ugly.

The drugs, the sex, the greed, the mystery -- And the nation can't get enough.

There's something wrong with that picture.

Before Smith's death so totally grabbed the media's attention, there was the Lisa Nowak story, the astronaut wearing the diaper while allegedly out to commit murder to settle a love triangle.

Funny? I don't think so.

Did you know that her breakdown is going to be a movie?

Yes, it's been just one week and already there's a movie deal!

THE saga of the astronaut accused of trying to kill a rival for a colleague's affections is set to be turned into a movie.

Granada America has optioned the film rights to an article on Lisa Nowak, 43, who was arrested on Monday and charged with attempted murder.

Nowak was charged after driving 900 miles to confront engineer Colleen Shipman over a perceived love triangle with Space Shuttle pilot William Oefelein.

The astronaut wore nappies for the trek from Houston to Orlando in Florida so she would not have to waste time on toilet breaks. She also carried a trench coat, a wig, a pellet gun and pepper spray, among other items.

"The chronicle of Lisa Marie Nowak has had a global impact and contains almost every dramatic element possible," Granada America chief executive David Gyngell said. "One could not imagine a more compelling story."

Thankfully, Nowak didn't hurt anyone.

She obviously flipped out.

Of course, she must be held accountable for her actions; but I feel compassion for her. I think her story is far more sad than it is entertaining.

I feel sorry for her dramatic fall and for the agony her family must be experiencing. I feel sorry for all those involved.

I cringe at the late night talk show comedians joking at her expense.

I really think it's wrong for someone's pain to become another person's entertainment.

Let's face it. This week has revealed something very unsettling about our culture.

The way the country has reacted to these stories doesn't need to be analyzed. It only needs to be condemned for what it is -- sick.