Monday, February 12, 2007

Just like Anna Nicole Smith, today is a double whammy.

Sometimes it's hard not to speak ill of the dead. I know it's wrong, but I just can't help myself. Last week Anna Nicole Smith expired, and in my heart of hearts, I wanted to feel like it just might be a good thing. I tried really hard to revel in it, but I just couldn't find the feeling. Instead I felt a sense of sadness.

Normally I tend to rejoice when a "Star" who's skill set is as heady as pamphlet for carpet cleaning gets it's mortal coil snipped. I usually find a certain sinister comfort in it. (It's like Mother Nature has struck a blow, or the earth is righting itself in some fashion)

Mind you, the skills she did have, while few in number, did propel her into the spot light. Few people on this planet looked as good naked, and fewer still know how to use those "advantages" to the same level that she had. I would argue that she was "The New Lesser Talented Marilyn Monroe."

In the past I had trivialized her as "The World's Hottest Hillbilly" and "The Most Shameless Gold Digger in Human History." But I'll admit, I loved her insanity. There were moments where it bordered on sheer brilliance. This of course being the counter balance to how cruelly stupid she made herself appear to be. I feel safe in attesting that this was nothing but cold calculation on her part.

She certainly wasn't the most socially graceful person on the planet, not really much more than an unfortunate cross between Yosemite Sam and Jessica Rabbit. (With a note worthy pill addiction…) and her southern drawl sounded more like someone who lived in a trailer, and lot less like someone attending a cotillion. (I suspect there were very few mint juleps on the lanai in her life time.)

But what is most important is that she was human, just like the rest of us. Maybe I'm getting old, but that notion rings a lot less hollow than it used to for me. Instead of the glib hatred, I have only sadness. There was a life that was far from ordinary, and yet it still managed to get wasted. That truly is a tragedy.

1 comment:

Lisa said...

All right, this is scary. I actually had the same reaction as you...creepy!

I had nothing but sadness in my heart for Anna when I heard the news. This is a woman who desired nothing more than to be wanted and yet even though you could argue she attained that she still never appeared to be happy. From all accounts she had a pretty shitty life and it ended just as shitty.

I have actually spent a great deal of time praying for her daughter, I can't even imagine what her life will be like. To have no family left (being that we have no clue who her dad is...and do we really want to, the candidates are scary.) and presumably no reliable security-net means she has little chance at getting out of the train wreck that has cursed her family. Top that with the paparazzi attention that is sure to follow her for the rest of her life and she might as well start on the Methadone now. If Danilynn manages one normal day in her life it will be a blessing from God.