A View from the Stacks: The Perfect Storm…

…of celebrity-gossip-news.

It is no secret among those who know me that I am a fan of Vicki Lynn Marshall, a.ka. Anna Nicole Smith, so it goes without saying that this has been a rough couple of days for me.

Gossip blogs and rumors aside, the death of Anna Nicole is more of a story then a People Magazine headline because it begs the question of where certain legal proceedings will now end up.  Anna Nicole was embroiled in a nasty court case concerning the estate of her late husband.  With the birth of her daughter Dannielynn, you can also add a pending paternity suit that promises to be more salacious than anything that Law & Order could dream up (as I type this, I am convinced that next week’s advertisements for L&O will feature this story…).  And, of course, there are some pretty serious questions surrounding her cause of death and the Internets are all abuzz with conspiracy theories.

The lawyers on every side of these matters have expressed their deepest sympathies for the family of Anna Nicole.  They are also positioning themselves in a manner that leads me to believe that the legacy of Anna Nicole’s life will not be on her modeling or reality show, but on the gross amount of legal fees that she can amass posthumously.   

So why should you care?

Truthfully, I have no answer to that question, but since I get to write an entry every now and again for this blog, I figured I should take advantage of the space and pay some last respects to Anna.  Anyone who can simultaneously charm Supreme Court Justices and show up to award shows semi-coherent has my attention, especially when that person appears to be the underdog existing on borrowed time.  While the death on Anna Nicole Smith is shocking, there is a certain feeling that this is no surprise at all.

Now, let the legal games begin.

R.I.P.

Stina McClintock, Library Technician, King County Law Library (Seattle) and Beer Judge (BJCP)

Editor's Note: Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog is covering the estate issues. [JH]